Sweet Apple Slumber Party

Gray clouds grace the skies of Equestria for as far as you can see. It's not hard for you to believe that this really was the biggest rainstorm Ponyville has ever had. The pegasi were busy at work in preparation for the record-breaking storm, spending the entire day gathering clouds for the special occasion. The sweet, unique scent of Equestrian rain fills the air, coinciding with the soft breeze that gently cools your skin.

Every pegasus in Ponyville is helping gather clouds for the long night ahead. You chuckle to yourself at the thought of Rainbow Dash dragging Fluttershy out of her cottage, since the town needed all the help they could get. Even Twilight is helping with the storm, being an Alicorn princess now. Mayor Mare told her that she didn't have to help, since she was royalty and all, but Twilight insisted on helping, taking the opportunity to learn more about how Equestrian weather worked by witnessing it first-hand... or as she says it, first-hoof.

As for all the unicorn and earth ponies, they're locking down for the night, safe and warm inside their homes. The storm is planned to pour heavily throughout the night. Pinkie Pie saw this as the perfect opportunity to throw a party with her closest friends, to which Applejack happily offered to host at her home in Sweet Apple Acres. Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Applebloom all went out of town to visit family in Appleloosa for the week, while Applejack decided to stay home to watch over the barn while they were gone, so there would be plenty of room for her and her friends to party throughout the home. You were one of the friends invited.

Since Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight were busy for the day, Rarity was the only other guest invited to the party. In front of Applejack and Pinkie Pie, she said she was too busy catching up on a large order of dresses for the night, but later on, you heard her muttering to herself that she "didn't want to sleep in a barn." You scoffed and rolled your eyes, but decided not to say anything about it. You knew you were going to have a fun-filled night anyway.

As the last patches of light are covered my dark clouds, the wind begins to pick up. You take a look at your watch. It's 15 minutes before the party starts and the rain starts falling, so you decide to start making your way down the road. The streets of town are empty as every pony begins closing their windows for the night, making their final preparations before the storm. The once gentle breeze is now a series of chilling gusts, which makes you happy that you brought a coat along with you.

Before long, you arrive at Sweet Apple Acres. You approach the barn and hear a muffled tune of polka music coming from inside. You knock on the door and hear a familiar voice coming from the pink pony inside.

"Whoooooooo's theeeeeere?" the playful pony asks in a lingering high-pitched voice.

"It's me, Anon." you reply.

You hear a faint giggle come from the other side of the door. "Anon whooooooooooo?" the giggler asks.

You stand still, thinking about how to respond to her unexpected question.

"Pinkie, it's me. Anon. Your friend."

The door opens and you're greeted by none other than the party-loving pony, smiling from ear to ear as usual. "Oh, hello! You REALLY need to work on your knock-knock jokes! Teehee!" she chortle before hopping back inside. You smile and shake your head as you step into the barn. Once inside, you're quite impressed by what the two ponies laid out for the party. The first thing that catches your eye is a long table filled with freshly-baked pastries that make it impossible for you to resist licking your lips, leading to a towering keg with a spout, surrounded by glass mugs, ready to be filled to the brim with whatever beverage the keg contains. The sweet smell of baked delights fills your nostrils and makes your mouth drool with an overpowering craving for the delectable desserts. The barn is decorated with balloons and streamers from the floor to the ceiling. A bit extreme for a simple sleepover for three, but since Pinkie was the one responsible for the decorations, you're not all that surprised.

"Howdy there, Anon! Glad ya could make it. Help yaself to the treats Pinkie and I laid out. Get 'em while they're hot!" a southern voice from across the room exclaims. Your smile becomes nearly as big as Pinkie's once you hear those words. You move over to where the two ponies sat, both sipping on frothy mugs of orange beverage, and hug each of them tightly.

"Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful party. You girls must've worked hard setting all this up."

The ponies both smile in response.

"Aww, shucks, sugarcube. I'm just happy to see another friendly face down here at mah barn. I hope ya have a good time."

Pinkie Pie jumps up in the air with joy. "Cooking sweet treats is always fun, especially when you're cooking for a party! Then it's twice as fun!" she says with a smile.

You smile back at her before taking a deep breath through your nostrils, taking in the heartwarming scent of the apple-flavored baked snacks that stood before you. They have every apple dessert you could ever imagine; apple pies, apple fritters, apple turnovers, apple cheesecake, even apple-flavored cookies topped with a smooth cinnamon spread. Everything looks and smells so delicious. You fill a plate with a sample of each of the appetizing sweets. At the end of the table, you reach the massive tank of the mysterious drink. You stare at the keg for a few seconds as you hear the sound of hoofsteps approaching from behind you.

"That there's the finest sparkling apple cider in all of Equestria," Applejack announces proudly. "Brewed it mahself, go 'head on and drink as much as ya want, but careful now, mah cider ain't famous for nothin'."

She's right, better take it slow with the alcohol. You pour yourself a glass to sample, carrying it to the large blanket in the middle of the room where your courteous friends sat. You carry your stacked plate steadily, being careful not to drop the tower of desserts that your stomach craves. You stare in amazement at the arrangement of sweets on your plate, deciding in your head which one to try first, until Pinkie Pie helps you make up your mind.

"Ooh, try the apple pie! Applejack shared her ultra super secret family recipe with me so we could bake it together. Fiddling food with friends is forever fun-funny-funerrific!" she alliterates before taking a gulp of foamy cider.

Pinkie's made-up vocabulary never failed to make you laugh. You decide to take her advice and take a heaping bite of the pie, which tastes even better than it smells. After that one bite, you can't help but gorge on every last crumb on your plate. Once you finish, you wash it all down with Applejack's home-made sparkling cider, which tastes incredibly delicious as well. You look up to see the two ponies laughing.

"I tell ya, Anon, I ain't never seen anypony eat up mah treats like that!" Applejack declares, cider in hoof.

"You must REALLY like apples, Anon!" Pinkie says, followed by a giggle and a snort.

You smile with embarrassment, blushing at the thought of your friends watching you as you wolf down their food like you haven't eaten in months. You try to change the subject to cover for your gluttonous behavior.

"Are the two of you ready for the storm? I've heard it's the biggest one Ponyville has ever seen in all it's history."

Applejack chugs an entire mug of cider before speaking. It makes sense that she would have no problem downing a tall glass of her own signature drink without it even phasing her. She must be a champ at drinking games. "Yessum, that's what I've heard too. Guess the pegasus ponies thought they oughta have an extra big storm, for some reason or another. Couldn't imagine why, though, but heck with it."

Pinkie Pie nods her head quickly in agreement. She has a mouthful of cake and seems to be too busy trying to chew it all to be speaking, otherwise, you'd imagine her doing enough talking for the three of you. After swallowing what must've been half the cake all at once, followed by a satisfied "Ahh" she gets up to pour herself another glass, probably to make Applejack think she was a strong drinker as well. You and the southern pony look at each other with a grin before shaking your heads.

A loud crack of thunder makes the three of you jump in your place, and you all suddenly realize the rain has begun to fall. Without notice, Pinkie Pie bursts out in chatter as quickly as the thunder crashed before.

"Ooh, I just got a super duper funtabulous idea!" the energetic pony declares. "We should play a game! I've got just the right one in mind!"