There was a difference between Cheesy Sense, and whatever this other thing was. Years of being Equestria’s premier party planner pony hadn’t prepared Cheese Sandwich for this.

Cheesy Sense, the alarm that signaled him to go throw a party wherever he was needed, was urgent. It hit suddenly and said clearly, “go here, go there,” kicked him in the hindquarters, and sent him racing off after it, all over Equestria. This – this other thing was a slow, steady pull, always in the same direction—back towards Ponyville. He had caught himself headed that way several times, almost as though he were sleepwalking, and then the Cheesy Sense hit and sent him ricocheting in the opposite direction.

He’d never envied Pegasi their power of flight, because he already knew what it was like, soaring up into the sun and then sliding down, buoyed up on a wave of other ponies’ happiness. Their laughter tossed him so high that he didn’t need wings. Infinite music, infinite energy, infinite gifts that came seemingly from nowhere.

She’d given him that in the first place, of course, without even knowing she’d done it, because Pinkie Pie left joy in her wake and never even looked back.

Ponyacci’s funeral had taken a lot out of both him and Pinkie Pie. He’d promised to take her all the way home, swearing on Camembert that he would, the most binding promise he knew. As he’d feared, the accordion cutie mark on his flank had started to quiver and spasm at least an hour before the train pulled into Ponyville. He held it off as long as he could, and barely had time to jump out of the boxcar with a still sleeping Pinkie Pie, leave her on the bench by the track, blurt “you’ll take care of her, won’t you?” to the stationmaster, and jump back on the train. That’s when the feeling that he was stretched in two directions began.

In all these years, his Cheesy Sense had only sent him to Ponyville once. It was the one place in all of Equestria that had a party pony as good as he was, and probably better. What were the odds that it would ever happen again? It wasn’t as though he’d ever be needed there.

The more time passed, the more convinced Cheese was that he’d done something awful—unforgivable, even. He had a pretty shrewd idea that while Pinkie said she got a little coco-loco when she missed her friends in Ponyville, meaning everypony in town, they got more than a little coco-loco without her. Ponyville needed her more badly than they knew. What were they going to think of him when he’d seemingly kidnapped their Permanent Party Pony and dumped her back off at the train station without an explanation or a goodbye? Nothing good, that’s what.

Meanwhile, his Cheesy Sense was triggering more and more often, so that he was sent criss-crossing Equestria without a letup. It was like being on the end of a giant bungee cord, with Ponyville at its center, and every time he began the rebound, he was whipped in another direction. Los Pegasus to Fillydelphia to Baltimare, Dodge City and a return to Appleloosa, Vanhoover and Trottingham, with less energy every time. It was still good to make other ponies happy, but he didn’t think he was as quite as good at it as usual; so he tried harder, and grew more tired every time. As for Ponyville, and that other thing that was pulling him there-- returning was unthinkable by now. He’d have to have a really good excuse.

He was in Seaddle when he got one--and he wished he hadn’t.

Author's Notes:

Officially uploaded on Valentine's Day! You didn't want me to leave Pinkie and Cheese where I left them, did you?

Thanks so much to FillyBlue for allowing me to use SuperDuper Party Ponies as the cover image! FillyBlue is also the creator of the Tumblr Ask Cheese Sandwich It's just getting going, but well worth checking out. It manages to convey a certain -- how can I put this -- cheesiness?