Chapter One
You pulled your blue hood off your head and looked up at the pegasus that happily placed another storm cloud in the sky. “Well Squeakerton,” you sighed. “Looks like we gotta walk in the rain. Again.” You looked back at the cat-shaped chew toy sitting on your back and listened to its pretend response. “I know you don't like traveling in the rain, but what are we gonna do? You know we have to keep going till the next town!” You pulled your hood over your head once more and continued walking, your head down. A few moments later, the rain gradually began, and began to pour harder as you went farther. 'Being a traveling party pony is hard work,' you thought to yourself. You grinned. 'But the smiles and laughter are totally worth it!'
“Oof!” You suddenly collided with someone in front of you. You looked up and giggled. “Sorry! I wasn't looking at where I was going.”
The blue mail stallion in front of you scowled. “Maybe you should!” he scolded, picking up a stack of letters he'd dropped. "Dumb filly... now my papers are all wet."
You took one and gave it to him with a nervous grin. He yanked it from you and pushed past. You stuck your tongue out at him and mumbled to Squeakerton, “What a meanie.” You turned around and ran into a tall, lanky stallion wearing a poncho, hat, and a rubber chicken on his back. You were dizzy for a moment, due to the fact you hit him harder than the mail stallion. You shook it away. “Not again! I'm sorry!”
He shifted the noise maker in his mouth to the left. “It's fine, my little pony.” He continued past you to wherever the hay he was going.
You stared after him for a moment and smiled. “Hey! Wait up!” You rushed to his side and grinned at him. “Where ya goin'?”
“Fillydelphia,” he answered absentmindedly, not looking at you.
“Oh! I just threw a party there! Now I'm heading for Neigh Jersey to throw another!”
He stopped walking and stared at you in disbelief. “A party?”
You nodded. “Sure thing! I travel all over Equestria and throw parties. I love to see other ponies smile!”
He continued studying your face and furrowing his brows. “Another traveling party pony?” he asked.
“You're one, too? That's so cool! I never thought I'd never get to meet another traveling party pony!” You leaned forward until your nose was touching his. “I'm _______! What's your name?”
He backed his head away a few inches and looked at you suspiciously. “I'm Cheese Sandwich. And I was just about to throw a party at Fillydelphia.”
You hesitated, then giggled. “Oops... sorry! If you want, you can come with me to Neigh Jersey and help me throw a party there!”
Cheese raised an eyebrow. “Together?” he asked hesitantly.
You nodded. “Yup! You, me, Neigh Jersey, and a whole lot of partying!” You wrapped a foreleg around his neck and gestured to the sky with one hoof, your eyes gleaming with excitement. “How 'bout it?”
He cocked his head and stayed silent for a moment. “Well, I usually these things by myself- with the exception of Boneless Two.”
You blew a raspberry and let him go. “Please! Everything's better when you have another pony to do it with, even if you do have a chew to- er, rubber chicken.”
He began walking once more. “No is no.”
You watched him for a few seconds, then grumbled. “You don't seem much like a party pony!” you called to him.
Cheese whirled around instantly and almost appeared in front of you in an orange blur. “What makes you say that?”
You closed your eyes and held your nose in the air. “Hmph! You don't seem very party pony-ish. Party ponies are always happy and want to make everypony smile and laugh, and you're walking around frowning and all Mister Serious and... stuff like that.”
He paused, then narrowed his eyes at you. “Is that a challenge?”
“Yes! Yes it is!” You smirked. “I bet you I can out party pony you any day!”
Cheese tapped his chin and smiled smugly. “Are you saying what I think you're saying?” he asked with a sudden change in the tone of his voice.
“Yea! First one to Neigh Jersey gets to plan the party! Ready, set, go!” You sped off, and heard him shout something after you before he joined you at your side at your own speed.
“That is not what I thought you were going to say at all!” He picked up the pace a bit, gaining a few meters on you.
“Well, it was!” You picked up the pace yourself, passing him by a few feet.
“I'm not all serious and stuff like that, you know,” he said, taking longer strides to meet you at your side.
“Then how come you were being like that?”
“'Cause I like to surprise ponies! It's funny to see the looks on their faces when I say I'll throw them a party, then I do!”
“Why didn't you jump out of that hat and poncho thingy when I told you I was a traveling party pony myself then, huh?”
“Because I didn't think you'd offer me a trip to Neigh Jersey!”
“Well, you never expected to see another traveling party pony in your whole life, now did you?”
“No, not really. But I never exactly thought I'd be running through the rain to Neigh Jersey, either, and that's no reason to throw off my hat and poncho.”
“Yea, good point. But how come you didn't wanna help me plan the party in Neigh Jersey?”
“'Cause I was jealous... sorta. My Cheesy Sense told me there was a party in Fillydelphia, and when I'm halfway there, you come out and tell me you threw it and you're another traveling party pony and I never thought I'd see one in my whole life at all and I always thought that would be my thing!”
“You're Cheesy Sense?” you asked. “What in Equestria is that?”
Cheese suddenly froze in his spot, making you do the same in curiosity. He popped into the air, then his cutie mark stretched outward and inward repeatedly like an accordion. He floated to the ground and sneezed. He looked at you and grinned. “That.”
“Ooh! That's so cool! What's it for? Mind reading? Predicting the future?” You gasped, and whispered, “Zombie identification?”
He laughed. “No, sorta, and I wish! I use it to know where there's a party at!”
“Awesome...” You stared up at the sky for a moment, then looked back at Cheese. “Does that mean there's a party somewhere? Where is it?”
Cheese sniffed the air with his eyes narrowed and returned to normal. “Trottingham!”
“Aw, gee! Trottingham's halfway across Equestria!” You looked around, then noticed the sign on the side of the dirt road you were still on that read 'WELCOME TO MANEHATTEN'. You stared at it for a moment, then giggled. “When you're going party pony speed, I guess it doesn't really matter.”
He laughed. “Yea! Trottingham is only a few miles away now.”
You rubbed the back of your neck with your hoof awkwardly during a short moment of silence. “Well, how 'bout we plan this party together? You're not jealous still, are ya?”
“Nah. So let's go!” He started down the road at full speed towards Trottingham, making you giggle and run to catch up with him.