Cheese is Good, Cheese is Nice

[spontaneouscombustion]

Who: Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, and you!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: SS Iskaulit
When: October 23

[Frankly, this last shuffle could go to Tartarus in a wicker basket and a card reading "Dear Tirek: Dig In." But if there's one thing that could bring some joy back to Pinkie after losing a friend, it was making others happy. Especially by throwing a birthday party she'd been planning for months, and doubly especially for the love of her life, and someone who lifted her up after the hard weekend. So early-ish in the morning, those who Pinkie knew to be Cheese's close friends would get a video message.]

Morning, everybody~! Pinkie Pie here, and I've got a super DUPER special birthday I need help celebrating today! My super duper co-party planner and even super-duper-er special somepony Cheesy turns another year older today, so come by the Iskaulit for lots of cake and punch and games! See you there~

[Indeed, Pinkie pulled out as many stops as she could for this one. There's a vast and varied snack bar (vegetarian of course) featuring fondue and chips and dip and pizzas, a literal rainbow of punchbowls, and as many non-dice party games as you can shake a tail at. And the centerpiece is a pretty dang big chocolate cake with a frosting in the image of Cheese's Party Howitzer, Boneless 2 riding on top like a proud general. (She wanted it to be colossal but flour's been at a premium and the last of it went into this beauty.) Come on in, guys, and give the Fleet's first party pony some love back.]

Comments

[preformthisneigh]

Why? What do you have to worry about?

[He genuinely has no idea. Good luck with this one, Bev.]

[dancingmd]

Well, too much sugar can cause metabolic dysfunction, high blood pressure, heart disease... all sorts of things.

[preformthisneigh]

Huh.

I don't think we have those things in Equestria.

[They probably do, and he's just oblivious to them. ]

[dancingmd]

Perhaps. Admittedly I don't know all that much about equine physiology.

[preformthisneigh]

Me either. I mean, I'm no doctor or anything.

[dancingmd]

Surely you have doctors or healers of some sort in Equestria, don't you?

[preformthisneigh]

Oh yeah! We have lots and lots of those. But you know, they're the only ones who really deal with that kinds thing- destiny and all that.

[dancingmd]

... destiny?

[preformthisneigh]

Destiny! Every pony has a place in the world. What they do for their whole lives. So, if a pony is destined to be a medic- that's what they'll be.

[dancingmd]

But... who decides that? And what if they don't want to be a medic?

[preformthisneigh]

Fate??

And it wouldn't be your destiny if you didn't want it. I mean, it's something you're destined to be?

[His ears flick back and he gives a soft, confused snort. ]

It's really hard to explain it to humans. We don't really regret what our purpose in life is. We discover it, get our cutie mark and bam. That's what we do for the rest of our lives. It's just how we are.

[dancingmd]

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to... it's just that it's not as... direct as that for us. Or any species I know in my universe. Historically, people used the idea of destiny and being born for a certain role to hurt others, so it's hard to wrap my mind around. But I can see that it's different, for you.

[preformthisneigh]

I know, it's like that everyone else I've ever met. It seems unique to Equestria.

[He doesn't know what that says about Equestria, in all honesty. He gives a shrug. ]

But we really are happy with things like that. Nopony uses it to hurt anypony else. It's just about...finding the one thing you're super good at, and following a life that lets you do that the best. We're pretty content with it.

Once we know what that thing is, anyway.

[Before it? Well, she's seen his colthood. She knows he's got some real skeletons in his closet. ]

[dancingmd]

[She does, so she doesn't push that line of thought any further.]

Well, that's the important thing, isn't it? That you're happy?

[preformthisneigh]

[He smiles, and it's a genuine one. ]

Oh yeah. I'm really happy.

[Which is something, for the longest time, he never thought he could have. ]

[dancingmd]

[She rests an affectionate hand on his withers.]

Good. I'm glad to hear that.