“So, after we finished with that row a’ trees—”

“Oh no!” Pinkie Pie suddenly straightened and sat bolt-upright, her pupils shrinking to pinpoints. “I forgot to tell her!”

“Huh?” Applejack raised an eyebrow while she glanced at Pinkie across the outdoor café table the two of them were having lunch at. “Forgot what?”

Without bothering to answer, Pinkie Pie jumped out of her chair and took off galloping at a full tilt.

“I FORGOT TO TELL HEEERRRRR!!!” Pinkie’s voice wailed like a siren, Doppler-shifting to a lower pitch as she vanished into the distance.

Conversations stopped and surprised faces turned to follow the noise. A puzzled expression came over Applejack as she looked around. “Mah story wasn’t that borin’, was it?” she quietly asked nopony in particular.

Then her ears fell as she considered something else, sitting there alone. “So, uhh... Ah guess Ah’m stuck with the check, then?”



A pink blur shot through the Ponyville market square, weaving around vending carts and sending shoppers spinning.

“Outta the way, everypony!” A voice cried out, high-pitched with a panicky edge. “I’ve gotta tell her BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!!!”

Ponies stood motionless, eyes wide with surprise as something zoomed by at breakneck speed. Manes blew wildly in the wake of wind, and a hat was pulled right off somepony’s head and sent rolling in the street.

Before anypony could react, it was gone, leaving only stunned silence. After a few seconds, quiet murmurs of confusion began to reanimate the crowd.

“Yeah!” Lily Valley suddenly shouted from her flower stand. “You go get that mare! Don’t let her slip away!”

“...What in Equestria was that all about?” Roseluck asked from the neighboring stall, peering out from behind it after the now long-gone pink blur while the thin dust trail started to settle.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lily sighed, batting her eyes with a dopey grin. “True love.”

“Guh.” Roseluck rolled her eyes with a sour look. “That’s your answer to everything.”

“Is it really so horrible of me to want ponies to find happiness?” Lily asked. “When was the last time you were out on a date, anyway?”

“Shut up,” Roseluck grumbled.

“Found your problem!” Lily sang smugly.



The doors to Twilight’s palace burst open and Pinkie Pie, huffing and puffing from her run, charged in.

“Twilight!” she called out breathlessly. “Twili-i-i-ght!! I’ve gotta tell you something! Where are you?!?”

“In the map room!” Twilight’s voice drifted faintly from down the hall. Pinkie Pie took off galloping again, hooves clopping loudly on the crystal floor as she hurried.

She flew through the door to the map room and skidded to a halt, staring at Twilight, who was levitating a cake in the purple glow of her magic, about to set it on a folding table.

“Thanks again for taking care of all the food, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “I’m just setting everything up for the party now.”

“Twilight, stop! I forgot to tell you that—”

*KA-BOOM!*

With a bright flash and an ear-splitting firecracker sound, the cake exploded.

Pinkie Pie and Twilight, both suddenly pelted with gooey, sugary shrapnel, stood perfectly still, wide-eyed with shock. The walls and ceiling were plastered with blobs of icing. Chunks and crumbs of cake rained down to litter the floor like confetti.

The two ponies were speechless for several seconds. They watched as one particularly large gob of frosting started slowly oozing its way down a wall, leaving a trail behind it. A few others lost their sticky grip on the ceiling and fell, hitting the floor with wet slapping sounds.

“So, what didn’t you tell me?” Twilight finally asked, turning to face Pinkie Pie. “Let me guess: that there’s a splatter-gag charge hidden in one of the cakes you delivered, so I shouldn’t move it with telekinesis because magical energy might trigger it?”

“Yep. That.” Pinkie Pie chuckled nervously. Her eyes roamed around the room while she surveyed the confectionary carnage with a half-hearted grin. “Oops!”

“You know, Pinkie,” Twilight said, staring at Pinkie Pie, “some ponies might ask what’s wrong with you.”

There was a half-second of dead silent pause, then Twilight smiled and started giggling. “But whatever it is, I hope it never, ever gets fixed.”

She scooped up a glob of frosting and splatted it into Pinkie Pie’s face. Then she reached out and scooped her friend in close, and two of them hugged while they laughed.

“Thanks for making my life more interesting, Pinkie.”

“Any time, Twilight. That’s what I do.”