This Is Gonna Be A Blast!
Banners, streamers and flags in varying colors or red, white, and blue were strung practically everywhere as the citizens of Canterlot went about excitedly, playing music, waving flags, and wearing celebratory hats. As two girls and one dog walked down the street, they took in all the sights around them.
"Wow" Sunset said as her head spun in every direction "Everyone sure likes to honor the Fourth of July!"
"Tell me about it" Twilight agreed "I've seen so many shirts covered in stars that my head is close to spinning".
"Lucky for me, I'm colorblind" Spike said proudly as he walked alongside Twilight's feet.
"What do you suppose the girls are all doing today?" Twilight asked Sunset.
"Well, I think Rarity is making the clothes we've been seeing" Sunset replied "Applejack is probably selling zap apples. And while I don't know what they're doing right now, I hear tell that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy have a date tonight at the park".
"You mean at the big fireworks show that's happening?" Twilight asked.
"That's the one" Sunset nodded "Practically everyone will be there".
"Well, hopefully, we'll all have a good time" Spike imputed.
"I agree" Twilight concurred with a nod "Still, I wonder what Pinkie Pie's up to right now?"
"Well, that's not too difficult to figure out" Sunset said before pointing to the side.
Sure enough, the group's stroll had taken them past Sugarcube Corner.
"What do you say?" Sunset asked as she walked up to the store "Want to drop in on Pinkie Pie and wish her a Happy Independence Day?"
Agreeing with the idea, Twilight and Spike followed her.
Entering the establishment, the trio took stock of the fact that it was empty; not a customer to be seen.
"Must be closed in honor of today" Sunset figured before looking on ahead "Hey, look there!"
On the other side of the room was a door leading to the back. On the other side of door, a muffled but familiar giggling could be heard. Walking up to the door, the group opened it and stepped inside.
"Hey, Pinkie!" the bacon-color haired girl called out as they stepped into the back room "Happy Independence-!"
She stopped short; her, Twilight, and Spike looking shocked. For there in front of them was Pinkie Pie, wearing a celebratory hat, and pouring an armful of firecrackers into her oversized party cannon.
"Oh, hey guys!" Pinkie waved to the visitors "Just give me a sec!" After dumping the rest of her load into the cannon, she said "Okay, now I need some flares", before turning towards a box behind her and rummaging through it.
Sharing a look of confusion, Sunset and Twilight walked up to their friend as she continued going through the box.
"Uh, Pinkie?" Sunset asked in confusion "What exactly are you doing?"
"What's it look like, Silly?" Pinkie Pie replied as she pulled a small pouch of flares out of the box "I'm filling my party cannon with fireworks!". So saying, she walked over to the cannon and dumped the flares inside "Well, that takes care of those. Now to get some sky rockets!" before rushing back towards the box to look for sky rockets.
"Um, Pinkie?" Twilight asked hesitantly "Not that it's any of our business, but why exactly are you filling your party cannon with fireworks?"
"Well, duh!" Pinkie replied as she came up with a bag of sky rockets which she proceeded to load into the cannon "Because it's the Fourth of July!" she snapped her fingers "Almost forgot the sparklers" she quickly raced back to the box.
As she scoured for the desired items, Sunset spoke up.
Uh, Pinkie" she said hesitantly "I know that you have a license to shoot fireworks, and I'm glad that you're enthusiastic about today, but isn't this going a bit overboard? I mean, wouldn't a few whistling crackers be enough?"
"Silly Sunny" Pinkie Pie chuckled as she came out of the box with a bag of sparklers and walked over to her cannon "I wouldn't be able to do the fireworks show tonight with something measly like that! Well, I could, but I doubt everyone would like it".
"Wait a minute!" Sunset said in shock as she processed the detail she had just received "You're the one putting on the fireworks display in the park tonight?!"
"You betcha!" Pinkie Pie replied as she began loading her sparklers into the cannon "Principal Celestia asked me if I wouldn't mind being in charge of the fireworks celebration, and I practically jumped at the offer! Come to think of it, I actually jumped!" she turned to look at her handiwork "Let's see, what else can I use? Ooh, I know!" she raced back to the storage box while addressing her friend "You know me, Sunset! Whenever there's a celebration, I just have to get involved!"
As Pinkie stood back up and walked back to the cannon, Spike was examining the box she was pulling the fireworks out of with bewilderment. The thing was the size of a tool box and was empty in the first place.
"Besides" Pinkie went on as she shoved a huge cherry bomb into her cannon which, by all appearances, had no right to fit in there "Since this is Rainbow and Fluttershy's first Fourth of July as a couple, I want to make it extra special for them!"
With one last strained push, Pinkie Pie stuffed the cherry bomb down into the cannon before standing in front of it in wonder.
Sharing a look of uncertainty, confusion, and curiosity, Sunset and Twilight apprehensively approached the party cannon and peaked inside. They saw nothing but spacious, black emptiness within its muzzle.
"Hmm" Pinkie was saying in deep thought as she had a finger to her chin "It still needs something. Something to make it extra special. But what? I've thrown in pretty much everything but the kitchen sink - and Mrs. Cake got annoyed the last time I took that, so I can't use it anymore- so what else can I...?" Pinkie stopped her rambling and snapped her fingers "Of course!" she cried excitedly "Why didn't I think of that before?!"
"Uh, what are you talking about, Pinkie?" Sunset asked as Twilight continued inspecting the cannon.
"I know the perfect finishing touch!" Pinkie declared "I'll use one of my specialty firecrackers!"
This declaration actually caused Sunset, Twilight and Spike to freeze in shock.
"Wait a minute" Twilight said stunned "You make your own fireworks?!"
"Certainly!" Pinkie Pie replied as she walked into a storage closet "I do it all the time! I save them for really special occassions! Where do you suppose the majority of my confetti bombs come from?"
"Well, I guess that would make a little sense" Sunset admitted "But how is it you know how to make fireworks?"
"It happened when I was young" Pinkie explained as she brought in a large carrying case "Maude showed me how to make pop rocks and I found it very fascinating, and eventually I started inventing my own brand of snappers, poppers, and bangers!"
"Wait, I don't understand" Sunset said in puzzlement "If you've created your own brand of fireworks, how come you don't start a business and sell them?"
"Because the government has declared my special powder a weapon of mass destruction and my deal with them stipulates distribution is prohibited" Pinkie Pie said simply as she set the carrying case down.
"Wha?" the two girls asked in bewilderment.
"Not important" Pinkie Pie replied quickly as she opened her case, only for her face to fall at the sight of the empty insides "Oh, darn it! I'm out! I must have used the last one during the celebration for Rainbow and Fluttershy's first three months as a couple!"
"You know, I did wonder where she got fireworks in the middle of January" Spike muttered to no one in particular.
"Oh, well" Pinkie shrugged and went back to the storage closet and brought in an armful of supplies that would look at home in Twilight's lab "Only thing to do is make a new one for tonight. I'll probably make this one extra special as tonight is extra special!"
As Pinkie set her firework-making supplies on the table, Twilight looked on in awe. When it came to chemistry experiments, such as what her party-loving friend was working on, she found it irresistible.
"You know, Pinkie Pie," she spoke up "I'm quite experienced with explosives myself".
"Yeah" Spike giggled "She's set the garage on fire enough times!"
Shooting the talking dog a look, Twilight turned back to the partygirl "My point is Pinkie, would it be alright if I was to lend you a hand for this project?"
Pinkie looked confused "Why do you want to give me one of your hands? You need both of them and I've already got two!" Twilight rolled her eyes "But if you'd like to help me out, that'd be great. After all, fun is even more fun when you share it with friends!"
"Great!" Twilight said delightedly "I have a few ideas involving volatile chemicals that I've been wanting to try for a long time! Together we can probably take your firecracker up a notch!"
"Well, then let's get started!" Pinkie declare as Twilight walked up to the table.
"Now wait a minute!" Sunset called out to get the two conspirators' attention "There's just no way I'm letting two of my friends partake in dangerous work with explosives!"
Pinkie's eyes became teary and her face fell. "You're not?"
The bacon colored hair girl grinned. "At least without me. Someone needs to keep an eye on you guys, and besides, I like experiments as much as Twilight!" With that, she walked over to the table.
"Great!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly as her second partner joined the group before turning to the work at hand "Alright, what I'm thinking is that we start off with a little baking soda and vinegar, then a little salt, and throw in a little tie dye for color..."
"Oh, boy" Spike moaned as he watched the trio work "I got a bad feeling about this".
The sun was setting as everyone was settling into the grass in the park. Among them were four particular girls. Unfortunately, those four were having a difficult time finding a place to sit as one of their own wouldn't make up their mind about where to sit.
"Fer cryin' out loud, Rarity!" Applejack cried in exasperation "By tha time we sit down, tha fireworks will be ov'r! Just pick a spot already!"
"Well I am sorry" Rarity said regretfully "But I'm just trying to find us a spot where we can get a good view of the fireworks without being too close to the blinding flashes".
"Well, what about there?" Fluttershy asked as she pointed to a spot a few feet away.
"Well, I suppose that spot would do" Rarity agreed halfheartedly before the group walked towards it.
"Here, Flutters" Rainbow Dash said as she parked her hindquarters in the grass "You can lay back against me".
"Ah, thanks, Rainbow" Fluttershy said gratefully to her girlfriend before sitting down in front of her and leaning back while Dash wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Oh, this is going to be so exciting!" Rarity was squealing as she placed her chaise lounge down on the grass "I can hardly wait for the show to start!"
"Neither can I!" Rainbow replied as she cuddled up with Fluttershy "I'm looking forward to what Pinkie Pie has planned".
"Actually," Applejack said as she set up a lawn chair beside Rarity's couch "Pinkie called me earlier and said that tha fireworks should be even more extraordinary".
"Really?" Fluttershy had to ask "Why is that?"
"It seems tha Sunset and Twi decided tah pitch in and give her a hand" Applejack explained as she sat down in her chair.
"Really?" Rainbow asked before her face split into a grin as she looked out over the horizon "Well, in that case I'm really looking forward to this now. I can't wait to see what those three have cooked up!”
"Aim it a little more to the left, Pinkie" Twilight instructed "Now a little higher. No! Too high! Lower! That's it. Aaannnddd...perfect!"
The trio of fireworks engineers were just beyond the horizon where their friends were. With Pinkie's party cannon now loaded with the new super firecracker they had developed, they had carefully brought it to the park where Pinkie aimed it based on Twilight's instructions.
"By my calculations," Twilight said as she looked in the direction the cannon was pointing "based on trajectory, vantage points and wind resistance, the cannon is aimed so that when it fires, everyone in the park will get a clear unobstructed view of our display".
"Great!" Sunset said excitedly "All that's left is to light the master fuse from our safety distance. Pinkie, tie the fuse to the end of the cannon's cord and lead it back to the barricade".
"On it!" the party girl replied as she began affixing said fuse to the end of the cannon.
"Just think" Twilight practically squealed "In a few moments, everyone in the park will be seeing our masterpiece!"
"I can hardly wait to hear how impressed the others will be!" Sunset giggled.
"Uh, are you girls sure about this?" Spike asked nervously from Twilight's feet "I mean, wasn't it a bit risky to throw in a dash of nitroglycerin and dynamite?!"
"Spike, don't worry" Twilight said reassuringly "I've calculated the precise safety distance down to a minimum. As long as we're behind the barricade before it goes off, we'll be find".
"And remember what happened the last time there was a misstep in your calculations?" Spike asked shrewdly.
Twilight shot him a fridged glare "Spike, I thought we agreed we never talk about the 'Ice Cream Incident'?!"
"Uh, guys?" Pinkie Pie immediately piped up before Twilight and Spike's argument could continue. "We've got a problem" she held up the fuse roll which was practically empty "There isn't enough fuse to reach all the way to the safety zone".
"Hmm" Sunset thought to herself with her hand to her chin "Alright, then" she finally said outloud "We'll just light the fuse here and then duck behind the barricade before it goes off".
"Got it!" Pinkie replied as she removed the end of the fuse from the roll.
"Hurry, Pinkie!" Twilight said quickly "The fireworks are scheduled to start in a few seconds!"
"I'm going! I'm going!" Pinkie Pie retorted as she plucked the fuse's tip in her thumb and forefinger while discarding the empty fuse roll. She was in the process of holding up the tip when she stopped.
"What's the matter?" Spike asked.
"I always forget," the pink girl replied while looking over the cord in her fingers "is this a slow burning fuse or a fast burning fuse?"
"Pinkie, will you just hurry up?!" Sunset all but shrieked.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Well, only one way to find out".
With that, she whipped out a box of matches, pulled out a match, struck it and lit the fuse. Instantly, the fuse burned out of her hand and made its way towards the cannon.
"Well, that answers that question" Pinkie Pie nodded to her teammates as she dusted off her hands "Yep, that confirms it. Without a doubt, that is a fast-burning fuse." Those last words sunk in. "FAST BURNING FUSE?!"
KA-BOOM!
In an instant, a fountain of fireworks erupted from beyond the horizon, roared into the sky and begun bursting into a shower of bright and colorful flashes, just in time to coincide with the appropriate music. 'Ooh' and 'Aah' were the appropriate responses from the audience, especially when a particularly large firework launched into the sky, exploded with a tremendous 'Boom!', and filled the whole sky with a dazzling array of lights, colors and sparkles.
"Oh my!" Rarity gushed "Such radiance!"
"So pretty" Fluttershy said with awe.
"Oh yeah" Rainbow Dash said impressed "I'm really glad I didn't miss this!"
"Ah hope Sunset, Twi, and Pinkie have a good view of their handwork" chuckled Applejack.
"Not exactly what Ah had in mind" Applejack said lamely.
She, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were currently standing in a hospital room visiting the patients occupying it. Twilight was sitting in a wheelchair, wrapped in bandages from head to toe like a mummy. Beside her was what appeared to be a plaster dog. Sunset was lying in the bed next to her, her body from the neck down wrapped in a cast with her arms and legs being held up by slings while her head was in a vice. In the bed next to her was Pinkie Pie, her right leg and left arm in casts and held aloft, the top of her head and half of her face including her left eye were covered in bandages, a neck brace around her neck, and it was clear to see that her hair been completely burned away.
"So," Rainbow Dash said tentatively "How are you guys doing?"
"I haven't been in a position like this since the last time I was a pony" Sunset moaned.
"I can taste colors" Pinkie Pie said, grinning despite the position she was in.
A strained muffle came from underneath Twilight's bandages.
"Wha?" Applejack said in confusion.
"She said at least she can't hear Spike say 'I told you so'" Sunset translated.
"Well," Fluttershy said with relief "The important thing is that you guys are still alive".
"And don't worry, Dearies" Rarity said reassuringly "Doctor Stables said you all will be okay in three weeks".
Sunset turned to sneer at her roommate on her left "You just had to use a quick fuse, didn't you?"
"Sorry" Pinkie apologetically said to her two fellow patients before her face turned excitedly "Do you guys want to do it again next year?"
In response, Twilight and Sunset shot her a pair of nasty glares.
"Oh, by the way, Pinkie" Rainbow Dash piped up as she pulled out a piece of paper "I checked your mail on the way here like you asked me and found a very strange letter".
"Strange?" Pinkie asked in confusion "Strange how?"
"Something about you violating the terms of a deal and that you, Sunset, and Twilight owe a $5,000 fine" Rainbow explained as she and the others looked at the letter in question "What do you suppose that mea..."
Upon looking up from the letter, the four visitors saw, to their shock, that their four bandaged friends were no longer in the room.
"What the-" Rarity gaped in confusion "Where'd they go?"
"Ah think Rainbow just sped up their recovery" was all Applejack could say with a dry tone as she looked at her prismatic friend.
Author's Note
Originally, the scene where Pinkie Pie was loading her cannon with fireworks was going to have a gag where she kept going into a small storage closet to get more fireworks and come out elsewhere much to Sunset and Twilight's confusion. However, I decided to cut it as I didn't want the story to run long. Also, I was originally planning to wait to post this story just before the Fourth, but circumstances altered my plans.
Also, if many of you notice a difference in the story, I was attempting to modify a sequence I felt could've been better.