Cheese Pie Cake

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Doozy in the desert
Chapter 2 - Ponyville ponders
Chapter 3 - A party for two
Chapter 4 - Pinkie's party
Chapter 5 - Evening Ponyville
Chapter 6 - The perfect present

Chapter 1 - Doozy in the desert

“Another town... Another party...”

The stallion head down the road, from yet another satisfied bunch of ponies. His title of ‘Party Pony’ certainly didn’t disappoint, giving the ponies of Dodge Junction a time they wouldn’t forget anytime soon. He blew on his party horn, just listening to the still partying ponies behind him, certain he’d be welcome back anytime soon.

“Well Boneless Two, another job well done” he spoke out to the rubber chicken perched on his back, feeling the breeze pass him.

He stopped and turned, to get one last good look at his work. Ponies he could spot, dancing in rhythm to music, conversing with each other. It brought a smile to his face, before blowing into his party horn once more and rearranging his hat, before continuing on his way.

“Where shall we be off to next...?” he wondered out loud. He took in his surroundings, the last beams of sunlight shining down the road he was travelling. He would soon have to make camp, somewhere preferably off the main path.

The desert was silent, except for the collision of hooves with dirt, as Cheese Sandwich had made his way across the landscape over a few hours. The light was gone, leaving only the sounds of crickets and his gentle breathing in the night, the occasional tumbleweed strolling pass with the cold air. He looked up into the night sky as he wandered, spotting all sorts of star assortments.

He came across a small alcove in a small mountain, before considering staying there for the night. He checked it out, before finding no traces of any ponies or dangerous creatures at all. He relaxed, sighing as he took a seat in the cave formation, taking off his clothes.

He laid the poncho down, finally taking the time to check out the button made especially for him. Taking it in his hooves, he heard the metal pin clink as he brought it closer, the number becoming clearer. That pony was very nice for making it for him, considering his birthday was tomorrow. She had wished him a happy birthday in advance, even offering him to stay for the day, but he insisted he had to be on his way, though he remained grateful.

Sometimes though, he truly wished he could stay in one location for a special event. A week. Even a weekend. It was sad to leave the partying ponies behind after his job was done, but it was how he worked. The smiles on their faces and the claims that the party he threw was the best one ever was all he needed to hear, before setting off to please another crowd.

But still, he got rather envious of some ponies. After he ran away, he never stayed in one place. Just once, he’d like to see what it was like to live consistently in a suburban area. He came across the odd pony every now and then on his travels, sometimes even another party pony. They would share their stories, indulging in conversation for hours before either had to move. But out of all of those party ponies he met, there was only one who remained in one place.

Pinkie Pie.

He found that she was a rather tricky pony to analyse. Where to even begin?

The fact that she was the reason he found his calling in life? The idea of being friends with the entire town all the time? He had many friends, but not on her scale.

Or maybe, how he felt his cheesy heart melt when he saw her again. He only met her again for the one day, but that one day stuck with him afterwards. Why did he think so much of it? He certainly had a blast, especially when he was goofing off.

But every party he threw after he left Ponyville after that day felt different. He couldn’t place it perfectly, but meeting Pinkie Pie after such a long time changed something. His parties, while still grand, felt something was lacking. He never felt that way before seeing her. Ever.

So why did it bother him so much?

He lost himself in thought, the pink pony somehow coming to him like always. Was it normal to think of her often? To see her broad smile mirroring his? Her cute pink figure? Does he really want to see her again? Does he want her to be at every party he throws?

He still looked in confusion, as he continued to set up his bed for the night. He sat Boneless Two up in a free space next to him, allowing the chicken to have plenty of room for the night. He laid the poncho containing his birthday badge down, aligning it with precision. He started humming to himself, getting ready for bed.

He was almost done, when he felt something. “Hmm?” There was a feeling coming to him. It was a regular feeling; coming every few days. He gasped, knowing instantly what it was.

His body started to wobble, as the Cheese Sense came to him. It was certainly a doozy, as he found himself jumping into the air from the tingly feeling, the party horn falling from his mouth in the process. “Oooh” he exclaimed, before landing back on the ground.

He was so used to his strange power, that he could recognise the town he received the signal from. This time was no different, as he recognised that distinct feeling. “Ponyville...?” he asked nopony in particular, raising an eyebrow.

He walked over towards the entrance of the alcove, gazing into the distance. “Well Boneless Two, it seems we have our new destination.” He curled up a portion of his lip, before narrowing his eyes, looking into the night dramatically. “Ponyville.”

There was silence for a brief moment, a gust of wind passing, as he allowed Boneless Two to soak in that information. He let the time pass, before he lost his concentrated thought, the result from a yawn. “Tomorrow that is.” He gave off a chuckle, before heading back inside, resting down into his sleeping position.

So Ponyville was his next destination? It was ok with him; it must have been a few weeks since he was last there. Tomorrow was his birthday too, which called for an even bigger party. He always considered his own birthday just another day, although he didn’t ignore it either. He preferred to make other ponies happy before himself, even if it was his birthday.

But what would await him in Ponyville? Perhaps another pony who shares the same birthday as him? He never had a feeling of another pony in Ponyville sharing the same birthday before, so he would just have to find out.

And even better, he’d be able to see Pinkie Pie again, on his birthday no less.

The rubber chicken fell down and formed a squeaking sound as it hit the ground. “Goodnight Boneless Two” he said, yawning as he did so. He rearranged himself comfortably, ready for sleep.

He soon drifted off to sleep, all thoughts of the party he’d plan the next day, while images of the pink mare barged their way into his imagination at the same time.

And the weird thing is, he didn’t mind.

Chapter 2 - Ponyville ponders

A perfect morning. The sun had started to rise, giving the dawn a broadening glow. Ponies were likely about and Cheese Sandwich was up and moving. A great start to a great birthday.

Ah, a familiar road. Cheese Sandwich had travelled across the desert after he woke up, now finally finding a path he knew. He came across the path he took from Appleloosa towards Ponyville a few weeks back, so now he could just follow it from where he was. He hadn’t ever been across the Dodge Junction desert area before, so he was walking rather blind, but he was certain it wasn’t endless.

Every few steps, he could hear the metal pin creating a sound as the poncho moved, always reminding him of the day. Yes, it was his birthday. Although it was that day though, he was determined to get to Ponyville as quickly as he could, ready to create the party for the other lucky stallion or mare.

He could really travel far. Always on the move, he had fantastic endurance. The endless energy he had as well was a trait of a party pony, and it never disappointed.

He soon saw the town in the distance. Ponyville was within his grasp. Now all he had to do was decide on his entrance. Would he be spontaneous, or would he lurk around and set up a party in secret? He liked to try different approaches depending on the town, the ponies that inhabited it, and the current situation.

One time, he shot himself right into the heart of a town with his howitzer, catching everyone off-guard while spreading his cheesy confetti all over the place, ready for a party. The problem with that though, was the town in question was fully inhabited by griffons, and they weren’t exactly the party type.

“What do you think?” he asked Boneless Two as he carried along his way, Ponyville gaining size with every step. “Mhmm...” he murmured, nodding his head at what he thought the chicken had replied with.

Pretty soon, he had passed the border between Ponyville and the open road. The images of the town came back to him instantly, still quite recent memories. As he wandered down an empty street, he looked at every building, recognising the majority of them. Ponyville certainly hadn’t changed aesthetically; it was still a nice looking town.

He heard some conversation up ahead, and quickly jumped into a nearby bush. He poked his head out covertly, to gather some intel of what was going on. He’d be sure only to listen about the topic regarding the birthday, if the current ponies in chatter were even aware of it in the first place. He saw an opening around the back of a house, taking his chance to move in closer.

He got clearer audio, gaining the chance of finding out the conversation topic. He never liked to eavesdrop, and he would certainly duck out immediately if the conversation wasn’t what he was after, but parties were serious business. He’d need details. Who was the pony? Was this pony well known? What sort of things did this pony like? Vital details required. He even witnessed Pinkie Pie demonstrating to Rainbow Dash about that same point, splashing her eye with a cupcake in the process.

He paused from listening in to remember that memory. It was... pretty cute actually. Although he didn’t know if that was because it was Pinkie Pie herself or her stating the claim. Most ponies don’t know about how serious party planning really is, and most take it for granted. He guessed that seeing another party pony, Pinkie Pie herself, actually explaining that point was pretty relieving.

He shook his head to get out of his thoughts. He had something larger going on right now. He poked his head around in the attempt to get a visual, but it wasn’t clear enough. He sneaked his way closer towards the conversing ponies, before he heard what sounded like protests coming from further away.

He could hear a pony screaming in the distance, the voice getting quieter every second. If he’d guess, this pony was in a deep argument whilst getting further away. At least, he hoped it was only an argument. The sound of a door slamming followed closely behind, before the two ponies he was currently listening to carried on with their conversation.

He heard one of the ponies sighing. “Well, at least she remembered it this time.”

He stopped. He knew that voice. It was none other than the pony he threw the birthiversary for. Ok, so he had located Rainbow Dash, who seemed to know something was up. Not only that, but he had now found out that it involved a mare. The screaming added to that as well, as he knew for a fact no stallion could make their pitch that high. That one party involving a giant helium tank didn’t count either.

“Is that a good thing though? She’s rather determined.” He recognised that voice too. It was another one of their group, the fashionista Rarity. He didn’t talk to her a great deal when he was in Ponyville last, but she was memorable.

“Hey, it beats her made up friends last year. You have any idea how creepy that was? The turnips... urgh.”

Cheese Sandwich didn’t know what to think of this mare. From what he’s gathered, she was likely the pony whose birthday was today. But what was that about last year? Made up friends? Turnips? Surely Pinkie Pie knew of this other mare’s birthday, being the party pony she is? It was time to reveal himself, as he had to figure out more.

He adopted a more serious look, taking off his hat and scooping a party horn out of it. He planted it into his mouth, replacing the hat back on his head afterwards. He was ready, moving closer towards the pair while he heard Rarity speaking.

“At least this year will be better.”

Cheese Sandwich grinned. He had it. “That’s right my little ponies.”

Both of the mares turned their attention towards his voice emerging from a backstreet. Coming into their view, he was in the same attire as last time. The hat, poncho and Boneless Two were all there. He blew on the party horn to finish his introduction.

“Cheese Sandwich?” both of the mares asked at the same time.

“The one and only” he proclaimed in response, returning a hoof bump offered to him by Rainbow Dash.

“What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I got the sense it’s somepony’s birthday.” He grinned again. “So who is the lucky pony?”

Cheese Sandwich made his way further past the pair, to try and analyse the situation, unaware that Rarity and Rainbow Dash exchanged uneasy looks. He now had a clearer view of the town and its active inhabitants. Ponies were around setting up a party already. Balloons were hanging around various buildings and stalls. A dining table was getting set up with all assortments of food items. Ponies looked like they were working their best. But he knew it could still use his cheesiness.

He lifted his hoof up, raising it to his forehead. He scanned the area, missing one specific detail.

“Where is Pinkie Pie...?” he asked himself, forgetting that Rarity and Rainbow Dash were right next to him. He would have expected the party pony of Ponyville to be all over the place, but she wasn’t. Something didn’t seem right, and it worried him. Was she sick? Was she travelling across Equestria like other party ponies?

“Pinkie?” Cheese Sandwich turned to face Rarity, who darted her eyes back and forth. “She’s uh... unavailable right now.”

Cheese Sandwich raised his eyebrow. “Oh? Why is that?”

Rarity cleared her throat, before tapping Rainbow Dash with her hoof. “Because... it’s her... birthday...”

Cheese Sandwich did not move. All of time around him seemed to slow down as the party horn dropped from his gaping mouth, sinking towards the ground. All that went through his mind was a playback of what Rainbow Dash had just told him. Did he hear it correctly? Was it really true?

The doozy he had sending him to Ponyville. The pony in town whose birthday was this day. Out of all of them, it was Pinkie Pie? The same day as his? It couldn’t be...

“What?” he got out, much quieter than his usual voice. His body remained still.

“It’s Pinkie’s birthday” Rainbow Dash repeated.

He let that information sink in again. He let it sink in hard. The two of them share the same birthday? Was it her that was screaming a while ago? The one who had apparently forgotten her own birthday the previous year? A turnip as a friend? How had he never known about this? If he knew about it last year, he could be there as Pinkie Pie’s friend...

“Where is she?” he asked, now more confident. He had to find her right away, regardless of the fact it was his birthday. There was somepony else who deserved a better birthday, and he was eager to present that point.

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash pointed towards the gingerbread house across the street. He recognised the building, being told it was called Sugarcube Corner. He made no hesitation in speeding off towards the building. He had a pony to wish happy birthday.

As he ran off, Rarity noticed a sound emerging from his poncho. “Wait!” She felt slightly relieved when he stopped in his tracks to face her. She pointed towards the badge that was now visible. “What is that?”

Cheese Sandwich followed the direction her hoof was pointing, leading him towards the badge. His eyes widened, quickly covering it up. “It’s not important!” he yelled, as he ran for Sugarcube Corner once more.

He was glad neither of the mares attempted to stop him, as he entered the sugary house. Inside, the building was packed. Many ponies were organising presents, food or just engaging in conversation. He browsed the crowd, attempting to spot the mare of the hour. He stood on a nearby table, to find her. Anywhere.

He groaned as he couldn’t find her anywhere, before spotting the stairs in the distance. He jumped off into the crowd, trailing through and apologising to the ponies he unintentionally bumped into. He ascended the stairs, hoping to find the pink mare soon.

While he traversed the narrow hallways of Sugarcube Corner, something was coming to him. Why was he going to so much trouble to wish Pinkie Pie a happy birthday? With any other pony, as soon as he found who it was, he’d start his party planning. Knowing it was Pinkie Pie, he seems to be going well out of his way. Perhaps it was because they share the same birthday. Or maybe it was something different. He didn’t know.

He couldn’t figure it out anytime soon, as he was met with another earth pony at the end of the hallway. He recognised this mare, yet another friend. Her name is Applejack, and she looked rather pleased to see him coming towards her. It must be a shock to see him again. But why was she standing in front of a door?

“Well well, Cheese Sandwich.” She leant out a hoof. “Pleased to see you.”

Cheese Sandwich returned the friendly notion. “Hello Applejack.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Got a doozy telling me of a party here.”

Applejack’s eyes went wide. She looked like she was struggling to form words. “Uh...”

Cheese Sandwich chuckled, before leaning a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “I know its Pinkie’s birthday. Is she in there?” He looked towards the door Applejack seemed to be guarding, which she then turned to look at as well. He was responded with a nod. “Can I... go in?”

Applejack looked like she was in some conflict, balancing both points. Cheese Sandwich, while happy to be here, couldn’t understand what was going on. Why were all of her friends acting weird? He mentions getting a doozy pointing him towards Ponyville, and they get all defensive, trying to duck the topic. And why was Pinkie Pie being guarded behind a door? If it was her birthday, why wasn’t she outside?

Eventually, Applejack tapped quietly a few times on the wooden frame. There was a brief silence, before a voice barely made its way into Cheese Sandwich’s ears. “Yes Applejack?” The voice. He could tell it was Pinkie Pie’s. But it didn’t have any energy. No oomph. It sounded like it was a forced call, and it made him uncomfortable straight away.

Applejack stood aside, before pulling him in close, whispering into his ear. “Be nice.”

He didn’t like this one bit. Pinkie Pie on her birthday was... sad? He gently opened the door, giving a final look back at Applejack, before checking on the birthday mare.

Pinkie Pie’s bedroom looked unchanged than its normal look. Everything was in place, but he could notice locks placed on her windows. He paced himself carefully, checking out the bedroom. The room wasn’t what caught his main attention.

It was the pink pony lying on the bed, looking glump. She didn’t bring her attention to him, likely thinking it was Applejack who had entered. Her body was spread across the bed in a limp fashion. He didn’t like this sight either. Pinkie Pie, out of all the ponies he knows, should never be seen like this.

But why?

He kept his eyes on Pinkie Pie, who still ignored him. The way her figure looked. Seeing her again after this time. She looked so... beautiful, yet so vulnerable at the same time.

He took off his hat, before taking in a breath. “Hello Pinkie.”

A small smile made its way on his face, as he saw the pink ears come to life, her head following shortly after. After just a few seconds, he was now staring into the blue eyes of Pinkie Pie, who was looking back into his emeralds.

And he couldn’t look away. Pinkie Pie’s eyes wouldn’t let him, just calling him to look into them.

Chapter 3 - A party for two

Cheese Sandwich was starting to think that coming to Ponyville was a mistake. Pinkie Pie kept staring at him like he had no soul, her eyes sending a shiver right down his spine. If she didn’t do anything soon, he feared something bad might happen.

He came to Ponyville from the doozy. Ok, just like normal. Of course, he wasn’t expecting Pinkie Pie to be the lucky mare this day either, but what has happened is done and dusted.

But that was the thing. Its Pinkie Pie’s birthday, so why is this happening? He tried to think about it, why Pinkie Pie looked so down. Was it truly her screaming earlier? Does her current mood have anything to do with what he heard about last year? And also important, why are there locks on her windows?

He needed answers, and he needed them now! If this prolonged, he’d only feel more hurt at Pinkie Pie’s apparent sorrow with each passing moment. He desperately wanted her to be happy, regardless of it being her birthday. He didn’t like seeing her like this.

He tried something out, moving closer towards the pink mare, hoping she’d do something. He wanted to comfort her, whatever the problem was. He wanted to sit next to her, stroke her mane and tell her everything was alright. He wanted to so desperately...

But he didn’t know if he could. He still needed the reason she was like this in the first place. It couldn’t be too bad, considering the day that it is.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard a voice calling him back. He froze in place at the familiar sound. “Cheese?” He heard it. Pinkie Pie just called him. He snapped to, seeing that Pinkie Pie had finally done something.

“Cheese, is that you?” she asked, more heart put into it. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, checking to see if the stallion in front of her was actually just a figment of her imagination. She stared at him more, before her irises started to shrink, positive of the answer to her own question. “Cheese!”

Cheese Sandwich didn’t have any time to react, as Pinkie Pie lunged from her bed and latched herself onto him, her hooves wrapping around him. He could feel the heat coming to him as soon as the soft hooves soothed across his skin, rather than his clothes, bringing him ever closer towards her.

He looked down at her head, nuzzling into his neck, giving it her all. It was so heart-warming to see this change of action. It truly was. Pinkie Pie didn’t look sad anymore, but she was really showing affection. He couldn’t bear it.

He couldn’t control himself, as he returned the hug, moving his own hoof around the mare. He felt her soft fur on her back, her flesh a little squidgy, but nice altogether. He lowered his head to place on top of hers, parts of her curly mane trailing up across his face. As he gave in to the hug more, he felt Pinkie Pie doing the exact same.

His smile was back, and he was very certain Pinkie Pie was feeling the same.

“It really is you...” he heard the mare say, sighing shortly afterwards, still buried in his neck. As she spoke, he felt the warm air of breath touching his fur. While warm, it was nice to feel.

He now knew precisely what to say. “Happy birthday Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie gasped, lifting her head away to face him again. He could finally see how she was feeling, and it wasn’t negative.

A smile was plastered all across her face, her eyes dazzling and pretty as always. Whatever had gotten her down; it had seemed to be revoked at his presence. Or at least, he hoped it had.

For a brief moment, he thought he could see tears in her eyes. But he knew that if they were real, they weren’t tears of sadness. No, they were tears of joy. She was happy he was there. And so was he.

“How did you know?” she asked, her face full of hope.

“My cheesy sense was tingling. It told me of a party in Ponyville. I got into town, and I found out just whose birthday it was.” He brought her back in for another hug, after a brief chuckle. “It’s rather confusing actually. I would have thought you’d have been outside with everypony on your special day.”

He did not know if he said the right thing, as Pinkie Pie seemed to loosen her hooves around him. Whatever he said, it wasn’t ideal. But then again, he didn’t know what got her down in the first place.

Pinkie Pie broke all the connection she had with Cheese Sandwich, and climbed back onto her bed. She didn’t go back to her previous state of depression, but something was bothering her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked the mare, deeply concerned.

She took a few seconds, before facing him. “They won’t let me set up my own party.”

He took a moment to reel in that information. It was all coming to him. The protesting, pulling her into Sugarcube Corner to prevent helping. Applejack a guard at her bedroom, while the windows were locked, to prevent escape into the town. How had he not seen this coming? How had he not pieced it together already?

The problem itself might have seemed selfish, but he could identify with it. It certainly wasn’t the first time he’d seen this. Her friends didn’t want her planning her own party on her own day; they wanted to do it for her. Pinkie Pie, being the ecstatic party pony she is, would want to set up her own party, but her friends didn’t agree. They’re doing this for her benefit.

He’d seen this behaviour before. A few times actually. The pony whose birthday it was wanted to help set up their own party, but the friends didn’t allow them. It was an act of kindness, friendship. They didn’t mean to block the birthday pony away, but they really meant the best.

He knew that if Pinkie Pie was out and about on her own birthday, she’d set up the entire party mostly by herself, while her friends would feel left out, perhaps even worthless that they didn’t get an input. They certainly mean well, and having Pinkie Pie isolated in her room while they set up everything isn’t their best decision, but they’re acting as selfless as they can.

But there was a difference. It was Pinkie Pie’s birthday, a party pony. Of course it was her passion to set up parties, and her friends taking her out of the action temporarily was understandable, but she still was determined. She was sad, because she couldn’t help. Having what she loved taken away from her, on her birthday no less, took its toll hard. And her friends knew it as well, feeling uneasy about it just as much as her.

He knew what to do. From the quick observations he made around the town outside earlier, he estimated it could take hours before everything was set up. That meant Pinkie Pie being down for all that time. He would guess that Applejack comes in every now and then to cheer her up anyway, Pinkie Pie possibly trying to escape each time too, but this needed his immediate attention.

“Pinkie,” he said, now with more confidence, “You plan parties for everypony in town all the time. I understand why you’re upset. But don’t you think that on your birthday, you should let your friends set it up?”

Pinkie Pie looked like she took in the question. She only faced him again.

“I know you mean well Pinkie, but even party ponies have to take a break.”

“...I guess.”

Cheese Sandwich sighed inside. He knew he was on the right track, and he had a good idea of how to cheer her up. If she couldn’t go to the party, then he’d bring the party to her. For any pony, he’d help set up the party if it was already in progress, or start from scratch if it wasn’t. He was comfortable with either. He knew Pinkie Pie’s friends wouldn’t want her to leave her bedroom until it was all set up, and he didn’t want to leave her either.

So there was a good option.

“I think I have an idea,” he said out loud, deliberately.

“Hmm?” The pink mare stared at him blankly.

He trotted over towards the locked windows, the town of Ponyville underneath. He checked it out, estimating from his standpoint how long it’d take for the ponies to finish. He could spot Rainbow Dash in the distance, now wearing a construction hat, seeming to give orders regarding a nearby crane. A bit further, a giant blown-up balloon of the pink mare herself was floating in the sky. And even after a short time, buildings were covered in decorations themselves. The entire town looked like they wanted to celebrate the birthday of one Pinkamena Diane Pie.

He grinned. “What we’re going to do...” he said, still peeping out the window, “...is have our own party right here.”

He turned his head around periodically, to be met with the look he was expecting. Confusion. “Huh?”

He gazed back out of the window. “It could take hours for them to finish, even with my help. I don’t want you in here for all that time alone. So, we’re going to have a party, just the two of us, right here and now.”

Pinkie Pie gasped, leaning in a bit. “You mean that?”

Cheese Sandwich nodded his head. “I do.”

He continued to look out of the window, but the mare grabbed his attention quickly, as she had rushed over and grabbed the posterior region of his body in her hooves, binding her hooves across his barrel, while resting her head flat above his rump. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

He went tingly at the feeling straight away, his body even jolting. He felt flushed from the sudden grabbing, but that wasn’t all. There was an empty weight on his back now than there was a few seconds ago, as Boneless Two fell off his body from the miniature tremor. The chicken descended to the ground, creating a squeak sound as it collided with it.

He would pick the chicken back up, but Pinkie Pie was currently occupying the back portion of his body. His memory trailed off to a party he hosted a few years ago. There was a mare complimenting him left and right, but he decided to talk with Boneless at times. Another stallion had come up to him during that conversation, and dragged him away privately.

He tried to remember what he had heard. It was something to do with blocking. If he could recall, the phrase he found out later came out to be ‘chicken blocking’, although the stallion called it something else. He didn’t know why the stallion didn’t just call Boneless a chicken, but the other word was technically correct too. He was even more befuddled at why the stallion got mad at him.

He’s had many strange encounters along his travels and parties. Hopefully, this day would add something different to that, primarily fun.

“Uh, Pinkie?” he said, breaking the quiet between them, as Pinkie Pie remained clamped to his body.

In a flash, Pinkie Pie jumped off the stallion, a few spots of red emerging on her cheeks. “Oops, sorry.”

He laughed, bending down to pick up Boneless Two. “It’s ok.” He now turned to face the other occupant of the room. “So, what do you have? Any party games?”

“I do, but first...” Pinkie Pie raced off towards her wardrobe, where she flipped the doors open, a device inside becoming visible. Cheese Sandwich recognised the device, seeing it before. His smile grew, as Pinkie Pie pulled out her party cannon. Facing it towards the openness of her bedroom, she readied it in a suitable position. Without a doubt in her mind, she pressed down on the firing button.

A blast of confetti and streamers shot across the bedroom, covering it at almost every angle. Pinkie Pie laughed almost too menacingly afterwards, a slight snort also coming out unintentionally, before propping it up against a wall. She bounced up and down, enjoying the surrounding bedroom that had now been ‘Pinkielised’.

Cheese Sandwich felt something missing from his head. He poked his hoof above his scalp, missing the outline of a hat. He glanced down; spotting that the hat had fallen off from the result of the cannon blast. His poncho had also caught a few decorations in the cloak. He couldn’t help but laugh at the scenery the same as the pink mare did.

He decided to take off his poncho and leave it next to the hat. He wouldn’t likely be leaving the bedroom for a few hours, so he figured why not. Taking extra caution to position Boneless Two up against the wall, he rubbed his hooves together in excitement.

“So then, what party games shall we play?” he asked, a lot more glee present in his voice, as well as a smile that almost rivalled Pinkie Pie’s.

Pinkie Pie happily continued her active spring, as she went over towards a nearby dresser. Opening a few drawers, she took no trouble in pulling out a whole variety of objects. Some of them were board games he recognised or heard about, while others he knew were various party activities. He looked over a couple of specific items: a poster and a lock of hair with a pin. Pin the tail on the pony, he thought, a classic.

The drawer was now empty. Instead, all of its previous contents were scattered across the floor, Pinkie Pie sat behind them all. She went through them all individually, one by one, to see which game was the best opener for the pair.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, presenting a large boxed game in front of her. Cheese Sandwich rubbed his chin, looking at the front cover.

“Snakes and ladders...” he whispered to himself, considering it. It wasn’t the best party game, but it was a game nonetheless, even rather enjoyable, and it was certain to excite Pinkie Pie. “Why not?”

[/hr]

There were many games placed on top of one another in a corner. Box after box was toppled on top of the next, as the pair made their way through each game. There were victories and there were defeats for both sides.

And if Cheese Sandwich hadn’t admitted it only after a few games they began, he admitted it now. This was some of the best fun he’s ever had. Him and Pinkie Pie alone, spending time together. He kept getting this feeling throughout their everlasting session, telling him to enjoy it to its fullest.

He felt comfortable. He was proud to be where he was. Something was telling him that perhaps Pinkie Pie was feeling the same. He wanted to carry on with their games forever, but he knew Ponyville would be ready for the mare at any time.

Hours must have gone by from their fun. He didn’t keep track, and neither did she. They were both too mesmerised to care. The way they saw it; if they constantly kept an eye on the time, it would only let them know how limited their fun would become.

Their latest game had only lasted a few minutes, but it was a very nice game of Go Fish. Cheese thought so, while Pinkie found fault at something. “You shouldn’t have let me win” she said with a frown, while Cheese Sandwich put the cards back in the deck.

“I know,” he replied, placing the deck in the corner with the others games. “But you looked so happy. Besides, it’s your birthday. I couldn’t resist.”

Pinkie Pie’s cheeks reddened slightly, even forcing her to look away from the stallion, if only briefly. “So,” he said, rubbing his hooves together in excitement again, “What’s next?”

Pinkie Pie pondered over it for a minute, checking out the few remaining games they had yet to tackle. With a gasp, she grabbed a nearby spinner, looking at it in front of her, testing it out.

He raised an eyebrow. A spinner game then, he thought. It wasn’t a new concept to him, but there were many games that used one.

When Pinkie Pie placed the spinner down to the side of them both, he knew it instantly. The word of the game itself was plastered on it, while the multi-coloured circles bordered it. There were four separate sections on the spinner, each identifying as a separate leg.

Twister.

He blushed just from the thought alone of it. He and Pinkie Pie were about to play Twister? Their bodies passing over one another, attempting to stand up? Why did he feel like he wanted to play this game right from the beginning, and yet at the same time feel so scared about it?

The game was proven correct, as Pinkie Pie pulled out a white mat shortly after. Cheese Sandwich lifted himself off the ground and backed up, as Pinkie Pie unfolded the mat. His suspicions were all true, as the mat was indeed representing the game right in front of him.

Four columns of six, each containing a separate colour, all of them going down in a line. The same colours on the spinner. He gulped, before Pinkie Pie looked at him. “Do you want to go first?”

His eyes darted to meet her look. Her smile was broadening on the biggest he’d ever seen come from her. It was impossible to turn down the game, even if he had jitters. He checked out the mat, then the spinner, before landing fully on Pinkie Pie. With a confident look, he said, “Mares first.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie leant down at the spinner, before performing the basic action of turning it. The spinner rotated, holding the answer to where Pinkie Pie would have to put one of her hooves. Both of the ponies stared at the plastic, before it came to a halt.

“Right foreleg green,” she proclaimed, before following suit with her hoof, placing it on a green circle from her already designated starting point. Looking proud and keeping her positive attitude, she eagerly faced Cheese Sandwich, ready for the stallion to make his move. “Your turn.”

With minor hesitation, he went ahead and followed the action that Pinkie Pie had performed a little while ago, sending the spinner rotating, sealing the fate for one of his legs. The spinner stopped, pointing towards a different colour and limb altogether. “Left hind leg red” he heard her say, speaking out the position he’d have to adjust to. With the last traces of escape gone away, he properly set the correct leg onto a red circle, prompting Pinkie Pie to set the spinner again.

[/hr]

Many many turns had gone by, and every move after the next made their positions ever more awkward. As there were only two of them, one of them had to turn the spinner whenever it was somepony’s turn. Many times, both of them looked like they were struggling just to reach it. In their constantly changing positions too, it only made it harder.

They did not stop playing. They would only stop when one of them tumbled. Form their current position, it could mean both good and bad. Pinkie Pie, in her current state, had to face upwards just to keep balanced. Her four legs were spread all across the mat, a few of them tangled with Cheese Sandwich’s.

The stallion was perched over her, only able to look down and see her below him, enjoying every single second of their game. It was his turn, and there was no way he’d be able to reach the spinner from the way his hooves were caught with Pinkie Pie’s. He felt rather awkward, right on top of Pinkie Pie, but he couldn’t help admiring her features.

He couldn’t deny the fact. Pinkie Pie looked beautiful.

Staring down at her long enough had told him that. Pinkie Pie attempted to move a hoof caught with his towards the spinner, to find where he’d move to next. She was having a tough time reaching it, grunting in her attempt. But even in her struggle, she was laughing from their fun.

She leant her body more towards the hoof reaching towards the spinner, hoping to get it. However, she ended up moving another hoof in the process, pulling on Cheese Sandwich’s right by it. She quickly lost her balance, and pulled the stallion down with her as she collapsed to the ground.

She let out a scream as she fell, before she landed on the mat, Cheese Sandwich landing on top of her. She started to giggle again, him joining in very quickly.

He could feel the giggles from Pinkie Pie, her chest expanding with every one. It was a cute, rhythmic vibration on his own chest.

“It seems I lost” she said, in-between laughing at her own misfortune.

It took them both a while to calm down their laugh session, before they both took a sigh, looking into each other’s eyes. Neither of them moved from where they were; Cheese Sandwich was still on top of Pinkie Pie. He saw her opening her mouth, revealing her white pearls to him. “Hi there.”

The voice was quiet. It was quiet, but calling. If he didn’t know any better, it had the tiniest hint of sultry to it. He saw her lowering her eyelids very slightly, causing him to feel flushed right away.

It lasted a few seconds, before there was real movement between the pair. He felt the mare moving her hoof as slowly as she could, reaching over his side. It was very gradually stroking through his fur, motioning a circle through it, not having a prefixed destination.

He froze up. A part of his mind was telling him to run for it, whilst another was telling him to carry on. He didn’t know what to do. His eyes were fixated at the blue gems below him, belonging to the beautiful creature of Pinkie Pie.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, but it ended abruptly when a few knocks came at the door. Pinkie Pie acted fast, dropping what she was doing. Cheese Sandwich knew what to do, which was getting off of the pink mare.

He got off her enough so that he was sat up, while Pinkie Pie remained lying on the ground. “Come in” she spoke, inviting whoever it was in.

The door creaked open, the head of a mare poking around it shortly afterwards. It was Applejack, the guard. When she saw the scene before her, she knew it was a good thing Cheese Sandwich had come by. She had a feeling that if he was around, Pinkie Pie wouldn’t be sad anymore. That is why she never knocked and interrupted the pair, unless she heard something as loud as an argument. It was also evidenced from the huge stack of games in the corner and the confetti filled room.

“We’re ready,” the cowpony said, before retreating back through the door.

Cheese Sandwich looked back towards Pinkie Pie, who gasped. “It’s time!” she exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. He did the noble thing, helping her sit up by pulling her hoof with his own. “Thanks Cheese.”

She remained sitting there, almost ready to bounce whilst on the floor, the stallion’s hoof still attached with her own. “Let’s go!” She went to move, but paused in her attempt. She looked back at the stallion, then at his hoof. “Uh Cheese, can I have my hoof back?” she asked in a very cute way.

“Hmm?” His eyes widened when he saw what they were doing. “Oh, sorry.” He gulped as he watched her get up off the floor, thinking of why he hadn’t released her hoof when he should have, a blush coming over him at the same time.

He got up on his legs as well, ready to face the town. He had no idea at all how long he’d been with Pinkie Pie in her bedroom, but all the ponies outside must have finished setting up. He wasn’t a critic, but he’d be sure to analyse how good of a job they made without the involvement of a party planner.

He smiled. He loved the time he had just spent with Pinkie Pie.

He watched as Pinkie Pie bounced over towards her bedroom door, waving him over right afterwards. “Come on Cheese, let’s go!”

Author's Note

My. Heart. Exploded.

Also, Boneless is best chicken blocker.

Chicken blocker is now canon too.

Chapter 4 - Pinkie's party

Cheese Sandwich kept playing it again and again in his mind, rewinding every time like a tape recorder. Was Pinkie Pie making some kind of advances on him? Why didn’t he back off? And why didn’t he release her hoof straight away?

She was a beautiful mare, yes, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. The entire ordeal seems familiar though. The same tingly feelings he’s gotten when he threw those other parties. The lack of Pinkie Pie’s presence at them. That keeps coming back to him, a similar sensation to what he just went through in her bedroom.

Could it be possible? Does he feel something for her?

In truth, he doesn’t know. Never once has he been involved romantically with another pony; his job and passion has always been his top priority. It’s not like he wasn’t open to the idea of romance, but he generally wasn’t ever interested. And it was a valid reason he found too. He travelled too much to settle down in one place and for one mare, in his own mind.

But Pinkie Pie...

Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? The way she looked, the way she talked, the way she rubbed her hoof across his skin...

He liked it, and as hard it is admitting it, a voice in the back of his head told him he wanted her to do it again. But as he’s always told that same voice many times in varying situations over the previous weeks, it’s wrong to think like that.

He groaned, slapping his head with his hoof, trying to get rid of the mixed thoughts. It wasn’t helping his current situation in the slightest. He was in Ponyville for larger matters right now, and he was determined to remain focused in order to see those matters through.

He finally managed to make his way to the open door, telling Boneless Two to look after the bedroom in his absence, only to be met with a frowning Pinkie Pie standing in the hallway. He almost jumped when he spotted her, not at all expecting her. He would have thought she’d have already rushed downstairs to start her own party, but there she was, waiting for him instead.

“Is something wrong Cheese?” she asked him, concern in her voice.

He squandered around in his mind again. Yes something was wrong, and it was bugging him deeply. But that isn’t what he’s here for. It’s her birthday, and she deserves the best one ever. The fact that it was his birthday was meaningless at this point; he wanted Pinkie Pie to be happy rather than himself.

“No” he stated bravely, trying to pass off the denial. He lied, but it was a lie he didn’t want to be expanded on.

But that wasn’t the problem. He was faced with Pinkie Pie, who it seemed could see right past his disguise. He was seriously hoping the eyebrow she had raised was only a temporary thing. The seemingly never-ending situation was even starting to make him a little uncomfortable, which was really the last thing he would have wanted.

Pinkie Pie closed the gap separating the two of them, Cheese Sandwich even backing up a bit. It was a tense moment for him, but she controlled her way through it with no trouble. He couldn’t see where he was going, the pink mare grabbing the constant attention of his eyeballs all the time. He ended up backing up into a wall, grinding to an abrupt stop. Pinkie Pie only inched nearer towards him, before she stopped in her progress too, standing just a couple of feet in front of him.

“Is this about what happened back there?”

The way she asked it. The look she had whilst asking. It was almost like... she was worried herself.

“...No” he managed to get out, desperate to change the subject.

Pinkie Pie didn’t believe him. She wished she could have, but she could read him just like an open book. Something was bothering him, and she feared it was what she did just a moment ago that got him this way. Like the same way he felt towards her, the last thing she wanted was to make Cheese uncomfortable.

But in her eyes, she failed. She did something that keeps on growing, filling her with regret every time she was reminded of it. Was she being too forward?

She shouldn’t be feeling this way. It was her birthday, and she would think Cheese would probably be the most active pony in town for this day. After all, he stole the show early on when it was Rainbow Dash’s birthiversary, determined to throw the biggest party ever. She wasn’t selfish in thinking that, but she would have thought he would have been downstairs as soon as Applejack came in, throwing the best birthday bash he could muster.

She saw that he wasn’t paying attention again. He looked confronted in his mind, likely thinking over the same exact things that had him bothered in the first place.

She hit herself mentally. She felt responsible for having him jumbled up like this, and she couldn’t stand it. She shouldn’t have done what she did. Jeopardising their friendship just because of the way she acted towards him. Now she fears he won’t ever want to see her again, which the very idea went deeper than anypony else thought it did.

She didn’t want that, no matter what. She had to do something. They had to do something, and the primary solution of that was to enjoy her birthday and put it off behind them. But still deep inside her, heavily locked up to anypony else, she wanted to continue. It was a heated moment for her, and she wanted it to last. But she had to refrain herself.

Pinkie Pie edged closer, right towards the side of the frozen stallion. With her hoof, she picked up one of Cheese Sandwich’s and held it with her own. It was something that had finally dragged him back, bringing him to attention. Neither of them looked like what their common interpretation was of a party pony. In fact, both of them seemed rather eccentric, and nopony would likely know it was all because of a few seconds.

Cheese Sandwich trailed his eyes to follow the soft hoof touching his, going even further along to see Pinkie Pie’s sparkling eyes. It looked like she was pleading to him, telling him not to worry.

“Cheese... let’s enjoy the party.”

He couldn’t say no. It was what he was here for anyway, and if she wanted to move on from their little predicament, then he should too.

He gave a little nod, giving Pinkie Pie free reign to smile again and carry on down the hallway. His hooves started to follow her, getting more excited by the second for the party. It was back; his smile.

Pinkie Pie vanished around the corner of the hallway in the blink of an eye, and in honesty, he couldn’t blame her for her sudden speed.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY PINKIE!”

The voices caught him off guard. In all of his years of party planning, he should have been prepared pre-emptily for the shouting crowd. But somehow, in all that time and experience, he had never gotten used to it. Every time the cheers came, it felt new, like it was the first one he’d heard. It was something he secretly liked too, as it gave him a more ‘in the party moment’ feel.

The other thing about the voices was that it was so loud it could have likely caused a small earthquake. The loud shouts followed by the cheering easily pierced through his ears, as he was fairly certain he wouldn’t not be able to hear what he just did anywhere else in the building.

But he was wondering; just how many ponies were there to celebrate her birthday? It must have been the entire town. Seeing as how he spotted countless amounts of ponies when he made his way inside Sugarcube Corner, and that he saw the tremendous outside activity through Pinkie Pie’s window, he wouldn’t be surprised at what they cooked up.

He could hear much chatter, various conversations going on all at once. Nonsense dribble that couldn’t be made out. But more importantly, he could make out Pinkie Pie’s voice from all of the endless bickering. He sighed, carrying on his way towards the stairs and the bubbly voice. For some reason, Pinkie Pie’s voice felt so soothing to him, even standing out in front of a crowd.

He almost reached the top of the stairs, still not visible to the townsfolk yet, when he heard her voice, only louder and clearer.

“Cheese?”

Did she... just call out for him? In front of all the other ponies and at her own birthday? No pony ever did that when he threw a party. The birthday pony was always tangled up with their friends. It might have been considered rude to some, but he couldn’t blame the pony. It was their time to celebrate after all.

He sped up his movement, even the more curious, finally making himself present at the top of the stairs. He could finally look down and see the scene laid out before him.

The foyer of Sugarcube was crowded side to side. Ponies took up almost every visible space, leaving only some small gaps to prevent the overflow. He didn’t recognise the majority of them, given that he wasn’t really introduced to them on his previous visit. He knew a certain group of five though, standing out from all others.

He could spot them; all standing right nearby Pinkie Pie herself. Her closest circle of friends was all standing in a line, looking thrilled to be there. Pinkie Pie though was looking up the stairs anxiously, until she spotted him, when it turned to a smile within a split second.

She was positioned in front of her five friends, who looked like they could be the front of the ‘pack’, with row after row of ponies behind them chatting to each other. Twilight and Fluttershy looked rather stunned to spot him compared to the other three. It was likely because none of the others had mentioned his unexpected visit to them, probably more busy setting up the party. Rainbow Dash was no longer sporting her construction helmet either, as amusing as she had looked before with one.

He made a move down the stairs, taking it a step at a time. He was surprisingly nervous, even though he shouldn’t be. At any other party, he’d be the main face in the crowd. But here, it felt different, like he was an outsider.

But he figured out why immediately.

He hadn’t set up this party. He was the party planner himself, notorious for throwing parties, so he was always in charge and responsible for the good times. This time however, he had no input whatsoever, so he felt rather left out. He never really experienced that before.

It certainly didn’t help when he spotted the large table with presents plastered all over it in a corner. It was a huge rounded table, looking like it was placed there just for this occasion. On it were stacks upon stacks of presents of varying sizes and shapes, piled on top of one another. He couldn’t mentally count how many there were; some were ridiculously hidden.

He didn’t get Pinkie Pie a present. The party he threw for any birthday pony was always the present enough by itself, so he never really had to buy anything. But now that he was at a party he wasn’t responsible for throwing, he felt kind of empty.

He said it to himself. She deserved a present from him.

But he didn’t know what to get her. He had no clue what everypony else had gotten her on this day, so a duplicate was likely possible. Where to even start too? Throwing a party was always enough, but now to actually think of a physical object to hand over to her. It was a concept new to him.

But he felt determined. At some point, he’d get her a present. He’d just have to think of something and give it to her at the right time.

He had finally descended the entire staircase whilst he had remained in his thoughts, Pinkie Pie in front of him again. She revealed her teeth for a brief moment before jumping back into her friends and the crowd, ready to start the party. Twilight and Fluttershy approached him.

“I didn’t know you were here” the alicorn spoke, raising her voice so she could get it across from all the hollering in the background.

“Yeah...” he replied, a bit dry. “I got a doozy. Found out its Pinkie’s birthday.”

“Well it’s nice to see you Cheese Sandwich. I hope you’ll stay around.” Twilight finished off by presenting a warm smile, Fluttershy following suit right after.

Cheese Sandwich nodded. “I plan on it.” Without much hesitation, he made his move past the two familiar mares, ready to check out the party before him. There weren’t many other parties he’s ever come across where the entire town worked together on it. Perhaps this would make its way towards the top of that imaginary list. This was Ponyville after all; definitely one of the kindest towns in Equestria. That town with the griffons could honesty rot in Tartarus.

He stopped his brisk walking amidst the crowd when he spotted an icon in another corner, a form of trophy regarding what day it was. In the moment that his eyes laid upon it, everything else seemed to fade out to him as his eyes stared down the creation, his jaw hanging wide open.

It was a birthday cake. Not just any cake, but a huge one, big enough to reach the ceiling. It was easily just as big as the one made for Rainbow Dash on her day, but it had some aesthetic differences. There were traces of Pinkie Pie’s cutie mark placed all around it, there seemed to be more icing present, and there was a great big number on the top, the same number of candles placed on the many layers it held.

“Twenty one...” he muttered to himself, still ignoring everything else around him. The cake looked delicious and inviting yes, and he would certainly love a slice or two later, but it was the number itself that got to him the most.

That is how old he was too, not just Pinkie Pie. The badge he had on his poncho reflected the same figurative digits too, but it was only when he saw the giant creation placed in front of him that it hit him. And it hit him hard. It must have been years ago to the exact day that he...

No! He can’t remind himself of that. It’s just a scarred memory of a wound, fated to never heal. He never wants it brought up, and sometimes he wishes he didn’t have to remember it. It was the entire reason he never considered his birthday important.

He felt a hoof tap him on his shoulder. He twisted his head, Fluttershy and Twilight standing behind him. They didn’t say anything, but they wandered out of Sugarcube Corner with glee, fully inviting him to join in the party. He agreed obediently, even though it was only an open invitation.

He headed his way outside of Sugarcube Corner, navigating through the tight spaces of free room he could squeeze his flexible body through. Years of practising floppy dances had given him enough experience to fit in tight spaces. He was rather proud of that.

He found himself outside of Sugarcube Corner and in the town of Ponyville, now finally spotting the entire party. There were only a limited number of ponies inside of Sugarcube Corner anyway, but the streets of Ponyville were occupied by so many more. The ponies were spread around everywhere, but there was no doubt every pony that wasn’t in Sugarcube Corner must have been outside.

Decorations to celebrate Pinkie Pie’s birthday hung on buildings, balloons set up all around the place, streamers laid out properly. He wandered into the street, gasping in awe at the very well set up party. It wouldn’t compete on his or Pinkie’s calibre of course, but somepony had been taking a lesson or two about throwing a well-designed party.

Music started to play a bit in the distance, and it was music he became drawn too very quickly. It was festival style music, suited for every audience, very upbeat, but from looking at the booth set up, a DJ would no doubt be playing later in the evening. He had worked with a few in the past, even getting his name published in a magazine regarding music once, so he wouldn’t want to miss whatever Ponyville’s DJ could accomplish.

His smiled widened. Looking at and being part of a party wouldn’t ever bring him down. He first learnt that at the first one he encountered, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. His head constantly gazed in the round everywhere, just shocked at the hard work the ponies had put into it.

His attention was caught by a whooshing noise. He went back to eye-level as a blur passed him, leaving a trail of pink past it, as well as a dragging wind. That pony must be having a good time, he thought.

The pink blur went speeding past him again, again and even more within the span of mere seconds. This pony couldn’t keep still. First it headed to what looked like the refreshment area, the next it was by the dance floor that was set up. He grinned at this super-charged display of agility.

The pink blur revealed itself to him when it came colliding with him a few seconds later, knocking him down to the ground. He was going to give the pony a piece of his mind for the carelessness, but that dropped when it was revealed that the pony was Pinkie Pie herself. He really should have seen that coming.

She stood over him in what looked like the most positive and cheerful way he’d ever seen. It looked like she might explode just from excitement alone. “Cheese!” she shouted, incredibly stimulated, “This party is so... is so...”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. There were too many words for her to choose from to sum up how beautiful it all was, but he knew one. With a knowing grin, he raised an eyebrow. “Epic?”

Pinkie Pie gasped, before nodding her head repeatedly like a foal on a sugar rush. “Come on!” There was no time to react as Pinkie Pie grabbed his hoof with her own, picking him up and speeding off in a blur again, this time a trail of yellow mashed in with the pink.

When they stopped at their destination, a bouncy castle set up for the foals, he had to place his hoof on his head just to stop the spinning. That experience was rather... new to him. He wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to try supersonic Pinkie Pie style transport again. It would surely save on his trips across Equestria though if he had his own personal Pinkiemobile at his command. But on the other hand, he would likely lose Boneless Two within seconds.

The bouncy castle was currently occupied by fillies. Straight away, he questioned why there was a bouncy castle at a full-grown mare’s birthday in the first place, but then again, the entire town helped set this up. The fillies probably wanted to repay her as well, and he knew Pinkie Pie played childish games at times. She would likely join in anyway.

He checked out the bouncy castle. It was rather large for its size, just as he liked them. He never really took part on them, but they were a blast for the kids. Although some didn’t think they were important, they were, in fact, very important. If the pony whose birthday it is has kids and he doesn’t set up a bouncy castle for them, he might as well just send them a lump of coal. Or at least, that’s how he saw it.

Pinkie Pie shook vigorously next to him, watching the fun action all the fillies were partaking in. A few parents were nearby to keep an eye on their children, some even waving over to Pinkie Pie to wish her a happy birthday. He could tell she wanted in on the bounciness, even more so when she looked at him with pleading eyes. He simply nodded, although he wasn’t clear on why exactly she needed some form of permission to enjoy herself.

Pinkie Pie revealed her teeth for the faintest time, before launching herself like a cannonball into the center of the bouncy castle. The nearby fillies laughed from the sudden impact of a Pinkiebomb, the mare herself giggling some unintended snorts too. She looked over towards Cheese Sandwich, before making a motion with her hoof for him to join her.

His eyes bulged at the implication. Him on a bouncy castle? He wouldn’t ever dream of it. But Pinkie Pie really seemed excited, and he wouldn’t want to disappoint her...

He couldn’t move. He couldn’t go through with it. He didn’t have anything against bouncy castles, but they just weren’t for him. They were probably the only party-related thing he didn’t partake in. He loved to set them up and observe the kids enjoying themselves, but he couldn’t bring himself to take part.

It seems Pinkie Pie noticed his exact opinion, jumping from the blown-up crazy contraption to join him, looking a bit sympathetic. “Not your thing?” she asked, heart-warmingly.

He let off a little chuckle “Sorry.”

Pinkie Pie joined him with a tiny giggle. “It’s ok; we’ll just go do something else.”

He pondered that in his head for a moment. Did she just say ‘we’? Does she want him to join her throughout her party? He couldn’t figure it out soon enough, as he was grabbed and sped off like a rocket again through the town.

He felt warped from the giant speed change. How did Pinkie Pie do that? How wasn’t she worn out at all? He knew party ponies had tremendous amounts of energy, but Celestia, she blew it out of the park.

Pinkie Pie’s new destination led them towards a large balloon, sticking out amongst others. Scattered around the small area were many tables, a big bowl on each one containing what looked like punch. It was a casual area for general conversation, overlooked by a ginormous Pinkie Pie balloon. Some ponies were gathered around in small social groups, talking amongst themselves, but Pinkie Pie had her prize on something else.

A giant blown-up balloon of herself, similar to the one of Rainbow Dash at her birthiversary, only it was Pinkie Pie. When Cheese Sandwich looked up at it, a small fraction of it all seemed rather scary. He knew Pinkie Pie was known to be random at times, even hearing about times regarding physics, but something about that balloon seemed off.

He kept getting the feeling that at some point, it would become sentient and join in the party, as crazy as it sounded.

He smacked himself, groaning. How could he have possibly thought something as silly as that? But looking back up at it, it was very well made. It captured the beauty of Pinkie Pie excellently, almost as gorgeous as the real thing standing next to him.

“Quite marvellous isn’t it?” a voice asked them from behind. Both the party ponies turned around to see the fashionista Rarity, levitating a full cup of liquid with her magic.

“I love it!” screamed Pinkie Pie, before grabbing and hugging Rarity in a fraction of a second. The white unicorn almost spilt her drink as her friend effectively crushed her in a close embrace.

“That’s wonderful Pinkie” Rarity replied, breaking their shared hug.

In an instant, Pinkie Pie bolted off towards the small casual area, taking in what she could. Rarity joined next to Cheese Sandwich. “It sure is a surprise seeing you here. We weren’t expecting it.”

“I go where the party calls me" he stated, grinning.

“I set up this portion of the party myself,” Rarity revealed, “Even the balloon.”

Cheese Sandwich raised his eyebrow. “Really? All of this?”

“Mhmm” Rarity responded, “It took me weeks to design that balloon. I set up all the tables here and even made the punch myself. You should try some.”

He thought about it for a short while, even witnessing Rarity sipping some of her own. “Alright.” He walked over towards a nearby table, Rarity following. The table contained a large bowl of purple-lilac coloured liquid, not unfamiliar to him. He had made punch bowls on a much larger scale; even big enough to swim in at his parties, but it was still nice to see.

He picked up the ladle with his mouth, getting a good scoop of the tempting liquid. Placing it into a cup, he raised it up to give it a taste test. Rarity stared at him with anticipation, holding high hopes. After all, he was a party planner, so this taste testing could mean something for her when it came to creating little soirées.

He took a taste of it, bubbling his lips as the liquid traversed through his mouth, the taste coming to him. Swallowing the contents, his smile from the result gave Rarity the response she was hoping for. “Very nice” he complimented.

“Thank you” Rarity replied, blushing a little from the positive feedback.

Both of them drew their attention from the loud giggling, coming from the direction of the balloon. Both of them trailed their heads to see Pinkie Pie standing and bouncing on top of the giant version of herself. How did she even get up there? Cheese asked himself.

Pinkie Pie waved at the pair below them, receiving the exact same gesture shortly afterwards.

“She talks about you, you know” Rarity said, now putting her hoof down.

Cheese Sandwich furrowed his brow, turning his gaze towards Rarity. “She... does?”

“Yeah. She’s been waiting for you to come back to Ponyville. I guess it’s a good thing you came today.”

“What? Really?” Cheese asked, raising his eyebrow.

Rarity nodded again. “So. Has she asked you yet?” she wondered, pouring punch into her mouth.

“Asked me what?” Cheese replied flatly.

Rarity paused. Her cheeks bulged from the punch, her eyes darting left and right like she had just realised something. She swallowed the punch shortly afterwards, presenting a nervous chuckle. “Oh. I uh... guess I said too much...” she got out, backing away as she did so. She paused in her retreat briefly, forcing a smile. “Enjoy the party ok?” Without giving Cheese Sandwich any time to say anything, she walked away, almost looking like she was scarpering.

Cheese Sandwich was confused at the unicorn’s behaviour, and even more so at what she was getting at. Pinkie Pie wanted to ask him something? What was the problem with a simple question? And why did Rarity effectively run away from the slightest mention?

He shrugged his shoulders. Whatever it was Pinkie wanted to ask him, she would probably do it later. Until then, he’d just have to wait.

He took another swig of the delicious punch, taking in its taste. Placing his empty cup on the table, he turned to find Pinkie Pie’s muzzle and face right in front of him, smiling. “Ah!” he screamed, jumping back.

Pinkie Pie giggled, before dipping her entire head inside of the punch bowl. A few bubbles emerged at the surface. Over a short course of time, the top level of the punch bowl descended in height, as Pinkie Pie slurped a lot of it up.

Pinkie Pie’s head came splashing out of the punch bowl seconds later, some of it flying in many directions. Her face was covered in drops of the liquid. She licked her lips, and whatever else she could reach with her tongue. “Yummy!” she declared.

Cheese Sandwich couldn’t help smiling at the display. It was actually rather adorable to him. During Rainbow Dash’s birthiversary, she had decided to go for a short snorkel trip in the giant punch bowl he set up at some point.

She really likes punch, he concluded, pursing his lips.

Pinkie Pie grabbed ahold of his hoof again in short time, a slight blush coming over her. He knew exactly what was about to happen, as he prepared for the inevitable.

A faint scream could be heard as Cheese Sandwich was jerked again through Ponyville, only lines of pink and yellow visible to ponies who could see the supersonic couple.

Chapter 5 - Evening Ponyville

The night was falling fast on the town of Ponyville. It was never quiet while the hours of partying went down. If it wasn’t the conversations going on and the cheering, then it was the music that could be heard from miles away. As it head into the evening though, the fillies disappeared from the streets, much to their disagreement and protests. The kids had to go to bed at some point after all. Auntie Pinkie Pie didn’t let any of them go without a hug first though. There were ultimately no complaints about that.

Cheese Sandwich easily deemed the party one of the best he’s been at. Part of that was that everything was epic, as he would say. The other part was Pinkie Pie. She never left his side, figuratively. They spent some time apart, but for the majority of the party, she clung onto him a lot.

And he didn’t have any problems with that.

She did seem to go way out of her way just to make him happy though. Whenever he wasn’t feeling grand about something, she would move pass it. He didn’t understand it that much. After all, this party was solely set up for her, so she should be the one celebrating. She shouldn’t go out of her way for him when it was her time to shine.

Rarity was acting odd throughout a lot of the afternoon too. He surmised that it was to do with their small conversation at the punch table, but he still didn’t know what she was hinting at back then. Pinkie Pie still hadn’t approached him regarding... whatever it was. Whenever the pair of them was near the white unicorn, they’d be given nervous glances from her. She’d try to hide and blend in with the crowd, attempting to camouflage. It never worked, since her natural beauty stood out.

He tried conversing with her at times, and she would usually oblige, but he could tell she wasn’t comfortable. Whatever it was she had accidentally revealed, she must have been going through a guilt trip.

Pinkie Pie never opened her presents. Why not, Cheese didn’t know. His initial conclusion was that she was so pumped up from partying that she would wait the following day. The sheer number of presents also backed up that claim, although knowing Pinkie Pie; she’d probably tear her way through them all within a matter of minutes.

Watching Pinkie Pie show off her stuff in the middle of the dance floor put a smile on his face. She was a crazy dancer, full of energy. She didn’t even care if others saw her as dangerous or an animal. She did take breaks though, a few minutes to talk with others, or most of the time, Cheese himself.

It seems Ponyville’s DJ was Vinyl Scratch, a unicorn he’d seen and been associated with before. She was stationed in Canterlot years ago, but it seems she took her move to Ponyville. He always appreciated her music, so there was some nice catching up conversation.

Pinkie Pie’s friends also joined in throughout the entire party. They were the ones mainly in charge with setting up specific parts of the party. Many times after Cheese Sandwich went through warp speed with Pinkie Pie, they’d come into contact with one of them. It seems it wasn’t just Rarity that was suspicious. Applejack nudged him at one point, as if he was meant to know what it was for. All the cowpony did was raise an eyebrow and point at Pinkie Pie while they watched her devour an entire apple. He couldn’t see what it was supposed to imply, although he did find the action cute.

The night had come from the endless fun, and it was evident. The lights set up by the dance floor shone in the darkness, two large white set lights pointing towards the sky. If it wasn’t obvious that Ponyville was having a party, it would have been at that point.

He always liked to party in the evening. Sometimes, the night life gave him open space to think alone. He always appreciated company, yes, but sometimes he would sit and watch from the distance. Usually, he would set off in the early evening from the party, but he felt inclined to stay a bit longer for a friend.

And she was a pretty friend too. He couldn’t stop gawking at her when she was showing her stuff on the floor. Could it have been her tremendous confidence? Or did he just admire her wacky dancing skills?

He didn’t know, and he didn’t care either. But he loved her dancing, incomprehensible as it was.

She winked at him a few times from the floor, asking him to join her from far away. He wasn’t the best dancer around, but he had joined in a bit, blasting his cheesiness all over the dance floor, most notably his rubber chicken dance. Boneless Two unfortunately wasn’t up to par as well as Boneless. In the end though, he couldn’t keep up with Pinkie Pie’s crazy tempo, and he found himself quitting soon before long. He preferred to watch the mare afterwards, and she would give him suspicious looks. But they weren’t the bad kind of suspicious, they were more hinting.

The kind that might have given the message; “I know you’re watching me, and I know you love it.”

He wandered down the road out of Ponyville a while later from the constant dancing. He wanted to get a good look at the beautiful town that welcomed him so much, and what it looked like in the moonlight. He didn’t know how far away he had walked from the town exactly, but he had a nice vantage point to sit and think alone.

The two huge spotlights pointed towards the sky, gyrating in different assortments, the white light beams shifting in movement. The thumping of the music could be heard even from his distance, and the coloured lights gave the town a basking glow in the distance. It was beautiful.

In some cases, he would be in his getup, ready to move as soon as he finished watching the town, ready to make way. Other times, he just went there to think, before grabbing his things and making a move anyway. Spotting the pony of the hour in their personal haven of a party really made him think about how lucky they were.

His own birthday didn’t matter as much as others, at least not to him, and not to his parents either. It was only part of the reason he ran away.

The constant bullying and ignoring him at school. His parents always arguing. He couldn’t take it. The only one who ever remembered or knew it was his birthday was himself. The candles of the cake he made himself never got blown out that day. He doesn’t even know what became of it. His parents were still too caught up with each other to notice him slipping away.

Leaving his home on his birthday was always a reminder to him, and that point was exceeded when he came across Ponyville for the first time the day after. Always make the birthday pony happy. Seeing them happy made him happy, and he’s stuck to that ever since. And he owed it all to Pinkie Pie, the mare whose birthday he’s celebrating all these years afterwards.

He looked behind him, all of Equestria there, spread around the lightened town. It was dark, night covered the land, and only the whistles of the wind could be heard. It was late enough as it was, and he needed to make a move soon.

He turned back to Ponyville. The activity didn’t halter in the slightest. He would have to go collect his gear back in Pinkie Pie’s bedroom, so he certainly couldn’t dawdle. Figures of ponies appeared to him from the distance.

It brought a smile to his face. His destiny was one he was proud to have.

He rose up from the ground, ready to re-join the town. He took one look back into the veiling darkness. “Mum. Dad. I love you.” He brought up his hoof and kissed it, before blowing on it, sending the message across the night, hoping to reach the parents he hadn’t seen since that fateful day.

He waited a few seconds, staring into the night, before taking his move towards Ponyville.

The town grew, his thoughts growing as well. What was he going to say? He certainly wouldn’t want to leave without a word, possibly giving the birthday mare a kiss on the cheek if she would allow him, but parting was usually one of the hardest parts.

And this time, he found himself struggling to think of something. He didn’t feel like he wanted to leave. He was happy here; Pinkie Pie was a great mare to be around.

He couldn’t come up with an answer. He had stepped foot in Ponyville again before he even had a chance to think of something. The best he could think of was to let somepony know, preferably Pinkie Pie, so he could collect his things.

He approached the dancing scene. It was populated, both on the floor and around it. Some ponies were conversing with one another outside of the scene. Others on the floor were shaking their stuff. He was looking for his prize, Pinkie Pie, but she wasn’t present in the scene. None of the six mares her knew were. Hmm, he thought to himself.

He wandered down further down the street, away from the overabundance activity of dance. Sugarcube Corner was down the line, his first stop. Whistling to himself, he entered the gingerbread house, ready to pack up. He had a sudden flash of the image of Pinkie Pie fast asleep in her bed, underneath her covers.

He paused in his progress, the whistling coming to a halt, just to think about that. He couldn’t bust his way in there if she was asleep, he’d be violating her privacy. But just the thought alone of the mare and her cute ways fast asleep, her ears flopping with a few mumbles, the everlasting smile even whilst comatose, it made him flush.

He looked left and right. What was left of the gigantic cake was plopped in one corner. He was kindly allowed to have a slice of it earlier, and whoever made it must have spent weeks just preparing it. It had contained some hints of strawberry, signifying Pinkie Pie herself. And it tasted lovely. Even though the entire town attended Pinkie Pie’s party, not even half of the cake was gone.

The other corner contained the large round table with all the presents. It hadn’t reduced in size, rather actually increasing from some late-comers. He smacked himself with his hoof. He had gotten so caught up in partying that he forgot about the present. He had come to her party, effectively taken things for free, and hadn’t had the common courtesy to give the birthday mare a present.

He hated that, but there wasn’t anything that came to mind to fix it.

The main room of Sugarcube Corner was a bit of a mess. Popped balloons lay on the floor, many streams had fallen and there were remnants of food everywhere. A major clean-up would have to be instigated. It was part of parties that he didn’t like; he preferred the actual partying.

He could hear hoofsteps behind him. Another pony had entered the house of treats. He didn’t turn his attention, rather still inspecting the effort that will be required to clean up the place. The clip clops of the hooves got louder though; the pony was walking up to him.

“Cheese Sandwich?” a voice asked, easily drowning over the thumping music in the distance. He knew the voice.

“Yes?” he joyfully answered, turning around to spot the princess herself.

“We’ve been looking for you” the alicorn stated.

He titled his head to the side. “Me?” He pointed to himself. “Why?”

“Pinkie’s been worried about you. After you disappeared, she panicked, searching everywhere. She got us to assist her.”

Cheese’s eyes bulged out. Pinkie Pie had been looking for him? He did tend to wander off, always being alone with his thoughts, but Pinkie? Given her breakneck speed for hyperactivity, why didn’t he see her whooshing past either? He let out a chuckle, a thought occurring to him that Pinkie Pie had scouted all of Equestria within a matter of seconds.

Twilight smiled. “She’ll be glad to know you’re here though.”

“Why is Pinkie so desperately looking for me?” Cheese asked.

The alicorn stumbled for a moment, thinking of how to reply. “Uh... I’d rather not go into it” she tried to pass off, rubbing her temple with her hoof.

Cheese raised an eyebrow at the suspicious action. It was certainly familiar what with Rarity’s acting. It likely had something to do with whatever Pinkie Pie wanted to ask him.

“Hold on, I’ll get her,” Twilight said, now more confident. She walked over towards the open entrance of Sugarcube Corner, before raising a hoof next to her mouth. “Pinkie! I found him!”

As if on cue, a pink figure appeared out of nowhere from the calling. She jumped straight into Sugarcube Corner, before spotting Cheese. Her worried look quickly turned to one of relief and bliss. She threw herself forward, catching the stallion off guard, drawing him in a hug. “Cheese!” she shouted, sounding very elated, as well as worried, “Where were you?”

Cheese wrapped his hoof around the pink mare. “I was on the road. Just doing some thinking.”

Pinkie Pie broke from the hug, her smile fully back, relieved she had found him again. “I’m so glad you’re back!”

“So am I...” he passed off, shamed about what he will have to go through. Pinkie Pie seemed to go to extreme measures just to find him again, and he was back to tell her he was leaving. It would likely break her just to hear it, but he had his mental schedule to keep.

Neither of the party ponies saw Twilight quietly backing away from the scene, an awkward smile upon her.

“Come on!” Pinkie Pie shouted, before grabbing Cheese’s hoof and transporting him to her bedroom within seconds, another blurry moment for him. He had travelled by that so much throughout the party that he was pretty much used to it.

Pinkie Pie’s bedroom looked almost the same as when he left it. All of the party games were lodged in the corner, the party cannon up against a wall, as well as his clothes on the ground. He smiled, but also sighed; knowing his time with Pinkie Pie was coming to an end.

She happily bounced around her own bedroom, even jumping on her bed, giggling from the small shockwave she created. He didn’t know what she was getting at, but he found it adorable regardless. Somehow, Pinkie Pie lying on top of her bed, fluttering her eyelashes at him with her warm smile made him blush.

However, he knew it was time to go. He walked over to his gear lying on the ground, picking up the poncho. “What are you doing?” he heard Pinkie Pie ask. He turned his head, Pinkie Pie looking confused. He smiled in response, wanting to make the parting as positive as he could.

He sighed again, before fully picking up the poncho. Pinkie Pie heard the metal pin clinking as it ruffled around. She tilted her head when she saw the small badge. Immediately, she launched herself towards the poncho, picking up the badge with her hooves. On it, the numbers presented on it made her eyebrows rise, before she flat out gasped for air.

“Cheese, what is this?” she asked him, clearly seeing the number twenty one on the badge.

Author's Note

What's this? Has Cheese dun goofed? What will happen?

Well, there's one chapter left.

Chapter 6 - The perfect present

Cheese Sandwich curled up his lower lip, the blue eyes gazing at him penetrating his broadened stance. She had spotted the badge, and was now the more curious. It was time to say goodbye, and yet, he’d been foiled into a small trap. He blamed himself, carrying around the badge on his poncho for hours on end. He told himself that he should have thrown it away long ago when he was in back the crevice. There was no doubt that somepony would have seen it, had he worn it all day.

The fact that Pinkie Pie of all ponies found it too was something to worry about. Knowing how active and bubbly she was, there was a strong possibility she’d charge downstairs and tell everypony as soon as she found out the truth. Rarity noticed it earlier, but never spoke a word. Perhaps his statement at the time of yelling it wasn’t important stuck with her, and even Rainbow Dash for the same matter, since she didn’t say a word either.

He had a feeling Pinkie Pie would have questioned him about the badge during the party if they had spread the word around that he carried a miniature badge on his poncho, but never revealed it. She had a certain knack for staying true to a pony, almost pressuring them, while also giving them their personal space, to a certain degree. She would have kept at it though, until he’d finally crack and reveal it all, unhappy from his own past.

He thought about it. Yes, the idea of hiding his own birthday made him happy. He didn’t wish to remember it, much less carry a burden. Finding out he shared the same birthday as Pinkie Pie was nice, very surprising, especially given both of their statuses as party ponies, but if he could change the celebration to only her birthday; that would be his wish.

Because knowing Pinkie Pie, she wouldn’t rest until he was satisfied on the exact same day if she knew. And she had just found out a clue leading to it. There was no way from him to lie his way out of it this time.

It was an old badge from weeks ago? Why would he still be carrying it, and why wouldn’t he have told her?

It wasn’t important? What wasn’t important?

Whatever dismissal he could think of, there was always a comeback, some way for it to misfire, whether he liked it or not. But Pinkie Pie wasn’t the densest pony around, not by a long shot, actually more intelligent than most ponies let on. Who keeps tracks of all those birthdays after all? Being a party pony himself, the Cheesy Sense always told him of birthdays, never having to remember the dates to an eidetic extent.

There was a possibility, but he only had a small inkling of a chance that it might work. And that was to make sure Pinkie Pie kept quiet. He didn’t want a hassle, or even the attention. Her birthday was epic, as he would say, and he wouldn’t dare let the fact that he had hidden his own birthday drag hers down.

“It’s...” he muttered, finally coming up with something, “Not really important...”

“Why not?” Pinkie Pie replied, tilting her head.

“It’s kind of personal,” Cheese insisted, rubbing the back of his head.

Pinkie Pie remained stationary, but fumbled around. She looked like she was processing every single possible reason for why the badge was kept from her, and whatever it could be that Cheese didn’t want to talk about. She mouthed some words that couldn’t be made out, as well as continuously shifting her gaze around her bedroom, though she didn’t focus on the detail, rather her mind.

“Was it... your birthday a few days ago?” Pinkie Pie finally asked, wondering about it herself.

“No,” Cheese denied, after taking in a sigh, “Please Pinkie, don’t continue-“

“Is it your birthday?” She asked, cutting him off with extreme curiosity.

Cheese took a small step backwards, Pinkie Pie getting the truth within a couple of guesses. He didn’t want her to guess in the first place, but she pinpointed the exact detail in no time. And now his current stance of a slightly twitchy eyelid gave him away without a doubt. She looked at him, the stare piercing right through him. She looked a bit befuddled for a moment, before she read him.

She had figured out the truth, and even more when she remembered what day it was. There was no doubt that lit up fireworks in her mind.

Her pupils involuntarily decided to shrink as a loud gasp came out of her, the reality finally hitting her. Cheese could only imagine as thousands of thoughts must have entered Pinkie’s mind, most of them likely involving the town and his birthday, another with use of birthday cake.

“It’s your birthday!?” she shouted out at a volume he was sure was the loudest she could physically manage. It was a good thing nopony was nearby; otherwise they’d have heard it without a doubt.

Unfortunately, Cheese remained a little tensed up from the revelation. He was in trouble now that Pinkie Pie knew. His immediate course of action would to prevent her escape, as comical as the very notion sounded.

“Shh!” he said without even thinking, placing his hoof onto Pinkie Pie’s mouth. The lips his hoof planted onto felt rather soft, something he wasn’t expecting, but overall nice to feel, trying to ignore the minor detail to keep on track.

“Mmmff!” she mumbled underneath the orange hoof, the faintest blush on her cheeks.

“If I let go...” he started, already frightened of the consequences of releasing a hyperactive Pinkie Pie, “Will you promise to stay and lower your voice?”

She nodded her head frantically, his hoof almost shaken from her lips. She picked up one of her hooves, mumbling with the stallion’s hoof pressed on her lips, before making some motions with it. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but her warm breath felt nice. The action seemed familiar though, as Pinkie Pie put the hoof up against her eye, making sure to close it.

If he could remember from the vague details with Rainbow Dash’s birthiversary, it was a Pinkie Promise, her own personal seal ponies around her knew. He had heard of a tale in his travels from a coach-driver. He had mentioned that the mare he and three of his co-workers were carrying had apparently broken what was known as a Pinkie Promise, and it led to a massive desert chase with a crazy pink mare.

Surely it wasn’t the beautiful, dazzling Pinkie Pie in front of him with the pillowy lips? He heard it was actually in Dodge Junction where the apparent blasphemy had taken place, but he never saw a crazy pink mare the previous day.

He looked back down at Pinkie Pie, the mare fluttering her eyelashes a bit, partly wishing he would remove his hoof, while also secretly wanting the opposite.

He felt flushed at her blue eyes. Why were they so attractive, like a magnet? He found himself drawn to them surprisingly often, and he had a crazy feeling that Pinkie Pie knew the fact as well. She must have been tempting him all the time, just playing with him, though he didn't hate the idea.

Still a bit on edge, he gradually released his hoof from Pinkie Pie’s lips, only hoping she had delivered on her promise. She remained still, just like a statue, her smile constant. It even felt a little pressuring after a while.

He let out an exhale, knowing that Pinkie Pie was willing to listen. But still lodged in his mind was the eventual parting. He will hate that.

“Ok,” he started; ready to get it out, “Yes, you are right Pinkie. It is in fact... my birthday.”

Pinkie Pie looked surprised, but didn’t react over abundantly. “But there is a reason I don’t want to tell anypony,” he continued, “And that reason is very personal to me. Please understand.”

She looked intently at him. He was pleading, hoping that she wouldn’t question whatever personal issue it was. Of course she was down that she couldn’t find out what it was, or even try to help out, but she would understand if it meant making him happy. In the end, she only nodded her head. It was the best she could do, though she desperately wanted to hug the stallion and tell him it was alright.

“...Because of this,” Cheese carried on, looking rather unhappy as he did so, “I want other ponies to be happy on their birthdays. I don’t want a celebration for my own. I’d much rather see the smile from the birthday pony. If they are happy, then I’m happy.”

“What are you saying?” Pinkie Pie asked, inching closer.

“What I’m saying is, forget about my birthday. Today, it’s your birthday Pinkie, and nopony else's.”

Pinkie Pie frowned, just at the very idea. “But... you deserve a birthday too...”

“Believe me,” Cheese comforted, drawing Pinkie Pie in for a hug, “Nothing makes me happier than just being here today. Finding out your birthday today was a shock Pinkie, but to find out it was your special day. Well... there’s really nothing more I could ask for. Just knowing that I share the same birthday with such a beautiful and perfect mare makes me happier than you can imagine.”

There was a brief silence as the two of them shared their hug. “You...” Pinkie Pie started to speak, “You really think I’m beautiful?”

Cheese froze up, his eyes fixating on the void in-between dimensions. Did he just say that out loud? She was beautiful, very beautiful in fact, but he just admitted it right in front of her, like the righteous dumb idiot he was. How could he say that to Pinkie Pie? He felt like his brain packed up and ran away while it still had the chance, not ready to take the upcoming embarrassment.

She could see the full blush present on his cheeks, turning bright crimson. She could tell he meant it, though he said it unwillingly. With her hoof, she brushed it alongside his cheek, only embarrassing him more. “I think you’re cute too,” she softly stated, before giving him a deep nuzzle.

Cheese mumbled some whines as he stared off into space, the gravity of his situation hitting him hard. He took a large gulp, the heat still not leaving him. After fighting off a few voices that told him to her hug to death, he gently tapped Pinkie Pie, before putting some pressure into it, pushing her away.

“Cheese?” she wondered.

Cheese looked down at his getup, his traveling gear, knowing that all of what he had just gone through was only harder to bear. It was finally time to leave, and he dared to tell the mare of her remarkable beauty before he left. If he could have hit himself, he would have, then again, then again, and then ten more times just reciting how much of a doofus he was.

“I’m afraid this is where I say goodbye Pinkie,” he apathetically said, not actually wanting to go through with it.

The pink mare was very quick to react, and he really should have known at the slightest mention of leaving. “What do you mean?”

He tried not to look into her calling eyes. They would only make it harder, and her frown wasn’t helping either. “Another town, another party,” he bluntly stated, still facing the ground.

“You mean... you’re leaving?”

He puckered up a bit of his lip, before sighing. “I’m sorry to say so, but yes.”

He went down to pick up his things, but Pinkie Pie had already grabbed a hold of him, clinging fully around him, suspended in the air, never wanting to let go. “No! You can’t go!” she tried to reason, refusing to move.

Cheese almost lost his balance with the added weight of Pinkie Pie, attempting to bend down to pick up his things. He couldn’t do it with Pinkie Pie on him, falling onto the ground in a heap. Pinkie Pie fell off of him as he crashed.

He groaned as he rubbed his scalp, picking up his gear with his other hoof. “I have to Pinkie,” he reinstated, “The party here is over, and I must continue on my way.”

“But why?” Pinkie Pie whined, only watching the stallion pick up his things. It was beginning to become heart-breaking to her, just knowing he was leaving for the second time.

“It’s what I do Pinkie. When the party is done, I move on. You said it yourself that this party was amazing, and that is all I needed to hear.” He looked around, trying to spot a clock. There was one hanging on the far wall. He focused his eyesight at it, before reading the time. He hated what it showed. “It’s dark enough as it is. I have to go.”

He rose back up to his legs, his full attire on him. Boneless Two had reclaimed his spot on his back, looking perfectly happy about ready to move on. He didn’t get any action of the party after all, so knowing that Cheese was heading towards another party made him happy.

Or at least, that’s how Cheese saw it.

Pinkie Pie wasn’t saying a word, just staring down at the ground. All energy in her had drained away; nothing could come out as she watched the stallion of her dreams begin to depart. She was comforted very briefly, only for a few seconds when Cheese brought her in for a hug. She should have taken everything from it, but it only made it more painful.

Cheese stroked the back of Pinkie’s head with his hoof, scrunching up his lips. He would really miss her.

He sighed as he pulled away, attempting to cheer her up by smiling right into her. He lifted up her head to try and make eye contact, but she looked away, just a painful reminder of his departure.

He didn’t like it. Leaving Pinkie Pie.

He didn’t want to leave. But he had to.

“I’m sorry Pinkie,” he whispered, before taking his first steps. “Truly, I am.”

As Pinkie Pie turned to watch the stallion beginning to walk away, she could only formulate what she desperately wanted. “Promise me...”

He stopped in his tracks, twisting his head around. Whatever it was she wanted, he felt like he could promise her anything.

“Promise me you’ll visit often. I want... I want to see you more. Please come by, just to see us...” She inched closer towards him, the sad look penetrating him even in that condition. Although she looked hurt, he felt like daggers were stabbing right at him, destroying his self-esteem.

He smiled, lifting up a hoof and placing it up against his eye. “Pinkie Promise?”

A smile appeared on her for the tiniest hint of a second, before it faltered again. The seal of the Pinkie Promise was something she held dearly, and just the thought of Cheese coming back to spend time with her, or even her friends, made her happy. But the current situation stripped that away intensively.

“Happy birthday Pinkie,” were his choice of final parting words. He took up his own offer from earlier, a little risky, leaning forward and giving Pinkie Pie a kiss on her cheek.

He rearranged his hat when he was done, giving Pinkie Pie a final smile, unaware of her steaming blush, before heading off. Turning around, he headed towards her bedroom door, walking through the doorframe into the hallway.

Further and further Cheese got away from her, and all she did was stare at his moving figure, a hoof on her cheek from where his gracious lips touched her. She sighed as the stallion turned the corner in the hallway. It was a graceful sigh, but turned into a dejected one.

Cheese started to descend the stairs, entering the foyer of Sugarcube Corner once more, his likely final time for weeks to come. Making his way through the big empty room, his eyes wandered towards the presents again. He still didn’t have a clue of what to get Pinkie Pie, and it was far too late to change that. There was nothing he could do, nor any shops open.

With strong determination, he forced himself out of the building, right into the night-time of Ponyville. He instantly shuddered at the cold breeze that passed him, knowing full fact that his journey wouldn’t be set in ideal conditions. "Beats it raining..." he muttered to himself.

With whatever energy her body allowed her to conjure up, Pinkie Pie walked over towards her window. It was dark outside, no doubt, but she could still see the outside town. Bringing herself close to the glass window, a clear figure emerged from below. It was Cheese Sandwich, the stallion she wished hadn't left.

She felt her heartbeat rise when she saw him. Part of it was the sight alone, and the other was feeling sympathy for how cold he must be. Getting closer towards the window, her breath starting to fog the glass, she stared down at the stallion, a frown evident on her.

Why didn’t she ask him? It was an easy question to ask her friends told her, and she had been holding onto it for whenever he’d next come to Ponyville. It was part of the reason she was so worried when he disappeared; she wanted to ask him in private, already fearing that he had left Ponyville at the time.

“Will you be my very special somepony...” she whispered to herself, before planting her head dully on the glass, the depression and regret revealing itself.

Why would he ever want a mare like her? She didn’t deserve him. He deserved a kind mare, like Fluttershy. A smart mare, like Twilight. A loyal and brave mare, like Rainbow Dash. An honest mare, like Applejack.

Or even... a beautiful mare.

Like Rarity.

A partying mare with tons of energy? Why would he want that?

She sighed again, her head flat against the glass, all hints of liveliness drained away. She forced her eyes to look down at the scene, Cheese Sandwich slowly getting further away. Her eyes saw the badge, the symbol for the day. His birthday, the same day as hers. But he kept it quiet.

She didn’t want that. She wanted to give him something, no matter how many times he would turn down the offer. She would stay true to his request though, not telling anypony of the joint-birthday. It was what he wanted, and if she couldn’t do that, she’d probably never see him again.

“A present...” she mused, “One of the ones downstairs?”

She shook her head at her own idea. “No, he wouldn’t want one of those...”

She remained watching him walk away into the cold and empty night, beginning to appear smaller and thinner. From the faintest focus at her distance, she could see him shudder, likely a gust of cold wind passing by.

Her pupils grew, an idea flashing to her instantly, clear as the glow of the moon. Maybe she couldn’t give him a physical present to keep for years, but something else he could desperately do with.

Without even second guessing, she whizzed right out of her bedroom door, past the hallway, down the stairs, through all of Sugarcube Corner, and into Ponyville. “Cheese!” she shouted out, catching up with the stallion, hoping that her high-pitched voice hadn’t woke up any fillies or colts, or even foals.

He turned around from the name call, the sounds of hooves racing against the ground loudening, getting closer extremely quickly. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie halted when she reached right in front of him. “Cheese, I know you want me not to tell anypony of your birthday, and I won’t, but could I at least give you a present before you go?”

Presents, he thought, too many presents. There was nothing that came to him to give to Pinkie Pie, and yet she insisted on giving him something. Pinkie Pie was really kind to put up with his selfish ways.

“It’s alright Pinkie,” he stated, “Just spending the day here is good enough. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“But I really really really really want to give you a present!” she insisted.

He kept his interest. She had so much determination. “Yes?” He didn’t know what it could be, given that Pinkie Pie hadn’t come out with anything in her hooves. She couldn’t have been hiding anything.

Pinkie Pie’s smile grew. “Stay the night.”

“Wha- huh?” he blurted out, confused at the ‘present’.

“It’s cold and dark out here Cheese,” she added, nearing the stallion, “It can also be a bit scary. Please won’t you spend the night at Sugarcube Corner?”

His mind wandered all over the place. Spend the night in a house? He hadn’t done that ever since he ran away. So many years travelling Equestria, he hadn’t ever really slept in a proper bed before. His poncho was always only ever what he needed. Would it be so wrong to break his long-time commitment after so long?

It was a present after all. A present Pinkie Pie offered to him. To him. He couldn’t turn that down, not for the life of it. She was right too; Equestria was sometimes scary at night-time. Many times he had experienced to being woken up in the middle of the night from a howling sound. Maybe it was for the best, but the idea still shook bad signs in his head.

“Ok,” he reluctantly agreed, still a bit uncomfortable about the whole experience. So many years.

Pinkie Pie crushed him in a quick hug, before taking his hoof and carrying him back to Sugarcube Corner. She didn’t use her apparent warp speed, but it was still fast and agile. He made sure to hang on to Boneless Two during the rush.

The pair entered the sugar house again, before Pinkie Pie motioned for him to go upstairs. As he climbed the stairs hesitantly, he watched her below run around and turn everything off; the lights, as well as lock the front door. She presented her happy smile up to him as he reached the upstairs hallway.

She had joined him in no time, inviting him down the hallway, likely towards a spare room. He was still uncomfortable about the present. “Pinkie, are you sure I could stay here? I don’t want to be a bother...”

“It’s fine,” Pinkie dismissed, opening the door to an empty room with a bed, “I’ll tell the Cakes tomorrow. They’ll be ok with it.”

Cheese Sandwich pondered over the room. From what he’s slept in all throughout his years out in Equestria, it looked fantastically better. The bed stood out, like it was drawing him in with a message. Lie on me, lie on me, the voice told him.

“I still don’t know Pinkie...” he carried on, squinting an eye. “I mean, I’m grateful for this present, but it’s me who should be giving you one. I’ve tried to think of something all day, and I couldn’t come up with anything.”

“You wanted to get me a present?” she asked, getting nearer, “Aww, that’s so thoughtful!” She ran up the rest of the distance and hugged him in no time.

He felt flushed from the small cuddle. It seemed just the thought of it mattered. It still wouldn’t let him off the hook, he told himself. Something was still in order.

“Although...” he heard Pinkie Pie carry on, “If you really want to give me a present...”

He almost started to panic, just from the growing tension. What would Pinkie Pie want? It didn’t help when she broke from the hug, looking up at him with her pleading, beautiful eyes. But at this point, he was really willing to do anything, crazy as some ideas might sound.

“You could always...” she trailed off, pawing at the floorboards with her hoof, a blush on her face, “Spend the night with me...”

Cheese’s heart went into panic overdrive from the request. Did he just hear that right? Sharing a bed? With Pinkie Pie? And was it getting hot in Sugarcube Corner, or was it just him?

“What...” he whimpered, all he could manage to get out.

“Y-Yeah,” Pinkie Pie continued, stammering a bit, the blush still present, “It’d be nice wouldn’t it? We could keep warm, have a nice sleep. I know how nice we like to hug as well...”

Cheese felt even more heat arrive in the house of treats. He didn’t know.

He just didn’t know. His brain must have shut down.

His present? To share a bed with Pinkie Pie? Possibly hugging her all night?

It would surely make her happy, from the look of how she seemed. He owed her a present, and she certainly came up with something... unique. No doubt it would stand out amongst all the other presents. His first time sleeping in a bed for years, and he’d be sharing it with a mare he was glad to know. He had his answer, if still a bit iffy about the situation, finally after what seemed like minutes of confrontation.

“Ok,” he agreed, after a good awkward silence.

“Thank you Cheese,” Pinkie Pie said quietly and nervous, even looking away, almost speaking like Fluttershy. She resisted the urge to jump out for joy and wake everypony up with her fantastic news.

Cheese followed Pinkie Pie as she shut the guest bedroom door, and led him back to her bedroom. Entering the familiar room was a nice feeling again, and with the idea of travelling through Equestria in the dark gone from his mind, and with Pinkie Pie happy again, it was good.

It was truly good. Great even.

But when he looked down at the bed, the warm sensation came back to him. He was going to be sleeping there. Next to Pinkie Pie. All night.

He had to act reverent towards anything he did, not wanting to upset Pinkie Pie. He watched her as she walked over to her windows, drawing the curtains close. Whatever light came in through the windows was cut off from the curtains, leaving only the bedroom light on. He heard her yawn, likely worn out from all of the day’s festivities, if that was even possible for her.

“I’m just going to freshen up,” she said, walking over to her bedroom, likely getting ready for bed. He never had to worry too much about that. He always found his own ways around it, though he shouldn’t be surprised.

He proceeded to take off Boneless Two, propping the chicken up against a wall, before removing his other attire, including his hat and his poncho, lying them down. He was left with his only other sign of clothing, one that he never really had to take off unless it was an emergency.

His yellow shirt. Would he wear that in bed?

Pinkie Pie emerged from the kitchen, back in her bedroom, seeing Cheese without his clothes. Or most of them anyway. “Are you going to wear that to bed?” she asked playfully, before giggling her way towards the bed.

He looked down at his torso, as well as his yellow shirt, deciding on it. He would likely sweat if he wore it underneath covers, and Pinkie Pie might not appreciate it either. With a swift decision, he took it off, feeling strangely nude in front of Pinkie Pie. He didn’t take if off that much, only to wash it, so to finally reveal himself fully.

It felt new.

He watched Pinkie Pie as she wriggled her way underneath the covers, before tapping the open spot next to her on the bouncy mattress. “Could you get the lights?” she joyfully asked, pointing towards the light switch. Taking in a deep breath, he flipped the switch, veiling the room in darkness, before closing the door. He gently made his way towards the bed, Pinkie Pie waiting for him.

He ogled at the contraption in front of him, noticing just how puffy it was. It reminded him of Pinkie Pie, the mare he’d be sharing it with, who also strangely had a puffy mane. Slowly, he eased his way underneath the quilt, shifting himself along the mattress, resting his head on the pillow. It felt comfortable, and very welcoming. It was an instant reveal of bliss, never wanting to leave it.

All of the empty thoughts about running away in the night, or even turning down Pinkie Pie’s present disappeared from his mind without a trace, perfectly happy where he was.

Hands down, it was the best birthday present he had ever received.

“Thank you Pinkie,” he said, massaging himself in the soft bed.

He turned to his side, the pink pony smiling at him. “Happy birthday,” he added, yawning shortly afterwards, ready for his slumber.

Pinkie Pie took her cue, closing the gap between them, clutching her hooves around him, burying herself against his warm chest. It felt off-putting at first, but he quickly realised just how good of a hugger she was, even saying it herself. He gave back to the embrace, wrapping his hooves around her.

The two of them shared their breathing as they both attempted to fall asleep. Cheese felt every warm breath from Pinkie Pie on his chest, a very relaxing experience. “Do you really Pinkie Promise to come back?” a voice asked, very quiet, “Just to visit?”

He knew his answer. He knew it well. “Of course,” he replied, bringing Pinkie Pie even closer. He truly meant it.

He might not have been the most perfect stallion around, way out of some ponies’ league, but where he was, lying with Pinkie Pie, he couldn’t be happier on his own birthday. And he was pretty sure she felt the exact same.

Pinkie Pie fully allowed her body to bury itself next to Cheese, enjoying every moment they shared together. She might not have asked him the question that had been on her mind, but being with him now, sharing their warmth, him actually going out of his way to make her happy, it was the closest to it she ever felt. She was truly thankful.

And she would only ask him when she was ready.

“Happy birthday Cheesie,” she cooed, before leaning into the smooth, inviting skin more, ready to head into a peaceful slumber with the stallion of her dreams lying next to her.

Author's Note

This was fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it.