The party pony was hyped with anticipation as he made his way through the city streets. The hustle and bustle of the smiling citizens overjoyed him, and the only thing on his mind was seeing his role model, Pinkie Pie. He liked Applejack, and Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash (He and Pinkie pulled off a killer party for her), but Pinkie had a special place in his heart. She was his superior, her only weakness being formality, and was just an all around good friend. On top of that, it was her that introduced Cheese to parties, and is therefore responsible for his actions; his smiles spread, his friends made, and his days lightened. As that thought crossed his mind, he stopped in the middle of a busy sidewalk. His enthusiasm had been instantly drained, and a frown appeared on his face, which was rarer than anything. His thoughts had moved to his latest project, a certain green pony that had abandoned all hope for himself. He remembered his vow, and remembered he had failed. Time had gone by too quickly, and now, all he was was an escort. He had promised to make Wintergreen smile, and brighten up his life. All he had succeeded in doing was carry on an idle conversation.
He never smiled once.
He never laughed once.
He was alone.
He knew what had to be done. Pinkie Pie was an expert. She could definitely fix this. After all, she was the best party pony out there.
Chimes rang as the door to Sugarcube Corner opened. The sweet notes alerted the Cakes of their customer, and Carrot Cake was at his service in seconds.
“Hello, sir. I was told I could find Pinkie Pie here.”
“You must be Cheese Sandwich. Pinkie’s upstairs in her room. You’re welcome to go up there. I’m sure she won’t mind. Just go up that flight of stairs, and it’s the second door on the left.”
Pinkie’s door was shut when Cheese approached it. He rapped on the door three times, and before he was able to knock a fourth time, the door opened. Had Cheese blinked at that instant, he would have hit Pinkie Pie square in the face. Pinkie scooped Cheese up in a giant hug.
“CHEESIE!!!” she exclaimed, “YOU’RE EARLY!”
“I sure am!” Cheese said.
“I was getting super duper excited and I couldn’t wait so I started to do this! But when you have a party cannon, it doesn’t take too long.” Cheese Sandwich looked inside Pinkie’s room and loved everything his eyes took in. Streamers of all colors were spread around the room. The floor was littered with confetti. There was a small table with assorted sweets and baked goods piled halfway to the ceiling. A banner hung from the far wall, with WELCOME CHEESIE in large orange letters painted on it.
“Personally not my best,” Pinkie shrugged, staring at the decorations, “But I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow. I always refine everything last-minute. Oh, and the guests are supposed to be here tomorrow too.”
“Well, now that greetings are out of the way,” Cheese Sandwich’s face suddenly became serious, “I need your help.” Pinkie Pie frowned.
“What’s wrong, Cheesie?”
“There’s a pony here in Ponyville that goes by the name of Wintergreen and-”
“Wait a minute,” Pinkie interrupted, “I don’t know him. And I know everypony in Ponyville,” she mashed her face against Cheese’s, “EVERY. PONY.”
“Anyway,” Cheese continued, he’s a really sad pony, the worst case I’ve ever seen. He needs to smile, and I don’t know how to make that happen.”
“Let me meet him! There’s no way we’ll fail if we work together!”
“It’s not that simple…” Cheese Sandwich explained the walk to Ponyville, and what Wintergreen had said about the Elements. Pinkie Pie sat down, frowning.
“Ugh… this is IMPOSSIBLE!” Pinkie cried. “How can I make him smile if he doesn’t like me? I know! What if… no… that won’t work… maybe… no… UGGHHHH!”
“I’ve got it!” Cheese Sandwich exclaimed, “You could teach me!”
“Teach you? Okay Cheesie, why not?” Cheese hugged Pinkie Pie.
“I won’t let you down. You OR Wintergreen.”
Wintergreen carefully avoided the everyday pony pedestrians that filled the streets. The task was near impossible, for the sun was high in the sky, and each and every pony in town was out and about with their lives. After several detours, he found his way to his usual house without too many problems. There was that one grumpy old mare that threw a rolling pin at him for cutting across her lawn, but she missed, and wasn’t able to see him well enough to recognize him in the future. He entered the house, then curled up into a ball on the couch. He had nothing to occupy his time, but that was normal for him. He was well fed for the day, and had no reason to venture outside. He began to think about Cheese Sandwich, and the events that happened.
He had managed to kill three hours being lost in thought. He had quite a lot on his mind. The Elements of Harmony, the ponies he had heard about, and their feats that turned them from normal ponies into heroines. They had been given more power than the being of Chaos, who ruled Equestria millennia ago. And why? Friendship. He despised them, even though he knew in the back of his head that it was wrong. He envied their bond, and what came of it. He was unable to make friends, and it got him to where he was today. Before he knew it, the sun was setting over the horizon, and he fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning to the chirping of the birds. It was peaceful as usual in Ponyville, but he seemed surprised by how much he enjoyed it. Normally, he didn’t care, but that day, he seemed particularly interested in the outside world. It must have been Cheese Sandwich. The brief time they had talked gave him confidence. It wasn’t until he saw the morning sun that made him realize that. His growling stomach interrupted his awe. He had no source of food; he didn’t want to return to the apple trees any time soon. That’s when he remembered his donation from Cheese Sandwich. Maybe he was being crazy. Maybe now that he had matured, there was no need to hide. He hadn’t failed with Cheese Sandwich. Maybe he could let himself out of hiding.
He emerged with his only worry being that somepony would see him come out of a house he didn’t own. He made his way to a small restaurant that seemed reasonably priced. He opened the door and took a seat close to the window. The waitress approached the table, then hesitated when she saw the pony in the seat. It wasn’t hard to tell he was homeless. His mane was matted, he smelled like he hadn’t bathed in years (because he hadn’t), and he looked no cleaner.
“Can I take your order, uhh, sir?”
“Umm… I’ll have umm… some… oatmeal.”
“Okay. I’ll be back with that soon.”
Several ponies entered the restaurant while he waited, and each one gave him a bad look. Some ponies that entered turned around and left when they saw him sitting at a table. A family sat a couple tables away, a mare, a stallion, and two colts. Wintergreen heard one colt, the one that appeared to be younger, ask, “What’s wrong with that stallion?” His older brother added,
“He’s a bum, His older brother added, “He’s smelly and he prob’ly don’t got no family.”
“Stay away from him, kids,” the father said, “He isn’t the kind of pony you want to be around. He shouldn’t even be in this restaurant. It’s too clean for somepony like him.”
Wintergreen didn’t know what to think. He got up and ran out of the restaurant, leaving his bits behind. He entered his abode and slammed the door behind him. He plopped onto the couch and cried.
He had every reason to.