The Best Day

by Doccular42

Part Two

Something was wrong. Pinkie could feel it. Or, rather, her hair could feel it. Pinkie never did understand how her Pinkie Sense worked, but she knew enough to listen to it whenever it started. And boy, it sure was starting now.

POMF! Her mane inflated to an even more insanely poofy configuration.

CHITCHITCHIT! Her teeth began chattering just like Granny Smith’s when she lost her teeth on the giant trampoline!

KA-POW! Her hoof shot out and punched Twilight in the face!

“Oww! Pinkie! Why did you do that?” Twilight fell backwards out of her chair in Sugarcube Corner while holding her mouth. “Just because I said that Daring Doo isn’t a completely accurate representation of an archaeologist doesn't mean that you have to punch me! Honestly, the way you’re defending her I’d think you were Rainbow Dash…” Twilight rubbed her face and frowned.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Twily! I couldn’t help it. My Pinkie Sense went all like POMF! And then like CHITCHITCHIT! And the it went all KA-POW! And then I hit you!” Pinkie’s hair continued poofing outward and then retracting. She was barely able to keep her teeth from continuing their mad dance, and her hoof continued to try to pull her out the door.

“Wait, this is Pikine Sense? Ooh, let me get my notebook!” A grin broke out over Twilight’s more-purple-than-normal face. Using her magic, she grabbed a pen, some ink, and a notebook from her saddle bag.

“Pinkie… Sense… Number… Five-thousand-eight-hundred-seventy-two. Okay, signs. Wild poofy mane… Inexplicably chattery teeth… And uncontrollable punching of Celestia’s most faithful student. Perfect! Now, has this ever happened before?”

“Yes! Actually no, the third sign isn’t punching anypony. The third sign is my hoof trying to pull me somewhere…”

At this, Twilight stopped writing. She looked down at her notes with an expression of horror on her face. “Oh, okay. I guess that I could… umm… I guess I could just cross that part out and rewrite it…”

Pinkie looked thoughtfully at her energetic hoof. “But yeah, I think this happened before… Poofy mane… Chittery Teeth… Hoof becoming sentient…”

“Nononono NO! The line! It’s mocking me! Must. Start. Over!”

As Twilight ripped at her notebook, Pinkie gasped with a sudden realization. “No! It can’t be! Twilight! IT’S THE BIG ONE!”

As the bits of paper settled to the floor, Twilight looked at Pinkie with an ink splattered face. “Wait, what do you mean the big one?”

Pinkie gazed at Twilight, a haunted expression on her face. “Twilight, this Sense has only happened twice before. This is the sign of…”

Twilight waited a moment for Pinkie to finish, but she just sat there silently. “The sign of what Pinkie?”

“It’s the sign of…”

“The sign of what?”

“It’s the sign of…”

“PINKIE!”

“A party emergency! There is somepony out there who DESPERATELY needs a party! Like, really, really, really, really, really, really badly! My hoof is trying to pull me toward them! But I haven’t received the other sign yet…”

Twilight looked up from her notebook. “A fourth sign? I thought there were only three signs.” Her face paled. “Oh no! Do I have to go back over all five thousand eight hundred seventy one other Pinkie signs and add a new category for another sign?!” Her breathing became quite heavy, but Pinkie interrupted her.

“No, this sign is special. It tells me who needs the party. Before, I’ve had a small vision that shows that poor pony. I go all blank-like for a minute and start shouting stuff, then I’m all shiny and know who I need to help! Huh, I wonder why it hasn’t happened ye-” Pinkie suddenly looked at Twilight with a vacant expression.

“Uh, Pinkie? Are you in there?” Twilight edged toward her friend slowly. “Hey, are you alrigh-”

“WINGS!”

Twilight jumped backwards and hid under the table as Pinkie shouted at her.

“FEATHERS!”

“KIND OF YELLOWY!”

“CHICKENS!”

“What do chickens have to do with a yellowish pony with wings and feathers?” Twilight covered her ears. As she peeked out from under the table, she could see the other patrons as well as the cakes either hiding or running into the street in an attempt to escape the noise.

“NOT FLUTTERSHY!”

“Darn. There goes my idea,” Twilight muttered. At least, she thought she muttered. She couldn’t hear herself too well with the cottony feeling in her ears.

“IT. IS. SCOOTALOO!”

As quickly as it started, Pinkie snapped awake again. “Twilight! It’s Scootaloo! Scootaloo needs help!”

“Yeah, I heard. I think all of Equestria may have heard as well…”

Pinkie grinned. “Okie-dokie-lokie! So that means you know what we have to do, right?”

Twilight shrugged. “Throw her a party?”

“Not just any party! The most super-duper awesome-sausum party that she’s ever had! We’re going to need help! And party cannons!”

“Cannons? As in plural?” Twilight’s voice held just a hint of fear.

“Yeah, like lots of cannons. Come on, we don’t have any time to waste!”

“I have a very bad feeling about this… But I suppose it may make a good letter.”

Scootaloo turned over in her restless sleep. Her dreams were haunted by memories…

“Hey Fluttershy! Over here!” Pinkie cried out to the pegasus as she walked down the street.

Fluttershy turned to face them. “Oh, hi Pinkie. Hi Twilight. Twilight, are you wearing purple makeup? It looks, um, nice?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s not makeup. Pinkie punched me. But we don’t have time to explain. We need your help!”

The young filly tossed and turned and dreamed of two years ago.

“Rainbow Daaaaash!”

Rainbow Dash looked down from the tree she was sleeping in to see three of her walking toward her.

“What’s up Pinkie? Oh, and hey Fluttershy and Twilight! I was just-” She looked a Twilight and jumped up. “Twilight! Are you wearing warpaint? That is so awesome!”

Twilight sighed. “No, it’s not warpaint. Pinkie punched me. But we don’t have time to explain! We really need your help!”

Two years ago. The fire.

“Hey! Applejack! Applebloom! HEEEEEEEY!”

The two earth ponies wiped the sweat from their brows as they say the four ponies approaching them.

“Well, heya Pinkie! And Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight too! It’s great to see y’all but… Twilight? Are you wearing some namby-pamby cosmetics? Those things give ya wrinkles, ya know that right?”

Twilight huffed. “No, it’s not ‘namby-pamby cosmetics!’ Pinkie punched me. That’s all! But we don’t have time to explain! We really need your help! Both of you!”

She could still smell the smoke. Still feel the heat. Still taste the ash. Still hear her parents scream…

“Hey! Rarity! Sweetie Belle! We need you out here!” Pinkie and the rest of the gang stood outside the boutique as Pinkie shouted at a window. A moment later, Rarity and her sister both poked their heads out to see the source of the all the yelling.

“Well hello everypony, it’s so good to see you all-”

“IT’S NOT MAKE-UP! PINKIE PUNCHED ME!” Twilight screamed at her. “We don’t have time to explain, but we need you both out here now! We have to head to Sugarcube Corner! It’s an emergency!”

Scootaloo let out a quiet sob as she slept and clutched her little picture close.

“So let me get this straight. Pinkie punched ya, then started shouting out some random things, then said that Scootaloo desperately needs a party. So, of course, the only logical thing to do was to pull us all off the farm, or boutique, or the street, or wherever Rainbow Dash was sleeping so that we could help you throw a giant party?” Applejack and the others looked at Twilight.

“Well, when you put it that way… Yes. Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense hasn’t been wrong yet, and if she says Scootaloo needs a party, then I believe her.” Twilight looked Applejack directly in the eyes and stood up straight.

“Hey sugar cube, Ah wasn’t saying anything against you, just checkin’ to make sure Ah had the story right. But why does she need a party so badly today? Do you have any idea Applebloom?”

Applebloom shrugged. “Ah don’t know. She was really looking forward to today for a while though. What about you Sweetie?”

Sweetie looked at one of her best friends. “Well, I remember her saying that today would be better than last year, but what did she mean by that? Why was today special?”

Everypony was silent for a moment, but then Fluttershy spoke up.

“Well, um, maybe it’s… her birthday?”

Sweetie Bell and Applebloom gasped simultaneously.

“Oh my gosh! It’s her birthday! Applebloom, how could we forget?” Sweetie Belle hung her head, and in a second, Applebloom did too.

“Oh my. Now I feel so bad about sending her away from the boutique without letting Sweetie play with her! And then I said that it was such a wonderful day and told her I wanted to spend time with my friends! How careless of me!” Rarity put her hoof to her eye and wiped away a single tear.

“I’M A HORRIBLE PONY!” And with that, she fell backward and began sobbing.

“Hey, enough chittering and chattering! We have a very sad and lonely filly on our hands who desperately needs a party and we’re busy whining about ourselves! Well, Rarity is busy whining about herself! But still, times a-wasting. Let’s grab those party cannons and find our little Scootaloo buddy and give her the best birthday she’s ever had!”

Everypony cheered, but Rainbow Dash interrupted them. “Wait, wait, wait. Did I just hear you right? Party cannons? With an ‘S’?”

And with that, Pinkie jumped toward the closest tree and pulled out seven party cannons. “Yep. I keep them stashed all over Equestria for occasions just like this!”

As she pushed the contraptions of instant happiness into the hooves of all her friends, Twilight looked at her quizzically. “Uh, alright. But aren’t you forgetting something? There are eight of us here.”

Pinkie grinned at her friend. “Silly Twily, I always have mine on me!” Pinkie stuck her hoof into her still spasming hair and pulled out the final cannon. “See?”

Applebloom regarded her cannon carefully as she spoke. “Well, that’s all well and good, but how do we find her? She could be anywhere?”

Pinkie smiled. “Oh, don’t worry! We’ll just follow my hoof…”

Scootaloo heard a light thumping noise outside the treehouse. She looked up at the sky, and seeing that it was early evening, decided to get up and take a walk. Maybe she could go by Sugarcube Corner… Maybe Derpy would be there and have some muffins… Maybe she would share….

But as she made her way out the door, she was stunned by the earth-shattering KABOOM of eight party cannons going off in tandem.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOOTALOO!”

Scootaloo looked down at the picnic table in shock. All the trees were covered in streamers, balloons were tied everywhere, and the table was covered by cake and presents. But best of all, her two best friends were running up to her.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grabbed Scootaloo in a giant bear hug.

“Scootaloo! We forgot what day it is! But we’re here now! You don’t have to be alone!”

Scootaloo couldn’t help herself. She started bawling right then there. But this time, they were tears of joy.

“I… I knew you would be here for me! I knew it wouldn’t be like last year! I just knew it!” She barely managed these simple sentances through her sobs, but her friends didn’t care. They just stood there and held her.

After a moment, the three fillies walked down to the picnic table where Pinkie and her friends were waiting.

“H-how did you know? And h-how did you do all of this?”

Twilight smiled down at Scootaloo. “Well, the answer to your first question is Pinkie, and the answer to your second is Pinkie. She got everything together.”

Scootaloo just looked at the pink earth pony. Pinkie smiled at her, that same smile that she always gave Scootaloo when the young pegasus was feeling down. It was a smile that told her that everything was going to be alright, and that somepony cared.

She ran over to Pinkie and gave her a huge, tearful hug. “Oh Pinkie! Thank you! I’m so glad this isn’t like last year! I don’t think I could bear being alone for another birthday!”

“Hey, it’s okay. I know what it’s like to fell lonely, especially on your birthday. But I always remind myself of the amazing friends and family I have here, and then I feel so much better!”

At this, Scootaloo sobbed even harder. “It’s so great to have friends like you… But I- I don’t have any family… Not anymore.”

Scootallo let go of Pinkie and could barely get out her next words.

“I miss them so much!”

Pinkie grabbed her in another hug, and all seven of the others came over and joined in.

“Hey, look at me.”

Scootaloo looked directly into Pinkies eyes as Pinkie spoke.

“You do have family. We are your family. Family is the ponies that never want to see you sad.”

Applejack nodded. “That is so true. And family is the ponies who would put down something that is important to them because something is important to you.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Family is the ponies who will smile with you on the best days, and cry with you on the worst days.”

“Family is the ponies that are always on your mind. The ones you always want near you.” Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo close and gave hear a noogie.

“Family overlooks the small things and is willing to give anything for each other.” Rarity grabbed Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. “Even if it means that my workroom is still covered in paste.” She looked poindedly at Sweetie, who grinned shyly.

“Family is the ponies who trust you, and believe you, and who tolerate a punch or two for each other’s sake.” Twilight was looking more at Pinkie than at Scootaloo, but Scootaloo couldn’t see that through her tears anyways.

“Yeah, family is the ponies who love you!” Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo yet another hug, and Applebloom soon joined.

“Scootaloo, we all love you and don’t want you to be alone. And you aren’t alone. You have us. Your family.”

Scootaloo finally opened her eyes, and all she could see was love around her. Love, and the smiling faces of her family.

Scootaloo lay in the guest bedroom at Sweet Apple Acres which had been offered to her by Applejack after the party was done. Applebloom had helped her carry her box of possessions into the room before heading back into her own room.

Scootaloo left the nasty blankets and pillow in the box, but she took the rest of the items out. She placed her trophy onto her dresser next to her bits and the presents that her family had given her.

But that still left two items in her box. She pulled her two photographs out and carefully placed them onto her nightstand. The first photo was of herself, her mother, and her father. But the second one was of herself surrounded by the eight greatest friends in the world. Her family.

She gazed carefully at the two pictures. She sighed. Nopony could ever replace her mommy or daddy, but Scootaloo knew that they wouldn’t want her to be sad forever. Somehow, she knew that they were looking down on their daughter and her new family. And she also knew they were smiling.

As she turned off the light, she sang a simple little song to herself.

“What a great day it was…”

“Everything went my way…”

“I never saw a better day than this…”

“Because today was my birthday.”

With her mind on her family, she slowly drifted off to sleep. But before sleep overcame her, she muttered three words.

“Happy Birthday Scootaloo.”