> Party Pony Partners > by Jan Damz > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Been A Long Time My Friend > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tis another beautiful day in Ponyville, a beautiful day in Equestria to be exact. Ponies wandering around the streets doing whatever they planned to to do for the day, while others were too tired to get up today. One of these busy ponies was a pink mare with three balloons as her cutie mark. Two blue balloons and one yellow in the middle. That mare being none other than Pinkamena Dianne Pie, or Pinkie Pie as her friends call her. What was Pinkie doing? To answer that, she was just buying ingredients for a cake she is going to bake and for a special occasion that's going to happen in a few hours. Why am I talking about this? Well, this is a Pinkie-centered story, so go back if you are looking for another pony story. Now then, where were we? Ah yes, Pinkie buying the ingredients and materials for the upcoming event. As the pink mare walked, pardon me, hopped back to Sugarcube Corner, she bumped into one of her friends. A blue pegasus with a multicolored mane. Yup, that pegasus is Rainbow Dash, also known as Pinkie's bestiest bestest best friend; if that was even a word. "Hey Pinkie Pie," Started the blue mare as she flew up to her, "Watcha up too?" "I'm planning to bake a yummy chocolate cake. Not just any yummy chocolate cake though, I'm gonna bake the yummiest yummy chocolatiest chocolate cake that has ever existed in yummy chocolate cake history!" Replied the pink and hyper pony. "That and the fact that today's Derpy's birthday and at the same time her anniversary for her years as a mailpony. We can't let that go without a party can't we now?" "Didn't you say that to the last chocolate cake you baked like about a week ago?" Rainbow Dash asked as she landed next to her pink friend, "And today must be a special day for Derpy huh?" She added. "Well, I plan to make this cake even yummier than the last yummiest yummy cake." Pinkie replied as she hopped at the last few words, "And yup, quite a special day for her indeed. So, do you wanna help out with the fun? Gummy and I would love a helping hoof." "I'd love to Pinkie but I'm gonna have to pass," Dash replied as she hovered back up in the air, "I've got Wonderbolt training to do and I don't wanna miss that." "Okey Dokey Lokey." Pinkie said as she and Rainbow Dash were about to part ways. "Oh yeah, before I forget." Rainbow Dash stopped mid-flight and handed Pinkie a letter. "This letter is for you, Derpy seemed to have dropped it while she was giving out the mail." She added, "She must be excited for today being her special day and all that she dropped a few letters." "Nah, that's how she normally delivers the mail, besides, she usually drops the mail near the place it should be." Pinkie said as she took the letter and placed it in her saddlebag, "Like this one time, I found some of my mail on top of a tree near my place." "What were you doing on a tree?" Dash asked. "It's nothing really important." Pinkie replied, "Gummy and I were playing a little game of Hide and Seek." Rainbow Dash just shrugged at that reply. "Anyways, It's been nice talking to you Pinkie, but I have to get going now. I'll be sure to be back in time for the party. See ya around!" "Alrighty, see ya around too Dashie!" Pinkie said as she waved goodbye, and with a woosh, Dash was off. 'I wonder what's in this letter.' Pinkie thought as she happily hopped back to Sugarcube Corner with the baking ingredients and letter in her saddlebag. The sun was still high by the time Pinkie got to her destination, I'd say that it's around 11 in the morning. When she got home, also known as Sugarcube Corner, she unpacked all the ingredients and materials she's going to need and started working. Meanwhile just a few miles away from Ponyville, a lone wanderer was making his way down the path...  A stallion with a sombrero and poncho was accompanied with what looks to be a rubber chicken. As all of you may know by now, that stallion is Cheese Sandwich with his friend, Boneless Two. The rubber chicken description really gave the identity away. Anyways, what was Cheese doing you may ask? Well, read closely as the dialogue would tell the answer to that question. "Looks like we're getting closer Boneless Two." Cheese spoke up as soon as he saw some familiar buildings over the horizon. "Yeah, looks like another party is about to happen there." Cheese said as he continued forth. "What? The occasion? Well from what I sensed, it's going to be another birthaversary party." He added as he looked at his chicken friend who was just riding on his back. "Ya know, two parties can happen at the same time near each other all over Equestria so of course I won't always visit Ponyville to plan a party, same goes with other towns. Besides, today I sensed only one party and that one's being in Ponyville." Cheese said to his companion which just leaned a bit back as a response. "What do you mean by letting Pinkie handle this one, Boneless Two?" Cheese asked as he stopped in his tracks to look at his rubbery friend, "I know she plan's most of the parties in Ponyville but c'mon, what's wrong with helping out. Like I said, I sensed only one party happening nearby and that party's in Ponyville so what's better than to head there to help plan out a party." "Alright, now that we cleared things up, let's keep moving. I already sent Pinkie a letter telling her that we're coming to visit, we can't keep her waiting now can we?" Cheese said as he continued on his tracks. 'Yeesh, Boneless Two sure talks more than Boneless.' He thought to himself as he gave a quick glance over to his non-feathery chicken friend. A few hours in, and Pinkie finished baking the cake only to have eaten it a few minutes after it was finished. "Well, that leaves one more thing to do." Pinkie said as she licked the remaining chocolate off of her face. She then cleaned up and hopped out to prepare for Derpy's special day. That being said, the pink mare readied banners and streamers in celebration of the derp one's  special day. Of course, there is still plenty of work to do which Pinkie didn't mind, though she'll soon be getting help from a friend later on. As time passed, which usually occurs in this story from time to time, Pinkie has made lots of progress but wasn't entirely finished setting up. She's about twenty-five percent done, after all, this is a big event since it's a birthday party and anniversary at the same time. It was around three o'clock and so far so good. Pinkie was so caught up in planning and setting up the party that she almost forgot about the letter Dash gave her which she placed in her saddlebag. Lucky for her, the author of this story remembered about the letter as well which made Pinkie remember about the letter too. As Pinkie planned and readied the party, a little voice in her head reminded her about the letter in her saddlebag, which was coincidentally being carried by her at the moment. She grabbed the letter out of her bag and opened it up to read what's inside of it, and oh boy did it make her smile with excitement  after reading it. The letter read:   Dear Pinkie, How's it going my party planning buddy? How's Boneless doing? I bet he's doing fine under your care. Anyways, I'm writing this letter to you to tell you that Boneless Two and I are heading over there again. I sensed something quite special coming up and I couldn't resist. Doesn't that sound great! Hope to see you again later and by the time you're reading this, I might just be nearing Ponyville by now. You're party pal, Cheese Sandwich "OOOOH Cheese is coming to visit Ponyville again!" Pinkie exclaimed in excitement, crumpling the letter a bit in the process, "I just can't wait of all the things he's got planned for this party, plus I have somepony to help me with it as well!" Pinkie bounced as she placed the letter back in her saddlebag and prepared for Cheese's arrival. Of course, without forgetting to grab a little snack first. Cheese was nearing Ponyville every step he took. Not a single second was wasted as he was eager to meet his friends again and even plan a huge party. There were some occasional conversations with Boneless Two along the way but it wasn't that long nor time consuming. Speaking of which, I actually wonder how Boneless is doing. Cheese also pondered about this, thinking what Pinkie has done to his other rubbery friend. His pondering was cut short though as he was already a couple meters away from Ponyville "Well, looks like we're here." Cheese started as he tilted his hat up a bit so he can see a bit more. He noticed that there were already a bunch of decorations being set up once he entered the town. "I guess Pinkie has gotten ahead and started decorating already." Cheese said as he admired all of the decorations from the garlands to the balloons, though there wasn't that plenty making assume she had just started. Speaking of said mare, you might be wondering what she's doing as of the moment; which also didn't slip by Cheese's train of thought. Turns out that after Pinkie got herself a little snack from preparing Derpy's special day, she went on resume working for the preparations as usual all the while waiting for her orange stallion friend (A/N: I'm not entirely sure he's orange since I can't define shades of color well but he's a still a shade of orange). Where she is exactly? I actually don't know. Hey, don't blame me for not planning ahead on what to write in the beginning. Anyways, enough of this nonsense, time to get back to the main part of the this chapter being Pinkie and Cheese meeting again. As Cheese walked down the path with his hat just tilted a bit forward covering just a little of his eyes, He can't help but recall the last time he and Pinkie threw a party together in Ponyville His busy thinking about the time but was brought back to reality upon hearing somepony speak up near him. "Say, you look quite familiar..." The voice started off making Cheese glance over to whom owned the voice. That owner owner of the voice was actually Rarity who was just passing by. As soon as Rarity managed to identify Cheese, she gasped a bit and smiled. "Cheese? My how long has it been since you've been here?" She asked. "Hello too Rarity." Cheese greeted her, "And I guess it's been like, I'd say, 3 or 4 months so I guess." He added as he tried to remember how far was today from his last visit. "Well, it sure is a pleasure meeting you again and Pinkie would be much pleased to know you're here." Rarity said, "Hmm, last I remember seeing her was eating a bunch of cupcakes at Sugarcube Corner." "Oh she knows I'm coming over for a visit." Cheese chimed in, "You see, I sent her a letter before setting off on a journey going here. I guess by now she already read it and is waiting for me right now." "Oh well ain't that delightful." Rarity smiled at the orange stallion, "Though it seems you still have to find that party pony because I don't know where she is." "Okay, thanks for the heads up Rarity!" Cheese said as he started to walk off and search for the pink party pony Pinkie. "Any time dear." Rarity replied as she continued to trot towards her boutique. The party was still not yet set up but Pinkie didn't mind due to her waiting for Cheese to arrive. After she took a quick, or for other ponies, big snack break, she decided to rest up a bit which wasn't really something Pinkie would do in the midst of setting up a party. Well, she is expecting another super duper party pony to arrive anytime soon which can help her out so she might of decided to take a bit of time, besides, having Cheese with her side in setting up the party would make up for the lost time and Cheese would have just as the same amount of work Pinkie did which would be fun for both of them. Though Pinkie's short break really was a short break. She immediately got back to setting up the party all the while expecting for a certain pony to pop up. "I just hope Cheese would arrive just in time for the fun." Pinkie said to herself as she positioned some banners of Derpy being her special day of course. "And I hope Derpy would love this party, especially that muffin cake I baked." She added as she looked over at the said cake on the pastry table. "Well, well, well. Looks like somepony's doing well with the decorations." A very familiar voice spoke up which Pinkie almost immediately identified. "CHEESE!" Pinkie squealed as she spun around with the biggest smile plastered on her face. "PINKIE!" Cheese returned the expression in which Pinkie decided to wrap her forelegs around her friend and gave a friendly hug which Cheese happily returned. "Long time no see my pink party pony pal." Cheese greeted as he and Pinkie broke from the hug. "Long time no see too Cheese." Pinkie Pie smiled, "Looks like you've arrived just in time too. I needed the extra hoof." "Well I can't argue with that this being a birthaversary and all." Cheese replied with a grin, "Say who is the pony who's celebrating this special day?" "It's the mailmare, Derpy." Pinkie replied as she showed a small banner of an image of Derpy along with her name. "I'm guessing it's her birthday and at the same time her anniversary as a mailmare, am I correct?" Cheese asked as he looked at Pinkie who was putting the banner down. "You betcha! I'm making this one of the best parties she'd ever experienced and with you around, we can make this party even ten times better!" Pinkie beamed with glee. "C'mon, let's set everything up and get the party and fun starting!" She added as she pulled Cheese off, which caught Cheese of guard a bit but he went along just fine. The preparations were going quite well while both Pinkie and Cheese were enjoying it. They were already having fun even before the real party started. Probably because they were enjoying each other's company, I mean come on, who wouldn't have fun with even the littlest things with someone who's almost like your exact copy. They had fun putting up the garlands together, had fun setting up the food together, had fun messing up at times together, did I mention that they were having fun together? Ahem. Anyways, time flew by yet again and everything was set to go. Cheese double checked and surely enough they were about to start the party. One thing was missing though. "Where is Derpy?" Cheese asked. "She's probably on her way here. Just look out for a gray mare with eyes that looks like this." Pinkie replied as she faced Cheese and made her eyes look the way Derpy has them, which Cheese thought was cute and funny at the same time. "Well, I guess I know why she's called Derpy now." Cheese chuckled to himself as he kept a keen eye on any derp-eyed pony. "Wait, I think I see her!" Pinkie spoke up as she pointed her hoof at the direction she was looking at. Cheese turned his gaze to where Pinkie was pointing to indeed see a gray mare with derp eyes, and she looked like she just came from Sugarcube Corner from the looks of her munching on some muffins. She probably forgot that today was her special day too but that soon came to her mind when she took notice of all the party decorations and banners at the party site. Derpy stared in awe as she looked at the banners containing words like happy birthday and what not that she almost dropped the muffins she was carrying. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND 5 YEARS OF BEING A MAILPONY DERPY!" Pinkie cheered along with everypony who attended as Pinkie slid down a twisty slide towards the pegasus. Cheese followed the pink mare too. "I-Is this..." Derpy started still not able to believe what's going on. Yes, she experienced a Pinkie party before but that was just for her birthday; this, was a party for her birthday and anniversary of her job which won't be a regular ol' Pinkie Pie party, no sir. "Eeyup! Courtesy of the lovely Pinkie.." Cheese said which that made Pinkie feel a tiny rush of blood coming to her cheeks, a.k.a a tiny blush, upon hearing what Cheese described her, "And of course there's me too." Derpy was speechless, no, she was beyond speechless. Nopony really does these awesome things for her and here she is, at a huge party headed by two well-known party planners for her special day which was making her very happy. What made her even more happy was the huge muffin cake Pinkie baked her. That's what a party from Pinkie and Cheese will do alright; make a special day of just a background character into something grand. "Anyways, why don't we get this party started!" Pinkie cheered as she brought out her party cannon seemingly out of nowhere and shot out confetti. Soon enough, the party went into full swing, or what I would like to say, maximum pony party-drive (I feel bad for even typing that). Everyone was having fun. Laughs were shared among everpony, gifts were given to Derpy, heck said mare was smiling brightly than she can ever smile before. That night was a night to remember, especially for our derp-eyed friend. That aside, Cheese would still have to leave soon, knowing his ways. The thought of that bothered Pinkie a bit but seeing it as a normal thing Cheese does, she pushed the thought aside. After all, she's here to enjoy the party with her friends. > Till We Meet Again > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the party continued on into the night and everypony was having fun all the while, Cheese was leaning on a tree nearby, getting ready to start his journey again along with his rubber friend, Boneless Two. He put on his hat and poncho, and seeing how everything was going well, decided to head out. "Leaving so soon?" He heard someone say behind him. Cheese turned around to see Pinkie, with a small frown on her face. "I'm sorry for leaving while the party is still going on, Pinkie," Cheese started as he went near the said mare, "But I've got other parties to go and plan." "Couldn't you stay just a little while?" Pinkie asked, still giving off a small yet visible frown. "I would love to Pinkie but as I said, I've got other parties to deal with." Cheese replied. "Oh yeah, how's Boneless doing by the way?" He added as he remembered about his rubbery friend, the first one that is. "He's doing fine." Pinkie sighed. Boneless was doing very fine to be honest. After Cheese left him to be taken care of Pinkie, said mare has been taking care of the rubber chicken as if it were her own pet. Of course, just right next to Gummy. She plays with him at times, talks to him, even Gummy would hang out with Boneless. "Do you really have to go?" The pink party pony asked with a frown while even giving out puppy eyes for the extra effect. "You really want me to stay for a while don't ya?"Cheese asked which made Pinkie nod vigorously. He thought about it for a while and sighed. "Alright, I'll stay just for a little bit more. Besides, my Cheesy Sense hasn't really picked up any parties that needs planning nearby as of this hour." The orange stallion smiled making Pinkie one happy pony again. "GREAT!" Pinkie yelled in joy as she gave a quick little hug due to her over happiness, "Come on, there's still so much fun we can do at the party!" She added as she dragged her stallion friend off into the party. "Hey Rarity." Rainbow Dash greeted as she flew towards the said mare who was standing by the snack table. "Oh hello Rainbow, are you enjoying this party so far?" Rarity replied as she took a sip from her cup of punch. "Heck yeah! Cheese and Pinkie surely outdone themselves this tume." Rainbow replied as she landed next to Rarity and took her oen cup of punch. "So watcha up too?" She asked as she drank some punch. "Oh just admiring everypony having fun and being happy at this party." Rarity replied as she looked at all the ponies who were laughing, cheering, dancing, and were plainly having a good time. She then noticed Pinkie and Cheese at the dessert bar both having a very fun time. Pinkie especially, for she was smiling brighter and laughing more than she'd ever laughed and smile during a party. "Say, Pinkie sure looks like she's enjoying this party more than anyone here." Rarity said as she watched Pinkie eating some pastries with Cheese but which eventually became a small food fight. "Yeah, especially whenever she's near Cheese." Rainbow added in as she decided to snack on some knickknacks from the snack table. "Yup. It's like both of them were meant to be together." Rarity smiled as she watched her pink friend. Rainbow thought about what Rarity said and got an idea. "Merby dey ar mernt tuh be." Rainbow spoke with a full mouth of food, not even caring if some fell out of her mouth while speaking and some bits even landing on Rarity. "What?" Rarity asked in a disgust and annoyed tone while she wiped her face from any bits of food or even some saliva. Rainbow swallowed the contents in her mouth and spoke up again. "Maybe they ARE meant to be." Rainbow Dash said, emphasizing the word 'are'. "Rainbow, what are you trying to say?" Rarity asked curiously. "What I'm trying to say Rarity, is that Cheese and Pinkie would make a perfect couple." Rainbow Dash said, lowering her voice down a bit so no other pony can hear, "Think about it. They both like to party, they both like to have a good laugh, they basically have the same personallity!" "And?" Rarity asked, eyeing the rainbow-maned pegasus. "And? Rainbow repeated, "What do you mean by 'and'?" "I get what you're trying to say Rainbow, I mean clearly they are meant to be but that doesn't mean that they are going to be a couple." Rarity replied. "Well not now that is." Rainbow said as she started to hover again in the air. "Rainbow, I doubt that would ever change because one, Cheese is a traveling party pony, and two, Pinkie is staying here in Ponyville. If they were to be a couple, it's either Cheese would have to stay but not fulfill his job as a traveling party pony or Pinkie has to leave Ponyville just to be with him. You wouldn't want that to happen now do you?" "So you're saying you don't like them being a couple?" Rainbow asked with a little sly grin. "No, that's not wh-" "Hey guys!" The two's conversation was cut off once a pink pony hopped near both of them, "Watcha talking about?" "Oh it's nothing really that important Pinkie." Rarity replied as she glanced over to Dash. "Yeah, we were just talking about you and Cheese." Rainbow added not caring if Rarity gave her a look saying to not tell. "What's this about me and Cheese?" Pinke asked as she grabbed some punch. "Oh it's nothing really Pinkie Pie." Rarity chimed in trying to steer off topic, yet Dash wanted to push on forward. "So Pinkie," Dash started, "What do you think of Cheese?" "Hmm..." Pinkie thought to herself, "Well, he's funny, fun to be with, loves to plan parties, and a great guy overall." "Anything else?" Dash asked, interested of anymore info. "Well, he's cute I guess." The pink party mare added with a small blush appearing on her cheeks though her pink coat made it not that noticable unless you payed really close attention. This made Rarity choke on the punch she was drinking and also made Dash give a off a grin. "Why are you asking?" Pinkie asked as she eyed Dash. "Oh it's really nothing. Just wanna know your thoughts about him that's all." Dash chuckled to herself as she went near Pinkie. "You can go along and get back to having fun now." She added while gesturing her front hooves to tell Pinkie to move along. "Okey dokey lokey?" Pinkie said in a questionable tone as she walked away from the two. Soon, after said mare was out of earshot, Dash whispered over to Rarity. "See. Pinkie likes him." "That's still not changing anything Dash. That was just a little compliment about Cheese." Rarity whispered, making sure Pinkie wasn't around since she just left. "Didn't you see her blush? I mean c'mon, it was obvious!" "How am I supposed to see somepony, who's literally pink, blush?" "Well, maybe you need to pay attention more." Dash shrugged which Rarity ignored. "Still, we- you don't even know Cheese's thoughts about Pinkie." Rarity whispered back to the blue pegasus. "It's probably the same as Pinkie's anyways." "What if it's not?" "Then why don't you go ask him?" Dash said, which sounded more like she's challenging Rarity. Said mare just stood there and looked at her, not even speaking a word. "That settles it. I win this argument." Dash said with a smug look on her face in which Rarity just rolled her eyes. "What argument?" Pinkie's voice spoke up as the pink mare was heading back towards them. Looks like she wanted more punch and a couple more snacks. "Oh Pinkie um..." Rarity said as she thought of a good excuse. "Oh we were just arguing on whether this tablecloth here is clothes, and to me, it's not clothes." Dash said as she looked over Rarity who just nodded hesitantly. "Uh, I think tablecloth could be used to make clothes Dash." Pinkie said as she placed a hoof on her chin. "Well, that was the purpose of the argume-" "Hey Pinkie." Another voice spoke up. The three mares turned to see Cheese heading towards them "Oh hey Cheese, watcha need?" Pinkie turned to the stallion. "Well, my Cheesy Sense just went off a while ago. In other words, I have to-" "Leave the party early, I know, I know." Pinkie finished the sentence with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Cheese heard the tone and sighed a bit. "I'll be heading over to Manehatten, some big anniversary is happening someplace there in a few days." Cheese added as he put on his hat and poncho. "Are you gonna come back and visit again?" Pinkie asked. "Not that I can tell. There might be other parties that need planning somewhere around Equestria, and it's my duty to go and plan them." Rarity looked over to Rainbow with a look saying 'I told you so.' which Dash just rolled her eyes at. "Oh. Oh well. Have fun over at Manehatten." Pinkie said, disappointed. "Hey look, I promise to write to you from time to time okay? That way we can keep in touch." Cheese said as he looked at the disappointed looking mare which cheered her up a bit, "But for now, I'll have to get going. A city needs me." "Okay, bye Cheese." "Bye Pinkie." And with that Cheese walked off and away from the party, heading towards the train station. Pinkie sighed as she watched him walk away but decided to push her disappointment asside and enjoy the rest of the party with her friends. After the party died down and was over, everyone headed home to get some rest and sleep. All that partying can really make someone pooped after the event, plus, it was getting late and some ponies are getting sleepy. Pinkie was just about to head to bed and hit the hay but she didn't even feel tired nor sleepy. She laid on her bed and was changing positions from time to time, as if she was trying to keep herself comfortable. This wasn't like her and she even noticed it. "Why can't I sleep?" She asked herself as she stared at the ceiling. Something was definitely bothering her but she didn't know what. "Maybe a little midnight snack would help..." Pinkie thought out loud as she got out of bed and quietly got out of her room, making sure to not wake Gummy, or Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Once Pinkie got downstairs, she immediately headed to the kitchen to prepare herself a snack. She reminded herself that it would only be a little snack so she looked for something that can be a quick bite. She couldn't eat any pastries like cupcakes and cakes at this hour so she skipped that. Then she found some bread and decided to make a sandwich; and yes, it was a cheese sandwich. It was quite delicious too. After her quick snack and even quick drink of some milk, Pinkie felt a bit more okay than a while ago. She even yawned indicating that she indeed was getting sleepy. Who knew a little midnight snack can make one sleepy? Oh wait, I do that all the time. Anyways, Pinkie got back to her room and hopped back in bed, sleepiness starting to take over. As she was about to head into dream land, she thought about the yummy snack she took before sleeping and how tasty it was. A cheese sandwich, just that and nothing else. Okay, maybe a glass of milk as well. On a train to Manehatten, Cheese was looking out the window into the starry night sky. The train was only a few minutes away from Manehatten and was also the last train for the day that was tasked to head to the city, of course it still has another last stop to do. There were not that much passengers on the train too since it was late. To be honest, it looks like Cheese is the only passenger in that train carriage, him and Boneless Two of course. Shouldn't forget about that little boneless friend of his. As the train kept on chugging, the city lights of Manehatten were closing in on the horizon. "Almost there bud." Cheese spoke up as he looked over at his rubber companion sitting next to him. The only reply he got was just a little tilt of the head Boneless Two did. "Yeah, it's a long train ride. We definitely need to get some rest once we get off at the station." The orange stallion said as he looked back outside. The city can already be seen with all it's lights and buildings, especially the giant statue of which is the pony equivalent to the Statue of Liberty. There were some ponies on the streets too even at this late of night, though not that much as how many would be in the day, quite fewer than that I must say. Once the train stopped at the station, Cheese and the remaining passengers all went out. There were other ponies at the station who entered as soon as the train stopped too since the train's final stop is back at Ponyville. Cheese watched some ponies enter the train and some exit then continued on into the city to find a place to stay. He'll have to find out where in what part of the city his Cheesy Sense is taking him later in the morning. Cheese was feeling very tired by now, yet he looked okay still. He managed to find a hotel to rest up and due to how much he earns planning parties around Equestria, he rented a room without trouble. His room was located at the 21st floor of the hotel, room number 314 to be exact, and Cheese took the elevator up since stairs is practically a death sentence when climbing up a tall building, especially when you're already tired. Speaking of a tall building, I forgot to describe the hotel. Well, the hotel was one of the known hotels in Manehatten, I'd say the 3rd known in the city. It's a tall building that's for sure, with about 30 floors, being a hotel of course. Infront of the hotel is a small park with a pond. Usually, the hotel guests would take a stroll there at night or have a early trot in the morning but since it was late already, there was practically nopony in sight there. The hotel itself wasn't that busy too due to the time, and most of the people by now are asleep or out enjoying the night till morning comes. Anyways, before I steer off the main topic, let's get back to Cheese who already arrived at the hallway leading to his room. Cheese got to the room, opened the door, placed his stuff which is not that much on a table, and headed into bed with Boneless Two right on a cupboard next to the bed. He was surely tired from that party back in Ponyville; it was one of the best ones, and with Pinkie making stay a little longer there made him more tired. If it were to be placed in a equation, then it'd be: Party with Pinkie plus extended stay plus travel to Manehatten and add another travel to hotel and to room equals being super tired at the end. The sleep is going to make him feel better in the morning after all that. As the sun rises over the mountains marking the start of a new day, the ponies in Ponyville all went through the things they do each day. Pinkie, as we know as the hyperactive pony and fun loving pony, wasn't looking quite like herself today. She was feeling bored and couldn't think of something fun to do. There were no parties that needed to be planned and she already tried baking but that got boring easily, even for her. Now you might be saying to let her go hangout with her friends but each and everyone of them were busy; plus that would be an inconvenience for the story. Applejack has a ton of apples to harvest, Twilight has some princess related work to do, Rainbow is training at the Wonderbolts Academy again, Fluttershy is taking care of her animal friends, and Rarity is preparing for a trip to Manehatten to go check on her boutique progress there. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 'Rarity is preparing for a trip to Manehatten hm...' Pinkie thought, as if she was thinking about what I typed previously which I think she is to be honest. "That's it!" Pinkie snapped out of her thoughts once she got an idea. She then hopped out of bed, grabbed Boneless, and Gummy just so the gator wouldn't be left out, and headed to Rarity's place. Upon arriving at the boutique, Pinkie knocked on the front door hoping Rarity didn't leave already. She waited for a few minutes until Rarity answered the door. "Yes? Who is it?" Rarity asked as she peeped through the small opening she made at the door. "Oh Pinkie, what brings you here?" She added as she fully opened the door once she saw her pink friend. She also noticed Gummy and a rubber chicken on the pink mare's back. "You're heading over to Manehatten right?" Pinkie asked which got her a curious look from the white unicorn. "Yes," Rarity replied unsure, "Why?" "Well, I thought of joining you in heading there!" Pinkie smiled as she looked at Rarity for an answer. Said mare looked at Pinkie for a while, almost as if she was studying her, then gave a sigh. "You just want to accompany me so that you can go and meet Cheese aren't you?" She asked with a raised brow. "What? Psh, no I'm not." Pinkie said trying to brush the topic aside and tried acting natural, "Where'd ya get that idea from?" Rarity didn't fall for it and just continued to look at Pinkie with the same expression. This eventually got to Pinkie making her spill the beans. "Alright, you got me." Pinkie said, a bit annoyed, "But seriously, can I come with you?" Rarity thought about it for a while as Pinkie looked at her with pleading eyes. "Well, I don't see anything wrong," She started which sparked a bit of glee in Pinkie, "But are you absolutely sure that you want to join me in my travel?" "Absolutely positively very sure I want to come with you to Manehatten." Pinkie replied, "So is that a yes?" "Uh, I guess I can have somepony to keep me company while heading there." Rarity said as she scratched the back of her head. "Great! I'll go grab some things before we go. Meet you at the station!" With that, the pink mare was off back to Sugarcube Corner to pack up; not that she had that much to bring to be honest. Rarity watched Pinkie zoom off and couldn't help but smile a bit. 'Maybe Rainbow was right.' She thought as she went back inside to finish up packing. She wasn't going to stay there in Manehatten for a long time, probably a 2-3 day stay there; plus, she wants to see more of the city. Once Pinkie got back to Sugarcube Corner, she immediately began packing for the trip. Not that much was to be packed though. She brought some extra bits incase she needs it, a couple of snacks, and her party cannon; though I havs no idea where she's packed it. "Alrighty, all ready and set to go." Pinkie said as she was about to head out only to stop at the doorway once she remembered something. "Oops, shouldn't forget about you." She added as she grabbed Boneless from her bed. She then looked over at her pet gator. "Sorry Gummy, the big city is no place for a gator like you." Gummy just blinked. "I'll be back in a day or so, keep this place the way I left it once I get back okay?" Pinkie said before she left the room. She said goodbye to the Cakes and then continued forth towards the train station. > Sweets and Candies > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rarity was already at the train station, waiting for her pink friend to arrive. The train just arrived and ponies are already boarding it. She waited a few more minutes until she saw the pink party mare walk towards the station. "Took you long. We aren't staying in Manehatten for a week you know." Rarity started as Pinkie approached her "Sorry. I was just checking to see if I forgot something that may come in handy." Pinkie replied as Boneless sat on her back. Rarity took notice of the rubber chicken but decided to push the thought aside. "Anyways, let's get on the train before it starts to leave." Rarity said and boarded the train, Pinkie soon followed. They both took their seats across from one another as the train started to depart from the station. Pinkie laid Boneless next to her in her seat as Rarity watched out the window. "So..." Pinkie started as she looked at the white unicorn, "I was thinking, where are we going to stay there in the city?" Rarity looked at the pink mare and smiled, "Well I planned ahead and booked a room for myself at this hotel by a small park. I'm sure the room can fit at least two ponies knowing how the hotel always has it's rooms with two beds and all, so you are welcome to stay there." "Well isn't that convenient." Pinkie said, "So, anything more about the hotel like events or, I don't know, parties?" "Pinkie, the hotel doesn't allow parties in rooms." Rarity replied which made Pinkie a bit disappointed, just a tiny bit though. "Though I heard they have an all you can eat buffet on Tuesday nights." The unicorn added which almost immediately caught Pinkie's attention and interest. "Today's a Tuesday." Pinkie said, more likely, to herself and smiled. "Looks like you'll know where to find me tonight." "Is this hotel fancy or something?" Pinkie asked since a fancy buffet can sometimes have food that are both delicious and horrible. "Well, I don't exactly know, but I'm guessing it won't be that fancy since it's like the third known hotel in Manehatten." Rarity replied as she looked back out towards the scenery. Hm, the hotel they are going to stay in sure does sound quite familiar; I just couldn't put my finger on it though. "I do hope it isn't that fancy." Pinkie said as she looked out the window to see the scenery the train is passing by as well. She then felt Boneless lean on her which made her look at the chicken. "Oh, you want to look out too? Sure, here." Pinkie said as she took the boneless chicken and placed it on the window. It's a good thing the window wasn't open or otherwise Boneless could've leaned out and fall. Rarity looked over at Pinkie and the Boneless chicken. "Say, you are getting quite attached to that rubber chicken Cheese gave you." She started, eyeing the rubber bird, "Almost as if it were your own pet like Gummy." Pinkie looked over at Rarity and smiled, "Well Cheese wanted me to take care of his friend so of course I had to." "And I'm guessing you're bringing him along since you're going to meet Cheese?" Rarity asked since that was the reason why Pinkie wanted to come with her in the first place. "Well, If I can see him." Pinkie said, "The city is a big place and it's not likely that I'll meet Cheese like right when we head to the hotel." "So how are you going to find him?" "I'm currently thinking about that. My Pinkie Sense would probably kick up and show me where but if I cant find him, at least I'll have fun there in the city." "I still don't get how your Pinkie Sense works after all the years we've been friends." "It's best to just leave it be." Pinkie smiled as Boneless leaned over and almost fell to the floor, luckily Pinkie caught him. "Whoah there buddy. We don't want you to break a bone now can we?" "Pinkie I think he doesn't have bones at all." Rarity chuckled only to make Pinkie realize what she meant. "Oh yeah." Pinkie giggled a bit as she placed Boneless back on the seat next to her. "Yeah, I may have grown quite attached to Boneless." She added, rubbing the back of her head. The train ride to the city isn't going to be that long. Probably a good hour or so to reach it from Ponyville, though if there are distractions like some sheep blocking the tracks then it'll take a few minutes longer. As usual, Pinkie couldn't wait to get there as she looked out the window. Her excitement even managed to show off on her facial expression which Rarity took notice of. "I see you're eager to get there." Rarity smiled as she looked over at Pinkie who was looking out the window. "Am I." Pinkie replied, excitement clear in her tone. "Eager to see Cheese I'm guessing?" Rarity teased a bit, and for a second there, she thought she saw the pink mare blush just a tinsy winsy bit., that or she's been over thinking about what Dash said on Pinkie liking Cheese and vise versa. Either way, in truth Pinkie did blush; though due to her natural coat color, it hid most of it, and I mean MOST of it. "Well you can say that I guess." Pinkie replied with a hint of anxiety in her voice as she diverted her eyes back outside. Rarity's mind sure is starting to have second thoughts on what Dash said at the party by now. 'Oh don't jump that quickly to conclusions Rarity.' She thought to herself, trying to push the thought of Pinkie liking Cheese more than a friend aside, 'Teasing her about him probably made her blush, or if she did blush, and made her a bit uneasy. I mean, who doesn't get a bit nervous when they get teased by a friend on who they like?' Well I know one and that's Maud, though she might be an exception due to her not really showing emotions. Anyways, let's not steer off topic again. Pinkie sure gets uneasy when somepony tells her she likes Cheese or she enjoys having Cheese around. It's almost as if she really does like Cheese, and not just the like-friend type, I meant the like-like type. 'Pfft, relax Pinkie.' Pinkie thought to herself as she continued to stare at the view out the window, 'Cheese is just a friend; no need to get nervous about that right? Right?' 'It's not like you do actually like-like him, I mean, both of you are practically best buds.' She continued on with her 'train' of thought. Get it? Train of thought? Since they were on a train and you kno- Nevermind. Continuing on with Pinkie's thoughts: 'He's funny like me, hyper like me, crazy like me, friendly like me, who wouldn't want to be friends with him?' Pinkie stared at the trees zooming by the train, she then rested her head on one of her front hooves on the window. 'He's a perfect friend. A nice, funny, cute and handso- WAIT HOLD UP.' She widened her eyes when she realized what she was thinking then shook her head a bit. "Pinkie? Something wrong?" Rarity's voice went through her ears, she obviously took notice of the pink pony's action, "You seem a bit out of character." Funny how I'm referring it to this chapter in particular. Anyways, Pinkie looked at the white mare and smiled a pretty convincing smile. "Oh, just a bit tired from that party last night. Eeyup, tired." Pinkie replied, trying her best to not sound nervous and she was doing pretty well at it too. She must've gotten the hang of it. "Oh yeah, that was some party." Rarity said as she thought about the party that happened. Everypony had a blast during that time and knowing how every side has it's shortcomings, having way too much fun has the effect of leaving you pooped later. That's life I suppose. Cheese was up and early once the day started. Sure he was still a tad bit tired but he's got a job to do here in the city, that is, if he finds it. The thing about Cheese's Cheesy Sense is that it tells if there is a party that needs planning but isn't specific about the place other than what town or city it's in. Being a big city and all, Cheese has quite some time ahead of him trying to look for the place. It'll probably be some shop having like ten years in service or something. Cheese got himself refreshed before heading out to the city along with Boneless Two and started trotting along the streets of Manehatten. Hopefully, his Cheesy Sense would start to get more specific and tell him where in what part of the city the party is going to be. The orange stallion and the rubber chicken were walking down... Uh... the street, when they happen to stumble upon a candy store on the corner. The shop itself looked quite nice from the outside, with decorations having the candy theme on them though the shop looked quite old. Candy and sweets were also on display from the glass window and man do they look good. "The Sweet Tooth." Cheese read the sign hanging from the shop, and he seemed to have noticed another sign up front stating a buy one take two deal and half the price on sweets starting from today until the day after tomorrow. "Buy one, take two plus half the price?" Cheese asked himself, "Odd. First shop I've stumbled upon that has this deal." Odd indeed. Most shops most of the days just have sales and not have that buy one take one thing especially in Manehatten. This shop having a buy one, take TWO instead of one plus a half the price sale makes it even more interesting. Out of curiosity, Cheese decided to enter the shop and ask; and maybe get some candy too. He opened the front door and entered, ringing the bell that was hanging on top of the door. The place sure looked welcoming and cozy, though it also looked like it didn't follow modern design and had more of an old feel. An old, light brown stallion with a light grayish mane, probably in his seventies or eighties, was behind the counter in front of a wall that had different candies and sweets. "Welcome young gentlecolt." The old stallion greeted with a warm smile, "What brings you to this fine establishment on this beautiful day?" Cheese approached the counter with Boneless Two right behind him, like literally on his back, and smiled back at the stallion. "Oh I just thought I'd drop by and you know, probably get a sweet or two." The party stallion replied. "Well, you might be getting more than just two because buying one sweet gets you two more which in total is three sweets, if I can remember my math correctly." The old coot said as he placed a small plaque on the counter stating the deal, "Plus, everything's being sold for half the price so enjoy." "Say, that's quite a deal for a shop like this." Cheese said as he looked around the place. It felt like one of those oldish candy shops in the nineties or something. When did candy shops even start popping up? "Well this place is turning thirty-five years old tomorrow." The old stallion chuckled as he tapped the counter showing how durable it is even though it's getting old, "Of course I have to atleast celebrate this milestone." Cheese thought about it for a while and it clicked on him. This must be the place! Though from the looks of it, it looks like the old pony is the only one celebrating the candy store's anniversary. Where are the others if his Cheesy Sense wanted him to plan a big anniversary party? "So Mr..." Cheese started as he looked back at the light brown stallion. "Call me Charlie, Charlie Sweets." The stallion replied. "Okay, Mr. Charlie, are you the only one going to celebrate or do you have friends or family coming over?" Cheese asked. "Since the past years, it's been me and Caramel who's been celebrating." Charlie replied. "Who's Caramel?" Cheese asked out of curiosity. "She's my wife." Charlie replied as he sighed with a hint of sadness in it.. Cheese wondered why the old stallion sighed and noticed the lack of a pony named Caramel around. "If I may ask, where is Caramel?" Cheese asked again out of curiosity. Charlie just remained silent and looked down which made Cheese get the message. "Oh. I-I'm sorry for asking." "Nah it's fine." Charlie replied, "Besides, that was a few years ago and Caramel wouldn't want me to mope around. She would want me to smile all the time and keep this store running just for her, where ever she is." A couple minutes of uneasy silence swept throught the shop. "So what can I get ya?" Charlie spoke up as he clapped his hooves together, breaking the silence. "Oh I'm not really here for some candy." Cheese started, "You see, I'm a travelling party pony who plans parties for special occasions around Equestria." "Ah, I see." The brown stallion said, "Well, there's nothing you can really do here I'm afraid. I can handle celebrating the shop's anniversary by myself." "That's the problem. You can't just celebrate an anniversary all by yourself. You must at least have some friends or relatives to enjoy company with." "It's totally fine, trust me. I don't want you to waste time on planning the store's anniversary and such when there are other stuff you can attend to." Charlie tried to shrug it off. "Do you at least have a relative or family member in the city?" Cheese asked. Charlie looked at Cheese for a while and seeing how persistent the orange stallion can be, decided to atleast give some info. "Well, I do have a daughter, Penny, who I think is working with the local newspaper. She's probably busy right now at work." The old stallion replied, "Other than that, that's about it." "Great! Thanks for the info!" Cheese said as he turned to leave with Boneless Two still on his back. Charlie noticed Cheese's rubbery friend and smiled. "Say, that's one nice rubber chicken you have there." He started, "Reminds me of how my wife liked to gag around with some of those and a few other props." "Him?" Cheese asked as he looked at Boneless Two, "His name is Boneless Two, he's my travel partner and my party assistant." "What ever happened to Boneless One?" The old pony asked. "Oh I gave him to a very trusty friend of mine." Cheese replied as he thought of Pinkie Pie with his friend. "I see. Say, I didn't quite get your name sonny," "It's Cheese, Cheese Sandwich." "Cheese Sandwich huh? That's an odd name, but can't argue with that. Anyways, hope to see you again Cheese. Have a good day!" Charlie waved goodbye with a warm smile. "Have a great day too Charlie!" Cheese bid farewell too as he and Boneless Two headed out of the store. Once outside, Cheese started speaking to Boneless Two. "Boneless Two, I think I've got a plan for this anniversary." Boneless Two just leaned a bit as if he were asking 'What?' "I'm gonna go find Charlie's daughter and hopefully have her with him for the anniversary, and maybe a couple of other ponies as well. It'll be perfect!" Boneless Two just stayed silent on Cheese's back. "Of course I'm sure about this Boneless. Now let's go ask around for who ever this Penny is and go tell her about our plan. First stop, the news office." It was high noon (:3) by the time the train arrived at the station in Manehatten. Pinkie hopped out of the train carriage with Boneless first in which Rarity soon followed after. "So, where we off to first huh?" Pinkie asked the white unicorn, excited for the day ahead. "Well I am getting hungry after that train ride. Maybe we could go grab lunch." Rarity replied as she went off first, "I know this nice restaurant that serves some really good food nearby." "Okey dokey lokey." Pinkie hopped down the steps with Boneless right on her back and Rarity beside her, "What do we do next after that?" "Probably head over to the hotel to rest up. After that I'm going to my boutique to check on how's it doing." "And?" "You could do whatever you want while I check on my boutique, just as long as you don't get into trouble." "Pfft, since when do I ever get in trouble?" Pinkie joked around earning her a look from Rarity, "Got it. No trouble." After their quick meal at the restaurant, the two friends along with Boneless headed off towards that hotel Rarity talked about in the train. It wasn't that far from the station to be honest. It was about a hour long trot from the station to the hotel, add a couple of minutes if you decided to have some stops. Just like what Rarity said, there was a small but beautiful park in front of the hotel. Some ponies were there too, either relaxing or having fun by the pond. Another small note worth mentioning is that the hotel had about thirty floors. Now I'm positively one hundred percent sure that this hotel sounds familiar. It's right at the tip of my tongue though I just can't say it. Oh well, the answer would come to me sooner or later. The two mares and rubber chicken entered the hotel to be greeted by one of the employees since that was part of his job. Rarity told Pinkie to stay put for a while as she went to go and check in the room she booked in under her name. The room was at the twenty-first floor and was room number 313. Oh my, that's quite high. The two along with Boneless then took the elevator up to their room and headed in to unpack, not that there is that much to unpack though, especially for Pinkie. The room was quite roomy to say the least. There were two beds just like what Rarity mentioned, a bathroom, and a closet for storing stuff. "Alright, now that we've got a room and a place to stay for a while, I'll be heading off to go check on my boutique now." Rarity started as she headed for the door, "You can go do what ever you want Pinkie, just be sure to be here before dinner." "Okey dokey lokey Rarity." Pinkie saluted, and with that, Rarity headed off. The pink mare then decided to go head out with Boneless and check on the different shops around and hopefully bump into Cheese. Pinkie walked down the street with Boneless right on her back and noticed the different shops and shops she's seen when she visited the city last time. Most of the shops weren't appealing to the pink pony and some were quite interesting. Though there was this shop that caught her attention though, and it's not a shop that she's seen on her last visits. It was an old looking candy store yet a candy store nonetheless. What really caught Pinkie's attention was the sign upfront stating a buy one take two for half the price on the sweets. "OH MY GOSH THAT IS THE BEST DEAL EVER!" Pinkie Pie almost yelled due to her happiness taking over. She immediately zoomed in along with Boneless in the shop without hesitation, craving for some sweets to satisfy her sweet tooth. And before you ask, yes, the store was none other than 'The Sweet Tooth'. As Pinkie entered the shop, the door bell rang telling the owner that a customer has just entered. Pinkie noticed an old stallion was behind the counter which she guessed was one of the ponies running the place. "Why hello there miss." The old stallion greeted with a warm and welcoming smile. Pinkie almost thought of him as Mr Cake, though much older, "What brings you here on this fine day?" "Well I needed something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth and decided to stop by here." Pinkie replied as she smiled at the stallion. "Well, you've come to right place. Here, we sell different kinds of candies and sweets to satisfy your sweet tooth. Go ahead and choose!" The old fella smiled back as he showed the numerous kinds of sweets around. > Stay A While > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, what treat would you like sweetie?" Charlie showed the different candies and treats on the wall and on the counter. All of the candies made Pinkie's mouth water. There were many different flavors to choose, so many choices. "Uh... I want that one!" Pinkie pointed at a jar but then changed her thought, "No wait, that one!" She pointed at another. "Oh there are so many I like I just can't choose!" She placed both her hooves on her head. "There there, there's no need to rush. Take all the time ya need, I'll be patient." Charlie chuckled as he leaned on the counter with the cash register. Pinkie looked at all the different kinds of candies. Gumballs, jawbreakers, mints, lollipops, chocolates, gummies, there were tons and were in different shapes and sizes. For a candy store, this one surely has a lot to it. After some thinking and some more looking around, her thoughts were distracted when she saw on a large table near the corner, a chocolate fountain. Not just any ordinary fountain though, it was shaped like a watermill! "Oooh that looks cool!" Pinkie pointed at the fountain in the corner. Charlie looked at where she was pointing and smiled "Ah yes, the fountain that Caramel and I made when we celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of this shop." Charlie slowly got near it, "Surprised this still works after all these years." The fountain was quite nice to be honest, but what's even more awesome was the fact the long table didn't just hold the fountain, but some sort of miniature candy land with a little chocolate river. I'm surprised Pinkie didn't notice it first, probably because it looked like a normal candy display and the fountain was the only thing that stuck out from afar. "Woah." Pinkie made her way near the table with the little candy land. Lollipops were used like trees, gumdrops like boulders, and tiny houses made from various candies. "I see you're also interested of the mini candy land." Charlie picked up a lollipop tree from the display, "I just did this a few days ago. I thought that the fountain needed something to give it a little more oomph, ya know?" "Anyways, this right here isn't finished nor would be given up for sale so I recommend you to keep looking for something you like that's not from this display." Charlie trotted back to the counter as Pinkie watched. "Say, who's Caramel?" Pinkie wondered as the name was mentioned in helping make the fountain. "Hm? Oh well you see she's my wife." "Cool! Can I meet her? It'll be fun to get to know her more, well both of you in fact, since you two did create the fountain and-" "She's gone to a better place." Charlie cut-off Pinkie with a sad tone and the latter understood what the candy shop owner meant. "Oh." A couple seconds of complete silence swept by the area. This silence was broken once Pinkie cleared her throat. "I uh... I think I'd just order some gumdrops." Charlie pushed the thought of his wife away and got back to his normal, cheery attitude. "You got it, one order of gumdrops for the lady." He opened the jar containing the said candy and placed it on the counter. "How many do you want miss?" he added. "I'd like just about eight in a pack." Pinkie smiled warmly then felt Boneless from her back lean a bit closer to the back of her head, "Make that ten in a pack for Boneless here." 'Boneless? Now where have I've heard that name before?' Charlie thought once he heard that name. He looked at the pink mare and saw what was indeed a rubber chicken on her back. Thinking he didn't hear well due to his old age, he decided to ask. "Wait, are you saying that rubber chicken's name is Boneless?" Charlie looked at the rubber chicken while he prepared a small paper bag. "Yupty do. My friend gave it to me back in Ponyville before he left." "Funny. I just met a stallion who said he had a rubber chicken named Boneless whom he gave to one of his best friends." Charlie said as he placed gumdrops in the previously mentioned small paper bag, along with an extra two for one gumdrop like what the promo he made up says. Pinkie caught notice of what the stallion said especially the "stallion who had a rubber chicken named Boneless" part. "If by any chance, was that stallion orange with a sandwich as his cutie mark?" Pinkie asked, thinking that she now has a clue as to where to find her stallion pal. That thought waa just enough to make her smile. "Yup, well, his name was Cheese Sandwich though I didn't get to see his cutie mark properly." The light brown stallion placed one last gumdrop before sealing the bag. "Wait, are you that friend he was talking about?" He added as he placed the paper bag full of gumdrops on the counter for the pink mare. Pinkie nodded as she smiled and took the paper bag. "Yup, I'm that friend." Charlie smirked a bit at the thought of this being a coincidence as Pinkie handed... I meant, hoofed over the payment for her order. He then took a good look at the rubber chicken behind Pinkie's back. "So, when did he actually gave you his first rubber chicken?" "It was I think a couple of months ago, not entirely sure but it was during a birthaversary party of one of my friends." "Birthaversary?" The old stallion asked, wondering what kind of event is this. "A birthday and anniversary." Pinkie replied which made Charlie put two and two together. "Ah, birthday plus anniversary. I get the word play there. Anyways miss, is that all you need for today?" "This'll do. Thanks for the candy! And call me Pinkie!" Pinkie said goodbye as she trotted out of the shop along with Boneless on her back. Charlie could've sworn he saw Boneless lean forward a bit as if the chicken too was saying goodbye. That or the old coot is imagining things up in his noggin. Once Pinkie got out of the store along with Boneless, it was still bright out meaning that they still had plenty of time to do stuff before dinner. By plenty of stuff, it'll probably be just Pinkie roaming around in hopes to bump into Cheese or something interesting to keep her busy. With the recent news that Cheese was just in the street she was in, he might not be that far and can lessen the time of her even bumping into the stallion. Pinkie continued on trotting down the street with a smile plastered on her face. "Alright Boneless Two, we're nearing the news office. Now phase one of the plan would be done and dusted with." Cheese trotted down the street along with Boneless Two, the news office just a few meters away. It was quite a walk from the candy shop and wasn't that big of a building. Another thing worth mentioning is that the journey took quite a bit, mostly for asking directions since Cheese didn't exactly know where the office was at that time. Boneless Two tilted a bit which was followed by a sigh from Cheese. "Yes Boneless Two. We had a plan remember?" The orange stallion glanced over his shoulder to look at his rubber friend. Not much did the chicken do other than stare at Cheese who just continued on trotting towards their destination. Once Cheese and B2, short for Boneless Two, got up close and front of the news office, they both immediately noticed something particularly off. The building looked decent, it was in a decent spot as well, but the one thing off was the abundance of working ponies. Today wasn't a holiday, that Cheese knew of, so it should be open and ponies should be working at this time. Well, there was one pony, a light brown stallion that is, on the site though that pony looked like he was just about to leave the area. Cheese decided to go ask this pony about the office seeing how he just came out of the building. "Excuse me sir, but do you mind if I ask on why is the news office closed?" "Huh? The news office?" The stallion took notice of Cheese, "Ah, you see the office is closed due to renovations. I just came by to do a last minute check on stuff I may have forgotten." "Renovations?" "Yes, you heard me right. Renovations. Nopony is working as for today. I could tell you more but I have to be somewhere right now." With that, the pony left without another word. "Great." Cheese groaned a bit as he looked at the closed news office, "Looks like it's not going to be as easy as I thought it'd be." The only hint as to where Charlie's daughter was is at the news office but that being closed for renovations means that Cheese has no other clue as to where to begin searching again. Maybe he could have asked that pony who just left? Yeah, that sounds like a logical answer. Cheese then turned to go catch up with the stallion he recently talked to, only to see the stallion was long gone already. 'He couldn't have gotten that far already.' Cheese thought to himself as he started to gallop towards the direction he last saw the stallion walk off to. Manehatten is quite a huge place; not just a place but a city too. Being a big city means tons of ponies which may look alike around and this is going to affect Cheese's search for that stallion. It would sure help if the stallion he was looking for didn't look like some other ponies. The most distinct thing Cheese can remember about the stallion though was that he was carrying a brown satchel and was wearing a yellow scarf. 'It isn't really cold here is it?' Cheese thought to himself but then shook that thought away. "Focus Cheese, now is not the time to think about the temperature here." Cheese looked everywhere for the stallion. He peeked at every corner, looked in every alley, and even mistaken some other ponies as the stallion he was looking for, even a mare! Don't blame him, the mare looked more masculine from afar. "Oh cheese niblets." Cheese said to himself as he grew tired of looking for the stallion, "I could've just spent all my time looking for him and use it to go look for Charlie's daughter instead." Boneless Two just layed limp on Cheese's back, not saying nor creating a sound. It was already five o'clock and the sun was going down. Cheese must've been busy looking for the stallion that he lost track of time. "This isn't going well as I hoped it would be." The orange stallion said with a sigh. Then Cheese saw something on the corner of his eye. By sheer luck and pure coincidence and definitely not plot convenience whatsoever, Cheese saw the stallion he was looking for just walking near a news stand across the street. Cheese immediately crossed the road, almost getting run over by some carriages, to go talk with the stallion. "Excuse me sir..." Cheese spoke up as he walked up and along with the stallion. "Oh nice meeting you again. What is it do you want? I told you I need to be somewhere you know." "I just want to ask if you know a certain pony named Penny." "Penny?" "Yes, Penny." "Penny, Penny, Penny..." The stallion pondered to himself as he continued on walking while Cheese followed. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell." The stallion shrugged as he continued walking, "Sorry if that wasn't the answer you were looking for." "It's alright." Cheese replied as he trotted along with the brown stallion, "Say, out of curiosity, where are you going? Sorry if it's invading on your personal business." "Nah it's fine. I'm heading over to the orphanage not too far from here." The stallion replied. "Orphanage?" "Yeah, you know, the place where you can find little ones who were abandoned by their guardians." "I know what an orphanage is but what are you going to do there? Are you adopting somepony?" "Oh no. I'm not adopting anyone, you see, I visit the orphanage every day to help out with all the little foals. It's sorta like my part time job. Working at the news office is my real job though." "Well, isn't that nice of you." "Hey, not all ponies in Manehatten are bad." The stallion smiled, "May I ask, do you want to help out too?" Cheese thought about this offer. Yeah he is quite busy right now trying to find Charlie's daughter and plan an anniversary party, he even is getting sidetracked as of the moment, but helping little foals is something Cheese would like to do too. Plus, he could entertain some of them due to him being a party pony and all. He could go help out just this once. "Yeah, I think I could spare some time to go help out with some fillies and foals." Pinkie Pie and Boneless were both trotting down the streets of Manehatten as other ponies trotted in different directions and the buildings passed by her. The two don't really have an idea as to where to go from this point. The city sure is huge too, so Pinkie hasn't really visited every spot even if she has been in Manehatten before; take that candy shop she just visited a couple of hours ago as an example. Still, it felt quite nice seeing all the ponies and buildings in the city, that is, if you were actually looking at and noticing them go by. Pinkie hasn't finished eating the gumdrops she bought at The Sweet Tooth due to her thoughts keeping her busy. She ate like only one gumdrop so far and it looks like she isn't planning to eat another. Her train of thought was briefly cut off when Boneless moved a bit from a sitting position to a limped position. "There's nothing bothering me Boneless." Pinkie spoke up as if Boneless actually asked her is something was bothering her, though maybe he is but we just can't hear him and only Pinkie can. Continuing on, Boneless didn't do much after Pinkie's statement, though it looked like he spoke to Pinkie due to Pinkie's reaction in the next part. "I'm serious, Boneless. Nothing is really bothering me." The pink mare sounded like she was getting annoyed by this point, yet even though how many times she thinks there's nothing bothering her, something was definitely bothering her even if she denies it. Too bad Boneless didn't speak up again, to Pinkie that is, judging by how the next few minutes was spent in silence. It was already getting late whilst Pinkie and Boneless were traversing the city streets. It was quite unlucky for Pinkie to not bump into Cheese again while she roamed the city though. Now that I've mentioned it, that probably was bothering her during her roam. Pinkie decided to head back to the hotel since night was dawning over the city, after all, she did promise to be back before dinner plus it's an all you can eat buffet tonight at the hotel which is something Pinkie would definitely not want to miss. She sighed a bit though at the thought of not being able to see Cheese today in the city, especially after being told she was in a street Cheese was a few minutes ago. At least she's still has about a day in the city with Rarity, maybe she'll bump into her party pony friend by then. By the time Pinkie and her rubber chicken friend got back to the hotel, Rarity was already at their room. The white unicorn looked like she just arrived too seeing as how she was just near the doorway as if she just entered. "Oh Pinkie, looks like you've made it in time for dinner, just like me." Rarity turned to look at the pink mare who just arrived, "So, how was your day in the city?" "It was fine actually. I bought some gumdrops though there's only a few left since Boneless ate most of them." Pinkie replied while she entered. She then took out the paper bag full of gumdrops and laid it on a counter. She was right when she said there were little gumdrops left in the bag for there were about four left when they arrived. It's either Pinkie ate those gumdrops but didn't tell or that she was saying the honest truth about Boneless eating most of the candy. Anyways, let's not dive into that topic, we have a story to get along with! "So..." Rarity started off, "Did anything good happen while I was checking the boutique?" "Nothing really important happened during that time." Pinkie replied as she sat down, though her tone tells something was bothering her. Rarity noticed the tone too. It wasn't the same normal cheery tone Pinkie usually has, it sounded a bit more flat and didn't have the Pinkie-like ring to it. Rarity decided to not poke on this subject and move on to another topic though. 'I'm guessing she didn't get to see Cheese today.' Rarity thought to herself. Wow, she sure is hopping into the ship here. "Well, good to hear that." Rarity cleared her throat, "I have some news too... I-Uh... and it's regarding on our stay here in Manehatten. Yes, that's it." "What about it?" Pinkie got curious upon hearing this, especially since Rarity paused mid-sentence for some reason. "Well you see, after I checked on my boutique and seeing how some things needed to be arranged with my help, I've decided to extend our stay for a couple of days." "You mean we're going to stick around here longer?" Pinkie asked as joy was slowly creeping into her tone. "Yes. That's what I said." "That's great news!" Pinkie hopped up in delight. It was a sudden change of tone I'd say, but at least it sounded like the old cheery Pinkie tone we hear most of the time and Rarity noticed this too. "You seem very happy about this." "Of course I am!" Pinkie smiled but then realized that she was enjoying this a bit too much. "I mean, I would love to see the city more and having a few more days here is just great!" "Uh huh." Rarity looked at Pinkie, though it may not be that visible, you could see the white unicorn smirk a bit. 'Well, that did the trick to cheer her up.' "So, are we going to head to the buffet or what?" Pinkie asked as she was already nearing the door. "Let's not keep the food waiting then shall we?." Rarity replied as she headed out of the door first, Pinkie soon hopped out along with her. Pinkie was feeling quite delightful as of the moment. A little to delightful to be honest. Extending their stay sure brightened up Pinkie's day. Hey that rhymed. "I sure hope the food isn't like those food in those restaurants we've visited in Canterlot." Pinkie chimed as she hopped along the hall. "I can assure you Ms. Pie that the food here isn't like the food there in Canterlot." "Hey Rarity, why do you address me as Ms. Pie sometimes? You know we've been friends for a long time now right?" "It's for formality, Pinkie. Ponies like me do this to look formal." "Well we aren't heading to a formal buffet now are we? Wait, are we?" "No we are not." "Then there's no need for formality then is there?" "It becomes a habit, Pinkie, once you get used to it." "Okay then." Pinkie shrugged at this and continued with the unicorn to the all you can eat buffet. Cheese was already heading back to the hotel after helping out that stallion and the orphanage. And his time wasn't wasted as well since the stallion he was with remembered on who Penny is when they were at the orphanage. Turns out that he's actually best friends with mare, though I wonder why he didn't remember when he was asked who she was. Probably has memory loss or something. The conversation went out like this: Once the two reached the orphanage, the two helped out with the work and entertained the children. Cheese had to follow the brown stallion's lead since the stallion had been doing this for quite some time now. Entertaining the children was Cheese's specialty so he needed no help on this. While the two were busy with helping, Cheese decided to ask more about the stallion. "So, what's your name?" Cheese asked as he sat on a chair nearby to take a break. "The name's Randy, Randy Random." The stallion replied. "Well isn't that one random name." Cheese joked. "Hah, puns. How 'bout you, what's your name?" "My name's Cheese Sandwich, a traveling party pony." "Party pony huh? Never really got to meet a lot here in the city." A couple seconds of silence swept by the two. "So Randy, are you sure you don't know a mare named Penny?" Cheese broke the silence, hoping to at least get some more information on Charlie's daughter. "Hmm..." Randy pondered again, "Well, the name does sound familiar." Then a couple of minutes of silence swept by the two as Randy thought about it once more. Then, it dawned on him. "OH PENNY!" The brown stallion remembered, "She's my best friend." "Wait, so you mean to tell me you didn't remember your best friend's name was Penny until now?" "Hey, I don't have a good memory you know. Plus I've got lots of stuff to do most of the time. I just remembered now that Penny is my best friend I work with at the news office." 'Jeeze you could've told me sooner' Cheese thought, "So you do know her? Say, can you tell me where she lives? I need to tell her something." Randy eyed the orange stallion with a questionable look. "Why do you need to see her? Are you like hosting a party for her or something?" "Well sorta, you see, I met her dad at a candy store who told me that he was going to celebrate the store's anniversary tomorrow but he was going to do it alone, so I decided to plan a party for him. That being said, he also told me that the only family member he has that lives in the city was Penny, so I decided to go and tell Penny about this so that she and I can plan the party for the old man." Cheese explained though from the look of Randy, he didn't catch everything. "Okay... Well, she lives in an apartment near the train station. Why don't I show you where tomorrow morning?" "That sounds like a great idea! So, where do you want to meet up?" "Why not at the news office at around eight in the morning?" "Great! Thanks for the help pal!" Cheese exclaimed as he held out a hoof to shake which Randy happily complied. And that's about how it went on how Cheese found out where Penny is. Now he just has to meet up with Randy in the morning and everything is going to fall into place. > Hello There > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cheese's walk to the hotel was quite a long one. The orphanage was like across the city and that means Cheese couldn't get to the all-you-can-eat buffet at the hotel he's staying in. Speaking about food and such, the party stallion was getting hungry and no way was he going to walk a long distance with an empty stomach. You could even hear his stomach grumbling from the hunger. 'I should've stayed for dinner there at the orphanage.' Cheese thought to himself, though that's a bit late now since he's already quite a distance away from the orphanage too. Boneless Two was just lying limped on the orange stallion's back while they traversed the city. "Yeah, I know Boneless Two, I'm hungry too." Cheese started as he glanced over at his rubber chicken friend. You know, I sometimes want to know how Pinkie and Cheese can understand and hear Boneless and Boneless Two. As Cheese took a quick look at his friend, he saw just by the corner of his eye, a diner just across the street. It looked decent and Cheese was already hungry so he just went for it. He looked both left and right on the street making sure there weren't any carriages or carts about to pass by which could possibly lead to an accident, then he trotted across the road towards the diner. It wasn't a fancy diner, not like diners should be fancy at all, and from the looks of the food and prices, the place wasn't that bad. Cheese took a seat with Boneless Two by the window and ordered a meal that could satisfy their hunger. The waiteress did give an odd look at Boneless Two when Cheese asked for two servings for himself and the chicken. Nevertheless, both got the meals they wanted and started to eat. While the two were eating, well Cheese that is, the orange stallion caught another thing out of the corner of his eye. He raised his head, just to see over the chair in front of him and saw a pony who was very familiar. 'Wait, is that Pinkie?' Cheese thought to himself as he looked at the pony who was just at the next table to his. The pony he was staring at was definitely pink from her mane to her coat, and her mane was almost exactly styled like Pinkie. The only thing that differ was the fact that this pony was wearing a hat. Cheese stared at the pony for a few minutes, trying to confirm if he actually was seeing his pink pony friend, a little too long to the point the pony he was staring at felt something was watching her making her look around to see Cheese staring at her. The two made eye contact which made the pink mare a bit uneasy since Cheese has been looking at her for quite a while now. The pink mare then decided to speak up to ease the tension. "Um... Excuse me, but what are you looking at?" The mare asked and just by the sound of her voice, she definitely sounded like Pinkie. "Pinkie? What a surprise meeting you here!" Cheese smiled at the pony. The pink pony looked at the stallion as if she was trying to remember if she met him before but couldn't. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before." The pony asked. "Haha, that gag is not going to fool this stallion Pinkie. You know it's me, Cheese!" The stallion got up from his seat and went near the table the pink mare was sitting in. "Cheese? I haven't met anyone named Chesse until now." The pink mare looked at Cheese, "How did you know my name?" "Pinkie, seriously, you can stop with the joke now. I'm Cheese Sandwich remember? I even helped you plan that big birthaversary back at Ponyville. You couldn't have forgotten me already." Cheese took a seat across the mare. Just by the mention of Ponyville, the pink pony seemed to have tense up a bit, Cheese didn't notice this though. A couple of seconds of silence swept by the two until the pink pony spoke up. "Oh yeah... Ponyville, haha, that was a good time we had... Planning that birthaversary and stuff." the pink mare lied though it was quite noticable by her tone and that was something Cheese took note of. "Pinkie, are you alright? You're not acting like yourself today." Cheese looked at her for a while. Knowing that she can't really lie her way out of this, the Pinkie lookalike decided to just tell who she really is. With a sigh, she spoke up. "Look, Cheese Burger-" "It's Sandwich." "Right, Cheese Sandwich, I'm not the Pinkie that you know of." "What do you mean? You literally are Pinkie from the looks to the voice!" "Yes, but I am not the Pinkie that you met at Ponyville. You see, you may not believe this, but I'm actually a copy of the real Pinkie" Cheese believed it though due to how this Pinkie acted differently than the real one, yet that doesn't explain on how there is a Pinkie copy and a real Pinkie walking around Equestria. "Okay, care to elaborate more on this?" Cheese eyed the Pinkie copy. "I can tell the full story but it'll probably take up about half an hour or so." The pink pony scratched the back of her head, "Long story short, it involved a mirror pool that clones ponies, then too many Pinkies, which ended up in a massive wipeout of the Pinkie copies back to the mirror pool. I luckily escaped." "So you ran away to not be sent back into a magical water source?" "If you put it that way, then yes." Pinkie slumped down on her chair. Then a waitress came to the table and placed down a cup of hot chocolate next to the pink mare. "Here ya go Pinks, the usual drink." The waitress said as she walked away. Cheese watched the waitress go away as the Pinkie copy took a sip from her cup of hot choco. "So, how long have you've been here?" Cheese returned his gaze back to the pink mare. "A few years to say the least." The mare placed down the cup, "It was rough trying to find a place to stay at first when I left Ponyville, I travelled from place to place until I came to this city and decided to stay here. I got a job as a news delivery pony for the local paper here and got a place to stay. This diner here is my favorite spot to go and grab a bite or drink. "Wow, you sure did a lot after what happened there at Ponyville huh." Cheese took a look at Boneless Two who was still at their table and somehow has eaten his food already. The Pinkie clone just nodded as she took another sip from the cup. "Wait, if you are a clone of Pinkie, then why don't you act like her?" Cheese looked back at the pink mare who simply shrugged. "Well I used to act like her. When I first came to this world, I had quite a hyper personality especially when it comes to the fun stuff, that's what made too many Pinkies a bit of a nuisance to the town. After I watched how the other Pinkies were sent back to the mirror pool, my hyper personality wasn't that hyper anymore and I started becoming a bit serious once I moved here." "Mhmm..." Cheese thought about this, "So, I'm guessing the real Pinkie doesn't know that you are in Equestria and you don't want me to tell her?" "Obviously. If you do tell her, she might tell her friends, especially that Twilight Twinkle-" "Sparkle." "Twilight Sparkle, and then they might send me back to the mirror pool! I don't want that to happen." "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Cheese winked at the mare which made her feel less tense and smile a bit. "Say, you said that you work as a delivery pony for the local paper right?" Cheese remembered what the Pinkie clone said a few lines above. This got the pink mare's curiousity. "Do you happen to know a pony named Penny?" Cheese asked, yeah he already knows that somepony is helping him find Charlie's daughter but seeing as how the Pinkie clone works at the same place, might as well ask if she knew her. "Oh Penny? She's like one of the editors of the paper... Or was it writers? I forgot her title." Pinkie pondered on this but then shook the thought aside, "Anyways, both of us hang out at times, especially with that best friend of hers which I can't remember the name..." "Randy Random?" "Eh, I don't really know much about her best friend." The clone shrugged, "So, why are you asking?" "Oh, well you see, I met Penny's father here in the city and he's celebrating his candy shop's anniversary which I would be in charge of. Though he told me that he doesn't really have people he knew other than his daughter, Penny, living nearby. That's when I decided to go get Penny and have her along for the party!" Cheese explained which basically is the summary of his beginning journey. "Uh huh, so I'm guessing you are asking me to help you find her?" Pinkie looked at Cheese. "Nah, I've already met her best friend Randy and he's taking me to her tomorrow morning." Cheese smiled warmly at the pink mare. "Okie dokie then." The pink pony shrugged, "Say, can I tag along? Penny and I haven't really hanged out since three weeks ago and I would also want to spend some time and learn more about her friend Randy.", "Well, if you want to, you can come and meet up with Randy and me at the news office tomorrow morning at eight." "Great! Thanks for letting me tag along!" The Pinkie clone, who I'm going to call Pinks now just to not keep calling her a clone, smiled as she held out a hoof to shake. "Why wouldn't I?" Cheese smiled back as he shook their hooves. After the little hoof-shake, Cheese's tummy grumbled a bit. "Hehe, I should probably get back to my meal." The orange stallion made a sheepish grin, "Say, what do you prefer to be called as? You know, since I can't really call you Pinkie if you're not the real Pinkie." "Just call me Pinks. It's an odd name, I know, but it's something." "Okay Pinks. I'm gonna go continue eating now, see you tomorrow." With that, Cheese stood up and went back to his original seat. Pinks smiled at the stallion and watched him get back to the meal. 'He's one nice pony.' She thought then noticed the rubber chicken who was with Cheese. 'A nice pony with a rubber chicken buddy.' Pinks chuckled. Pinkie, the real one now, was enjoying herself to the all you can eat buffet at the hotel because, well, it's all you can eat. I mean, who doesn't want to enjoy themselves to all the free food given to you. The food at the hotel was good and not that fancy as well which made Pinkie enjoy every bit of it. She had a full plate of almost every type of food found at the buffet table and brought it towards the table she and Rarity were sitting in. Rarity, on the other hand, had taken just enough food for her to intake not like what Pinkie was doing. She also watched her manners as she ate while Pinkie chowed down to the food she got. The white unicorn was surprisingly not annoyed by what Pinkie is doing too, oddly enough. By the time Rarity finished her meal, Pinkie had already gone through half the food she brought. I don't know how that mare does it, but man does she have an appetite. Rarity decided to wait for her pink friend to finish before heading back to their rooms. Doing this though could get quite boring, so Rarity decided to stir up a conversation between Pinkie and her to keep things interesting. "So Pinkie, how's the food so far?" Rarity asked as she fondled with a toothpick. "It's great!" Pinkie replied with a full mouth as she chewed the contents inside, "You were right when you said the food here isn't like the food in Canterlot." "Well this is a city afterall, there are tons of ponies with different tastes that come by everyday so most of the food here is to cater for those ponies, both fancy and non-fancy." Rarity placed the toothpick on the side of her plate. "So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" The unicorn chimed. The pink mare thought about this as she ate. "I'm not really sure, I'd probably go visit some more places I haven't been in the city and probably find something to do at the park." "And?" "And what?" "Well, we still have like three more days here. What else do you plan on doing?" "As I said, I'm not really sure." Rarity stayed silent as she wandered into her thoughts while Pinkie continued eating. "Say, didn't you say that you'd be looking for Cheese while we're here in Manehatten? That IS the main reason you accompanied me here in the first place, right?" The white unicorn spoke up. This got the pink mare's attention making her swallow all the contents in her mouth. "Yeah, why?" "Well, aren't you going to continue looking for him tomorrow?" Rarity asked as she held a hoof up. Pinkie stopped eating and pondered about this. They still have a couple of days left in the city and yet she doesn't have that much to do at all. Looking for Cheese is the only thing that could keep her busy for the entirety of they're stay, yet some part of her felt like not doing it. Rarity has been quite touchy on the whole Pinkie and Cheese subject too that Pinkie wanted to make sure that Rarity doesn't get the idea of the pink mare actually like-liking the stallion. Yeah, she's been talking about Cheese on the way to the city and finding him was her purpose for being there but the other reason why she tagged along was that she didn't have anything that fun to do back at Ponyville and wanted to do something other than that. A trip to Manehatten would surely be fun especially with a friend and knowing Cheese, an even more fun friend, is there, she decided to tag along to know what the orange party pony is up to. She and Cheese are just friends who happen to almost have the same personality. No more, no less... Right? Pinkie stayed silent for a few good minutes while she thought about this. Too silent to the point Rarity had to clear her throat to break the silence. "My, I'm feeling quite tired right now." Rarity let out a yawn. "Yeah, me too." Pinkie added as she slowly pushed the plate full of food away. Rarity looked at her with an odd look. The pink mare then got out of her seat and started to head back to their room. Rarity followed her a bit after. As the two headed back to their rooms, Pinkie was still thinking about the idea of looking for her party pony friend. 'C'mon Pinkie, it's not like you actually do like-like him.' She thought to herself as she trotted along the hall, 'After all, he's just a great and fun friend to hang around with, and knowing how your stay here is going to take a while, might as well try to meet the stallion to see what he's up to.' "I just don't know brain." Pinkie said to herself, luckily Rarity got ahead of her by a few meters thanks to her pondering to even hear what the pink mare said, "I'd like to go and look for him, yet I feel like not doing it at the same time." 'Pinkie, there's nothing wrong with meeting a friend.' "That's the problem." Pinkie let out a sigh as she slowed down in her tracks. 'Oh my, looks like you ARE developing feelings for the stallion.' "What?" Pinkie asked herself surprisingly with a confused look, "Where'd you get that idea from?" 'Pinkie, I'm your own thoughts. I literally know what you think and feel." "Oh yeah." The mare said beneath her breath. "Pinkie? Everything okay?" The said mare looked over to see Rarity walking towards her. Pinkie decided to shove away her thoughts and put on a convincing smile. "Never been better! Ha ha." Pinkie replied, though by the sound of her tone, it sounds like the complete opposite of what she said. Due to Rarity being tired and all though, she didn't notice the tone Pinkie had. "Well, I do hope so. I'm really tired right now and it's probably best that we should go get some sleep as well." Rarity yawned a second time as she gestured for both of them to move along. She then proceeded to their room along with Pinkie following closely behind her. Once they got to their room, Pinkie thought of head back down and take a little stroll around the park just to clear her mind a bit. "Rarity," Pinkie stopped at the doirway to their room, "I think I'm going to go take a little walk down at the park for a while." "At this time of night?" Rarity questioned her pink friend. "Yeah, besides, I'm not yet that tired and I want to enjoy the cool night tonight." Rarity looked at the pink mare but agreed nonetheless. Her tiredness didn't let her notice that something was off when Pinkie asked for that request. "Thanks Rarity." Pinkie said as she headed back out and closed the door shut. Rarity just headed straight into bed and fell asleep. After Cheese finished eating his dinner along with Boneless Two, the duo continued on heading back to the hotel to get some rest, after all, tomorrow is a big day. As for Pinks, she was still back at the diner minding her own business. The city sure still is bright even at this time of night, and I made a rhyme right there. Continuing on with the story; the only difference in the city at night was that there were less ponies and noise in the streets. Yeah, there were still a bunch of ponies here and there but unlike during the day where the streets had crowds, the streets at night seems more roomy. Not that Cheese is complaining about it, the minimal noise made it a peaceful-ish walk back to the hotel. The air was colder at night and the soft breeze gently blew on to the stallion's coat. Boneless Two was just laying on Cheese's back, all limped and such, throughout the walk. The two passed by the small park that the hotel was built nearby just to admire the view. Not many ponies were at the small park during that time; to be honest, there were little to no ponies at all. Some were trotting along the path around the pond and some were sitting around the area. He even noticed one pony sitting by the pond on the other side of the park as if he or she were contemplating on their thoughts though he thought that the pony looked quite familiar. The stallion pushed that thought aside though and continued walking towards the hotel. The breeze sure made a walk in the park a nice thing to do but right now Cheese was tired from today's events and focused on getting back to the hotel and get some rest. As the wind blew by and the trees rustled out some leaves, Cheese began wondering on what other things to do for the anniversary the next day. Maybe he could invite Pinks for the party? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Maybe he could invite Randy too, though he'll probably be invited by Penny knowing he's her best friend. 'At least the party has guests now.' Cheese thought to himself. He reached the hotel he was staying in and got in the lobby. As usual, the lobby only had a few ponies due to the time of night it was. It also looks like that all-you-can-eat buffet just finished recently since Cheese saw some hotel staff member picking up the sign stating about the buffet near the dining area. It's kind of a shame that he didn't get to try the buffet in the hotel but atleast he got dinner at the diner. The orange stallion then proceeded up to the floor where his room is located, and walked along the hall whilst looking at the room numbers. "310, 311, 312..." Cheese muttered to himself as he read the numbers on each door. "Ah, 314." Cheese then got the key to the room out, unlocked the door, and headed inside. Once inside, he closed the door and stretched his legs due to how much he's walked today. He then laid Boneless Two on one of the beds, laid himself on the other and soon fell fast asleep. At the park, Pinkie was sitting by the pond, trying to figure out on whether to go continue looking for her party friend or not. She feels as if looking for the stallion would keep her busy for a while yet the other half of her doesn't want to even think about him for now. Maybe her thoughts were right. Maybe she IS starting to grow attached to the orange stallion yet isn't allowing herself to. 'There's nothing to worry about Pinkie.' She thought to herself, 'Just accept it. Afterall, what's wrong with liking somepony?' "I just don't know." Pinkie sighed as she looked at the pond to see her reflection. 'What's there to know? You like him and he probably likes you too.' Her thoughts said though her reflection looked like it was talking instead. "I really don't know how to feel about this." 'Look, there's nothing wrong with liking a stallion nor is there nothing wrong with having certain feelings on him. Also, don't let your friends make you think you don't like him because they think you actually do. They're right and you know it too.' Pinkie just let out a sigh and just accepted the thought. "Yeah, you're probably right." Pinkie stood up. "In other words, it looks like I've got something to keep me busy with for the entirety of my stay here in Manehatten." 'That a girl. Now come on, let's get some sleep.' With that, Pinkie yawned and headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Who knew she can talk herself into and out of stuff? That's something everyone needs every often now. > In the Diner > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a new day dawns over Manehatten and the ponies living there, Cheese was up and early to get started with his task. He got himself refreshed, brought Boneless Two along, and headed out of his hotel room. The stallion decided to have his breakfast at the diner he visited last night; one, since the diner had good food, and two, so he could meet Pinks there if she was there. As Cheese headed towards the hotel lobby and in turn headed out of the hotel, Pinkie has just woken up from her sleep.. She glanced over at Rarity to see her still asleep, then she glanced over to the window to see that the sun is still rising over the horizon. Also a coincidence that the room she and Rarity is staying in has a window facing towards the east, where the sun rises. Pinkie then looked over to her right to see Boneless sitting on the bedside table. "Good morning Boneless." The mare greeted in a hush tone just so she wouldn't wake up Rarity; though Pinkie couldn't suppress the noise from her stomach telling her she was hungry. She looked over back at Rarity expecting the unicorn to have heard the noise only to see the said unicorn turn to her side, still asleep. Boy, Rarity is a heavy sleeper. Pinkie took note of what her stomach was trying to say and headed out of the room with Boneless to go grab some breakfast. As she trotted down the hall, she began thinking on what to do for the day. 'I could go look for Cheese.' Pinkie thought to herself, 'Come to think of it, what if Cheese already left Manehatten?' Just that thought alone got Pinkie a bit down. Though once she remembered that Cheese was in the city to plan a party, she got her hopes up. After all, she hasn't seen any party going on in the city, for now that is, and surely a Cheese Sandwich party would grab her attention if she ever came across one. 'In other words, Cheese is still in the city and I can still bump into him here.' Pinkie thought, though another idea came to her mind. "What if the party was already over?" Pinkie said aloud, as she paused in her tracks, thinking that he's probably in another part of Equestria by now. Boneless just limped on her back making the pink mare look back. "Yeah, you're probably right Boneless." Pinkie sighed as she began to walk again, "I shouldn't get so cooped up over this. Besides, a party like Cheese's would surely take time to plan... Right?" Boneless just laid there on her back, with no response whatsoever. As Cheese was walking down the streets of Manehatten and was trying to remember the way to the diner he visited last night, he began thinking about the upcoming party he's going to have to host. He still needs the materials though I doubt there's enough time for him to get them and he also needs the food for the event. Most importantly, where could he hold the event in? The little candy shop couldn't hold a big Cheese-y party after all, plus he doesn't know what place can surely allow him to have a party in the city. "Guess I have to tone things down a bit." Cheese said to nopony in particular. The diner was only a few steps away and he could already begin to notice how there aren't that much people inside. Probably due to how early it was, or maybe the fact the diner isn't that popular. Cheese walked right into the diner and looked around for a spot to sit down. There was a vacant table just nearby him and seeing as how nopony else was sitting or planning to sit there, he used the table. He sat down on the seat provided, laid Boneless Two right next to him, and waited for the waitress to come over and take his order. While he waited, he also noticed that Pinks was around, so it's either that she already came by or Cheese was very early to head to the diner. Speaking of which, a familiar pink pony entered the diner which got Cheese's attention. Now at first glance you may think it's Pinkie but seeing as how this pink mare was wearing a familiar hat as well, Cheese knew who this pony is. He then smiled and waved at the pink mare to grab her attention in which he did, earning him a smile and wave from the pink pony as well. Soon enough, she approached Cheese's table. "Fancy meeting you here again." Pinks started, "Couldn't wait to see me or just having breakfast here?" She added with a smirk. "The latter. Come take a seat." Cheese gestured for her to sit down in which she did just across him. "So..." Pinks started off, "We're still going to meet... uh... Randy after breakfast right?" "Well, that is the plan currently." Cheese replied as he placed his hooves on the table and placed his hat beside him. A couple seconds passed by the two; three if you count Boneless Two. Gosh, what's up with the awkward pauses between conversations? "Say, I don't really know much about you and you already know some info about me." Pinks broke the silence, , "It would be fair if you told me more about yourself starting with your rubber chicken friend over here." "Who? Boneless Two?" Cheese looked over at his rubber pal, "He's my travelling buddy. I don't travel without him." "So you're some sort of traveler? Travelling salespony? Adventurer?" Pinks went on, "Wait, you're not a drifter are you?" Well, in another story with an alternate timeline he is... Anyways, Cheese just shook the thought aside and spoke up, "No, I'm neither of those. I'm a travelling party pony. I plan parties all over Equestria. I'd break into song about me but I'm kinda hungry." "Oh. So that explains why you're in charge of that anniversary thing for that shop." "Technically, I'm not in charge. Penny's father didn't really ask for me to plan a party saying that he's perfectly fine with what he has." "But you're still going to throw a party?" Pinks eyed the orange stallion. "I'm still going to throw a party." Cheese repeated as he nodded his head. After that, the waitress approached their table. "Ah Pinks, good to see ya here again." The waitress started as she neared the table, she then took notice of Cheese. "And I see yer with that stallion ya met last night." The waitress looked over at the said stallion. "What are ya now? Lovers?" She asked as she eyed the two. This caught both of the ponies of guard. Both of there eyes were wide as saucers at the thought of that and it even made Pinks blush a bit, though she was lucky enough to have a pink coat which made her blush almost unnoticeable. Cheese on the other hand looked like he didn't blush at all but if you payed close attention, then you could see just a wee little tiny blush on his cheeks. "I- Uh- NO! We are definitely not that!" Pinks started, sounding a little bit nervous here, "He's just a- uh... Friend that I'm helping out." The waitress watched the two as Cheese shook the thought away and got back into character, clearing his throat in the process. Pinks calmed down a bit too even though she wasn't that nervous. "Alright, alright." The waitress chuckled to herself as she took out her notepad and pencil, "What do ya two 'friends' want for this morning?" Pinkie reached the main lobby of the hotel along with her rubber chicken friend, Boneless. Deciding on whether or not to eat out, Pinkie watched as ponies were busy doing whatever they are doing in the lobby. After some careful thinking, Pinkie decided to go eat breakfast out for today. One thing's for sure, she doesn't really know a good place to eat in the city other than that diner she and her friends went to one time for an interview and that restaurant she, Rarity, and Maud went to. The restaurant is obviously out of the list since it'll cost more than that diner so she decided to head over to the diner, if she can remember which way that is. Nah, it'll be fine, she can ask somepony for directions. As she walked out of the hotel with Boneless in tow, Pinkie started her walk by asking a random pony on the street on where she can find that diner. She looked down onto the street and came up to the first pony she saw. That pony being a light brown stallion... Wait a minute. "Excuse me sir, may I ask you a question?" Pinkie started as she neared the stallion. Of course, this got the stallion's attention. "Oh sure thi-" The stallion turned to the pink mare only to look at her with a questionable look. "Pinks? Is that you?" The stallion asked. "Well, my name's Pinkie, and I guess some ponies call me Pinks so yeah it's me Pinks." Pinkie replied smiling, not having a clue that Pinks was another pony. She then realized something. "Wait a minute, I don't think I've met you before. How do you know me?" The light brown stallion looked at Pinkie, confused. He shook his confused expression off before speaking again. "Don't you remember me? Or did you bonk your noggin or somethin'? Do you need a quick refesher?" "Uh... Sure?" It was now Pinkie bearing a confused and puzzled look. She's sure that she hasn't met this stallion before but she's met lots of ponies so maybe she did meet him but just forgot about him. "Well for starters, I also work at where you work at." The stallion started which still got him a confused look from Pinkie. "I didn't know Mr. and Mrs. Cake hired some pony." Pinkie replied. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake? Who are they?" The stallion asked. "Well I work for them at Ponyville." "Ponyville? Wait, you have a job there?" "Um, yeah I do." "I thought you only work at the news office here?" "News office? I don't work in a news office." Pinkie was now questioning what's going on here, "Look, mister, I have no idea who you are and I don't even live here." "But Pinks I've known you for a couple of years already. It's not like you have a clone or something that happens to be here in the city." The brown stallion replied. That last sentence made Pinkie think though. "Wait a minute..." Pinkie started, "You said that I work here and that you've known me for a couple of years right? Yet I hardly know you nor work here. And you called me Pinks and not Pinkie which most ponies call me by, so that means..." "There's a clone of you walking around Manehatten?" The stallion answered. Pinkie stayed silent for a couple of seconds before speaking up. "Nah. You probably just have a friend that happens to look like me." Pinkie smiled. "Alright..." The stallion said unsure, "What was it that you wanted to ask me?" "Oh right, well, I was wondering on which way do I go to find someplace to eat?" "Well, my friend Pinks has this diner she likes to go to, I'll be glad to show you where it is if you want." "Great! Lead the way!" Pinkie motioned for the stallion to go ahead in which he did. Oh yeah, by now, you guys probably knew it was Randy that Pinkie was talking to, right? Anyways, the two then headed off, with Randy taking the lead. Back with Cheese and the other Pinkie who's being called Pinks, the two were just about to finish their meal. Cheese was right, the food was delicious at the diner especially the breakfast course. As the two finished up, their conversation looked like it's still far from over. "Wait, so you actually became a party pony due to the original Pinkie?" Pinks asked as she finished up her meal. "Yup, that's right. If it weren't for her, I'd still be roaming around Equestria and end up in who knows where I'd be." Cheese wiped his mouth with a piece of tissue. "Come to think of it, I'd probably be a drifter if that was the case." "Wowie, who knew how much can one pony affect another pony's life?" "Well, that's life I guess." Cheese responded, by this time, both of them were done with their meals already; yet were still busy talking to each other to even ask for the bill. "So, ya two done?" A voice spoke up, interrupting the two's conversation. Both Cheese and Pinks turned to see the waitress right next to their table. "Oh, yeah we just did." Pinks said after realizing that she just finished her meal. "Great, Ah was wonderin' when both of ya were goin' to stop talkin' and ask for the bill." The waitress handed- ahem, hoofed over the bill to the two. "Wait you were listening to our conversation?" Cheese looked at the waitress. "Eh, just a tiny portion of it." She replied, "So, who's payin'?" "I am." Both Cheese and Pinks responded to the question which in turn made both of them look at each other for a brief moment. "Please, let me be the one to pay for the food." Cheese smiled as he reached for some bits in his pocket. "Nah, I'll handle this one." Pinks smiled back, stopping Cheese from taking out some bits. "I insist, let me be the one to do it." "I appreciate the gesture but I can pay for my own." "No, I-" "Ya two do know that ya can just pay half and half right?" This time it was the waitress speaking, "Ya know, ya pay half of the price and she pays the other half." Both Pinks and Cheese looked at the waitress for a second and turned to look at each other. "Right." Cheese said as he leaned back on his seat. He then took a couple of bits out of his pocket which sums up for half the price of their meal and even added an extra couple more for a tip for the waitress. Pinks did the same as well which also means the waitress got twice as more for a tip. "Great. Thanks for doin' business with ya." The waitress smiled as she took the coins and started walking back to the counter. "Ya know, ya two looked cute when yer were talkin' with each other." She said before heading off. Cheese watched her leave as Pinks just rolled her eyes. "Anyways, we should better get going and go meet... Randy was it?" Pinks started as she got out of her seat. "Oh yeah, shouldn't forget why I'm in this city in the first place." Cheese got out of his seat and grabbed Boneless Two with him, "Alright let's go." A few minutes after Cheese and Pinks left the diner, another pink pony and a stallion was nearing the food joint. "So the diner's right over there." Randy stated as he pointed at the general direction. "Thanks mr." Pinkie thanked the stallion. "No problem. Anyways, I better get going. I have to meet a friend somewhere." Randy continued on walking, leaving Pinkie behind. "Okie dokie. And thanks again." Pinkie smiled and waved, then she headed towards the diner. Upon entering the said food depot, Pinkie looked for a spot to take a seat in. She was getting pretty hungry and she couldn't wait to get her stomach filled with the food the diner has in store. Especially those pancakes she ate there during that interview; let's just hope she could pay for it this time though. Once she got herself to a seat she's comfortable or at least fine with, she waited for the waitress to come take her order. She waited a few seconds and a few more but it felt like the waitress hasn't noticed her. Good thing she knows how to be patient even when she's hungry and soon enough her patience payed off. "Pinks? Why are ya still here?" The waitress asked as she neared the table, "And where's that friend of yers?" Pinkie looked around her to see who the waitress was referring to. "Uh, are you referring to me?" Pinkie asked as she pointed to herself. "Well, who else would ah be talkin' too?" The waitress responded. "Well," Pinkie started, "For one, my name's Pinkie, not Pinks, and I just arrived here." The waitress looked at the pink mare as if she was closely examining the pony, then gave an odd look. "Well ya sure sound convincing..." The waitress said, unsure on what to do. "How do ah know you ain't jokin' around?" "Well, I hardly know you and I live over at Ponyville." Pinkie stated, though that wasn't enough to convince the waitress and even she knew that. "Another thing is that I like to party and have fun all the time. I even bring my party cannon around just for party emergencies." Then out of nowhere, Pinkie pulled out her party cannon and held it next to her. The waitress was caught off guard when the mare did this. Pulling out a cannon out of nowhere is something she doesn't see everyday and was sure a surprise. "Okay. Ah believe ya." The waitress said as she took out her pen and notepad, "What can I get ya then Ms?" "How about a plate full with pancakes? I feel like having one for this morning." Pinkie replied as she hid back her cannon and remembered that time she ate a full stack of pancakes in the diner. "A'ight, anythin' else?" "How about some chocolate milk? If you still have that is then I'd like a glass." "Okay, food would probably be up in a couple of minutes or so, so sit tight." The waitress said before trotting back to the counter to tell the cook of a new order. As Pinkie waited, she started wondering on who this Pinks fella is and why is she always mistaken for being her. It can't be possible for two ponies to look exactly alike- well, yeah it can happen in the world of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic since background ponies are usually just copy pastes of other ponies due to the studio not really focusing on the aesthetics of the ponies, though they still are trying to change it up a bit- but that aside it's not that much of a coincidence that there's a pony that shares the same outside features as the real Pinkie. Another thing is that name sure does sound a lot like her name. Well for now, she pushed the thought aside knowing this isn't any of her business to poke into. That and the fact she was already getting hungry. As a few minutes passed with Pinkie keeping herself busy and even hum a little tune whilst she waited, the waitress finally came back this time with a glass of chocolate milk and a plate full of a stack of pancakes, with the extra bonus content of maple syrup too which came free with the pancakes by the by. I have no idea why I made it sound like a video game release with extra bonus content available for download. Continuing on, the waitress placed the plate and glass down on the table and stood back a bit. "So, anythin' else I can get ya not-Pinks?" She asked. "It's Pinkie by the way," Pinkie stated just so the waitress wouldn't start calling her not-Pinks, "And yeah I'm currently fine with what I have." With that, the waitress nodded and turned to leave before Pinkie stopped her. "Uh, I have a question..." "Hm?" The waitress turned towards the pink mare. "Who is this Pinks pony and why do I get mistaken that I'm her?" Pinkie asked, now curious about this. "Oh Pinks? She visits this place everyday. She usually orders the usual and likes to wear this hat of hers even indoors for some odd reason. She's also pink like ya, has a poofy tail like yers, and she also has balloons as her cutie mark if ah remember correctly." "Wait, she has a cutie mark that has balloons in it?" Pinkie asked as this got her into the peak of her interest. She knows that there is no two cutie marks alike so she had to check. "Yeah, it definitely has." The waitress calmly replied but then noticed Pinkie's own cutie mark. "Say, it looks kinda like yers. With the blue and yellow colors too." She added whilst pointing at Pinkie's flank. 'Okay now there is definitely something off here.' Pinkie thought to herself. 'Pink like me, poofy tail like mine, and cutie mark like mine...' "Though ah know for sure that she doesn't own a rubber chicken." The waitress added as she looked over at Boneless who was just sitting beside Pinkie. Pinkie looked at her rubber chicken friend, then turned back to the waitress when she continued on talking. "Today and last night though, she was accompanied by some stallion who had a rubber chicken too." Pinkie's ears perked up. This was getting even more interesting. "Stallion with a rubber chicken?" She repeated. "Yeah, some stallion with a rubber chicken who Pinks seemed quite comfortable being with. Those two surely had a conversation going; kinda cute too. Heck, those two just left a couple of hours ago." "Does this stallion have an orangey coat, poofy mane, and a sandwich as a cutie mark?" Pinkie asked getting a bit excited about this for some odd reason. "Well, he was orange ah guess. Couldn't really tell if his mane was poofy due to him not taking off his hat, and I didn't really notice his cutie mark." "Does he call the rubber chicken Boneless Two?" Pinkie asked. "Ah don't know, I am quite busy with the diner ya know." The waitress replied now remembering she has a job to do, "Which reminds me that ah need to get back to work. It's been nice talkin' to ya Ms Not-Pinks, but ah gotta go." "It's Pinkie!" Pinkie exclaimed as the waitress trotted away. She then slumped back on her chair and looked at the tower of pancakes in front of her. "Is it really who I think it is?" Pinkie sighed then turned to look at Boneless, "And who's this Pinks anyways?" > The Plan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the way to the news office, Randy was thinking about that pink pony he bumped into just a few moments ago. It was strange seeing somepony who looks exactly like a friend of his, in both looks and even voice. 'Maybe she has a twin sister?' Randy thought to himself as he walked along. 'Nah, I've known her for too long to know she doesn't have any siblings.' Thinking more about it, Randy realized something, 'Wait a minute, I hardly even know if she has any relatives.' It's true actually, Pinks has never really told anypony about her family or even if she does have one. Another thing she hardly mentions is where she came from. "You know what, I'm gonna ask her about it if we ever meet again." Randy said to no one in particular except for himself, though he might forget about asking either way. Speaking of forgetfulness, I wonder why Randy can remember about Pinks yet forget about his best friend Penny's name? That's odd if you ask me. ;D And speaking about Pinks as well, the pink mare was still in a conversation with Cheese while walking to their destination to meet Randy. "So let me get this straight, you have a Cheesy Sense that senses parties that are needed to be planned?" Pinks asked as she trotted along the orange stallion. "Eeyup. Though I'm not the only one who has one." Cheese responded. "Who else has it?" "Well Pinkie of course. The original that is." "Wait she has a Cheesy Sense too?" Pinks asked, quite surprised by this, "If she has one then why don't I have it too?" "She calls it Pinkie Sense since it is her own ability by the way and I'm guessing you didn't fully copy Pinkie's attributes." Cheese Pinks just shrugged at this and continued on walking. "For a clone, you sure don't act like the original." Cheese stated while walking. "Can we use a word other than clone? It makes me feel bad." Pinks asked which Cheese replied with a simple nod of understanding. The rest of the walk was filled with silence between the two. Finally some silence between them too. Upon reaching the news office, Cheese noticed that Randy hasn't gotten there yet. He knew that he was probably early so he decided to wait, along with Pinks. A few minutes passed, and soon enough a brown stallion was now nearing the office. "Heya!" Randy smiled and greeted as he came closer. Cheese smiled back warmly while Pinks just looked at the stallion with a raised brow. "Wait, we're meeting this Randy?" She asks as she looks at the stallion as if studying him. "What were you expecting?" Cheese asked now bearing a questionable look. "Well, this Randy is the Randy I know who is quite friendly to other ponies and helps out a lot too, including me. I didn't expect the Randy you were talking about who was Penny's friend to be the same Randy I knew. I knew that name sounded familiar." "Pinks, why do you usually forget that I'm Penny's best friend. It's been 3 years now." Randy chimed in. "Hey, there are things that a pony can forget at times." Pinks retorted. Randy then diverted his gaze towards Cheese. "I'm guessing you bumped into her along the way?" He asks. "Well-" "Nope! I met him last night at the diner! Not on the way by the way." Pinks jumped in, "He told me how I looked like a friend of his and told me that he was going to go meet Penny. I decided to hop on and join in for the fun of it." "Uh huh." Randy plainly said. "Okay then," Cheese cleared his throat, grabbing the other two's attention."Well Randy, now that you're here, can you please show me the way over to Penny's place?" "Oh sure thing. Come follow me." Randy replied and headed off from the group. Pinks looked at Randy then over at Cheese who walked after the stallion, then soon followed the two. As the trio walked along the streets of Manehatten over to their destination, Randy decided to stir up a conversation since the mood was getting quite boring. "So Cheese," Randy started as he looked over towards the said stallion, "Tell me, how long are you staying here in Manehatten?" "Eh, probably a couple of days or so. I'm a travelling party pony, so I don't really stay in one place for too long." "So you're leaving once the party's over?" Randy asked. Pinks just listened attentively to the conversation curious as to where this is going. "That's initially the plan, yes." "Mhm." Randy then stayed silent for a couple of seconds before speaking up again, "So, since you're a travelling party pony that doesn't stay in one place for too long, what was the last party you planned before heading here?" "Oh, the last party?" Cheese repeated, "The most recent party I had was back over at Ponyville." "Over at Ponyville?" Randy asked, "I've heard Ponyville's a nice place to stay in." "It sure was a blast when I went there." "How so?" Randy asked, curious to hear the story. Pinks on the other hand already knew about this since Cheese told her about it back at the diner. "For one, the party I put together went off quite well. Second was that I got to hang out with one of my pals there." "Mhm." Randy briefly said as they walked. "So, Penny's apartment is just a few more blocks from here. I'd love to keep showing you where but I still have some errands to run. Pinks can still show you where though." He added as they stopped near an intersection. "I don't think I remember exactly where it is." Pinks said making Randy just look at her with a small groan. Pinks smiled sheepishly at him. "You know what, never mind. I can reschedule some things anyways." Randy continued on walking. As the three continued on walking with Randy in the lead, Cheese leaned over to Pinks. "Wait, you don't know where Penny lives?" Cheese asked. "I may know that mare but that doesn't mean I know where she lives." Pinks replied. Cheese just looked at her before diverting his attention back at Randy. A few seconds later, Randy stopped in front of an average sized building. Fairly decent and was still in good shape, the building seemed to home apartments for ponies to stay in, and judging by this, Cheese took it as a sign telling him they have arrived at their destination. "Here we are." Randy stated, confirming what Cheese was thinking, "Penny's apartment is on the third floor, second room you'll encounter." "Thanks Rand." Pinks smiled warmly at the stallion who in turn smiled back. "Anyways, I'm off to buy some stuff at the market. Catch you both on the flip side." With that, Randy left the two. Pinks watched him leave as Cheese watched the building right next to them. As soon as Randy was out of sight and out of earshot, Pinks leaned over to Cheese. "So, are we gonna go inside or are you gonna just keep standing here and stare at the building all day long?" Pinks asked the orange stallion. "Oh right, yeah, let's keep going." Cheese stated as he trotted inside, with Pinks right behind him. As the two just entered the building, Pinkie on the other hand back at the diner just finished her breakfast. After paying for the meal (this time), she then decided to go grab something sweet to eat or at least as a snack. Her sweet tooth couldn't help itself now can it? Knowing only one store which had candies and sweets in it, Pinkie decided that that would be a good place to go grab a sweet or two- or five; maybe eight. Trotting down the streets of Manehatten along with Boneless, the city was starting to become more alive again. From having only small groups of ponies from time to time to now getting smaller crowds in which turns to bigger ones, the city was starting to bloom. At least the crowds doesn't really affect somepony's time that much, unlike in the real world in some cases. Few minutes in the walk, and Pinkie finally got to the Sweet Tooth again. Something was different though, that being a small banner upfront just above the door stating that it's the thirty-fifth anniversary of the shop. 'It's the shop's anniversary today?' Pinkie thought to herself, 'That explains the deal on the candies.' "Wait a minute, shouldn't it better if I thought on planning to host a party for the anniversary instead of thinking about the deal?" Pinkie asked aloud. Well to answer that question, no Pinkie, for it conflicts with the plot I currently have. I know it seems like a better choice and whatnot but let's just do this for plot convenience okay? Now please get back in character and don't mind this. Pinkie shrugged at this and continued on inside the shop. Upon entering, a little bell rang above the door signaling a new customer has entered or a customer has left. Charlie the old stallion heard the bell and looked towards the door to see the pink mare. "Ah, welcome, welcome!" The stallion greeted, "It's nice to see you again, what is it that makes you come back here on this fine day?" "Oh just here to satisfy my sweet tooth again." Pinkie replied as she neared the counter. "Well there's a reason this shop is called the Sweet Tooth." Charlie smiled. "Now, what can I get ya?" He continued as he prepared a paper bag. "Hmm, maybe a few candy bars, gumdrops, and chocolates will do, like three of each please." Pinkie replied as she gazed at the different sweets. "Hm, that's quite an equal division." Charlie stated as he placed the exact amount of sweets Pinkie asked for plus the extra two for each candy as stated by the deal. "Alrighty, here's the order you asked for." The old stallion said as he placed the now closed paper bag containing sweets on the counter top. Pinkie paid for the candies and placed the paper bag on her back right in front of Boneless. "Say, did an orange stallion who goes by the name Cheese Sandwich happen to come here again?" Pinkie asked with hopes that Cheese was still near the area she's in. "So far, you're the only one who came to the store. Sorry." Charlie replied which made Pinkie's ears drop a bit, but that wasn't enough to keep her down of course. Pinkie looked around the shop for a moment, thinking of something else to say when she noticed that the store seemed to have a little too much of sweets that it doesn't really feel right. "May I ask, how often do people buy from here?" The pink mare asked now returning her gaze back to the old stallion behind the counter. "Funny you asked, this place used to be filled with ponies. Fillies and even grown ponies all happily bought sweets and enjoyed gazing at them as well. It was such a great time." Charlie replied as he thought about those days, "Nowadays, there's usually two to four ponies at most who visit here. The Sweet Tooth isn't really getting much attention now." Pinkie looked back at the sweets around the place. It's sad seeing as how this place used to be a spot little fillies and adults alike spend time to buy some candy. Why would people not visit a place like this anymore? "Anyways," Charlie continued on which got Pinkie's attention back at him, "It's been fun talking to you miss. If there is anymore sweets that you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can come back here anytime you wish." "Okie dokie." Pinkie said as she looked around the place one more time before trotting towards the exit, "I'll see you around then." After the pink mare exits the shop with the sound of the door bell ringing, Pinkie began trotting along the road with her mind preoccupied thinking about the shop. As she did this, Boneless leaned a bit which got her attention. "I know Boneless, it's sad the store isn't getting much attention." Pinkie started, "But what can we do about it? Ponies change overtime and so does their tastes." Boneless just remained silent as they both carried on walking. Pinkie looked at Boneless in surprise. "That's it!" She exclaimed, "It's the shop's anniversary today! All we have to do is host a party that'll surely bring back some attention to the shop!" 'Geez about time I thought about it.' Pinkie thought to herself. She then continued to walk along the street with a big smile on her face. Where's she going? Nobody knows... ...like seriously I really didn't plan out where she's heading off to. Back with Cheese and Pinks, the two were both in front of the door leading to Penny's apartment room. They both stayed silent for a short while until Pinks spoke up. "Alrighty then, let's go meet her." "Okay." Cheese exhaled a bit before knocking on the door. A few seconds passed with no response from the other side. Cheese knocked again while Pinks looked around. Still no response came. "H-Hello? Is anyone in there?" Cheese asked through the door as he placed his ear on it. Silence was the only thing that came. "Try knocking again." Pinks suggested. "I already knocked twice, I don't think a third knock would help." "It doesn't hurt to try." "I think she's not home." Cheese said as he took his ear off of the door. Pinks just looked at him with a blank expression until some noise was heard from the inside. "Ugh... I'm coming..." Said a voice that sounded very tired. Then comes numerous sounds from the room: a thud, a crash, then a groan. A few seconds later, a mare poked her head out of the door first setting her tired gaze on Cheese. By the looks of the horn, this mare was a unicorn (Hey that rhymed). "Yes? What is it?" The mare yawned. "Um hi, do you happen to be the mare named Penny?" Cheese greeted as Pinks just realized who they were talking to. "Penny?" The mare asked as she rubbed her right eye. "Yes, Penny, the daughter of the candy shop owner." The tired looking mare looked at Cheese for a few seconds before lazily opening the door revealing herself. The unicorn looked quite untidy though that's probably due to her just waking up. She was a yellow pony with a chocolate brown mane. Her mane itself was tied up like a ponytail behind her head and she had blue eyes. Pretty much a normal pony by any means. Oh and her cutie mark seemed to be a camera and a piece of paper. "She's out doing some errands or something. I don't really know." The mare replied as she yawned once more. "Wait, so you're not Penny?" Cheese asked, tilting his head a bit to the side. Pinks just listened to the two's conversation though it looked like she was out of the tired mare's view; that or its because she's just sleepy to even bother look at Pinks. "Not one tiny bit." The yellow unicorn answered, "Why are you asking anyways?" "Oh I happen to be planning the anniversary of Penny's father's candy shop and I was just wondering if I can talk to her to aid me with this." Cheese explained. Pinks remained silent, a little too silent as if she doesn't actually wanted to be noticed. "Uh huh." Came the response of the unicorn with an uninterested look on her face. "Well, sorry Mr, but the mare you're looking for isn't here right now." "It's Cheese Sandwich by the way and do you happen to know when she'll come back? "Eh, probably after a short while. I don't know really, she left when I was half asleep." The unicorn scratched her foreleg. "Oh." A few seconds of silence passed by the stallion and mare when Cheese remembered about Pinks. "Oh I also brought a friend with me. I think you probably know her." Cheese stated as he moved a bit to show more of Pinks who looked like she didn't want to be seen by the unicorn. Though it was no use since the unicorn already saw her. The yellow mare seemed to have narrowed her eyes at the pink mare and soon her face glared once she realized who it was. "What's she doing here?" The unicorn asked with a bit of annoyance in her tone. Pinks just smiled anxiously at her. "Heyyy..." Pinks uneasily greeted, "How's it goin?" "I take it that both of you have met." Cheese joined in as he watched the two. "Ha met? I hardly know this pony." The unicorn said as she looked away in disgust from the pink mare. It was obvious there was tension going on between this mare and Pinks. "Look, you don't have to hold a grudge on me forever you know." Pinks spoke up. "Not after what you did? I don't even want to see you." "I could tell..." Pinks whispered to herself. Cheese just watched the tension, not knowing on what is exactly going on here. The yellow mare then looked over to Cheese. "I'm afraid I have important work to do, please don't come disturbing this place again, especially with her." "By work you mean sleep." Pinks said under her breath, though it was still heard by the unicorn who just glared at the pink pony before heading back inside and closing the door shut. Cheese looked at the door, then over to Pinks, then back over to the door again. "Welp, that just happened." He started. Now on to the pink mare who has a rubber chicken. Yes, I'm talking about Pinkie and not Pinks. The pink mare was trotting down the street towards a more familiar one. A street that has quite the amount of shops primarily for fashion and clothing. It was none other than Saddle Row of course. Why was she heading there you ask? Well, upon having no idea on what to do for now, Pinkie decided to go check on Rarity at her boutique. In related news, I just thought about this a few minutes ago. As Pinkie trotted down the road and passed some shops of different colors and styles, she kept her eye out for the boutique though that didn't took long enough to find. Walking up to the boutique, Pinkie then entered with the sound of the door bell ringing signaling the employees that a pony has just entered or left. "Good morning ms-" A familiar voice started, "Ah Pinkie, fancy meeting you here. What brings you to the boutique, darling?" "Heya Rarity, I just stopped by here since I had nowhere else to go." Pinkie replied, "I also have no idea on what to do." "Aren't you going to continue looking for that Cheese Sandwich fellow?" Rarity asked. "Eh, I don't feel like doing it right now; especially without having a clue on where to start looking first." "I see." Rarity looked over to the other ponies who were helping out with the boutique, "Well, feel free to do whatever you want darling, just as long as it doesn't interrupt with the business nor mess with the dresses." "Okie dokie lokie; also, I'm not really going to stay in the boutique for that long." Pinkie replied as she grabbed some pieces of candy and ate it from the paper bag she brought. Rarity looked at the bag out of curiosity. "Say Pinkie, where did you get the candy?" Rarity asked. I know it may be an odd question since Pinkie does tend to bring snacks on trips especially candies but Rarity hasn't noticed Pinkie bringing any sort of snack for the trip for once. "Hm? Oh these? I bought them from a candy store nearby." Pinkie replied as she chewed the sweets. She then remembered something. "Oh yeah! I almost totally forgot!" Pinkie swallowed the candy in her mouth, "Today is the candy shop's thirty-fifth anniversary and I was planning on throwing a party for the owner and the shop." "That sounds like a nice gesture Pinkie but have you asked the shopkeeper if that's okay with him?" "Nope, not yet." "Well, you can't just throw a party for the shop without the owner's consent. I suggest you go ask first before going with your plan." "But I planned it to be a surprise. It wouldn't be a surprise party if the pony knew about it already." "Darling, this is Manehatten. I doubt anypony here would appreciate a surprise party unlike back in Ponyville." Pinkie stood silent. Rarity was right, the city is a busy place and by the looks of it, nopony would have time for surprise parties especially one by hers. They'll just think she'll be annoying and be wasting their time. Yet, Charlie looked like one of those kind old stallions who would appreciate a gesture like this. After all, it is his shop's anniversary and it wouldn't be an anniversary if nopony else celebrated it. Speaking of celebrations, Pinkie wondered what that old coot is planning for the anniversary. Surely that one small banner upfront is not what he planned to do for the anniversary right? Right? "Pinkie, is something wrong?" Rarity's voice caught the pink mare's attention, "You seem to be staring silently into space. That's like the third time I've seen you do that." "Oh just thinking about the party for the candy shop, that's all." Rarity looked at her for a few seconds before a thought came into her mind. "Say, if the candy shop you said was going to have an anniversary, that's probably the reason why Cheese went here in the first place." This immediately got Pinkie's attention. "You're probably right!" Pinkie thought about it, "The candy shop owner even said that he met a stallion named Cheese Sandwich. Good point Rarity! I bet he'll be there so I think it's best that I wait for him there too!" With that, the pink mare zoomed off in a puff of smoke. Rarity was about to say something but knew the mare was long gone. "Pinkie sure is excited." Rarity said to herself as she looked at the time, "And it's not even near lunch yet." True, the pink party pony seemed too excited to even realize that there's still a day ahead of her. But let's save the rest of the journey for the next chapter.