I got the greatest news today, as I checked my mail this morning: Dashie was allowed to leave the hospital today, and all she needed was until next Sunday for her limbs to heal. Doctors can be wrong, right? Her right legs'll still be in slings, but she dosen't have to be in the hospital anymore.

    By noon, I had turned in my second chapter and attended the small funeral for the blue Pegasus. I was still a bit downcast from the little ceremony, but that was cancelled by the lrospec of Dashie coming home. I was gonna throw a welcome-back party for Dashie, but I didnt know too may ponies, so I just decided to invite... well, everypony I knew by then.

    I flew by their houses individually (PHONES Y U NO EXIST) to invite them: I was planning on a potluck. My fridge was still essentially empty, because I only got paid yesterday and I haven't been grocery shopping yet.

    Twilight was first on the list. "Sure, Mr. Star!" she replied, "but I'll need to bring Spike, you know."

    "Yeah, she'll need to bring Spike!" I heard Spike yell from the back of the library.

    Next was Sweet Apple Acres. "Permission to enter bucking territory?" I called to Applejack playfully.

    "Oh, good mornin', Mr. Star!" she stopped her harvest for a minute. "What can ah do ya for?"

    After my invitation, she used a long, complicated Southern metaphor that I'm not even gonna try to remember in response. But it meant yes. "Can ah bring Big Mac and Applebloom?" she asked. I nodded. Today's party was gonna be huge.

    I stopped by at Sherbet's and Daisy's before flying over to Ditzy's. I hoped Dashie wouldn't be too pissed to see her, but I invited her anyway. I knew Dashie would get over it eventually.

    I arrived at Pinkie Pie's shortly after. "Pinkie?" I called through Sugarcube Corner's door.

    "Oh, hi, Mr. Star!!" she said, peppy as usual. She had just pulled a warm tray of cupcakes out of the oven. "You wanna try a cupcake?"

    "Maybe later," I said, smiling, "I just came over to invite ou to a party I'm hav-"

    "A PARTY?"

    "Yeah, a -"

    "YESOHYESOHYESOHYES!!!" she shouted, bouncing around the room.

    I explained the concept a potluck (without too much difficulty), and then I only had two more stops: Fluttershy and Rarity. Next up: Rarity.

    "Why?" she asked, right off the bat.

    "It's a welcome-back party." I said, "because Rainbow Dash is coming home from the hospital today."

    "Oh, well then yes, darling! Why didn't you say so sooner?" she said, promising to bring the best gift ever. As long as she brought food.

    Lastly (but not leastly) was Fluttershy. I traveled quickly to her cottage, dodging the birds that seemed to group in a higher concentration near Fluttershy's house. I knocked at the door twice, but couldn't hear any action coming form inside. "Fluttershy?" I peered in through the peephole.

    Then I heard a singing comin from the backyard. That pretty much confirmed that Fluttershy was int he garden. I was thinking up a comical situation in my head (Fluttershy radar, boop boop boop) when Fluttershy had come up beside me.

    I almost fell over. Ninja pony? I think not. "Hello, Mr. Star, sir." she said, still apparently not fully trusting in me yet. I had to make this quick.

    I was barely able to get my explanation out before she complied. I was relieved at the speed of our conversation, and flew away, to the hospital, to pick up Dashie (literally).

    When I arrived back, pushing Dashie in a special cloud wheelchair, I noticed that Pinkie Pie had basically vomited party all over the cloud house. It was totally decked out with streamers and there was confetti on the ground, with a big banner reading "Welcome Home" in rainbow paint. Clever.

    I rolled (floated?) the cloud-chair into the house, and a huge "SURPRISE!!!" jumped back at us. The party had just started.

   Dashie was beginning to roll herself around with her left legs, while I went to check out the (already-set-up!) food tables. I saw that each pony brought something different: Twilight brought a huge casserole, decked out with... casserole... ingredients. I don't know what goes in a casserole. Ditzy brought muffins. (Ya don't say?) Rarity brought a fancy, prepared fish that seemed to already been eaten off of (I found out later that it was just that good of a fish). Fluttershy had brought a really big bowl of Caesar salad, with eggs and olives to complete it.

    Last were the desserts. Oh my God, the desserts. Well, first off, Sherbet brought sherbet. Duh. Ans Daisy brought a type of crunchy cookie candy thing that looked excellent. Applejack and her family had blown the idea to shreds, overdoing it is such a delicious-looking way my mouth watered. Apple strudel, apple pie, apple crunch cake (yeah, there's a thing called apple crunch cake), and ever other apple-related dessert you could think of.

    But I think Pinkie Pie's section was just flat-out overwhelming. There were cakes and cupcakes and brownies and scones and RRGH. 'I think I'm gonna get diabetes', I thought, 'but it'll be worth it.'

    The party lasted until two in the morning, when Applejack and her family left. A little while after, Pinkie fell asleep, and the party pretty much died from there. I carried Pinkie (to my great embarrassment) back to the Sugarcube Corner, and when I returned, all but Dashie and Fluttershy had left, and they were sleeping next to each otheron the couch Dashie's right limbs at comfortable position.

    I tried not to laugh as I finally saw why had been keeping all the earth ponies up: tons of popped balloons, with hoofprints on them, were too light to fall through the cloud floor. I wondered why I hadn't wondered that before.

    I left both ponies on the couch, sleeping soundly. The living room was silent, and I flipped off the lights and I left it. "Sweet dreams, Dashie," I whispered. Next Chapter: Chapter Sixteen - Substitution Estimated time remaining: 47 Minutes