“Yay! We really are the bestest announcers ever! This is so exciting!” Pinkie Pie said as she hopped through the fields north of Ponyville.

“You said it, Pinkie,” Spike said as he walked alongside the bouncing pony.

“I can’t believe we get to be the announcers at the WBEs! There must have been so many ponies that wanted to do it, but we were the ones chosen! Oh! I hope the ponies not picked aren’t sad. I’ll have to throw them a party!”

“With the way we handled the Running of the Leaves, how could we not be chosen? Besides, the WBEs are in Ponyville this year. That means that we, Ponyville’s best announcing duo, had to accept the job. It’s our responsibility.”

“I like this responsibility. It’s not boring like those cleaning your room or taking out the trash responsibilities. It’s a fun, cheering-on-your-best-friend responsibility. But, we have to make sure we cheer on the other ponies too. It wouldn’t be fair if Dashie got all the cheering.”

“I think professionals like us can stay unbiased. After all...” Spike stopped walking and held his fist near his mouth, miming holding a microphone. “I’m Spike, the little dragon with the big voice, shouting hellooooooo to Equestria.”

“And I’m Pinkie Pie, the premiere party pony ready to announceify for all of our aspiring bad bakers.”

The pair laughed as they continued towards their destination. “Look!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing even higher. “There’s the stadium. Let’s hurry!”

“Hold up, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie stopped bouncing and looked at Spike in confusion.

“We’re big-shot announcers now,” Spike said, shining his claws on his chest. “We can’t be seen being all excited over this. We need to play it cool.”

“Ohhh, right. Cool.”

Pinkie walked next to spike. Her eyes were half open, and she wore an expression of mild boredom. After a minute, she began hopping again. Every time Pinkie’s bouncing got her too far ahead, she would turn back and loop around Spike. Pinkie suddenly stopped in midair. “Wait!” she said then fell back to the ground.

“What is it?”

“Twitchy-tail! Twitchy-tail!”

Spike cringed and hid under Pinkie. “Where is it?” he asked. “What’s falling?”

Pinkie looked around in the air. “There!” she said.

Spike turned but didn’t get a good look before something splashed against the ground.

“All gone!” Pinkie announced as she started hopping again.

Spike sniffed the pungent aroma in the air. “Coffee from nowhere? That has to be the weirdest thing you’ve ever predicted falling.”

Spike took in the stadium as he got closer. It was big. He then decided that wasn’t an accurate enough description and updated it to: it was huge. The stadium was circular in shape and stretched into the air, higher than even the tallest building in Ponyville. It could probably even give some of the towers in Canterlot a run for their money.

The stadium had four giant entrances, each with a WBE banner hanging above it. There were ponies busy roping off a parameter around the front. There was a long line near the left most entrance. Those must have been the ponies entered into the preliminaries. Spike wondered who was going to make it into the competition along with Rainbow Dash this year. He and Pinkie began heading towards the right most entrance.

Spike couldn’t wait to see inside. He had to get up into the announcer’s booth and take in the sight of all the seats that would soon be filled. This stadium must have sat hundreds—no thousands—maybe even tens of thousands of ponies. He imagined the cheer of the crowd as they hung on his and Pinkie’s every word. Announcing from a balloon over the Whitetail Wood was fun, but this was going to be amazing.

Ahead of Spike was a unicorn. He was levitating short poles and placing them every couple of feet. He would then string a rope from the previous pole to the one he had just placed. He stopped what he was doing and watched the duo. Spike gave a friendly wave as he passed by. After a few moments, Spike became aware that, while he was walking, he wasn’t moving forward anymore; he was actually moving backwards.

Spike and Pinkie hung in a magical aura, floated back in front of the unicorn, and set on the ground. Spike knew what was going on. “Hello, my good sir,” he said with a bow. “I know it must be quite a sight seeing two as famous as us just strolling past, but you could have just asked if you wanted an autograph.”

Pinkie gasped. “We get to give autographs? Today keeps getting better!”

The unicorn was taken aback. “Er... I’m not after your autographs,” he said. “I stopped you because the stadium isn’t open to the general public yet.”

“Completely understood,” Spike said as he pulled out a ticket with fancy gold ink. “As you can see, these tickets mark us as VIPs. Not only that, but we are the announcers for tonight.”

Pinkie Pie nodded, her ticket in her mouth.

The unicorn looked at the tickets and said, “They look legit, but VIP or not, nopony gets in until this evening. Besides, the announcers are already here.”

“Well, it’s a good thing tha—” Spike froze. “Wait… what was that last part?”

“Our announcers are already here. They arrived yesterday.”

Pinkie gasped loudly. “Spike,” she said. “What’s going on? I thought we were the announcers.”

“We are! Rainbow Dash said she got us the spot.”

“I don’t understand. How can we be inside if we’re out here? There aren’t two of me. At least I don’t think there are. Hmm.”

Spike didn’t want to think about two Pinkie Pies running around. “This can only mean one thing,” he said. “Impostors!”

“Impostors? Oh no! Why would anypony impostor us? Don’t they know how sad they’ll make everypony when they find out it isn’t us doing the announcing? We have to do something.”

“You’re right, Pinkie. We need to figure out a way to sneak inside and expose those impostors for who they are! Whoever they are!”

“Right! But how are we going to get past the guard?”

The unicorn cleared his throat loudly. “I’m right here, you know? I can hear you planning about trying to sneak past me.”

Spike looked the unicorn up and down. “Pinkie Pie, I think you know how to handle this one.”

“Right,” Pinkie said as she waltzed up to the unicorn, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I know what will take care of you.”

The unicorn gulped as he attempted to stare down the pink pony. It was time to prove himself. This was one minimum-wage job he wasn’t going to lose.

“How would you like...” Pinkie said as she got very close. “A cupcake!”

The unicorn took a startled step back. He looked at the treat balancing on the pink pony’s upturned hoof. “Miss? Are you trying to bribe your way in with a baked good?”

“Bribe?” Pinkie had a confused look on her face. “I just thought you looked hungry.”

“Well... yes. I am a bit hungry. I haven’t even had breakfast yet. Thank you for the cupcake, but this doesn’t mean I’m letting you inside.”

The unicorn levitated the cupcake and took a bite. He chewed and swallowed. It was a very good cupcake. Absolutely delicious. He quickly finished it off. “Well that was very good,” he said, licking his lips.

Spike nodded then said, “There are more where that came from at Sugarcube Corner. It’s a confectionery in Ponyville. You should go check it out.”

“Maybe for lunch. For now I need to get back to work, and you need to...” The unicorn looked to Spike’s side and noticed another cupcake. A few feet behind that cupcake was another and then another. The trail of cupcakes led to the pink pony, who was setting down another one.

“Are you creating a trail of cupcakes in order to try and lead me away so you can sneak past?” the unicorn asked. Today had taken a turn for the weird, and he was having trouble keeping up.

Pinkie gasped, her eyes opening wide. She turned towards the dragon. “Spike!” she whisper-yelled. “He’s on to me! Distract him!”

“Right!” Spike said with a salute. He slid up to the unicorn. “So, lovely weather we’re having today, huh? It’s all thanks to Ponyville’s weather team, led by none other than Rainbow Dash. Perhaps you heard of her? She is the current champion of the WBEs. We’re her friends. Oh! I probably should have gone with that first. We know Rainbow Dash. You should let us in.”

“I don’t care if you know the WBE’s president herself. I’m not letting you inside! Now, tell your friend to pick up these cupcakes and leave so I can get back to work.”

The unicorn glared at the pink pony. Something was wrong, though. She looked different. She stood with her left side facing him and head slightly tilted so he could see her smile. She was also not moving a muscle. “Miss? What are you...?”

A light breeze blew by, and the pink pony fell over. Cardboard! The unicorn looked at the dragon. “How did she—” he started to ask but the purple dragon had been replaced by a cardboard cutout too. The unicorn turned around in time to see a spot of purple and pink disappear inside the stadium. He sighed, levitated a cupcake and then went back to setting up the rope. He wasn’t paid enough for this.

Spike and Pinkie Pie laughed as they walked through the stadium’s hallways. “Oh man,” Spike said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he realized we had pulled the old ‘swap places with a cardboard cutout’ gag.”

“He was probably all. Hwuh? Whahuh?” Pinkie said, making weird faces and then giggling.

Spike scratched his chin with his claws and looked around. “Now... if I were a dressing room, where would I be?”

“Well, If I were a dressing room, I’d be down that hall up ahead, take the second left, and straight on until you see the doors with stars on them,” Pinkie said. “Although, I’m glad I’m not a dressing room, cause then I couldn’t be an announcer. Unless I was some sort of talking dressing room, but that would just be silly.”

Spike followed Pinkie’s directions and found the dressing rooms. He didn’t ask how she knew. Her being Pinkie Pie was enough of an explanation. There were two dressing room doors about five feet apart. Both had a circular plate with a star on in hanging in the middle. Spike walked up to the door on the left.

“Alright. Time to get to the bottom of this,” Spike said as he raised his fist to knock on the door.

“Spike, wait! That door has to ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on it.”

“So?”

“So? Only Rudely McRudersons knock on a door that has a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on it. You’re not a Rudely McRuderson, are you?”

Spike drew his fist back to knock, held it in the air, then lowered it and looked downcast. “No...” he said.

“That a boy, Spike. I’m proud of you!”

“So, what do we do now?”

“The door on the right doesn’t have a sign. You can knock on it.”

Spike brightened up. “Well why didn’t you say so?”

“I did say so, silly!”

“That’s not what I—aw, never mind. Let’s find out what’s going on here.” Spike pounded on the door. He waited and was about to pound on the door again when it opened.

An earth pony with a brown coat and dark-brown mane stood on the other side of the door. He stared at spike in confusion. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Spike squinted his eyes and stared at the stallion. After a minute, Spike said, “You don’t look a thing like either of us!”

“He might use paint,” Pinkie said.

“I... what?” the stallion said.

“Okay, Okay. Enough chitchat,” Spike said as he gave the stallion an angry stare. “We know you’re an impostor here to take one of our places as announcer, so you better come clean.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed. “We have soap! We also have balloons, rubber bands, and markers.”

“And she knows how to use them!”

“Grr!” Pinkie said as she struck a dramatic pose.

The stallion opened his mouth and then blinked several times. Spike and Pinkie gave him time to formulate his thoughts. This was the standard response to someone new meeting Pinkie Pie for the first time.

“What?” he finally asked.

That was one of the standard replies. The stallion tried again.

“You must be confused. I am not an impostor. My name is Regal Din. I was asked to be an announcer a few weeks ago and accepted. I am certainly not pretending to be a baby dragon or a pink mare.”

Pinkie stared at Regal with a raised eyebrow then looked towards Spike. “Something strange is going on here, Spike. How can he be an announcer when we’re the announcers? Are there three announcers?”

“This stadium’s announcing booth only comfortably seats two,” Regal Din said. “My colleague in the room next door is also an announcer. The last I heard, he and I were the only ones working this show.”

“Whoa, hold on,” Spike said. “Four announcers? That can’t be right. There has to be an easy explanation for this. Oh! I know! When Rainbow got us the announcer gig, she must have forgotten to tell one of the higher ups. Then they asked these guys to be announcers not knowing that the position had already been filled. Such an easy mistake. Don’t take it too hard… Regal, was it? There will be other shows. But, for now, you and your friend will have to leave so Pinkie and I can get ready.”

Regal rolled his eyes and slammed the door.

Pinkie gasped. “He’s a McRuderson!” she yelled. “His friend’s probably a McRuderson too! It’s a whole family reunion of McRudersons!”

“Calm down, Pinkie. All we need to do is get him out of there and take over the room for ourselves. If he can’t get ready, then he’ll have no choice but to leave. And I think I know the perfect plan to get us in there...”

Regal Din was about to sit back down when there was another knock on his door. He sighed, turned around, and opened the door again.

“Look, you’re obviously mis... tak...en?”

In front of regal was the pink pony from before except she now wore a black cap, a white and blue striped shirt, and khaki pants. She was holding a large brown paper bag in her mouth. She set the bag down.

“I have an alfalfa and cucumber sub here for a Mr. Din,” the pink pony said.

“I... didn’t order a sub?”

“That’s odd. This is the right address. You should let us in so we can figure this out.”

“Me,” the bag said.

“What?” the pink pony asked the bag.

“Let me in.”

“Let you into where, Spike?”

“No. You were supposed to say ‘Let me in’.”

“Ohhh,” the pink pony said, then looked back at regal. “You should let me in so we can figure this out. My talking bag can stay outside.”

Regal shut the door. There was another knock. He opened the door again.

“Did someone call for a plumber?” the baby dragon wearing blue overalls with a red shirt and cap asked. Next to him was the pink pony wearing a similar outfit but with a green shirt and cap.

Regal shut the door. There was another knock. He opened the door again.

“There have been reports of a disturbance,” the pink pony wearing a royal guard uniform said.

Regal shut the door. There was another knock. He opened the door again.

The baby dragon was pouring ketchup on the pink pony, who was laying sprawled out on the floor. Her eyes were closed, and her tongue was hanging out of her mouth. “Oh! Wait,” the dragon said. “I wasn’t ready yet.”

Regal shut the door. There was another knock. He opened the door again.

“Regal!” the pink pony wearing nothing said. “I’m you from the future! You need to come quick in order to prevent a terrible calamity from occurring!”

Regal shut the door. There was another knock. He opened the door again.

The baby dragon and pink pony were wearing scuba suits.

“OK,” Regal said. “I admit this was annoying at first, but now it’s starting to get mildly amusing. Tell me. How was this one supposed to work?”

The pink pony spat out her breather, raised a flippered-hoof, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She turned to the baby dragon. “How was this one supposed to work?”

“Why are you asking me? This one was your idea.”

Regal shut the door.

“Urgh,” Spike grunted in frustration as he threw the scuba suit away. “This is getting us nowhere. We need another plan. A real plan.”

Spike tapped a claw against his chin. Pinkie sat down and rubbed her hoof on her chin. Suddenly, Spike and Pinkie faces lit up.

“I’ve got it!” Spike said.

“Me too!”

“He wants to do this the hard way? We’ll do this the hard way.”

Spike brought his hands to his face and began drumming his claws together. He chuckled wickedly. Pinkie rolled the tips of her front hooves together and mirrored Spike’s chuckle. They stopped laughing and looked at each other.

“We aren’t thinking the same thing at all, are we?” Spike asked.

“Nopey lopey!”

“Oh well. Two plans are better than one. Let’s both do our own thing and see which one works.”