The sun shone down in the blue sky onto the inhabitants of Ponyville. The residents bustled around, socializing and simply enjoying each others' company. Above it all, a cyan pegasus named Rainbow Dash snored loudly on a fluffy cloud, once again neglecting her duties.
Rainbow had been told to wipe out all the clouds in the sky by the afternoon, but she was confident that with her speed and agility, she could get it all done before then. After a nap.
So, there she lay under the sun, snuggling into the soft material of the cloud and dreaming about adventures with her hero, Daring Do. As she snoozed, a certain pink mare stalked her from below her cloud, somehow hanging onto the bottom of it. She grinned evilly as she crouched, stealthily making her way across it. Somehow, she leaped over the edge of it and landed right on top of the rainbow maned pegasus, startling her out of her dream world.
"Ah, what the- Pinkie Pie? How did you get up here?"
The pink earth pony giggled, showing off her bright teeth. "I was walking down there, looking for you, and then I saw you up here, so I-"
She stopped suddenly and gasped. Loudly. "Omigosh, omigosh, I totally forgot! Well, not just now, only a few minutes ago, when I was telling you that I was walking down there looking for you and I saw you, so I came up here to ask for your help. But when you asked me how I got up here I remembered doing it-"
"Pinkie! What do you need my help for?"
"Omigosh, omigosh, I totally forgot! Well, not just now, only a few minutes ago, when I was telling you that I totally forgot and that I only forgot a few minutes before that-"
"Pinkie. What... What do you need my help for?"
"Oh!" Then she gasped again. "That's right! I was gonna tell you that I was walking down the road, when I saw this really pretty pony and I realized I had never seen her before, so I realized she was new, so I realized I was gonna have to throw a party-"
"Since when do you need help throwing parties?" The cyan pegasus questioned, snapping Pinkie Pie out of her long explanation.
"Since it has to be ready in half an hour!"
Rainbow scratched her head. "Why so soon?"
"In case she doesn't feel welcome and decides to leave before I can even throw her a welcoming party!"
"Pinkie, I don't think she's gonna-"
"Pleeeeaaasee?"
Rainbow rolled her violet eyes, knowing she wasn't gonna get out of this one. Finally, she agreed to help Pinkie with the party- "after I get rid of all these pesky clouds," she finished, eyeing the scattered balls of fluff.
"Great!" Pinkie exclaimed, hopping up and down. "Here's a list of the things I need in less than fifteen minutes. In case she decides to leave in twenty minutes," the pink pony explained, plucking a tattered scroll out of thin air and shoving it into Rainbow's hooves.
Dash scanned the list, unsure. "Uh, are you sure we need all of this stuff? What if she doesn't like... Edible crayons?"
But the pink earth pony was already gone, shouting: "Thanks, Dashie!"
Dash sighed as she stuffed the old scroll into her saddle bag, not even pausing to wonder how Pinkie had gotten the centuries-old piece of paper. She flexed her powerful wings and took off, preparing to kick some clouds down into tartarus.
~
Pinkie Pie surveyed the room with scrutiny. Her crystal blue eyes were narrowed and she had her game face on. Rainbow watched from the other side of the room with a bored expression.
Pinkie Pie had decorated the room with balloons, streamers- even a giant sign that said, "Welcome To Ponyville!!". Candies and pastries covered the table, which was decorated by a small vase filled with colorful flowers. Pinkie had even gone so far as to move the couches out of the way of the living room and hang a disco ball, explaining that that room would be for the dance party later.
Pinkie glanced at the violet cake on the table, nodding silently to herself. She licked the floor and nodded to herself, confirming that it was clean. She examined everypony's hiding place, making sure they were out of sight of the doorway.
She was just about to go "examine" the cupcakes when she crouched down, her tail twitching.
"Uh, Pinkie? What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked, crossing her hooves.
The bubbly pony didn't respond at first. Her eyes darted around as she tried to pinpoint the source of her twitching tail. Finally she muttered, "We're being watched."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, we're not being watched. We're gonna be-"
She stopped as Pinkie's eyes widened in realization. "The author," she whispered.
"The.... author?" Rainbow questioned skeptically.
Pinkie nodded slowly, still glancing around. "L-lady Weenus," she murmured. "Known for her cheesy romance novels and her dashing good looks."
"What?" Rainbow asked monotonously.
"Lady Weenus! She's the author, she- she's writing this story! One of us is doomed to fall in love!" Pinkie wailed, dramatically shaking Rainbow Dash to emphasize her speech.
"She's coming!" Somepony whisper-yelled from the window.
Pinkie squealed, her former terror forgotten, and dove into a vase on the table. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and then, realizing that she was supposed to hide, glanced wildly about the house. But it was too late.
The door swung open and Rainbow put on her best welcoming smile- which was probably a very awkward smile considering the situation.
Rainbow's smile- along with her jaw- dropped at the sight of the new pony. She was a red pegasus with a black and pink mane and tail and gorgeous purple eyes that shone with determination. In short, the new pony was the most beautiful mare that Rainbow Dash had ever seen.
Now, Rainbow Dash had been known to date some mares, and had even had a marefriend before. But she had never seen anypony as beautiful as this one.
She was snapped out of her daze when the expression on the mare's face changed dramatically. The red pegasus frowned and flattened her ears. "What are you doing in my-"
"Surprise!"
The red pegasus took a step back and her eyes widened as everypony leaped out of their hiding place. Pinkie Pie had jumped out of the vase and was trotting towards the new pony. "I just wanted to welcome you to Ponyville with a welcoming party! I want you to feel as welcome as possible," Pinkie exclaimed, winking at Dash.
The pink pony wrapped her hoof around the newcomer and led her inside. "I hope you like sweets! I've got just about every pastry ever made here in Ponyville! You do like cupcakes, don't you? Oh, who am I kidding, of course you like cupcakes! I've never met anypony who doesn't like cupcakes!"
Judging by the bewildered expression on the newcomer's face, it was time for Rainbow to intervene. "Hey, Pinkie. Why don't you take it easy on her, eh?" She said, trotting over to where they stood.
Pinkie grinned, ignoring Rainbow Dash's suggestion. "Oh! This is my good friend, Rainbow Dash. You can call her Rainbow. Or Dash. Or Dashie. Or RD. Uh, what did you say your name was?"
It was obvious that the new pony had never told Pinkie her name, but she decided to just roll with it. "Scarlet Wind."
"Oh, wow! That's a pretty name! It goes with your cutie mark, too!" Pinkie said, gesturing to the red tornado on Scarlet's hip. It was almost a burgundy color- it was a darker shade of red than Scarlet's coat.
Pinkie rambled on about how cool Scarlet's name was until Rainbow interrupted, "Pinkie. Why don't you go check on the guests? Make sure everypony's havin' a good time, and all."
"Good idea!" Pinkie squealed, and then dashed off to check on her guests.
Rainbow turned to Scarlet Wind. "Heh, sorry about her. She's a little... excited."
The red pegasus frowned. "Does she do this with everypony?"
"Yes, actually," Dash shook her head in amusement. "Although, she did give you special treatment. She made me go search for edible crayons."
"Oh, wow," Scarlet grinned. "I'll have to try that sometime. As you know, I'm Scarlet Wind. I just moved here from Manehattan."
She stuck out her hoof, which Rainbow shook, saying, "Rainbow Dash, awesomest and fastest flier in all of Equestria."
Scarlet smirked. "Oh, really?"
Rainbow narrowed her eyes playfully. "What? Don't believe me?"
"Oh, no. It's obvious your fast. But... Perhaps, not as fast as me."
"Ha! Haven't you ever heard of me?"
"Haven't you ever heard of me?"
"Can't say that I have."
With each word, the two ponies had leaned closer- close enough that their foreheads were touching- and they were still leaning in, trying to push against each other. What had started out as playful banter was quickly turning into a competitive show of strength. In other words, it was escalating quickly. Quite quickly.
"That's a shame. You should really get to know your competition before you challenge them."
"Psh! Competition? Where?"
"Oh, I'm right here, and I'm gonna put you in your place and show you who's boss."
"Anytime, anywhere," Rainbow responded, her voice low.
"Tomorrow," Scarlet said, grinning. "Meet me in the Everfree Forest. There, I'll show you a thing or two about fast."
She trotted off, flicking her tail in Rainbow's face for good measure before disappearing to go "mingle".
Rainbow Dash scowled, thinking it over. Of course I'm gonna show up tomorrow. I'm no coward. I'm only trying to decide whether or not to go easy on the poor filly....
