As Cranky was all by his gloomy self by the river, it started to rain, so Cranky walked over to the naked tree by the river and sat down under it. After some time went by, Apple the Bloom met up with Cranky and asked, “Cranky? What’s the matter?”

“What makes you think anything’s the matter?” Cranky asked upsettingly.

“Y’all seem so sad.” Bloom assumed.

“Why should I be sad?” Cranky asked as the rain suddenly stopped, and after one final drop drips on Bloom’s nose, a small cloud of rain followed Cranky around as he sad, “It’s my birthday, the happiest day of the year.”

“Your birthday?” Bloom asked.

“Of course, can’t you see all the presents?” Cranky asked as the storm cloud vaporized.

Apple the Bloom searches around the area and eventually says, “No.”

“Can’t you see the cake, the candles, the pictures?” Cranky asked.

“No.” Bloom said as she searched again.

“Neither can I.” Cranky said.

“Awww.” Bloom said in sorrow. She then tried to brighten his mood by saying, “Well, happy many returns of the day, Cranky!”

“Thank you, Bloom, but can’t we all?” Cranky asked. “Some of us don’t.”

“Can’t all what?” Bloom asked.

“No gaiety.” Cranky said sarcastically. “No song and dance. No here-we-go-round-the-mulberry-bush. But don’t worry about me, Bloom. Go and enjoy yourself. I’ll just stay here and be miserable, with no presents, no cake, no candles.”

Just then, Bloom hatched an idea in her head. “Cranky, wait right here.” Bloom advised him as she runs off. Bloom hurried home as fast as he could, and when who he should find in front of his house, but- “Fluttershy!” Bloom said surprisingly as Fluttershy was standing on an apple jam pot trying to reach the knocker on Bloom’s door.

“Hello, Bloom!” Fluttershy said as she continued to reach the knocker.

“What are you tryin’ to do?” Bloom asked.

“I’ve b-b-been trying to-“ Fluttershy then falls off the pot and lands on her back. “Ooo!” she panted. “That is, I WAS trying to reach that kn-kn-kn-knocker!”

“Here, let me do it for you!” Bloom offered as she walked over to the door and knocked on it.

“But Bloom-“ Fluttershy tried to get her attention but she was already knocking.

“Ah found out what’s troublin’ Cranky.” Bloom said. “It’s his birthday, and nopony has taken any notice of it, and he’s very gloomy, and well… whoever lives here certainly takes a long time answerin’ the door.”

“Bu-bu-but, Bloom!” Fluttershy stuttered. “Isn’t this your house?”

Bloom gasped in shock and then looked at her house. “Oh! So it is! Well, let’s go in.” Bloom opens the door and the duo walks inside. “Hmm.” She thought. “Ah must find Cranky a present of some sort.” Bloom searches around the house to find something until she spots something in the cupboard. “Ah ha! Apples! That should do very well!” Bloom grabbed a chair and brought it to the front of the cupboard where she climbs up and reaches for the pot. “What are you goin’ to give him, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, couldn’t I give it too? Fr-fr-fr-from both of us?” Fluttershy suggested.

Bloom thought it over and she lets out a smirk. “No, Fluttershy. That would not be a good plan.”

Fluttershy felt buzzed out when suddenly she herself hatched an idea. “Perhaps I can give Cranky a balloon.” She suggested.

“Now THAT, Fluttershy, is a very good idea!” Bloom agreed. “Nopony can be uncheered by a balloon.”

“I have one at home! I’ll go get it, r-r-r-r-right… now!” Fluttershy said cheerfully as she runs out of Bloom’s house. So off Fluttershy went in one direction, and in the other direction went Bloom with her jar of apples. However, Bloom hadn’t gone very far when a very funny feeling began to creep over her. It began at the tip of her nose, and trickled all the way down to the soles of her hooves, as if someone inside him was saying-

“Now then, Bloom, time for a little somethin’!” So Bloom had a little something. And then she had a little more, and a little more, until she had taken her last lick from the inside of the jar. “Now let me see.” She thought to herself. “Where was ah goin’? Oh yes! Cranky! Ah was goin’ to give him-“ Just then, she gasped at the empty apple jar. “Oh bother, ah must give Cranky something.” Bloom was stumped on what she should give him until she spots Owlowiscious’ house into the distance. “Ah think ah should go see mah good friend Owlowiscious!” Bloom climbed the tree to Owlowiscious house where Owlowiscious was hanging up a picture frame of one of his relatives.

“Hoo! That should do it! The perfect spot!” Owlowiscious said as he hammers the nail hanging the frame onto the wall. After the three bangs of his hammer, he then heard another three bangs mysteriously. He banged the nail again with his hammer, and then heard the banging sound again, until he eventually found out it was somepony knocking on his front door. “Yes, yes, coming.” Owlowiscious opens the top half of his door and says, “Oh Bloom! What do I owe this?”

“Many happy returns of Cranky’s birthday, Owlowiscious!” Bloom said as she held the apple pot behind her back.

“Oh is that what it was?” Owlowiscious asked as he opens the bottom half of his door. “Well, come in, Bloom! Come in! You know, that reminds me of the birthday of my Great Uncle Robert, a portrait of whom you see upon the wall on your right. He had just reached the ripe old age of 103, although of course he’d only admit to 97. We all felt a celebration was in order. So while Uncle Robert was returning in the late forenoon of the-“

“What are you givin’ him, Owlowiscious?” Bloom interrupted him.

“Uh, giving to who, Bloom?” Owlowiscious asked.

“Cranky.” Bloom said.

“Oh Cranky!” Owlowiscious chuckled. “Yes, I uh- what are you giving him, Bloom?”

“Ah’m givin’ him this useful pot to keep things in!” Bloom said. “And ah wanted to-“

“A useful pot?” Owlowiscious interrupted as he takes the pot and observes it. A drop of apple juice falls on his beak. “Hmm. Evidently…” he takes a taste, “Somepony’s been keeping apples in it.”

“You can keep anythin’ in it.” Bloom said. “It’s very useful like that, and I wanted to ask-“

“Oooh, you’ll want to write ‘Happy Birthday’ on it!” Owlowiscious suggested.

“That’s what ah wanted to ask you.” Bloom said. “Mah spellin’ is a little… wobbly.”

“Hmm. Very well then.” Owlowiscious accepts as he flies over to his desk with the pot, puts on glasses, dips his quill and ink, and he begins to write on the pot. Bloom peeks over to see what he’s writing but he stops and says, “It’s easier if people don’t LOOK when I’m writing.” Bloom smiles embarrassingly and steps back. She also holds her ears over the fact that the quill is squeaking like a magic marker. After a few moments, Owlowiscious says, “There! All finished! What do you think of it, Bloom?”

He shows Bloom what he wrote on the pot which contains the words ‘HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THU’ Ink stains ‘HAD BTHUTHDY’. “I kept it simple!” Owlowiscious said. “Just saying Happy Birthday!”

“That’s a lot of words.” Bloom said as she observed it.

Owlowiscious got a little nervous. “Oh… well… umm… of course, I, uhh, uhh, I wrote ‘A very Happy Birthday with love from Bloom’. Naturally, it takes a good deal of words to say a long thing like that.”

“Oh, ah see!” Bloom understood as she takes the pot and starts walking out. “Well thank you, Owlowiscious! Cranky will be most pleased!”

“Oh I do hope so!” Owlowiscious said excitedly. “Ooh, this is exciting! I’ll fly directly over to Zecora’s to tell him the news!” Owlowiscious flies out of his house and soars through the skies. Down below he sees Fluttershy carrying a big red balloon across the forest. He calls out, “Many happy returns of Cranky’s birthday, Fluttershy!”

“Ooh, and many happy returns to you too, Owlowiscious!” Fluttershy called out, but as she wasn’t looking, she bumps into a tree, and she along with the balloon starts bouncing and rolling down the hill. When it finally stopped, Fluttershy felt a tad bit dizzy, but relieved that the balloon was ok… woops, I spoke too soon. “Oh dear!” she said nervously as she sees the popped balloon lying on the ground. “Oh dear! Oh d-d-d-d-deary dear! What shall I… how shall I… well, perhaps Cranky doesn’t like balloon so very much.”

Fluttershy then sadly walked down the path just to find Cranky still sitting in his gloomy spot by the river, watching the tide go by and not moving a muscle. Fluttershy hesitates as she walks over to Cranky while holding the destroyed the balloon behind her back. She then says, “Good afternoon, Cranky!”

“Good afternoon, Fluttershy.” Cranky said. “As if it is a good afternoon, which I doubt.”

“Many happy returns of the d-d-d-day!” Fluttershy said.

“Meaning my birthday.” Cranky reminded her.

“Yes, Cranky!” Fluttershy said. “And I’ve… brought you a present.” Cranky got shocked; so shocked that his ears jumped in surprise.

“Pardon me, Fluttershy, but my hearing must be going.” Cranky assumed. “I thought you said you brought me a present.”

“Yes! I brought you a b-b-b-b-balloon!” Fluttershy said.

Cranky collapsed on the ground in shock and then asked, “Balloon? Did you say balloon?”

“Yes, but… I’m afraid-oh…” Fluttershy got nervous. “I’m very sorry, but… when I was running- that is, uh, to bring it- I fell down and uhh…” she then shows Cranky the popped balloon.

“My balloon?” Cranky asked. “My birthday balloon?” Fluttershy nodded in sorrow. “Red…” he said. “My favorite color. How big was it?”

“How about as big as m-m-m-me.” Fluttershy said.

“My favorite size.” Cranky said.

As Fluttershy thought she was doomed, Bloom shows up with the empty, but still juicy pot with her. “Many happy returns of the day, Cranky! I brought you a little present. It’s a useful pot, and it’s got ‘A very happy birthday with love from Bloom’ written on it, and it’s for putting things in.”

“Like a balloon?” Cranky asked as he walks over to the pot with the popped balloon.

“Oh no, Cranky!” Bloom said. “Balloons are much to big to-“ As she was talking, Cranky inserts the popped balloon inside the pot, and then he started to smile. “So it does! Cranky I’m so glad I gave you a useful pot to keep things in!”

“And I’m glad I gave you something useful to put into the p-p-p-p-pot!” Fluttershy said. Cranky places the balloon out of the pot and then back in as he smiles bigger and bigger.

Later that day, the three of them, as well as Zecora, Spike, Twilight, Owlowiscious, and Angel sat at a table together as Cranky finally received the birthday cake he deserves. “Many happy returns, Cranky!” Zecora said. “I hope you find that delicious cake quite tangy.” Cranky smiles as he blows out the candles, and everypony cheers.

“Hoo! Bravo! Bravo! Good show!” Owlowiscious cheered as he receives a slice of cake. “This reminds me of the party we once gave to my Great Uncle Robert. He had just reached the ripe old age of 103 though, of course, he’d only admit to 97. So, we had to instruct the guests that he-“

“Hellooo!” a familiar voice said as Angel was about to take his first bite of cake.

“Oh no! Oh no!” Angel complained. “Not…” Just then, Pinkie Pie bounces on Angel and he falls off the table and the duo roll a few feet from it. “…Pinkie!”

“Hello, Pinkie! We’re having a party!” Spike said excitedly.

“A party?!” Pinkie asked excitedly. She then bounced in joy and said, “Oh boy! A party! Pinkies love parties! Oh, and cake!” Pinkie continues to laugh as she gobbles up Angel’s cake.

Angel got upset and he angrily said to Pinkie, “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did to Cranky!” Pinkie looks over at Cranky and saw he was upset to see her. “Well I think Pinkie should leave!” Angel suggested.

“Aww, let her stay.” Spike suggested. Pinkie nodded in agreement.

“What do you think, Zecora?” Bloom asked her. Everypony focused their attention to Zecora for her answer.

“I think…” Zecora thought it out. “I dunno if that’s how you get your kicks, but I suggest we should play Bloom Sticks.”

“Bloom Sticks?!” Pinkie cheered in excitement. “Woo-hoo-hoo-hooo! That’s what Pinkies do best!”

So they gathered on the old wooden bridge and played the game for many contented hours, and Cranky, who never played it before, won more times than anyone else. But poor Pinkie won none at all.

“Grrr!” Pinkie growled angrily. “Pinkies do not like Bloom Sticks!”

“Let’s play again!” Spike suggested.

“We must go home, dear; it’s past your bed time.” Twilight said to him.

“Aww do we have to?” Spike complained as he yawned. “I’m not tired.”

“Come along!” Twilight said as she uses her magic to place Spike on her back and she walks off.

“I think,” Angel yawned, “we should all be going.”

“Yes, quite right!” Owlowiscious agreed. “Congratulations, Cranky! It’s been a delightful party!”

“Thank you, Owlowiscious!” Cranky said. He then sees Pinkie sadly walking away, and to his good mood, he wanted to cheer her up. “Pinkie, I’d be happy to tell you my secret for winning Bloom Sticks.”

“Uh, you would?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s very easy.” Cranky said as he and Pinkie start walking off together. “You just have to let your stick drop in a twitchy sort of way.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot the twitch!” Pinkie chuckled as she began bouncing again. “That was my problem! Woo-hoo-hoo-hooooo!” Crash.

“Bounced again.” Cranky said.

After a few minutes went by, Zecora, Bloom, and Fluttershy were alone on the bridge watching the stream go by. Fluttershy looked over and said, “Pinkie’s alright, really.”

“Of course he is. Everything is surely a bliss.” Zecora said.

“Everypony is, really.” Bloom said. “That’s what ah think, but ah don’t suppose ah’m right.”

“Of course you are; no need to gloom.” Zecora said. “Silly ol Bloom!”

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading this MLP cover of Winnie the Pooh! I hope I got many of your childhood memories remembered! :D