It is to Laugh!

The Challenge!

As the first rays of the early morning sun crept into the windows of Surprise's apartment, a spherical ball of white feathers moved on the bed on the other side of the room. It didn't take long for a knock to come at the apartment's door, and a stallion buried under that swirling orb of white feathers finally opened his eyes.

"Surprise? Darlin'? Someone's at the door." Tex said lazily, yawning as he stretched his body slightly. "Y'all should get up and answer it!"

"Mmmmm, don't wanna go..." The white mare pouted, nuzzling up against her mate even tighter, and burying her face into his fuzzy chest. "Tell them to come back later!"

"Surrrrpriiiiise..." He replied in an annoyed tone, rolling his eyes and looking down at her. "It could be important."

"Ugh...fiiiinnne!" She whimpered, pushing out her bottom lip as she retracted her wing cocoon, and climbed off of Tex.  Trotting over to the door, she opened it to find a familiar blue unicorn standing in the doorway, looking around excitedly as if she were about to burst.

"Oh hey, Surprise! I didn't know if ya had heard me knock or not!" The twinkle-eyed mare said excitedly, in a hyperactive mode that Surprise would normally be in, as well. "Wow, your mane is a really tangled mess! Guess I kinda got you up kinda early, huh?"

"Hello, Fizzy," The drowsy white Pegasus grumbled, blowing a stand of her blonde mane out of her face. "What can I do for ya?"

"I got exciting news! I mean really really really exciting news!" The hyperactive twinkle-eyed pony exclaimed. "Can you guess how exciting this news is, by how excited I am?"

"No, Fizzy..." Surprise grumbled, rubbing her left eye with her left hoof. "Please, tell me."

"Well, when Lofty brought the mail in today, she brought a letter for you- well, I saw she had a letter, then I took it and told her I give it to you." The blue unicorn droned on and on, holding up the letter. "Anyway, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to open in on my way up here, and guess what?!? I read that you've been selected to compete at this year's grand Pinkie Pie Goof-off in Bright Valley! Isn't that awesome?"

"WHAT?!? You're kidding me! Lemme see that!"  The white mare's eyes suddenly shot open, as she snatched the letter out of Fizzy's hoof and read it. "Holy Horsemaster, they accepted my application this year! I'm going to the great goof off! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

There were now two overly hyper mares hopping around in the hallway, bouncing around and screaming like two fan girls at a Nightshade concert. But all the commotion they were causing, only served to bother the grumbling stallion who was trying to sleep in the bed.

"Would y'all keep it daown over there?" The cowboy pony grumbled, covering his head with his pillow. "Some people are still tryin' ta sleep in heyah!"

"Hey Tex, you're sooooo not going to believe this! I've been selected to perform at the Bright Valley Goof Off!" Surprise replied excitedly, waving the letter over her head. "Can you believe it? I so totally can't believe it! This is so unbelievable that I just can't believe-"

BANG! A loud shot rang out, as a bullet whizzed from the gun-toting stallion in the bed, and shot a big hole straight through the letter Surprise was holding.

"Ummm, on second thought... what don't we just let him sleep?" Fizzy said sheepishly, as the two mares quietly slunk away from the door.

....

"So you're on your way on the Pinkie Pie goof off, huh?" Gusty asked, watching the jester Pegasus pack. "That seems like a really big thrill for a comedian like you."

"Oh, it's more than just a thrill, it's the most AWESOMEST THING EVAR!" Surprise squealed, throwing every rubber chicken, whoopee cushion, pair of chattering teeth, and goggly-eyed spring glasses into a a suitcase, then hopping up and down on it to cram it shut. "The great goof off is a celebration of the laughter than my great-grandma Pinkie Pie brought to ponydom. Every year, the greatest comedians, jesters, pranksters and jokers get together to decide who is the very super-duper best! And every year before this I haven't been invited 'cause the judges think I'm too-"

"-insane?" Gusty added, rolling her eyes. "Good thing you and Tickle are taking Tex and Wind Whistler with ya, otherwise you two'd probably burn Bright Valley to the ground!"

"Yeah, that's why I'm leaving baby Surprise with you and Score." Surprise added, snapping the locks on her suitcase with her wings. "You sure the two of you can handle her antics?"

"Eh, we'll probably have Fizzy around to help, so yeah."  Gusty nodded with a laugh. "Besides, we can't be any  worse than the time you tried ta dry Baby Surprise after a bath, off by warming her up in the-"

"We... agreed not to talk about that ever again." Surprise replied nervously. "Anyway, just be sure not to give her anything with sugar in it after hive 'o clock... otherwise you'll have a flying fireball on your hooves!"

"Would you just relax!?" Gusty snorted angrily, indignant that her friend thought she couldn't handle a Pegasus filly. "We handle Baby Gusty all the time, I think we can deal with your little basket case!"

"Okay, okay...sorry." Surprise replied with a sigh, picking up her suitcase with her wings. "Well, Steamer's taking us on the next train to Bright valley this evening, so I'd better finish up getting ready to go."

"All right, Surprise! Good luck at the goof off!" Gusty added, trotting towards the door. "But I gotta ask, do you really think you have a chance of winning?"

"Oh, I don't think so..." Surprise snorted, narrowing her eyes as she slipped on a pair of funny mustache glasses. "I know so!"

But even as the friends were saying there goodbyes in the living room, something foul was afoul in the kitchen. Baby Surprise, with no one to watch her at the moment, had flown up to one of the cupboards, and managed to get the door open with her hooves. Looking around the shelves, the little filly managed to spot a giant gallon container that read powdered sugar, that ethier Surprise or Tex had accidentally left open.

"Ohhhhh... yummy!"

Knocking the container over with one of her wings, a stream of white powder began to pour out of the nearly  full gallon container. Zipping underneath the flowing sugar, Baby Surprise opened her mouth, and began to guzzle all the flowing sugar into her little, hyperactive body.

"Glug....glug....glug... glug..."