After the scare over the hoax that was the supposed Y2K bug had subsided, one thing that was always in the back of my mind was Pinkie Pie and her evident talent for throwing parties, as was frequently demonstrated on the show. I had frequently had the thought in the back of my mind that I should do something to help Pinkie Pie earn her cutie mark, that picture that was always on a pony’s hips.

And, the opportunity came when, one day after church, as we started heading home, Pinkie Pie mentioned something about a classmate in the primary who was going to have a birthday soon. I didn’t get the name of the classmate, but I did hear Pinkie Pie tell me that she, that is Pinkie Pie, wanted to throw the party for her classmate.

Now, the thought came to me that this party was the perfect time to help the pink earth pony earn her cutie mark. But, first I had to know for sure if Pinkie Pie had gotten permission from her classmate and the classmate's parents to plan and throw her a party.

As it turns out, that part of it hadn’t occurred to Pinkie Pie. With my encouragement, she galloped back into church to find her classmate and her classmate's parents and ask them if she could plan the party for the little girl. And, when she came back out, she said she’d gotten permission from the little girl’s parents to plan and throw the birthday party.

It wasn’t until the morning afterward that we started planning everything out.

After being informed that the classmate wanted the party to be in the church's recreational area, I used a modeling and animation program on my laptop computer to model the room for the event; and, with Pinkie Pie’s help, I placed objects that would represent where the items for the party should be set up.

This was one of those times when a 3D modeling program really came in handy. I could place objects representing presents, tables, decorations, refreshments, and games for the pink earth pony, and it required minimal effort to move an object to a new location where Pinkie Pie, or for that matter the birthday girl, thought it’d be better.

Then, that afternoon, the little girl and her parents came to get a look at the preparations Pinkie Pie and I had made. And, that’s when things started falling apart for Pinkie Pie.

About the only thing the little girl liked about the plans was that there was a place set aside for her guests to play. Other than that, the little girl wanted ribbons instead of streamers, flowers instead of balloons, no confetti, she wanted to bring her own games, and the tables were on the wrong side of the room from where she thought they should be.

I guess one thing I hadn’t taken into consideration was Pinkie Pie’s pride in the work she and I had put into the setup. Everything the little girl said was wrong the pink earth pony took personally, until she finally galloped out of the room crying.

We were stationed in the kitchen at the time, and I offered apologies to my guests before following Pinkie Pie to my bedroom.

Once there, Pinkie cried, “Oh, d-daddy, d-did I d-do anything r-right?”

Interesting, isn’t it, that no matter how many times I heard Pinkie Pie call me that, there was always that unexpected rush that followed? I stroked the earth pony’s back as I said, “That’s what my computer plans were for. That way, I, we, could make any changes to the plans that needed be made.”

Pinkie Pie, who was facing away from me at the time, turned to me and said, “B-but, she h-hated everything about m-my p-plans.”

I continued stroking her back as I said, “That’s not true. Yes, she wanted to change a bunch of stuff, but that doesn’t mean she hated your plans. It just means she had different ideas from you.” At this point, I picked her up and hugged her as I continued, “Now, let’s go back and make those changes, and we can make sure the party is just the way the little girl wants it to be.”

It took a minute or two before Pinkie Pie decided she was ready to go back, and it was with me carrying her in my arms.

When we got back, the parents of the little girl apologized for their daughter’s behavior and making Pinkie Pie cry.

I waved away their concerns, telling them that it was just a misunderstanding on Pinkie Pie’s part, and she was ready to get back to making the necessary changes to the little girl’s birthday party plans.

Well, with five minds working together, me moving objects around to where the little girl wanted them, her parents discussing the placement of the tables and the party in general, and Pinkie Pie showing a little more patience towards the little girl’s demands, we finally had the plans to the little girl’s satisfaction; and I think Pinkie Pie learned that just because someone else has a different opinion on what the plans should be doesn’t mean that someone else hates the plans that were made.

When the day of the party arrived, Pinkie Pie and I were busy that morning, along with volunteers from the ward, setting up tables and chairs, ribbons and flowers, and other decorations, in the church recreational area in preparation for the little girl’s birthday party. With the help of all the volunteers, I’d say the preparation took maybe about an hour. And, then it was back home to wait for the time when the party would begin.

Actually, with my encouragement, we got there an hour early to make sure the preparations were the way the little birthday girl wanted.

For all I know, the little girl might’ve just had a bad day at school. Whatever the case was, she threw a tantrum right there in the gym, something about everything being wrong.

But, it was too late to do anything about it, as guests started entering from the door opposite the kitchen.

Well, as it turns out, for the duration of the party, everyone had fun. Even the birthday girl calmed down and took part in the games and the refreshments.

Pinkie Pie offered rides to the party-goers; and the only problem, it seems, occurred when one of the guests, another little girl, wet herself on Pinkie’s back.

The good news is the little girl was wearing a diaper at the time, and no one got hurt. The bad news was the sudden warmth of the diaper startled Pinkie, who reared up on her hind legs, causing the little girl’s father, who was holding her in place, to pull her away as fast as he could, while I proceeded to calm the pink earth pony down.

Beyond that, Pinkie Pie was frequently asked questions about why she didn’t look exactly like the ponies from the My Little Pony cartoon show, or any real ponies.

I was the one that answered the questions as best I could, saying that Pinkie Pie was just a prototype or a mutation, an explanation that seemed to satisfy the guests that asked the questions.

As the party drew to a close, and I heard a little girl innocently ask, “Pinkie Pie, what’s that on your butt?”

Another little girl said, “I’ve seen ponies on My Little Pony with pictures like that. It’s called a cutie mark.”

And, my attention was immediately drawn to the pink earth pony, who was trying to get a look at what the little girls were talking about. My conversation with the parents of the birthday girl had to end immediately as I got up and walked over to Pinkie Pie to get a look at what had drawn the attention of the little girls. And, sure enough, as soon as I got a look at it, I knew Pinkie Pie had earned her cutie mark: three balloons, two blue ones on the outside, and one yellow one above and between the blue ones. And, sure enough, there was that rush again. I had helped the pink party pony earn her cutie mark.

I had to wait until after the party, which wasn’t that far off, to explain to Pinkie Pie just what had happened to her, and why it wasn’t going to happen to a human. But, it seems my explanation easily satisfied her, and she was as happy as I was about her defining mark. At that point, evidently more than any other, it was clear to her that the party she’d planned and thrown was more of a success than she could’ve expected.

I could only wonder what this would mean for the future, although I continued to encourage the pink earth pony to make friends and learn as much as she could. But, Pinkie Pie earning her cutie mark was something that was celebrated within the family, our own little cuteseniera.