Joke's on You

Joke’s on You

Rarity tapped her chin thoughtfully, admiring her work. It was good, yes, but was it good enough? She squinted, trying to get a different perspective. Maybe a little more lace around the collar would do it. Her horn began to glow, a roll of lace rising from the nearby table, before slowly sinking back down. No, that would be tacky. Lace was out this season anyway. She was probably already pushing it as it was. Something else then. But what?

“Oh! It should be pink again! Can we make it pink again? Or wait! Maybe even MORE pink than last year!”

“Pinkie please,” Rarity sighed. “I am trying to think. Please just stand there for a moment. This needs to be perfect if we’re going to make a good showing at the Gala this year, especially after we made such foals of ourselves the last time we were invited. And besides, there’s plenty of pink on it already.”

“But—!”

Rarity held up a hoof, silencing Pinkie before she could get started again. It had taken long enough to get her calmed down to the point Rarity could get her into the dress, the last thing she needed now was for Pinkie to get overexcited and ruin all her hard work.

“No buts, Pinkie. I need everything to be just so if I am going to create the perfect dress for you, and I am determined to make the Gala a smashing success this year,” Rarity said, rubbing a hoof against her temple in an attempt to fight back the inevitable headache that working with Pinkie Pie brought on.

Rarity would liked to have been able to say her motivation was purely selfless, but even she had to admit that wasn’t true. She had never really been able to get over the sting of last year’s Gala. She just hoped her outburst wouldn’t come back to bite her. Her cheeks tinged pink at the memory of her ‘date’ with Blueblood. If she never saw him again it would be just fine.

The Gala hadn’t been a complete disaster at least. While at the donut shop, Twilight had told her that she had received several compliments on her dress. Rarity hadn’t thought too much about it at the time, but those compliments had been from very fashion-conscious and influential ponies. Another trip to the Gala would give her a chance to show off her work to Equestria’s elite. She’d just have to make sure she had realistic expectations this time.

“Pinkie Pie please hold still!” Rarity begged. “Those stitches aren’t finished yet and if you keep hopping around you’ll ruin them!”

Pinkie stopped hopping, freezing in mid air before gently landing back on the ground. “Oh, sorry Rarity, I just get super-duper-extra excited when I think about how much better this Gala is going to be than the last one! I mean, come on, how stuffy can you get? I’ve got some great ideas to show those crabby old ponies how to have a real Pinkie Pie party!”

“Yes yes, of course dear,” Rarity said absently, holding up another sheet of fabric next to Pinkie’s coat, “Now please hold still, and put your necklace back on, I need to make sure the gem doesn’t clash with the ones on the collar.”

Pinkie dug a hoof into her mane, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out the necklace that held the Element of Laughter and fasting it around her neck. After the fiasco with Discord, Princess Celestia had decided to entrust the Elements to the safekeeping of their bearers. Discord had proven that any force powerful enough to require the Elements would likely not be stopped by the countermeasures the Princess had put in place, and it would be beneficial to have them close at hoof, should the need arise.

As far as Rarity was concerned, it just meant she had the perfect accessories for this year’s gowns. Designing the dresses around the Elements gave her inspiration, as well as being a great way to display each of her friends’ character. Not to mention the fact that nopony else would have anything like them; they were sure to draw all kinds of praise. She got excited just thinking about it!

“Perfect!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, “Oh this is simply marvelous! The necklace makes it all come together perfectly! I simply cannot wait for the Gala!”

“It’s great!” Pinkie squealed as she posed in front of the mirror, “It’s got everything! Balloons and frills and pink and sparklies! In something like this I bet I can have at least a hundred times more fun than last year!”

“Well I’m glad you like it Pinkie Pie, and I appreciate you modelling it for me. It certainly helps to have the client present when the dress in being made, provided they keep their creative suggestions to themselves,” Rarity said. “Now be a dear and get undressed, I need to do some more stitching before the dress will be ready for proper wear.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie replied, hopping out of the dress with a single leap, “I’m gonna head back to Sugar Cube Corner, I’m babysitting Pumpkin and Pound Cake today! Mr. and Mrs. Cake said I can take them to the park, so I have to pack lunch and toys and diapers and snacks and-”

“Well then you’d better get going!” Rarity said, eager to cut off the excitable pink pony, “Maybe you can take them to visit Fluttershy after the park. She’d love to see them, and I’m sure they’d love all the animals. Just so long as they don’t bother Angel.”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie gasped. “That’s a great idea! I haven’t been to see Fluttershy in ages! I gotta go get ready, thanks again Rarity I’ll see you later!” Pinkie called as she dashed out the door in a pink blur.

Rarity shook her head, her horn glowing as she levitated Pinkie’s dress and put it back on one of her mannequins. Sometimes she worried about that pony. Nothing ever seemed to stick to her, probably getting lost in that frizzy pink mane of hers. Of course, that was part of her charm, but it could get to be a bit much after awhile.

Something caught her eye and she looked down, noticing Pinkie’s Element of Laughter necklace lying on the floor. “Oh really Pinkie Pie,” she sighed, picking it up, “Only you would forget something so important. I guess I’ll have to hold onto it until you come back for it. Celestia only knows when that will be. Honestly, I almost think the Princess would have been better off keeping your element in her safekeeping given how you treat it.”

She levitated the pendant over to the small, jewel-encrusted chest she used to store her own necklace. At least it would be in good company here; she could only imagine where Pinkie Pie kept it. Most likely she just tossed it on the floor when she got home. Rarity could hardly imagine such careless handling of something so precious.

As she made to put Pinkie’s pendant away Rarity paused, admiring it. It really was beautiful. The blue gem was the perfect compliment to the pink pony’s sky blue eyes. Rarity’s necklace was the same lovely purple as her mane, but the blue of Pinkie’s was startling in its intensity.

Rarity took a furtive glance around the shop. Confident that nopony else was around, she closed the door and put on Pinkie’s necklace. There wasn’t anything wrong with admiring somepony’s jewelry, but she had her pride and it just wouldn’t do for Pinkie to come back and see Rarity wearing her necklace. She doubted the party pony would mind, but still.

“Oh my, Rarity look at you,” She said, stepping in front of the mirror, “Why the color is absolutely perfect for you! I can’t believe I never noticed it before.” She grabbed a boa of matching color and wrapped it around her neck, doing a little spin for flare.

Rarity struck a pose, batting her eyelashes at her reflection. “I can’t imagine how Pinkie Pie could leave something so beautiful behind. It’s simply criminal! I’ll have to give her a proper pranking for forgetting it.”

She blinked. Now where had that come from? She had never pranked anypony before. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a sense of humor, but she had always found such activities lacked grace and dignity. Besides, getting into a prank war with Pinkie Pie was the last thing any sane pony would want to do. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the strange thoughts. Perhaps she had been spending too much time around Pinkie Pie. Her excitable pink friend had been very helpful while she had been working on the dress, but a pony could only stand so much of the girl before they started to go a bit loony themselves.

“I know just the thing too,” She said, examining a minuscule scuff on her hoof, “A visit to Aloe and Lotus is just what I need to get myself back to being one-hundred percent fabulous.”

She had missed her regular visit to the spa with Fluttershy, and had been so busy she hadn’t managed to make a trip on her own. It would be nice to relax, and to see the twins again. She didn’t see them around Ponyville that often, but she considered the two close friends. She couldn’t wait to tell them about Pinkie’s antics over the last several days. They always got a kick out of stories about the pink pony. She would have to convince Pinkie Pie to accompany her on one of her trips someday.

Rarity giggled, her mind conjuring up images of Pinkie Pie bouncing around the spa, trying to convince the twins to party with her while they in turn tried to contain Pinkie and her boundless stores of energy. Her giggles turned into a full on laugh as she continued to conjure up images of an enthusiastic Pinkie Pie turning the quiet spa into her personal party palace, and moments later she was rolling on the floor, howling with laughter.

It wasn’t until she rolled into her work table, sending her supplies crashing to the ground around her, that she managed to stop laughing. She giggled again, wiping a tear from her eye as she crawled out from under a roll of pink fabric.

“Oh my, I haven’t laughed like that in ages!” she said, still fighting back giggles as she stood on shaky hooves, “Maybe Pinkie Pie really does have the right idea after all. Maybe I just need to loosen up a little, enjoy a joke every now and then! Why, all I do is work! That is simply no way for a pony to live, and it gets to be such a bore.”

She caught sight of herself in the mirror and gasped. Her normally perfect mane was frizzy and unkempt, random strands sticking out at odd angles and giving the impression she had just gotten a rather nasty static shock.

“Oh my, this simply won’t do at all! Where is my comb? Oh I can’t believe I let my precious mane get so...so...” She stopped, biting her lip in an attempt to stifle the laugh that she could feel coming on. Her mane just looked so funny. “Well...maybe this isn’t so bad. No, in fact I think I rather like it! A new look for the new, fun-loving Rarity! I simply cannot wait to show my friends how much fun I can be!”

A mischievous grin crept onto her face. “And I know just who to visit first.”

Applejack looked down at the picnic table, staring hard at the assortment of apples on display. Nearby, Winona chased a squirrel into the barn, barking playfully as she pursued her quarry. Applejack ignored the commotion. This was important. Every kind of apple grown on Sweet Apple Acres was displayed on the table. Slowly, her eyes drifted across the apples, each a perfect example of its kind. With a swift motion, she pointed to one of them.

“Gala!” A tiny voice cried out, eliciting a small smile from Applejack. Quickly, she pointed to another. Then another, speeding up as the answers came.

“Red Delicious!”

“Braeburn!”

“Granny Smith!”

“Golden Delicious!”

“Honey cris- wait, no, Cripps Pink!”

Applejack smiled widely. “Well shucks Applebloom,” she said, walking around the table and messing up her little sister’s hair, “You sure do know yer apples! I bet you’ll be a shoo-in fer the foal games at this year’s reunion!”

“Ah can’t wait!” Applebloom said, a wide smile on her face as she hopped up and down in excitement, “Ah can’t wait to show the whole family what Ah can do!”

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle. Applebloom always looked forward to the Apple family reunions, especially now that she was old enough to participate in the games they held for some of the younger ponies. Truth be told, the games were less of a way to test the youngster’s skills and knowledge, and more of a way to keep them busy while the older ponies caught up and talked apples. But they always seemed to enjoy them, and Applebloom was certainly taking the competition seriously.

“Well Ah’m sure they’ll all be as proud of you as Ah am,” Applejack said. “Now why don’t you head on into Ponyville and do some crusadin’ with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle? I got some work left to do gettin’ the barn ready.”

“Sure thing sis!” Applebloom called as she took off down the dirt road leading into town.

“Make sure yer back in time fer dinner!” Applejack shouted after her. She heard a distant ‘Okay!’ and shook her head, still smiling. She didn’t remember having that much energy when she was a filly.

She set back to work cleaning the barn. She had considered asking Applebloom to help, but she had been working so hard on getting ready for the Apple Games that Applejack didn’t think it would be fair to ask the filly to spend her afternoon cleaning out a dusty old barn. Of course, the fact that Applebloom was more of a hindrance than a help when it came to cleaning certainly contributed to her decision. Much as she loved her, that filly couldn’t keep focused long enough to clean her plate, let alone the whole barn.

Besides, it wasn’t like cleaning the barn was an exceptionally difficult task, especially not for a pony as hardworking as she was. Why, she had harvested fully half of Sweet Apple Acres all by herself when Big Macintosh had been too injured to help. Of course, she had been forced to accept the help of her friends in the end to finish the job, but still. She may have learned a lesson about asking for help, but she wasn’t about to bother her friends over something this small.

It was past midday when she finally finished, leaving the barn practically good as new. It had taken a little longer than she had thought. There had been a sizable amount of confetti in the corners of the barn; remnants of one of Pinkie’s parties no doubt. Stepping outside, Applejack let out a sigh of relief as a breeze hit her, the air cool against her sweaty coat. She was no stranger to hard work, but that barn could get mighty stuffy in the middle of a hot day, and she was relieved to be back outside.

She was just about to head out to the orchard to help Big Macintosh when something caught her eye around the edge of the barn. She turned her head, trying to catch it. She thought she saw something duck around the corner, but she wasn’t sure.

“Is anypony there?” Applejack asked, walking over to peer around the corner. Nothing.

“Huh,” she said, scratching the back of her head with a hoof, “Ah coulda sworn Ah saw somethin’.”

Applejack dismissed it with a shrug. It was probably nothing. Squinting up at the beating sun, she walked over to the nearest apple tree and took a seat in its shade, heaving a contented sigh. It sure felt good to get out of the sun. She yawned, her eyes heavy. She felt strangely tired. Most days she could buck apples from dawn ‘til dusk and still be ready for a romp through the Everfree Forest, but for whatever reason, she was feeling exhausted already. Maybe it was the stifling heat of the barn, but a nap was sounding like a mighty fine idea.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice rattled on about all the work that was left to be done. How could she even be thinking about sleeping? But the voice was distant and fading fast, a mere whisper. Applejack yawned again. It was becoming nearly impossible to keep her eyes open, and the nagging voice from before had been replaced by a new, much more insistent voice, urging her to sleep, to rest. She thought she heard soft giggling somewhere nearby, but then sleep took her, and she was lost in dreams.

There were few things Twilight Sparkle enjoyed more than immersing herself in a good book. Back when she lived in Canterlot, she had done little else, much to the chagrin of Princess Celestia. Her other instructors at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns hadn’t had any complaints, though Twilight suspected that had more to do with her results in class than with their support of her lifestyle choices. Princess Celestia had been the only one to actively encourage her to get out and make friends, advice she had ignored until it had been forced upon her.

A furious scratching sound filled the room as she took notes, her quill floating in the precise grip of her magic as she studied the pages of an old and dusty tome. Twilight narrowed her eyes, the quill pausing as she inspected a faded passage. There was always so much to learn. She no longer attended any formal lectures; the responsibility of her education fell entirely on her own shoulders. It was a responsibility she accepted gladly, and took very seriously. Her special talent was magic after all, and she was the bearer of the Element of Magic, it simply wouldn’t do for her to be lax in her studies.

A pounding at the door interrupted her train of thought. There were times she missed the peace and quiet of her room in Canterlot. Nopony ever came knocking there, and she was free to read to her heart’s content.

“Spike!” she called, trying to tune out the knocking, “Can you get the door please?”

Her only answer was a loud snore coming from the direction of Spike’s bed. Twilight rolled her eyes. Spike certainly didn’t seem to have any trouble keeping to his old lifestyle.

The pounding came again, more insistent this time. Twilight sighed and closed her book.

“Coming, coming,” she said, hurrying to the door, “Can I help you-”

She stopped, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of her visitor. It was Applejack, or at least she thought it was Applejack. She had an orange coat like Applejack, and she was wearing a hat just like Applejack’s hat. But Applejack didn’t usually look so, well, girly. Her mane was done up in several small pigtails, each tied off with a different color of bow. Her eyelashes were curled enough to give Rarity a run for her money. She was sporting a thick layer of bright pink lipstick, and the amount of eyeshadow she was wearing was almost comical.

“Oh, hi Applejack,” Twilight said, eventually finding her voice and letting her friend in, “That’s a, uh, interesting look for you. What’s the occasion?”

Applejack’s cheeks flushed, the pink hue accentuated by the copious amounts of blush already on her cheeks. “Ah’ll tell ya what the occasion is,” she said, stamping her hoof on the floor, “This is mah two-prankster-mares-are-about-to-get-a-whuppin’ makeup!”

“So Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are up to their old tricks again? I guess that would make much more sense. I must admit, I didn’t think I’d ever see you of all ponies looking like this,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Well believe me it ain’t by choice.” Applejack took a seat on the library floor and began fiddling with her new hair ties. “Now don’ get me wrong, Ah enjoy a good joke as much as the next pony, but this here is goin’ too far. Ah got work to do, and Ah can’t be runnin’ around Ponyville lookin’ like this!”

“Well you know those two. They may pull a prank here and there, but it’s all in good fun. Really, there’s no sense in getting yourself so worked up over a harmless prank,” Twilight said. Applejack was usually one of the most sensible ponies she knew. It wasn’t like her to get upset over a little joke, even if it was at her expense.

“Harmless nothin’,” Applejack snorted. “Ah thought it was just another one of their usual pranks ‘til I tried to wash it off. Dang stuff won’t come off! Ah tried everythin’ I could think of, and Ah ain’t had any luck at all. Hay, I can’t even get the dang bows out of mah mane!”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, taking a closer look at Applejack’s cosmetics, “They look like regular bows to me.”

“Well they ain’t, at least so far as Ah can tell. That’s why Ah came here, Ah thought you could use some of your magic to get them undone. Ah’m all out of ideas. It don’t help none that Ah’ve never worn ‘em before either. Ah’d have gone to Rarity, seein’ as how fru-fru stuff like this is her thing, but Ah don’t think Ah could stand her reaction if she saw me like this.”

“Hmm, well let me take a look,” Twilight said. She took a seat behind the farmer, enveloping one of the bows in her magic aura. Basic item manipulation was one of the first skills any unicorn learned. Untying a knot was a task any young unicorn could do. Focusing, Twilight attempted to undo the bow. However, no matter how she pulled at it, it refused to come undone.

She released the bow, rubbing a hoof on her chin thoughtfully. Well it was certainly not attached in the conventional manner. There was definitely something off about it, but something else was nagging at her. There was something so familiar feeling about it, something she couldn’t quite place.

Applejack shifted uncomfortably. “Anythin’?” she asked, craning her neck to look at Twilight.

“Hmm, maybe,” Twilight said, a sudden thought occurring to her, “Let me try something else.”

Her horn began to glow again. A thin ribbon of light leapt from the tip of her horn and enveloped the bow she had attempted to untie before. The light settled, and after a moment flashed pink before disappearing. Twilight smiled.

“Well?” Applejack asked, tense, “Did ya figure it out?”

“I think so,” Twilight said with a chuckle, “I’ve seen this before, but it’s been a long time. It looks like the ‘stay-stuck’ spell. I used to see it a lot when I was a filly in school. It’s certainly not the most mature spell, but a lot of the unicorns liked to use it to get back at each other.”

“Spell?” Applejack asked with obvious confusion, “But only unicorns can use magic. Ah know Pinkie Pie’s a little off, but even she can’t use magic.”

“True,” Twilight said. “It’s certainly odd that you would be the victim of a prank involving magic.”

“So, what?” Applejack asked, frowning, “You think it was somepony besides those two?”

“Well I wouldn’t rule it out,” Twilight said, tapping a hoof to her chin thoughtfully, “Pinkie Pie’s pranks have always been harmless, she’d never do something she didn’t think you’d find funny. But I wouldn’t put it past Rainbow Dash to up the ante, so to speak, especially where you’re concerned. You two have always had a bit of rivalry and she might have thought this was a good way to get back at you for something. She’d have had to recruit a unicorn though, and I can’t think of any in Ponyville that would be willing to pull a prank on you.”

“Nah, Ah don’t think so,” Applejack said, shaking her head and causing her pigtails to bob, “Ah’ve known Rainbow a long time, and she ain’t one to beat around the bush if she’s got a problem. And she’d for sure have trouble getting anyone besides Pinkie Pie to help her with something like this. But if it wasn’t them, then who? Ah gotta say, if some stranger thinks they can get away with doin’ this then they’ve got another thing comin’.”

“Well how did it happen?” Twilight asked, “Was it there when you woke up this morning? If you don’t know who did it then it must have happened while you were asleep.”

“Well I was workin’ on cleanin’ up the barn,” Applejack said, rubbing her chin in thought, “We’ve got the Apple family reunion comin’ up next week. It’s actually cousin Braeburn’s turn to host, but most of the family can’t make it all the way out to Appleoosa, so we offered to host again.”

“So what happened, did you fall asleep in the barn?”

“Nah, I finished up and went outside to get some fresh air,” Applejack said. “It gets mighty hot in that barn when the sun’s out. Now let’s see. Ah remember feelin’ tired, more tired’n usual. Ah think Ah mighta saw somethin’ around the barn, but Ah ain’t sure. Ah was supposed to go do some other work, helpin’ out Big Macintosh, but Ah was so tired Ah think Ah fell asleep under one of the apple trees. When Ah woke up mah face felt funny, so I went to check in one of the water barrels, an’ that’s when Ah saw all this.” Applejack gestured to her face.

“Hmm, well it sounds like whoever you think you saw by the barn might have done it. And you’ve just described the classic symptoms of a sleep spell, which would lend more credence to the theory that we’re looking for a unicorn,” Twilight reasoned. “I suspect Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were probably not involved, given the nature of the prank. They also probably would have admitted to it by now if it was them. But I’m afraid I have no idea who it would be. I think we should go find Pinkie Pie. She knows every pony in Ponyville, she might know if any other ponies are notorious pranksters.”

“Uh, can’t you fix this first?” Applejack asked hopefully, “Ah ain’t too keen on wanderin’ around Ponyville lookin’ like a rodeo clown.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m afraid not Applejack, but don’t worry about it. The spell is timed. It’ll disappear on its own soon and you’ll be good as new. It’s a harmless spell, just a little embarrassing.”

“Dang,” Applejack sighed, “Ah was afraid you were gonna say that. Good to know Ah ain’t gonna have to live with this forever though; Ah wasn’t relishin’ the thought of explain’ this to the family. We better get on over to Sugar Cube Corner and talk to Pinkie. Course, if she did have somethin’ to do with this Ah might have to give her a ride in her taffy machine.”

The sun glittered off of the blue gem of the Element of Laughter. The dazzling light of the gem sparkled in Rarity’s eyes as she admired it, comfortably seated in the boughs of one of Applejack’s apple trees. It really did shine magnificently. It was a wonder Pinkie Pie could have ever forgotten something so beautiful, but then again, Pinkie Pie had never had much taste. She certainly couldn’t understand beauty like Rarity could. It was hard to hold that against her though, few ponies understood the subtle nature of aesthetics as well as she did.

Comedy though, there was something! Rarity had never really considered it before, but pranks were quite fun. Certainly much more so than she had ever imagined. To think, she had spent all that time turning her nose up at the antics of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. She could remember getting very worked up about some of their pranks, but it was getting harder and harder to remember why.

“I used to be such a fuddy duddy,” she said, putting the necklace back around her neck, “But no more! From now on, Rarity will be the one laughing!”

She giggled, thinking about her first prank. The execution had gone far better than she had hoped. It was unfortunate that Applejack hadn’t been able to see the humor in it. It was a shame, really. She had put a lot of work into that prank. She hadn’t used the stay-stuck spell since she was a filly, and it had been ages since she had used a sleep spell. Just like Applejack to completely overreact.

That didn’t mean it hadn’t been worth it though. Rarity couldn’t contain her laughter at the memory of Applejack’s face when she had seen her reflection. It was too much! Rarity had been afraid she’d give away her hiding place, she’d been laughing so hard. Fortunately, Applejack had been too preoccupied trying to get the makeup off to notice her.

“Haha! Oh my Applejack, but you do make such a fine lady!” Rarity cackled. She tumbled out of the tree and landed in a heap, her eyes spinning as she chuckled. The contents of her saddle bags spilled out around her. Lip stick, mane clips, hoof polish, eye shadow; everything she had thought she might need. She bit her lip, trying to stifle the laughter. Her sides hurt she’d been laughing so hard. She ignored the leaves in her mane, and levitated the items back into her bag as carefully as she could. Her magic was behaving a bit more erratic than usual, and one of her tubes of lipstick rocketed out of her grip, soaring high into the air.

“Oh my, I guess I don’t know my own strength,” she said, watching as the lipstick disappeared into the sky.

When it showed no signs of returning to earth, she turned her attention back to her things, her eyes settling on a bottle of mane dye. Strange, she didn’t remember packing that. Slowly, a smile crept its way onto her face and her eyes shone with mirth. Well, maybe it was time to pay a visit to another one of her friends.