Author's Notes: Here it is at last! The first of what will be three or four chapter showcasing Ponyville to Starfall. I know it seems like a lot of content for scenes that really have little standing on the overall plot, but the Mane Six deserve more than just token appearances, in my opinion. We'll be getting back to how things are travelling with Starfall and Princess Luna soon enough, though. First, onto review responses:

"VirusChris": Sadly enough, the wealth of mistakes last chapter was not because of the speed of posting it out...it would have more been a simple matter of missing a lot during my checks. Self-correcting work is always problematic, since my mind automatically corrects the mistakes I find in my head, meaning I see them as I wanted them to be, not as they are. It's why having a beta-reader or two is always recommended, and why publishing companies have entire teams of editors that pour over a professional author's book before releasing it for the public to buy and read. It's always easier to correct someone else's work than your own. And for the record, Twilight is the only other pony who knows of what happened between Starfall and Luna...and looks set to stay that way. Starfall would not like word of his crush being spread.

"Phaedrolous": I made up the name Everfree Motel on a whim...Ponyville's on the edge of the Everfree Forest, so naturally a few locations in town are going to have names that were derived from the forest itself.

"Kyubbiman": Sorry, but I won't be discussing anything regarding Cosmo, or Starfall's past, in my author's notes...that something the story will tell you in it's own time.

A few more notices before I let you all go. First, to all those whose requested background ponies did not show up in the following chapter, remember that I've decided to extend Starfall's tour of Ponyville out into multiple chapters now, so there's still plenty of time!

And lastly, I must give a HUGE shout-out and thank you to "Zorayda", who wrote the song featured in this chapter! Trust me, without her, any song made up specifically for the story would be a hundred times poorer, and in my opinion, she's done a fantastic effort, so I hope you all enjoy it!

And now, without any further fanfare, let us continue this grand adventure...

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Chapter 24

Cakes and Parties

As Twilight started leading Starfall away from Ponyville's Town Hall, a tan-coated mare with a faded grey mane poked her head out of the main doors into the hall, her blue eyes, hidden behind a pair of half-moon glasses, seeking out Twilight, giving her a quick wave. "Thanks again for all your help!" the middle-aged Earth Pony called, Twilight nodding in acknowledgement and waving back, before leading Starfall on once more, explaining as she walked.

"That's the Mayor of Ponyville. While I was waiting for you and Princess Luna, I helped her organise the Ponyville Records they keep in Town Hall," she explained, giving a slight roll of her eyes. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm the only pony in town with any organisation skills," she added with a small smile.

Starfall gave her a smile back. "At least you have organisation skills...your tower in Canterlot's been left in a bit of a mess since I moved in, sorry," he admitted sheepishly, suddenly remember the spate of anger that had caused him to break the radio back there, as well. He still had not replaced it, despite meaning to...various events had caused it to slip his mind. "I owe you a radio, too. During that whole mess with my, well...you know..." he said, Twilight nodding to indicate he didn't have to explain. "...I kinda lost my temper when the radio picked a song that kind of taunted my situation. I'll get you a new one, though, I promise," he added.

Twilight just snorted in response. "Please, I never used to listen to that radio. Didn't take much of an interest in music back then. It's no loss, really," she said, shaking her head to silence Starfall, who was on the verge of protesting. "Seriously, Starfall, it's fine. Just don't make a habit of breaking things, okay?" she added, smiling to lessen the impression he might get of her scolding or threatening him.

Starfall sighed and nodded, but still promised himself he would replace the radio anyway. It had originally been Twilight's, even if she had never used it, and he owed it to her to at least make up for what he had so thoughtlessly done.

Putting it in the back of his mind once more, to be taken care of once he returned to Canterlot, he focused on Twilight once more as she lead him down what appeared to be the main road leading northward, eventually winding out of town and out towards Canterlot. Several of the larger homes and businesses lined this main road, which also seemed to hold the town's main marketplace and trading area, several small, brightly coloured stalls having been set up, various ponies trying to buy, sell and trade all manner of goods.

Seeing the food stalls set up, Starfall's stomach gave a low growl, reminding him that he had missed breakfast this morning...an oversight he was regretting now as he eyes the stalls selling all manner of treats with longing. "I guess you're pretty hungry after the trip here, huh?" Twilight asked, having caught onto what he was looking at. Either that, or she had heard his admittedly loud stomach-growl.

Starfall gave a sheepish nod, pulling a giggle from the studious unicorn. "Come on, then. We can get a bite to eat and meet one of my friends at the same time! Pinkie Pie works at Sugarcube Corner, just up the street a little. As I'm sure I told you in my letters, she's always interested in making new friends, so she's really eager to meet you."

Starfall paused for a moment at Twilight's words, looking back at her. "You told your friends about me?" he asked, a little surprised. Having had few friends in his time...the few he did have deserting him when he had left Stratos Crossing...he was not used to having positive gossip spread about him. So not only was Twilight's remark surprising, but also left the young pegasus a little wary about just what Twilight had told her friends about him.

Twilight gave him a smile that helped reassure his unease a little. "Of course. It would be kind of selfish of me to try and keep your friendship all to myself, wouldn't it?" she remarked with a giggle, Starfall unable to resist chuckling himself. "Come on, let's introduce you to Pinkie. Just...brace yourself. She can be a hoof-full when you first meet her," she added cryptically.

Starfall couldn't hide a small grimace as they approached the ginger-bread-styled house that was clearly Sugarcube Corner. He remembered Twilight telling him about Pinkie Pie briefly when they had first met, and her subsequent letters had mentioned her a few times. She was meant to be energetic and social to the point of near-insanity, and Starfall was not sure how he would react to such a lively pony, no matter how friendly she was. Not only that, but Starfall, despite having to endure the gossip of Canterlot's public for a couple of months now, still have a strong distaste for large amounts of attention.

"Hey! Hey, Starfall!" a familiar voice snapped the pegasus out of his thoughts, looking up to find a familiar cyan unicorn waving exuberantly to him as she left Sugarcube Corner, a bag of treats hovering in front of her. Beside Lyra Heartstrings was a cream-coated Earth Pony Starfall did not recognise, though her indigo and pink, slightly curled mane seemed fairly distinctive.

Still, he kept his focus on Lyra, giving the excitable unicorn a wave back. "Hi, Lyra," he greeted back, Twilight looking between the two of them, obviously a little surprised, before smiling softly, stepping back to let the two of them talk.

Lyra took the opportunity with both hooves. "You finally got a chance to visit Ponyville, huh? So, what do you think of it so far?" Without even waiting for an answer, Lyra pressed on, gesturing to the pony beside her. "Oh, and this is my, well, bestest friend ever! Bon Bon, this is Starfall. I think I told you about him?"

Bon Bon gave a simple nod, extending a hoof, which Starfall shook tentatively. "It's nice to meet you, Starfall. Lyra's mentioned you a few times." Starfall almost immediately got the impression that Bon Bon was the more level-headed of the two mares, and just nodded in response to Bon Bon's comment, not sure what to make of the fact that his friends seemed to think highly enough of him to tell good stories about him to their other friends.

Lyra stopped the creation of a potentially awkward silence, however, cutting in once more. "Anyways, me and Bon Bon have things to do, and it's looks like Twilight's showing you around, so we won't waste your time. I hope we can meet and catch up, though, Starfall!" she said excitedly, giving him a smile as Starfall nodded. "So, I guess we'll see you around! It was nice seeing you, too, Twilight!" she added in, before trotting off happily.

Bon Bon gave the two of them a lop-sided smile, clearly having gotten used to Lyra's exuberance, before racing off after her friend, leaving a slightly bewildered Starfall behind. In the few times he had met and talked with Lyra in Canterlot, she had been a lively unicorn. But here, in Ponyville, she seemed almost hyperactive. In the end, he shrugged it off...this was Lyra's home, after all, and if Pinkie Pie was anything like Twilight had described, Lyra's excitability was going to seem lifeless in comparison.

"Come on," Twilight finally said, bringing Starfall back to the present as she made her way to the open front door of the combined bakery and sweet store, Starfall quickly following in her wake. As he entered, Starfall had to pause for a moment, making sure they were in the right place. Despite the signs of this being a store, such as the counter and cash register towards the far side of the room from the front door, the place looked like a cross between a kitchen and a living area of somepony's house, although it had a distinct lack of personal items. It was obvious that whoever owned this store also lived here, and judging by the bright, candy-based thematics to the room, it was likely that this store was run by a family that included small foals.

But even as Starfall took in the homely, warm atmosphere of the store, he saw a bright pink pony, sporting a puffy-looking mane and tail that almost seemed to float, and were an even more brilliant pink than her coat. Her pale blue eyes, sparkling with a seemingly endless pool of life and energy, focused straight on Twilight. "Oh, hey, Twilight! Ya hungry?" she asked, speaking with a high, rapid voice that exposed her exuberant optimism just as much as her eyes did. "I'm just baking a fresh batch of cupcakes, they should be ready in a few minutes if you feel like waiting!"

Twilight gave the pony, Starfall assumed this was Pinkie Pie, a small smile. But before she could even open her mouth to vocalise a reply, Pinkie caught sight of the pegasus beside her friend, causing her to speak up again. "Oh, you brought a new friend in today, did ya?" she asked, turning her attention fully to Starfall. "Who is he, I've never seen a pegasus like him in Ponyville before..." the pink Earth Pony trailed off, Starfall noticing her gazing at him much more intently, like she recognised him.

The loud gasp the pony suddenly let loose was so sudden and unexpected Starfall could have sworn he nearly hit his head on the roof, he'd jumped so high. "Ohmygosh!" the young pony cried, her voice's pitch and speed increasing even further in her excitement. "You're Starfall!" In less time than it took to blink, the excited pony was suddenly directly in front of Starfall, who leaned back away from her in surprise. She had just crossed half of the sizable room in an instant, and Starfall was at a complete loss as to how she had managed it without him noticing...though he sheepishly admitted he had been distracted, still a little spooked by Pinkie's earlier gasp.

"I can't believe you actually made it!I mean, I really, really, really wanted to meet you, and Twilight kept trying to think of ways to get you to visit, but she told me that you had super-important studies with Princess Luna, and if those studies are super-important, that you had to focus on studying!" Starfall took a step back from the pink pony, his brain struggling to keep up with the impressive, if headache-inducing speed the young mare was speaking at. He looked to Twilight, hoping she might be able to slow Pinkie down a little, but the violet unicorn just shook her head, clearly amused by this and not about to intervene. This seemed to attract Pinkie's attention, however. "Did Princess Luna come and visit with him?" she asked suddenly, almost completely out of the blue.

Twilight nodded, Starfall thankful when she explained further, giving his battered ears a chance to recover and brace themselves for the next onslaught. "This is a field trip of sorts the two of them are taking out here, since Ponyville's sky offers a better view of the stars."

"Awesome!" Pinkie cried, before whirling back to Starfall. "Oh, but I didn't introduce myself, did I?" she babbled, letting out a quick giggle. "Silly me! I know all about you, but you don't know much about me, unless Twilight sent you really long letters...which she probably did do, didn't you, Twi?" Without even waiting for an answer, she pressed on once again. "Anyway, I'm Pinkie Pie! Baker, party thrower, and best-friend extraordinaire, at your service!"

Starfall tried to introduce himself back, but Pinkie simply did not give him the chance. "Oh, I'm so excited! I was so excited about meeting you, I even wrote a song for you! Wanna hear it, huh, huh?" asked, bouncing up and down on the spot in pure excitement, Starfall silently grateful the question forced Pinkie to pause and wait for an answer...his head was starting to throb from trying to keep up with the pink mare's antics.

"I...I guess if you went to the effort," he answered cautiously, not really sure what to expect now. "But you really didn't..."

Pinkie Pie interrupted him, though, taking his wary permission like anypony else would take an emphatic 'YES!'. "Oh, thank you! I've been dying to sing this ever since I finished it, but I wanted to save it for when I saw you!" Without giving Starfall any further warning than that, Pinkie took a deep breath, and started to sing, dancing all around Starfall as she went, leaving the yellow stallion to follow her erratic movements as best he could while Twilight simply sat in the corner, smiling in amusement.

"Welcome to our town, we're all excited that you're here!
I've heard a lot about you from a friend so very dear.
Twilight says that you like space and stars and the big moon
I wish that I knew stuff like that to be as smart as you!

You and Princess Luna will be our big special guests
So we'll make sure that we behave and act our very best
I'll throw a great big party, it'll be the best of all
For a super-special awesome pony who is named 'Starfall'!"

By the end of the song Starfall was left even more overwhelmed than before. As Pinkie had danced and sang around him, she had found stashes of confetti and streamers, likely hiding scattered around the room for just this occasion, and tossed them everywhere, multicoloured rainbow flakes of paper now fluttering all over the place, streamers hanging from everything, while some of the stuff had ended up in Starfall's mane and tail, which he knew, with how wild he tended to keep it, would prove problematic to remove.

As he ran a hoof through his mane to try and get the confetti out before it got stuck deep in the tangles, Pinkie Pie finally stopped her frantic bouncing, sitting in front of Starfall with wide eyes. "See? I wrote it especially for you! So what'd you think, huh? Did ya like it?" she asked excitedly, beaming at him as she waited impatiently for his answer.

Starfall looked at her, not really sure how to respond, his anti-social tendencies screaming for him to find somewhere quiet, away from the pink bundle of life, before she drew a crowd. "I...it was very nice, Pinkie Pie," he finally managed to get out, his honesty evident despite he slight stutter. To his ears, Pinkie was a good singer, and obviously had some skill with writing songs, as well. "You really didn't have to go to all that effort, though," he added, hoping to get the message across that he was not looking for attention or gifts from Twilight's friends.

"Oh, but I wanted to!" Pinkie replied enthusiastically. "You see, I love making new friends, just like I love singing and dancing and parties! Which is why I'm gonna throw a big 'Welcome-to-Ponyville-You're-Pinkie-Pie's-New-Bestest-Friend' Party for you tonight! Oh, and all my friends just call me Pinkie!" she added on, almost as an afterthought, as Starfall tried to discreetly rub his temple, the ache in his head returning.

Twilight finally seemed to take pity on the pegasus stallion, drawing Pinkie's attention. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I've still gotta show Starfall around Ponyville. We'll just grab a quick snack to eat during the tour and be on our way. You can catch up with Starfall during the party, okay?" Starfall was silently thankful for her intervention, though had to hide a grimace at the thought of dealing with her again during the party, which he was obviously not going to be able to convince Pinkie was unnecessary. While the pink pony was certainly friendly, her exuberance and excessive sociability were overwhelming, and borderline annoying, to Starfall.

"Okie-Dokie-Lokie!" Pinkie replied enthusiastically, giving them a happy salute. "So, what can I get you? Cupcakes, cookies, chocolates, pies...ooh, you should try to apple pies, Starfall!" she suddenly suggested, Twilight nodding her head in agreement. "They're the bestest apple pies you'll ever taste! Only the finest apples from Sweet Apple Acres go into them! And Sweet Apple Acres have the best apple orchards in Equestria! So these apple pies are simply the best!"

Starfall looked between the two of them, before shrugging. "I guess the apple pie sounds good," he finally said. "What about you, Twilight?" he asked, turning to her, as she ambled forward to the counter.

"I'm in the mood for some sunflower cupcakes, actually," she said, Pinkie Pie rushing off to meet their requests."And don't worry, Starfall, this treat's on me," she said, Starfall moving to protest as she used her magic to levitate a few golden coins onto the counter.

Practically the moment she said it, though, Pinkie Pie came whizzing back, two paper bags, obviously containing their food, placed on the counter as the earth pony practically forced the bits back into Twilight's hooves. "No no no, Twilight, this one's on me! A welcome gift for Starfall!" she said.

"No, really, girls, I..." Starfall tried to protest, but Twilight cut him off mid-sentence.

"Pinkie, that's very thoughtful, but you..."

"Uh-uh!" Pinkie interrupted over both of them, raising a hoof for silence. "I'm not taking any bits from either of you, and that's that. No go on, finish your tour, while I finish my work and set up your party!" she said, practically ushering them out the front door, before trotting back to the counter to serve the next customers, humming to herself as she went.

For a moment, Starfall just stood in front of the door to Sugarcube Corner, his mind trying to process what just happened. Twilight seemed to be in a similar state, but soon recovered, nudging Starfall's shoulder to get his attention. "Come on, Starfall, let's find somewhere we can eat," she said, trotting off once more, leading him towards a small playground, which sported several park benches they could relax and eat on.

As Starfall trotted to catch up to Twilight, his mind was still playing catch-up, leaving him silent for several moments, before deciding to say the only thing he could think of that summed up his meeting with Pinkie Pie, looking back over his shoulder as he did, part-curious and part-fearful of what Pinkie Pie would have in store for him at this party tonight. "That...has got to be the strangest meeting I have ever had."