Text and Illustrations Version
Pinkie Pie briskly trotted through the bustling markets of Ponyville. On any normal day, she would have taken her time to say “Hello!” and “How ya doing?” and “Good to see ya!” to everypony she came across. But today, she was a mare on a mission. She had some very important matters to discuss with a pony named Funny Business.
“Well, good morning, Pinkie!” Funny Business waved at Pinkie Pie, causing the oversized shoe on his hoof to flop back and forth. He adjusted his curly, rainbow-striped wig before setting his hoof back down. “You’re looking quite bubbly today!”
Pinkie Pie smiled and nodded, sending her frizzy mane bouncing. “I suppose I am feeling bubbly. Though I must say, you’re looking even sillier than normal.”
While the two ponies spoke, a small pug sat by Funny Business’s side. The dog looked up at Pinkie Pie and wagged its tail.
“Why, thank you, my dear!” The clown pony bowed so low that his muzzle squished into a horn laying on ground. The horn made a bright, squeaky honk. “Now, how can I help you today?”
“I,” said Pinkie Pie, reaching into her saddlebags and pulling out a small brown pouch full of bits, “would like five of your finest balloons.”
“Of course! Only the best for you, Pinkie,” said Funny Business. He turned to his side, where a bunch of balloons were tied onto a rubber chicken. He picked out the five biggest, most colorful balloons, untied them from the rubber chicken, and tied them onto Pinkie Pie’s curly tail. “After all, you’re my favorite customer.”
Pinkie Pie looked behind her. She had five of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. These would be perfect! “Thanks, Funny! Time to put these to good use!” Before leaving, she gave Funny Business’s dog a quick pat on the head. “Hi, doggie.” With that, she quickly waved farewell and trotted in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.
As she trotted through the marketplace, Pinkie Pie saw a familiar face. “Hiya, Applejack!”
Applejack was frowning at nothing in particular, but she smiled as soon as she saw Pinkie Pie approach. “Well hey there, Pinkie. You sure are a sight for sore eyes.” She adjusted the stand in front of her, where she had baskets full of apples for sale.
“Is something wrong?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “You don’t seem too happy.”
“I’m tryin’,” said Applejack with a huff, “but business ain’t quite cooperatin’ with me.” She pointed at the other ponies shopping in the markets. “There’s plenty of folks doin’ their shoppin’ today, but not one of ‘em has bought any apples from me today.”
“Huh. Well, that’s weird.” Pinkie Pie leaned in to look at the basket of apples in front of her. The fruit’s skin was so polished that she could see her own reflection. “These look extra tasty today.”
“It ain’t the apples that’re the problem.” Applejack sighed and tipped her hat out of her eyes. “Folks just don’t seem to notice my little ol’ apple stand with so many other shops here. It’s tough to make my apples stand out!”
“Hmm...” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin and looked behind her. She had five of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. She needed them for something important, but this was more important. She untied a red balloon from her tail and tied it onto Applejack’s cart. “How about this? Balloons are a great way to draw a crowd. And look: this one’s red, just like your apples.”
As soon as Pinkie Pie tied the balloon in place, a small group of ponies walked up to Applejack’s cart. “Oh, there you are, Applejack!” said one of the ponies with a smile. “I was looking everywhere for your cart, but I couldn’t find it.”
Applejack’s jaw hung open. “Well, ain’t that somethin’?” She turned back to Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug. “Thanks a heap, Pinkie. This’ll be a huge draw for business, just like you said it would.”
Pinkie Pie beamed. “Glad I could help, AJ. Ooo!” She leapt up into the air, turned, and resumed her trot toward Sugarcube Corner. “Gotta run, though! I still have lots to do today.”
“Sure thing!” Applejack waved goodbye. “I’ll see ya later.”
As she trotted through the park, Pinkie Pie saw a familiar face. “Hiya, Fluttershy!”
With a squeak, Fluttershy spun around and held a shaking hoof to her face, but she smiled as soon as she saw Pinkie Pie approach. “Oh! Um, good morning, Pinkie. I didn’t hear you coming.” She shuffled a hoof across the grass and tilted her head away, hiding her face behind her flowing pink mane.
“Is something wrong?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “You don’t seem too happy.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to bother you.” Fluttershy stepped to the side. Behind her, a tiny red robin looked up at Pinkie Pie and chirped happily. “It’s just that I’ve been trying to help my baby bird friend, Shoelace, and, um...”
“Hiya, Shoelace! My name’s Pinkie Pie.” She rested her belly on the grass and smiled at the tiny bird. “That sure is an interesting name. I wonder why a robin would name their son Shoelace. Anyway, what’s up, little guy?”
Fluttershy looked out from behind her mane and bit her lip. “Well, he’s only a baby robin. He’s still learning how to fly.” As if to prove her point, Shoelace flapped his wings as fast as he could, yet he didn’t lift off the ground. “I was trying to give him some flying lessons, you see, but he still needs a lot of help.”
“Hmm...” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin and looked behind her. She had four of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. She needed them for something important, but this was more important. She untied a blue balloon from her tail and tied it around the robin’s waist. “There ya go! Nothing like a balloon to give you some extra lift. Besides, blue is totally your color!”
Shoelace took a few timid flaps of his wings, then with a running start, he flapped with all his might. Between his own wing power and the lift from the balloon, he hovered a few feet into the air. Shoelace chirped happily and flew circles around Fluttershy’s head.
“Oh, Shoelace, how wonderful!” Fluttershy sat up and clapped her front hooves together. As the robin flew around the park, Fluttershy walked up to Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much, Pinkie. That worked perfectly, and now Shoelace is so happy.”
Pinkie Pie beamed. “Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. I’m sure he’ll be able to fly all by himself in no time.” She quickly waved and continued her trot across the park. “Speaking of time, I gotta get a move on!”
“Oh, yes, that’s right!” Fluttershy waved back. “Thanks again.”
As she trotted past Carousel Boutique, Pinkie Pie saw a familiar face. “Hiya, Rarity!”
Rarity was quietly muttering to herself and shaking her head as she exited her shop, but she smiled as soon as she saw Pinkie Pie approach. “Pinkie Pie! How marvelous to see you.” She closed the door to her store behind her and trotted over to Pinkie Pie. “I’m afraid you caught me at a bad time. I was just about to step out, you see.”
“Is something wrong?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “You don’t seem too happy.”
Rarity shook her head. “Indeed, something is wrong, and its timing is positively dreadful.” She ran a hoof over her mane, brushing some of the stray hairs back into place. “You see, I’ve been working on a new dress for a client of mine, and it’s just missing...” She spun her hoof in a circle as she tried to think of the right word.
“Missing what?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“That’s just it! I don’t know!” Rarity held a hoof to her face and sighed. “The design of the dress is stunning, and the fabric choice is perfect, but it’s just missing something! That flare! That pizzaz!” She shook her head. “I’m at my wit’s end. I would travel to Canterlot for some inspiration, but I simply do not have the time right now.”
“Hmm...” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin and looked behind her. She had three of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. She needed them for something important, but this was more important. She untied a orange balloon from her tail and held it in front of Rarity. “Maybe it just needs some more color? This orange is nice and bright.”
Rarity stared at the balloon and raised an eyebrow. “That color... Hmm, it almost reminds me of... amber!” With a shimmer of light in her eyes, she gasped and gave Pinkie Pie a hug. “Oh, Pinkie, you’re a genius! A line of amber stones along the neckline would give the whole outfit that pop it so badly needs.” She stopped and winced at Pinkie Pie. “You wouldn’t mind terribly if I borrowed your balloon, would you, Pinkie? That color is just perfect, and I might need to refer to it again...”
Pinkie Pie beamed. “Of course you can! I’m just glad my idea helped you out.” She turned and trotted off toward Sugarcube Corner. “I really need to get moving though! I don’t want to be late, after all!”
“Of course, dear. I won’t keep you.” Rarity waved farewell to Pinkie Pie. “Ta-ta for now.”
As she trotted past the library, Pinkie Pie saw a familiar face. “Hiya, Twilight!”
Twilight Sparkle yawned and rubbed her eyes, but she smiled as soon as she saw Pinkie Pie approach. “Mmm, good morning, Pinkie Pie.” She trotted up to her library, coming from the direction of the markets. She was wearing her saddlebags, which were filled with books, test tubes, and some flasks with brightly colored liquid inside. “Need anything? I’m a little busy.”
“Is something wrong?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “You don’t seem too happy.”
Twilight Sparkle sat upright and stretched her hooves behind her head. “Well, I was up late last night, doing some science experiments in my basement. I had wanted to test a few chemical reactions, but I couldn’t finish them.” She pouted and kicked at some loose gravel. “As part of a test, I needed to dissolve some gases into the solution, but I ran out of gas!”
“That’s a problem?” Pinkie Pie scrunched up her face. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake usually get annoyed at me when I have one too many burritos.”
Twilight Sparkle groaned and rolled her eyes. “I meant, gases like oxygen or hydrogen. I need some gas for my experiments to work at all. I tried to buy some in town, but you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find proper chemistry supplies in Ponyville.” She sighed and drooped her head. “I guess I can’t do these experiments, after all.”
“Hmm...” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin and looked behind her. She had two of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. She needed them for something important, but this was more important. She untied a green balloon from her tail and held it in front of Twilight Sparkle. “What about this balloon? It has gas inside it, right?”
Twilight Sparkle’s eyes lit up, and she grinned widely. “Of course! Party balloons have helium inside them. I could use the gas inside your balloon. That should be more than enough.” She walked up to Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug. “Thanks, Pinkie. I owe you one!”
Pinkie Pie beamed. “Hey, what are friends for, right? Just remember: when you’re doing your experiments, safety first!” She gasped and galloped toward Sugarcube Corner. “And I’m getting dangerously close to being late!”
“Late?” At first, Twilight Sparkle frowned and scratched her head. Then, an idea clicked in her head. “Oh, right! See you later, Pinkie!”
As she trotted up to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie saw a familiar face. “Hiya, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. She was flying in the air in front of Sugarcube Corner, with a dark, bloated storm cloud sloshing around on her back. Rain leaked out of the cloud directly onto Rainbow Dash’s back, soaking the poor pegasus. She coughed and sputtered as rain water flowed over her face. Her mane clung damply to the side of her head.
“Is something wrong?” Pinkie Pie tilted her head. “You don’t seem too... dry.”
Rainbow Dash grunted. “It’s this dumb rain cloud. Somepony put way too much water in it, and now it’s leaking all over the place.” She shivered and rubbed her front legs together as she hovered in the air. “Now it’s soaking everything. Especially me!”
Pinkie Pie scratched her head. “Well, couldn’t you fly someplace else? You wouldn’t be so soggy if you weren’t underneath the cloud.”
“I can’t!” Rainbow Dash frowned down at Pinkie Pie. “Like I said, this cloud is too heavy. I need to hold it up, or else it’ll crash onto the ground and make an even bigger mess.” She whimpered and tried to brush her wet mane back into place. “I can’t let that happen, but getting soaked totally stinks.”
“Hmm...” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin and looked behind her. She had one of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. She needed it for something important, but this was more important. She untied the purple balloon from her tail and held it up so Rainbow Dash could see it. “What about this balloon? Do you think that could hold the cloud for you?”
“Omigosh!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes bulged and she squealed in delight. “Pinkie Pie, you’re a lifesaver!” She reached out with her hooves. “Ready!”
Pinkie Pie released the balloon. It drifted up through the air and into Rainbow Dash’s waiting hooves. She tied the balloon around the storm cloud with a blur of motion. Slowly and cautiously, she released her grip on the cloud, which wobbled and dripped but did not fall.
“Yes!” Rainbow Dash did a backflip in the air, before diving to the ground and tackling Pinkie Pie with a soggy hug. “Oops, sorry.” She chuckled and scratched the back of her head. “Didn’t mean to get you wet, too. But seriously, Pinkie, you’re the best!”
Pinkie Pie beamed. “No problemo, Dashie! It’s a good thing that I showed up when I did.” While sticking out her tongue, she walked up to the front door of Sugarcube Corner and opened it. “But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something super-duper-mega-important to do, and only a few minutes to do it in! See ya soon!” She hopped inside and closed the door behind her.
Rainbow Dash blinked at the closed door. “Oh.” She turned around and looked down the street. When she saw a few ponies walking towards her, she grinned. “Oh yeah!”
Inside Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie nodded firmly. “Right! I’ve only got a few minutes until everypony arrives. I’ve got to hurry up and get this party ready!”
She pointed a hoof to her right. “I’ve got tasty treats!” The tables to her right were loaded up with sweet cakes, sugary cookies, chocolatey candies, and warm muffins fresh from the oven.
She pointed a hoof to her left. “I’ve got sweet songs!” Her record player was set up and ready. A box of records sat next to it, full of songs that she knew would get everypony dancing in a heartbeat.
She pointed a hoof in front of her. “I’ve got great games!” Indeed, she had just about any game that anypony would want to play: pin the tail on the pony, bobbing for apples, checkers, chess, parcheesi, and many more.
“Now all I need are the... decorations.” Pinkie Pie looked behind her. She had zero of the best balloons in Equestria tied to her tail. Her friends had needed them for something important, but... She lowered her head, and her ears fell flat against her head. “Without decorations, nopony is going to have a good time at my party.”
There was a loud knock at the front door. Pinkie Pie sighed. “Ponies are already showing up for the party. It’s too late to get decorations now.” She scraped her hooves across the floor as she walked back to the door. “Nopony is going to have a good time at my party, after all.”
Pinkie Pie opened the door while staring straight at the ground. “Hi, everypony. Sorry, this party isn’t gonna be very fun, but I hope you have an okay time anyway.”
“Is something wrong? You don’t seem too happy.”
When Pinkie Pie looked up, her jaw dropped and she squealed. Her five best friends stood outside her door, and they each had five of the best balloons in Equestria tied to their tails. “You all made it!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “And you brought some amazing balloons!”
Applejack winked. “Of course, sugarcube!”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “We really appreciated the help you gave us.”
“And when we saw how much you had sacrificed,” said Rarity, “we couldn’t just sit idly by.”
“That’s right.” Twilight Sparkle walked up to Pinkie Pie and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “We all wanted to show you how much you mean to us.”
Rainbow Dash flew down and landed by Pinkie Pie’s side. “Yeah! I mean, we’re your friends, after all!”
“Aww... You guys...” Pinkie Pie beamed. She pulled everypony close and gave them a big group hug. “You’re the best! Thank you so much! Now c’mon!” She led her friends inside. “Time to get this party started!”
Author's Note
Innumerable thanks to the many individuals who made this possible. To PonIver for proposing and organizing such a wonderful and heart-touching event. To Aaron, Sonja, and Kiki for their incredible and seriously-who's-chopping-onions-in-here illustrations, which truly brought this story to life. To the twenty five other authors who submitted their own terrific stories to the anthology, which you can read here! And thanks to RogerDodger, the /fic/ community, the large panel of celebrity judges, the Midwest Brony Division, and everypony else who was involved in making this Care Package a success.
To Kiki, wishing you a Happy Hearth's Warming and a warm life full of laughter and friendship.
If you would like to send Kiki your own message of good cheer, I encourage you to leave her a quick note on the Hugs tab here.
