Author's Note

Kink Spoilers
Implied Transformation
Balloon Ponies
Mind Alteration
Characters
Pinkie Pie
Shindig Flare
OC : Thundersong

Gift Balloons

“Hey, Pinkie. How are things looking over here?” Shindig Flare asked.

“Great, got three around back already and the gift shop is already filling up.” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“Hey Thundersong, enjoying the balloon emporium so far?” Pinkie asked.

“Oh, yeah. It’s great, but how did you know my name?” Thundersong squeaked.

“Welll~ I just know these things.” Pinkie and Shindig chuckled. Thundersong looked confused and sat on his hind legs trying to puzzle it out.

“What’s the score?” Shindig asked. Pinkie pulled out a pair of gemstone encrusted party glasses and a long scroll, seemingly from nowhere.

“One purple and teal top hat, one red and white parasol, and one giant mug of fresh cider.” Pinkie squeaked in her best official sounding voice before littering both glasses and scroll. Thundersong looked down at the scroll, there was only a doodle of Pinkie being offical on it.

“Awesome! Sounds like we got some good ones already. Can’t wait to see them.” Shindig smiled. Thundersong watched him shuffle around awkwardly.

“Yep. We sure do, buddy. What are you two doing?” Pinkie asked.

“Shindig was just about to show me the gift shop.” Thundersong squeaked into the conversation.

“Fun, fun, fun. Can I follow? I just about done here.” Pinkie asked and continued her work. She was affixing some kind of hollow metal cylinder to some tanks of gas.

“Always.” Shindig said immediately with a softness to his voice. Thunder chuckled. He could tell that Shindig totally had the hots for a certain pink mare.

Pinkie nodded then worked twice as fast to set everything up. Hooking up tanks, adjusting positions, adding hoses and nozzles. Shindig sighed, she was just so professional. He knew of no other pony who could set up hot air equipment from scratch without a manual and definitely not with the speed and grace she displayed.

“All done, let’s gooo~” Pinkie sang in a squeaky voice.

“Wait, who is gonna stay here and help out with this station.” Thundersong lifted a hose off the ground, then left it fall.

“If I don’t know how this stuff works, how is anypony else?” Thundersong asked.

“You’re a genius, Thundersong. Good eye, and so very helpful.” Pinkie squeaked. Thundersong felt oddly good about the praise. He puffed out his chest which caused his feathers to separate and become ruffled.

Pinkie hung a single candy cane shaped balloon over the edge of a hollow metal ring attached to one of the tanks.

“Wait, what? What is that?” Thundersong asked with a curious chirp. Pinkie giggled.

“Lets just say... in~struct~tions~” Pinkie bounded off in the direction of the gift shop. Shindig laughed, then followed. Thundersong also followed, he was confused but he concluded that Pinkie was just missing a few to many marbles.

The gift shop was special. It occupied its own portion of the big-top because large vertical tarps hung from the ceiling and sectioned off the space. The entrance was made up of two such tarps set at an angle, they swung open as easily as the entrance to the big-top itself. Right there, above the entrance, hung a wooden sign that read:

“Gift Shop. Everything free, because the best gift is giving.” Thundersong looked up and read the sign, aloud.

“That’s really thoughtful…” Thundersong squeaked. He really enjoyed the spin on his head that came with looking upwards. It was like he wanted it to float off his neck, up, up, chirrrp, up.

“Yep, and true.” Pinkie winked at Thundersong and watched as his stallionhood twitched cutely just out of his sheath.

“Hey, you.” A purple pony said. Pinkie recognized the pony as the half-kirin unicorn from before; Tihan if she remember correctly, and she never forgot a name. However, Tihan’s question wasn’t directed at her.

“Hey, hey, excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering, where are the hot air balloon’s at? I heard were some around here.” Tihan asked Thundersong nicely, but he raised a quizzical eyebrow at her forwardness.

“I just came from there actually, it’s back that way and just around the corner there, if you haven’t passed the bathrooms, you’ve not gone far enough.” Thundersong squeaked its precise location from memory.

“Thanks you, Thundersong.” Tihan squeaked then trotted away, following Thundersong’s directions without another word.

Thundersong smiled and puffed out his chest with pride, breathing deeply from the heliox filled air of the Big-top. However, he deflated quickly when he remembered that he didn’t even know who that unicorn was.

“Hey, how did you know my… name?” Thundersong called out, but it was already too late. Tihan was gone.

“How did she know my name?” Thundersong wondered aloud.

“I dunno, beats me.” Shindig chuckled.

“Maybe~ she got lucky.” Pinkie giggled and then she nudged Shindig playfully.

“Come on. Lets check out the gift shop before we’re old.” Shindig whined.
“This is the last place on our tour, well, unless you count the employee only area.” Shindig squeaked.

Thundersong shrugged and followed Shindig and Pinkie into the gift shop.

The inside was more fantastic than the outside led Thundersong to believe. There were balloons everywhere, but with almost no organization. The whole space was an ocean of color, each balloon unique; There were balloons that floated at eye level and never more. Conversely, there were balloons that bounced violently and tugged at their ropes with such force, they could easily float beyond the clouds if able. Floating all the way up until the pressure became too much and they exploded into shreds of shiny rubber.

There were even balloons that seemed alive! They bounded awkwardly around the room, and seemed to suffer little from the effect of gravity. Some of them played games, such as hide-n-seek and tag. There was even a balloon comedian. It made jokes to a crowd full of ordinary, un-alive balloons for some reason.

Some played more kinky games. One white on pink balloon dragon was desperately trying to finger herself, but it was futile, her claws had become useless puffy balloon mitts. Still, that didn’t stop her from trying. Really trying.

Another green balloon pony tried to hump another red balloon unicorn’s leg; however, his stallionhood was just another long squishy balloon. It refused to grip to the others leg and just flopped away, pitifully every time.

The red unicorn didn’t seem to mind that his leg was being humped, he was too busy trying to suck his own balloon stallionhood. It was long, large, and most importantly close enough to reach. Yet, since his mouth was sealed, it was impossible for him to do anything but boop it cutely, over and over with his muzzle.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, all of these… are free?” Thundersong squeaked in a higher more excited pitch than normal.

“Absolutely!” Pinkie beamed and admired her work.

“Why? Would you like a gift, Thundersong?” Shindig asked with a chuckle.
“Would I.” Thundersong squeaked, already looking for something naughty. He was horny again, and his act with the two musical mares already felt like an appetizer.

“Not so fast, Thundersong.” Pinkie placed a hoof on Thundersong’s tail. With one sudden jerk, his excitement was displaced into his flank as he fell to his haunches. Yet, he was more surprised by the immediate bubbling it caused inside his head. It was almost like his blood was boiling, but it felt good really good.

“Hey, what gives!” Thundersong squeaked. His head felt lighter and a wobbled on top of his neck.

“Maybe I should have made the sign more specific?” Pinkie’s muzzled scrunched in Shindig’s direction.

“What do you mean?” Thundersong asked again, a little more frustrated.

“Nah, I think it’s fine. He is a special case, *remember he is still getting a gift.” Shindig reassured Pinkie.

“What the hay are you guys talking about!?” Thundersong squeaked loudly.

“Calm down, Thundersong. It’s just that these particular gifts are for the guests. They are not supposed to be for the employees.” Shindig explained.

“But wait, I’m not…”

Shindig gave Thundersong three swift pats to the head. Each one was dizzying, like spinning around on a merry-go-round at top speed. Yet, they were also as pleasurable as a hard and fast stroke of his already raging stallionhood. Thundersong fell on his back, but really he was in the clouds. Way way up, in the clouds.

“Haha, you look funny, silly birdy!” Pinkie chortled and watched Thundersongs eyes dance.

“Aww look at his hind legs~” Shindig wiped away a tear. Thundersongs hind legs were rearing up and twitching randomly in the air, just like his stallionhood.

“So cute, he is gonna make a wonderful tour guide.” Pinkie squeaked while she messed with Thundersong’s balloon name tag. He’d never noticed and still didn’t in his incapacitated state, but it had actually grow out of him right at his heart.

“Thundersong - Balloon Emporium Tour Guide” It read.

Suddenly, Pinkie’s body shook in a boxy leaping motion and made a sound of a ringing alarm clock. Even Shindig didn’t know how she managed that one, she was simply that amazing.

“Idea! Oh, oh, idea! I got and idea.” Pinkie said and raised her hoof like a school foal who needed permission.

“What is it Pinkie? What? What?” Shindig jumped up and down. He didn’t even attempt to slow down her enthusiasm, not even a little. He wouldn’t dare!

“He should be our mascot too, then we can leave all the ballooning operations to him.” Pinkie suggested.

Shindig smile lightened up a little, he knew what she was referring too. Pinkie must have sensed the hesitation too.

“Oh, I’m sorry Shindig. I really, really, really have an irrational fear of clones, at least clones of me and my friends. I know you meant well, but I was really hoping we could destroy our copies.” Pinkie looked solemn. It was the first time Shindig had ever seen Pinkie express any emotion other than joy or its derivatives. The worse thing of all was he’d caused it. On accident, but it caused him great internal agony.

“Of course, of course. We can destroy them, I just…” Shindig didn’t know what to say. It was at times like this, he would just dig at a pony until they told him all their secrets. He would use that power to make everything okay again, but he couldn’t do that to Pinkie. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t anyway, her soul was too well defended.

“Thank you Shindig. And don’t worry, I don’t mind if you make Thundersong clones. I just want the real you.” Pinkie said sincerely. She didn’t smile, she didn’t frown, and somehow she managed not to squeak despite the heliox filled air. Yet, Shindig felt he’d been given a great gift, greater than anything in the gift shop or the entire world full of gift shops.

“Your welcome Pinkie, I’ll vaporize our clones just as soon as I’m finished with Thundersong. I think he’ll make a terrific mascot for the Balloon Emporium.” Shindig beamed.

“Great, opps!” Pinkie checked her wrist.

“It’s been exactly 17 minutes and 34 seconds. Our kirin friend, Tihan, should be about finished with the in~struct~tions~ I left for her.” Pinkie squeaked, despite not actually having a wrist watch. Shindig laughed, the gag was an oldy’ but a goody.

“I’ll go set her out back, and I’ll meet you later.” Pinkie squeaked, then bounded off.

Thundersong was still on the ground, stallionhood and legs twitching in the air. Shindig bonked him once more on the head for safe measure, then dragged him out of the gift shop by his hind leg. It was pretty easy considering how light he was now.

Shindig vowed never to hurt Pinkie again. Yet, why did it feel like he was lying to himself.