//------------------------------// // The S-Mile // Story: One Bolt, Spreading Harmony // by Boltsinger //------------------------------// On the outskirts of Ponyville sat a quaint little house. It was simple, humble, and didn’t stand out very much. But that's just how its owner liked it. Peaceful, quiet, and--- “Hello~!” Came a cry at the door, followed immediately by loud knocking. “Cranky Doodle? You here?” A groan sounded from the house’s occupant, a brown and tan donkey covered in wrinkles and what looked like a permanent droop to his face. He walked to the door, putting on a simple black wig as he went. “Who is it?!” He bellowed. “Just the best party planner this side of Pinkie Pie!” The voice replied. “I won’t be long, I promise!” Cranky Doodle, living up to his name, grumbled for a moment as he reached for the knob. “Ya better not be. I was right in the middle of a good book…” He opened the top half of the door, finding Cheese Sandwich beaming at him from beyond the threshold. “Now what do you want?” “Oh, nothing much.” The party stallion started. He reared up with excitement, reaching into his shirt and pulling out two identical drawings of Pinkie Pie with a smile on her face and surrounded by blue and yellow balloons. “Just wanted to invite you and Matilda to the biggest bash ever!” Cranky’s frown only deepened at the sight. “What? Pinkie throwing another party? She knows I never go to those! Why are you doing this?” “Oh, it’s not a party by Pinkie…” Cheese corrected, bringing the drawings forward. “It’s a party for Pinkie!” Cranky took a closer look at the extended invitations, finding the words ‘Happy Birthday Pinkie Pie’ written over the balloons at the top. “I’m throwing her the biggest birthday party a pony ever got, and I need all of her friends to come! And that means you!” Cranky rolled his eyes, thinking on the persistent pink pony and how much she’d done for him even when he was new in town. If it hadn’t been for her, he’d never have found his beloved Matilda. Never have gotten married. The corners of his mouth turned up as he looked at the invitation once more. “All right, all right, I’ll go. She deserves a good celebration, anyway.” “Great!” Cheese exclaimed, backing away from the door. “That’s two down! Up next…” He squinted his eyes, looking with a fierce determination at the town proper. “All of Ponyville!” Trotting down the streets of Ponyville, a rhythm began to play, turning all the heads in the thoroughfare toward the source. Cheese Sandwich bounced along the way with Boneless 3 sitting on his back. Underneath the toy chicken’s wing was a miniature guitar, and somehow from that guitar came a familiar strumming that seemed to excite everypony that heard it. “~The day is finally here! (What’s that?) The day I’ve wai-ted for! (Don’t follow?) The day I make it up to her who gave me back my dreeams and more! You’re all invited now! (To what?) To come see it done right! (And that is?) The party Pinkie’s waited for! That perfect gift is soon in sight! ‘Cause I just wanna see her smile, smile, smile! Yes I do! Just fill her up with sunshine all the__ while! Hope it does! Yes, all I need to see’s a smile, smile, smile From a happy Pinkie Pie!~” As he went, he stopped at every pony he saw along the beat, pulling an invitation out of his shirt and presenting it to whoever was in front of him, encouraging them to take it and follow him on his trek. “~This party’s gonna be… (Awesome!) The best there’s e-ver been! (All right!) With ev-ery-po-ny’s help to make the biggest smile she’s seen! (Let’s go!) So don’t you even wor-ry I’ve got the whole thing down! We’ll throw a bash that rocks so hard it loosens up the whole dang toooooown! ‘Cause to-day we’re all a-gonna grin, grin, grin! Yes we are! You just wait until the party will beee-gin! Then show that Pie a joyful grin, grin, grin And you’ll always get some cheer!~” Cheese skidded to a stop, putting his hoof over her heart. “~Some days I know she gets sooo lonely… And sometimes it feels bad So now we’ll all show her just why she shouldn’t be quite so saaaad!” He picked up the pace again, going from pony to pony with an enormous smile on his face. “~Our goal here’s to make her so happy, to make her life feel worthwhile! She’ll see all her bestest friends and just have to smiiiiiile! I’m really so ex-ci-ted! I just can’t wait to see! How every smile will make her smile! She’s so special to me!~” He sprang into the air, hugging the air in front of himself as if there was another pony wrapped in his forelegs. “~’Cause I love to see that beam, beam, beam! Yes I do! To make her smile fulfills my ev-ery dream! Yes it does! This day will be the best she’s ev-eer seen! Yes we’ll make it work that wa-ay!~” He turned to the crowd behind him, waving them along with his foreleg. “~Come on everypony! Smile, smile, smi-ile! Fill this day up with sunshine, sunshine! Give the party girl a smile, smile, smi-ile! Do it for Pinkie Piii-ie!~” The gathering of ponies began beaming in return, each trotting along to the beat. “~Come on everypony! Smile, smile, smi-ile! Fill this day up with sunshine, sunshine! Give the party girl a smile, smile, smi-ile! Do it for Pinkie Piii-ie!~” As the crowd continued, Cheese hopped onto the fountain in the central plaza, holding onto the statue at the top. “~And the perfect gift I see-ee… Is a smile as wide as a mile! It’s all the best that we can beeeee!~” He turned to the crowd again, waving his hooves to build up the excitement as he tossed out more invitations. “~Smile, smile! Smile! Smile!~” He leaped off of the fountain, holding Boneless 3 close as the invitations practically flew from his shirt in the wind while he galloped as quickly as he could through Ponyville. “~Smiiiiiiiiile! Come on and smile!~” He skidded to a stop in front of the Castle of Friendship, raising his hoof. “~Come on and smile!~” No sooner did a knock come to the door than it opened, revealing Twilight and Boltsinger with big smiles on their muzzles. "PINKIE!" They simultaneously exclaimed, each raising an ecstatic foreleg. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" "Hey Twilight… Hey Bolt…" Came Pinkie's reply in a tone like the stallion had never heard from her. "Thanks…" Twilight and Boltsinger opened their eyes, finding their happiest friend in a state that sent Boltsinger reeling. Pinkie's coat was faded, her ears lay flat against her hanging head, and her famous frizz was all but completely gone, replaced with a perfectly straight, abnormally long mane and tail that simply hung there like normal hair. Boltsinger took a few deep breaths, easing himself out of the surprise as he gave his face a solid wing-slap and approached. "Are you okay?" Pinkie breathed a heavy sigh. “I’m fine.” The stallion’s eyes remained as wide as they could, but his expression turned otherwise flat. “Indeed you are…” He leaned in closer to Twilight, hiding his mouth with his wing. “Is this a common thing with Pinkie? ‘Cause I’ve never seen her like this…” Twilight’s features softened as the question came up. She put her wing around her husband, joining him behind his feathers. “This is the reason we don’t throw many surprise parties for her. It’s happened a few times over the years, but I can’t say I’ve seen her like this so… early.” She put on her warmest smile, giving Pinkie her full attention once more. “So, Bolt and I were thinking that, since it’s your birthday and all, we should spend it with you! What do you think?” She leaned forward, fluttering her eyelashes with a brilliant smile. “Sound like fun?” Another sigh made its way out of the dulled pink pony. "I guess so." She turned around, heading back into Sugar Cube Corner. "In the end, though, it's just another day…" "Wait, what?" Boltsinger started, cocking his head and one ear to the side. "Just another day?" With narrowing eyes, he ran in front of Pinkie, putting his hooves on her shoulder. "What the hay do you mean 'just another day'?" Pinkie's eyes narrowed in return, moving to separate from him. "Is is, isn't it? Just another day, not important, not anything!" She pushed at his forelegs, finding them almost immovable. "No, Pinkie, my birthday is just another day." He corrected, softening his grip and sitting down. "A day that my dear friend Pinkie made special again. And you do that for everyone else you know, too! Even if you only just met them!" He put his wingtip on Pinkie's chin, lifting her head to loom at him properly. "Now today is the one day of the year where the master of celebration, that's you, gets to be celebrated! This day might as well be a national holiday!" He leaned to the side a bit, giving Twilight a hopeful smile. "Don't you think?" The Alicorn giggled behind her hoof, closing the distance between her and her friends. "I'll talk to Princess Celestia about it." She added her own supportive hoof to the mix, drawing Pinkie’s attention toward her. “But he’s right. Your birthday is a special way for everypony to say thanks for the wonderful things you’ve done for them.” “Everypony, huh?” She repeated, sending a dejected frown the Princess’ way. “Then why haven’t I seen Cheese Sandwich all week?” The royal ponies recoiled, their smiles growing more nervous at the party pony’s inquiry. Boltsinger stepped back, shrugging his shoulders with a weak smile. “I’m… sure he has his reasons…” “We’ve been having so much fun throwing parties together ever since he came to Ponyville, I just… I got used to having him around.” Pinkie continued, taking a long look at a photo depicting herself and the curly-maned stallion in her party planning cave. “I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun just planning them out, not to mention the actual parties!” She smiled down at the photo, a hint of her usual pink beginning to wiggle its way up her back legs. “Those were some of the best parties ever.” With another sigh, the emerging color faded away again, sending her frown back in force. “I just wish he was here to celebrate with me today, too…” “Oh, Pinkie…” Twilight started, her face falling to a frown that matched her friend’s. She looked over to Boltsinger, finding him almost staring at the mare, a sparkle in his eyes that showed her a desperation she was all too familiar with. He wanted to help Pinkie Pie, and the feeling was mutual. “Well… How about we go look for him?” Pinkie and Boltsinger paused, both giving the Alicorn their full attention. "Look for him?" They simultaneously repeated, one with intrigue, the other confused. “You really wanna go find him?” The Pie wondered, letting the corners of her mouth turn back up a little. “Yup.” She affirmed, raising her hoof confidently. “And even if we don’t find him right away, we can still have lots of fun as we go, right?” The confusion in Boltsinger’s face only managed to increase as he trotted over to the Princess. “Uh, Twilight?” He pulled her close, whispering in her ear. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We kind of already know exactly where he is and what he’s doing.” “Which helps us to keep her occupied.” She replied, looking to the photo that Pinkie had pointed out. “And it’s a lot better than spoiling the surprise." “Well that does sound like fun.” Pinkie stated, lifting her head out of her slouch. “Lead the way.” Twilight beamed, spreading her wings ecstatically. “Great!” She started back toward the door, the very picture of determination. “And I know just who to go to first!” Surely, it was the most beautiful cavern adjacent to Ponyville, filled with crystals, waterfalls, and decor that seemed otherwise out of place were it not for the pony that made her home there. Maud Pie sat over her desk, tying a large pink bow around a rock that was roughly the same size as herself as hoofsteps rang through the caves beyond. She looked toward the entrance of her abode, finding Twilight and Boltsinger making their approach. “You really think Cheese might be here?” Asked a familiar squeaky voice from behind the pair. Maud allowed a small smile onto her muzzle, knowing all too well that her little sister was arriving. “Well, if he’s doing anything today, it’s gotta be for your birthday present!” Twilight reasoned, smiling back at her shadowed friend. “And who better to ask for gift ideas than Maud?” “I guess that makes sense.” Pinkie admitted. Maud’s smile widened another millimeter. “Hi Pinkie.” She stood by the entrance, extending a hoof to meet her sibling. “Happy…” Finally, the birthday mare came into view, the sight of her straight mane sending the gray mare’s gaze to slowly toward the Princess and the Pegasus, lowering her eyelids ever-so-slightly. “What happened to Pinkie Pie?” The instant her eyes fell upon them, Twilight and Boltsinger froze. The geologist’s glare had sent a chill down their spines that reminded them of an avalanche coming down on them in an instant. Boltsinger's back was the first to give way as his back legs buckled beneath him. "We didn't do it! I swear!" He cried, raising his forelegs defensively. Twilight nodded in rapid agreement with the stallion, putting on her biggest grin. "It's true! Have you seen Cheese Sandwich, by any chance? We thought he might be looking for ideas for… Well, you heard us coming in." Pondering Twilight's question, Maud's eyelids returned to normal. "Wasn't he supposed to be--" Before she could finish, a magical field appeared over her muzzle, pulling her mouth shut. "Finding a present for Pinkie's birthday?" The purple mare suggested, winking at the rock expert. "That's what we were thinking, too! That's why we came to the best gift-giver around!" "Um… Speaking of gifts…" Pinkie began, pulling at everyone's attention. She was looking at the ribbon-tied rock curiously, poking the bow with her hoof. "Is this for me?" Maud simply rolled her eyes, walking up to her sibling and moving the pink hoof to the floor. "Not if you're going to be like that." She put her hoof on the pouty pony's cheek, smiling at her. "Now come on. Give me a smile. A real one." Pinkie sighed, moving away from the affectionate hoof. "I'm... not sure if I can…" “Are you sure…?” The elder Pie queried. As the younger Pie gave a slight nod, Maud lingered. After a moment, she turned to approach her other guests. “This is bad.” “How bad?” Boltsinger wondered. “Like, ‘she’ll never be the same again’ kind of bad? ‘We have to take drastic measures’ kind of bad? ‘Only a triple-serving of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness under the light of a full moon can fix this’ kind of bad?” He inched closer to the Earth Pony, gaining a new sense of panic with every step and every statement. “Seriously! How bad is it?” A slow and steady blink came and went on Maud’s face, with her eyebrows lowering to the point where Boltsinger only barely noticed a difference. "Bad." Boltsinger's head cocked to one side as his eyes went into a flurry of blinks. "I… uh…" The gears in his head ground to a halt, nearly making an audible crash as he spread his wings. "Yes! It's bad! This has been established! So how in Equestria do we make it un-bad?!" With another eyeroll, Maud cleared her throat. "Make her laugh.” “Make her…?” Boltsinger began. “... Laugh?” Twilight finished. “It’s the quickest way to get her feeling like herself again.” She explained. “It’s doesn’t always last, but…” She took one more look back at her sister, breathing a sad sigh. “It’s better than having her depressed on her birthday.” “Well, if that’s all it takes, then I think I can handle this.” The Princess assured, putting a haughty hoof over her heart. “I've gotten to know Pinkie very well over the years. I'm sure I can get a good laugh out of her." Boltsinger chuckled a little. "You sure? I've been told I'm pretty funny when I need to be." Twilight giggled back. "Mm-hm. By me." She gave her husband a boop, walking past toward her frowning friend. "Just watch the master at work." Boltsinger quirked an eyebrow with the best smirk he could muster. “Master, huh? We’ll see about that.” With a flicker of her horn, Twilight moved Pinkie to a sitting position by the ribbon-wrapped rock. She stepped up to the droopy mare with a wide-eyed grin, taking a deep breath. “Okay, Pinkie. What do you call it when you fail an incantation?” She paused for a moment, waiting for a response from her flat-faced friend. When none came forward, she raised her hoof. “Miss-spelled!” A cool breeze made its way through the cavern, leaving an awkward silence in its wake. A silence that spoke leagues more than what they had just heard. Eventually, Twilight cleared her throat. “Oooookay then. What do transfiguration and growing up have in common?” She asked, beginning to fluff her wings in anticipation. “I dunno, what?” Pinkie deadpanned in return. “They both have…” She paused a little, unable to hold back a small giggle. “... unforeseen changes!” She declared, flaring her wings as she went into a fit of laughter with little snorts mixed in. Meanwhile, Boltsinger and Maud sat to the side, their faces mirroring that of the still-silent Pinkie. “I knew that joke book wouldn’t do much good.” The stallion stated, climbing to his hooves. “Real comedy’s gotta come from inside. Life experience!” He stretched his legs and wings, walking over to Twilight and putting his hoof on her shoulder. “Let me give it a shot, hun. I think I know what she needs.” “Are you sure?” She replied, motioning to Pinkie curiously. “Because I think I’ve got it with this next one.” “I’m pretty sure.” He confirmed, patting her shoulder and stepping forward. “I love books, but they can only take you so far when it comes to being funny.” He sent her one more smile with as much confidence as he could gather. “Let me show you how it’s done.” Twilight put the folds of her wings on her flanks, giving him a twinge of doubt amidst his feigned confidence. "Alright. Show me, then." Botlsinger brushed his wings together as he approached, looking his faded friend from top to bottom. "You know, Pinkie, as much as I hate seeing you sad, I actually think this is a good look for you!" Every mare in the cave recoiled, the pinkest among them tilting her head. “Really?” “Eeyup!” He continued, lifting up some of Pinkie’s hanging mane while he grinned from ear to ear. “It looks like you’ve finally straightened out!” A groan of what could only be described as immense pain erupted from the present Princess. “Really? That’s what you had in mind?” “That was so dad-ly, it nearly chilled me.” Maud added. Boltsinger shot the stoic pony a dirty look. "And you think you could do better?" After a second or so of silence, Maud simply blinked. "Probably.” She walked over to a nearby desk, searching around the area. “But we need the best.” After a moment of investigation, she pulled a small gray rock. She headed back to her sister, holding the rock close. "You know what to do, boy." Twilight and Boltsinger stared dumbfoundedly at the rock that Maud then held up to Pinkie's ear, sharing an expression of absolute disbelief. "Isn't that Boulder?" Queried the Princess, pointing at the stone. Boltsinger let out a nervous laugh. "You don't actually think… Boulder… can make Pinkie Pie--" Laughter loud enough to echo through the whole cavern stopped the stallion in his thought, demanding the attention of the royal couple. On the floor, poofy and pink, rolling around with her hooves over her stomach, was Pinkie Pie. "I can't…" She said, gasping for air between yuks. "And then… he…" Unable to contain anything more, she let out an immense burst of giggles that brought joyous tears to her eyes. The laughter continued for another two minutes, leaving Twilight and Boltsinger sitting on the sidelines, each resting their head on a hoof. They breathed a simultaneous sigh, letting their ears and wings dejectedly droop. "Beaten by a rock…" Twilight pointed out. "Eeyup…" Boltsinger confirmed. “But… at least she’s laughing.” Twilight gave her husband a smile and a nod. “That’s true.” She worked her way back to her hooves, walking over to the Pie sisters as the birthday mare excitedly cracked open her gift. “Can you believe she stuffed that much confetti inside a geode?!” A particularly peppy Pinkie Pie pondered, landing next to Twilight with an enormous smile. "I can't even imagine how she did it! But I guess that's what makes her the best gift-giver ever!" The trio was making their way through the streets of Ponyville, still in search of the elusive party planner that Pinkie had been missing. “So do you really think that Cheese went to the Friendship School?" "Eeyup." Boltsinger replied with a firm nod. “And even if he isn’t there, I’m sure we’ll find him sooner or later.” Twilight nodded in kind, putting her wing around the Earth Pony. "He's right. No matter what, I'm sure we'll see him…" She paused for a moment, spying a particular shade of yellow down the road. "... by the end of the day…" She turned to her spouse, moving the birthday mare to walk next to him. "Excuse me. I have to… uh… use the little filly's room!" She gave Boltsinger a quick kiss on the cheek, tilting her head toward that she'd seen, and lit her horn. In an instant, she was gone. And a moment later, a ways down the road, she reappeared, keeping her horn aglow and pulling the obliviously trotting brunette toward her. He continued his trot in midair for a moment, humming a tune to himself. He opened his eyes, going from relaxed to surprised faster than he could think and looking around. “Twilight? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Pinkie?” “I am with Pinkie.” She corrected, pointing her hoof down the way. “Aren’t you supposed to be working on that party?” "I am working on the party!" He retorted, motioning to himself. "I was just on my way to meet my musicians and go over the set list." Twilight facehoofed, dousing the magic in her horn to let the brunette go. “Can’t you just… I dunno, stay off the road?” "I guess so." He said with a shrug. "Good." Twilight horn lit up once more. "I'm gonna cast a spell on you to help keep you hidden for a little while, just in case." She loosed a beam of magic that quickly enveloped the party pony, turning him mostly transparent. "Wow!" He exclaimed, looking at his hooves. "I can see right through me!" Twilight nodded, taking to the air. "It'll only last a couple minutes, so use that time wisely, okay?" She gave him one last smile, waving farewell to the yellow stallion. "I'll see you at the party!" "So, maybe she drilled a hole into the geode? Then put the confetti in through the hole and sealed it up?" Boltsinger mused as the Princess made her descent. He had his wing in his mane, scratching his head as he pondered the apparent question posed by Pinkie Pie. "Maybe…" Pinkie affirmed, sitting next to him with a hoof to her chin. “I mean, if anypony can put a present inside of a rock, it’d have to be Maud!" She let out a tiny giggle. "I bet Cheese is gonna have something super wacky and perfect and made just for me, huh?" Her laughter continued for a moment, ending in a swooning sigh. A sigh that didn't go unnoticed by her orange-coated companion. "Was that a swoon I just heard?" “A what?” “A swoon.” He repeated. “You know, that noise a pony makes when thinking about… certain individuals?” “Ooooooh, that.” Pinkie gave a firm head shake, raising her hoof between them. “No, that’s just part of my new Pinkie Sense combo.” “A new combo?” Twilight wondered, alerting the two to her renewed presence. “”How come I’ve never heard of this new combo? What’s it for?” Pinkie’s eyes dialed back for a moment as her mind searched for the information. “Well, first of all, my heart gets all racey. Like it’s going thirty miles a second!” She put her hoof over her heart, closing her eyes fondly. She let out a laugh, moving her hoof to her stomach. "And then, my tummy gets all fluttery! Like there's a million butterflies just flapping around everywhere!" Twilight and Boltsinger began to smile, shooting knowing glances at one another. "And then my vision turns all pink and rosey! Everything looks so pretty that way!" The spouses simultaneously nodded. "And it all happens when Cheese gets involved! When I think about him, when I see him, even when I look at Boneless!" Twilight and Boltsinger looked back at their frizziest friend, each getting a widening smile on their faces before finally giving up the guffaw. Pinkie tilted her head a little, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "What's so funny? I mean, I know my Pinkie Sense makes me do funny things, but is all that really that hilarious?" The Princess approached the Pie, wrapping her foreleg around her affectionately as she regained her composure. “Pinkie, I’m pretty sure that’s not your Pinkie Sense going off.” "Well, what else could it be?" She wondered, her face growing more confused by the second. All the while, Boltsinger's laughter continued, his hooves starting into a rhythm on the ground. "Oh, Pinkie…" He managed to say between bursts. "Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie…" Pinkie stepped toward the stallion, stopping with a hoof raised and her ears lopsided in befuddlement. "What is it?" "You love him!" He declared, playfully displaying his wings while the beat became a tune. Pinkie's eyebrow rose a ways. "I don't follow." “~I see what’s happening, yeah.~” He began, sitting down with a wry grin. “~You’re facing new emotions, and it’s weird! You don’t even know how you feel.~ It’s ADORABLE! ~But I’ll let you know there’s nothing to be feared! Open your eyes, see the light!~ Yes, it’s really love, you’ve got it right! ~I know there’s a lot you’re thinking of… But that’s expected when you’re dealing with love!~ He sprang to all fours, landing in front of Pinkie and hunching over with his feathers twinkling. “~What’s there to say except ‘you love him’! With the way he walks through the room! Yes it’s okay, it’s okay! You love him! He’s the one who takes away all of your gloom!~” He rose to his full height again, chuckling like a foal on their birthday. “~So! Who’s planning parties most e-ve-ry night? And who deserves a partner in it?~” He pointed his wings and hooves at Pinkie, framing a face that had just begun to smile more. “This Pie! ~When you’re un-der-ground Who do you wish you had a-round~ When laughter’s all abound? Oh! ~How I just want you to see… Just what your happiness would bring to me! I know you might think it sounds absurd…~ But I feel it! ~You have my word!~” Boltsinger leaped ahead of the mares, trotting backwards down the road and beckoning them along. “~So what’s there to say except ‘you love him!’ And the way he brings out your light! Don’t wish it away, away, you love him! He just makes it all feel so right!~” He bounced between his right legs and his left to the beat, eventually fluttering into the air in his movements. “~You love him! You LOVE him!~” Twilight giggled, giving a flap of her wings to join her spouse in midair as a number of windows began to open around them. “You know, come to think of it…” Boltsinger nodded, raising a poignant hoof. “Yeah! Honestly, I can go on and on… Even just TALKING about this phenomenon! Your heart heart and the way it’ll pound?” Twilight nudged Boltsinger on the side. “Oh, now you’re just messing around!” She turned to Pinkie, putting her hoof over her heart. “The way that you feel, I know that it’s nuts. The butterflies going BERSERK in your guts!” “So what’s the lesson?” Boltsinger asked. “Oh, there’s a takeaway.” Twilight confirmed. “Don’t mess with love when it’s on the breakaway!” They simultaneously exclaimed, bringing themselves closer to their earthbound companion. “And the way that you’ll feel in the end…” The stallion started, skipping along above the ground, just barely letting his hooves touch down. “It’s oh-so-much more than a friend!” “Just look at us! We made it happen!” Twilight assured, landing in front of Boltsinger and pulling him into a quick hug. “Just go with the flow!” Boltsinger continued, his grin growing all the wider as his hooves began tapping the ground. At the same time, a large number of ponies poked their heads out of their windows, following along the performing Prince’s gesture. “Listen to your big Pinkie heart just a-tippity-tappin’!” The tapping grew louder as the crowd joined the local royalty, going into a series of audible exhales that came out to the rhythm. Finally ending on hundreds of forelegs raised with an enormously loud “HEY!” The purple-eyed ponies took positions on either side of Pinkie Pie, each putting a wing around her as the three of them trotted along to the beat. “~Now let us say you should say you love him!~” They sang, dramatically raising an opposite foreleg each. “~You love him!~” The crowd added, raising their own forelegs in kind. “~For the wonderful stallion you see! In every way, every way, you love him! (You love him!) It’s ob-vi-ous to us you’ve gotta be! Not much else to say today, you love him! (You love him!) So tell him when you see him tonight! He won’t go away, he’ll stay!~” The trio slowed down a bit, coming to a normal walk, Twilight hugging the blue-eyed mare even tighter. “~He loves you! And everything will turn out all right!~” Boltsinger tightened his own embrace, looking at Pinkie with a sparkle and a jolt in his eyes. “~He loves you!~ He loves you.” The beat seemed to die down as all eyes everywhere seemed to zero in on Pinkie Pie. Her smile was as wide as ever, and her eyes were shining like never before that day. The air grew thick with tension and silence as they all waited for the pink pony. Finally, she took a deep breath, eliciting a gasp from the onlookers. She raised her hoof, sweeping the air in front of her. “Nah!” What felt like the entire population of Ponyville breathed a sigh of defeat, causing those staring out their windows to slam them shut. “I should know my Pinkie Sense by now, after all. I mean, it’s my Pinkie Sense! Who else would know what that’s like?” Twilight and Boltsinger rolled their eyes, continuing down the road as Pinkie continued in a ramble that soon got lost in all the noise of the town’s daily life. Behind a nearby house, a pair of green eyes popped out of thin air, followed instantly by the rest of Cheese Sandwich’s form as Twilight’s spell faded. He stared at the departing ponies, his jaw hanging slightly ajar in smiling disbelief. “Is it true? Does she really…?” He pondered for a moment, leaving his gaze fixed on the subject until she faded from view. "You're looking for Cheese?" Starlight asked, standing in the doorway to the School of Friendship. She looked inside, spotting little more than a number of students scribbling away on pieces of paper. The guidance counselor swung her hoof in defeat, turning back to the ponies just outside. "Aww, shoot! You just missed him!" She slowly began backing away into the school, slowly closing the door between them. "Guess you'll have to look somewhere else, huh?" She backed up to the point where only her head was visible, smiling as wide as she did in her old village as she waved a hoof. "See you later!" And with that, she vanished into the building, shutting the door behind them. The echo of the door closing sent Pinkie recoiling. "Well that didn't go very well…" She hung her head, her mane beginning to deflate. "I'm sorry, Pinkie." Twilight said, patting her back. "Maybe we'll have better luck asking somepony else?" And so they looked. First at Rainbow's house, with Pinkie held up on the porch with balloons. Rainbow gave the trio the same smile they'd seen on Starlight. "Sorry, I, uh… haven't seen him!" With another deflation of Pinkie's mane, they made their way to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. There, Fluttershy stood amidst a crowd of demanding animals, tending to them all to the best of her ability. "Cheese? Oh, he's been-- ow!" With a yank at her mane, she looked back to find Angel with his paws on his hips, giving her a stern look. "Oh, yes. That's right." She turned back to them, her smile coming back into play. "I haven't seen him." Finally, at the Carousel Boutique, Applejack stood in the doorway with Apple Bloom and Rarity running around in the shop behind her. She let out a nervous laugh behind an even less sensible smile. “Well, I wouldn’t say I haven’t seen ‘im, but…” “He’s not here!” Rarity called from inside. Applejack raised a hoof to the busy mare behind her. “But we just--” A polished white hoof almost instantly made its way over the farmer’s mouth, with the rest of Rarity following close behind. “HE’S NOT HERE!” She looked at the visiting ponies with a brilliant, if odd, smile. “I’m afraid we can’t help you right now. We’re far too busy right now to come out, though.” She waved them off, sending Pinkie a particularly big smile. “Happy birthday, Pinkie Pie!” With one flicker of her horn, the door slammed shut with a force that blew their manes back. “Well that was…” Twilight started, looking to Boltsinger for an idea. He shrugged in response, directing his eyes to Pinkie. Her head was slumped over, mane fully deflated and straight, with her coat back to the dull pink it was that morning. “Oh, Pinkie…” “He was the one pony I wanted to see more than anypony else today…” She said, stifling a sniffle with her hoof. “My party partner. You know?” “More than you think, Pinkie.” Boltsinger assured her, pulling her into half of a hug. He took a look to the sky. The sun was high on the western horizon, sending a grin to the stallion’s face. “How about we all go on a balloon ride? My treat.” Twilight raised an eyebrow, looking in the same direction. “Are you sure now’s the right time for that?” “I think now is the perfect time.” He turned Pinkie down the road toward the purple balloon landing in the town plaza, looking back to Twilight and motioning the other way with his head. Twilight nodded, going into a hover. “You’re right. I’ve just got one thing to take care of first.” She lit her horn, waving a quick farewell. “I’ll meet you there!” As the Alicorn vanished, the two ponies started down the road, moving at a steady pace. "I'm sorry we weren't able to find Cheese. Really I am." "It's okay.” She looked up at him with a weak smile. “At least I got to spend the day with you two, and see all my friends, right?” Boltsinger simpered back. “That’s a good mindset.” They walked together for a quiet moment, both recalling the day’s events. The entire time, a question burned in his mind. He looked back to Pinkie, then back at the road, repeating the process numerous times as he resisted the urge to ask until… “Are you sure you aren’t in love with him?” He couldn’t resist anymore. “I don’t know…” She admitted, kicking a nearby rock aside with her hoof. “It’s all really confusing whenever I start thinking about it.” “Well, emotions are weird.” He told her, patting her back with his wing. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when your feelings are flaring up like this, and… Well, when it’s not a big panic attack that makes you want to run away forever and ever… Anyway. A feeling like what you’ve got is something worth listening to. Understand?” Pinkie closed her eyes for a few seconds, pondering the advice she’d just received with as much focus as she put on a party idea. “I think so.” She cast her gaze forward again. “Just gotta listen, right?” “Eeyup.” He confirmed. “Ah! You’re here!” Twilight called out, drawing their attention to the balloon ahead. The Princess of Friendship waited by the basket, trotting in place with what looked to have been a long line standing aside in expectation. “We’re next! Come on!” "Are we all set?" Boltsinger asked. "That's right! Let's go!" She wrapped the two in her magic, plopping them into the basket. “The view today is absolutely astounding!” “Oh really?” Boltsinger wondered, pulling the rope to start their ascent. “Yup!” She flew up ahead of the balloon, leading them to a spot overlooking Ponyville. “It’s guaranteed to make you smile!” “Well then…” He turned to the one pony in the basket that lacked a set of wings, offering her a hoof. “Sounds like something Pinkie needs to see.” Pinkie sat in the center of the basket, looking up at the offered hoof with a forlorn look on her face. “I don’t know if I wanna smile right now…” “Why not?” He inquired, bringing his rump to the floor. “Isn’t a smile what you live for? I know you prance around town singing a really good smile song every now and then.” “But it’s not my smile that I wanna see.” She explained, working her way to a standing position. “It’s the smiles of all my friends that makes me happy. Seeing them happy is what makes me smile. Not just me smiling!” Twilight fluttered into the basket, landing next to her favorite party planner with an enthusiastic grin. “All the more reason for you to take a look, then!” She gestured to the expanse below with her hoof, moving with the Pie that she might peer over. As soon as the dulled mare’s eyes caught sight of the ground, Twilight made her horn flash in quick succession behind her. “There’s the signal!” Came a familiar, and rather ecstatic, voice from below. In a clearing next to the town proper stood a gathering that caused Pinkie Pie’s jaw to drop. Every single resident of Ponyville, along with every student and staff member at the School of Friendship, was standing together, looking up at her with enormous smiles on their faces. And at the very edge stood a bushy-maned yellow stallion, wearing a party hat that matched the one worn by the rubber chicken on his back. “Cheese?” Pinkie started, leaning on the edge of the basket with widening eyes. “Is he…?” “Ready everyone?” He called, looking to the crowd. They all gave a stomp in response. “Did he really…?” She continued, leaning further forward with a sparkle starting to form in her eyes. “But he is!” “NOW!” The Earth Stallion commanded, pulling a party cannon from behind a nearby tree and setting it off. One by one, every single creature in the gathering from Cranky Doodle to Discord all the way to little Nova in his Uncle Spike’s arms raised a board up high. Some of them were completely blank, pure white. Others had black paint covering them entirely. Some with only a portion of one or the other. The individual pieces didn’t mean much, but what they formed together sent a shock into Pinkie Pie’s heart, reminding her of a refrain she always used in her favorite song to sing about the perfect gift. A smile as wide as a mile. And it was. The sheer mass of the smile boggled her mind for a moment, but she found that she didn’t care about that for too long. Other feelings were occupying her mind. Heart racing? Check. Tummy butterflies? Check. Rosey vision and a feeling like everything is right with the world? Triple-decker with chocolate cherry ice cream icing check!!! “Just gotta listen to it!” She said, letting the corners of her mouth turn up. “What was that?” Twilight asked, chancing a glance at the pink pony only to find that… “Pinkie?” She was gone. She looked to Boltsinger, who looked back in utter panic. “PINKIE!!!” The royal pair shouted in unison, jumping out of the basket to find Pinkie Pie falling head-first to the ground. Her muzzle was lined with a brilliant smile that sent a sparkle onto her nose, lighting it up like never before as it made its way down her body and added a definitive poof to her mane. Twilight and Boltsinger dove after the mare, hooves outstretched, but with a laugh, the Pie’s velocity only increased, causing their hooves to entwine and send them spinning out into a tree. And then, finally, she landed... On Cheese. The impact with which she landed sent fireworks through both ponies involved, their lips locked with pink forelegs wrapping themselves around the stallion. As quickly as the embrace was sealed, the couple was sent rolling several feet, coming to a stop with Pinkie on top of Cheese. “Oh Cheese!” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “I can’t believe it!” She landed another kiss on his nose. “You’re just the most wonderful…” She laid another kiss on his forehead. “... spectacular…” Yet another kiss, this time on his other cheek. “... stupendous…” She put one more kiss on his nose. “... superextremawesomazing pony I ever met!” She took his head in her hooves, lifting him up and giving him a long, drawn out kiss on the lips. With a loud smooching sound, she pulled back, spreading her forelegs wide. “And I LOVE YOU!!!” Her last statement echoed through the clearing with a volume that rivalled a certain Pegasus Prince, widening the smiles on every face for a mile and bringing a cheer for all to hear. She looked at the stallion beneath her one more time, finding a distinct daze in his eyes. She let out a giggle, getting up from on top of him and offering a hoof up. “Sorry about that.” Cheese shook his head free of the daze’s thrall, accepting the help with a giddy grin. “About what? That was the best birthday present I ever got!” Pinkie’s head tilted for a moment. “It is?” Cheese simply gave her a nod, planting a kiss of his own on her cheek that lit up her face once more. “But wait a minute…” All revelry stopped for a moment, turning every eye to Pinkie Pie. “It’s my birthday! How is it a present for you?” A few moments passed in silence, with an air of pondering permeating Ponyville’s premiere party planner. At last, she looked up from her thoughts with a shrug. “Oh well!”