Party of One

Dear Princess Celestia (CC: Princess Luna)...

Still not really feeling all that hot, and it's still daylight, so Celestia gets another one. =]

Alright, we start out with a tranquil sweep through Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle's library. This tranquility is ended by Pinkie Pie, who is performing a 'singing telegram' to invite all her friends to her pet lizard's (Gummy) birthday.

Damn! Check out Rainbow's hacienda.

Pinkie is exhausted by the time she finishes inviting the 'mane 5' and collapses, saying next time she'll just pass out invitations.

Does Pinkie live in the Cake's shop? It looks like the party is taking place in that building. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are trying to show off to each other in bobbing for apples. Pinkie says there are other surprises in there besides boring old apples. Rainbow and Applejack eagerly search: Applejack finds a trap (an apple on a spring that drags her into the water) and Rainbow gets bit by Gummy.

"Then we are agreed. Pinkie dies tonight."

Rarity was enjoying some punch, until she saw Gummy in the punch bowl. Twilight and Fluttershy were dancing and Pinkie joins them. They seem to be having fun until Pinkie slams her body into them and sends them hurtling into walls.

"Don't worry, I'm alive...I think.."

The party continues into the night and they all head home, Twilight foolishly says they should 'do this again soon' which gives Pinkie an idea. The next morning, Pinkie is delivering invitations, because, as Twilight said, it is now 'soon.' It's for an After Birthday Party that afternoon, Twilight uses magic to enhance her lie, claiming she's behind on her studies and dragging a bunch of books off the shelves.

"Oh, okay, Twilight. Although if I didn't know better, I'd say you just piled all those books with magic, since your horn was just glowing..."

Wait a second, wait a second! Wasn't there a whole thing in The Return of Harmony about Applejack being honest and never lying? When Pinkie jumps out of a hay bale to invite her, Applejack is seen hauling 3 carts full of apples. She stumbles for an excuse, finally saying she needs to pick apples. Pinkie stares at her, trying to psych her out, then gives up, saying 3 party guests is fine.

Was she lying? It is still morning, so she should still have tons of chores to do around the farm. Not sure why she was so nervous if it was true.

Not only is Spike forced to do labor for Twilight, he, likely willingly, does odd jobs for Rarity too. Pinkie tries to invite Rarity, she says she needs to wash her hair. Pinkie doesn't think it looks dirty, Rarity runs over to the trash and puts her head in it. At least Twilight might have been moving those books out of sight, this was just blatant but Pinkie doesn't seem to care.

"Any more disgusting tasks, madam?"

Fluttershy and Rainbow are conveniently together, and claim they are house sitting and can't make it. Pinkie keeps interrogating them about it, their lie escalates into them house sitting for a bear, but it's really a cave, that's vacationing at the beach because he loves to play volleyball/collect sea shells/play sea shells/collect volleyballs. After that last bit, they take off.

That's some pretty impressive detail for something hastily drawn.

Even Pinkie is able to realize something is afoul. The only story she believes was the cockamamie bear-house sitting one, and she comes to the conclusion that the others were excuses. As she comes to this conclusion, she sees Twilight sneaking into the Cake's store. So Pinkie does apparently live there.

"Excuses? More like 'excuse me' while I beat your brains in!"

Twilight conspires with Mrs. Cake, telling her not to tell anything to Pinkie as she picks up an order. Pinkie listens in with cans and a string, confused as to why Twilight wouldn't want her to know about something.

Uh, ouch.

Twilight sneaks through Ponyville, Pinkie stealthily tries to follow her, using Groucho Marx glasses as a disguise. Twilight ends up at Rarity's, where she drops the package and they comment about not wanting Pinkie to ruin everything.

Rule #3: "Don't open the package"

Pinkie is now disguised as a hay bale with Grouch Marx glasses and an overcoat. She follows Rarity, who meets with Fluttershy. They both talk about how whatever the 5 of them have planned will be obviously better than Pinkie's After Birthday Party, so long as Pinkie doesn't find out. Rarity drops the package for Fluttershy, who sees the disguised Pinkie and flies away in terror. Rainbow walks by, immediately identifies it as Pinkie and greets her, then realizes what she just said and she too flies away in terror.

"Any rags? Any bones? Any bottles today? There's a super creepy Pinkie Pie coming this way."

Rainbow is pursued by Pinkie. She thinks she escapes, but Pinkie uses her Bugs Bunny powers to appear inside a barrel, then inside a bell, and then on top of a mountain. She demands to know the real reason Rainbow didn't want to go and what is in her bags.

"Just give up, Rainbow. I can be any where, I can be any one, I can be any thing."

Rainbow just flies off, heading towards Applejack's barn, with Pinkie hot on her heels. She flies in and Applejack slams the doors shut. Pinkie smashes her head against the door until Applejack opens. Once again, the 'super honest, she would never lie' Applejack tells an obvious lie, claiming they are renovating the barn and Rainbow brought supplies.

"Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"

After Pinkie leaves, it's shown that all 5 of the 'mane' ponies are in the barn. Back in Ponyville, Pinkie vows to find out whatever it is they are hiding, and knows just what to do.

She lured Spike to her room, offering him a feast of gems. She then busts out a high power lamp, has gummy pull him back against the chair by grabbing his tail, and tells him to talk.

"You would prefer another target, a military target? Then name the system! I grow tired of asking this so it will be the last time: Where is the rebel base?"

Spike doesn't understand what is going on, Pinkie says she wants him to talk about their friends. Spike just starts saying general facts, like that Twilight is a brainiac unicorn that uses magic. Pinkie says she wants him to confess.

I haven't said it in quite some time, but my first assessment of Spike seems to have been accurate. He really is just the worst kind of person. He confesses that he ruined one of Twilight's tomes and that he took a 7 hour bath and used up all the hot water in Ponyville. He also does this when no one is around:

"Don't worry, Spike! Everyone loves you! When you think they are all laughing at you, they really just remembered a joke they heard one time."

Pinkie rages, Spike asks what she wants to hear, she says she wants him to say that all her friends are lying to her, don't like her parties, and don't want to be her friend anymore.

"You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration - but don't worry; we will deal with your rebel friends soon enough."

Spike, fearing for his life, repeats what she just said. Pinkie is momentarily pleased, then suddenly heartbroken. Even her hair reflects her deep sadness.

Aww.

Something broke inside Pinkie. She hosts a party for her new friends: a pile of rocks, a bucket of turnips, a ball of lint, and a sack of flour.

Nothing insane about this...

She descends further into madness as the 'guests' begin talking to her, telling her how all her old friends are losers.

I kind of like her mane like that.

Rainbow arrives, and tries to get Pinkie to go with her to Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie wants nothing to do with her, and pushes her new friends in Rainbow's way while talking as them. The pile of rocks calls Rainbow a chump, and that enrages her.

"We'll see who's the chump, chump!"

Rainbow knocks over the rocks, realizes she was trying to fight inanimate objects, then resumes trying to get Pinkie to go. She starts shoving on her from behind (a pegasus trying to move an Earth Pony) and ends up getting her head sat on.

"Rocky, thou art avenged!"

Pinkie chooses to 'do it the hard way' and Rainbow drags her by the tail all the way to Applejack's barn. Inside, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy all yell surprise.

"Who should I kill first? Fluttershy, because she would run away? Twilight, because she has magic? Rarity, because she's always so smug? Rainbow, for dragging me here? Or Applejack, because she turned my After Birthday Party into a house of lies!"

Pinkie starts raging, saying how it's her farewell party, everyone is confused. It turns out it is Pinkie's birthday, and, of course, it is a surprise party they've been planning, so they had to make excuses. Pinkie, as we have seen in A Friend in Deed, knows everyone's birthday, but she seriously forgot her own?

Pinkie looks around, sees her birthday cake, birthday decorations, realises they are telling the truth, and her hair springs back to its normal form. Pinkie, somehow, really did forget her own birthday. Rainbow is glad she wasn't replaced by a bucket of turnips. They start enjoying the party, Twilight narrates her letter to Princess Celestia, where she says she learned to always expect the best from friends, never assume the worst, and that a good friend always has your best interests at heart. Pinkie asks if they can celebrate Gummy's After Birthday Party since it got cut short and he's upset about it, and Twilight says, 'why not.'

What I learned from this episode:

• Not something new, but Pinkie Pie is one crazy pony. Her friends were conspiring against her, but man, she hit rock bottom. Talking to herself, making imaginary friends, even her hair went crazy. (Or would that be, her hair went sane, since its default form looks pretty crazy)
• Hmm, trying to think of anything else, but mostly the episode was focused on Pinkie's descent into madness, not really any cool things discussed or shown beyond that.
• Season 1 seems to have the same quality as Season 2, as so far both episodes I've watched have been pretty good. I just hope there aren't more May the Best Pet Win type episodes lurking.