//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: The Spirit of Loyalty // by Matthew Penn //------------------------------// Scootaloo’s birthday will arrive in two days. For some that was hardly enough time to plan a surprise party, unless your name is Pinkie Pie. It was all a matter of sending invitations to everyone. The rest will take care of itself. At least, that was what she hoped. It has been months since Pinkie planned a party for anyone. Not only were there invitations, there was also location, decorations, cake, and how to get Scootaloo to the party. What if she couldn’t prepare in time? Before the thoughts grew negative she pushed them out of her mind. There was no time to think about that. Pinkie spent the night creating invitations from scratch. In the morning she will go to her friends’ houses, as well as houses of children who would be interested in going, and send them out. It was going to take so much effort to get the party ready in time. Sweetie Belle called her the best party planner in Ponyville during their conversation from earlier. That was enough motivation to keep her going. As she wrote out the invitations and filled them with color, she once again thought about the first party she organized for her family. Her favorite moment she will always remember were the huge grins on their faces. She also thought about Limestone. Now would’ve been a great time for Limestone to be in Ponyville with her, Pinkie thought. Maybe she could’ve helped out with the party, if she wanted to, then the two of them can try to be happy together. When Pinkie was Pinkie, a party wasn’t a success until everyone was smiling, which was always. Even if their was a single pony who wasn’t smiling, she did her best to turn those frowns upside-down. She was very good at the things she did. Pinkie grabbed more white construction paper and some colored pencils. The two prominent colors on the invitations were orange and purple, due to Scootaloo’s appearance. She thought it was clever, although anyone could have thought of doing that, she later decided. Still, it was for Scootaloo. When she turned to her side, Gummy, her pet reptile, was standing on the table. Pinkie was pleased to see his blank, emotionless eyes. “I’m just writing these invitations,” she said as she stroke his scaly body. “Scootaloo’s birthday is in a couple of days. You remember her, right?” Gummy licked one of his eyes. “She’s the filly who lived with Rainbow Dash. You remember her, do you?” she asked sadly. “Her birthday was last month. I forgot about it. Actually, I forgot about all the parties I was planning this summer. I don’t know if Scootaloo’s birthday can make up for all of them, but this is one I can’t afford to miss.” Gummy was silent. He was always silent. Pinkie understood him all the same. She folded paper, colored, sealed them in a pink envelope, then repeated. Another memory came over Pinkie. Her first party in Ponyville. It was for a lonely filly, whose only wish was to have friends. Pinkie could relate to that. She knew that feeling loneliness a long time ago. She still felt it now. While she planned that party, she informed of all the children in town about an amazing filly who had a birthday that day. As with her family, Pinkie never forgot that smile on that filly’s face. She sensed it was the first time the filly smiled in a long time. Pinkie was very sure the filly continued to make lasting friendships to this day. She paused for a moment. The muscles on Pinkie’s face began to twitch. Her lips curled. She made a pleasant hmph under her breath. The moment passed, and she continued to write the invitations. More memories came to her while she worked. Pinkie remembered the first time she met any of her friends in Ponyville; only she hadn’t realized they will be her friends when time passed. The first of her friends to have ever had a surprise party from her was Rarity. Rarity was the kind of pony who was quite too busy to celebrate a birthday, even her own. That moment when she opened the doors to the Carousel Boutique only to find everyone in Ponyville inside almost gave her a heart attack. Soon, Rarity forgot all her troubles and found herself enjoying her own surprise party. As those few years passed, she threw parties for those formerly unknown ponies such as Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was her personal favorite. Somehow, some way, she knew Pinkie was planning a surprise party for her. Not only that, Rainbow had something planned for her as well. It was an elaborate prank that resulted in a pie in the face. That’s what Pinkie came to expect from her from that moment on, to be one step ahead of others. Pinkie knew at once that she and Rainbow were going to be really great friends. Then Twilight Sparkle came to town. It was the day everything changed. When six young mares who barely knew each other saved the world from eternal darkness, and reunited the Royal Sisters after a millennia of separation. Pinkie wondered what life would be like if Twilight wasn’t around. She also wanted to know if Rainbow Dash’s death was connected in some way. She shook off further thoughts. Pinkie didn’t want to think about that. The invitations were almost finished, at least that’s what she thought. She made thirty of them from hoof. Six for her friends, two for Scootaloo’s friends, and the rest for anyone who was interested. That has to be more than enough, although she wish she could make more. “I’ll send these off tomorrow morning,” Pinkie said to Gummy. “Thank you for staying with me.” She smiled softly at him. Gummy eyes blinked separately. Before Pinkie rested for the night, she flashed back to another party she planned for an elderly stallion. When Pinkie saw him for the first time, he looked very unhappy. It was almost as though he never had a happy day in his life. It was also a party Pinkie always kept in her memories. It was the old stallion’s wedding anniversary, and he only wanted one request. He and Pinkie went to his wife’s grave, and they had a picnic, along with slices of cake. He wanted it to be a private affair. When the day came to an end, the old stallion began to cry. He and Pinkie held to each other, and cried together. A tear escaped from Pinkie’s eye. She was glad to be there for a pony who lost someone he loved. The mornings began as usual at Sweet Apple Acres. The Apples were seated together at the kitchen table. Scootaloo was still in the bedroom, and probably won’t be awake until much later. She was out at the lake the day before, then she spent most of the night wandering the apple orchard like she always had done. Apple Bloom accepted that being alone was her way of coping. She also accepted the possibility that Scootaloo may not want a birthday party, and Pinkie would be unwilling to plan one during such a time. It was something Twilight would call “a fool’s errand,” or something like that. She gazed lazily at her bowl of cereal. “Anything wrong, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Apple Bloom wasn’t going to answer, but she knew Applejack can see through her as clear as day when something was wrong. It was like a special power. And lying will be futile as well. “I talked to Pinkie Pie about planning a party for Scootaloo.” “And?” “She sounded like she didn’t want to do it.” Apple Bloom sighed. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. Scootaloo doesn’t want a surprise party either.” “Why doesn’t she want to celebrate her own birthday?” Granny asked. Apple Bloom shrugged. Applejack rubbed her young sister’s back. “Well, I ain’t the pony to say something like this, but maybe it’s for the best. Those two were mighty close to Rainbow Dash. The way she died hit them pretty hard. Some scars need time to heal, that’s all. I’m just glad you cared so much for Scootaloo to remind folks of her birthday. That’s being a good friend.” Apple Bloom didn’t feel as though she was a good friend. Still, she had to respect Scootaloo’s wishes, and Pinkie’s. The Apples were alert by knocks on the door. Macintosh removed himself from the table to answer it. When he opened it he froze like a statue. It was something he did not expect to see, nor did anyone else. Pinkie Pie. For the first time in a long time, she had a genuine smile on her face, as soft and pleasant as the sunrise. Most of her hair was slowly beginning to regain its cotton candy shape, but it was still straight. On the top of her head was a birthday hat. A saddlebag was wrapped around her. Before Macintosh said anything, she began to clap. The rest of the Apples were present at the door, just as bewildered as Macintosh. Pinkie sang in a gentle voice. This is your singing telegram I hope it finds you well You’re invited to a party ‘Cause we think you’re really swell Scootaloo’s turning nine years old So help us celebrate The cake will be delicious The festivities first-rate There will be games and dancing Bob for apples, cut a rug And when the party’s over We’ll gather ‘round for a group hug No need to bring a gift Being there will be enough Birthdays mean having fun with friends Not getting lots of stuff It won't be the same without you So we hope that you say yes So, please, oh please R.S.V.P. And come, and be our guest. Pinkie reached in her saddlebag and gave the sealed pink envelopes to the stunned Apples. Her smile grew more pleasant and beautiful than before. “... Pinkie,” Applejack finally said. She couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. “You’re… you’re--” “Smiling,” said Apple Bloom. The way Pinkie smiled was contagious. It affected the filly. “I know. It took a little convincing from myself. I already sent invitations to Twilight, Spike, and Rarity, and they were just as surprised as you guys are.” Her giggled tickled Apple Bloom. “I’ll be making a lot of rounds this morning. I’ll see you later.” She turned around to continue on her mission. Then she sensed someone following her. Pinkie looked to her side and saw Apple Bloom next to her. “I’m coming with you,” she said. Pinkie sent her that glorious smiled, and the two were off to deliver more invitations. Macintosh closed the door. The three Apples exchanged looks to each other. Then, Granny Smith closed her eyes, chuckling under her breath. “I think everything’s going to be fine,” she said. Pinkie and Apple Bloom spent the entire singing and giving out invitations. The ponies they were inviting were mostly children from school, some of them Apple Bloom had known. Wherever they went, ponies stopped and stared at Pinkie. Some rushed to her to say “hello,” to her, and some of the mares went to give her a tight hug. She had forgotten it has been ages since she was last seen. Many thought she disappeared forever when Rainbow Dash died. They were very relieved to be proven wrong. When all the invitations were sent, they took a break. Pinkie already had the place in mind where she wanted to rest - the park, Rainbow Dash’s memorial. She and Apple Bloom walked silently together until they reached the giant marble lightning bolt. When she got a closer look, Apple Bloom noticed that Pinkie’s mane was poofier than before, but it was still growing. They sat on the blades of grass and let the summer breeze flow between them. The smile on Pinkie’s face disappeared when she gazed at the memorial for a long time. “Thanks for coming with me,” Pinkie said. “You’re mighty welcome. I was just glad to see you smile again.” “I think everyone is.” Pinkie was silent. She eyes were locked on the memorial. “Can you believe it’s been three months?” she asked with turning away. Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, I don’t believe it. Do you think things will ever go back the way they were?” “I don’t know if I can answer that. I hope it does. But I don’t want to move on just yet. I still want to feel like she’s around, you know? I don’t want to forget her. Did you know last July was her birthday?” “No,” said Apple Bloom. “I should’ve known, but I didn’t. We could have gathered everyone together and had like a small celebration… but that didn’t happen. I let it pass. I’m not going to let it happen again.” “Pinkie, I always wonder… what made you the way you are? Why do you do the things you do?” Pinkie say nothing. She continued to gaze at the memorial before turning back to Apple Bloom. “When I saw that sonic rainboom all those years ago, I was so happy. It wasn’t like anything I felt before. It was the greatest feeling in the world. And I wanted everyone to feel the same happiness I did. So, I guess you can say Rainbow Dash inspired me… and that’s how Equestria was made.” The two ponies giggled. Pinkie wrapped her arm around Apple Bloom and pulled her close. “I’m glad you’re back Pinkie,” Apple Bloom said. “Me too.”