Fallen Eagle

Chapter 29: A Ponyville Birthday

Wow guys, just unbelievable. EIGHTEEN reviews for Chapter 28?! That's a new record for this story and I can't thank you guys enough.

And I loved the 100th episode special. What a great shout out to the fans. Dr. Whooves may make in appearance in Fallen Eagle, that is if you guys think I'm good enough to write Dr. Whooves in lol. One thing I didn't like was the Bon Bon thing. I didn't find it funny and felt it was just too far out there for a joke or what the writers were going for. It's like if I had Checkered Flag reveal he's a bounty hunter or something. If you enjoyed that part of the episode, more power to ya, I didn't find it stupid, just too random. I'll still call her Bon Bon and she's paired with Lyra in all of my stories.

Oh and one more thing. My good author friend Sassymouse just surpassed 200 reviews for her masterpiece, Dashing and Soaring. I'm so proud of her. Let's give her a nice round of applause ladies and gentlemen! *Insert Rock concert applause*

OBSERVER01: Thank you. It took me a LONG time to perfect the choices.

MLP brony fifer: Hey no worries bro. Work is very important, I know

CorvusYT: Woah there! I didn't know people were THIS excited to see feelings revealed. It's okay, it's coming soon enough.

Random Guy: Thanks, but I don't think I'm the best.

Guest: Yes sir

UpgraderIsAwesome489: Thank you. I hope you're ready for the confession

Caleb200888: I don't know if I'll do a sequel. It depends on how I end this one

Sassymouse: A Luna featherection is ALWAYS funny! And I thought Ms. Mash would make a funny flirt

Bronywells: Well, you'd be the third person to do that and I can say it's an awesome feeling to see work out there inspired by your own. Good luck with that.

Litestardt: Gotta love Ghostbusters

Dixie Darlin: I know it was longer than expected. But I'm glad you enjoyed it

KillerWow: I wanted to tell everyone about my favorite movies by putting them in my story.

StacheKing: Wow, now that's the kind of review I like. Yeah, from the beginning I wanted an actual story with a coherent and fun plot, not just lemons everywhere. As for the Spike thing, I know I didn't mention it too much, but Twilight explained that he'll stay that big for awhile because of his actions of selflessness instead of selfishnes.

Flamekaat: Never heard that phrase before, but it's cool you like it so much

uss71823: 1, 2, Freddy's coming for you

killersqueenalpha: Michael Myers was a voting Choice.

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(Ponyville. November 30th. Cougar's POV)

"What can I get for ya Cougar?" Cup Cake asked me from behind the front counter of her business. "And are you buying treats for all of your friends?" She added. I nodded in reply as I picked Applebloom off of the floor and sat her atop my shoulders.

"Eleven hot chocolates please," I requested, "give one to Pinkie when she's off the clock," I added, handing Cup Cake a few bits.

"Ya don't have ta buy us all hot chocolate Cougar," Applejack placed her hoof on my arm, lightly shaking it to get my attention. Carrot Cake quickly went to work, filling up styrofoam cups with the heavenly dark chocolate drink.

"Of course I do," I grinned towards the orange mare, "hot chocolate is the perfect drink of choice during the winter," I winked to Applejack and then to Rarity. The white seamstress agreed whilst adjusting the scarf around her neck that perfectly matched her mane color.

"Ah still can't believe yer the only one not dressed fer the chilly temperatures," Applebloom playfully tapped the top of my head. It was true, everyone that was stopping by Sugar Cube Corner was mainly looking to get out of the cold by getting coffee, tea, hot chocolate or to just enjoy the toasty interior of the cafe. "Every time Ah go out it feels like Ah got locked in a freezer!" Bloom added, lightly hopping on my neck.

"Didn't you say you were raised in a cold climate Cougar?" Fluttershy stood next to me, patiently awaiting her hot chocolate to be prepared. Her little white bunny Angel was busy slurping whipped cream out of a tiny cup that the Cakes gladly gave him.

"Yep, it can be in the high 20s or low 30s and a t-shirt is all I need," I bragged, leaning forward against the counter.

"Then, why are you wearing the wind breaker?" Scootaloo yanked on my pants leg. "Not as tough as you say huh?" the orange pegasus joked, nudging my leg.

"Well, factoring in the windchill Scootaloo," I reminded her, "I don't want to catch a cold and miss out on some good winter time fun," I explained. "If you guys have snowball fights, I'll join, and I'll be sure to bundle up," I held up my index finger in front of Twilight's face, preventing her from telling me to dress more appropriately. Carrot Cake tapped my shoulder with his hoof, garnering my attention.

"Would any of you like whipped cream?" He politely inquired. I turned my head to see what everyone wanted, only to be met with a unanimous head nod from everyone in the group. Carrot Cake took the answer and unscrewed the cap off his whipped cream bottle. Finally, the eleven mugs were ready and Bloom and I were nearly mobbed as our friends swarmed to get their warm drinks. Luckily for Applebloom, she had no threat of being trampled, but I had to jump out of the way with our drinks so I wouldn't get run over.

"Delicious as always Mr. and Mrs. Cake," Twilight complimented, sipping away at her hot chocolate. Lucky for her, she and Rarity had their magic to float the cups in front of their faces as they walked. Rainbow could fly along side of us, using her front hooves to hold her cup, but AJ, Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had to walk on three legs to keep up with us. At least Spike could walk on two legs like me while Bloom still occupied my neck.

"So, still impressed with us pegasi personally bringing in winter Cougar?" Rainbow Dash sipped her cocoa above me as a few snow flakes fell to the ground around us. She couldn't have made that question any more rhetorical than it already was. Getting to watch Cloudsdale literally bring in winter for Ponyville was an impressive sight to behold, almost as impressive as seeing a sunrise above the clouds from my F-15.

"I already told you Rainbow," I recalled for her, "even if regular ponies like Bloom, AJ or Pinkie literally made winter, I'd be impressed," I said. "Just remember guys, winter came naturally where I'm from. Nobody turned on a few machines and made the temperatures drop for the snow; the climate itself changed all on its own and the snow fell from the sky," I described.

"Ugh, sorry Cougar," Fluttershy squirmed in her winter gear, "but that's still pretty scary that the weather worked all by itself with no outside help," she shuddered.

"Just like the Everfree Forest?" Sweetie Belle asked to which the yellow pegasus nodded, hiding her face behind her scarf. All of the ponies took a quick look to the edge of town where said forest stood and looked away, afraid of what was in the woods.

"Yeah well, how do you guys think I feel seeing ponies manipulating weather?" I asked, taking a drink. "I mean, some scientists were tinkering with the idea of manipulating weather patterns to help countries going through long droughts," I added.

"Ah understand it looks a wee bit strange Cougar," AJ exclaimed, "but ya get used ta it over time. Remember those few times we requested a little extra rain fer our crops?" She asked me.

"Right, that's convenient of course, but still unnerving that you guys can move clouds like AJ and Applebloom can move bales of hay," I motioned to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

"And it's not creepy that your world makes movies where teenagers die in their dreams?" Rainbow pointed out to me. She had me there, so I backed off and let her win this round. We all were just walking/trotting along throughout Ponyville, hearing the hypnotic crunch of the snow beneath us and admiring the decorations that were being put up for the next holiday to celebrate. Just as I was about to ask what the next holiday was about again, Spike sort of answered for me.

"Hey mom, did Princess Celestia ask you guys to do the play on Hearth's Warming Eve again?" He asked the purple alicorn. Twilight levitated her styrofoam cup away from her muzzle so she could speak.

"Actually, yes she did Spike," she smiled, "and she wants you to be the narrator again, especially with your deeper voice," she added, nuzzling up against her dragon son. "The 24th at 8:00 P.M., just like always." I remembered the day of when this, Hearth's Warming holiday was, but with only Applebloom's brief explanation from when she began to decorate her room, I couldn't exactly remember what it was about. I wanted to point out that Christmas actually fell on the same day, yet I had determined to just keep it to myself. How fair would it be for me to shove my own holiday into their faces when I could just celebrate it alone and not intrude upon their holiday joy?

"We'll get you a front row seat with our sisters Cougar," Rarity tapped my shoulder, "you'll just love the costumes I designed to help bring the play to life!" She boasted triumphantly.

"It's my awesome acting that brings the play to life Rarity," Rainbow lightly bumped her shoulder with Rarity's, causing a little friction between the two. Normally I would help calm them down a little, but Applejack was already on the case.

"Simmer down you two," she warned, "Ah ain't shy ta dumping yer drinks over yer heads ta teach ya a lesson. Hearth's Warmin' isn't just about the play, it's ta keep the memory 'o the foundin' o' Equestria alive 'n ta spread the importance of friendship throughout the country," she explained.

"Sheesh AJ," Rainbow Dash slurped her hot cocoa rather loudly, "you know Rarity and I get into arguments about once a week. The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes and began to fly as if she were performing a back stroke. "It's no big deal," she added groaned.

"I concur Rainbow Dash," Rarity turned to face Applejack and me, politely levitating her styrofoam cup in the air and out of her field of vision. "Just because we get into a disagreement doesn't mean we need to be taught a lesson Applejack. Besides, we didn't even use harsh language or raise our hooves to each other!" She exclaimed. A snort of laugh escaped my mouth that I tried to suppress from Rarity's statement.

"Please Rarity, the only thing you know how to raise your hoof to is a hooficure," I teased, hiding my mouth behind my cup. The seamstress glared at me and stuck her nose in the air with a 'humph!'

"Anyway," Sweetie Belle changed the subject, "are there any big holidays from your world that you celebrate around this time of year, Cougar?" the filly unicorn asked me as we all stopped near town hall. Still, I didn't want to mention Christmas and then explain it all for fear of butting into they hype around Hearth's Warming. The silence of the group was starting to get to me; their eyes looking to me for an answer didn't help with my current state of anxiety either.

"Hmm, what's the date again today?" I asked.

"30th 'o November," Applebloom said from above my head. "What's comin' up?" She asked me, bending her head down so she could look at me in the eyes. Chuckling, I picked her up off my neck and set her down on the ground next to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

"If November here is 30 days as well, then tomorrow is sort of a holiday, though not a very big one at any rate," I explained, bending down on one knee to the three Crusaders.

"Ooh," Twilight beamed, putting on her excited/curious face. "What is it? The celebration of the birth of your country? A day to honor the elderly? National reading day?" She guessed, nearly clapping her hooves together in the process.

"Those first two actually sound important, and the first one actually exists, but there was no National Reading Day Twilight," I shook my head, "at least no one around me ever celebrated it," I added.

"Then, what is it you celebrate on the first of December, Cougar?" Fluttershy asked me politely.

"Eh, it's no big deal," I shrugged. "It's just, tomorrow is my 24th birthday." Those were the only words I could say before a loud gasp emitted from the barrel behind us and Pinkie Pie burst from the inside, her cup of cocoa sitting perfectly still atop her head. There are many versions of what happened after Pinkie surprised me, but I will say I didn't scream like a little girl. "GAH! PINKIE!" I exclaimed, throwing my cocoa cup in the air from the surprise.

"How could you wait until one day before your birthday to tell us when your birthday is?!" Pinkie grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. "Do you have any idea how important birthdays are? It's the day momma Cougar pushed you out into the world for you to grow up and fly like an Eagle!" She narrated like a movie trailer. Ignoring Pinkie's unpleasant case about why my birthday was important, I pushed her away and threw my now empty cup.

"Maybe I didn't tell you guys because it's just me," I explained. "If it were any of your guys' birthday, I'd want to know; you guys have actually saved Equestria numerous times, all I've done is blown up other planes," I countered Pinkie's argument.

"Nopony should have to celebrate their birthday or go their entire birthday without friends by their side!" Pinkie declared, knocking me flat on my back and standing on my gut. "Or cake, that's important too! Don't worry Cougar, we'll give you the best birthday you've ever had!" She promised.

"This isn't one of those cliche'd situations where your parents told you birthdays weren't important or a traumatic birthday in your childhood ruined them forever, is it?" Rarity asked in her literary voice. I swear she could be an author if she wanted with how much she knew about writing.

"No, I personally just don't think my own birthday is special in any way," I replied, pushing Pinkie back for the second time. Everybody had a shocked expression on their faces for my explanation about my birthday, not that I could blame them seeing as how unusually cheery they were about everything else.

"Everypony's birthday is special Cougar," Applejack brushed some of the snow off my backside, "even species that ain't a pony," she added sweetly. "Yer a good enough friend ta warrant a normal party, would that be alright?" She asked me with a surprising amount of hope in her voice.

"A normal party? But off the walls CAR-AZY parties are the best! Cougar's birthday has to be memorable!" Pinkie Pie pouted.

"IF Cougar agrees ta a party 'n IF he wants it ta be a normal one, ya should respect his wishes Pinkie," AJ wrapped a foreleg around Pinkie's neck, kind of like a best friend or a boss would to a good employee. Pinkie bit her lower lip until she took a deep breath.

"Cougar, would you like," Pinkie gulped mid-sentence, "a normal birthday party?" She requested with an eye-twitch. Once again, all eyes turned to me, awaiting an answer. Naturally, the ponies who had the biggest eyes were the Crusaders, but I think Rarity had some ideas for a party as well. I decided what harm could a small party with a few friends do? And I was hoping that maybe Twilight would be able to hold back on Pinkie's zaniness.

"Depends on what your version of normal is," I replied, "for me, just some good music and friends is all I need," I grinned. Despite not being able to throw an off the wall and crazy birthday party, Pinkie reached up and gave me a bone crushing hug, cutting off my oxygen for but a moment.

"I promise that this'll be the best party you've ever had!" The pink mare released me from her death grip, returning the oxygen to my lungs.

"Just, no hugs like that please," I held up a finger to her face, "I don't want to spend a birthday getting cracked ribs fixed in the hospital," I said in a joking yet serious manner. Pinkie saluted me with her right leg and backed away as I dusted myself off.

"Thank Celestia I'm off the clock," Pinkie downed her entire cup of hot chocolate, "now I can spend all of tonight planning everything for the party!" She gushed. "Streamers, confetti, balloons oh my!" She danced around me like a monkey on cocaine. "And games!" She gasped, "it can't be a party without flank-kicking games!" She added.

"Ah can help whip up some food fer the party," Applejack suggested.

"Hmm, I can design some decor that would perfectly fit Cougar's liking, and I'll need some help setting them up," Rarity ever so cleverly winked at the Crusaders. The trio of fillies squealed and hopped up and down, begging to help Rarity.

"I think I can talk to Vinyl about getting some rocking music for your party," Rainbow scratched her head, "and I can do a sonic rainboom if you'd like," she offered, wrapping a foreleg around my neck. I nodded, giving her the okay for the trick. "Perfect, I need some practice time for our New Year's show in Las Pegasus," the pegasus added, pumping both front legs in victory.

"Don't forget, I think you'll need a list checker!" Twilight cleared her throat and puffed out her chest in self-satisfaction. "And somepony to send out invitations." Seemingly out of nowhere, Spike pulled out a parchment and quill, ready to check off whatever his mom asked him.

"I don't have anything to do," Fluttershy said sadly. "You all seem to have a hoof on everything and I don't want to be in the way," Fluttershy sighed. "But, I understand if you girls don't need me," she sipped the remainder of her drink quietly.

"Hmm, what if we hung out together Fluttershy?" I asked, "just the two of us while everyone else is party planning? Since I already know that there's a party in the works, I might as well let what the party looks like be a surprise, and I don't mind keeping you company at all tomorrow until the party starts," I offered the yellow pegasus. The pegasus in question looked up from the snow on the ground to me, flabbergasted by my offer, possibly because I've never offered to hang out with her.

"A-are you sure Cougar? I know I said you could spend time with me whenever you wanted, but I don't want to seem boring with more than half of my animal friends in hibernation," she said, worried that I would be absolutely disinterested with her.

"Well of course," I placed a hand on her shoulder, "and maybe you could use some help with snow shoveling, or we could have lunch together, maybe talk about pets or whatnot?" I proposed. "I also have stories of a puppy I had when I was about Applebloom's age," I added. Finally, Fluttershy nodded, accepting my offer to hang out together tomorrow.

"Now, that's really sweet 'o ya Cougar," Applejack complimented me, smiling and lightly wrapping a leg around mine.

"It's Fluttershy, how in the hell could someone possibly not want to hang out with her?" I asked rhetorically.

"PRESENTS!" Pinkie shouted loudly, startling everyone instead of me this time. "Oh Celestia, we need to find the perfect presents for you!" She grabbed a desk lamp and pointed it right into my eyes, temporarily blinding me. "Alright, spill it mister," she jabbed my chest like a police detective, "what do you want most for your birthday? And don't beat around the bush 'cause I don't play games. Except pin the tail on the pony, that one's such a classic!" her hooves clapped together.

"If you guys are that concerned, all I have to ask is please don't do anything too big. Just the thought that you care enough to give me a party is a gift in of itself," I switched the desk lamp into the off position.

"Understood darling," Rarity said, "nothing too simple, but nothing too extravagant or complex," she noted mentally.

"Glad we're all on the same level," I replied with a smirk, "now let's enjoy the rest of our cocoa, oh wait," I playfully glared at Pinkie Pie.

---

(The next day. Ponyville Castle. 3rd Person POV)

The clock in the castle struck noon, just as the ponies began setting up for Cougar's 24th birthday party. "Okay girls," Twilight cleared her throat, "and Spike of course," she kissed Spike's cheek, "are we ready to set up for Cougar's party?" the nerdy alicorn questioned her close friends.

"We're all ready Twilight!" Scootaloo saluted while standing in front of Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rarity. The seamstress unicorn had spent a chunk of the night creating decorations specifically for her human friend, even if she believed them to be a tad drab. But, she was 100% sure that Cougar would be satisfied, and that would be enough for her.

"Excellent," Twilight nodded as Rarity and the three fillies began to decorate the dining room of the castle with Cougar's birthday decorations. "Scootaloo and Applebloom, don't sweat the banner," she patted the two fillies' heads, "I'll be sure to measure and level it later on," she turned, checking off a few things. "Pinkie Pie, did you manage to ask Cup Cake and Carrot Cake to make a special birthday cake?" Twilight asked the pink mare that was busy setting up some party games.

"Yep-a-rooni-toony!" Pinkie waved to Twilight. "They said it should be ready at about 4:00. And thanks Rarity for lending me a few drawings of Cougar's Air Force emblem," she zoomed over to Rarity, tapping her shoulder.

"Oh, not a problem darling," Rarity chuckled, "Cougar deserves the very best party we can throw him," she added. "Oh Sweetie Belle! Be careful on that ladder!" She trotted to her sister and held her in place with her magic.

"Applebloom, is Applejack on top of making the food for tonight?" Twilight asked the younger sister of Applejack. The little yellow filly turned around with nails in her mouth from helping nail decorations to the wall and spat them into her hoof before responding.

"Uh-huh. She's been workin' hard since breakfast's been over 'n started makin' tater salad, barbecue corn on the cob, corn bread, heaps 'o tomato soup, apple pie, apple dumplins 'n roasted vegetables," she replied to the alicorn. "Oh, 'n she's gonna bring his present. AJ made it herself," she added. Twilight smiled, allowing Applebloom to resume her hammering of nails into decorations. "OW! Stupid hammer," she grumbled, sucking on her hoof that she smacked.

"Excellent," Twilight ignored Applebloom's cry of pain as Spike marked down another checkmark. "Rainbow Dash, when are you going to talk to Vinyl about music?" She asked. The Wonderbolt set her present to Cougar neatly on the designated table before turning around and hovering in front of Twilight.

"I was just about to head over there Twilight, we got plenty of time," she waved her hoof around nonchalantly. "And by the way, who else did you send invitations to?" The pegasus questioned.

"Oh, Celestia and Luna, that's about it," the alicorn moved the parchment out of her face, "though Luna is busy tonight with Night Court and still having to raise the moon earlier. It was good to see that she responded and at least wished Cougar a happy birthday," she held up the returned invitation from Luna explaining why she couldn't come.

"Hey mom, did you send an invitation to Lyra and Bon Bon or even Vinyl?" Spike scratched his head with his own quill, "I mean, Cougar's pretty decent friends with those three," he pointed out.

"No, I thought Cougar just wanted a party with his closest friends," Twilight responded to her son, "do you think we should invite them? I wouldn't want any of them upset with him," her teeth bit her bottom lip.

"Don't worry Twilight," Rainbow pushed the door to the castle open, "I'll see if Vinyl can make it when I go talk to her," she exclaimed before flying away. Spike grinned as his mom sighed a huge sigh of relief, knowing that at least one of Cougar's other friends wouldn't feel left out of the celebration.

"And actually mom," Spike corrected, "I saw a letter posted in Bon Bon's shop that she and Lyra took a few days to go and visit Lyra's parents in Manehatten," he explained. Now Twilight really felt relived that she wouldn't have to worry about Lyra and Bon Bon at all.

"Did you invite Discord, darling?" Rarity questioned, not turning around from her job.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure it got lost again," Twilight scribbled down something else on her parchment. "You know how weird the neighborhood he lives in is," she reminded her unicorn friend.

"Again?" Scootaloo questioned. "How many invites did you send him?"

"You know my mom," Spike's green eyes rolled in their sockets. "He didn't respond within two hours so she sent another one, and a third one just in case," he gave a smart aleck grin to Twilight.

"There's nothing embarrassing about being prepared Spike," Twilight lightly slapped him with her tail.

"You want to know what I like the most about this party guys?" Sweetie Belle suddenly asked, drawing everypony away from their current tasks, save for Pinkie whom was busy with the streamers.

"What's that Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom replied.

"That there's no stress about trying to keep Cougar in the dark about the party and that we don't have to lie to him," she explained. "It's kind of a cliche to do all of that, don't you think?" She asked.

"A surprise party, cliche?!" Pinkie Pie gasped, "how could you say that Sweetie Belle? A surprise party can make any frown turn upside down and brighten anypony's day!" She countered.

"That's not exactly what I meant Pinkie," Sweetie Belle replied, "I just mean having to keep him in the dark and have somepony distract him all day is tiring, stressful and really overdone. Since he knows about the party and just volunteered to spend time with Fluttershy, we don't have near as much stress as we normally would," she explained. Pinkie Pie sat down in a chair, hoof under her chin as she soaked in all of Sweetie's explanation.

"Hmm, well I do feel more calm than usual, maybe it's because I ate one less doughnut than I normally do for breakfast," she chewed on her bottom lip. Before anypony else could say anything, Rarity let out a terrified shriek, causing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle to fall from their ladders and Pinkie's party cannon to accidentally go off early, covering the downed Crusaders in confetti and streamers.

"WHAT iS IT?!" Twilight worriedly screamed.

"MOUSE!" Rarity danced around before hopping on the present table. Sweetie Belle and Twilight joined her on top of the present table while Applebloom, Scootaloo, Spike and Pinkie Pie rolled their eyes.

"Dang it, no cracked windows," the mouse put his tiny paws on his hips.

"DISCORD I WILL MURDER YOU!" Rarity shouted, angrily jumping down from the table as the mischievous draconequus morphed back to his normal form.

"What? This is a party isn't it? Aren't we supposed to be shrieking out with glee and dancing joyously like a bunch of parasprites on a sugar high?" Discord rhetorically asked, leaning his elbow on top of Rarity's head.

"Since Discord's here, NOW IT'S A PARTY!" Pinkie Pie excitedly clapped her hooves before hugging Discord. The product of mother nature on crack uncomfortably smiled before attempting to push the mare off of him with no luck. He then snapped his eagle talons, appearing behind Pinkie Pie as she fell forward onto her face. "Come on Discord, you can help test out some of my games!" the mare grabbed his arm and yanked him away.

"I wonder what Fluttershy and Cougar are up to?" Spike chuckled at Discord's torture brought by Pinkie

---

(Fluttershy's Cottage. Cougar's POV)

"So Cougar," Fluttershy said as I shook snow from my shoes and set them off to the side of the entryway in Fluttershy's cottage. "Did you have a good birthday morning?" She asked, actually using her wings to get over to her kitchen! I've seen her on the ground so much vs Rainbow and other pegasi that it was almost like seeing her fly for the first time.

"Well, it started out as normal as usual, until Applebloom burst into my shack, knocked me back onto my cot and hugged around my neck," I replied with a sly grin. "In all honesty, like all of my birthdays, I forgot about it when I first woke up, and then Applebloom shouted 'Happy Birthday!' at the top of her lungs," a groan emerged from my mouth as I sat down on the couch next to Fluttershy's chair.

"Aw, that's so sweet," the yellow pegasus floated down and landed in said chair right next to her couch. "Did she make you a birthday breakfast?" Angel jumped up into Fluttershy's lap, but only tapped her leg for attention.

"Actually, the whole family made me breakfast," a small chuckled emitted from me. "Pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes. I think they killed a whole orchard of maple trees somewhere to get all of the syrup they had," I added. "And thank God they didn't sing me happy birthday; one time at the party is good enough for me," I sighed in relief. Fluttershy giggled, which sounded like the most adorable thing in the world, and petted her bunny.

"I know how you feel Cougar, though I'm sure you're fine when the entire focus of the party is on you. I can't handle all of those eyes staring at me, waiting for me to do something," she admitted, giving off a light shudder as if it were cold in here. "Oh, what is it Angel?" she held the white rabbit in the air. Angel rubbed his belly with one arm and pointed to his mouth with another, instantly revealing what he wanted. "But, I already fed you Angel, you couldn't possibly still be hungry, right?"

"Come on Fluttershy, if you've already fed him, show some backbone and tell him no, or else he won't respect you," I crossed my arms, trying to give a stern glare to the white rabbit.

"B-but I don't want my little Angel Bunny to starve," Fluttershy countered, "just look at his cute little face!" She turned to have his face looking at mine. The little shit stuck his tongue out and gave me a raspberry!

"If you've already fed him," I repeated, "then he won't starve!" I raised my voice a little. Angel wriggled away from Fluttershy's hooves, hopped over to me and kicked me in the chin! "Why you little!" I shouted and tried to grab him.

"Oh Cougar, he's just playing, honest!" Fluttershy held the rabbit that jumped back into her forelegs. Grumbling, I sat back down with my arms crossed and eyes glared at Angel, secretly wishing I could get my hands on him. "How about some nice tea to calm your nerves?" Fluttershy suggested, floating up into the air again.

"Sure, I don't drink tea, but I don't want to seem like an ungrateful guest," my attitude simmered down to normal as she brought Angel into the kitchen.

"I don't think that's possible Cougar," Fluttershy chimed as the sounds of cups clanking and an oven turning on sounded. "You're one of the kindest creatures I've ever met," she added.

"Don't be so sure Fluttershy," I advised, "anypony, even one of the nicest around, can become a jerk in the snap of a finger."

"Of course I know that," her voice echoed from the kitchen, "and even though you and I don't talk very much, I can tell your heart is full of kindness," She replied, "and love too," she added.

"Huh?" I asked. Fluttershy's response was drowned out by the whistling of her teapot. The whistling died down as some steam slowly wafted its way into the living room, followed by Fluttershy carrying Angel and two cups of tea.

"I hope you like it Cougar," she handed me one of the cups before sitting back down in her chair, "it's honey lemon tea," Fluttershy took a tiny sip of her tea. Having never cared for tea, even when I had a personal Tea Time with the captain of the RAF and Queen of England, the liquid inside the cup didn't really look all appeasing to me. However, since it was Fluttershy who made it, I was polite and sipped some.

"Hey, this is pretty good Fluttershy!" I exclaimed.

"Hehe, thanks Cougar," Fluttershy gave me a heartwarming smile, "Honey lemon tea is Discord's favorite, so I have plenty on stock for whenever he pops by for a visit," she sipped more of her tea.

"So, anything in particular you want to talk about?" I questioned the pegasus.

"Hmm," she scratched her chin with her hoof, "are you actually excited to turn 24?" She asked me. I never really thought about it before to be honest. The only reason why I would be excited is because my age matches my favorite NASCAR driver's number. Other than that, it's just another number to me.

"I guess it's cool to consider myself older and wiser, but I don't really, feel older and wiser, do you know what I mean Fluttershy?" I motioned with my hand.

"Sort of," she clicked her tongue, "there are some birthdays that I'm really excited about, and then some that just feel like another day to me," she explained. "That is until Pinkie Pie's parties start," she giggled.

"Do you think she'll make it a normal party?" I rubbed my chin. "I wouldn't mind if she did make it a little more exciting than I originally wanted, but I don't want one like she threw for Rainbow about a year or so ago when she met Cheese," I sucked on my lower lip.

"With Twilight there, you don't have much to worry about Cougar," Fluttershy patted my hand with her hoof. 'I guess Twilight can come in handy sometimes,' I thought. The tiny clink of my cup touching the coffee table filled my ears as I gathered my next thought.

"Yeah, you're right Fluttershy," I cracked my knuckles and stretched my back a bit, "I shouldn't worry about too much. Do you have any clue who Twilight invited?" Another question popped into my head. Again, I wanted just a moderate amount of friends and not the whole damn town to show up. Mainly because outside of Vinyl, Derpy, Lyra and Bon Bon, I didn't talk to any other residents, and that would just make things uncomfortable.

"Uh, I think Twilight invited Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Discord, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom," Fluttershy rolled off the names she could remember. A tiny chuckle once again escaped my mouth as I took another sip of my tea.

"Applebloom and her friends were invited already," I reminded Fluttershy.

"Oh right, how silly of me to forget," she laughed, "they don't always tag along with us, so I forget if they are included," she delineated.

"How about Vinyl or Derpy and Dinky?" I asked again, knowing that Bon Bon and Lyra were on a trip to Manehatten.

"I don't know about those three, but I think Twilight also inviting Glock and Checkered Flag to accompany Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Fluttershy stirred her tea with a spoon in her mouth. "OH MY!" Fluttershy shrieked, causing my heart to jump into my throat. Thank God I wasn't holding my cup or else the tea would be all over her floor.

"What's the matter Fluttershy?" I leaned forward on the couch. She set her teacup on the end table and grabbed her head between her hooves. It looked to me like she was having a panic attack, but she looked like that most of the time, so I had no clue what was going on.

"I completely forgot last night! Everypony else got you a present, but I forgot because one of my hibernating animal friends needed help going back to sleep! I'm so sorry Cougar," she darted her eyes around worriedly.

"That's it?" I said flatly, unsure of what to say to her. From the way she was acting, it looked like she forgot about a friend who needed a lift home. But, forgetting a present? I'm not a spoiled five year old brat. "Fluttershy, I don't really care if you forgot to get me a present. Just the thought that you allowed me to spend a day with you is more than enough for me."

"Oh, but everypony deserves a present on their birthday," Fluttershy mildly argued.

"I understand where you're coming from, but it's not that important to me," I shrugged, "don't know why but presents are not a top priority to me." Suddenly, there was a growl emitting from somewhere in the cottage, alerting me to my feet.

"Sorry Cougar, that's my tummy," Fluttershy rubbed her belly that was gurgling loudly.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" I asked her kindly. Her pink mane shook back and forth in sync with her head.

"No, I was planning on saving my appetite for your birthday dinner," she explained, "but I don't think I can win that battle," she grinned embarrassingly before her stomach gurgled again. Taking a quick look at the cuckoo clock in her living room, I saw that the time was 12:45, perfect for lunch and still plenty of time before the party would roll at 5:00.

"If you're this hungry Fluttershy, I can make you some lunch," I offered, gesturing towards the kitchen with my head. She shook her head from side to side and hopped down from her chair.

"I don't think so Cougar. You are my guest in my home; it's my responsibility to make food for you," she pointed her hoof at me before trotting into the kitchen. Angel hopped onto her head to hitch a ride, leaving me standing in the living room. Taking some initiative, I jogged my way to the kitchen, following Fluttershy as she began to hum a rather catchy tune while searching through various cabinets and pantries for some grub.

"Come on Fluttershy," I said in a reasoning tone, "you were already kind enough to make me tea; I think I should make you lunch as a thank you," I argued. I don't think she ignored me, but I'm pretty damn sure the pegasus didn't even hear a word I said. Her catchy tune she was humming was replaced with frantic and then frustrated squeals. Instead of slowly opening and softly shutting her cabinet doors, Fluttershy zoomed all over the kitchen several times until all her cabinet doors were wide open. "Everything okay there?" I asked as the pegasus' body began to shake.

"Oh!" She groaned, "I forgot to go to the market last night! All I have left is animal food. First I forget your present, then I forget to get food. I'm so flustered I could rip my whole mane out!" She exclaimed and grabbed the sides of her mane with her hooves. Believing her for a brief moment, I was scared she would rip out her pink mane, but all she did softly run her hooves through said mane until one tiny, insignificant piece of hair fell from her head into her left hoof.

"Better?" I asked, darting my eyes around the room. Her breathing picked up, but not by any alarming means. Blushing like mad and throwing the hair into the trash, Fluttershy turned to me, gulped and cleared her throat.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Cougar," she apologized, "I don't normally lose my cool like that."

"Right, losing your cool," I scratched my ear. "Well, how about we go out and get lunch at the Hayburger?" I suggested. Fluttershy didn't even have to give an answer as her belly growled loudly yet again. "My treat!" I quickly added when Fluttershy flew over to get her hat, coat, boots and scarf.

"We'll see, Mister," Fluttershy shot me a knowing look. "No snow boots?" she asked me, opening the front door and giving Angel some extra food before we left.

"Nah, whoever's in charge of snow shoveling the roads here is doing a bang up job," I replied, adjusting my Drive to End Hunger cap. Although I didn't mind when Rainbow hovered above everyone else while we were together, having Fluttershy actually walk beside me was a nice change of pace. Our walk to the Hayburger was pretty uneventful, even though many residents were out either shoveling in front of their houses and businesses, or they were enjoying the winter weather by hosting snowball fights, making snow ponies and ice skating.

(Hayburger)

"Mmmmm," Fluttershy licked her lips after taking a bite out of her food. Fluttershy decided to skip her soda because she was too cold, but that didn't stop me from ordering my own large soda. I grimaced and spat as I found a few pieces of hay on my meatless burger. The hay landed on my napkin, never to be seen again as I flipped it over. Thankfully the restaurant offered potato fries like AJ told me a few months ago, and I dug in like Homer Simpson on doughnuts.

"So Cougar," Fluttershy swallowed her hay fries, "were pets very common in your world? Or did only military personnel like you get to own pets?" She asked me.

"Of course pets were common," I set down my soda cup, "and no, they weren't limited to military personnel. Whoever wanted to own a pet could, and however many they wanted, sort of like you," I winked at the shy pegasus. She giggled at the joke and slurped up a few hay fries into her mouth.

"Which was the most favorited pet?" She asked another question.

"Uh, I'm not exactly positive on that, but I'd say dogs were the most owned pet in my world, then cats," I munched on my salad sandwich. A wall of awkward silence hit us for the first time today which caught me off guard. I guess I should've expected it; this was the most I've ever talked to Fluttershy at all. "So, how're you and Caramel doing?" I asked her. Her teal eyes darted upwards from her fries. One hay fry stuck to her muzzle before slowly peeling itself off and falling back into the pile on her plate.

"Sorry, did I strike a wrong nerve?" I questioned, quickly setting my sandwich down. Across from me, Fluttershy softly wiped her mouth politely with her napkin. "Fluttershy?" I asked again.

"N-no, well, maybe," she whispered, barely looking up at me. "I-I feel so bad for Caramel, Cougar, I'm a terrible pony for what I did," those innocent eyes began to fill up with tears.

"You took him to the Gala," I said, confused, "that was a bad thing?" I shook my head, trying to get my head around her words.

"That wasn't what was bad," she corrected me, moving her food out of her way, apparently losing her appetite. "That was my apology for what I did to him, during, uh," her yellow cheeks glowed pink and a small whimper escaped her muzzle. Looking around to make sure nopony was watching our table, I placed my hand on Fluttershy's ear and gave it a little scratch to help calm her down.

"Discord did mention something about you and Caramel during the Estrus," I began, "and that's nothing to be ashamed of Fluttershy," I softly rubbed her hoof, "I mean, you know AJ and I kinda had an incident, but I don't blame her for what happened, and you shouldn't blame yourself either."

"W-well, I feel so awful about what I did," she admitted. I didn't have to say anything else; she knew by my body language what I wanted to ask. "Every Estrus before, I locked myself away in my cottage, doing anything I can to suppress my, uh, well, urges. But, I forgot to mark down when the Fall Estrus was going to happen this year, and poor Caramel couldn't get away in time."

"Fluttershy, you can't fault yourself for a natural-"

"I don't even have feelings for him!" She exclaimed, quieting the whole restaurant. Thankfully, the other customers reacted like the Cantina customers in A New Hope, turning back to their food. "I used him for my personal pleasure; he looked so sad when the weekend was over and I apologized because I didn't feel anything between us. So, I invited him to the Gala as a severe apology, and we really only say hello to each other nowadays," she concluded.

"That doesn't make you a bad pony," I gulped.

"Well, it makes me feel like a bad pony, using an innocent stallion like that," Fluttershy's tongue softly lapped up some hay fries into her mouth.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up Fluttershy, I truly am," I apologized for making the most innocent of ponies open up an old wound.

"No, it's okay," she softly smiled, "you were just curious; I know you weren't trying to be mean." My mind wandered back to earlier in her cottage when she said my heart was full of love. I wanted to ask her if she knew of my secret feelings for Applejack, but I wanted to save that for later because a new question had popped into my mind.

"Is there someone you have feelings for?" I sipped my soda. Fluttershy let out a 'meep' and her cheeks returned to the same red color as before. "I'll take that as a yes," I chuckled. "Can I ask whom it may be?" She nodded her head and motioned for me to come closer to keep her response secret. When she whispered the answer, my jaw dropped, allowing a little bit of soda to dribble onto the tabletop. "Him?" I asked in disbelief.

"Y-yes. I never thought anything more would come between us after Celestia asked me to reform him. I didn't mind making a new friend; I can see good in a lot of ponies and creatures, but I never realized how much my friendship with Discord could grow, even if he doesn't feel the same."

"Wow, I can honestly say I didn't see that, at all Fluttershy," I forced an awkward laugh out of my mouth.

"I-I know that it seems silly, but Discord never fails to put a smile on my face when he tells me stories or just wants to make me laugh. And he's so protective of me, especially when we eat dinner or go for a milkshake close to dark, he always has me walk close to him. I, uh, also think he's cute with all of his mismatched body parts and goatee," she hid behind her hair. Flicking my fork to make sure it was Discord spying on us, I pulled Fluttershy's hair away from her now completely red face and suppressed a snicker.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you haven't told him have you?" I asked. "You don't have to answer that," I comforted the embarrassed pony. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths through her nose before her natural yellow color returned to her face.

"You don't know how many times I've wanted to tell him Cougar," Fluttershy remarked, moving a few of her hay fries around with her hoof. "I spend more time alone with him than anypony, but I'm just too much of a scaredy-cat to tell him my feelings," she added. I was about to reiterate when she said something else that made me squeeze my soda cup so hard that it was crushed. "Sort of like you and your feelings for Apple- oh no! That was supposed to be a secret!" Setting the mutilated pile of plastic down to the table and grabbing a few napkins, my eyes never left Fluttershy as she covered her eyes yet again.

"What'd you just say Fluttershy? And please don't lie to me," I requested. Shaking like a leaf in a typhoon, Fluttershy removed her hooves from her face to look at me.

"Uh, um, I heard from somepony that you have secret feelings for Applejack," the yellow pegasus whispered, still shaking.

"So, I did hear you correctly in your kitchen earlier," I mopped up the rest of my spilled soda pop. "Damn, and I trusted Rarity enough to not tell anyone. But it's not like I outright told her; she figured it out," I made sure not to raise my voice too much in front of Fluttershy.

"Well, Rarity's not exactly the pony who told me," Fluttershy cleared her throat. Our conversation didn't exactly turn into a whisper conversation, but we dropped the volume of our voices so anyone sitting close by wouldn't hear. With the noise of the restauranteurs coupled with employees shouting orders, I was confident no one could hear us.

"But who the hell else knows?" I asked not just Fluttershy, but myself as well. As far as I knew, the only ones that knew of my feelings for AJ were me, obviously, Rarity and…. "Cadence? When the hell did Cadence tell you?" I asked, feeling slightly violated by Twilight's sister.

"She tried her best Cougar, but she and I bumped into each other in the middle of the night from our trip to the Crystal Empire," she explained. "She didn't tell anypony else and I haven't told a single pony, I swear," Fluttershy said as I rubbed my eyes in both frustration and disbelief.

"Are you up for a walk?" I asked, picking up our garbage and tossing it into the can. "I just need some cool air to clear my head; maybe we can also find something to do until it's time for the party," I suggested, holding the door open for Fluttershy.

"How do you feel about ice skating, Cougar?" She questioned.

---

(Ponyville Castle. Cougar's POV)

"So, are you excited for your party?" Fluttershy asked as we followed the shoveled path towards the Friendship Castle. We had indeed gone ice skating, well Fluttershy did, while I just watched her and others skate across the frozen Ponyville Lake.

"Eh, I guess somewhat," I replied, stuffing my hands into my pockets. I had bragged earlier that I can handle chillier weather, but my hands were starting to feel a little cold, so I kept them in my pockets for the time being. If there was one thing about winter that I loved, it was the soft crunch of feet on the compacted snow on the ground. "I am feeling a bit hungry though," the smell of AJ's home cooking wafted from castle as our approach grew closer and closer. "Thanks for letting me spend some time with you Fluttershy," I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer for a quick hug. In turn, she responded with a quick hug as well.

"No problem Cougar, it was nice to spend time with you as well," she smiled.

"After you," I said, pulling on the door handle. Just as I did however, the door flew open, smacking me in the face and knocking my ass into the snow. Fluttershy gasped as she jumped out of the way and I groaned from the pain vibrating throughout my face.

"Just hold on, I'll go find them lickety-split!" I saw a pink blur yelling back into the castle. Shaking my head, the vision in my eyes cleared up to see Pinkie Pie cocking her head at me. "Never mind girls, I found him!" She shouted back into the castle. "What are you doing sleeping in the snow Cougar? Is that some sort of human tradition? OOH LET ME TRY!" The overenthusiastic mare jumped up and laid down next to me, shifting her body around.

"Cougar, are you alright?" Fluttershy helped me to my feet. Shaking my head again to get snow out of my ears, Fluttershy brushed off the rest from my butt and back. "Your nose doesn't seem to be broken," she added.

"Hey, I was just about to go out and find you guys," Pinkie hopped from the ground, "lucky timing I guess. Everything is all set up! We've got music, games, cake, Applejack's home cooking and PRESENTS!" Pinkie shouted the last word into my ear, causing me to flinch and feel some ringing inside. "So, what are you both waiting for?!" She appeared behind both me and Fluttershy, pushing us through the front doors and into the throne room which was decorated from floor to ceiling with numerous streamers, confetti, Air Force emblems and a huge banner that read: HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY COUGAR.

"You guys put all of this up in just one afternoon?" I asked, astonished at how many decorations were scattered about the walls of not only the throne room, but the entry way of the castle and the hallway adjacent to the throne room. A light tapping on my head alerted me that Rainbow Dash was listening in; who else could it be?

"And you're surprised because?" She asked sarcastically. "We've got the best party planner and the most uptight and OCD organizer in Equestria," Rainbow Dash began, pointing her hooves at Pinkie Pie and Twilight.

"Hey!" Twilight pouted to which Rainbow ignored.

"We could've decorated all of Ponyville and Cloudsdale in half the time," the pegasus bragged. She then placed her elbow on my shoulder, leaning against me with a cheesy smile on her face.

"What's got you so happy?" I asked, "did Soarin propose yet?" I joked. Rainbow's elbow slipped off of my shoulder and her wings seized in the air, causing her to drop down face first onto the crystal floor. Once again, Fluttershy helped someone to their feet as Rainbow tried to shake the blush off her face and tried to play it cool.

"Pfft, no way Coug," she pretended to dust off her stomach and chest, "we haven't even moved in together yet," she explained. "Unless he's told you something. Has he told you something that I should know?" She worriedly asked.

"Patience Rainbow Dash," I patted her head. "I'm sure Soarin will propose when you're both ready," I winked. "Anyway," I took a look around the seemingly empty throne room. The only ones here were me, Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The pink mare was preoccupied with trying to reattach one of the Air Force emblem decorations that fell off the wall. "Where's everybody else?" I asked curiously.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Fluttershy sniffed the air, "mmm, I can smell Applejack's homemade corn bread and potato salad," she licked her lips.

"The others are busy wrapping their presents," Pinkie, still trying to get the emblem to stick to the wall, replied. She began to growl in frustration as the decoration refused to stay. Eventually, the party pony grabbed the decoration, slammed it on the wall and stuck a large piece of duct tape across the middle of said decoration. "There, you're not going anywhere you stubborn decoration you," Pinkie jabbed her hoof against the wall.

"So, personal wrapping paper?" I asked Twilight, pointing to a few presents already wrapped on a table sitting next to Vinyl's sound system. One present was a box with pink wrapping paper with Pinkie Pie's cutie mark while a poster tube was wrapped in cyan paper with Rainbow's lightning bolt cutie mark.

"Yep," Twilight replied and put a wrapped present on the table with purple paper and her cutie mark all over. "I found that it saves ink from having to write our names on the boxes," she explained.

"Ah, makes sense," I replied. "Knowing you, Twilight, do you have a schedule for the party?" I questioned, feeling confident that I knew the answer. The purple alicorn shook her head, surprising me as she trotted over my way.

"Well, it's not really a schedule, but Pinkie always prefers to hoof out the cake before opening presents, right Pinkie?" Twilight turned her attention to the pony in question. Right as Pinkie opened her mouth to speak, somepony else's voice came out.

"Hey! He's here! Cougar's here!" Sweetie Belle burst with excitement when she exited the kitchen. The little filly turned tail and galloped back into the kitchen, repeating that I was here to everyone.

"I guess that means that the party's starting?" Fluttershy asked. The kitchen door opened again to reveal The Crusaders, Vinyl, Celestia, Glock and Applejack carrying various presents with them, all freshly wrapped with their fur color and their cutie marks, save for Glock's present. The unicorn guard had a case of Marewaukee Brew on his back that he sat down next to Princess Celestia's gift.

"Apparently so," I nudged Fluttershy as the group of ponies made their way over to me. Pinkie Pie zoomed back to the kitchen, either to help get Applejack's cooking or the cake. Whichever one was fine with me as I was busy accepting birthday wishes from my friends.

"There's the man 'o the hour!" Applejack put her present near the back of the table before turning to me and giving me a great big bear hug. "Ya excited fer yer big day?" She asked and released me from the hug.

"I'm more excited for your food than my actual birthday," I smirked at the pony and playfully slapped the brim of her cowgirl hat down over her eyes. She pushed the hat back up onto her head and stuck her tongue out at me, probably saying, 'Smart ass,' in her head. There was a light tapping on my shoulder and I could see a faint blue light out of the corner of my eye.

"Ahem, are you satisfied with the decorations and banner, Cougar?" Rarity cleared her throat. Her present to me was levitating next to her, engulfed in her blue aura. "If you are not I can quickly replace them," she offered.

"Rarity, these are perfect, thank you," I replied sincerely with a hand on her shoulder. She looked down at my hand and back at me, giving me a signal to remove my hand from her. "They turned out better than I originally wanted too," I added while shoving my hand into my pocket. The white unicorn smiled and I believe patted herself on the back before putting down her present to grab a glass of punch.

"Cougar," Celestia called my name, "first things first: Happy birthday," she wished me with her classic motherly smile. I thanked her and allowed her to keep speaking. "And Luna unfortunately had important royal duties to attend and could not make it tonight," she apologized, "but, my baby sister wanted me to give you this," her golden aura floated a box wrapped in dark blue paper with her crescent moon cutie mark plastered all over.

"Tell her I said thank you when you get back to Canterlot," I replied and took the present in my hands. "Good to see you Glock, was my birthday really worthy of Celestia needing a guard?" I questioned. The two looked at each other and chuckled before Celestia wrapped her wing around Glock's body, pulling him closer and then kissing the top of his head.

"Glock is now courting me, Cougar," the alicorn explained to me. "About the morning after the Gala," she added after reading my expression.

"I should be thrilled to be dating Princess Celestia, but then I realized that I'm dating Princess freaking Celestia!" Glock exclaimed, "that's why I'm still in shock about it," he said. Just then, Pinkie Pie burst from the kitchen, hoisting something over her head.

"CAKE TIME!" She announced. "Twilight, if you'd do the honors please because my poor head lacks a horn?" The mare asked Twilight. Taking in a deep breath, Twilight zapped two candles atop the cake, igniting them. Her magenta aura then surrounded the cake for extra leverage as Pinkie trotted on three legs over to the table in the middle of the thrones. "Happy, happy birthday to you!" She sang merrily and set the cake down. We all then gathered around the table and I nearly passed out. The cake didn't say happy birthday or best wishes or even mention my name in icing, but that's not why I was in utter shock. The cake itself was in the shape of the Air Force emblem, created to perfection in silver, white and blue.

"D-did the Cakes make this?" I asked Pinkie Pie.

"You'd better believe it buster! I had them bake the cake earlier today and used one of Rarity's patterns to help inspire them. So do ya like your cake?" She jumped two inches from my face and pressed her nose against mine, staring deep into my eyes. "Do ya, do ya, do ya?" She repeated, leaning closer to me.

"Y-yes, I do Pinkie Pie. Now can I blow out the candles?" I asked, hoping she'd give me my space back. The hyperactive pony then pulled back and hopped to the side of the cake so I had a front row seat.

"Don't forget the wish!" Applebloom reminded me. Smiling, I thought of just about anything I could think of, which was harder than I thought. Of all the things running through my mind, one wish in particular wouldn't leave my brain, so I settled for it. I took in a deep breath and exhaled as much air as I could, extinguishing the flames atop the 2 candle and the 4 candle.

"Yay!" Sweetie Belle cheered as everypony else applauded with their hooves.

"What was your wish?" Pinkie demanded, hopping up and down. "No wait, it won't come true if you tell me, don't tell me!" She covered my mouth with her pink hooves. "Princess CELESTIA!" Pinkie exclaimed as Celestia's tongue was trying to snake it's way over to the cake. The white alicorn blushed embarrassingly and turned her head away, whistling the same tune that Fluttershy hummed earlier. Glock playfully laughed at his marefriend before she took off his helmet with her magic and spun it backwards, blinding him. "I thought this might happen, so you get the first piece as long as Cougar doesn't mind," she looked at me.

"Go on ahead," I shrugged, not caring in the slightest who got the first piece. "You know what's weird though?" I asked just as Twilight volunteered to cut the cake.

"What'd that be Coug?" Rainbow Dash questioned from right next to my head.

"I thought for sure that at least Fluttershy would push for Discord to be here," I took a piece from Twilight and just held the plate.

"Who said I wasn't here?" The one and only Discord's voice asked me. Just taking a wild hunch, I looked down at the fork in my hand and saw two yellow and red eyes with a goatee smiling up at me. "I hope you enjoy your present, because I'm your present, pretty clever huh?" the Discord fork asked. Smirking, I lifted the fork and jabbed it into my piece of cake. "Hey, wait, no I don't know where your mouth has been!" Discord freaked as I stuffed the piece of cake into my mouth. "AUUUUGH!" He exclaimed in disgusted as I pulled the fork from my mouth and chewed on my piece of cake.

"Mmmm, my compliments to the Cakes Pinkie," I turned to the pink earth pony and swallowed my piece.

"Ugh, I'm covered in human spit, and I thought Applejack's sweat was disturbing," Discord conjured up a towel to dry himself off. Applejack glared at the draconequus and munched on her own piece of cake.

"Another please, Twilight," Celestia shoved her plate into Twilight's face.

"But Princess, not all of us have even gotten our first piece yet," Twilight countered. Celestia took a quick glance at everyone who didn't receive a piece yet and rolled her eyes.

"Simple solution, cut the cake and eat it faster," she responded. "And then, presents," she winked in my direction.

---

(End of presents. Cougar's POV)

Boy, these ponies really didn't have to get me the presents I had received. But apparently they insisted and the presents were awesome. From Twilight I had gotten the rest of the Daring Do books all the way up to the most recent. She explained that she and Rainbow were close friends of A.K. Yearling, the author, and that she sent the books on overnight express just in time. Speaking of Rainbow, one of the books had her on the cover with Daring Do. I decided to ask her about that later. From Spike, he acquired the very first issue of Power Ponies for me to read. His reasoning was that since I liked super heroes from my world, then at least I could have a better understanding of Equestrian super heroes.

Rainbow's present was more of a personal one in that she got all of the Wonderbolts to sign a Wonderbolts poster in their autographs rather than their hoof stamps. Since I knew earth ponies and pegasi had difficulty writing with their mouths compared to unicorns and alicorns, it made the poster all the more special. What confused me was that Lullaby added a tiny heart next to the 'y' in her name and Rainbow said she's never done that before...

Celestia had actually given me something she'd owned for many centuries, and no I'm not kidding about that. She told me that the golden pocket watch was crafted for her about 950 years ago and had her cutie mark carved into the cover. Glock had no clue what to give me, so he stopped by the liquor store and got me the same case of Marwaukee Brew I had seen earlier. I offered him a beer, but Celesita took it away for some reason and drank it herself, odd.

Luna's gift was more surprising than exciting to get. From what her elder sister had told me, Luna retook my .44 magnum pistol and modified it to shoot magical blasts. She assured me that it wouldn't kill anypony, but it worked the same as a defensive spell that unicorn guards use. She also told me that will injure somepony and has the power to knock them about fifty feet back. I set the pistol back in the box for later.

From Vinyl, the DJ unicorn had built portable speakers specifically built for my phone using a 3.5mm jack input. She said it was mainly for me to let everypony else enjoy my tunes and make sleeping easier than with headphones on. What was cool about her gift was the fact the speaker covers were painted purple and had the yellow eyes from my helmet painted at the tops.

Pinkie's gift was probably the most delicious of the bunch; she had actually bothered to purchase 27 doughnuts from Sugar Cube Corner and wrap them up in a box to give to me for my birthday. How could anyone not be happy to accept that? Especially since most were jelly filled or custard filled. Now, I only had two presents left, one from all of the CMC and one from Applejack. Scootaloo practically begged me to choose the Crusaders' present next, and it didn't help that all three put on their puppy dog eyes to coax me into my decision. I gave in and picked up the present, but was met with something extra.

"AWWWWW!" Everypony gushed at Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom kissing my cheeks and forehead just as I was about to open their present which looked to be a handmade, or should I say hoofmade, card. The trio hopped from my body and anxiously awaited me to open and read the card. It warmed my heart to see a drawing of me on the front on one knee while Applebloom was perched atop my head, Sweetie Belle was in my left arm and Scootaloo was leaning her back up against my right leg.

"Come on, open it!" Sweetie Belle's horn shot off green sparks. Opening the blue card, a small slowly spread across my face while my eyes scanned the message that was written by I'm guessing Applebloom.

'Happy Birthday to the coolest, best and kindest human to ever live. We hope your birthday is just like you: Awesome. You're like a big brother to us and we're glad you came to our world. Love, the Cutie Mark Crusaders.'

"Thank you girls so much," I wiped my cheeks and forehead playfully and then hugged the trio tightly. "Only one left," I l dropped the fillies from the hug, looking over at Applejack who had waited patiently for her present's turn. Instead of tearing off the wrapping paper like an animal like I had with the others, I slowly tore off the paper, savoring the moment of discovering Applejack's gift. I sort of felt like Indiana Jones once my hands slowly opened the lid of the brown box that AJ had wrapped up. My heart stopped as my eyes focused in on the gift that Applejack had gotten for me. Apparently she hadn't told anyone what she had gotten me because everyone else let out an impressed whistle as I pulled out a black cowboy hat from the box. Embroidered around the top of the hat were red apples, all connected with a lasso rope. Even more impressive was below the main apple on the front was my call sign, embroidered in rope as well.

"So, do ya like it Cougar?" Applejack asked, "Ah made it myself all last night," she yawned, finally showing some signs of fatigue. At least Twilight zapped her with magic that perked her up a little bit. "If you don't like it-"

"I love it Applejack," I interrupted her, taking off my red and black NASCAR cap and put the cowboy hat atop my head. "Thank you, so much," I grabbed her and gave her the tightest hug I've given anyone, save for Reaper.

"Looking sharp bro!" Rainbow nodded.

"Now you look even cooler than before!" Applebloom agreed.

"Hehe, yer welcome Cougar," Applejack patted my back and I released her. "Glad ya love it."

"I'll wear it every day," I adjusted the hat until it felt comfortable on my head. I turned back to my group of friends who were waiting for me to say something else I'm guessing. "Guys, thank you all so much. This was very thoughtful of you all," I wiped a few tears away from my eyes.

"You deserve a good birthday Cougar, for the good man that you are," Celestia replied. "A toast," she raised up glasses of what I'm guessing was grape punch, "to Cougar!" She declared.

"TO COUGAR!" Everyone took a drink at the same time.

"NOW LET'S PARTY!" Pinkie Pie blasted music on Vinyl's sound system as Applejack rolled a cart of food out of the kitchen and parked it next to the sound system. Vinyl started up Pinkie's jam as the pink mare had called it and Pinkie said, "come on birthday boy! Come on up and give us the birthday shuffle!" She 'encouraged' me by grabbing my arm and yanking me in front of the sound system. "Go Cougar, it's your birthday, it's your birthday!" She chanted as I amused everyone by break dancing.

(Many hours of partying later)

We had partied by playing games, dancing and eating Applejack's food for hours and the night was still fairly young at 9:00, but it was dark outside. At least no one was showing signs of being tired, even Applejack (who had cooked practically all day from 6:00 A.M. until about 4:30) was still going strong thanks to Twilight's 'Pep Spell' that she had cast upon the orange mare. And the cake once again, holy shit, I'm going to have to give a big thank you to Carrot and Cup Cake for what they did for me.

Not to mention, Applejack's cooking of potato salad, barbecue corn on the cob, corn bread, tomato soup, apple pie, apple dumplings and roasted vegetables was perfect. And thanks to everyone's appetite, about 90% of it was gone already, leaving just a little bit of soup and potato salad left. Rainbow had wrapped up about half a pie for Soarin and stored it in the fridge until it was time for her to go. As for me, it wasn't that I was tired, but I was feeling rather warm inside, so I decided to go outside for a quick minute to cool down and maybe clear my head a little bit. I figured since everyone was so preoccupied with partying, mingling and dancing that they wouldn't notice if I slipped out temporarily.

"Ahhh," I sighed contently while the cool night air soothed my sweaty skin and hair. I had chosen to go upstairs and out onto a balcony that was empty save for a pair of chairs and a table, no doubt for Twilight and Spike for the former's nighttime studies or a place to clear her head, like I currently needed. Setting my hat on the small table in between the chairs, I sat down and propped my feet up on the railing, looking at the decorations for Hearth's Warming that were set up all over the village. My body froze when a voice broke the silence.

"Is something troubling you Cougar?"

End Chapter 29

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Who Is the Pony that followed Cougar outside and what do they want? Find out next time in a mini chapter of Fallen Eagle. THEN it'll be the confession, I promise. And I hope you guys are patient; I'm going to take a little extra time to make sure the confession is worthy of readers like you guys. Don't forget to R&R!