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// Party Favor 
// Story: In Our Town 
// by Civviq Writer 
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	Hello there, strange creatures behind the screen! My name is Party Favor and I am Our Towns new party pony! Now I have my cutie mark back, I can fi-nal-ly see you again. Boy, did I miss y’all! I also have my Party Sense back. (It’s a family trait, yes.) Now I can sense who desperately needs a smile and I can give it to them! Young and old always cheer up from a good balloon show.
 
You know, after I had gotten my cutie mark back, I felt as if the world became thrice as clear and a lot more colorful. What also became clear is that, well… a lot of ponies were really angry and sad that Starlight Glimmer left. They still are.... I certainly am one of them. But it is my duty as the Premier Party Pony of This Part of Equestria to cheer other ponies up, no matter how I feel.
 
So, no sad faces on my watch! Let’s go spread some joy!
 
~
 
I trotted happily over the street of Our Town. There’s this slight spring in my step, that if I hum one of my favorite songs, I’ll step right on time with the beat! Even if it skips one, because then I’ll just skip one step too.
 
All of a sudden, a shiver went through my body just the moment I skipped a beat, so I was shivering in mid-air. Lots of ponies around me stopped to watch, I wonder why, because it’s really normal for me. It’s my Party Sense! Somepony needs to smile! Let’s see, who is it?
 
I hopped on top of a boulder, overlooking the street. I pulled out a balloon and made some binoculars with it. No, not just binoculars - they were smiler sensers. I scanned the town, looking for the pony who needed some happiness.
                
There, right over there! The small schoolhouse, next to Starlight’s old cottage. It was recess, and since they didn’t have a playground to play on they had to play on the streets. One of the colts fell and bruised his knee. That´s not right, gotta bring a smile on his face!
 
I jumped off the boulder, hopped on my balloonbike and paddled towards the colt through the air. Once I got to the colt, I hung upside down, at eye-level.
 
“Heya, lil’ colt! Wha’s got you down?” I said, smiling.
 
The colt just stared at me, open-mouthed. It got me a little uncomfortable, but it’s not a sad face, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice. I felt the air in my balloon-bike lose its strength, so I put the bike down, let the balloons deflate and put them in my pocket. I pulled out a fresh balloon and made a dog.
 
“Here, look!” I presented the colt the balloon. “Woof, woof! Imma dog!”
 
His eyes widened in wonder as he carefully grabbed the balloon animal. He giggled at the squeaky noises it made as his hooves touched the smooth surface. I grinned. Another job well-done! I pulled out my Balloon-copter, waved a goodbye at the colt, and paddled back into the air.
 
I hummed another favorite song while I made for the clouds. I wonder how many favorite songs I have. If all the songs I know are my favorite songs, is it then really still my favorite? Or is none of them my favorite and could I better pick one song that is actually my favorite? Nah, then the other songs will be sad that I left them behind.
 
I landed my ballooncopter on a cloud. Before I stepped off, I tested the cloud to see if it could hold me - yes, it could! I got a balloon, pointed the opening behind me and opened it, making a very funny sound, like a king-sized fart of a pony who had eaten too much chili. I don’t like chili, chili is too hot for me. That’s not a family trait, my family loved spicy food. But not me. I don’t like to fart, I like my whoopee-cushions and balloons to fart. Only then are farts funny.
                
The cloud started to move forward as more and more air came out of the balloon. I looked around me and whistled a cheery tune (Yes, it’s another of my favorite songs!). I was searching for my friend, Night Glider. She’s in charge of the weather around here. She likes to sleep during the day and fly during the night, but if she has an appointment during the day, she sleeps during the night and flies during the day. But she prefers the night.
 
Ah, there she is! She’s sleeping soundly on a cloud.
 
“Hey, Night Glider!” I said, happily.
 
The dark-blue pegasus was startled from her sleep. “Wha-wha-wha?” she said, looking around, until she saw me.
 
“Party Favor!?” She looked at me with mixed expression. I think it’s confusion, and irritation, and wonder, and surprisedness, and…
 
“How the hay did you get on that cloud? Why aren’t you falling right now? What are you doing here? Why did you wake me?” she yelled. Well, that isn’t nice.
 
I thought for a moment. “Well, I came up here with my ballooncopter, I tested the cloud if it could hold me and it could, see?” I smiled, bouncing up and down on the cloud.
 
“Don’t you need any, uh, cloud walking spells, maybe?” Night Glider said.
 
I laughed. “Of course not! Only advanced unicorns can do that! I am merely a party-pony, surely you’d know that.”
 
She stared at me, open-mouthed, and sighed exasperated. “Okay, but you didn’t explain my last two questions.”                            
 
I gasped, how could I forget? “Oh! Well, I wanted to ask you something: I have a birthday party planned for tomorrow - It’s Gray Blossom’s birthday, the colt’s turning seven - and I was wondering if you could clear the clouds for tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll have a nice night.”
 
She facehoofed. “That is why you woke me? This couldn’t wait until tonight?”
 
I shook my head. “Nope. Weather comes first.”
 
She sighed. “Well, okay then, I’ll see if I can arrange that… I suppose I could wake up a bit early... “
 
I grinned. “Thank you!” I cheered, throwing my hooves in the air. “I gotta go now, gotta plan a par-tay!”
 
I blew up a balloonplane, climbed on it and headed for the bakery.
 
Behind me, I heard Night Glider groan and shuffle in the clouds.
 
“It’s Party Favor, don’t question it… ugh, party ponies…”
 
I smiled to myself. Yep, I’m a super-duper-party pony, that pony is me! I steered my balloonplane for my next stop: the bakery. Let’s go get some yummy yummy cupcakes for tomorrow! I looove Sugar Belle’s cupcakes. She makes the bestest cakes in aaaal of Equestria! She really honors her name… heh… Maybe I’ll throw a party for her, because she helps me so much. She only deserves it.
 
I skidded to a halt in front of the bakery. Delicious smells wafted out of the door, right into my nose, and it made my stomach rumble. Maybe I’ll pick up lunch, too. Some pie really fills the stomach, especially Sugar Belle’s pies. They’re delicious.
 
I put away the plane and walked inside, a different spring in my step this time because I had a different favorite song in my head. And different rhythms comes with different walks. I opened the door - the bell rinkled merrily, exactly on the beat - and I walked into the shop for the second time that day.
 
Sugar Belle smiled her sweet smile. “Hello, Party Favor, nice to see you again! How can I help you?”
 
She seemed a bit tired. Now that her cupcakes were delicious again, she probably got tons and tons of customers. I hope she’ll be okay, because tired bakers can’t bake as well as bakers who aren’t tired.
 
“Well,” I started, biting my lip, trying to think of what to say. “I need a birthday cake and some cupcakes for a party tomorrow! Uhm, I also need seven candles, because Grey Blossom will turn seven.”
 
Sugar Belle nodded. “Allright. What flavor?” She held up a notepad and a quill, ready to take notes. She’s always ready for everything.
 
“Hm…” I thought for a moment. “He really, really likes chocolate, so maybe those chocolate-with-whipped-cream-birthday cakes?”
 
She nodded and wrote it down. “Allright. And the cupcakes?”
 
“Well, mostly chocolate, but not everypony likes chocolate, so how about a couple of other flavours? Strawberry, lemon, maybe something we have never tasted before!”
 
She giggled sweetly. “Well, okay then. I’ll see what I can do. When will you pick them up?”
 
“Ehm… how about… five p.m.?” I asked.
 
She smiled and noted it down. “Allright, I’ll have them ready by then.”
 
“Thank you!” I grinned and tossed the proper amount of bits on the table.
 
She smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.”
                
I walked happily out of the store. This time, I’m going to walk to the hardware store. Sometimes walking silly walks will bring smiles to ponies’ faces. Silly walks are funny, they make everypony laugh! I wonder if there’s a ministry of them, the Ministry of Silly Walks… Heh, maybe I should make one. That’d be hilarious!
 
Enthusiastic by the idea, I started to walk silly. One leg really really high, and then down, and then the rest. And over and over. I saw several ponies giggle and I beamed, continuing to walk silly. It was working! Yay!
 
I silly-walked over to my cottage. I have most of my party stuff stored there. It’s where I’ll be making most of the decorations of the party of tomorrow. There’s going to be lots and lots of games, and sweets (by Sugar Belle!), and music - oh! Almost forgot the music! Music is really important. Really, really important! There’s no party without music! I’ll have to do that later today, too.
 
There was a knock on the door. I opened it and a very, very, very angry Double Diamond in front of me. His mane was ruffled (more ruffled than otherwise) and he held his skiing helmet under his hoof.
 
“Party Favor…” he started, pretty threatening. I made a balloon-helmet behind my back, just in case.
 
“Do you know where I can find Night Glider?” he asked. I sighed; thank goodness it isn’t about me… but what did she do?
 
I asked him that.
 
“She didn’t show up. Again.” He sighed annoyed. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
 
“Oh, she’s asleep, I think,” I said, pointing upwards. “Somewhere in the clouds, I think.”
 
He facehoofed. “Of course… she overslept… Again.” He sighed and his eyes softened. “Oh well, send her to me when you see her, okay?”
I nodded. “I will, dont’cha worry!” I grinned.
 
“Allright, thanks.” Double Diamond turned around to leave. “See ya around, I guess.”
                
“Yeah, see ya!” I said, happily. “Bye!”
 
I closed the door. Night Glider being late, again. She’s always late, and that’s not really nice. She always oversleeps. When I tried to plan a party once, she overslept and it started to rain. That really was a bummer. But I don’t blame it on her, after all, she’s one pony and there’s a whole sky with clouds she needs to clear on her own. Nopony else does it. There is supposed to be a weather team, but it’s never really established. The Mayor needs to do it, but there isn’t a mayor yet, so there’s no weather team.
 
But let’s not worry about that, shall we? Let’s plan a par-tay!