Twilight Sparkle is having a stressful day. She has agreed to organize Rarity's surprise birthday party, but all her friends seem troubled one way or another: Applejack is overworked, Rainbow is fretting, Pinkie is acting even weirder than usual, and Fluttershy finds herself distracted by thoughts on a certain somepony.

On top of it all, Cadence sends Twilight a mysterious jewel suspected to possess magical abilities. What is the purpose of this enigmatic stone, and will its dark secrets be uncovered before it's far too late?

Rarity, meanwhile, is simply looking forward to her birthday party, even though she is technically not supposed to know about it. What she doesn't know is that she is in for a birthday she will never forget.

This story was my contribution to the Writer's Group Contest.

Chronologically, it is set at some point in the middle of Season 3.