It was an odd occasion when I learned that ponies don't celebrate the new year. The most acknowledgement that Shy and Scoots were showing the date was simply hanging up a new calendar. This in my mind would not do. I had always enjoyed New Year's Eve, a chance to have a little extra fellowship after Christmas and an excuse to get a bit tipsy and act the fool. I had made my mind up, I was going to introduce the concept of a New Year's Eve party to Ponyville and for that I needed the services of one Pinkamena Diane Pie. May God have mercy on my soul.

It was around Noon on New Year's Eve when I set about my task. I gave Shy and Scoots a peck on the cheek and told them I had some business in town. The walk to Ponyville was cold and slow, especially to my warmer climate sensibilities. Eventually I made my way to Sugarcube Corner. Stepping inside I was greeted by warm air and a huge smile.

"Hey there Mister Bear!" Came Pinkie's high-pitched call.

"Hello there yourself Miss Pie!"

"What brings you out on this cold day? Oh I bet it's cupcakes! I have a fresh batch already prepared! Chocolate with Blueberry Frosting and mint sprinkles! Oh oh is it a cake? I could whip you one right up! Or is it pies you need? Or OHMYGOSHISTHATFLUTTERSHY'SFEATHERAROUNDYOURNECKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Rolling my eyes I flicked the vibrating pink pony on the nose causing her brain to reboot.

"As to your first question Miss Pie, I am here to commission your services as a party planner. As to your second, yes. Yes it is."

Pinkie's eyes were rapidly expanding in a manner I was not sure is biologically possible.

"THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Pinkie screamed.

"Pinkie, I haven't even said what the party is for..."

"Well duh! You want to celebrate you and Fluttershy being mates! Oh this will be so fun!"

"No Pinkie that's not what the party is for."

This seemed to stop her in her tracks, "It's not?"

I shook my head, "No, today is a human holiday I enjoy and I was hoping you could pull off a last minute miracle and arrange a small party for it."

"A human party?" Pinkie reached in to her mane and pulled out a pad and pencil. How does that even work?

"Spill the details and let me worry about the rest." Pinkie commanded in perhaps the most serious tone I had ever heard from the mare.

I filled her in on the traditional O'Hara family celebration, some beer, some unhealthy fried food, a bit of music, and dancing while counting down to the new year. Pinkie seemed ecstatic about the idea and mentioned something about petitioning the mayor to make it an official holiday. At least I think that is what she said as Pinkie spoke all this in a non-stop sentence while simultaneously vibrating so fast I was afraid she would change quantum states.  

I did at the time let the thought of Schrödinger's Pinkie pass through my mind, when Pinkie is vibrating so rapidly that you can not make sense of her, does she exist equally in a state of Party and Not Party? I decided to call this the Pinkie Uncertainty Principle. I would mention this to Twilight later.

I passed Pinkie a bag of bits with only the instructions "Go wild" for the party. I next trudged my way to Twilight's castle for a word with her.

I arrived at the castle and was let through by the recently stationed guards. After the attack it had been commanded by Celestia and Luna that despite Twilight's misgivings of a guard presence in Ponyville, a small contingent of guards would be permanently stationed at Castle Friendship. I met with Twilight in one of the many libraries in the castle.

"Bear it is good to see you and I'm glad you're here!" Twilight exclaimed when I entered.

"Well it is always nice to feel wanted Twilight, I was actually here to ask you a favor though so don't be too excited to see me." I quipped back at her.

"A favor? What kind?" She asked.

I went to to explain the concept of New Year's Eve and how humans celebrate it as a holiday. She was fascinated with the idea and I was unsurprised to see her levitate over a quill and ink and begin taking copious notes.

"This is fascinating Bear, a human holiday and I get to see it...well assuming I'm invited..."

She looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes.

I sighed, "Of course you are invited you silly pony. Knowing Pinkie the whole town is. That's the favor I wanted to ask, permission to hold it here at the castle."

Twilight gave a little squee and clopped her hooves together, "That is excellent! You are right too, she will probably invite the whole town for something like this. I'll go ahead and let her know she can use one of the castle ballr-"

We were interrupted by a an earth pony guard running in to the room in a huff, "Princess! Princess!"

"Calm down Guardsman, what is it?" Twilight demanded.

"Down-down stairs...some kind of monster! Blew past us like a tornado! Headed deep in to the castle!"

Twilight and I exchanged a look, a spell already charging on her horn and my limiters already off. We ran side by side through the castle following a trail of guards that had been knocked on their rumps. As we rounded a corner we heard a loud commotion followed by what sounded like a cannon going off. Ahead of us another group of guards were trying to get back to their feet while looking in to the closed off room beyond.

Cautiously Twilight and I approached the door. We were both ready to do violence against any monster that had intruded. We burst in to the room not prepared for what we found. Pinkie Pie moving in a pink blur pushing around a gaily colored cannon that was rapidly shooting out...party decorations. Hot on her tail was a group of guards trying to dog pile (pony pile?) her.

"Pinkie stop!" Shouted Twilight.

Pinkie screeched to a halt sending the gaggle of guards chasing her stumbling as they seemed not to be able to defy physics and halt their momentum in the way Pinkie could.

"Hiya Twilight! Don't mind me! I'm just decorating for the party tonight!"

Twilight and I looked at each other, one face meeting a hoof, and one meeting a palm.

Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and myself showed up to the party around nine in the evening. We found that the festivities were already in full swing. Pinkie had truly pulled off a miracle, a small DJ booth was set up with a local unicorn DJ in red shades playing various techno-ish songs. Such music was becoming popular when I had left Earth but I admit it is not my cup of tea. Scootaloo darted off in to the crowd finding Sweetie Belle and Applebloom who all three turned and shanghaied Spike, no doubt off on some errand of mischief. Fluttershy stayed glued to my side.

"Shy, you with me?" I asked quietly while stroking her between the ears.

She nodded and gave a meek "Yes."

"I know crowds make you nervous but I am right here, you are safe and you are secure."

She seemed to relax a bit at that and flared out a wing and held it against my back giving me a warm smile. We mingled with the various guests for a time before approaching the buffet. I was a bit stunned at the sheer variety of fried food available. Fluttershy and I loaded down plates of various fried vegetables, though my plate had enough fried potatoes on it that I'm sure my Irish ancestors would call me out on being a stereotype.

We found an empty table and sat close together eating our food while sipping hard cider. We were joined not long after by the rest of Shy's, and now by extension my, friends.

"Darlings!" Cried Rarity, "Pinkie told me Bear was wearing your feather but I just had to see it to believe it!"

Fluttershy started blushing and trying to hide behind her mane, "Yes...well...um...it just seemed the right thing and somepony..."

Rainbow Dash slid up beside me with a serious look on her face, I never quite knew where I stood with her. She surprised me by wrapping me in a bone crushing hug and saying just loud enough for me to hear, "You take care of her...she means more to me than you will ever know."

She broke off the hug and gave a punch to my shoulder and a smirk then settled in her seat while tilting back a bottle of hard cider. Fluttershy had mentioned she had experimented once...could it be...nah. Applejack congratulated us on our bonding and sat down with a huge plate of fried apples and began chowing down. Pinkie and Twilight both gave happy congratulations to us on our pairing and wished us a long and happy relationship.

As the party wore on our little group split up to take part in various activities. Twilight hit the dance floor and proceeded to dance like no one was watching. Meaning it looked like she was flailing about in an epileptic fit. Pinkie and Applejack got in to an impromptu pie-eating contest. Once I realized what they were up to the double entendre was not lost on me. Rarity politely excused herself around the ten o'clock hour and corralled a rather nervous looking Big Macintosh in to a slow dance. Forward Mare is forward was all I could think.

That left only Shy, Dash, and myself at the table. Eventually I noticed each time I took a drink of my cider Dash would take a pull of hers. Our eyes locked and the battle was joined. We were eight bottles in to our drinking contest and Dash was already looking a bit worse for wear, I was just pleasantly buzzed.

"Howwsh a big monkey like you brink...drink...so mush.." Slurred Dash.

I stared her down with a smug (drunken) grin, "I'm an O'Hara, born in the South and carrying the blood of the Irish. Your weak alcohol has no effect on me!"

I am assured I was not that eloquent, rather I am told I said something to the effect of kicking the vikings off my island and always remembering the War of Northern Aggression. Fluttershy wisely cut me off at this point with a stern look while Dash was already nodding off. The midnight hour was approaching and thanks to a few glasses of water I was at least sober enough to realize what was going on.

The DJ on stage started counting down, "Alright Ponies and Human! It's almost midnight and that means it is almost time to let the beat drop!"

I will give it to the DJ, she is quite talented and managed to sync up the dropping of the music's beat with the midnight hour. As the crowd counted down I felt a bit saucy and grabbed Shy, pulling her in to my lap, her hips straddling mine as we started face to face. As the beat dropped and the crowd hit "One!" on the countdown I wrapped Fluttershy and a tight hug and a deep passionate kiss (sloppy half-drunk). I paid no mind to her wings shooting open, here eyes going wide then closing while she hummed in to the kiss, nor the hoots and catcalls from the crowd. My whole world at that moment was the mare I loved and the start of a new year.

Next Chapter: 19 -Blarney Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 29 Minutes