Always one to be known for her ability to do things that no one else thought possible, not very many things ever truly phased Pinkie Pie. This was the very same pony who giggled at the ghostly and found even Discord's chaos to be amusing at first (her mood had quickly changed).
So it was something to be said when the pink party pony was surprised one day to see Yona dragging a huge instrument the likes of which Pinkie had never seen before. It seemed to take all the strength the little yak had just to carry the instrument without dropping it. But what was probably most surprising was the huge number of pipes the instrument had. It was far more than seemed suitable for such an instrument.
But although music wasn't her calling in life, Pinkie still prided herself on being able to play just about any musical instrument. And in less time than it seemed to take those who were musicians to learn their craft. So the party pony approached Yona, innocently tapping her on the hoof. "Hey there, Yona! Whatcha got there?!"
Yona groaned as she continued to lug the heavy instrument along. "Sorry, Professor Pinkie. Yona not in mood to talk. Yona need to find place to practice yovidaphone. Yovidaphone is gift from yak parents so Yona not feel homesick."
"Oh, a yovidaphone? That's cool!" Pinkie declared. "Sounds like it'd be fun to say!"
Yona just replied while lugging the yoviadphone behind her. "Not fun to carry yovidaphone around. Too heavy even for yak. And Yona not know where Yona can practice."
"Well as Twilight would probably say 'We should take it outside.'," The pink party pony declared. "I know the perfect spot to practice. I go there all the time when I want to play something. Did I mention I can play ten instruments all at once? I'm a one pony band!"
Yona became amazed, stopping in her tracks as she turned to face Pinkie Pie. "Professor play instruments and play them good?"
"Yesarooni!" Pinkie proudly proclaimed.
The young yak smiled. "Then professor should play yoviadphone! That way professor can give Yona lessons and Yona can impress friends!"
"Wait, you've never played the yoviadphone before?" Pinkie inquired of Yona.
Yona answered her professor's question with a nod. "Yona not get chance to learn back in Yakyakistan. Yona only glimpse at yoviadphone players in music hut, want to play just like them," She then shot the unsuspecting party pony the most convincing pair of pleading, puppy dog eyes she could muster up. "Professor will learn how to play and then teach yak, right? Professor good with all instruments."
Despite having some experience with the pleading eyes due to foalsitting the Cake Twins, the usually strong willed pink party pony found herself unable to resist the look Yona was giving her. It was the kind of face you just couldn't say no to if you had a heart. "Well, I wouldn't say all instruments. But I can still play anything decently enough with practice. Once I'm comfortable with it we can start working on lessons together after school."
Yona set the yoviadphone down and ran up and tackled Pinkie into a hug! "Professor Pinkie Pie is best professor! Professor do a huge favor for yak! Yona look forward to lessons!"
"All in good time, Yona. I haven't even started playing it yet. It may take some time before I'm ready to give you lessons." Pinkie cautioned to the young yak. She couldn't have known at that the time she was making a promise that was going to place a huge burden, not only upon herself but upon her friends as well. And when it was all over, she was going to learn just how far her skills with musical instruments really went.
Pinkie was soon left alone with the yoviadphone in all its massiveness. Small wonder why this was the instrument of choice for yaks. It seemed like one would need the strength of a yak to stand any chance of holding it and playing it for any period of time without tiring yourself out.
Still, a promise was a promise. Just because it wasn't a 'Pinkie Promise' didn't mean it was a promise Pinkie would be okay with breaking.
Taking advantage of the fact that she currently had no classes to teach, Pinkie Pie grabbed the yoviadphone as best one could. "It's like a portable orgen, except even heavier!" She thought to herself. Still, she somehow found the strength to haul the heavy instrument out of the school.
The party pony took it to the spot where she usually went when she wanted to be alone and practice whatever musical instrument currently captivated her interest. A secluded spot not far from the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Aside from the occasional visit from Fluttershy, no one ever visited this location. Which made it the perfect practice spot. You could play to your heart's content no matter how bad you were and no one would ever have to know. Then once you were good enough at the instrument, you could start playing in town and in buildings (so long as ponies didn't complain about the noise).
Clutching the yoviadphone, Pinkie examined the instrument from top to bottom to try and determine how it was to be played. It didn't come with any sort of instruction manuel but that never stopped Pinkie. She always figured it out eventually.
"Ah, here we go!" The pink coated earth pony declared at last. She held the pump part of the instrument with her hooves so that it was just above the ground, and had the mouth piece close to her snout. The pipes were pointed upward. "Okie dokie. And one, and a two, and a 'I know what to do'!" And with that she proceeded to blow into the instrument as hard as she could.
What had originally been a peaceful, uneventful day in Ponyville soon turned into a frantic commotion as a low, rumbling sound suddenly came echoing in from out of nowhere! The sound waves generating vibrations that could be felt for miles and miles.
Some ponies just plugged their ears by whatever means they could manage: Be it hay, cotton balls, or if they were lucky ear plugs. Others had more "interesting" reactions to the disturbance.
In the house shared by Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch, Octavia was just about to start practicing her set piece for a gig she was slated to perform in Canterlot next week. Suddenly, the rumbling shook the house, knocking Octavia's notes on the floor! "Ugh!" She groaned as she moved to pick them up. "How many times do I have tell Vinyl not to play her wubs so loudly?! I swear, I have half a mind to rip those stupid headphones off her ears and make her listen to the music she bombards me with!" The earth pony trotted into the next room, determined to give her roommate a piece of her mind.
But to Octavia's surprise, Vinyl wasn't at her turntable and neither was the massive device turned on. Vinyl was sound asleep on the couch, an empty pizza box lay on the floor alongside a bottle of sarsaparilla. The DJ actually didn't have her headphones on, nor her signature purple shades that covered up her violet-red eyes. Somehow, the unicorn was able to sleep right through the noise.
Octavia sighed. "That Vinyl. I could practically sit on her and she wouldn't wake up. Guess you can't help who you move in with."
Meanwhile, the noise and vibrations had reached the School of Friendship, startling teacher and student alike. But nowhere was it felt more than in Twilight's office. All the pictures and trophies that were on the walls shook, threatening to fall and break!
"T-T-Twilight!" Spike yelled amidst the rumbling. "What's h-h-happening?! Is it an earthquake?!"
"I... don't... know!" Twilight yelled back. "It doesn't... feel... like... an earthquake!"
"W-w-what are we g-g-going to do?!" Spike shouted.
Twilight shouted back at him. "Wait for the rumbling... to stop! Then we'll... figure out what's causing this... and stop it!"
The rumbling and shaking seemed to go on forever. And if the noise wasn't bothering ponies the vibrations from the soundwaves definitely were.
But then, just as mysteriously as the noise and its effects had arrived they vanished. Everypony in Ponyville and everyone at the School of Friendship breathed a much needed sigh of relief. The town hadn't been destroyed, nothing had been broken.
"Finally!" Spike declared as he emerged from beneath Twilight's desk. "I thought I was going to go deaf for a moment there."
"Well, it looks like we're all okay," Twilight commented as she pulled her wings out of her ears (she had used her wings as makeshift ear plugs and had also used them as a shield in case anything might fall on her). "We should probably go check on the students though, and make sure they're okay."
But there was no need for that. At that very moment the door to Twilight's office burst open and numerous students started talking (or rather shouting) all at once.
"I thought the Storm King had come back!" Silverstream exclaimed with worry. "I got so scared I had to turn into a seapony to hide!"
"Ah, so that's what you were doing in the shower earlier!" Smolder realized. "I just thought you were practicing your whale singing."
Silverstream shook her head. "You don't understand, a noise like that could've only been a warning. In Seaquestria, we had an early warning system in case the Storm King ever showed up again while we were on the surface."
Sandbar was quick to reply. "Well it wasn't a warning, I can tell you that much. Whatever it was though, it sounded really bad."
"It's bad enough my grades aren't where they should be, now I can't even study without some kind of annoying interruption!" Gallus complained. "Is a little peace and quiet too much to ask for around here?"
"It doesn't sound like anything I read about. And it wasn't anything I could transform into either," Ocellus added. "It sounded like a creature was in distress though."
Silverstream gasped! "Oh dear! I sure hope that poor creature isn't hurt! We should tell Professor Fluttershy so she can take it to her sanctuary to get better."
While the other students were all talking and debating what to do about the noise, Yona remained silent. She had a pretty good hunch as to what the noise had been. "Could that have been Professor Pinkie Pie? Is that what yovidaphone sound like?" The yak thought to herself.
Fluttershy poked her head into the room. "What's this I hear about a hurt creature?"
"Oh, Professor Fluttershy, thank goodness you're here!" Gallus exclaimed as the griffon flew up to him. "Ocellus thinks some random creature's been hurt, and that's what caused that awful noise we just heard. Can you go calm it down so the rest of us can get back to studying?"
"I don't think that sounded like a creature. Not one that I've heard, anyway." Fluttershy pondered.
Twilight simply rose from her desk. "Well whatever or whoever it is, we can't allow anything to interfere with the functions of this school and put our students in danger," She firmly declared. "Fluttershy, round up the girls. We're going to investigate the source of that noise!"
But Fluttershy gulped. "Um, there's just one problem with that, Twilight. Pinkie Pie's missing, I haven't seen her anywhere in the school since I got here."
"Odd. Even when she's not teaching class, Pinkie usually stays at the school all day." The alicorn pondered.
"Think that's related to whatever was making that awful sound?" Spike suggested. "Because I'll bet you anything it's not a coincidence."
"I don't know if it is or isn't, Spike. But we're going to find out!" Twilight responded. Then she told the students. "Everyone, please return to your dormitories. Your professors and I will investigate the source of the noise."
A short time later, Twilight and the rest of her friends (minus Starlight who had stayed behind with Spike to keep the school running) were rushing towards the Everfree Forest. Everypony they'd talked to had said that the noise had originated from there.
As they entered the forest, the awful noise was heard once again. It didn't seem to be nearly as loud or as powerful as what had come before it. But that didn't mean it was any more tolerable, because it wasn't.
"Goodness, if that's an animal I sure hope it's not suffering too much." Fluttershy nervously commented.
"It feels like listening to one of Spitfire's third degree lectures," Rainbow complained. "My ears are still ringing from the last one. I don't think they can take much more."
"Hold on, everypony! I see the clearing up ahead! Whoever or whatever's behind this disturbance has to be there!" Twilight instructed.
The five mares all rushed into the clearing and to their surprise they saw... Pinkie Pie? And was it their imaginations, or was she awkwardly holding some kind of weird instrument that looked like a sack had been fused with a bunch of flutes?
Pinkie turned to greet her friends with her usual, cheerful smile. "Hello, girls. I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Pinkie Pie, what in the world is that?!" Rarity demanded.
Pinkie smiled. "Oh, this? It's a yovidaphone, the traditional instrument of choice for the yaks. Yona gave it to me this morning."
Applejack shot back a look of confusion. "A what now?"
"A yovidaphone, silly," Pinkie answered with a giggle. "I've been practicing for over an hour now."
"Wait, that was you who was making that awful commotion?!" Rainbow realized.
The pink party pony blushed. "Oh, sorry about that. But as you can clearly see, I'm still very rusty with this new instrument. I think I'm getting better though, that second practice session wasn't anywhere near as bad as the first one. I was just about to start another practice session, wanna hear?"
Rainbow immediately threw her hooves down at Pinkie's feet and pleaded. "Please, don't! I'm serious!"
Rarity was quick to add. "Pinkie, what you choose to do on your time is your business. But don't you have better things to do than to play some random instrument all day?"
"But I have to get better at it! I just have to!" The party pony protested. "I promised Yona that as soon as I got the hang of the yovidaphone, I'd give her lessons! I can't go back on that promise!"
Twilight spoke up. "Well you'll just have to wait and practice later, Pinkie. Preferably somewhere where you won't cause a disturbance. For right now though, you have classes to teach. And if I have to take that... whatever it is you just called it away, I will."
"No need for that, Twilight," Pinkie replied as she eyed the instrument. "I'll just go put this away somewhere. I can practice more once school's done for the day. And once I master it, I'll give you all front row seats to a yovidaphone concert! You're gonna love it!" She tried to bounce away but the heavy weight of the yovidaphone slowed her down and prevented her from doing so. So she just carried the instrument and walked.
Once Pinkie was out of range, Applejack couldn't help but comment. "Not sure about the rest of y'all but anypony else think that sounded like an apple core caught up in a pulp grinder?"
"Applesolutely... er, eh... absolutely," Rarity replied. "That yovidaphone's so loud I could barely hear myself think while Pinkie was practicing it. Even Scootaloo's singing wasn't as bad before Sweetie Belle started giving her lessons on the side. And dear Celestia did Scootaloo have quite the set of pipes!"
"Yeah. Don't tell the kid I said this, but her singing used to be so loud it could wake the dead." Rainbow commented as she nervously massaged the back of her neck with a hoof.
Fluttershy was quick to change the topic back to Pinkie Pie. "But Pinkie Pie clearly enjoys playing the yovidaphone, and she did seem to get a little bit better. It's not right to tell her to stop playing just because she's not good at it."
"We just need to try and be supportive of her in this new hobby," Twilight instructed to the others. "I'm sure she'll either get the hang of it or grow tired of it soon, and then this will all be a fond memory. Though I think we need to make it perfectly clear to Pinkie, no yovidaphone playing in class. We don't need to frighten our students again."
Although the yovidaphone lingered at the back of her mind all day, Pinkie managed to put it aside in order to teach class. She was glad that Yona didn't ask her how the yovidaphone sessions were coming along or when they could start lessons.
When class was over and the school finished for the day, the party pony could barely contain her excitement as she retrieved the yovidaphone from a broom closet. "Sorry I had to stuff you in there like that. From now on I'll probably just leave you in a more comfortable location," She said to the instrument. "But for now, I think it's time I took you home with me. Maybe get one more practice session in before then."
Said practice session came and went without fanfare. Pinkie made some progress on the yovidaphone, far more than she was certain anyone would've expected of her in the span of a single day. But as Celestia's sun began to set in the west, bathing all of Ponyville in the soft, orange glow of evening, Pinkie knew it was time to go home. Sugarcube Corner would be a much better place to store a yovidaphone than some dusty old broom closet at Twilight's school.
When Pinkie lugged the heavy instrument in through the front door, it wasn't long before Mr. and Mrs. Cake took notice of it. Mrs. Cake in particular seemed quite concerned. "Pinkie, what is that thing and where did you get it?"
"Oh, this? It's a yovidaphone. I'm learning how to play it so I can give Yona lessons," Pinkie answered. "I've been practicing quite a lot. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it already."
"That's fine, Pinkie, dear. Just please don't play it indoors," Mrs. Cake instructed the mare. "Carrot Cake and I don't want you scaring away customers, or waking the twins. You know how hard it is to put them down for bed."
Pinkie gave a firm salute. "No worries, Mrs. Cake. I already have the perfect practice spot I can go to at any time."
Mr. Cake breathed a sigh of relief. "Then you can just go there whenever you find the time. Starting tomorrow of course. Once you've gotten good at playing that yoviwhatever it was you said though, I hope you'll allow Cup Cake, the twins, and I the chance to hear you play it."
"Got it, I'll be sure to save you seats to my yovidaphone concert!" Pinkie eagerly replied. "Better start planning now because I have a feeling I'm gonna be a master of this sweet new instrument by the end of the week!"
Several days passed with Pinkie increasingly spending what time she could spare playing the yovidaphone. Whether it was before classes started for the day, between classes when possible, or after classes had finished for the day. And each time the awful noise would be heard again.
Sure, as the week progressed it grew softer and softer. Soon, nopony in town could ever tell you that Pinkie had been playing the yovidaphone at all.
But to those who knew the party pony best, they could tell that something was not right. It was subtle changes in her behavior and appearance that clued them in. Changes that other ponies (and even most of the students) dismissed without fanfare.
Pinkie's friends, however (as well as the Cakes) saw her mane and tail become ever so slightly disshelved as the days went by. Almost as if Pinkie had stopped grooming them. Her eyes would twitch on occasion when they should've always been blinking. And she continued to talk about the yovidaphone as if that was all that mattered.
Eventually, the concerned friends all gathered at Sugarcube Corner to discuss what to do. All agreed that their party planning friend's new found hobby had now become an obsession, but they were at a loss as to how to break the news to her and what she needed.
"Maybe there's still a way she can practice the yovidaphone without bothering anyone?" Fluttershy suggested.
Twilight seemed to nod her head. "I could always try to cast a sound proofing bubble or something, and she could keep playing to her heart's content."
"So we just hope she wears herself out eventually?" Applejack remarked with a raised eyebrow. "Sugarcube, you've been down that road before. Remember when you were too scared to tell Princess Celestia the truth about her siblin' squabble with Princess Luna? 'Bout the nightmare you told us about when you came back from Canterlot?"
Twilight let out a reluctant sigh. "Unfortunately, I do. I guess just ignoring the problem and pushing it off isn't going to work this time."
"We could always make her take some actual lessons," Rarity suggested to the others. "There must be somepony who's at least somewhat skilled in the yovidaphone, or knows what it sounds like. Or we could arrange for her to travel to Yakyakistan and watch how the yaks do it."
"That could take a long time to pull off, Rarity. And in the mean time, Pinkie's gonna keep on playing until she collapses!" Rainbow protested. "I say it's time we rip the bandage off. She's not getting any better at the yovidaphone, and she needs to stop obsessing over it! If she can't do that, then maybe we need to take it away from her until she comes to her senses!"
Fluttershy gulped. "That seems kind of extreme, Rainbow Dash. We shouldn't force her to give up on something just because she's not instantly good at it."
"But she can't keep goin' on like this," Applejack firmly insisted. "There's plenty of other things she can already do and do better than anyone. Bakin', throwin' parties, and spreadin' laughter all come to mind."
"She's not gonna be happy when we tell her the news," Twilight nervously commented. "We all know what happened the last time we broke bad news to her. She took it pretty harshly."
Rainbow just retorted. "Yet she bounced back with no problem just a short time later. If we just remind her of what she's already good at it, she'll forget all about her new obsession and then we can slowly ease her into lessons later if she feels up for it."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Applejack declared. "Any objections?"
A quick look around revealed that only Twilight still had any. "I just wish there was a better way to do this. It doesn't seem right."
"None of us like being the bearer of bad news, Twilight. But we all agree this is for the best," Rainbow declared. "The more of us that tell it to her, the better off she'll be." And with that it was settled, though poor Twilight wished more than anything it wasn't.
The next day, Twilight and the others were waiting for Pinkie when she left Sugarcube Corner with her yovidaphone. It didn't take a genius to figure out where she was going to go with it.
"Girls. My my, it sure is funny how we keep meeting like this," Pinkie chuckled. "I'd like to stay and chat, but I don't wanna waste a second practicing my yovidaphone. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it! Just a few more sessions and I'll be ready to giving Yona lessons! I haven't met an instrument yet that I couldn't play."
But the five gathered mares didn't reply. They all just looked at Pinkie with varying looks of concern and sadness.
"Hey, what's with the long faces?" The pink party pony questioned. "I haven't forgotten about that private concert for you girls. You'll all get front row seats too, and so will Starlight and Spike."
Applejack looked across to Twilight, as if she was asking the alicorn to do something. Twilight seemed to respond to the non-verbal cue as she stepped forward ever so reluctantly. "Pinkie..." She began but then hesitated, either unable or unwilling to bring herself to say anymore.
Fortunately, Applejack stepped forward to continue. "Listen, sugarcube. You've been playin' away on that yovidaphone for about a week now, I reckon. You don't seem to be gettin' any better."
"What are you talking about? My yovidaphone playing's gotten much better since I started practicing," Pinkie nervously laughed as her right eye twitched a bit. "If you don't believe you, you can come watch and listen for yourself."
"Pinkie, please!" Rainbow pleaded. "That yovidaphone is consuming you. It's no longer a hobby, it's an obsession. And if you don't stop it soon, that yovidaphone's going to be the only thing you ever think about! We'll sign you and Yona up for lessons as soon as we can, but in the mean time you need to stop playing so much! You barely even eat or sleep anymore."
Pinkie stumbled back. "What?! Who told you?!"
"The Cakes did, Pinkie," Twilight replied with a sigh. "And remember what I told you when you first began to play the yovidaphone? I warned you that I would take it away if I had to. As your friend, I hate to do this. And as founder and headmare of the school you teach at, I'm removing you from a distraction that's interfering with your teaching."
Rarity added. "Darling, you can already play so many other instruments. But no one can do everything, you're just one pony. And one pony, no matter how talented, can't master all the instruments in the world."
"I know that promise you made to Yona means a lot to you, but you had to know it was a promise you couldn't have kept," Fluttershy reluctantly chimed in. "Even if you could get a handle on the yovidaphone, how were you going to teach Yona? You only have one."
Pinkie began to tremble, her lips quivering. "But... but..."
"Please, Pinkie, think about all the ponies who are worried about you," Twilight pleaded. "For now at least, you need to lay off the yovidaphone. It's not healthy to devote so much time to that instrument, especially when you're not really getting better so much as you're not getting any worse," She began to light up her horn. "Now, I'm going to take your yovidaphone and put it someplace where you can't access it. I promise I'll talk to Prince Rutherford as soon as I can about yovidaphone lessons, and you and Yona can both learn from watching the experts. Until then, you can't play the yovidaphone anymore. You can play any other instruments you want, but the yovidaphone is off limits."
"But it makes me happy to be able to play it!" Pinkie protested as she clutched the yovidaphone tightly. "Don't make me have to give it up, Twilight!"
Twilight only shook her head, her tone of voice reflecting how hurt she was by this decision. "Your happiness shouldn't depend on how well you can play an instrument, Pinkie. You of all ponies should know that happiness can come from a variety of things. That's one of the first lessons you taught me. Now please, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."
The pink party pony was slow to relinquish her grasp on the yovidaphone. But somehow she willed herself to do it. And it was by doing so that she came to a realization. "Twilight and my friends are right. I have become obsessed with that yovidaphone! Can't believe I never noticed!" She thought to herself.
"There," Twilight said at last, as the yovidaphone was firmly within the hold of her magic. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Pinkie. But you'll thank me for this later."
"I already am, Twilight," Pinkie sorrowfully commented. "Thank you for helping me to break free of the yovidaphone's hold over me," Then she let out a sigh. "Guess I'll have to explain to Yona that her lessons won't be coming anytime soon. Probably not ever." And she trotted away without another word.
Unfortunately, even after the yovidaphone was put away things did not go back to normal. Most ponies didn't take notice, but those who were close to Pinkie noticed how her movements lacked the usual spring to their step.
Even the Cakes started to become worried and they had seen Pinkie at her worst far more than anyone else. Especially since they considered her family.
At first, everyone was certain that Pinkie's mood would return to normal eventually. It was natural that she'd have a hard time getting over the fact that she'd met an instrument that she couldn't master.
But as days passed, the party pony's behavior not only didn't improve but seemed to get worse. She still managed to force a smile when she was teaching class or working at Sugarcube Corner, but her actions seemed void of their usual passion. Even party planning and throwing didn't seem to have that usual Pinkie Pie flare.
So it was that another emergency friendship meeting was held. This time it took place at the School of Friendship itself, and Spike and Starlight were on it. The Cakes had come too for they had become increasingly troubled by what they'd been witnessing.
"This is serious. I haven't seen Pinkie Pie this upset since the time she was homesick back when Carrot and I first took her in," Mrs. Cake commented. "I hate seeing the poor dear all upset."
"I've tried to get her to talk about her feelings, but she keeps avoiding me," Starlight replied with a sigh. "My first break as a guidance counselor all semester, and I completely failed."
Spike put a claw around the unicorn. "Cheer up, Starlight. Pinkie Pie's a tough nut to crack anyways. I'm sure you did your best," Then he looked towards the others. "There's gotta be someway we can cheer Pinkie up. Someway to show her how much she really means to all of us, and that we don't care if she can play one hundred instruments or just one."
"The question is, how do we do it?" Rainbow Dash wondered.
"Well, what would Pinkie Pie do in a situation like this?" Rarity pondered. "If she was trying to cheer one of us up, what's the first thing she'd suggest?"
"A party!" Fluttershy realized. "But we tried to plan our own party before, and it didn't go so well. Not to mention what happened the time we threw Pinkie a surprise party."
Rainbow frowned. "Darn it, you're right! There's no way we can throw a party for Pinkie Pie and have it work! It'll look slapped together."
"It's the thought that counts though, right?" Applejack questioned.
Twilight nodded her head. "Even so, I think we need to pull out all the stops for this. Pinkie would do the same for us, so we should do the same for her."
Just then, Mr. Cake's eyes lit up. "I just thought of something! There is one pony who could help us. He's a party pony himself."
Mrs. Cake seemed to clue into what her husband was suggesting. "Honey bun, are you really sure we can get him? We don't even know how to contact him, let alone if he'll be available."
"If it's for Pinkie Pie, I'm sure he'll say yes," Mr. Cake replied. "And as for how we'll contact him, the answer is simple. If we start to plan the party, his 'Cheesie Sense' will tell him to come here. Then we can explain everything to him."
Twilight smiled as she nodded. "And while you do that, I'll talk with Mayor Mare about declaring the day of the party 'Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day'! It'll be just what the doctor ordered!"
"But how will we get Pinkie to come out and be part of the party?" Fluttershy questioned. "She's started to hole herself up inside her room, only coming out to teach."
Rainbow stood up and boldly declared. "Leave that to me! I know how to get through to her!"
A few days later, everything was ready. All the balloons had been set up and tied together (Twisty Pop had even made balloon animals for many of the party attendants), streamers hung from every rooftop and stand, two party cannons stood ready to fire off confetti at a moment's notice, there were sweets of all sorts, and above it all hung a massive banner that read: "Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day Party" (or P.P.A.D.P for short).
All that was missing was the guest of honor herself. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash was already on it. It had taken quite a lot of convincing, but she'd managed to get Pinkie Pie to leave her room. "You've really gotta come see this, Pinkie! It's gonna totally 'freak your frizz!' as you would say."
The pink party pony looked down at the ground as if it were much more interesting. "Whatever you say, Rainbow Dash." She commented in a flat tone of voice, her mane and tail having deflated ever so slightly.
"Just a little bit more, Pinkie. We're almost there!" Rainbow encouraged as they approached the center of Ponyville. Pinkie continued to look down at the ground even as she reached her destination.
"Hey, Pinkie, get your eyes up off the ground!" Spike commanded.
Reluctantly, Pinkie did so. When she did, her blue eyes could hardly believe the sight that greeted her!
The party cannons fired off as a chorus of voices shouted! "Happy Pinkie Pie Appreciation Day!" And then Pinkie's friends all rushed over to her before the mare had a chance to react.
Pinkie was rendered speechless! "Wowie!... You all did this for me?! Declaring a holiday in my honor?!"
"It was the least we could do to show how much you mean to us, all of us," Twilight declared. "Though if you really wanna thank somepony, thank the Cakes."
"Was the party their idea?" Pinkie questioned.
"Not really, but they played a big role in making it happen!" Twilight eagerly declared. "In fact, it was Mr. Cake's suggestion to get a certain somepony involved with the planning!"
Pinkie's eyes lit up like stars in the night sky! "You mean..."
Mr. Cake nodded as he trotted forward. "I do," He presented Pinkie with a letter. "Here, he wanted me to give you this. He regrets that he couldn't stay for the party itself, but his 'Cheesie Sense' called him elsewhere."
Pinkie snatched up the letter and her eyes scanned it. The letter read as follows:
Dear Pinkie Pie,
Heard you've been feeling down in the dumps lately, and that's a major bummer in the summer. I hope my helping your friends and your second family will ensure it's a success, and gets you to realize how special you already are.
There are many instruments you can play that I can't, and I'm perfectly okay with. Give me an accordion and I'll sing and dance like nopony's business!
We party ponies are jacks of many trades, but masters of only a few. That's just how it is in life. You can have multiple talents, but no one can do everything all by themselves.
If ever you should doubt yourself though, hopefully this party will remind you that you've got so many wonderful friends, and family. All of whom care about you, and couldn't care less if you're a master at the yovidaphone or not.
Your best friend (and fellow Super Duper Party Pony),
Cheese Alfred Sandwich
By the time Pinkie had finished reading the notes, tears were starting to well up in her eyes. "Oh, you girls are the best! And thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" She rushed over to the group, hugging each individual one by one. "I'm sorry I made you all worry. I can't believe I let myself get attached to that stupid yovidaphone."
"Sugarcube, we never said the yovidaphone was stupid," Applejack protested with a shake of her head. "And we didn't want ya to stop practicin' all together. We just figured you needed to take a little break from it."
"Yeah, and clear your head!" Rainbow added.
Rarity then grinned. "But if you still want to learn how to play that instrument and teach Yona, we have somepony who could give you some pointers."
"Indeed I can. Though mind you, I've only seen yovidaphone players once or twice in my life." A polished, elegant voice called out. The owner of the voice soon revealed itself as a goldish gray coated earth pony mare with a dark gray mane and tail that bordered on black, and grayish purple eyes. She had a cutie mark depicting a treble clef, and wore a pink bow around her neck.
Pinkie realized who that mare was at once! "You're that cello player from the Grand Galloping Gala! Octavia Melody, right?"
Octavia nodded as she bowed her head. "Correct, I am honored that you remember my name."
Pinkie gulped. "You're not still mad about what happened at the gala all those years ago, right?"
Octavia just replied. "While I certainly didn't appreciate the way you hijacked my band and forced us to play 'The Pony Pokey', the Grand Galloping Gala is but one of many gigs I've played. My career was doing just fine before it and has continued to do just fine after it. Besides, I'm not one to hold a grudge."
Pinkie wiped the sweat from her brows. "Oh, thank goodness," Then she added. "Say, would it be okay if I brought a guest along to our practice sessions? I kind of promised her I'd give her lessons, though I'm thinking maybe you could help teach her more about pony music."
Octavia smiled. "You refer to Yona Yak. Your friends already informed me of everything when they approached me. You can practice at my place to your heart's content. I've long since learned how to deal with loud noises, and Vinyl. Well, she can sleep through anything, with or without her headphones," Then she added. "But if you're willing to learn, don't expect me to be easy on you. I will give you lessons on the level of that of a professional. It will be difficult."
"That's alright," Pinkie declared. "I've got plenty of friends to relay on for support."
"Good," Octavia declared. "Then I expect you at my place tomorrow afternoon at three thirty sharp. And fair warning, I keep to a very strict schedule. So you'd best be there at the designated time."
The pink party pony smiled. "That won't be a problem, Octavia. I look forward to learning from you. And hopefully, Yona will learn something too."