Dishes carefully put away in the cupboards, several recipe books lined up along the back of one counter, an empty vase waiting for her to fill it with flowers, Rain was feeling good about the progress she was making with her unpacking. She was humming softly again, sorting through her baking utensils when another knock at her front door surprised her. Accidentally dropping a large wooden mixing spoon to the floor with a clatter, the pegasus mare had a trace of pink in her cheeks by the time she opened the door.
"Sorry, I..." Her apology died on her lips as she looked out into the pony free space outside of the door, her expression turning to one of confusion as she glanced quickly around. Finally, her gaze fell on yet another box waiting for her, this one much smaller proportionally then the last package she had received. She didn't have high hopes that it was any of the furniture she was waiting for as she reached out and picked up the envelope resting on top. She meant to pick up the box easily and her other hoof, but was met with a surprising amount of resistance at the unexpected weight of the box. Somewhat perplexed, Rain's eyebrows Drew together as she reevaluated the package on her step. Setting aside the envelope for the moment, she began to tug and shove the box until it was far enough inside that she could close her door once more.
Frowning at the visible lack of any return address once again, Rainy Day hesitated for a moment before she opened the lid, peeking in side and falling back on her rump in shock. "what in Equestria is going on?" She murmured, blinking down at the Collection of coins before her. Her brain slowly seemed to kick back into gear and reminded her that there had been an envelope on top of the package, her head automatically craning around in search of it. Was this some sort of surprise gift from her parents? She didn't think they could afford to part with such a some... Her legs felt a little numb as she fumbled to open up the letter, half convinced that she would spot her mothers familiar cursive...
She wasn't entirely sure how long it was that she sat there on her living room floor, staring at the piece of paper in her hooves, but it took a great deal of effort for Rain to pull her mind out of the shocked state it had been forcibly shoved into as she had finished reading the contents of the envelope. Now she blinked, turning both of her ears back and giving her head several shakes. 'This has got to be some sort of joke. Equestria in danger? And it's fate rests in my hooves?' She thought wildly, laughing sardonically after a moment. "I'm nopony special..." Shoving the letter roughly back into the envelope, she got to her hooves and began pacing around the room,, occasionally glancing at the envelope as she thought over its contents, the bits in the box, The likelihood of a crisis... It was all so outlandish. Wouldn't Princess Celestia be better suited to handle the danger that threatened the entire country? Princess Luna? They were powerful Allicorns for pony's sake! What made her so much more suited to saving Equestria?
Coming to an abrupt halt, the mare stamped a forehoof, Snorting Saufley. This had to be some sort of elaborate prank! And as she thought about it, she found herself blinking with surprise. The sort of prank someone such as Wincent might construct. Hadn't he tried to trick her earlier that he had been allergic to chocolate moments before shoving a couple cookies loaded with the stuff into his mouth? Hadn't he joked with her about a pony from the past sending a mysterious package to her? Making her believe that the world was in danger and she needed to do something about it seemed like a joke right up his alley. Tail swishing back and forth as she thought over her hypothesis, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the idea. Slightly irritated, but mostly she felt like laughing. Was her life here in Ponyville going to turn into a series of never ending pranks and jokes? Sighing at the idea and feeling preemptively tired, she had just picked up the letter and was on the verge of crumbling it up and throwing it in the waste basket when her gaze fell on the box of bits...
'Nopony would risk so much money to make a prank more realistic... would they?' She wondered, hesitating again before she abruptly snorted and crumpled up the letter, tossing it into the wastebasket as she resolved to follow The instructions within, see the prank out to the end before she gave the bits back to Vince. Doing that didn't seem like it could hurt. She liked a good joke, but she wondered if she would have to talk to her newest friend about toning down The amount somewhat...
Glancing towards a Clock that she had hung on the wall, Rain released a yelp as she saw the time, hurrying to brush out her main and tail in order to appear halfway decent for her meeting with the mayor before rushing out the front door, locking it behind her and taking to the streets at a quick trot before flapping her wings and taking to the air, Hoping she didn't get lost on her way to town hall. Five minutes was really cutting it close for her, she was normally the type of pony who gave her self plenty of time before an appointment, but the letter had been so distracting, she had lost track of the time completely. Giving her head a shake, she tried to put the matter out of her mind, focusing at the task at hoof.
Finding town hall had been easier than she had anticipated, the building conspicuous as it sat next to its neighbors near town square, but Rain Felt a little flustered at the information written on a large sign taped to the front door.
We apologize for any inconvenience, but Townhall is currently undergoing renovations. An emergency with the plumbing occurred earlier today and the building is unsafe at this time. If you have a prearranged appointment, please seek our staff at our temporary location in the Ponyville park near the gazebos. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience.
Ponyville had a park? Rain blinked morosely at the sign for another moment before she took to the air once more. @Least having wings was a benefit in situations like this, she could easily locate a park from a higher vantage point... She hoped. Her worries were quickly unfounded, the park coming into view only seconds after she had taken to the sky, the gazebos clearly visible. Using them as a landmark, the Pegasus hurried towards the Open green space, casting an anxious look towards the clock tower as she did so. Only two minutes until two o'clock, she hated cutting it so close. Landing a few yards from the nearest of the gazebos, Rainy Day had just enough time to glance around in search of another sign that might pointer in the right direction when there was a sudden explosion, thousands of pieces of confetti flying into the air, and a horde of ponies suddenly jumped out and surrounded her.
"SURPRISE!!" They shouted in unison.
Rain Felt like her heart had almost jumped out of her chest with shock and barely had time to stammer "Wh-what...?" before one of the ponies suddenly darted forward. There was just enough time for the Pegasus to register a pair of bright excited blue eyes and a copious amount of pink mane before the mare quite suddenly broke out into a song.
"welcome, welcome to Ponyville! We're glad you came our way!
Welcome to Ponyville! We hope that you can say
That you are just excited as us
To celebrate this day!
Welcome, welcome to Ponyville!
Welcome, welcome, welcome to Ponyville today!"
Somehow, impossibly, inexplicably, the bubblegum colored mare not only managed to sing her song, but managed to cause another small Canon to explode with confetti, play three separate instruments at different times, and bounce back and forth as if she had Springs attached to her hooves. She giggled as she came to a stop in front of Rain, The Pegasus only then realizing that her mouth had fallen open in shock and hastily closing it.
"Oh, you should see your face right now! It's hilarious!" The pink mare exclaimed with yet another giggle. "i'll just have to settle for you seeing a picture." She continued, suddenly pulling out a Camera and snapping a picture before Rain could protest. "I'm Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's very own party pony oh, it's so good to finally meet you! You, of course, are the guest of honor, Rainy Day! Were you surprised? Because I sent you that letter about the meeting with the mayor, but it wasn't real, I just wanted you to come to the park so I could throw you a surprise party!" Pinkie trilled excitedly, seeming to never take a breath and not appearing to be coming to a stop anytime soon.
Fortunately, another pony cleared their throat and placed a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "give her a moment to catch her breath Pinkie! It looks like our surprise really startled her. Hello dear. I'm Mrs. Cake. Welcome to our little town." The other mare said kindly, offering a smile.
"Th-Thank you. Thank you everypony. I... I wasn't expecting anything like this." Rain finally managed, glancing around at all the happy faces and finally blushing and dropping her gaze.