The bear. We needed the bear. How could I forget about him? Outdoor tea parties wouldn’t be the same without the bear. I looked around me. The critters waited for my instructions. Angel and the weasel stood straight, their stances fit for royal guards. The raccoon put down the wicker basket and took breath from the heavy lifting. The little choir of birds rehearsed their song, or at least tried to. I had no time to correct their mistakes, so they kept pouring clashing notes that were… not very pleasant to hear. 

“Uhm… change of plans, we need a bear,” I told the raccoon. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, and a bear took his place.

“And… the scale is supposed to be C minor, so, uhm, please try to work on that.” The birds nodded. I really hoped they could get their keys right. We didn’t have much time to rehearse. Princess Twilight would come soon, and she would never stand it if they sang like that. It wouldn’t be very nice to make her listen a bad song. I wanted her birthday to be flawless.

I took out the red and white nap from the basket and laid it out on the soft grass. At least the place was perfect. A lush green meadow on the outskirts of Ponyville, framed by hills and slowly lolling trees. Not far away, I could hear the soothing gurgling of a stream twinkling in the sunlight. Occasional whiffs of breezes blended marvelously with the warm touch of the sun, and gently stroked green leaves and pink mane alike.

As Angel started to set up the teapot, the cups and everything else on the nap, I produced the old journal from the satchel to check if I did forget anything. We had the nap, the critters, the tea set, the muffins and the birthday cake… and me. I had no idea how Twilight would react when she would have seen me. It’s been so long. I thought it would make her happy, even if for a short time. But maybe she was very sensible, and she could get mad at me. She could get… sad. Oh my. Of course she’ll be sad, why wouldn’t she? This is terrible. I didn’t realize how stupid this idea was for a birthday present.

Twilight’s voice came from behind the hills. “Hello? Anypony there?” It was too late to get back now. I glanced at the others.

“Everyone do as planned, ok?” I whispered them.

“Yes, your Highness,” replied one of the birds. I winced. 

“Don’t call me your Highness, not now!”

The critters moved into position around the nap. I hid behind the trees to make my surprise reveal. Once again, I looked at the journal. There was an old photo, crumpled and bleached out, made by Photo Finish so many years ago. One last check with the mirror. Daffodil coat, taffy mane, cerulean eyes, a weary smile peering from the mouth. Perfect. I took a deep breath, ready for the show.

Hidden behind the tree, I peeked as Twilight came in sight. She was holding the anonymous letter I wrote to bring her here. As her gaze fell on the picnic setup and the animals, she immediately stopped. I could almost see the memories resurfacing in her mind.

I stepped out.

“Happy birthday, Twilight.”

She was paralyzed. She stared at me. No words came out from her. Tears did.

What had I done? It was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have met her like that. I looked down, trying to hide my face from the world.

“Fluttershy…?” she whispered.

I couldn’t bear it anymore. I couldn’t break Twilight’s heart. I shook my head.

“It’s… exactly as I remember it,” she said with a broken voice.

“I thought… You would want to hang out with her again. For one last time.” I said.

She couldn’t stand it. She rushed to me, and we locked in a long, relieving hug.

“It’s the best gift you could give me. Thank you, Thorax.”