"You don't know what April Foal's Day is?"
The date is the first of April in the kingdom of Ponyville. The sun shone down on the peaceful town, making the grass and water shimmer with how wonderful it was. Birds flew over the town, tweeting rather harmoniously as the town began to awaken to the sweet rhythm of a wonderful day.
Doors opened up, ponies strolled out, and everything seemed normal. However, all of the ponies were seen carrying rather silly things on their backs, such as costumes, party poppers, and other such equipment. No, it wasn't another one of Pinkie Pie's big parties, like many other days that they would do this. Instead, it turns out that today was April Foal's Day, the one time of year where ponies could do the most silliest things imaginable, and it would still be classified as acceptable.
All throughout the town, ponies were already gathering around Town Hall with their equipment, ready to lay the foundations of a rather whimsical April Foal's Day. At the foreground of all of this excitement were Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Mayor Mare, who were all overseeing the proceedings for the upcoming celebration.
"Welcome, everypony, to our annual April Foal's Day celebrations!" Mayor Mare announced as she quickly took her position on the nearby podium, addressing everyone in the town with her rather commanding voice. She could already hear the cheers rise up after she'd merely announced the festivities. "Now then, as for how we're planning on organizing the ponies who'll be working on some of the craziest, silliest and overall wackiest activities on offer today, we've decided to go in a different direction. Girls?
"Thank ya kindly, Mayor," Applejack said, taking her turn to speak to the crowd. "This year, everypony involved in the activities just has ta dip their hoof into this here box and pull out a coloured ball." as she spoke, a box on another podium was brought in by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
"Balls with white stars means that you'll be part of the Costume Contest..." Rarity said, showing a ball with stars an an example.
"Balls that look like cake means you're gonna be helping me with cake-making duties..." Pinkie was rather eager to show everyone the ball that looked like a cake.
"Balls that have these clown shoes on 'em means you'll be helping with the April Foal's Day Obstacle Course..." Rainbow Dash said, revealing a ball that did indeed have a pair of clown shoes on them.
"And these here balls with apples means you'll be part 'a Sweet Apple Acres' April Foal's Day Apple Bobbin'!" Applejack held up a ball that showed a near perfect copy of her Cutie Mark.
The crowd all showed delight with each ball that was passed, and each of them was eager to reach into that box and pull out a ball, regardless of what they'd get. Today was a day for their fun, after all. And fun could only be had with variety.
"Just put your hoof into this box and pull out any ball you can. And don't worry on what you get, we'll make sure that it's extra exciting for all of you today!" Mayor Mare said, seeming rather giddy as she reached the end of her sentence. "Now please, line up the best that you can, everypony. The crazier the line, the better!"
And with that, everypony scrambled and clamoured to line up, not even paying any attention to how they were standing at all. Some wide grins ran across their mouths as they lined up, ready to take their balls and determine their positions in April Foal's Day. One by one, everypony reached in, grabbed a ball, and moved closer and closer up the line in anticipation.
When all of the balls were taken, and everypony was organized into their own April Foal's Day teams, everyone seemed ready for the day ahead. All of them now wearing sashes that represented their activities, they were set. All except for one thing...
"Hey, girls? Not to be a suspicious silly-filly, but where's Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, seeming to break free from her illusions of never-ending fun to inform the girls that Twilight wasn't with them.
"Acutally, that is a good question, Pinkie..." Applejack said as she surveyed the area for Twilight, but to absolutely no avail. It didn't help that everyone was already bunched together in their teams. "Where the heck is that gal? This is April Foal's Day, fer Celestia's sakes..."
"Maybe she's still in bed. I got this," Pinkie Pie pulled out her Party Cannon and pointed it towards Twilight's castle. Then, sparing no time, she lit the fuse and leapt into the cannon. Two seconds later, Pinkie Pie was shot out of the cannon straight towards Twilight's castle. "I'llbebackinasecdon'tstartthecakemakingwithoutmeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she said rapidly with little to no time at all as she hurtled through the air.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was seen leisurely strolling down the hallways of her new castle, trying to discover some extra rooms she hadn't even been meaning to examine to begin with. She hummed a rather melodic tune as she passed a multitude of walls on her travels. She'd also paid some attention to the dust on some of her new stained glass windows, so she conjured up a dusting brush to alleviate the picture of its' dust.
Twilight made sure that her brush strokes were accurate enough to get rid of as much dust as she could reach. Within seconds, the stained glass windows that were once dusty were now cleaner than the plates she would have her dinner on. When she magicked the brush away, she was met with a sudden incoming object which crashed through one of her stained glass windows at incredible speeds before knocking her onto her back.
"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said, leaping off of Twilight after she'd said her greetings to her.
"Pinkie Pie, the front door is inconvenient because?" Twilight asked, cocking one of her eye brows as she addressed Pinkie sternly.
"Because the back door wouldn't open up either!" Pinkie Pie joked, hearing a drum riff playing nearby. She laughed for a short while, but then calmed down. "But seriously, Twilight, how are you not out of your castle yet? It's April Foal's Day down there, and everypony's all merry and having fun while you're just cooped up in here like a chicken..."
"April... Foal's Day?" Twilight asked, once more cocking her eyebrows in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Pinkie."
With that remark, Pinkie Pie let out a long gasp. "You don't know what April Foal's Day is?!"
"Is it some tradition that only happens in Ponyville?" Twilight asked, hoping that an answer would spill from Pinkie's mouth.
"April Foal's Day is only one of the biggest, funnest, silliest, and most celebrated annual tradition across all of Equestria!" Pinkie Pie said, pulling Twilight in close with her hooves. "Every April 1st, ponies break out of their normal lives of mediocrity, to have one day where they can be as hyperactive, talkative and crazy as me!"
"And just how big is this celebration?" Twilight asked, hoping that she could learn more from her.
"This is only celebrated once a year, Twilight. It only makes some sense that ponies would go all out for a day of nonsense and fun," Pinkie explained. "Even Dashie, Applejack and Rarity are down there organizing some of the big events... It'd be a real shame if you missed out on all the fun..." her eyes watered as she took up a pleading stance.
"I have to admit, Twilight. Pinkie Pie does seem to have a point. Your friends would hate it if they knew you weren't part of the fun..." Spike said, showing up from one of the ends of the corridor.
"Spike. I was born and raised in Canterlot. I've never heard of such a festival, what with all of the days I spent burying my face in books..." Twilight explained as she hung her head slowly. "And even if Canterlot did agree to have April Foal's Day, nopony bothered to tell me in advance. Not even the ponies of Ponyville talked about this holiday until now, so it only makes sense that I have no clue what Pinkie's talking about..."
"Still, if Pinkie Pie and your friends are down there, it'd only be the right thing if you could show up and have at least some fun..." Spike put one of his claws on her shoulder, helping her to feel a little better. "And who knows, you might love it, you might hate it. Anything goes, right Pinkie?"
"Yes indeedy!" she said with glee before she put Twilight and Spike into her Party Cannon. "Now come on, you two. There's only fifteen hours, thirty-seven minutes and eighteen seconds before April Foal's Day ends, so we need to go, go, go!" she lit the fuse and hopped in.
"It's a little... cramped in here, Pinkie..." Twilight said as she groaned with how confined the space inside the Party Cannon's barrel was.
"Yeah, I know. I've been meaning to save up for a bigger one..." was the last thing she could say before the cannon launched the two ponies and the dragon towards Ponyville.
As Twilight was shot through the air, she felt a sense of g-force rushing through her. It made her eyes water, whilst also making her hair shake rather violently with how she was travelling. "G-force in my faaaaaaace!"
"It's fun, right, Twilight?" Pinkie said normally as the three of them neared the center of the town, where everypony was already moving off to do their duties.
As the three looked on, they saw a rather large open area where they'd be landing. What once seemed small was now getting larger and larger to them at a incomprehensive speed. As Pinkie Pie braced herself for landing, Spike grabbed onto Twilight's body whilst she opened up her wings for a safer landing.
Twilight and Spike's venture through the air came to an end with the two of them smashing into the ground, creating a small hole as they did so. At first, it seemed like they were buried, but Twilight merely climbed out of the hole like something out of a horror movie. She rubbed her head in pain as she brushed all of the dirt off of her body. Then, she tended to Spike, stopping him from shaking from the impact.
As for Pinkie Pie, she merely bounced off of the ground and bounced straight into multiple different houses, making Ponyville into a makeshift pinball machine. She was giggling the whole while before she bounced against a cloud, which changed her trajectory straight into the hole. She went into the hole, then bounced straight out of it, only this time, she landed on her feet instead of going off again for another round of Ponyville Pinball.
"Ah, there you are, Your Highness," Mayor Mare said once Twilight and Spike were completely stable once again. "We were just about to start the traditions without you. But there's still time to pull out a ball and see what exciting job you'll get for April Foal's Day..."
"Yeah. come on, Twilight. Just reach in and yank one out. Piece of cake, right?" Rainbow Dash encouraged her to pick out a ball from the box. "Clown shoes means Obstacle Course, stars means Costume Contest, cake means you're with Pinkie, and apples mean you're gonna be at Sweet Apple Acres."
"And just to clarify, we've already counted each and every ball there. So there's no chance the jobs'll have uneven amounts of ponies," Applejack said, patting Twilight's back to give her the go-ahead. As she watched Twilight walk closer and closer to the box, she said, "No need to feel shy, Twilight."
Twilight carefully examined the box, humming as she carefully looked at it from each angle. Using her hoof to make some mental measurements, Twilight thought that she could actually figure out which ball she wanted to draw. But all in all, she wanted to choose what she wanted, not what the other ones were. Finally, with her mental plan finished, Twilight reached in and drew a ball.
"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked as the group came closer to her, hoping that they could see what she'd drawn from the box.
"I drew one that kind of looks like a cake," Twilight said, revealing the ball to everypony in the vicinity.
Pinkie gasped once more. "Cake! You're with me for the day, Twilight!" she pounced on Twilight once more. Only this time, it was with glee that she'd be paired up with her. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! We're gonna be rolling in cake batter when everything's done! It's gonna be the bestest, funnest, most pulse-pounding activity yet!"
"Well, ah can't say ah'm not envious, Pinkie," Applejack said as she walked over to another nearby box and handed out a sash that could have been mistaken for a strip of frosted cake. She walked back to Twilight and said, "Oh, and before ya go, puddin', yer gonna need yer sash fer the day. It ain't anything personal, it's just ta tell everyone that yer working with Pinkie Pie and her cake team today." Then she applied the sash to Twilight, making sure that it was wrapped around her body diagonally and that one of her hooves was over it.
"It's a little... slimy..." Twilight said, feeling the sash moisturise her in some bizarre way. "What's this thing made out of?"
"Silly Twilight, these special sashes are made out of a special long-lasting cake mixture!" Pinkie said, licking a sash she suddenly pulled out of nowhere. " And each different cake sash is made out of an entirely different flavour!"
"Uhh... okay then..." Twilight said, leaning down to see what her sash tasted like. However, when her tongue tasted the sash, she suddenly felt a rather hot sensation on her lips. "She scrunched her face up and began coughing when she couldn't take it anymore. "Pinkie! What flavour is this sash?!"
"Oopsie. Some sashes have really icky tastes..." Pinkie said, feeling a little sorry for Twilight, yet a little giggly as she watched her friend frantically try to find something to dowse the flames in her mouth. "You must have the dreaded..." she paused for effect. "...Wasabi Sash!"
"Somepony get me some milk!" Twilight said, cannonballing through town to find a source of milk to cool herself down.
Within seconds, Rainbow Dash zipped through the air, looking for some source of milk for Twilight. She came back a minute later with a bucket full of the stuff. "Go on, girls. Call her back!"
"Twilight! Over here!" Applejack waved, calling Twilight over to the bucket full of milk. "This should cool ya down!"
Dashing towards the bucket, Twilight felt some sense of relief, yet her inflamed lips were a sign that she just wanted it over and done with. She got to the milk and just put her face in it completely, drinking it up whilst she supposedly drowned herself in the white liquid.
Eventually, Twilight pulled her head out of the bucket and heard laughter. when she finally calmed down, she looked and saw that everyone was laughing at her. Even Rarity was letting out a few chuckles. "Oh, so you think this is funny?!"
"It's hilarious!" Spike said, rolling on the ground, lost in the moment.
"Aw. Don't feel bad, Twilight. It's just one little prank. And this sorta thing only happens once a year..." Applejack said, reassuring Twilight as she helped her through what she'd just experienced. "Pinkie Pie wouldn't dream of making a real Wasabi Sash any other day."
"Yeah. But today is April Foal's Day..." Pinkie said, leaning against Twilight, making her feel a little bit claustrophobic. She then lightly nudged Twilight, gently making a squeeing noise as she lead Twilight over to the rest of the cake team. "Let's just get to the cake team. Don't want to start April Foal's Day acting all grumpy-wumpy now, do we?"
And with that, Pinkie Pie led Twilight over to another part of the town, where Twilight's adventures in discovering the magic of April Foal's Day would begin...
