In the dining hall of the Friendship Castle, fifteen glasses were raised in the air, and all who held them cheered together.

"To the first humans of Equestria!"

Together they all drank to their toast.

"Ho, boy," Spike said, raising his voice. "This stuff packs a punch. It's like if they turned juice into a soda, but not like any juice I've ever tasted."

"Woah," Becky blurted out, finally seeing Spike with a glass. "Should he be drinking?"

"He's of age." Sniff answered firmly. "Well, he's over eighteen, at least. But I think that's all this little guy will be getting for a while. It's a special occasion, after all."

"Yes," Twilight added. "I suppose one glass should be fine. This isn't as strong as the vodka or other drinks, right?"

Cerb downed his glass.

"Not even close."

Sniff placed down his glass and grabbed his fork.

"Alright, it's settled. Now everyone shut up and eat. My boy here knows what he's doing on the stovetop. Believe me."

There was no argument to be had, and the meal began. It should go without saying; the dish was nothing short of exquisite. So lost in enjoying the eggs, no one noticed Spike run off to the kitchen again.

"Hope you all didn't think that was the only thing I made," Spike announced as he wheeled in a second cart of the same fashion.

"Ma dude!" Sniff cheered. "Whatever you did, you've outdone yourself. I'm calling it."

Spike did his best to act modes.

"Awe, shucks. You haven't even tried it yet."

Twilight lit her horn and removed the tray.

"Only one way to know for sure," She gleefully announced before taking it upon herself to dish out the plethora of pancakes through the air.

The sweet smell of pancakes with something rich and creamy enveloped the room, leaving Spike all too proud to introduce the last dish.

"Manehatten-style cheesecake pancakes." He took his seat and waited for his plate to be filled. "Well, the cheesecake is Manehatten styled. I just mixed it with the pancake batter."

Pinkie Pie grew excited.

"Oou! Sounds delicious! Are there any with gummy bears?"

"No!" Nearly everyone in the room shouted together.

"Eh-he," Pinkie gave an embarrassed grin and shrugged. "Just asking."

Sniff leaned over and gave Spike a firm side hug over the new display.

"You've done your country a great service today, bro."

A mix of laughs and chuckles filled the room, but they were quickly replaced with sounds of silverware rendering slices and cuts as they all fed themselves. Mixed in were random compliments exchanged. How good the food was, a thanks for coming, or hosting. All of it ending with a combination of those who claimed to have had their fill or were saving room for more drinks.

What started off as a lively breakfast feast slowly wound down to general chit-chat, and everyone lounging was interrupted by an alarm clock. The many patrons of the gathering searched the room until all eyes were focused on Pinkie Pie. She was lounging over both armrests of her chair, most of her lower body vibrating.

Why wouldn't it be her?

"Huh?" Pinkie suddenly asked aloud, somehow the last to notice the alarm ringing. "Oops, I almost forgot."

Being the one who could defy all forms of logic and physics, Pinkie pulled open a pocket in her fur and extracted a classic-styled round alarm clock, still ringing. She clicked it off, lobbed it behind her for all to see it break, tossed back the last of her Mimosa, and then rolled off her chair to make an announcement.

"I bet you're all wondering why I set an alarm."

Sniff snickered.

"There's a lot of things we wonder about you, Pink."

"Quiet, Mr. Smelly Pants," Pinkie proudly stood and allowed that slight against her go without a stronger retort. "Everypony here has been working hard to help you fit in and make yourselves at home. Well, I've been busy with something else. So, please follow me!"

Pinkie turned to exit and started bouncing her way out, flashing her backside as her tail flipped up with every descent back to the floor.

"Gawd damn it," Sniff groaned loudly as he shielded his eyes. "Had it been anyone else, I probably wouldn't even care. Fuck my eyes."

Not far behind, Applejack leaned over to Lumberman's side.

"What's he all bent out uh shape for?"

Lumberman laughed a little at the situation. Then again, he had already been slightly desensitized from the eyefull early that morning he received.

"We're not used to seeing the places you wouldn't want us going poking and prodding, and he really didn't want to see that."

There was still a large portion of the sensitivities about this Applejack didn't understand regarding the humans. So, she had to ask.

"Why is he so upset about just seeing it? Nopony covers up round here. Is he afraid of touching it or something?"

Lumberman could barely contain himself.

"Hey, Sniff. Applejack wants to know if—"

Sniff stood up and made his way back to the bar.

"I heard what she said, and hell to the no. Now excuse me while I go drink myself blind."

"Plausible deniability?" Becky joked.

"Or just trying to lower your inhibitions?" Kelly added.

"Says the woman who didn't even bat an eye," Sniff jested back to her.

Kelly couldn't care less.

"Oh, please. We've both seen enough puss in our life to not even bat an eye at that. You're being a crybaby."

Sniff answered back to her, snagging a bottle of vodka to take along with him.

"By all means, Kelly. Have at."

As they all made their way down the halls, Rarity slowed down and motioned for Fluttershy to walk with her. Discreetly, she whispered to her.

"Everything is going fine right now, but clearly, being too close for too long to Justin is only making our situation worse. So, we'll have to limit our time with him, maybe even take turns keeping tabs on him. At least until we get a better understanding of our situation."

Fluttershy saw the logic in her friend's approach.

"That sounds like a good idea. I can go first since I think I was last to... umm."

Rarity knew precisely what she was talking about.

"Yes, of course. I know, darling."

Within no time at all, everyone and everypony reached the double doors in front of the castle where Pinkie was waiting for them. They gathered together, waiting for the big reveal to come to display.

Rarity took position next to Cerb with Fluttershy on his opposite side.

"Prepare yourself, Justin. Knowing Pinkie, this is going to be something with either too much thought put into it or something saturated in sugar and frosting."

Pinkie stood tall and proud, again letting herself be no more covered than the pinup girl in a nudie magazine.

"I wanted to do this much sooner, but now that things have settled down—"

She kicked the front doors open to reveal a mass of ponies that must have been the entire population of Ponyville, if not more, all standing in front of the castle. Above them was a banner that read 'WELCOME WELCOME TO PONYVILLE, HUMANS!' with fan fair and streamers abound. She then reared up with a handheld karaoke machine and raised the mic to her lips.

"—Happy Welcome Welcome to Ponyville Party! Yay!"

A thin rope dropped down from the doorway, and Pinkie quickly gave it a yank. Two-party cannons just beyond the front steps fired off with mirroring booms, filling the air with confetti as the mass of ponies cheered them welcome.

The familiar sounds of war made Cerb react the only way living with incoming mortars could.

"Hit the Deck!" He screamed, bending down and scooping up both Fluttershy and Rarity in his arms before diving to safety behind the double doors.

"Oh, no..." Benny groaned to Pinkie. "No loud bangs around Cerb without a heads up... Should have probably mentioned that."

The crowd of ponies looked onward at the six humans still standing. Instead of getting into the spirit, they were a mix of surprised at the massive welcome and concern for the friend still lying face-first on the floor with his two protected captives in his arms.

Twilight was probably the most confused, if not concerned.

"Is he... going to be okay? I mean, is that even normal?"

"For him?" Becky answered from atop Big Mac's back. "Unfortunately, yeah. Not a fan of fireworks, either, sadly."

Pinkie was running circles in her mind. She hadn't had a backup plan for a human with Ligyrophobia. How was she supposed to know that two standard-sized party cannons could so easily spook even the biggest of the seven guests?

Rarity raised a hoof and waved it to show she was okay.

"Don't worry. We can take it from here."

"I'm okay, too," Fluttershy muffled under Cerb's weight.

Pinkie's plan had gone south from the moment the doors opened, and all was about to be lost.

Seeing the goodwill going to waste and the collective confusion about what was happening, Sniff had to know what was going on. He leaned into Chris's ear from behind him and quickly whispered, "What the fuck is going on?"

Chris raised his hand to cover his mouth.

"A surprise party for us. It's kinda her thing."

Tension in the air from the growing silence was reaching levels of an unrecoverable social disaster, and only one human had the experience to save this shit show.

"Pink Pony," Sniff called out with questionable confidence. "—you owe me for this. Just reset the cannons while I work my magic."

Sniff made his way down the steps and made a b-line to his car, shouting to the awaiting masses of ponies along the way.

"Hold on a sec. Sorry, we had a little mix-up with the surprise party kick-off. Don't worry. Not your fault. Just some technical issues."

"Awe, fuck," Becky quietly hushed to Kelly, still on Big Mac's back. "He's not seriously gonna just up and drive off, is he?"

Kelly watched as Sniff sat in his car, put the key in the ignition, but didn't start the engine. Instead, he pulled out his phone, fiddled with the dashboard, then stretched his arm across the passenger side and pushed open the other door.

"No. Remember when the strip club screwed up reservations for Chris's twenty-first birthday?"

Kelly was already hating where this was going.

"And he took over the DJ booth and made it look like it was a fake-out surprise party, and he was the one hosting it instead?"

Becky hung her head.

"Damn it."

Big Mac caught the words that came with no pleasure as Kelly recapped the events.

"Was that a bad thing? Is he doing a bad thing now?"

"Bad thing?" Pinkie snapped back, her appearance turning more into that of the crazy Pinkamena, eyes splitting off in opposing directions. "What could be bad about a surprise party where the only surprise is that nopony wants to party? It's not like—"

Sniff ran up behind Pinkie, interrupting whatever nonsense she was about to spout.

"Pinkie, shut up and give me the mic. The party is about to start. Help me work the crowd after the intros, and don't fire the cannons until I say so."

Pinkie wasn't responding. She sat there, giggling maniacally to herself and stroking her now straight hair.

"Hey," Sniff loudly grunted as he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "I don't need Twilight's making ice for drinks right now. I need the world's best party pony."

Those words instantly broke Pinkie out of her trance. She shook her head in a blur, returning to the pink party pony that he was hoping could work her magic and keep up with what he was about to put out.

"You mean it?"

"Yes," He quickly answered, taking the mic in one hand and raising his phone in the other. "And how do I address all of them out there?"

Instantly, Chris answered for her.

"Fillies and GentleColts."

Sniff nodded his thanks.

"Awesome. Weird, but whatever. Pinkie, stand with Benny. Everyone else, pair up the way you all have been with each other. Ladies, uh... Pony ladies. Mares, just help me out and pretend like we rehearsed this and make your way out together when I call your names. Same for you, Mac."

Sniff pressed play on his phone, sending the Bluetooth audio to the car, tucked his phone away, and hoped he wasn't about to fuck this up as he started to speak with LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem playing loud enough to reach the back rows of ponies.

"Fillies and GentleColts!"

Cerb finally got ahold of himself and returned to the crowd's view with the help of Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Shit, what I miss?"

Kelly turned back to Cerb.

"Think of Chris's twenty-first birthday, but this time we're the strippers. Get ready to strut your stuff, Lever Action."

Up in front, Sniff was still trying to bring the crowd back into a good mood and get excited for them.

"Now, this may seem a bit unorthodox. But I wanted to introduce us to our own surprise party. Imagine the look on Pinkie's face when I told her I'd be the host for the first part of my own surprise party. Now imagine my surprise when I forgot."

A collection of laughs started to build up from the welcoming party.

"So, without further ado." He turned dramatically with an outstretched hand to the pairs of his friends and ponies behind him. "First up, being escorted by the Party Pony, I'm sure you all know, my good friend Benny and Pinkie Pie!"

Benny took the hint and started to walk out to the crowd with Pinkie at his side. After his third step, Sniff made a motion with his body, doing his best interpretation of a 'white boy' dance, letting Benny know that he was to make a proper entrance.

"Oou! We're supposed to dance our way in!" Pinkie shouted as she grabbed Benny by the wrist. "Come on! Bust a move, BenBen!"

Benny glared fire and brimstone through his forced smile.

"I hate you, Sniff."

Sniff returned the well-deserved ire with a wink.

"Love you, too, BenBen."

After the two got a good distance out, Sniff picked up with the next two in line.

"Oh! And who better to follow up Pinkie than our very own Party Girl, Becky! Grooving on in with your very own future Wonderbolt guardian, Rainbow Dash!... Aye, Dash. Catch! "

He tossed her the vodka bottle he kept tucked under his arm.

"Party girl don't like to party thirsty."

Rainbow caught the bottle and flew behind Becky shaking and grooving in toward the crowd to growing applause, prompting Sniff to move on to the next pair.

"Okay, next up. The guy who probably already knows all your names, along with the unicorn who will help you drink away the memory of your own. Chris! And Starlight!"

Chris did more of a goofy-styled dance, which just came naturally for someone his size, while Starlight did a pretty good job playing along with her own little dance. By this point, with a combination of the music playing behind them and Sniff's naturally charismatic personality, the ponies were getting into it, bobbing along and cheering for them as they made their way out to be greeted.

"Next up, we can't ignore the biggest bro of the bunch. The man! The myth! The Legend! Accompanied by Diamond Thighs and Butterflies. Give it up for the immortal... Cerberus!"

Walking out to the entourage, Cerb did more of a strut to the beat while Rarity pranced with her head held high. Fluttershy walked normally and tried to hide behind her hair.

"Fluttershy, can't you put a little effort into this?" Rarity kindly asked.

Cerb looked down to his right at Fluttershy.

"Come on. I pushed myself off the floor. The least you could do is dance on it with me."

Fluttershy still wasn't the type to be the center of attention, so dancing wasn't really on her list of things to do.

"I don't think I could—"

Not wanting to have a poor display in front of the locals of this new world, Cerb reached down and took hold of Fluttershy's hoof, brought her up to her back legs, and twirled her away, only to then twirl her back to his side and started to dance the Dabble. A rush came over her that gave her the inspiration to do her best. Now, already halfway to the others, Fluttershy let the music move her, lifting both forelegs into the air and twirling them over her head like a double lasso. She turned her body to Cerb's, sidestepping as she danced with her back arched in and her hips getting low. When she was a few feet from the rest, she turned her back to the crowd, glancing at them over her shoulder, showing just enough of her face to give an innocent but still sexy look.

The crowd roared with another cheer, seeing Fluttershy put on a show like she never had in public before. All the while, Cerb ran low on dance moves and was doing the Chris Tucker groove.

"Ohhhhh! I did not expect to see moves busted out like that!" Sniff called out, continuing to work the crowd. "Not you, Cerb. You were just as terrible as always."

The crowd laughed but continued to cheer them on.

By this time, the first track finished, and the next song came up, and it was sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love was a fitting selection for this audience.

"Okay, the next lady lovely doesn't quite have her dance feet back yet, but maybe my new brother from another mother, Big Mac! can help her out our little drip of joy, Kelly!"

Big Mac was 110% not into this and stood there petrified. Not even Kelly on his back, still cheering and doing her best to clap, gave him the courage to move.

Sniff didn't anticipate Big Mac getting stage fright.

"Oh, come on, Big Guy. Don't leave the audience waiting to say hello." He turned back to the ponies to call upon their aid. "Hey-Hey-Hey. Maybe Big Mac just needs some encouragement to get off his lazy butt and bust a move. Come on, make some noise to help this stud get tuh stepping."

As the crowd and the rest of the group ahead of him cheered him on, Big Mac gulped and looked over his shoulder at Kelly. "Mrs. Kelly. I really don't feel comfortable doing this."

Kelly leaned forward and whispered into his ear. He nodded understandingly to the first few words, then went stiff. He swallowed hard and turned to face the crowd with true grit and a determined smile.

As they all had hoped, Big Mac took to task escorting Kelly out with the slyest moves no one ever could have expected from a country farm horse. Each step with a bob and sway, then a slide into a side pass, staying in beat the whole time. He finished up his short set by backing into the center of the others that parted around him and let his rear drop, making Kelly slide down. She was caught and held up by Cerb and Chris like it was something they had rehearsed.

"Miracles do happen!" Sniff announced. "Good on ya, Mac Daddy. And Kelly, keep them hands where I can see'em."

That last joke went over every pony's head, so Sniff continued.

"Alright, another pair and another Apple. My friend calls her Apple Hat. You know her as Applejack. Who you need to know is the backbone of our operations here in Ponyland and back home. Master builder with a hammer and knows how to swing it. Lumberman!"

Lumberman started out strutting out much like Cerb did, stopping a few paces out to tip his invisible hat to Applejack. She returned the gesture, expecting him to pair up for a square dance. Instead, she raised her eyes to see his hand held out, stopping her from any advance. Once he saw her take the cue, he stepped back and picked up right into the choreographed dance he learned from the official video.

This was by far the most elaborate display of dance moves seen yet, and most were too impressed to do anything but sway to the music and watch him move. He continued on until Pitbull rolled his tongue. He slid up next to Applejack with his hand extended out to her. Applejack went to reach for it just as Usher yelled, "Oh," where Lumberman pulled his hand back and went back to dancing alone again. It was the perfect setup, and she fell for it. The crowd laughed and cheered, and Lumberman broke his stride, stumbling back to a pissed-off-looking Applejack.

She tried to step away, but he picked her up around her barrel so that she was standing up with her back against his chest. Thinking he was going to apologize, she closed her eyes and held her nose up high. Instead, she felt his lips press up against her cheek for a quick kiss.

"That jackass," She cursed silently to herself.

"Ohhhhhh!" Sniff exclaimed into the mic. "Fillies and gentle colts! Please avert your eyes. Ain't no pony wanna see that. Lumberman. Stop trying to steal the show."

Lumberman continued to dance his way to the others, leading Applejack back along. At least Applejack could appreciate the skill and quick thinking it took to play her like that. She trotted up, angry at herself for not expecting the kiss and leaving herself wide open for it, yet couldn't stop the smile from shining through as she tried not to laugh at herself and how embarrassed he made her.

"So that's payback, huh?" Cerb joked.

"Yeah, Woody, here's a real piece ah work," Applejack admitted, taking it in stride.

Before Sniff could pick up his next line, he felt something tug on his pant leg. He looked to see Spike reaching for the mic.

"You think you got this, small fry?"

Spike grinned.

"Don't worry. I got this."

Sniff faced the crowd again.

"Okay, as much as I'd love to introduce myself, Lumberman ate up all my time with all them fly moves I taught him, so it wasn't like I could stop him. So let my new buddy here take the honors."

Spike caught the mic just as V.I.C, was about to make the mares Wobble over the stereo.

"Okay, everypony!" Spike called out to the crowd. "You all know me, and you know Ponyville's number one Princess. And only a few of you out there have had the fortune to meet the human I'm most proud to introduce. He's slick. He's sly. He's single, so don't let him lie—"

"Damn it, Spike!" Sniff tried to yell over the music.

Spike poised himself like a Las Pegasus stage announcer and pointed back to Sniff standing next to Twilight.

"Say hello to the last of the Stranded Seven! Sniff!"

Sniff grunted and looked up to the sky, regretting giving Spike the mic.

"Gah... Why couldn't he just call me Peter."

Twilight giggled.

"Oh, get over yourself. We have a whole town waiting to meet you. Come on, tell me if I wobble right."

Sniff bit the bullet and grooved his way down with the Princess. At first, her dancing was mostly just her swaying her hips and swinging her head from side to side. Sniff gave the best moves he could muster for such a slow beat but quickly decided to tap Twilight on her side to better direct her on how to wobble.

Just like Cerb and Lumberman, he helped her up to her back legs.

"Just try to do what I do, then add what you want to it once you got it down. Don't worry. It's easy."

For anyone that's ever seen the Wobble dance at a club or a reception, this was no different. He kept it simple and added nothing fancy to the movements, letting her follow him through the motions twice before stepping off and leading her out. They continued back to the crowd as she amazingly kept in step with him. After the third turn they shared, he started to add more flair and style to the movements.

Twilight saw what he meant by 'adding what she wanted to it' and followed suit. She got more animated with her dance steps, letting her hooves swing out more and rolling her shoulders as he did. Then the next set of wobbles came, and she got down lower and let her plot stick out. She was a natural.

If the humans brought any kind of magic, it came out in their music. Or at least that was something the ponies were starting to see after spending what little time they had with them.

Finally, the group was all together again, and the kerfuffle that was Pinkie Pie's first attempt at introducing the humans was as if it never happened.

Spike joined the group and handed the mic back to Sniff.

"Awe, nah, dude. I was just here to fix the mixup." Sniff returned the mic to Pinkie. "This is your show. Do your thing."

Pinkie was ecstatic. Her party was saved, and Sniff wasn't acting like a jerk anymore.

"Thank you so much, Sniffy!" She thanked him and leaped up to give him a big hug before turning back to the audience that was trying to recreate the wobble dance on all fours. "Alright, everypony! The Welcome Welcome to Ponyville Party has officially started! Cake! Ice Cream! Dancing! And all day and all night to say hello and introduce yourselves to the only humans in all of Equestria starts now!"

Sniff ducked into the group to speak lowly to Cerb, who was still grooving to the music like everyone else.

"Hey, I know you're gonna hate this, but hold tight for the canons to go off."

Cerb lamented at the idea but nodded.

No need to spoil the party on his account.

"Hey, Pinkie," Sniff tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. "Go ahead, light'em off."

"Oh-kay!" Pinkie shouted and reached for a remote control he hadn't seen her seen her holding before.

She pulled back a clear plastic cover and pushed a single red button in the center of the device, igniting both canons, delivering a downfall of confetti. Cerb flinched instead of diving to the ground, although he still seemed to be shaken.

With the party officially started, many of the ponies began to break off. Some went for food or drinks, others made way for party games that had been set up in preparation for the event, but a lot of them flocked over to properly introduce themselves to the humans.

Suddenly, a stallion's voice called out to Twilight that shocked her.

"You know, when Pinkie sent us the invitation, saying how bad things were, I actually believed her."

"Shining Armor?" Twilight uttered questionably, doubting she heard his voice.

She turned back to see not just her brother but Princess Cadance and Flurry Heart along with him.

"I can't believe it! It is you! And you brought the whole family!"

The reunion commenced with an exchange of hugs as Twilight went to each member of her kin and welcomed them.

"So Pinkie Pie sent you all an invite for this?"

Cadence was the first to answer.

"Well, the invitation sounded more like she thought you could use some cheering up after everything that happened with the humans arriving and your bout with magic exhaustion. But I'm glad to see that you seem to have recovered."

"And learned some new dance moves," Shining added.

"Speaking of which," Twilight happily stated, turning back to motion for Cadance and Shining to follow. "Let me introduce you to our newest guests of Equestria."

A group of local ponies who had been introducing themselves and complementing the humans on their music and dance moves parted ways for the royal family, bowing down as they passed.

Twilight stood in front of her royal counterparts.

"Everypo—" she cleared her throat, giving her time to correct her error. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Princess Cadence and my brother, Shining Armor. And, of course, little Flurry Heart."

She leaned down to give Flurry Heart an Eskimo kiss, bringing an excited giggle and squee from the foal .

"You're getting so big. Yes, you are," she continued in baby talk.

It was a quick exchange of hand-to-hoof shakes that took place with only one mishap.

"Owe," Cadence yelped and withdrew her hoof from Cerb's hand. "Wow. That's a mighty strong grip you have there."

"Sorry, " Cerb quickly apologized as he drew his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket, but he couldn't hide how it was trembling. "The canons got me a bit too excited, I guess."

His friends who knew him recognized this behavior. Older generations might have called it shell shock. For Cerb, it took a lot of mental preparation and usually a lot of alcohol to help him cope with being around the cracks and booms of any type of explosion. Apparently, a few Mimosas and zero warning for the first blast from the cannons and another fifteen minutes for the second round of cannon shots wasn't enough for him today.

"Princess Cadence," Benny spoke up. "My brother here, I think, needs a moment. Could you excuse us for a bit?"

Cadence felt something pull her to Cerb. She could feel something in him. From him? Maybe it was around him? Whatever it was, it caught her attention and sparked her curiosity.

"Well, perhaps, I could join you. It's been a long week for me, and we just got here ourselves. I could use a moment to rest my legs. Shiny, you don't mind taking Flurry to join in the celebration, do you?"

"What? Are you kidding me?" Shining Armor all but shouted.

Shining had slept most of the way there, taking a nap with Flurry Heart, and was ready to unwind. He picked the filly foal up and let her ride atop his head.

"Father-daughter bonding time at a Pinkie Pie party? Ha! Just try and stop me." He turned to Twilight and her many guests. "Would any of you care to join us?"

As Shining Armor turned the crowd, Flurry got a better look at the humans. Both of the girls looked pretty enough to be giant-sized dolls, something she was already familiar with at home. Instinct kicked in, and she conjured up some magic to pull the nearest presumed toy closer, which just so happened to be Becky.

"What's going on?" Becky asked, seeing her vision become clouded by an ambient light that surrounded her.

Shining armor rolled his eyes up to see Flurry Heart's horn glowing and her forehooves stretching out to Becky.

"Hey. Woah there, kiddo." He calmly tried to get his daughter's attention, pulling her down from his head up and against his chest, breaking the telekinetic hold. "What are you trying to do to Becky?"

Flurry Heart looked up to her father, then back to Becky, and stretched her forelegs out.

"Dolly!"

"Looks like Flurry thinks you're a toy," Cadence declared. "Must be that pretty face of yours," she added.

"Can I hold her?" Becky asked. "She's adorable."

"If she doesn't mind," Cadence answered.

Who's to say if Flurry Heart heard or understood that statement. What was clear was how much she wanted to get her hooves on Becky. The filly teleported out of Shining's hold and appeared with a pop and a flash in front of Becky. Just as quickly as she had reappeared, Flurry swooped in to latch around Becky's neck.

Flurry Heart nuzzled into Becky.

"Dolly, play."

"Aww," Becky cooed. "How can you ever put her down? She's so light, too. I thought she'd be heavier."

"Well, if you don't mind holding onto her, you're more than welcome to join us." Shining proposed with a welcoming smile.

Rainbow Dash trotted up next to Becky.

"I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say that's a yes from Becky."

"Yeah," Becky answered back. "You coming along, too, Dash? Show us the best games?"

"Sure thing, Becks," Rainbow Dash proudly agreed. "What about Cerb, though?"

"Don't mind me," Cerb said, already backing up to the castle. "I just need to sit down for a while."

"You sure, bro?" Benny asked, thinking he was going to escort him off from the crowd instead of his caretakers... Maretakers?

Everyone looked back to Cerb, slowly moving away with Fluttershy and Rarity staying close to either side of him.

Still concerned for his wellbeing, Kelly called out from Big Mac's back, "You thinking you might want some Jack?"

Cerb waved her off with a shaky hand.

"Sounds good, Kel."

Twilight watched as Cerb made his way back to the castle, growing more and more concerned for him.

"Hmm, this can't be good. I think I—"

"Twilight, don't you worry about this," Cadence hushed her as she trotted by. "You've been so busy dealing with everything. Let me check up on him. You go and enjoy the festivities."

"I... okay?" Twilight gave up as Cadence trotted on. "I wonder why she's so interested in him all of a sudden."

"Yo, Twiggels," Sniff poked her wing with a finger. "Don't worry about Cerb. He'll be fine. He just gets a bit jumpy around loud bangs. Nothing big. He'll be fine once he calms down. And he'll be a lot more relaxed once he gets some whiskey in him."

There was an uneasy feeling that Twilight couldn't get over. Something about a vibe Cerb was giving off. It was akin to an unspoken word or an unseen gesture that called to her but faded off so quickly. Maybe it was just how shaken up he looked to be.

"If you say so. And hey." She turned her full attention to Sniff. "Where did you come up with the idea to have us do a dance introduction? You pretty much saved Pinkie's perfect party record."

"Oh? That?" Sniff huffed out a laugh at the memory of the strip club he took Chris to for his twenty-first birthday. "I once threw Chris a party. Had a bunch of girls I know to give him a special greeting when he walked in, but the manager screwed up the dates, and no one was ready. So, I pretended like we got him excited for nothing, made it look like it was all a trick to make him think that the night wasn't special at all. Then, I took over the DJ booth and introduced all the girls who were there one by one and got the club to join in on it."

"Best birthday, I only somewhat remember," Chris cheerfully butted in. "It wasn't until a few days later he owned up that everything went bust on 'em, and he had to improv the whole night to make it work."

"Oh... Well, that sounds like an amazing birthday—" Twilight just caught those last few words. "Wait. What do you mean you only somewhat remember?"

Chris shrugged slightly but still sported his goofy grin.

"Well... where we come from, there's a stupid challenge called Going Twenty-One for Twenty-One. And all that is, is trying to do twenty-one shots in one night when you turn twenty-one. And I did it. But I only remember doing the first sixteen."

"Oh, my goodness," Twilight recoiled. "And by twenty-one shots, you mean twenty-one shots of your alcohol?"

Chris flashed an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah... and other drinks that were a lot stronger than what you've all had. A lot stronger than what I had yesterday, even."

Sniff patted Chris on the back.

"Oh, yeah. Homeboy here was the life of the party until he blacked out. Then he was just a hot mess and got us kicked out of the club."

"Awe, that's too bad," Twilight gave her condolences. "What kind of dance club kicks out their patrons for having too much fun?"

"They had their reasons," Benny chimed in. "But anyway, what are we supposed to do here for this?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Pinkie shouted, manifesting herself behind Benny and placing a hoof over his shoulder as she side-hugged him. "I want you all to get out there! Meet some ponies! Play some games! And most of all—"

"Read a book!" Benny shouted out over Pinkie.

"Yeah!" Pinkie, in turn, raised a triumphant hoof in the air. "Read a b— No!"

Benny embellished a sigh, knowing she didn't catch on that he was messing with her.

"Fiiiiiiine... We'll party... if we have to... I guess."

Pinkie glared at Benny, perhaps the first time ever feeling put off by him.

"You're not being serious, are you?"

"Well." Benny bent down to be eye level with the irritated mare. "It's kinda hard to be so serious around you."

"You're killing the mood there, Benny Boy," Sniff announced as he wound his hand back, only to swing it down and slap Benny on his ass.

Benny shot up, clenching his butt cheeks and grabbing his ass in reaction with a yelp.

"Ah! What the hell, man?"

"Straighten up and party hard, or no more make-out cookies for you," Sniff mockingly lectured Benny. "Pinkie put a lot of work into this shindig, and I didn't just put my ass on the line for you to take anything away from the festivities."

"Ah, man. I'm just messing around. You know me," Benny complained.

"Yeah, but look around, man," Sniff instructed while pointing out to the mass of ponies who had stuck around, ignoring the other elements of this festival-sized party. All for the chance to have a meet and greet with their newest guest to town they came to welcome. "Cerb is gonna be outta commission for a hot minute, Kelly's on a beer run with Apple Mallet, and Becky is now occupied with babysitting with a prince. "

Suddenly unsure, Sniff turned to Twilight.

"He is a prince, right?"

Twilight looked on with a mix of a grin and a frump from having even to answer this question.

"Well, he's the brother to a Princess, married to one, and father to another, so yeah. He's a prince."

"Yeah," Sniff continued, now with his confidence fully restored. "So, we're standing at four out of seven. So stop monkeying around and mingle. We have an image to maintain."

"Oh, god," Benny whined. "Tell me you're not branding us."

Sniff straightened out his shirt and prepped himself to meet the masses.

"Don't blame me. Blame Spike for coming up with the Stranded Seven."

Spike had a sudden look of shock as if he just got called out for pulling the last cookie from the cookie jar.

"Wait? What did I do?"

"You came up with a cool franchise name, bud," Sniff confirmed to Spike. "Don't worry about it. Ya did good, by the way. Even if you didn't call me Peter and established me as a bachelor."

"Oops."

"Hey!" Sniff suddenly called out, recognizing a familiar face in front of the crowd waiting for them to finish their business. "There's some pony I know. Come on, guys. Let me introduce you to probably the best bread baker in town."

He led the three others to a perky little unicorn.

"Oven Fresh, I got some friends here I'd like you to meet, including my buddy Chris who is feeling much better thanks to you."

The group hadn't traveled far and ended up back in the dining area where Cerb and his two mares retook their seats with Cadence pulling up a chair of her own in front of the three.

"They won't mind if I grab a bite, would they?" Cadence asked, seeing a small stack of untouched pancakes.

"Oh, of course not. I'm sure Spike would be glad to share," Rarity explained.

"These are Spikes?" Cadence questioned with increased enthusiasm. "Well, then."

Cerb didn't do or say much since getting in. He mostly just seemed to stare down at the table, rubbing his hands together, and looked to be trying to control his breathing. It was a disheartening sight to look at once Cadence had fixed herself a plate.

"I hope you don't mind me intruding, Cerb was it?" Cadence asked softly.

The question took a moment to process for Cerb, being how distracted he was. He wasn't really much in the mood to chat it up, or at least he usually wasn't. Certainly not with a complete stranger like this new alicorn was to him. Although, that newly familiar calm and pleasant wash of peace was taking over him again. Being how Fluttershy and Rarity were there with him, he supposed that would have made sense, but he could swear he felt an additional level of influence coming from the Princess who sat in front of him.

"Uh... no... you're fine," Cerb meekly answered.

"Is everything alright?" Cadence started to investigate Cerb's well-being. "You seem rather on edge for such an occasion."

Some protective mentality took over Fluttershy, and she felt the need to put a barrier between Cadence and her line of questions.

"Mr. Cerberus has a bit of a troubled past that Rarity and I have been helping him with."

Rarity added her piece along with it.

"Yes. Some rather unpleasant memories best not revisited."

Peering at the human, Cadance could see a familiar look deep in his eyes. Something buried far below the surface of the fear and the strong front he did his best to put on. She likely would have overlooked it had she focused on the curious pull his very being seemed to emulate.

"I see... You'll have to excuse me if I seem to pry too deeply, but I can't help but notice the pain you're holding within."

The three gave Cadence a perplexed look, not sure if she knew something already or if this was some divine power bestowed upon her as an alicorn.

"Sorry," Cadence apologized for being so direct. "I've had a lot of long stares into my own sad eyes growing up, so I tend to notice these things."

Cerb, by all rights, should have been put on alarm by the intrusion, but much like with Rarity and Fluttershy, her approach was comforting and calming. Although, this feeling came along with a new sense of warmth. If he didn't know any better, he swore it softened his heart some. This mysterious feeling had him reach out to either side and place his hands on the nearest hoof of Fluttershy and Rarity. He didn't hold tight or pull them close. His hands just sat there to keep contact with the mares he had so quickly grown attached to these past few days.

Cadence saw no resistance and continued with her outreach.

"I was fortunate enough to have a lot of love in my life when I lost my parents. My whole village, actually. But, despite my natural disposition to love, it couldn't drown out all the pain I felt. Fortunately, for both of us, we seem to have fallen into the caring and welcoming hooves of ponies. And if I had to guess, I'd say you've already found some comfort and healing for your heart with these two."

Somehow, these ponies were breaking him down, and he couldn't understand why.

"I can't tell if I've been carrying this weight for so long that I've just grown so damn tired of carrying it or if you've cast some kind of spell on me that has robbed me of my defenses. Because it seems like whenever I'm cornered like this, I lose all the free will to protect myself."

A silence fell over the mares. Even if they were doing some good for this damaged man, he made it sound like there was a deeply personal violation and loss of autonomy that came attached with the exchange. Almost as if he was being forced against his will to reveal these demons that haunted him.

Cerb broke the silence.

"But I can't help but think that maybe it's worth it if it will stop the nightmares and—" He wrapped his fingers around the hooves he was holding onto. "—and everything else that pushes me away from all the other good things in life."

"Justin..." Fluttershy laid the tip of her wing on Cerb's shoulder. "We said we would do anything to help, and we meant it."

Cerb couldn't tell if he was taking control of his issues or giving up control over them, but he had lost the wherewithal to care.

"I don't want to live like this anymore."

Kelly was in mid-explanation of some of the particulars of Chris's twenty-first birthday.

"—and so then this other chick comes and sits on his lap. I think her name was High Beams; because her tits were huge."

A flash of light and pop in front of the two caused Kelly to put her recanting of the story on hold, not expecting Starlight to teleport in front of them.

"Oh, there you are," Starlight announced, relieved to find them. "Chris wanted to ask me to see if you two needed any help bringing back the bottles. Because no matter how many you want to bring, I can always make more."

"Make more?" Kelly asked, unaware of Starlight's gifted abilities in magic.

"Well, you see..." Starlight thought for a second, as she didn't want to say too much in front of Big Mac. "Hold on a sec."

Starlight's horn started to glow as a blue translucent sphere appeared around Big Mac's head.

"Okay, so—"

"What did you do?!" Kelly shouted, taken back by the sight.

"Don't worry, it's a privacy bubble," Starlight explained. "He just can't hear anything. But anyway, whatever drinks you bring back, I can duplicate for you. That's why we had ten bottles at breakfast when Cerb and Benny only brought two."

"Okay?" Kelly asked, still not sure why Big Mac had to be taken out of the conversation. "But why all the secrecy?"

Starlight forced a smile.

"Because I'm not supposed to?"

"Oh. Solid," Kelly answered back with relative ease. "Don't worry. I got your back if you got the booze."

Starlight was relieved to hear that Kelly wasn't going to rat her out.

"Shew. Thanks, but do you need any help bringing the bottles back?"

"Nah, we got this. Right, Mackie?" Kelly asked, turning back to look at Big Mac.

Big Mac was already looking toward them. He had held still while ranting in silence at Starlight for again forcing a spell on him. Lord only knows the nasty things he must have said.

"Ooooh..." Starlight cringed. "I really need to stop doing things like this to Big Mac."

Kelly tapped Big Mac's side to get his attention. As soon as he shifted his eyes to her, she held a finger to her lips to hush him. He glared and dropped his ears back, still mad about his treatment. However, as soon as they saw he had stopped yelling, Starlight removed the spell, giving him the ability to hear and be vocal again.

Starlight started to apologize as soon as she could.

"Now, Big Mac, I know you have every right to be mad at me—"

Just as Big Mac was about to tell her how right she was, Kelly interrupted both of them.

"Hey, guys. Both y'all," She drew their attention. "Big Mac, she had to tell me something in private. Starlight, you have good intentions; just... in the future, either ask to talk to me in private or at least ask him to put the silent bubble thing or any other spell on him. He's not against giving me space if I ask for it."

She trained her eyes between them, who both stood there, taking the lecturing.

"We all good? No need to start a fight, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Eyup."

"Alright. Glad to hear it." Kelly padded Big Mac on his side with a few soft taps. "Okay, let's get moving Mac. We got booze to bring back. And don't worry, Starlight. I'll make sure Big Red here has chilled out by the time we get back. But seriously..."

She shot a look down to Starlight that revealed the reality of a darker side only previously hinted at by Cerb.

"Don't ever do that again. Big Mac's off-limits to you doing shit like that so long as he's with me and the rest of my friends."

Starlight gulped, not knowing what a human could do if they were resistant to magic and could survive a spear to the chest.

Kelly turned back as Big Mac started off again.

"Don't worry, girl. We're still cool. Just had to let you know where the boundaries are. So get ready to party when we get back." She looked forward again and raised her fist in the air. "Ponyville Welcome Party! Woo!"

Starlight stood alone with her thoughts about the warning she was given.

"I think I need to start studying more with Twilight about this friendship thing."

"Oh, my god," Sniff moaned as he took another bite of a pineapple upside-down cake. "Twilight, please tell me you have a spell that removes pain."

Twilight moved back from the fork full of cake she was about to bite into.

"Uh... I might have something to help. Why. Are you okay?"

"Mmm," Sniff savored another bite. "I think I'm going to eat until it hurts."

Everpony laughed in the large crowd around him,

With the music, Sniff's energizing personality, and the whole spectacle that was their introduction, there was a surprising number of ponies very eager to meet these curious new creatures.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" A random voice called out.

Lumberman had already finished eating and took the liberty to get some clarification on the question.

"Me, Sniff, or all of us?"

A unicorn mare with an off-colored pink coat, a tail, and mane that were violet, with a lavender streak, and wore a yellow saddle over a yellow skirt that barely covered her flanks or the three diamonds cutie mark, pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

"Mostly you and Sniff. You two were amazing out there. You too, Princess. You'll have to show us how to do that Wobble dance. It looked like you two were having a lot of fun out there."

Twilight was pleased to receive the compliment while Sniff nodded in agreement and pointed to Lumberman, motioning for him to answer while he finished his plate.

"Oh. Okay. So, the dancing you saw out there, I learned from a music video. Same song that I danced to, actually. Other dance moves like Sniff had? We started goofing around late in high school with dancing. We thought we could pick up more dates with the hot girls in school if we impressed them on the dance floor."

A series of chuckles, laughs, and even a few oohs, and ahhs came from the crowd.

"Hey... It worked," Lumberman continued. "I stopped trying so hard, but Sniff kept with it for whenever we hit the dance clubs. I learned some line dancing when I dated this southern chick for a while. And the rest... Psh. I dunno, man. Pretty sure Cerb just made that up when went out there."

Another positive response from the crowd as they laughed at Cerb's expense.

"I mean, Becky is pretty good when she's feeling right. Kelly is really good, but she, uh... I'm sure you'll see her on the dance floor soon enough. And what's your name?"

"Amethyst Star," She said with a bow. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, hey," Lumberman responded, trying to sound pleasant in tone. "No need for bowing like that. We're all just normal people. Well, I'm normal. My friends are all pretty strange if you ask me. Right, Chris?"

Chris turned with a mixed look of confusion and mock resentment.

"Why ya gotta put me on the spot?"

The crowd laughed at the obvious jab.

"But, Nah," Lumberman made it clear he was joking. "My friends are all cool. Believe me. Really good people."

He reached out to shake Amethyst Star's hoof.

"And it's very nice to meet you, too."

"How exactly did you get here?" A female Earth pony asked near the front. She had a light goldenrod-colored coat and all orange mane and tail with two carrots for a cutie mark. "And, hello. Golden Harvest. Pleased to meet you."

There was an uneasy feeling that fell over those at the center of the question. Even Applejack and Starlight, who had been quiet for much of the exchanges, seemed to have their demeanor lower in stature.

"I got this one," Sniff stepped up to address the crowd. "Imagine this. It's the perfect spring afternoon. My friends and I were just getting back from the store for a private party to ourselves. Except Chris, he stayed at the house because there's sunlight and people who might try and have a conversation with him outside."

"He's lying," Chris leaned in to correct the story. "I was tired and took a nap."

"Lies won't make you happy, Chris," Sniff countered and gave the crowd a moment to finish up their laughs. "So, we get back to my main man's house. Benny over here. We park our cars; those self-moving wagons over there."

He pointed to where the music was still coming from.

"We don't even make it inside the house when all of a sudden... the air went perfectly still. Bright lights! White! Blue! Red! And Purple! Just exploded all around us! Then it was like we were stuck. Motionless. But then a wind came in around us! It felt like it was sucking us into the walls of the house. Just... perpetual motion... yet we never moved. Then... the silent explosion hit us."

All the ponies were silent, drawn into the story of their mysterious arrival.

"We were lifted off our feet as the force of the unseen, unheard blast hit us. Boom!"

He raised his voice even more so for added effect and to make them jump.

"But we still didn't hear it. No... Instead, we all thought we would be thrown headfirst into the wall in front of us. But that's not what happened. Instead, it was as if the whole world, along with everything around was all forced in the same direction together."

"Were you hurt?" The most adorable little unicorn filly asked.

Sniff looked down at the cute thing. A pale grey coat and matching yellow mane, tail, and eyes were looking up at him with anticipation and concern.

"Oh, my god. Look at you," Sniff broke out of story mode to kneel down and engage the tiny mare. "Are you not just the cutest little thing I have seen here, yet."

He did a quick turn to the baker mare he befriended and had stuck close by.

"Oven Fresh, sorry, but you're taking home the silver tonight. Gold just found its newest winner."

The crowd was so easily won over at this point. They awed and softly laughed at the wholesome display.

Expect for Oven Fresh. She sported an embarrassed smile and waved him off playfully.

"Oh, I can't be mad at that. Just don't put me in bronze, and you can keep your discount."

Everyone laughed at that.

Sniff turned his attention back to the crowd.

"Okay, everypony, stay on the lookout for our third-place winner. In the meantime, though..." He looked back to the small filly. "You seem awfully concerned for us. What's your name?"

The filly grew bashful and couldn't answer.

"Dinky, there you are," A pegasus who was an older mirror image, aside from the wing instead of a horn and bubbles for a cutie mark approached with oddly misaligned eyes. "Sorry, that's Dinky. She must have wandered off when I wasn't looking."

There was an easy joke there, but Sniff knew better. Not just wrong place, wrong time, but also tasteless.

"Dinky, is it?" Sniff asked.

The filly smiled but didn't reply.

Sniff reached out his hand towards her and looked up to who had to be her mother.

"Would you mind if she joined me for a little storytime?"

"What?" The pegasus answered back with some worry. "Oh, no. I don't want her to interrupt your story."

"Awe, come on. You think I'd be asking if it was a problem? Miss?" Sniff finished asking with a grin.

"Miss?" She froze for a moment. "Everypony just calls me Derpy. And Dinky—" She lowered her head down to the filly. "—do you want to have story time with the nice stallion?"

Dinky looked at her mother for a moment, then to Sniff before dashing out to his open hand, where he scooped her up.

"Okay, now it's really storytime," Sniff announced to the crowd. "Can't have a proper story told without a kid on your lap, right?"

Sniff took a seat on the table and placed Dinky on his left thigh, letting her rear legs lay over his right. He totally had the crowd wrapped around his finger.

"So-Oh, wait? Where was I? Sniff asked.

Dinky tapped his shoulder.

"You were with the world being forced with you."

"Yes, of course. Right," Sniff celebrated, letting her take in all the accolades of helping him back on track. "There we were, thrust out with the world around us. And as we fell, motionlessly in air, everything shifted. Zoom!"

He grabbed ahold of Dinky's forehooves, using them to show the directions they fell in.

"We were pushed up, and down, twisting and turning, like snow in a snow globe, yet still—"

He pulled Dinky's hooves to her chest.

"—we never moved an inch the whole time we continued falling. It was something I can probably never fully explain. The real experience is all but impossible to describe. But what I can describe was the end of the trip."

Everyone grew silent and leaned closer.

"We finally ended our fall," Sniff quietly spoke, an odd change for the tone to be so low during the climax. "We all crashed down on the hard concrete floor. Into the walls. I hurt my back and my legs. Kelly and Becky were both pretty banged up. Lumberman was knocked out cold... Cerb I think hurt the concrete floor he landed on-have you seen that guy? He's huge!"

The sudden break from seriousness threw everypony off in the best way. Even Lumberman and the others were laughing at their own misfortune.

"What about Chris?" Dinky asked, pointing in his direction.

"Oh, Chris?" Sniff turned back to his friend, who just knew something was going to be said at his expense. "Well, you see. Chris was lucky. Because he was already in the house. He fell on a cake."

"Oh, come on, man!" Chris cried out as he became the new butt of the joke.

"No, no, no. Folks," Sniff addressed the crowd again. "Chris fell on a cake yesterday. That was something totally unrelated."

The same response came from the crowd. Lumberman and Applejack probably lost it the worst, though, having been the ones who discovered it. Starlight felt terrible for not being able to contain her laughter but did her best to comfort Chris and padded his hand on his lap.

"Alright, alright. Chris didn't get hit as bad as us," Sniff said in a more serious voice. "Chris fell and landed on his big old butt."

He rocked his leg up that Dinky was sitting on, making her rise an inch or two off his thigh and plopping back down.

"Bump. Just like that."

He turned back to Chris, not happy with his treatment but also finding it hard not to laugh at the light-hearted humor of it all.

"You did land on your butt, right, Chris?"

Chris would go along with it for now.

"Yeah. Sure. We'll go with that."

"Oh, okay." Sniff turned back to the crowd. "It was either his butt or his head. It's hard to tell the difference sometimes. Ya know?"

He turned back to Chris as the crowd was cracking up. Even Dinky was all giggles in his lap.

"I'm joking, man. I love you like family. But, ya know... Aww... I made Chris sad."

Sniff looked down at Dinky.

"Hey, sweetie. You think you can give Chris a kiss on his head where he got his booboo?"

Dinky nodded excitedly, just happy to be involved. Anticipation grew as Sniff picked her up again and carried her around the table to Chris's side. She was tilted over as he leaned in, and Chris lowered his head to her, all too happy to get a kiss from one of his favorite characters he loved.

Dinky closed her eyes and planted a kiss on the top of Chris's forehead.

"Mmmwa!"

"Awe," Sniff lead the crowd into sharing the moment. "That is just so... oh no... That wasn't his head. That was his butt!"

Sniff lowered Dinky down to the ground and rushed her off, giggling wildly.

"Oh, my gosh. Quick, Derpy! Wash her mouth out with soap!"

Sniff was swiftly overtaken by Chris, getting wrapped up in one of Chris's arms while the other was playfully punching his side and chest.

As much as Chris wanted to be angry, it made Dinky and Derpy happy. That was well worth being the butt of the joke, even if he was the laughingstock of Ponyville for the moment.

"Okay, okay, okay," Sniff laughed, backing off and giving a nod, signaling a truce. "Okay, so, yes. We had a very rough, very terrible delivery to your lovely town here. And I'm making jokes about it right now because we all came out okay. Some bumps, some bruises, an excessive amount of property damage."

He paused for a few chuckles to run their course.

"But we made it out intact. And as much grief as I like to give Chris—actually, no. I loooove giving Chris grief. And he gives it back just as good as I can give it. But this guy... This guy is probably the reason all of us are here today. Not just me and my friends. This guy was the one who helped all of us come together, find common ground, and start forming friendships with all of you here in Ponyville."

Sniff turned back to Chris.

"Okay, Chris. No more butt jokes. But, could you stand up so they can give you a round of applause? Everypony."

Sniff turned back to the crowd as Chris rose.

"If you're enjoying our company as we visit. If you only just met us and enjoyed the story... If you just came here for the free food and drinks, I wouldn't blame you." Even he was starting to laugh at his own jokes, now. "Please, put it together for my friend Cowboy Cake. That's right, everypony. My friend, Cowboy Cake."

Chris hung his head as the crowd cheered for him. Smiling, laughing, and probably going to punch Sniff the first chance he got.

"Please be sure to say hello to this guy. I truly mean that. I wouldn't make fun of him so much if he wasn't my friend, or I at least found it funny."

Sniff just couldn't stop.

"But! To answer your question... None of us have any idea how we got here. I know, I know. That was a super long drawn-out way of just saying that we don't have a clue, or that we don’t even know how magic works. We left that all up to Princess Twilight to figure out for us while we go to parties and make fun of each other."

Ding! The sound of a bell ringing bore testament to Shining's strength.

"We have a winner!" The clerk at the Strong Pony game booth announced. "Pick your prize, sir."

"Ha! Nice job there, Prince," Rainbow Dash congratulated Shining on ringing the bell.

"Ahh, it was nothing," Shining declared as he handed the mallet back and turned back to Becky. "Well, since you said you can't play, how about you pick out a prize."

Becky looked over the collection of trinkets and plushies.

"Do they have a Rainbow Dash?"

"Awe, yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed with her choice. "You got some good taste there, Becks, but I'm not that popular yet. Maybe once I make the Wonderbolts."

"Oh? Like those ones?" Becky asked, pointing to an orange and red-colored Pegasus in a blue body-fitting suit and goggles.

A sense of pride took over Rainbow Dash.

"Good eye. That's Spitfire. She's the number one Wonderbolt right now. That the one you want?"

"Yeah. I'll take it as a reminder of where you're going." Becky flattered her mare friend.

Shining chuckled.

"I like the way you think, Becky." He motioned to the clerk. "We'll take the Spitfire plushie for our new guest of honor, please."

The stallion working the stand reached up with a hook to grab the plush and delivered it to Becky's hands.

"There you are, ma'am. Enjoy and come back to try your luck yourself when you're feeling up to it."

"Okay," Becky giggled, knowing it wasn't going to be an option. She handed the plushie to Flurry Heart.

"Mind holding onto this for me, cutie?"

Flurry Heart grabbed the plush and squeezed it against her, entirely enthralled with the attention from her living doll friend.

"So, what's next, Dash? Or is there something you want to do for Flurry Heart, Shining?"

Shining could see just behind them was a photo booth.

"That could be fun."

They all turned to see the booth with funny clothes and cutouts they could put their heads through.

"Wow," Becky giggled. "I haven't done one of those since I was ten. Sure, let's go."

The four of them walked over and dropped the bits needed for a dozen pictures. The pictures were all the classics one would expect. They were even taken with the old-styled flashbulb that popped and burnt out after each use.

Shining Armor and Flurry Heart dressed up like country bumpkins, Becky in a princess dress that somehow managed to fit her alongside Rainbow Dash as a royal guard, all of them together dressed like western cowboy outlaws but with crossbows instead of pistols, plus a few of the same setups but either solos or different pairings. The last few were with the cutouts. Flurry Heart took one as Celestia, Shining of Twilight because he thought it was funny, Becky as Cadance, and Rainbow Dash in a blank Wonderbolt cutout.

They looked over the finished pictures and shared the laughs over who looked the goofiest and in which one Flurry Heart was the cutest.

"Hey," Becky spoke up between them all. "How about just one of us together? No outfits or cutouts."

"Sure thing, Becks," Rainbow Dash agreed as she trotted back over to the pegasus mare working the camera. "Don't worry. I got this one."

"Okay, a little closer for this close-up," The photographer directed them. "Alright. Nice big bright smiles. Say cheese."

"Cheese!" All but of them, but Flurry Heart, said aloud with through their smiles.

A bright flash and puff of smoke from the burnt-out bulb drifted over. Becky scrunched her face and tried to cover up Flurry Heart's. Shining and Rainbow Dash were both hit by the smoke and coughed as soon as they started breathing it in.

Rainbow Dash was utterly put off by the smoke.

"Ugh! Warn us next time, would ya?" A sudden fear hit her about Becky. "Oh, no. Becky, hold on!"

Rainbow Dash jumped up and fanned her wings down, channeling the wind to her command to clear out the air. The rush quickly removed the smoke, but how bad was it?

The first sound was of a muffled cough. Very low and quiet, coming somewhere between Becky and Flurry Heart. The young alicorn raised her head, looking to Rainbow Dash with a blank expression of confusion, and again she coughed.

Becky extended her arms, returning Flurry Heart to Shining Armor.

"Take her, please," She asked, with a low and deep rasp in her voice.

"Hey-ah-hey," Shining was happy to pick up his daughter and rest her on his back again. "Getting tired of holding onto her—"

He suddenly noticed something wasn't right with his new human friend.

"Hey, you okay, Becky?"

Rainbow Dash dropped down next to Becky and wrapped her wing around her back, seeing how she was teetering with a sudden sway in her balance.

"Hey, Becky. Do you need to sit down?"

Becky just nodded and fished her hand out to Rainbow Dash. Eventually, she made a connection with the hinge of the wing that was held out for support. They made a slow walk back, with Becky quickly having to get the support from Shining Armor as well.

"Sorry we didn't say anything to you sooner, Shining," Rainbow Dash started to apologize. "We only found out because we had to know how serious her problem was so we could understand just how badly they need to get home. Otherwise, it isn't something she really likes talking about. Not really a fan of having it rubbed in her face either."

Shining Armor was authentically concerned and even felt a little guilty for not doing anything to help her avoid this whole issue.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Fluttershy has been helping with a tea that stopped her coughing, which was really bad. But for everything else, we don't really know. I guess we're waiting for Zecora to get back to ask to see what she can do. And, of course, Twilight and Starlight said they would help, but that's also while trying to figure out how to get them home. As far as doctors, we haven't really had any luck thinking of anypony that might know how to deal with a problem this severe. Not to mention, there's no doctor that understands human medicine. Best thing we got is Fluttershy... but we're not giving up. Are we, Becky?"

Becky smiled through her discomfort and nodded agreeably. A cough of her own finally breaking free. At least they were nearing the others who hadn't seemed to move from the dessert table they had occupied earlier.

Benny was the first to see Becky and the others approaching.

"Oh, crap. Excuse me for a sec." He left his chair and ran over to Becky, not even excusing himself as he put himself between her and Shining.

"Becky, what happened," Benny asked, afraid of what he might have missed.

"Smoke," She spoke in a voice that sounded like she had swallowed gravel.

Rainbow Dash jumped in.

"There was a photo booth. We stopped to get some pictures dressing up, and stuff. But we had a close-up picture for our last one together, and when the bulb popped, I think she breathed some of it in.

"Oh," That didn't sound so bad to Benny. "She'll be fine. Smoke just tends to make her cough a lot... which she isn't doing."

"The tea?" Shinning asked, trying to help.

"Damn. Yeah, right. She'll be fine." Benny reconfirmed.

They tried to take Becky inside, but Becky pointed to the table with everyone else. With a little hesitation, they led her over and made a seat available for her to sit in. And after a few moments of being pestered with what anyone could do to help, she waved them. Just some time to rest and let the burning die down in her chest. Something that never seemed to last too long.

“Hey, Becks,” Benny got her attention. “I guess the locals want us to try some of their booths. Carnival games and stuff, so come find us when you’re up to it.“

He turned to Chris, still sitting across from Becky.

“And you’re just waiting on Starlight?”

“Yeah,” Chris nodded, looking back over his shoulder for a moment. “I asked her to find Kelly and tell her that whatever she brings back, ya know… We can double the fun with Starlight’s help.”

“Oh, yeah. Good thinking,” Benny snapped his fingers and pointed to him before turning to Rainbow Dash. “Hey, mind grabbing Becky something to drink? I’m sure her throat could use it.”

Rainbow Dash turned to Becky, who gave an agreeing nod.

“Right. Be back in a dash.”

Shining Armor stepped up again, feeling terrible for leaving her behind.

“I’m really sorry about this. How about me and Flurry go back out there and try to win you another plushie?”

Becky smiled and tried not to laugh at how excited Flurry Heart was fidgeting on Shining’s head. She nodded a few times, giving them the go-ahead, before waving goodbye to Flurry Heart and blowing her a kiss.

Shining went stiff and was unmistakably feeling some kind of way about thinking that kiss was for him.

“Oh, uhh. Well, I uhh.”

Lumberman nudged Shining, knocking him out of trying to find the words to apologize for not being able to return the affection... or whatever stupidity was about to fall out of his mouth.

“Pretty sure that was for your kid, genius.”

“What?” Shining looked up to see Flurry Heart returning the motion in rapid succession. “Oh, right.”

“Geeze, man,” Benny tried not to overtly insult a member of royalty, and it was a struggle to restrain himself. “You ever hang out with Applejack’s brother? I think you’d guys really get along.”

A gasp slipped under the attention of those attending to Becky.

"Look! That's the lady one! The one that danced!" Dinky announced to Derpy as she ran and jumped up to put her hooves on Becky's knees and introduce herself. "Hi! I'm Dinky. Can you dance with me like you danced with Rainbow Dash?"

Becky was just as awestruck at how adorable this little unicorn was as Sniff had been. She met the young fillies eyes and smiled but couldn't voice an answer. She placed a hand on Dinky's hoof and then motioned Chris to her. As Chris stood up to see what she needed, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up her messenger app. She couldn't send any messages, but she could still type.

"Can she talk?" Dinky asked.

"Oh, yeah," Chris cautiously answered. "She just has a... uh, sore throat right now. She'll be able to talk tonight... and she wants me to tell you something."

He took ahold of Becky's phone and started to read.

"Hello, Dinky. I'm so happy to meet you. I was hoping I'd get to meet you."

Dinky's eyes were brimming with excitement as she lit up with the most ecstatic smile.

"She knows who I am?"

Becky took the phone back and pointed to Chris, her phone, then to her eyes, back to the phone, and made the hand gesture to talk.

He got the message loud and clear. Read along and speak what she types. "Chris and I know about so many of you here. I'm so glad to get to meet all of you. Also, I'm sorry that I can't talk right now. I breethed... She means breathed. In some smoke, and my lungs are sick. But I'll be fine in a while. And I'm better... when I'm better. Good job, Becky. You’re really banging out the Ponish.”

Becky shot Chris a glare and made a fist.

"Ahem," Chris cleared his throat and continued. "I'd love to dance with you."

"Dinky," Derpy stepped up just after hearing the exciting news for the gold medal winner of cuteness, according to Sniff. "You have got to stop bothering these nice new visitors."

"She said she would! She did!" Dinky announced. "We can dance when she feels better."

Becky suddenly started tapping Chris with the back of her hand and pointing to Derpy.

"What?" Chris didn't know what she was trying to tell him.

Becky quickly started hammering the keyboard on her phone and then held up the text for him to read.

Chris read it back to her. "Ask Derpy to dance with you. What? Why are you telling me to do that?"

Again Becky went to task on her phone, bringing up another message for him to read.

This one he didn't read out for everyone to hear.

"Every brony loves Derpy. Even I know that. Make her feel special, or I will make Rainbow kick your ass."

Chris couldn't believe what he was being told.

"What the fuck are you... True. But—"

More typing on the phone and another message for Chris to read silently.

"Because #SaveDerpy. That was bullshit."

"Gawd damn it, Becky. And how did you even know about that?" Chris groaned.

With great determination, Becky started to type out another message, but this time when she was done, she snapped her fingers to get Rainbow Dash's attention.

Chris didn't like how this was turning against him.

"Becky? What are you doing?"

Rainbow Dash returned with two soda bottles, flying over the other ponies.

"Sorry, that took so long, Becks. The line was... what's this?"

The question of whether or not Becky would be so bold as to make true on a threat of setting the fury of the fastest pony in Equestria to beat down Chris was unfolding in front of his eyes. Rainbow Dash quickly started to understand that the message she was reading was for her. Her eyes followed left to right as she read along. Periodically, her eyes would narrow more, and her brow tightened before looking up to him. There was a sudden break where Becky pulled the phone back and padded her lap for Rainbow Dash to join her.

Rainbow Dash did as requested, jumping up enough to let her forelegs rest on Becky's thighs. Becky, in turn, moved her left arm around Rainbow Dash for them to share a private view of the screen. More typing and more anger from the speed horse told him that he was, in fact, there was no way he could dance his way out of this, not unless he was dancing his way out with Derpy.

"Hey, stop it. I'll do it," Chris barked. "Just—"

Rainbow Dash stared him down again, pointing at him with her free wing, telling him silently that he was in no position to speak. She turned her attention back to the screen, reading a few more lines before nodding in agreement.

"No problem, Becky. We'll make sure it happens," and took off into the air, going god knows where.

"We?" Chris asked in confusion.

Becky typed a few words and turned the screen back to Chris.

"Don't be a dick, and you'll have nothing to worry about. And I have the video, so everyone will support me on this."

Chris couldn't believe she would do this to him.

"That's messed up, Becky."

Becky made the switch to another app on her phone, scrolled through something, and showed the screen to him again. And there was no denying what he saw in the thumbnail. It was the picture of a sad Derpy, as seen in the show, sitting in the spotlight in front of a black backdrop. There was an icon in the corner of the thumbnail showing it was a video. One minute and fifty-seven seconds long.

"That's cheating, Becky. That's like... some kind of illegal warfare."

"Attention, everypony!" Pinkie Pie's voice came screaming over her portable speaker. "We have a very special announcement!"

"That's right!" Sniff's voice joined in as he shared the mic. "Due to popular request of how many ponies enjoyed the dance introductions with our local pony sponsors—"

Rainbow Dash's voice cut in.

"Tonight! At least seven lucky ponies will be randomly selected based on nominations from all of us that have been helping our human friends get welcomed to Ponyville."

Pinkie Pie jumped in again.

"As well as ponies voted on by you! The ponies of Ponyville!"

"Also," Sniff spoke up again. "To show our goodwill and intentions of helping others, we will also be raffling off another seven dances, with all proceeds going to charity. Don't ask me which one. We're all still new here."

A series of cheers erupted from practically everypony in town, vocalizing their support for this addition to the party plans.

Chris turned his attention back to Becky.

"Unfucking believable, Becks."

Becky grinned devilishly, only breaking the sinister look as another couple of coughs broke through. She was almost intimidating. However, her actions spoke louder than the words she couldn't speak, and they would all be backed up by Rainbow Dash. He had no out from this.

So, first things first. This chapter is likely to have some grammar and spelling errors I couldn't catch. Normally, such things would be handled by my editor, but due to circumstances outside our control, he will be unlikely to assist in the near future. And with that, I'm moving forward with publishing more chapters more regularly, with a higher risk of errors in the writing. Not much of a choice at the moment to do otherwise.

Also, wanted to point you all to a late addition to chapter 30. That being a commissioned piece of Fluttershy goating Cerb into sparing with him. See picture below:

Other than that, I hope the goofy intro idea with the dancing didn't come off as anything too... dumb? I really liked the idea of Sniff finally starting to come around and become more accepting of where he's been stranded. That, and using his knowledge of marketing and working crowds with how cartoon logic works and being able to exploit it so easily. That and... who am I kidding... Lumberman and Applejack. Damn are those two fun to put together.

However, chapter 33 will have a lot to appreciate, although it might have a portion of it removed and dedicated to a side section of the series. Haven't fully decided yet. Regardless, I'm most excited for 34. Partially because 33 is going to end with a buildup with a powerful payout that is given in 44. Once that's out of the way, it's dance time. And I can't wait for that.

And as always, questions, comments, or any corrections you may have to offer are welcomed.