Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

"You know, I'm happily surprised that you resisted giving me speedos and gave me regular swim trunks," Julius said as he came out from behind the bushes.

"Well, it's not too late!" Pinkie Pie jokingly sang. "I'm kidding; I doubt you'd fit. Even if you did, they can't be comfortable," Pinkie Pie said as she looked over Julius's body.

"True, I think. Honestly, never worn them before, and I have no intention to start," Julius said as he limbered up. "Good thing today's a warm day, better for swimming," Julius said as he continued to stretch.

"Yeah, warm days are the best for swimming and sunbathing," Rainbow Dash said as she put a hoof in the water. "Though, I'm guessing you don't get too much sun," Rainbow Dash said as she looked over Julius's body.

"Well, I do sunburn easily," Julius said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But I do use plenty of sunscreen. If I didn't, I'd be a sun-roasted human," Julius laughed as he walked up to the lake. "So, how do you want to start this?" Julius asked as he tested the water.

"Let's just start with some basic exercises first. As much as I'd love to beat you right away, if you're not a strong swimmer, swimming races can be dangerous. After all, nopony has drowned on dry land," Rainbow Dash said as she waded into the lake.

"Yeah, about that, dry drowning is a thing," Julius said as he walked into the water. Hitting waist-deep water, Julius shivered. "Geez, gets a little cold at ball level," Julius chuckled as he took a moment to adjust to the temperature.

"You're not the first to say that. Though I'd imagine without fur, it's even worse than usual," Rainbow dash said as she looked back to Julius. "I know you said why you don't have it, but seriously why don't you have fur?" Rainbow Dash sighed as Pinkie Pie hopped up.

"So they could hunt better!" Pinkie Pie quickly said as she hopped to her hooves.

"That was a rhetorical question, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash sighed as Pinkie Pie giggled.

"I know. I gave you a rhetorical answer!" Pinkie Pie laughed as Rainbow Dash and Julius smiled as they shook their heads.

"If anyone were to give a rhetorical answer, it'd be Pinkie Pie," Julius laughed as he slowly made his way deeper into the water. "So, where do we start?" Julius asked as he slowly doggy paddled up to Rainbow Dash.

"Hmmm," Rainbow Dash hummed as she watched Julius swim. "First, let's see how you do with swimming a few laps. Don't worry, I'll be right with you the whole time," Rainbow Dash said as she swam up beside Julius. "Come on, let's get started," Rainbow Dash said as she urged Julius forward. As Julius swam along, Rainbow Dash easily kept pace with him. Rainbow Dash's movements were easy, practiced, natural, while Julius's were difficult, sloppy, and awkward. After several laps, Julius flopped up on the beach.

"O-OK," Julius panted as he laid on his back, "what do you think?" Julius continued to pant as he made himself comfortable on the beach.

"Well, you're clearly not a natural. And you clearly don't have much practice," Rainbow Dash said as she treaded water close to the beach. "But you're willing, and there is something there to work with, and I think I can make it work," Rainbow Dash smiled as she slowly swam up to Julius.

"Great, any chance for a break?" Julius panted as he slowly sat up.

"Hah, what happened to all that stamina?" Rainbow Dash jokingly mocked.

"Oh, it's taking a break with your race record. The difference is, my stamina will come back," Julius coyly shot back.

"Well, at least you can still run your mouth," Rainbow Dash winked as she got out of the lake. Walking up to Julius, Rainbow Dash lightly hip bumped him. "Come on, Pinkie Pie should have something prepared," Rainbow Dash said as she looked over at Pinkie Pie.

"She's not wrong!" Pinkie Pie sang out as she roasted some food over a grill, a picnic blanket laid close to the beach. "Hope you don't mind, but I got some baked goods, some fruits and vegetables, and some fake meat," Pinkie Pie said as she flipped some patties out of the grill.

"I'm fine with that; any tinfoil grilled vegetables?" Julius asked as he slowly walked over to the picnic blanket.

"Yes, some carrots, parsnip, onions, and some other things," Pinkie Pie smiled as she took the rest of the food off the grill.

"Great, I'm hungry, and tinfoil grilled vegetables are good," Julius said as he sat on the edge of the blanket.

"Yeah. It sounds like Pinkie Pie grilled up some good food," Rainbow Dash said as she sat next to Julius. "I'd ask how you knew the timing, but it's a Pinkie thing, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash jokingly laughed as Pinkie Pie brought over the grilled food.

"Yup, yup!" Pinkie Pie happily smiled as she placed the dishes in the middle of the blanket. "Well, go ahead, help yourselves!" Pinkie Pie happily sang as she grabbed her food.

"Don't mind if I do," Julius said as he made himself a hamburger and got some vegetables.

"Same here, I'm a little famished," Rainbow Dash said as she looked over the food. "Looks good, and smells good too," Rainbow Dash smiled as she got her food.

"Hehe, thanks!" Pinkie Pie smiled as she got her food. "I also brought some deserts, like some peanut butter oatmeal cookies!" Pinkie Pie happily chirped as she swiftly ate a cookie.

"What, no muffins?" Julius jokingly asked as he grabbed a few cookies.

"Oh Ha Ha, very funny," Pinkie Pie dryly laughed. "I already told you, Derpy has ruined muffins for you. Curse you, Derpy!" Jokingly lamented as she dramatically shook a hoof in the air.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Julius chuckled as he ate his hamburger. "Pretty good, all things considered. Still, fake meat, well, not quite as good," Julius murmured under his breath.

"Yeah, for whatever reason, Derpy is stupidly good at some of the most random things. Like when she was a filly, she somehow won the Applewood Derby," Rainbow Dash said as she ate her food. "That, muffins, mail delivery, like why, how and why?" Rainbow Dash sighed as she ate.

"Maybe it's genetic?" Julius suggested as he ate a few vegetables.

"Doubt it," Pinkie Pie mumbled with a full mouth. "Well, except for delivery, her mother was a very good mailmare. She won Ponyville's best mailmare reward every year until she retired," Pinkie Pie said as she snuck a few more cookies.

"Impressive, and her father?" Julius asked between bites.

"Not much to say about him," Pinkie Pie hummed. "He's a pretty standard house stallion. You know, making a home and all, taking care of his mares, normal house stallion things. Well, you wouldn't know, but, you know. You know?" Pinkie Pie said between bites of food.

"I don't know, well, not firsthand, but I get it," Julius said as he finished his food. "Now, for dessert," Julius said as he grabbed a few cookies. "Oh hey, is that whipped cream?" Julius asked as he looked at a container by the cookies.

"Yup, they go well with peanut butter oatmeal cookies!" Pinkie Pie happily chirped as she dipped the cookies she had in the whipped cream. "Mhhhhm, creamy," Pinkie Pie hummed as she ate the cookies.

"Hah, is it any wonder why she's so plush and huggable," Julius smiled as he ate a few cookies. "These cookies are good," Julius mumbled, his mouth filled with cookies.

"Yeah, how Pinkie Pie doesn't get sick is a mystery," Rainbow Dash laughed as she finished her food. "Still, I could do for a cookie or two," Rainbow Dash smiled as she grabbed a few cookies. "Good cookies," Rainbow Dash smiled as she ate the cookies.

"Thank you, I do my best," Pinkie Pie smiled as she walked over to the lakeside. "Come on, after you're finished, let's rest by the lake. Have to wait a little bit after eating to go swimming after all," Pinkie Pie sang as she laid out three towels.

"Well, she does have a point," Julius said as he finished his food.

"Yeah, she does," Rainbow Dash agreed as she finished her food. "You got the clean-up?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stood up.

"I suppose it's probably a lot easier since I have hands," Julius said as he stood up. Sharing a look, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash laugh a little.

"You'd think, but," Rainbow Dash smiled as she placed a hoof on the edge of the picnic blanket. "We ponies can pick things up with our hooves just fine," Rainbow Dash told Julius as she lifted the edge of the blanket.

"OK, how?" Julius asked as he scratched his head. "I mean, I'd expect this from Pinkie Pie or a unicorn using magic, but every pony can pick things up with their hooves; how?" Julius again asked, sounding very bewildered.

"I don't know; no pony does. It's one of the great pony mysteries," Rainbow Dash said as she started to fold the blanket. "You going to help? Or just stand there looking confused," Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Julius.

"Yeah, just, just give me a moment. My mind is still coming to terms with that," Julius said as he shook his head. Getting his senses back, Julius helped Rainbow Dash fold the blanket. Having folded the blanket and getting everything together, Julius looked at Pinkie Pie. "Uhhh, where do you want all of this? I don't see a basket or anything," Julius said as Pinkie Pie walked over.

"Silly, I thought you'd have figured it out by now!" Pinkie Pie happily giggled. "My mane storage area!" Pinkie Pie winked as she shoved the picnic supplies into her mane.

"Oh, into bad puns now, are we?" Julius asked as he walked over to the beach. "Well, I could be a beach about it, but I'll give your pun a pass," Julius said as he laid on one of the towels.

"OK, that was a little too forced," Rainbow Dash said as she and Pinkie Pie walked over to the towels. "Your jokes are a little wet behind their ears," Rainbow Dash said in an equally lousy pun.

"You should both stop. Your jokes are really punishing," Pinkie Pie said, giggling as she laid on a towel.

"Hey, no fair, we keep setting you up," Julius jokingly pouted. "Come on, throw us an easy one," Julius said as he scratched behind Pinkie Pie's ears.

"Do you really want an easy one or one you've earned?" Pinkie Pie asked as she nuzzled her head into Julius's hand.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Julius sighed as he lightly rested. "So, what do you wanna do while we wait for the food to settle?" Julius asked as he looked at the sky.

"We could do some cloud watching," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie happily said. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, could you fly up and get a cloud to drink?" Pinkie Pie asked as she stretched out on the towel.

"Sure, one sec," Rainbow Dash said as she flew up towards a cloud.

"Is it really fine to be flying after eating?" Julius asked as he watched Rainbow Dash fly up.

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie Pie assured. "Pegasi eat and fly all the time, Rainbow Dash especially," Pinkie Pie sighed. "Honestly, it's kind of surprising how often she eats and flies. We thought about talking to her about it, but, well, after meeting her parents, well, it makes sense," Pinkie Pie told Julius.

"How are her parents, and how many, ummm, herd mothers does she have?" Julius asked, slightly unsure how to word the question.

"My parents are very loving. As for the number of mares my father has, it's just the one," Rainbow Dash said as she flew a cloud down.

"I have a feeling there's more to unpack here than what you're saying," Julius said as he looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Look, if, well, when you meet my parents, just follow my lead, OK," Rainbow Dash told Julius. "My parents can be a bit much," Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Pinkie Pie. "Hey Pinkie, got some flavoring in there?"

"You know it!" Pinkie Pie happily sang as she pulled out some cups and flavoring from her mane. "I got all the berries, watermelon, apple, pineapple, fruit punch, and some homemade flavors," Pinkie Pie said as she placed them all down between the three.

"I'm kind of scared of your homemade flavors; I'll stick to what I like," Julius said as he grabbed a cup and blueberry flavoring.

"Smart," Rainbow Dash lightly laughed as she grabbed a cup and a random flavor."

"It's what I do, though; if there were a flavor mix of coconut, pineapple, and rum, I'd be interested," Julius smiled as he filled his cup with water from the cloud.

"What's rum, and why those flavors?" Rainbow Dash asked as she made her drink.

"Because I like Pina Coladas," Julius said smiling.

"Oh, what about getting caught in the rain?" Pinkie Pie sang, smiling as she made her drink.

"Yeah, but I'm not into yoga, and I have half a brain," Julius said as he bit his tongue.

"Well, we know you like making love at midnight in the dunes of the cape," Pinkie Pie sang as she teased Julius.

"No idea how you know that song, but I'm not complaining," Julius smiled as he tried his drink. "Tastes like a blueberry snowcone. I like it," Julius smiled as he tasted his drink.

"Yeah, clouds usually have that effect on water," Rainbow Dash said as she tried her drink. "Hmmm, tastes kinda sour, kinda sweet, kinda creamy, and a little bit of a dry sweetness," Rainbow Dash said as she smacked her lips together.

"Can, can I try?" Julius asked as he looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Sure, go ahead," Rainbow Dash said as she let Julius try her drink. Tasting the drink, Pinkie Pie smiled as Julius's eyes opened wide.

"How, how did you get Pina Colada flavoring?" Julius asked as he enjoyed the taste.

"I have my ways. I have my ways," Pinkie Pie slyly smiled as she pushed the flavor tube towards Julius.

"You know what, I'm not complaining," Julius said as he gave Rainbow Dash back her drink.

"It's not bad, but it feels like it's missing something," Rainbow Dash said as she took her drink back.

"Yeah, that'd be the bite of the rum. It's a stronger alcohol made from molasses," Julius explained as he laid back.

"Sounds good," Pinkie Pie said as she licked her lips. "You have to give the recipe to Syrahshy!" Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed as a myriad of thoughts ran through her head.

"Hah, I don't know how to make rum. I know how to make homebrew beer, that's about it," Julius laughed as he relaxed with his drink.

"Awww, shame," Pinkie Pie sadly said as her ears flopped down. "Anyways, let's look at clouds!" Pinkie Pie sang, happily rebounding. "That one looks like a bear, with a bird on its back," Pinkie Pie said as she pointed at the cloud.

"I'ma call the bear Banjo and the bird Kazooie," Julius said while smiling.

"Good names!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as the three looked over the clouds in the sky.