Typical day, typical routine, typical job. Which was a bit of a letdown to the blue party pony since he worked in Ponyville’s most successful party goods store. Ever since his former village (where Starlight Glimmer had lied and manipulated him alongside many others), Party Favor had been making a living in ‘Fun Times, for all your Partying Needs’ under his boss, Ms. Novelty.
One would think working in a party store would be ideal for a party pony, except…
“Ugh, boring…” Party Favor uttered as he sat before the cash register, as he did every workday.
The problem was, Party Favor only got to sell party supplies, like balloons, streamers, confetti, wrapping paper, noise-makers, cheap plastic novelty items, but it had been so long since he’d actually thrown a party!
His little sister, Pinkie Pie, along with her coltfriend, Cheese Sandwich, were the recognized party ponies of Ponyville and though he offered his services as a party-planner to many customers, they always politely turned him down because they’d already asked Pinkie or Cheese to plan their parties. It didn’t matter that Party Favor was revealed to be Pinkie’s brother or that he was a party pony too.
He’d tried to show off his own party pony skills in Ponyville Park, where he’d make the most amazing balloon-sculptures and do silly acts that never failed to make the passerby smile and laugh, and even earn a little extra money. The problem was, he just wasn’t well-known enough for anypony to consider him when they already knew Pinkie and Cheese so well.
So as much as he enjoyed working for Ms. Novelty, the job was starting to lose some of its charm.
“Party, everything all right, hon?” Party looked from the register towards Ms. Novelty, a pegasus mare about Mrs. Cake’s age and figure, with a spring green coat and mane the color of orange sherbet. Her cutie-mark was a bunch of balloons tied to a goody bag, and she wore red cat eye glasses over her caramel brown eyes.
“I’m fine, Ms. Novelty, it’s just... “ Party Favor sighed, “I can’t remember the last time I threw a party for anything! Well, actually I can, but… it had some bad party crashers.”
Ms. Novelty felt her heart hurt when she noticed Party rub the burn scar on his chest without even realizing it. She’d heard what’d happened to Party Favor’s old village and once he and all his friends and neighbors had been welcomed to Ponyville, she’d added her name and store to a list that of others offering jobs to all these new ponies so they’d have an easier time settling in.
To her delight, Party Favor had been sent her way and she was ecstatic to have a real party pony working in her store… but nopony seemed interested in hiring him to plan a party for them. She didn’t blame Party Favor at all, but she knew how sad this must be making him.
“Party Favor, why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” Party Favor gaped at his boss as Ms. Novelty nodded kindly.
“Have a nice day out, get some fresh air, maybe even spend time with your sister, Pinkie Pie! Ha, it really knocked my horseshoes off when I found out you two are siblings.”
“Ms. Novelty, are you sure? I mean, I’m not even halfway through my shift,” Party Favor was hesitant. As much as he’d quickly come to love his sister, Pinkie, they were still getting to know each other.
“Oh, get outta here, hon, you’ll still be paid for the whole day,” Ms. Novelty insisted, “Besides, business has been a little slow lately. If it weren’t for Pinkie and Cheese being such frequent customers, my business would be struggling.”
Yet another reminder of how appreciated his sister and her coltfriend were and he wasn’t. He sighed but wore a smile as he said, “Thanks, Ms. Novelty. See you tomorrow?”
“Oh no, the store will be closed for the rest of the week, Party Favor,” Ms. Novelty informed him, “I’m actually taking a train early tomorrow to go visit my brother and his family. I’m really looking forward to seeing my nieces and nephews!
“So, you have the next four days off. Make the most of it and I’ll see you next week.”
As Ms. Novelty went back to her office, Party Favor gave it a thought before deciding, Maybe I should talk to Pinkie. I haven’t taken the time to spend some big brother-little sister time with her yet.
However, Party Favor didn’t find Pinkie Pie at her home and job at Sugarcube Corner, where Mr. & Mrs. Cake told him that Pinkie was going out of town for a few days but if he hurried he could see her before her train arrived.
Hurried he did, and he saw Pinkie standing on the platform with her friend, the white fashionista unicorn, Rarity. They were both excitedly discussing something and Party Favor felt uncertain as to whether he should interrupt them or bother Pinkie when she was about to head out. She made the decision for him however once she spotted him.
“Party Favor!!” Pinkie waved at him with a big smile, “C’mon over here! C’mon-c’mon-c’mon!”
Unable to hold back a chuckle at his sister’s exuberance and came her way, and she quickly closed the gap to wrap her forelegs around him in a big and supersqueezy hug, which left the blue unicorn briefly breathless before Pinkie let him go.
“Hiya, big brother, heehee!” Pinkie giggled, sounding so happy, “I love saying that so much, almost as much as I love you, Party Favor!”
“Uh-heh-heh, well, I was actually hoping to spend a little quality time with you, little sis,” Party Favor replied, sounding hopeful but at the same time a touch nervous.
“Well, Rarity and I are actually waiting for a train to take us to Manehatten,” Pinkie explained, “She’s scouting a location to open a new boutique and I’m gonna visit our sister, Maud! Wanna come?”
Party Favor hid his disappointment well, as he’d hoped that he could spend some time with Pinkie, he wasn’t really keen on sharing that time with Maud. Although they’d made amends back in Nickerlite during Hearth’s Warming, Party Favor and Maud’s relationship remained as vague and distant as Maud herself. It baffled him how Pinkie was so close to Maud when he himself had never been so.
“Um, actually…” Party Favor’s ears pressed downwards as he looked down at his hooves in slight disappointment. “I… just wanted to wish you luck with that! I think you and Maud will have a great time!”
Somehow, looking upon her brother and seeing the way he forced a far-too-wide smile, Pinkie could tell something wasn’t sitting well with him.
He seems… down, she thought before she was struck with inspiration!
“Well in that case, big brother, why don’cha hang out with Cheese?”
“Your… coltfriend? Really?” Party Favor was confused.
Pinkie nodded her head excitedly.
“Yeah! He’s been around me for some time, so hanging out with him could be like hanging out with me,” explained Pinkie with her typical Pinkie logic.
Party Favor gave it a thought and as weird as hanging out with his sister’s coltfriend sounded, especially after the way she worded it… it actually appealed to him somehow. After all, Cheese Sandwich was a party pony too.
Maybe he can help me out or give me some tips on how I can up my partying game.
“Well, I guess it’d be something to do,” Party Favor shrugged, “Ms. Novelty gave me some time off and I suppose I oughta get to know my little sister’s coltfriend.”
“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie gave Party Favor a hug when a distant train whistle perked their ears and she gasped. “Uh-oh! My train’s coming! Well, Party, you’ll probably find Cheese over at Pepper Pony’s, if he’s not on break yet.”
“Okay, thanks,” Party Favor pulled Pinkie into a hug and warmly said, “Have a good time, little sister.”
“I will, and I’ll bring you back a souvenir!” Pinkie offered as the train pulled in, the breaks making an obnoxious screechy sound before it came to a complete stop.
“Tally ho, Pinkie Pie!” Rarity called as they waited fro the arrivals to exit the train, “Manehatten awaits!”
“Bye-bye, big brother!” Pinkie then hopped away to join Rarity while Party Favor left the station to make his way to the pizza parlor.
The walk there didn’t take long, and the ‘Pepper Pony’s’ sign sported a picture of a pizza with a hoofprint cutout, a soft drink, and now included a doughnut with pink glaze and rainbow sprinkles. After all, Chili Spice, or Auntie Spice as she insisted everypony call her, had been married to and gone into business with Doughnut Joe for the last five years, and now had a little colt, Pepper Flake.
Entering, he saw business was busy but not overwhelming, as Joe pony’d the cash register, Auntie Spice was cooking in the kitchen, and there was Cheese, serving a pizza pie fresh from the oven to Noteworthy Blues and his two fillyfriends, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, serving with a smile… and a surprise confetti-popper that spurred a laugh out of the happy trio, and Cheese Sandwich was courteous enough to make sure none of it got on their pizza.
Party Favor, upon seeing Cheese doing his thing, just didn’t want to disturb the happy atmosphere that was going on. However, the semi-hyperactive stallion suddenly felt a tremor as his whole body began to shudder, and he felt a very familiar sensation of his cutie-mark squashing and stretching on his flanks before he hopped up with a happy “Whoo-hoo-hoo-HOO! Now that’s a doozy!”
As the sensation left him, with a destination and mission in mind, Cheese’s eyes drifted to the entrance of the pizza parlor where stood-
“Party Favor! Well, ain’t this swell as swiss!” Cheese Sandwich bounced over, smiling like a schoolcolt, “There’s a party in the works that needs the help of a party pony, but two would be better!”
“Uh- Really?” Party Favor hadn’t been expecting this. He’d heard of Cheese Sandwich’s Cheesie Sense, much like his sister’s Pinkie Sense, which allowed the orange party pony to sense when a party was being planned that needed help and where it was going to take place, but this was the first time he’d ever witnessed it.
He liked to think he had his own sort of party pony sense, having had vibes and gut instincts that helped him to make others laugh and smile when they were in need of it. Though these sensations were never as… apparent as what he’d just seen.
“Well, I actually have the rest of the week off and… Lately, I’ve been feeling a little down, but this could be the perfect pick-me-up!”
“Great! Then pack your gags and decorations, my fellow purveyor of partying,” Cheese pulled Party Favor into a one-foreleg hug as he held out his free hoof towards the window, “`cuz we’re going to…”
One train ride later…
“SIRE’S HOLLOW!!!” Cheese declared as he and Party Favor stood outside the gated community.
It was a cozy yet pristine looking town, not so dissimilar to Ponyville yet it had an archaic touch of modernization. An odd sense of old yet new. But that wasn’t all it had. Oh no! Because even from outside the wrought iron gates, Cheese and Party Favor could hear the calliope of carnival music and see the flag flying above a rather familiar big top.
A wave of nostalgia washed over them both as they shared a look and saw it in each other’s eyes that both were thinking the same thing. Party Favor quickly blew up some balloons and formed them into stilts beneath his hooves the slowly allowed him to ascend and get a better look at what was going on in town.
To his delight, he saw a very familiar sign over the entrance to a large circus tent, and quickly hopped off his balloon stilts, which blew away in high squeaky, raspberry-sounding form, and landed next to Cheese who had a giddy hopeful look, to which Party Favor confirmed with a nickering nod and giddy smile… and they both burst with joy (and confetti) as they yelled, “YAY!!!”
Then, without hesitation, both entered the gates, hearing a strange automated voice say ‘Welcome to Sire’s Hollow’, and took in the town square, with a fountain as its centerpiece. But the area was filled with the locals, along with their visitors, circus performers, and everything was decorated with streamers, banners, balloons, and even silly string! They saw jugglers, acrobats, carnival stands and games, vendors selling soda, popcorn, carrotdogs, cotton candy, and everypony was having a grand time.
“I can’t believe the party I sensed in the works is gonna happen here of all places!” Cheese smiled so big and wide.
“I know, do you think it’s for him?” asked Party Favor when a PA system rang and everyone paused to listen.
“Attention fillies and gentlecolts, please gather inside the Big Top, because in exactly fifteen minutes the show will begin!”
Cheers and whoops and shouts of joy rang out and everypony started making their way to the circus tent. Cheese and Party Favor shared am excited smile as Cheese suggested, “Let’s get our tickets right now, or all the gouda seats will be taken!”
“I hope they’re not out!” Party Favor prayed.
Thankfully, the ticket vendor still had a few tickets left, and immediately after getting theirs, the two party ponies hurried inside and found some good seats close to the center ring. Just as they were sitting down, the lights dimmed… and a spotlight shined down upon a pony in the center ring. He was a white earth pony stallion with a dark gold mane and mustache, blue eyes, he wore a vibrant red jacket and a large top hat, signifying he was the ringmaster, and his cutie-mark was three intersecting rings.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, Colts and fillies of all ages!” he said through into a mic, sounding boisterous and excited and adding just a touch of anticipation to his voice.
“To start off, thank you all for making us feel right at home here in Sire’s Hollow! It makes our hearts soar to see you all enter our humble little circus and leave with great memories and satisfied that you had a great time. But you’re not here to listen to this old windbag of a ringmaster, am I right?”
“NO!!” the crowd responded in good fun, making the ringmaster laugh.
“Well then, let’s not delay the fun any longer! So without further ado, fillies and gentlecolts, prepare yourselves for the astounding antics of Equestria’s silliest star…”
The ringmaster pointed to what was obviously a party cannon and shouted, “PONYACCI!!!”
The party cannon blew and in a burst of glitter, confetti, and trailing ribbons launched a pony dressed as a clown in a white and purple costume with a yellow collar, white makeup on his face with pink circles on the corners of his mouth, a yellow star in the middle of his forehead, a clownish cowlick of blue hair with a magenta streak and a party hat on top of his head.
“Wa-hey-hey, party ponies!” Ponyacci cheered as he landed on a huge bouncy ball, bounced off of it, somersaulted through the air and landed in a giant custard pie…
...and burst out of a huge balloon on the other side of the center ring, popping loudly as he called out, “Who’s ready to laugh?!”
The crowd went wild as Ponycci got to it.
He played music with a one-pony band, did tricks swinging on the trapeze and juggled a one-ton weight, a bowling ball, and a pink walrus with his hind hooves while balancing himself on one of his forehooves on a ball, and between every stunt and trick and display of his manic mastery, he told jokes that never failed to leave the audience members doubled over in laughter!
And the two party ponies in the audience loved every single moment, as it took them back.
Cheese Sandwich remembered the days he learned clowning and performing under Ponyacci. After he was adopted, his parents taught him all they knew about music and jokes but felt he deserved the best tutor. So they got him an apprenticeship in Ponyacci’s circus, where Cheese spent three crazy weeks learning all kinds of awesome tricks and gags and jokes from Ponyacci.
Party Favor was even more happy. He remembered the day, back when he was still Basalt Pie, he ran away from home, he hopped the first train out of Nickerlite and never looked back. Fate smiled upon him that the train he stowed away on was the circus train Ponyacci lived with, along with his troop! Although some of the troop were angry and annoyed by the young colt’s presence, Ponyacci saw something in the colt and asked his name.
The runaway colt was afraid of being sent back to his miserable life on that rock farm… so he made up a new name, and introduced himself as Party Favor and that he wanted to make ponies laugh. For the next few years, Party Favor lived as a member of the circus troop while learning about clowning and joking from Ponyacci. It was when the clown gave Party Favor lessons in sculpting balloons that the little unicorn earned his cutie-mark and discovered how he could make the most amazing balloon sculptures! At Ponyacci’s suggestion, Party Favor began a correspondence course in magic to improve his skills in partying and making even more amazing balloon art.
Eventually, Party Favor decided he wanted to go his own way and was given a warm send-off from his mentor and the troop.
If only that turned out a little differently... Party Favor thought a tad glumly but seeing his old mentor performing again lifted him back out of that funk.
Other members of the troop joined Ponyacci in performing, such as juggling, acrobatics, silly stunts and gags, and more musical performances. Every now and then Ponyacci took a break so other performers could entertain the crowd, but he always came back to make them smile and laugh and whoop and cheer.
After a good long performance, the show was over and as all the performers stood around the center ring to take a bow, everypony noticed Ponyacci walk to the middle, a spotlight shining on him. As he did however, Party Favor couldn’t help but notice… the way Ponyacci was dragging his hooves, hanging his head, until he stood in the middle and as the crowd died down after giving the performers their applause, he took a mic and cleared his throat.
“Well, everypony, I hope each and everyone of you had a great time! I know I did, along with the rest of the troop. For many years, I’ve performed and no matter how many times I heard the laughter and saw the smiles, how many times I traveled with my troop to various towns and cities to perform at, how many times I inspired joy and wonder and lasting memories, I always thought ‘There was nothing else I’d rather do than be a clown’.
“I love being a clown. I love making ponies laugh, making them happy, giving them a wonderful experience to remember fondly long after the show is over. But life… Well, life doesn’t work that way. At least, not forever. It may surprise you, ponies of Sire’s Hollow, that I was actually born here, a long time ago, when this circus had stopped here on its first tour when it was starting out, so even though this circus is my home and my family, Sire’s Hollow has always held a special place in my heart, which… is why I felt it only made sense that I do this here.”
The sadness in Ponyacci’s voice was unmistakable, as the ponies in the crowd were murmuring with concern and confusion before Ponyacci finally announced, “It is with bittersweet acceptance that I make this decision as I tell you all that tonight was my last show.”
Almost immediately, there was a stunned silence that was quickly followed by confused and upset chattering as Ponyacci continued.
“For some time now, I’ve been struggling with a fact that I didn’t want to accept as the truth, but it is a truth no matter how much I wish it were otherwise - I’m getting old, and though my love of clowning around remains as strong and vibrant as ever, I can’t keep this up anymore. Even in my youth and my prime, performing and clowning and everything else was a dedication and a resolve to work hard, and I haven't been a young pony for a while now. Please don’t be sad, everypony, because though I’m retiring I hope that I gave you a fond memory to look back on and that I inspire other hopeful would-be clowns to follow the dream all us clowns share - To make you laugh and smile.”
…
…
…
Cheese Sandwich was the one who initiated the applause and one by one the others in the audience applauded as well, before it swelled into one of deepest appreciation, admiration, and acceptance.
All except for Party Favor, who couldn’t help but shed a tear to hear that his old mentor, who had been more a father to him than his own had been when he was a foal, was hanging up the clown wig.
Why had Cheese Sandwich’s Cheesie Sense brought them here if Ponyacci was retiring? What party could possibly be in the planning stages in the wake of this? Whatever it was, Party Favor intended to make it a good one.