Originally, he wanted to keep to himself during these days, though he more often than not found himself wandering around town, bumping into the few ponies he knew fairly often.

So he was honestly a little saddened when he realized that he couldn't head out as early as he wanted to.

During their little adventure with those Mutts last month, he'd used his spear as a bludgeoning weapon, which had ended up damaging the blade. He hadn't noticed until last night when a timberwolf had decided to run at him. He disposed of it as normal, only to find his blade had chipped sometime during the scuffle, meaning he needed to fix it.

Luckily he kept a grinding wheel in his bag, which was where he was spending his time in the early morning.

So there he was, sitting at the grinding wheel in his personal pocket dimension, goggles on to protect his eyes, sharpening the edge of the blade, when he heard it.

Faint as it was, the magic in the bag amplified the sound from the outside world so he could hear it, even here. It was knocking, specifically from his front door downstairs.

He frowned slightly, but figured whoever it was could wait a moment as he finished with the edge.

It took only another minute until he was satisfied with his spear, and two more to make his way back into the world.

It would probably be a funny sight. A non-descript brown bag laying on the floor, only for it to suddenly twitch, bulge a little, and a fully grown stallion to come crawling out of the flap as if nothing was wrong.

He internally snickered at the thought, but another knock from below broke his from his musings.

"Alright, I'm coming!" he shouted, annoyed, but proceeded out his door and down the stairs not too much later.

His ears twitched, providing him a rough image of the pony on the other side of the door. He couldn't identify the individual, but it was clear that there was a smaller creature just beside them, and they were wearing... something.

Opening the door, he was greeted to an immediate expulsion of confetti straight into his face, nearly sending him stumbling back if it weren't for pink pony he recognized doing it.

Pinkie Pie, wearing a strange purple get-up with confetti poppers on the back, smiled widely at him, and just as he went to greet her, she broke into song.

~This is your singing telegram,~

~I hope it finds you well!~

~You're invited to a party,~

~'Cause we think you're really swell! ~

~Gummy's turning one year old,~

~So help us celebrate!~

~The cake will be delicious,~

~The festivities first-rate!~

~There will be games and dancing,~

~Bob for apples, cut a rug!~

~And when the party's over,~

~We'll gather 'round for a group hug!~

~No need to bring a gift,~

~Being there will be enough!~

~Birthdays mean having fun with friends,~

~Not getting lots of stuff!~

~It won't be the same without you,~

~So we hope that you say yes!~

~So, please, oh please R.S.V.P.~

~And come, and be our guest!~

Pinkie hopped one final time, nearly landing on her face, hooves out wide and panting heavily.

"Bravo," he said, "Neat little song you have there, Pinkie," he complimented. Pinkie's heavy panting didn't let up much, but the brighter smile she wore told him she appreciated the words.

"Yep!" she breathed, her voice rough, as if she'd been doing this all day, and considering that it was Pinkie he wouldn't doubt it, "But... but... maybe I'll just... give out cards instead... next time," she panted. Emerald rolled his eyes, and stepped back,

A minute or so later, and Emerald found himself and Pinkie, who was happily chugging down a glass of water, sitting on his couch, still not having taken off that ridiculous costume of hers.

"So, you mentioned a party?" he asked. Pinkie didn't say anything, still chugging down the water, only to near slam it down with a refreshed sigh. After she took a moment, she nodded rapidly,

"Yep! Gummy's first birthday!" she cheered, "There's gonna be games, cake, balloons, cake, more games, and cake!" she gushed, throwing her hooves out wide, her smile bright as usual.

"Tomorrow!" Pinkie squealed, "Mr and Mrs. Cake gave us the whole week off after that to celebrate!"

Emerald hid a frown. That didn't sound like something the Cakes would do. Not for a baby alligator at least.

Emerald glanced at the animal in question, sitting peacefully next to Pinkie, hardly even blinking at his owner's frantic motions.

"That's nice of them, if a little excessive for just one birthday party," he remarked. Pinkie smiled,

"Well duh! It's not just any birthday party! It's Gummy's first birthday party!" she corrected him. He nodded,

"Of course. Silly me," he amended, smirking, "When is it?" he asked, "Time-wise, that is."

"Oh, five!" she said, glancing at the clock, she gasped, "I gotta go! I left Gummy's cake in the oven!" she squealed, sweeping up the little gator and jogging out the door in the same motion, leaving Emerald behind.

"Emerald? Ya got Pinkie's singin' telegram too?" Applejack asked, appearing next to him.

He'd been standing just outside Sugarcube Corner for the better part of five minutes now, wondering what he'd expect, considering attending an alligator's birthday party had never been something he'd thought he'd do in life. He chuckled,

"That I did," he said, smirking, "It was charming, I'll give her that. But she seemed pretty tired after it was done," he added, "I must've been one of the last ones if she did that for all of us," Applejack laughed,

"Sure sounds like somethin' Pinkie would do!" she said, then suddenly looked around, as if checking if they were being spied on, "So, whatcha thinkin' 'bout tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

Confused by the sudden whispering, Emerald was left trying to rapidly go over any information he had regarding the next day. Aside from understanding that he had that day off now, nothing else came up.

"What do you mean?" he asked, lowering his voice to match hers, "Far as I know, tomorrow's just a Tuesday."

"You don't know?!" Applejack asked, sounding stunned. At least stunned enough to temporarily drop her whispering, considering she nearly shouted that last question. She winced at her own volume, "You don't know?!" she asked again, this time much quieter.

"Evidently not," he growled, "Instead of yelling, tell me what's going on," he demanded.

"And I'm only just hearing about this now... why?" he asked. Applejack grinned sheepishly,

"Heh, if it makes ya feel better, I ain't too sure if Twilight knows 'bout it either," she said,

"Hey Sparky," Emerald greeted, ignoring the mare beside him for the moment, "Applejack just told me about Pinkie's birthday tomorrow," Sparky's eyes widened,

"Why didn't anypony tell me about this?!" Sparky asked, ignoring Emerald's comment. Applejack only shrugged,

"Sorry sugarcube, guess it jus' never came up 'til now?" she said, sounding uncertain herself, then shook her head, "Anyways, the girls an' I are plannin' a surprise party fer her, but we're worried Pinkie might find out, think ya'll can help?"

"Sure, why not?" Emerald replied a few moments later, having given it some thought, "I suppose it's the least I can do for her,"

"Great! We're all meetin' in mah barn tomorra mornin', we'll werk everythin' out before tomorra afternoon!"

A moment passed between the three of them, with Sparky trying to pry some details out of Applejack, before they were interrupted,

"Hey!" came from above them, just before Crash came into view, where she landed next to Applejack, "So, didja tell 'em about-" she looked around, much like Applejack had before, then whispered, "-the you-know-what?" Applejack scoffed,

"Yoohoo! I certainly hope we're not late!" Rarity's voice called, just as she and Fluttershy came into view, likely having just come from the Boutique,

"Nope!" Pinkie answered, suddenly popping through the front door, "You're all just in time! C'mon, let's get this party started!" Pinkie cheered, zipping back inside, followed closely behind by the others. Emerald rolled his eyes, but went along as well.

Pinkie led them up the stairs, down the hall, and then up more stairs, which Emerald hadn't noticed before, until they arrived in what was clearly the designated party room.

Streamers and lights hung from the ceiling by the dozens. Several tables were set out along the walls, leaving the center of the room bare, save for a small record player off to the side. The tables were each set with various party supplies; a large bowl and some cups, a large cake with a big '1' on top of it, and a third table with large plates of various bakes goods, ranging from cupcakes and cookies, to pies and muffins.

"I'll say, looks like a real hoot!" Applejack followed as the others spread out,

"I'm glad you all like it!" Pinkie said, smiling brightly as she held up Gummy, "I've never seen Gummy so excited either!"

It didn't take long after that for the party to get going. Aside from Pinkie, each of the mares set out towards the various games, with Pinkie often checking up on them, and playing a few rounds every now and again.

Emerald, however, didn't stray too far from the stairs, content with merely watching the others have their fun.

Although, that wasn't to say he was just loafing around, rather, he was busy thinking of what Applejack had, oh so kindly, revealed to him and Sparky earlier.

It was strange. She hadn't once said anything about her birthday. When it was, what she'd like to do... anything.

But, that was ridiculous! Pinkie was a pony who could memorize the birthdays, likes, dislikes, and various behaviors of nearly everyone in town! How could she forget her own birthday?

With the thought of everyone else crammed into her head, he supposed it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if she really had forgotten about it. It would still be fairly ironic if she did, though.

"Hey Emerald! Whatcha doing?" Pinkie asked, trotting up to him. He stared at her for a moment, then shrugged,

"Yeah!" she cheered, then put a hoof to her chin, "Wait, I thought that's what you were doing?"

"Go have fun, Pinkie," Emerald said, gently pushing her back, towards the large wooden tub where Crash and Applejack were,

"Okay!" was her easy reply, before she bounced off. Emerald shook his head, chuckling softly.

Fluttershy was happily dancing along to some song he'd never heard, looking like she hadn't a care in the world. As mentioned before, Applejack and Crash were busy bobbing for apples in the corner, though it looked like Pinkie had snuck Gummy into the tub, considering that he was currently latched onto Crash's face.

He snickered at the sight, but let his eyes roam once more. Rarity was busy drinking some punch, and it looked like Sparky was just wandering around, though he noticed her sneaking him a few glances every now and then.

He hid a frown. His feelings for the mare in question hadn't subsided like he'd hoped. He supposed that was to be expected, though. Things like this rarely went in his favour, regardless of what he did.

He couldn't make these thoughts and feelings of his go away, so... didn't that mean he should act on them? From what he knew of pony culture, it was often the case for things like this. Personally, he hadn't met anyone with similar issues before, and he'd heard Celestia give more than one pony romantic advice before, so he knew what she would say should he ask.

Or did he stay true to some Nocturnian customs he could remember, few as they were?

He could scarcely remember anything of his home. Faces were simply blurs, words were fuzzy and hard to hear. He was glad to have taken remedial lessons on thestrali, otherwise he wouldn't even have his old language to remember!

Then again, all related Nocturnian customs involved blood, so he probably shouldn't do any of them.

He nearly snorted at the thought of the look on Sparky's face if he really did present her with a vial of his blood, at least if he never explained it.

To willingly hoof over a vial of your own blood to another... in Nocturne, it was the same as claiming that you are willing to place yourself, your life, your death, everything that is you, in the hooves of another.

It is an act of the utmost love and trust. Something that can never be one sided.

So, that left him with only the Equestrian traditions, at least, for now. If he actually went through with it, then there were some Nocturnian traditions he was sure she wouldn't mind being a part of.

He was brought out of his thoughts, rather violently, by a familiar purple body suddenly crashing into him.

"Ow..." Sparky muttered from atop him, laying splayed on her back across his stomach.

"Dammit, Sparky," Emerald murmured, pushing her off, "You're lucky you're light as a damned feather," he breathed, sitting up. Sparky groaned again, rising to her haunches as she did so,

"Sorry," she said, rubbing the side of her head, "Pinkie's dancing is a little... enthusiastic."

"Heh, guess that's our cue, huh?" he asked, standing. He reached out a hoof to help Sparky, and she took it with a thankful smile, and a slight blush,

"Thanks. And, yeah, I guess," she said, "Come on!" she added, pulling him along towards the others, who were dancing around the little alligator.

"See you all tomorrow!" Pinkie called from the window, waving to the forms of five of her retreating friends, "You girls sure you don't want to stay? There's still some cake left!" she added.

Emerald didn't pay attention to whatever response she got from below, paying more attention to the alligator that was currently latched onto his tail.

"Let go," he demanded, only to receive an uncomprehending blink from Gummy's vacant purple eyes. "Dammit."

He shook his head and tried to ignore it. It wasn't like the baby gator was threatening him. If anything, he doubted Gummy actually knew what he was doing.

He had volunteered to stay behind to help Pinkie clean up the party, since he had to wait for the others to be at home anyways, as well as hopefully get some sort of insight to whatever Pinkie would like for her birthday.

He could have just asked the others, but he wanted to try and figure it out himself first. He'd been working with Pinkie for over half a year now, so he liked to think he could find out before he left for the night.

"Where do you want these lights, Pinkie?" he asked. He didn't receive an answer right away, since Pinkie was still staring out the window, looking as though she was planning something.

Growing annoyed, he grabbed Gummy, who let go of his tail, and threw him at Pinkie, where he happily latched on to his owner's mane, startling her out of her thoughts,

"Oh! What is it, Emerald?" she asked, turning to face him, completely ignoring the alligator hanging in front of her face,

"Where do you want these lights?" he repeated, tilting to box to show her. She narrowed her eyes and placed a hoof to her chin with a thoughtful hum,

"Hmmm... ooh! In my room up on the top shelf of the closet!" she said, causing him to nod,

"Got it," he replied, setting the box on his back, before making his way downstairs.

Pinkie's room was pretty much the same as it was the last time he was here, though there were a few binders on the desk this time. Waltzing over to the closet he was seeking, he easily pulled it open, and sighed.

The top shelf was easily out of reach, resting a little over Celestia's head. He wondered why Pinkie had such a large closet, but shrugged it off and set the box on the ground, before taking the nearby stool and using it to lift the box to its desired location.

He had it pretty easily. He had just finished sliding the box into place, when Pinkie suddenly popped up,

Her sudden appearance had startled him enough to shift his footing just enough to cause him to start slipping off of the damn stool. He flailed a hoof for a moment, latching onto one of the boxes on the top shelf to stabilize himself, only to bring it crashing down with him.

He hit the ground pretty softly, thanks to the poofy rug Pinkie kept, but it was decidedly less soft when he felt the box crash on top of him, scattering books everywhere.

"Are you okay, Em-" Pinkie cut herself off with a gasp, and he could hear her suddenly start skittering around, picking up the books that had flown everywhere. Groaning slightly, Emerald sat back up, just in time to spot one of the books in front of him, just before Pinkie snatched it away, turning her back to him immediately. He frowned, it was almost as if...

"Uhhh, n-nothing!" she stammered, edging away from him, though she began to reach for the box. Emerald pushed it behind him,

"Hiding?!" she asked, her voice suddenly rising a pitch, "I'm not hiding anything, y-you are!"

"Pinkie, show me," he said, taking a step forward. She shrunk away from him, her face turning redder with every step he took. "Pinkie..."

"No!" she shouted, darting to the side, but he was faster, having already moved to intercept her. She tried, and succeeded, in rushing past him, but he didn't mind.

It was completely blank. The cover, back, and spine of the book having nothing to identify whatever lay inside.

He debated with himself for a moment on whether he should read it, but considering that whatever it was, was enough to have Pinkie nearly fight him for it, he decided it would be worth checking.

Not of her friends, like he might have expected, but rather, of herself. Specifically, as a filly.

Various Pinkie's stared up at him from the pages of the book, each one perhaps only two or three years of age. She, of course, wasn't the only filly in the pictures. Flipping the pages, he found at least three other filly's around her age who looked alike.

One picture stood out, with four different fillies standing next to each other, staring up at the camera.

One of them, the oldest if he was correct, had a grayish purple coat with a flat gray mane and tail, along with golden eyes. The next one seemed to be the opposite of the first, with a mane and tail of purple, a coat of gray, and a pair of turquoise eyes. Pinkie stood next to this one, and right beside her was a filly with a gray coat, a two-toned greenish gray mane and tail, and bright purple eyes.

'From oldest to youngest (left to right): Limestone, 6. Maud, 4. Pinkamena, 3. Marble, 3.'

It was a cute photo, he supposed. Though it was ruined slightly by the fact that none of the fillies were smiling. They were just... staring at the camera, expressions either flat or sad.

Perhaps the most surprising was the image of the three year old Pinkie, with a short, flat mane and tail, contrasting so heavily with the current image of the mare behind him.

Speaking of, the mare behind him suddenly gasped, causing him to turn to face her, book snapping shut as he did so.

"Y-you... you weren't supposed to see that..." Pinkie muttered, tracing the floor with her hoof. Emerald frowned, glancing down at the book in his hoof, before holding it out to her,

"Why?" he asked as she took it from him, and placed it alongside the others in the box, "Are you... ashamed of it?"

"No," Pinkie said, rubbing one of the books with a hoof, a sad smile on her face, "I love my parents and my sisters," he blinked, sisters? "It's just..." she turned to look at him, "I know I'm hyper. I know I'm really happy all the time. But... I was worried that if anypo-anybody saw these, they'd ask questions. I know I didn't have the happiest foalhood," she said, "but I loved it," she added, smiling, "I loved working on the rock farm with my family. I loved spending time with my sisters! And I really do miss them, but..." she trailed off.

"I'm afraid that my friends might not get along with my family," she admitted, frowning slightly, "I'm... different than them. My parents are super serious and really old fashioned. My sister, Limestone, is a little mean, and takes farm work really seriously. Maud is really smart, since she wants to be a geologist, but she's kinda... dull. And Marble..." Pinkie laughed a little bit, "She's even shyer than Fluttershy," she said, smiling fondly, "I really do miss them," she added softly.

An idea was forming. It was small, and simple, but he had a feeling it would be just what Pinkie needed.

"It's getting late, Pinkie," Emerald said, "I have to head out to patrol. Do you need me to help clean up still?" he asked. Pinkie shook her head, pulling out one of the scrapbooks,

"No, I'll be okay," she said, cracking it open, "I think I'll clean up tomorrow," she added, flipping through the pages.

Emerald nodded, and left the mare alone to her thoughts, fighting the grin that now played at his lips.

Emerald grinned to himself as he walked back outside, placing his newest, and wrapped, purchase, an envelope specifically, under his wing. Pinkie was going to love this!

As it was now, he needed to head over to the barn without tipping Pinkie off, which really couldn't be easier.

"Pinkie?" he asked as the mare in question ran towards him, wearing a basket of all things on her head, filled with a bunch of pink envelopes, "What the- what are you doing?"

Pinkie came to a stop in front of him, smiling brightly as she hoofed him one of the letters from her 'hat'.

"It's an invitation to Gummy's after-birthday party this afternoon!" she said, "C'mon, read it!" Emerald blinked at his friend's behavior, but took the offered letter regardless.

~You are invited to Gummy's after-birthday party at three'o'clock this afternoon!~

"Three'o'clock today? So, this afternoon... as in, this afternoon 'this afternoon'?" he asked.

"That's funny," Pinkie said, bringing a hoof to her chin, "Twilight said the same thing," she added, before narrowing her eyes at him, a sly grin forming on her lip, "Are you two-?"

"No!" he snapped, ignoring the heat in his cheeks, "I can't make this party, Pinkie," he added quickly, hoping to steer her from the subject. She deflated,

"I have to head over to Applejack's to help Mac fix up the barn," he lied smoothly, "I ran into him last night and he brought it up, so I offered to help,"

"That's real nice of you Emerald!" she gushed, then winked, "We'll save you some cake, don't worry!" she added, before hopping off, "Have fun!" she called back to him, bouncing off in the direction of the Boutique.

He watched her for a moment, only tearing his eyes away once she rounded the corner.

He cursed, then took off in the direction of the orchard, intent on finding out how to deal with this mess.

Emerald arrived at the barn quick enough, but stopped and took a quick look around, before ramming his hoof against the barn door.

The upper half of the door opened slightly, revealing a single green eye, before it closed. The sound of the lock being undone proceeded the entire door opening this time,

She closed the door behind him, nearly sending them into darkness if it weren't for the barn's partially open windows on the upper floor.

He cast a quick glance around, finding various boxes laying unopened along the ground, as well as uncovered tables littering the area.

"Hmm, is this everything?" he asked, turning to face the only other one in the room. She frowned,

"Everythin' 'cept the cake," Applejack said, "Didja see the others comin' by?" Emerald shook his head, watching as Applejack stuck her head out the door,

"What?!" Applejack asked, whirling to face him sharply, "She threw a party yesterday, what's she doin' throwin' another one?!" he shrugged,

"Dunno. Something about 'Gummy's after-birthday party'. Far as I know, she only asked me and Sparky, so she'll probably be coming here at least once to ask you," Applejack sighed,

"Dangit, Pinkie," she muttered, "We're gonna hafta wait fer the others befer we can start werkin' things out," she said, "Hopefully Twilight's got some ideas. I ain't too good at makin' plans fer stuff like this," Applejack laughed, "Tell me ta harvest some apples or raise a barn, an' I can figure out how ta do both befer lunchtime, but this?" she shook her head and sighed.

"I'm sure you're smarter than you give yourself credit for," Emerald remarked, causing Applejack to laugh,

"Big Mac's the one that does all the farm's taxes an' stuff. Mah head just ain't cut out fer that kind thing," she admitted, "I can werk, I can sell, I can cook, I can do anythin' I need ta do on this farm, but it's all I know," she said, then nodded, "Well, I do know how ta act all fancy an' such. I also know how ta 'eat properly' as mah Aunt and Uncle Orange would say, but aside from that? Nothin',"

"I see," he muttered, when his ear twitched, "We have a visitor," he said, just before someone knocked on the barn door.

Applejack headed over, opening the door for a moment, before swinging it out wide, revealing a pair of familiar unicorns,

"I see we've already got everything," Rarity said, looking around the room, and spotted Emerald, "Ah, I take it you've already been invited to Gummy's little, 'after-birthday party'?" she asked, smiling lightly. He nodded,

"She ran into me right after I got her gift," he said, producing the green envelope he'd hidden under his wing, the silver seal glinting slightly as it caught some light, "Told her I was helping Mac fix up the barn," he added as Applejack took the gift from him, setting it alongside an orange parcel on a nearby table.

"Clever," Rarity remarked, grimacing, "I only wish I'd come up with something similar," she said, running a hoof through her mane, which Emerald noticed was just the slightest bit damp, "I told her I had to wash my mane, and..." she shivered, "I had to do something... unspeakable to it to get her to leave," she said quietly, as if afraid to say it.

"I had to tell her I'd gotten behind on my studies," Sparky said, levitating a purple gift from her saddlebag onto the table, prompting Rarity to do the same, only hers was white, "She believed it pretty easily, but I'm worried she'll find out if she talks to Spike."

Before anyone could respond, the door was opened and rapidly shut, revealing the last two ponies they were waiting for.

"Oh, we're not late, are we?" Fluttershy asked, bringing out a light pink box from under her wing, which Sparky took,

"Pinkie came by and invited us to some... after-party thing," Crash muttered, tossing her own light blue gift onto the table, "We said something about... housesitting for a bear?" she said, sounding like she was questioning her own memory.

"You girls ain't the only ones," Applejack said, "I'm the only one Pinkie hasn't talked to yet, so she'll be comin' round sooner or la-"

The sound of rapid knocking against the door cut her off, leaving the farm mare to sigh,

"Welp, that's gotta be her," she said, the faint sound of Pinkie yelling her name confirming her suspicions, "Guess I'll jus' say I'm helpin' fix up the barn," she muttered, walking over to the door

"Alright, so how should we go about this?" he asked, "We still need the cake for the party, and Pinkie's liable to barge in if she starts getting suspicious, which, after all six of us say no to the party, will definitely happen."

"Right," Sparky agreed, "She'll probably head back to Sugarcube Corner, but since this is Pinkie we're talking about, she might head somewhere else," she said, "We'll need to find a way to keep her from coming around to the barn for the afternoon."

"It does sound rather difficult," Rarity agreed. The sound of the door closing signaled the end of Applejack's conversation, and she came back to their little group,

"Pinkie didn't seem happy 'bout that. She's definitely gettin' suspicious," she said.

"Right," Sparky agreed, "What we need is a way to keep her from getting too suspicious. If she spots any of us around town, especially you and Emerald, she'll probably try to come snooping around and ruin the surprise."

Emerald bit his lip as Sparky talked. It was true that Pinkie would find out if they were spotted.

A wicked grin split his face as the idea formed, and he gave a heavy cough to catch everyone's attention.

It wasn't that the plan itself made a lot of assumptions about Pinkie's reactions.

It wasn't that it was a long-con that relied on their ability to successfully trick Pinkie into, what amounted to, a wild goose chase.

Emerald's plan involved Twilight catching Pinkie's attention by heading out to get the cake early, taking it around town for almost ten minutes, then passing it off to Rarity, before heading back to the barn to help him and Applejack set up the party. Rarity would then do the same before giving it to Fluttershy. The cycle would then begin once more, until Fluttershy passed it off to Rainbow Dash, who'd provide them with whatever remaining time they needed.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cake!" she called to the older mare, closing the bakery door behind her. Mrs. Cake perked up, seemingly oblivious to the can that suddenly appeared and dangled from the ceiling on a string.

"Shh!" Twilight quickly shushed her, eyes darting to the can. Mrs. Cake followed her gaze and giggled slightly,

"Oh, I see. Of course, I'll be right out with it!" she said, trotting happily into the kitchen.

Admittedly, it was a decent plan. If Pinkie was as suspicious as they thought she was, something confirmed by the can on a string, then she would absolutely follow them around, trying to figure out what they were doing.

Though, she hoped that Pinkie wouldn't just give up partway through. Then again, Pinkie wasn't the kind of pony to do things halfway.

"Here it is!" Mrs. Cake sang as she came back into the room, sliding the box containing the cake onto the counter, "It's already paid for," she added, before sending a glance to the can, "Be careful," Twilight nodded,

"Of course, and thank you Mrs. Cake!" she said, quickly trotting out the door. She cast a glance up towards the second floor window where Pinkie's room was, and smirked slightly when she saw Pinkie staring at the other can with narrowed eyes.

Tearing her gaze away, Twilight set about her task, sticking close to the edge of the road so it was clear she was sneaking around, but not so far that Pinkie wouldn't spot her.

It was as she was passing around the corner that she spotted Pinkie, wearing a brown fedora and a pair of fake glasses fit with a nose, that she knew she was successful.

"Ya think everythin' will go alright?" Applejack asked in between blowing up balloons, "I mean, I know Pinkie's a bit odd, but are ya sure she'll do everythin' ya think she will?"

"I'm sure that if things don't go the way we want, Sparky will be more than smart enough to figure everything out," he replied, taking a moment to hover back a bit and inspect the banner.

"Aren't you?" he asked, turning to face her, "She's your friend, after all," Applejack snickered,

"Don't even start," Emerald snapped immediately, his quick response causing her to laugh. He sighed at her laughter, taking a moment to readjust his goggles. The motion seemed to catch Applejack's eye, as she stopped laughing moments later.

"Ya know... did I ever thank ya fer helpin' us save Rarity from those Mutts?" she asked suddenly, nearly throwing Emerald off with the sudden topic.

"No," he responded honestly, "And you really don't need to," he added, "I don't want you supposedly 'owing' me a second debt," he snapped.

"Ya really should learn ta let others thank you," Applejack said, smirk fading, "It ain't good fer anypony ta just brush 'em away like that. Hurts the soul, my Granny says."

The two of them lapsed into silence after that, but it was broken a few minutes later by the timely arrival of their favourite bookworm.

"Hey Applejack, Emerald," Sparky greeted, inching inside the barn, before glancing around, "Wow, you two managed to do a lot by yourselves!" she noted, surprised.

There were still a few boxes left lying on the ground, filled with ribbons and table covers, but from the look of things, the two of them had set up the banner, most of the balloons, and even the record player.

"Thanks," Emerald said, landing on the ground, stretching his legs a bit as he was reacquainted with the floor, "So, how'd it go?" he asked. Sparky sighed, but nodded,

"It went almost exactly as you said," she replied, sounding both amused and exasperated by the admission, "She managed to eavesdrop on me and Mrs. Cake, and started following me around when I left."

"Great!" Applejack said, "Thanks gives us plenty'a time ta set the rest of these up!" she announced with a smile, gently nudging the box full of streamers, "Think ya can handle it, Twilight?" she asked with a grin. Sparky scoffed, but smiled as her horn lit up,

Both Sparky and Rarity played their roles perfectly! Able to keep Pinkie's attention while still making their way to the barn undetected to help finish setting up couldn't have been as easy for them as Emerald had predicted, but they had surpassed his expectations by leaps and bounds, and he was genuinely proud of their efforts, even if he'd never admit it.

So, it was at this moment, as Emerald was smirking to himself at the good execution of one of his plans, when it hit him.

He frowned. Surely something must've happened by now? Pinkie, as naive and trusting as she was, was not stupid. He knew how smart the pink pony could be, even if she herself didn't realize it.

So... what was going on? Pinkie should have realized by now that something was amiss, or at least recognize the pattern in her friend's movements. Even if his plan was banking on the fact that she'd be too distracted to realize it, he was still expecting her to figure everything out at some point, or at least for something to derail the whole thing to happen along the way.

Perhaps it was because of this expectation of his, that he didn't start panicking when Fluttershy arrived far too early, followed minutes later by Crash suddenly bursting though the barn door, nearly crashing into him, and actually crashing into Sparky, who was gently hammering in a nail in the wall with her magic.

Though when he heard Pinkie start banging at the door, demanding that Crash come out, he considered just jumping out the window.

After all, he'd never heard Pinkie sound so... aggravated, and considering how cheerful she usually was, it was surprisingly unnerving to hear.

"RAINBOW DASH!!!" Pinkie shouted once more, causing the entire group inside to flinch, "COME OUT HERE AND TELL ME WHY YOU DIDN'T WANNA COME TO GUMMY'S PARTY!!!"

Emerald glanced around, hoping to see if any of the others were willing to face her, but a gentle shove from Sparky, and he understood that he was to be the sacrifice.

He sighed, before putting on a false disgruntled expression, and headed over to the door, peeking his head out,

"What the fuck is with all the shouting?" he snapped, meeting Pinkie's glare. Her gaze burrowed back into his own, the sight of her narrowed eyes and down turned mouth giving her a serious air, which contrasted with her poofy mane almost humorously.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, tilting her head. The question stunned him for a moment, but he frowned,

"I told you I'd be here, remember?" he asked, wondering if Pinkie was about to make a point, "I'm helping Mac fix this damn place up."

"Can I take a look around inside?" she asked, her gaze turning suspicious once more.

"Yeah, and she flew out the window in the back just as quickly," he said, "Moron nearly sent Mac's toolkit tumbling down on my head," he snarled, figuring it would sell his false irritation, before pretending to forcibly calm himself, "We got a bunch of shit just laying around. One wrong move and everything's ruined," he explained, easily.

Pinkie's gaze narrowed further, as if she was trying to kill him with her stare alone. Emerald met her eyes with little difficulty. Unnerving as her mannerisms currently were, she was still Pinkie, and, therefore, not intimidating in the least.

"Okie dokie lokie," she eventually relented, backing away without breaking eye contact until she hit the tree line.

She took a moment to pick herself back up from her unplanned fall, and quickly made her way back towards town.

Emerald watched her for a moment, to make sure she didn't come back, and sighed when it became clear she'd left. He turned back to the girls, shutting the door behind him,

It had taken another hour of work, but with the combined help of Sparky and most of her friends, it went by much smoother than Emerald had anticipated, barring the previous near failure.

He'd really underestimated how much effort these girls were willing to put in for their friend, and he, genuinely finding himself lost in the atmosphere, ended up putting just as much work into his tasks as they did.

... Yes, it was only fair he did everything he could to make this special for her.

"This is amazin'," Applejack agreed, grinning at the sight of the decorated barn interior.

Large blue ribbons hung from the various banisters around the room, while dozens of balloons floated up to the ceiling, with only a hoofful remaining tethered to the ground. A massive pink banner stretched across the width of the room, easily the most eye-catching thing in the area. The table full of presents was at the farthest end of the barn, and the cake was on full display at the center of the room, reading 'Happy Birthday Pinkie!' in cheerful pink frosting. It even depicted the smiling face of the birthday pony herself, though Emerald wasn't too sure how she'd feel eating her own face.

Of course, that wasn't all as Rarity had even taken the time to craft several party hats for the group.

White with purple stars for Sparky. Blue with white and purple diamonds for herself. White with red apples for Applejack. Green with pink butterflies for Fluttershy. Light blue with multicoloured clouds for Crash, though she opted not to wear it. And even a green hat with blue question marks for himself.

Of course Pinkie's hat was the most special, being gold with bright, pink balloons on it.

"Pinkie's going to love this!" Fluttershy gushed quietly, smiling hard enough that a faint tinge of red spread across her cheeks,

"Oh, absolutely!" Rarity added, "Why, I'm not sure even Pinkie herself could top this!"

"Alright girls! Emerald!" Sparky began, "All that's left is the birthday pony herself!" she cheered, "The very... angry... not at all happy... birthday... pony..." Sparky trailed off, having gotten quieter with every word, before she raised it once more, "So, um... who wants to go get her?" she asked.

They were all silent for a minute, before, as if of one mind, the five mares all turned to Emerald.

He glanced back at them, not quite registering what they were implying, then groaned once he did.

He wasn't sure what it was though, but, whatever it was, it sent shivers down his spine.

For starters, the streets were inexplicably empty. Not a single other soul in sight. Couple that with the fact that Pinkie's room had only a faint light shining out the window, and his trepidation only worsened.

Regardless, he made his way inside, casting a quick glance around, finding no traces of Mr. or Mrs. Cake anywhere.

He assumed they were out at the doctor's again, rather than let himself believe it had anything to do with the sense of wrongness that only worsened.

He carefully made his way up the stairs towards Pinkie's room, not at all expecting anything to come jumping out at him, really.

He stopped just outside Pinkie's door, but just before he went to knock, he heard... voices. Several from the sound of it.

Although, that wasn't possible. Pinkie was the only living thing in the room, aside from Gummy, that could possibly be making any sound, yet...

Some mare he didn't quite recognize, or rather, didn't want to recognize, was laying on her back, spread across a table, moving around a bunch of stuff that was set up around the table, such as a pile of rocks, a bucket of turnips, some... lint? There was also a large bag of flour, and all four of them were wearing party hats.

The mare herself looked... remarkably like Pinkie. Pink mane and tail, pink coat, baby blue eyes, and even her cutie mark was the same.

But even so, with her flat mane and tail, depressed demeanor, there was simply no way that this mare could be Pinkie.

Not-Pinkie perked up at the sound of the door opening, and flipped over onto her stomach, and stared at him.

"Emerald?" she asked. Stars, even her voice sounded like Pinkie's, but... still, she couldn't be...

"By the stars..." Emerald muttered, "Pinkie, what the fuck is going on?" he asked, looking around at the assembled items.

"Oh nothing much," she responded, sliding down onto the group, "I'm just spending time with my real friends. Isn't that right, Madame Le Flour?" she asked the bag next to her. She suddenly grabbed the very bag in question, and started moving it, "Oui! Zat is correct!" Pinkie said, using a prench accent.

"Oooookay..." he muttered, taking a step forward, "Pinkie... maybe you should come with me. I know you're curious about what's going on, and-" Pinkie interrupted him by ducking under the table and shoving the bucket of turnips towards him,

"She isn't going anywhere," she made the bucket say, using a deep, slow voice. Emerald blinked, and stepped around the bucket,

"Seriously Pinkie," he began, "you need to stop messing around and-" he was cut off once more, only by the pile of rocks this time,

"She ain't goin' anywheres with you, chump!" the rocks/Pinkie said in a thick Manehatten accent. His eyes twitched once more, but he refrained from just knocking the damn things over. He didn't know how 'killing' her little friends would affect her current mental state, which was unstable enough as is. Last thing he needed was for her to completely snap and do Faust-knows-what.

With that thought in mind, Emerald merely shoved the stool and rocks to the side, making sure he didn't knock them over as he did so.

"Pinkie," he said, watching as she popped out from underneath the table, opposite him, "You really need to come with me. Your friends are waiting for you at the barn," he said calmly. Pinkie 'humph'ed, crossing her hooves,

"I told you. My friends are all right here!" she said, with an air of finality as she turned her nose up at him,

"But aren't you curious?" he asked, his voice taking on a airy tone, she cracked an eye open, and her gaze lowered to meet his, "After all, we've been avoiding you all day, and don't you want to know why?" he pressed. Pinkie's hooves uncrossed, and she regarded him much like one would a starving manticore.

"Really?" he asked, taking slow steps around the table, circling her, "Not even the smallest, tiniest spark of curiosity? You saw the box, didn't you?" he asked. Pinkie swallowed, but nodded, her eyes locked onto him as he came close, only to slip past her, "What could be so important that we'd all turn down your party, and work so very hard to keep hidden from you?" he incited, his back was to her now, "Doesn't it just eat at you?" Pinkie fidgeted, and remained silent for a moment, then she nodded,

"... Yes," she admitted. Emerald grinned wickedly, but it remained hidden from the mare,

Emerald and Pinkie took almost ten minutes to arrive, and Emerald's patience had nearly hit its limit.

Throughout the whole journey, Pinkie had started asking question after question about what they had been doing, and why they didn't want to come to her party, with his only response being 'You'll find out when we get there.'

A small part of him wondered if Pinkie was getting some sort of revenge on him for being a part of the whole thing, but he disregarded it.

The barn loomed above them, looking strangely foreboding despite what he knew lay inside.

"Alright, here we are," Emerald said, sparing a glance at Pinkie, watching in interest as she inspected the barn.

Emerald didn't give her a response, instead slipping through the door quickly. The barn was dark, the open windows from earlier having been shut.

Despite this, he could still see perfectly fine, allowing him the knowledge of where each of the girls were hiding,

"She's coming!" he whispered, darting forward, strapping on his own party hat, just as the barn door creaked open.

"SURPRISE!!" the six of them shouted, though Emerald's voice was lost amongst the others. Pinkie stood there, the sunlight streaming in from behind her, silhouetting her frozen form.

Despite this, Emerald managed to see Pinkie's eyes darting around the room, landing once on the banner, the presents, each of them, and, finally, the cake.

He noted that the others were staring at Pinkie with a mixture of worry and trepidation as Pinkie's head lowered, her straight mane hiding her face from the group.

"Gosh, I thought she'd be more excited," Fluttershy muttered, looking concerned.

"Excited?" Pinkie's voice cut through the silence, "Excited?!" she said, louder this time, her head snapping up, a look of righteous fury in her eyes, "Why would I be excited for my own FAREWELL PARTY?!?!"

"Wait, what?" was Crash's response, not that Emerald could fault her for it, as his was much the same. Rarity, however, seemed to regain her composure much faster than the rest,

"Pinkie, why ever would you think that?" she asked. Pinkie huffed, much like an angry bull would, and started advancing on the group,

"Maybe it's because you all kept avoiding me all day and didn't want to come to Gummy's after-birthday party because you don't like my parties and don't want to be my friends anymore!! THAT'S WHY!!"

Pinkie huffed angrily, completely out of breath from that little outburst. Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat, and approached the time bomb that was currently Pinkie,

"Look, sugarcube, I know what we did was terrible, and I'm awful sorry 'bout all the sneakin' around, but... we've been plannin' this fer months!"

""Ahem,"" was the united response from both Emerald and Sparky, who were staring at Applejack, not amused. She gave a sheepish laugh,

"Hehe, well... most of us," she corrected, then shook her head, "Point is, this ain't a 'Farewell' party, Pinkie."

"Yeah, if it was, then why does the birthday cake we got you say 'Happy Birthday Pinkie!' on it?" Sparky asked, using her magic to tilt the cake to show Pinkie.

The mare in question stood there for a moment, her eyes once more roaming around the room, before, as if a bomb suddenly went off, her mane poofed outward,

"Because it's my birthday!" she shouted gleefully, lunging forward, forcefully bringing the room into massive group hug, "I can't believe I forgot about my own birthday!" she added, voice nearly cracking from excitement,

"Yeah, nobody does that..." Emerald muttered, earning a laugh from her, before she unceremoniously dropped them all.

"I... I can't believe I ever doubted you..." Pinkie muttered, gently kicking at the ground, looking sad,

"I'm just glad we weren't all replaced by turnips," Emerald quipped, causing Pinkie to blush.

Twilight smiled to herself as she closed the library door behind her. That had been such a wonderful little party, as well as just a little eye-opening.

She nodded to herself and used her magic to grab a quill, some ink, and a bit of parchment.

It really was a wonderful party, and she was glad to have been one of the ones who prepared the whole thing.

But perhaps the most interesting part of the whole experience, was one particular interaction she had with Emerald. Specifically, just after Pinkie had finished opening his gift, that simple little envelope.

The way Pinkie's face shifted from confusion, to understanding, to joy, to sadness, and then right back into joy was not something that she'd forget anytime soon.

Pinkie had latched onto him, crying for nearly the rest of the party, only letting go to eat cake and play with Gummy. Initially, she and the girls, especially Rainbow Dash, were... concerned about what his gift was, but, after he explained, Twilight could feel a slight lurch in her chest.

According to Emerald, and later confirmed by Pinkie herself, Salt Lick City was where she was born.

Salt Lick City was a port town near the South Luna Ocean on the other side of a desert, making it a fairly popular, and difficult to get to, tourist destination. Twilight had been there, once, though it hadn't really been planned. The Princess had some business down there, though Twilight still didn't know what, and she had only been a filly.

The Princess had refused to let her come, no matter how much she begged, and, in an act of rebellion that, frankly, terrified her now-twenty-one-year-old-self, she had snuck onto the Princess' chariot and hitched a ride to Salt Lick City.

Of course she had been too scared of getting lost in the new area to actually leave the chariot, and, in hindsight, the Princess had probably noticed her at some point and asked the guards to keep her there if she tried to leave.

Regardless, those tickets had to have cost over four hundred bits! Combine its popularity with the distance required to travel from Ponyville to Salt Lick, and the price alone discouraged most visitors. Make it a round trip ticket, and the price doubled.

Twilight smiled at the memory. Really, it helped paint a picture of just what kind of pon-er-stallion he was.

The Champion of Harmony

by Voxum

Party of None