Carefully, I placed the edge of the large banner on the edge of the rafters and hammered it in with nails using my hooves, trying not to look down as I stood atop a high wooden ladder. No matter how many deep breaths I took, I couldn’t take my mind off how I was one hoof-length away from becoming a mess of a unicorn on the hard-wood floor of Town Hall. Of course, I could have used my magic to get the job done in ten seconds flat, but nooo … my mentor, Twilight Sparkle, had to insist that I don’t use magic for the party preparations, which would allow myself, in her words, to be more appreciative of the hard work and dedication earth ponies put to everything they do.
In spite of that, I have no idea how Pinkie Pie does everything she does. Even now, I still don’t. As I watched her zipping around the main foyer of Town Hall, giggling uncontrollably like a mad-mare and leaving balloons, streamers and confetti in her wake, I was surprised at how much energy is contained in that poofy-haired pink mare. And being both the Element Bearer of Laughter and Ponyville’s resident unofficial party planner, I’m sure she puts all of that energy into making every friend she knows happy … and making every-pony in town into friends she knows for that matter.
Pinkie Pie is busy decorating Town Hall at the moment at the behest of Miss Cherilee, the sole teacher of the local schoolhouse, for the colts and fillies under her charge to hold their annual School Dance tomorrow night, a celebration for the end of the current semester and a much-needed break after the huge final test that ended it. In the meantime, I was there because I had offered to help like a good friend should, partly because of Twilight, of course, and partly out of my curiosity to gain a better understanding of said friend, if not for how in Equestria she manages to pull off everything that she does, then for how I can become a better friend towards other ponies by following in her hoof-steps.
“And then Applejack was like ‘Ya don’t hafta put on a brave face for yer friends just because yer scared of what they think about ya! They like ya for who ya are and that’s the honest truth!’ And I was like ‘Yeah! Worst thing that can happen is you messing up in the rodeo and it becoming an embarrassing memory for years to come!’ And then Applejack looked at me all funny and I was like ‘What?’ …”
While she did her tasks, Pinkie Pie was quick to sweep me up in a torrent of words as she recounted the previous friendship mission she had gone on with Applejack to Appleloosa, even putting up a good attempt at mimicking her country dialect. During my stay at Twilight’s castle, I had observed how she was the one who visits the most out of all of Twilight’s friends. She came so frequently, that I am beginning to pick up on how an interaction with her would normally go. She often starts off with an anecdote about what she did or what had happened to her recently, like the one she’s recounting to me right now.
“So, Starlight. How’s your friendship studies coming along? Did Twilight bore you too much with her lectures? Did you make any new friends? Oh, speaking of your friends, I heard that Trixie is coming by to Ponyville tomorrow for another show. Do you think you can get her to perform at the School Dance tomorrow night? Ooh, that would be fun! Will she do the trick with the box and the chains? I love that trick! I’ve always wondered how she does it …”
This is followed by a barrage of questions pouring fourth from her lips directly towards the pony she’s talking to. Some of them are quite simple, some thought-provoking, some uncomfortably inquisitive, some downright nonsensical and some that even make ponies want to respond with a question themselves. But she always skips to the next one before they could even come up with even the first word of their answer in their minds.
“So, Starlight, wanna come with me for brunch to Sugarcube Corner after we’ve finished decorating? It’s strawberry season, and Mrs Cake makes the best strawberry pies in Ponyville! After that, we could go visit Vinyl Scratch and Octavia to see if they could provide the tunes for the dance! Which do you prefer, Starlight? DJ Pon-3’s got those cool beats but Octavia’s solos tugs at your heartstrings! But if you’d ask me, I like both of them! Then, we could go to the post office to write the invitations for every-pony …”
After that, she would blab on all about her plans for the rest of the day, always taking care to add a not-so-subtle invitation to join her on her merry occasion. I could only give a smile and a nod before both the chatter and the decorations continued as the treats from Ponyville’s renowned bakery is always the best in my opinion.
***
My tongue salivated at the sensation of the sweet and fruity strawberries and my teeth enjoyed crunching at the hard doughy crust of the baked slice. Pinkie was right, this is the best strawberry pie I have tasted ever since I came to Ponyville! As I savoured the taste of my afternoon meal, Mrs Cake looked on, elated at my satisfaction from the pie she had put so much hard work into, while her pink-maned helper gobbled up another one, exclaiming how much she loved them as she did so.
“These are sooo good!” I said with a wide toothy grin. “How did you make them so yummy?”
“Can’t tell you!” the matron replied with a wink “It’s a secret recipe that even Pinkie doesn’t know. I planned to tell her when the time is right, but ...” she looked at the pink mare wolfing down her own pie with a sigh “knowing her, she’ll find out eventually.”
“Someday, Mrs Cake. Someday.” Pinkie muttered with a sly look on her face.
At that moment, I felt something tug onto my back hoof and looked down to see a Pegasus colt followed by a unicorn filly looking curiously up at me. I’ve seen the Cakes’ twins, Pound and Pumpkin, from my occasional trips to the bakery and have heard about how they can be adorable, yet mischievous at the same time from a few of the many times Pinkie visited. Grinning, I spontaneously fired up my horn to create a small, dazzling lights display while the foals’ eyes lit up and their mouths were agape with awe as the bright colours danced in the air.
“They truly are adorable, aren’t they? We’re so lucky to have Pinkie Pie as our foal-sitter. To them, there’s never a dull moment when they’re spending time with her!” Mrs Cake exclaimed
“Aw shucks, Mrs Cake.” Pinkie replied with a blush. “You don’t have to flatter me like that!”
“So, you’re still on for watching them tomorrow while Mr Cake and I make our usual rounds?”
“No problemo! I just gotta work on some errands for the party and then I’m all set! Coming, Starlight?”
“Yeah, just let me finish this pie first and then we’re good to go!” I confirmed before savouring the sweetness of Mrs Cake’s strawberry pie once more.
The rest of the day was spent visiting various ponies around Ponyville, each with their part to play in the celebration to come at Town Hall, and as we walked together, I continued to marvel at the seemingly boundless energy of my happy-go-lucky friend and I found myself wondering what it would be like to live as her, for at least just one day.
***
The first thing I saw when I woke up next was not my room in Twilight’s castle, but a small, dimly lit cavern surrounded by filing cabinets, filled to the brim with documents of various colours. Adding to the strangeness of the room is the amount of party decorations littered everywhere, from balloons and streamers to more specialized props like deflated bounce houses and a bright blue party cannon. In front of me is a desk lit by a small table lamp, various papers cluttering the space filled with detailed notes and diagrams, mostly drawn in crayons.
Where … am I?
A strange feeling came over me as I promptly looked down at myself.
Was I this … pink?
It took some time, but it slowly dawned upon me as to what had happened. I quickly put my hooves to my mane, feeling them light and curly instead of straight and well-kept. I grabbed my throat as I gasped, hearing my voice being slightly higher than usual and sounding as if I had sucked in a lungful of helium. A quick glance at my flank revealed three colourful balloons instead of the usual glimmering spark I had all my life. It was unmistakable who I was right now, but … the reason for this occurrence seemed to elude me. The only explanation for this that would be remotely logical is that I had cast some out-of-body spell in my sleep, which I didn’t know was possible and hoped that it wouldn’t repeat again.
I would have tried to find a way to reverse this spell, but the same curiosity I had when I had been Twilight began to stir in me again and I found myself wandering the room, wondering what significance it had to the pony whose body I’m currently inhabiting right now. The filing cabinets seemed to be a good place to start and so, I opened one of the drawers, taking out a red-coloured document at random and flipping through its contents.
Name: Sour Dough
Birthday: May 16th
Occupation: Miller
Address: 96 Mane Street, Ponyville
Likes: Mint Tea (with fresh mint leaves), Chocolate Muffins (prefers those with melted chocolate on the inside), Jazz Music, The Countryside
Dislikes: Tangerines, Coffee, Rock and Roll Music (except from Puns and Hoses), Surprise Parties, Comic Books, The Colour Grey
Friends: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Bon Bon, Mrs Cup Cake, Mr Carrot Cake, Roseluck, Time Turner
And the file went on and on, listing every single detail of this particular pony, from the first time he arrived in Ponyville, to every party that had been thrown in his honour. I immediately grabbed another file, reading the extensive information about some other pony before moving on to another, and yet another. This was a level of organization that even Twilight would be envious of and to say that I was flabbergasted at how extensive and well-kept the information in these files were was just putting it lightly. With my curiosity growing ever larger, I then turned towards the files labelled ‘S’ and picked out one particular folder from the pile with my hooves.
Name: Starlight Glimmer
Birthday: April 4th
Occupation: Student
Likes: Kite-Flying, Mrs Cake’s Strawberry Pie
Dislikes: Jalapeno Red Velvet Cupcakes, Villainous Past
Friends: Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Sunburst, Trixie Lulamoon, Maud Pie
It wasn’t as detailed as the last few files I had read, but for her to have written down every single bit of information about me she had learned was astounding, especially from what she thought I liked from a conversation we had only yesterday! Upon further reading, I had also discovered plans for future parties that she was planning to throw using the knowledge she had gathered about me! Though it was honestly a bit creepy to have some-pony this obsessed about every-pony’s personal information, this showed a mare who really cared about her friends, even going so far as to put her name first on their friends list, and I was touched by the sentiment and the thought of what she had to go through to find out what makes every-pony happy.
I quickly snapped out of the feelings trip I was in once I had realized that I had no idea on how to leave this place, and countless minutes of searching didn’t leave me with even a clue as to where the exit would be. It was as if this sort-of ‘party-planning cave’ was so secret that not even the way out would be recognisable to any-pony unfamiliar with the place, thus trapping them within until its true owner returned, which is ironic, considering who I am now.
Soon, I turned to the desk where I woke up from and saw something that I hadn’t noticed before as I was too distracted by the wonders this place had to offer. Pinkie’s pet toothless alligator, Gummy, was sitting on the desk, staring at nothing in particular with his large purple eyes. I tried to pick him up and move him on another corner of the table so that I could search better, but he promptly plodded towards that single spot and seemed to insist on staying rooted there and facing that one direction for some reason.
It was then that I had realized what Gummy was doing and followed his line of sight to find a lever and a raised wooden platform carefully hidden among some boxes and streamers, a sort of rudimentary mechanical elevator. So relieved I was at finally having a chance to exit this place that I picked up the scaly creature and hugged him with a “Thanks, Gummy! You’re the best!” before bringing him along and pulling the lever to exit Pinkie Pie’s underground lair.
***
“Pinkie Pie! Thank Celestia you’re here. We’ve been looking all over for you!”
The first thing I had heard when I emerged from the party planning cave into Sugarcube Corner was the exasperated voice of Mrs Cake, who was peering from across the counter next to the cash register.
“You … have?” I asked, confused.
“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten your promise to take care of the twins while Mr Cake and I are going off on our rounds! We couldn’t just leave without knowing where you were first!”
Immediately, the events of yesterday sparked inside my mind and I remembered that very detail from our lunch at this very place. The next thing that dawned upon me was that Pinkie Pie was the one who agreed to help with the task and since I’m Pinkie Pie right now …
“Oh … that …”
“Are you feeling alright?” Mrs Cake asked in a concerned tone, putting a hoof to my forehead. “We could get one of our neighbours to come by if you’re unwell.”
I thought about it for a moment. This was Pinkie’s job and I could always just leave out of her body and come back later after her task was done. But a sense of responsibility welled up within me and I felt like proving to myself that I could do what she does without much of a problem. Besides, I’m sure taking care of babies takes just as much of a leadership skill as taking care of an entire village of ponies.
How hard can it be?
***
Why in Equestria did I even think that?!?
That was the only thought that rang in my mind as I struggled to catch the two foals who were running amok in the nursery. What made it so much worse was the fact that the Pegasus colt and the unicorn filly had already gotten the hang of their special abilities and are now using them in a sort of mischievous play against their nanny, flying or levitating just out of reach for me to hold onto them with my hooves.
Finally, after what seemed like agonizing moments of chaos, I managed to corner them and slowly moved forward. Little did I know, the kids had been scattering toys all over the room and one of them, a fairly small red ball was directly in my path. I didn’t notice the plaything until it was too late, slipping on it and falling flat onto the ground. Their deafening laughter echoed throughout the room as I lay face down on the hard wooden floor, defeated.
How did Pinkie even get them under control?
The thought whirled around and around in my head for a few minutes until I noticed that I couldn’t hear the laughter of the twins anymore. Looking up from my position, I could see Pound and Pumpkin Cake not whizzing about the room but crawling next to me with concerned looks on their faces, poking and prodding me to elicit a response. When our eyes had met, their smiles returned and they backed away, getting ready to run as soon as I was ready to pounce.
Oh, if they wanted a game …
Scanning the room, I grinned as I spotted a particular object lying next to a dresser and inched closer towards it, the eyes of the two foals watching curiously as I crawled forwards. When I had reached the dresser, I quickly hid behind it while holding the item, a small wicker laundry basket, in my hooves. Then, I grabbed the nearest toy I could find, a colourful stuffed snail before tossing it at the twins’ direction before looking up to gauge their reaction. Predictably, they dodged the doll and, with hooves and magic, answered with ammunition of their own as the red rubber ball from earlier and a purple pony plushie sailed through the air.
I caught the toys deftly and with a “Ta-da!”, I showed them the laundry basket with the ball and the doll inside. To my relief, the babies clapped their hooves and laughed, seeming to enjoy the game and searching the messy floor for more things to throw. Soon, I braced myself as more toys came hurtling towards me, from dolls to jacks to building blocks, all of which I deftly caught in the laundry basket, emptying them in the nearby toy chest when the basket filled up. Before long, the floor was spotless and the giggles of the twins died down as they were exhausted, laying on the floor to take a quiet nap.
Sometime later, the door to the nursery creaked open and a blue snout peeped through. I watched as Mrs Cake quietly let herself in and put a hoof to my mouth to remind her to be silent as I was rocking the foals back and forth in their crib. We promptly exited the room, leaving the two babies to wander off into the land of dreams and got out of earshot from the nursery before we spoke again.
“I couldn’t thank you enough for foal-sitting the twins today, as always. They must have been quite a handful, haven’t they?”
“I dunno. Once I started to see this as a game instead of a chore, it’s a lot more fun to do, and Pound and Pumpkin got to have fun with me while doing it! It’s a win-win for every-pony!”
“That being said, I’ve always seen you worn out after each foal-sitting session. Would it be alright if Mr Cake and I hired some-pony else while you took a short break?”
I closed my eyes in thought for a few moments, then opened them again, wistfully looking back at the nursery door with a soft smile on my face.
“If you’re looking for some-pony else, why not ask Starlight Glimmer? I’m sure she’ll be up for it if given the chance.”
“Are you sure, Pinkie? As good at magic as she is, I don’t think she’s anywhere close to you when it comes to watching over foals!”
“Every-pony’s gotta start somewhere. Plus, this would be the best chance for her to learn more about friendship! And besides, you doubted I could even handle the twins when I first offered to foal-sit them, and though admittedly it took me quite some time to figure things out, I eventually got the hang of it. Same goes for Starlight!”
As I watched Mrs Cake’s thoughtful face, I felt nervous at what I’ve signed myself up for, but I figured with enough time and patience, I could help Pinkie Pie out in at least this aspect after knowing what she had to go through.
***
The atmosphere at Town Hall is festive and wild as its young guests were greeted by brightly coloured decorations, delicious smelling food, and ear-pleasing music from a stage set at the centre of the main foyer. For now, it was DJ Pon-3 behind her mixtape, loud beats emanating from the huge speakers to the left and right of her as she wowed the crowd. Although from the backstage, one could hear Octavia practicing with a few of her orchestra band mates for their upcoming session of the party.
From the front entrance, I greeted each guest with a smile and a warm welcome as colts and fillies dressed in their best outfits walked side by side into Town Hall, accompanied by their similarly awestruck parents and guardians. Then, I went to the refreshments table to make sure that each guest had plenty to dig in on their plate. After that, I moved to the dance floor and partied as hard as I can while the students shook what their parents gave them.
I didn’t know where I got the energy to do all that from and frankly, I didn’t care as I put all of my focus on making sure every-pony was enjoying the night as much as I was. After all, this is what Pinkie Pie would have done, right? I felt a little bad staying as her for a moment longer and depriving her the experience of hosting one more party, but the ever-present desire in me to know what it’s like to live life as this hyper party pony trumped that feeling. Besides, she’d hosted a lot of parties by this point and she deserved a break from all the action for all her efforts, at least that’s my justification of the whole thing.
Pretty soon, that trademark energy of Pinkie Pie's had to run out eventually and I found myself outside on the steps of Town Hall, with a half-full cup of punch as I breathed in the cold fresh air and listened to the distant sounds of crickets chirping before me and distant noise of the party behind me. However, I soon found out that I wasn't alone as a young Pegasus colt wearing a scruffy suit sat a few steps below me. Knowing Pinkie wouldn't pass up an opportunity to talk to any-pony, I soon struck up a conversation with him.
"Hey, little guy. The party's back there, silly. What're you doing all the way out here?"
"Oh! You're Miss Pinkie Pie, aren't you? I'm ... just getting some fresh air."
"What a coincidence! That's what I'm doing too! Mind if I sit with you for a while?"
"Sure. Just ... keep things quiet for now, okay? I like the calmness of the night."
"Okay! No problem! Operation Being Calm! Starting ... now!"
We continued to sit and watch Luna's moon in the starlit sky, a few comets passing by the air to the awe of my young companion. The outer reaches of space had always fascinated me, but I've always seen them at the end of a telescope and always with an astronomical chart. Never have I just sat and watched its beauty from afar. Maybe Twilight was rubbing off on me more than I could admit. But before I could appreciate the night sky for much longer, the winged colt spoke up.
"Hey, Miss Pinkie? Thanks for the housewarming party you threw for us last week. My parents loved the warm welcome you gave us here."
"Oh, you're welcome ..." For some reason, his name escapes me, despite Pinkie being unable to keep quiet about him and his family all week.
"It's Ace. Call me Ace."
"You're welcome, Ace." I said, shaking his hoof vigorously. "So, what brings you and your family to Ponyville?"
"My dad's a busy stallion back in Cloudsdale, so he just wants to live someplace to get away from it all."
"Really? What does he do back there?"
"I ... don't exactly know. But it's pretty important stuff. I don't think you'll be interested in knowing about it."
He was hiding something; I could feel it. Usually, Pinkie Pie would definitely pry relentlessly to get some information out of him for her party planning cave. But luckily for him, I'm not Pinkie Pie, and so I changed the subject.
"Oh, alright. Anyway, how's it like in Ponyville? Made any new friends at school lately?"
"Not really. And I don't plan to."
"Why not? You've got friends back in Cloudsdale you miss so much?"
"You could say that."
"Well, that's just silly. Just 'cause you already have old friends doesn't mean you can't make new ones. Heck, I could even become your first friend in Ponyville and show you around a bit. Then, you'll be making friends in no time."
"Thanks for the offer, Miss Pinkie Pie, but I'm fine not having friends for now."
My concern for him grew. I've seen a few examples of where shunning friendship could get a pony and none of them led to pretty outcomes. I don't know if that was the Pinkie Pie in me talking, but I was determined to get Ace at least one friend in Ponyville, I just need to know what he has in common with another pony. It was then that I noticed something peculiar.
"Hey, Ace. You hadn't gotten your cutie mark yet?"
The young colt sighed. "Yeah. I was hoping to get one that has to do with flying. But no matter how hard I trained; it just didn't work!"
"Have you tried doing ... other stuff?"
"Not really. I ... I just want to make my dad proud."
"With a cutie mark in flying? Look, Ace. I'm sure your dad would be proud of you no matter what special talent you have."
"That's easy for you to say. He's some big shot Wonder-" Ace cut himself off before he could say anything else, but I caught what he was implying and put two and two together.
"And you're worried your dad won't be happy if you won't be carrying on his legacy?"
Ace looked uncomfortable for a moment, so I gave him a bit of room and went back to staring at the moon. I could tell he was conflicted between the part of him that wants to tell me everything and the part of him that wants to keep his mouth shut. Finally, after a few moments, he sighed.
"Miss Pinkie Pie, could you keep a secret?"
"Don't worry, Ace! Your secret's safe with me! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
Feeling reassured, he began to speak once more.
"Do you know what happens when your dad's some big important pony? Well, every-pony else looks to you and thinks you're just going to carry on whatever he’s doing. That's what happened in Cloudsdale, and I couldn't take it when my friends all asked me to do some tricks in the air or something like that. It's like they don't see me for me but for what my dad is. That's why I'm glad we came to Ponyville to get away from it all, but that's why I don't want to make friends with any-pony else. What if they find out who my dad was? They'll just want me to follow in his hoof-steps again."
I sat stunned for a few moments after Ace poured his heart out to me. Here was a colt who was emotionally distressed and was willing to forgo friendship in order to shield himself from the world. I closed my eyes in thought as I pondered on how to respond, and when I opened them again, I gave my answer.
"Ace, let me let you in on a little something not many ponies here know about. I grew up in a family of rock farmers and I thought I was going to be a rock farmer for the rest of my life too. Then, something changed and I began to see a new purpose in my life: making every-pony happy! But just because I wasn't who my parents were, doesn't mean I can't make them proud for who I am now! Same goes for every-pony else! And especially, same goes for you too!"
"But my name's Ace, for Celestia's sake! As in 'ace flyer'! There's no doubt in my mind what my dad wanted of me."
"And so, what? Ponies could be aces at other things too, like cooking, painting, gardening, sewing, story-telling ... you want me to go on?"
He shook his head.
"Look, Ace. The point is, you don't have to follow in your dad's hoof-steps to make him and every-pony else be proud of you. Just be yourself, do what you're most passionate about doing and make every-pony smile in the process! Every-pony has different ways of making other ponies happy, why shouldn't you be any different?"
The winged colt looked lost in thought, and then he eventually spoke up again.
"But, what should I do? Where should I start?"
“I’m glad you asked! I know three fillies who could help with your problem. May I introduce you to them? They might even become your first friends in Ponyville!”
“Sure … I guess?”
As we walked back into the party, I scanned around the busy foyer until I caught sight of the fillies chatting with each other and having a good time at the refreshments table: a young Earth pony with a yellow coat, red mane and a pink ribbon, a juvenile unicorn with a white coat and a curly pastel mane and a scrappy Pegasus with an orange coat and dark pink mane. Their flanks were emblazoned with shield emblems, which indicated their special talent and their close friendship as a whole.
As I got closer to them, they greeted me with smiles.
“Hey, girls. Would you mind helping a pony out?”
“Sure, what is it?” asked Applebloom.
“Anything important?” questioned Sweetie Belle.
“We’re always ready to help, no matter what the occasion!” exclaimed Scootaloo.
I nudged my nervous companion towards them and introduced him with a smile.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders, I would like you to meet Ace.”
***
I met Pinkie Pie the following day, having a sandwich at one of Ponyville’s several cafes. I guess she does like to mix things up with where she eats once in a while instead of sticking to Sugarcube Corner every time. As soon as I sat down to order something for myself, she began blabbing to me as usual. It turns out that she had a lot of things to say regarding yesterday’s party, that she technically never attended, and I listened intently as she rambled on and on about things.
“… and when I woke up, I realized I’d missed the party and rushed to Town Hall to apologize, only to find out that I actually was at the party and every-pony congratulated me for doing a good job. Even the parents of the new colt, Ace, thanked me for helping their kid make some friends. Was … was I just so tired that I hosted a party in my sleep? Oh no! What if I started sleep-partying all the time? Then, I wouldn’t get to experience any future parties ever again! It’s no fun to throw a party and not be able to enjoy it! I-I’ve got to see a doctor! I- “
“Calm down, Pinkie.” I said in a reassuring voice. Her talkativeness really gets out of hand when she’s worried. “I’m sure it was just a one-time thing. I’m confident Twilight and I would find a solution for you if you began sleep-partying all the time.”
“Would you? That would be nice! But could you fix up a cure reeeal soon? I don’t want to miss another party because I was doing it in my sleep!”
“I don’t think it’s a problem unless you start doing it more than once but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll talk to Twilight about it”
“Pinkie Promise?”
“Pinkie. I don’t think- “
“Pleeeeease?”
*sigh* “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“Thanks, a billion, Starlight! You truly are a good friend!”
***
As I walked back towards Twilight's castle, I thought about the time I had spent as Pinkie Pie for one whole day. And for that one whole day, I discovered how she planned all those parties, helped babysit the Cakes twins, helped host the party at Town Hall and helped Ace find some new friends in Ponyville.
I would encounter the Pegasus colt in question a few days later as he flew by me with Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo right on his tail. All of them were whooping, cheering and laughing with joy and after stopping one of them to ask what was going on, I had learned that Ace had gotten his cutie mark ... in public speaking! I smiled. With the way he poured his heart out to me yesterday, it was only fitting that he used that passion to emotionally inspire other ponies, and I am all the more supportive of him for it, despite us technically having never met.
Throughout my time as Pinkie Pie, have I learned the secrets of what makes her the hyper-active energetic party pony that she is? Not really. No-pony does. No-pony ever will and I'm fine with things being that way. But have I learned how to make every-pony smile by living a day as her? Perhaps. But as my own friendship lesson, it was a start, and if I followed her example, maybe Ponyville or even Equestria could be an even better place for it!