Party of One

Party of One is the twenty-fifth episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, season one. In this episode, Pinkie Pie sends a party invitation to her friends, but grows suspicious and investigates when none of her friends can attend.

Episode summary
The episodes opens with Pinkie Pie traveling all over Ponyville performing singing telegrams to her friends, inviting them to Gummy's birthday party. She promises games and snacks followed by a group hug in the end. After completing the task, she slumps her way back to her room in the Sugarcube Corner shop, commenting to Gummy that written invitations would have been a better option.

The party begins with everyone present. Rainbow Dash and Applejack bob for apples, among other surprises, in the tub while Rarity sips a refreshing drink, but has a hard time enjoying it after learning Gummy had been swimming in the punchbowl. As they dance to the music, Pinkie expresses her happiness at having all her friends there with her. They compliment her on her aptitude for throwing parties.

The party ends later that night, and Pinkie's friends thank her once again for another great party. Twilight says that she hopes they can have another get-together soon.

The next morning, Pinkie invites the other five ponies to Gummy's "after-birthday" party later in the afternoon with more of the same from the night before. She discovers, however, that they are all surprised at the time of the party, and each pony has a reason to not attend. Twilight claims to have to "hit the books," having fallen behind in her studies. Applejack has to gather more apples from her farm. Rarity wants to wash her hair after casting off a love-struck Spike who took out the trash for her, dipping her head in the trash can to validate her desperate need to clean her mane. Dash and Fluttershy explain they are house-sitting a cave for "Harry," a bear with whom both ponies claim to be friends. No one is able to attend, and Pinkie wonders why they all have something to do on the same day of her new party. After witnessing Twilight sneaking into Sugarcube Corner instead of reading like she'd said earlier, she declares that their last-minute plans were nothing more than excuses. She decides to investigate.

Pinkie uses a tin can phone to listen in on Twilight's conversation with Mrs. Cake, but only manages to hear that there is a secret Pinkie is not supposed to know. Disguising herself in a bale of hay, she secretly follows Twilight through Ponyville. She watches her pass a mysterious box to Rarity at the Carousel Boutique. Rarity then passes it to Fluttershy in one of the town's alleyways, saying she was relieved they had found an excuse to avoid the party, and that what they had planned was going to be much better. As they part ways, the pegasus bumps into Pinkie, who is still in disguise, and flies off with the box in fear.

Rainbow Dash walks past Pinkie carrying a strange bag, and immediately recognizes her through her disguise. In a panic, Dash escapes from the pink pony and meets up with Applejack in the Sweet Apple Acres barn house. Pinkie pursues Dash, and demands to know what they're hiding inside the barn, but AJ claims they're doing some construction work. Unable to see what's really going on, Pinkie slowly leaves her friends to continue their "work," but she continues to grow more suspicious and frustrated about the big secret.&nbsp "Tell me that my friends are all lying to me, and avoiding me, because they don't like my parties, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO BE MY FRIENDS ANYMORE!"

- Pinkie Pie

Pinkie tracks down Spike, believing he will reveal what the other ponies are hiding from her, and brings him back to the snack shop, bribing him with a bowl of gems. She tells him that he can have them all, provided he tells her what she needs to know. However, through a series of miscommunications, Spike tells Pinkie that her friends dislike her parties and no longer want to be her friends. Upon coming to the realization that her friends really do not want her around, Pinkie's despair causes her curly mane to literally deflate into the more straight and plain hairstyle of her formerly miserable childhood. As promised, she hands Spike the gems.

Pinkie proceeds with Gummy's after-birthday party as scheduled, replacing her allegedly former friends with inanimate objects: a pile of rocks named Rocky, a bucket of turnips named Mr. Turnip, a clump of lint named Sir Lints-a-lot, and a bag of flour named Madame LaFlour. Throughout the party, Pinkie's feelings of anger and betrayal manifest themselves in sudden and violent twitches. Pinkie Pie animates the makeshift "friends" and provides voices for them, until a cinematic shift to Pinkie's perspective reveals that she may not be aware that she is doing so--her mental state has degraded such that she is not separating fantasy from reality, if she ever was to begin with. Amidst some harsh comments from Rocky regarding the ponies, Pinkie attempts to defend her past friends. However, the other party guests convince her that what the ponies have supposedly done to her is unforgivable. Presented with this injustice, Pinkie vows never to speak to the ponies again, nor invite them to her future parties.

She soon hears a knock on the door and Rainbow Dash enters, apologizing for her earlier appointment, and says she wants the pink pony to come with her to Sweet Apple Acres. However, Pinkie refuses, preferring to hang out with her "new friends." Creeped out and annoyed by her attitude, and realizing she's letting herself be dragged into Pinkie's fantasy, Dash has no choice but to drag the stubborn Pinkie all the way back to the barn.

As Dash pushes the depressed pony inside the barn, the other four ponies jump out and reveal that the barn has been decorated for a party. An awkward silence follows, and Fluttershy says they'd expected Pinkie Pie to be more excited. Instead, Pinkie finally snaps at them and laments how her friends had avoided her all this time just to set up, what she assumes at first glance is, a farewell party. The ponies confess that they had to avoid Gummy's party so they could set up a surprise party for Pinkie's own birthday.&nbsp

Realizing the other ponies are telling the truth, Pinkie explodes with happiness and returns to her former appearance. After apologizing for doubting her friends, they proceed to party, promising to celebrate Gummy's "after birthday" that was postponed for this event.

Twilight's letter to the Princess, narrated over a montage of the six ponies partying, says that Twilight learned to expect the best of her friends, as a true friend will always have your best interests at heart.

Quotes

 * Twilight Sparkle: I really gotta hit the books...
 * Pinkie Pie: I understand. Your studies come first, but don't worry. We'll be sure to save you some cake.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Please do.
 * Pinkie Pie: Oh. And Twilight... You shouldn't hit the books. You should just read them.
 * Twilight Sparkle: I'll keep that in mind.
 * Applejack: Um... well... I don't think I can make it because... I have to... You know what? Pick apples! Yep! Apples! That's what we do. With... uh... apples. ...We.. uh... pick 'em.
 * Rarity: How do I put this delicately? You smell like a rotten apple core that's been wrapped in moldy hay and dipped in dragon perspiration.
 * Rarity: I'm going to have to decline. I have to... wash my hair!
 * Pinkie Pie: Don't be silly. Your hair doesn't look dirty.
 * Rarity: It doesn't!?
 * Pinkie Pie: Nope.
 * [Rarity forces her head into an overflowing trash can]
 * Rarity: See? Dirty... I have to go!
 * Rainbow Dash: This afternoon?
 * Fluttershy: As in...
 * Pinkie Pie: Yes! as in "This afternoon" this afternoon!
 * Pinkie Pie: He's [Harry's] vacationing at the beach?
 * Rainbow Dash: Yeah. He loves to...
 * Fluttershy [Rainbow Dash]: Collect seashells [Play beach volleyball]! Play beach volleyball [Collect seashells]! Collect volleyballs [Play seashells]!
 * Rainbow Dash: ...Eh, gotta go!
 * Pinkie Pie: The more I think think about it, the more those are starting to sound like... ...EXCUSES!
 * Pinkie Pie: That doesn't look like studying... or hitting!


 * Pinkie Pie:Well I'm gonna know about it, know about it big time! I know just who's gonna tell me all about it,
 * TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT BIG TIME!!!


 * Spike:OK, uh... beautiful weather we're havin', eh? I LOVE a sunny spring day, don't you? The birds chirpin' and the flowers bloomin'.
 * Pinkie Pie: Nonono... talk about our friends.
 * Spike:Oh, ok.Let's see...well there'sTwilight Sparkle. She's a unicorn.Good with magic, a real braniac... and then you got Rarity. Total.Knockout.Twilight seems to think I don't have a chance with her, but...eh, what does SHE know?Let's see there's Fluttershy, a pegasus that's afraid of heights.What's with that?


 * Pinkie Pie: And....?
 * Spike: I'm the one that used all the hot water in Ponyville when I took a seven hour bubble bath!
 * Pinkie Pie: And...?
 * Spike:And when no one's looking around I do this...*Grabs mirror* Hey there lookin' good lookin' REAL good.


 * Pinkie Pie [as Rocky]: "Not so bad"? Puh-leeze! They're a buncha losers!
 * Pinkie Pie: Oh come on now. "Losers" might be a bit strong, don't you think?
 * Pinkie Pie [as Sir Lints-a-lot]: After the way they treated you, I'd say "losers" isn't strong enough.
 * Pinkie Pie: It was pretty rude...
 * Pinkie Pie [as Madame LaFlour]: "Pretty rude"?! It was downright... DEE-SPEEKABLE!
 * Pinkie Pie: ...It was, wasn't it?!
 * Rainbow Dash: Hey there Pinkie Pie. Sorry I was in such a rush earlier, had some place to be and couldn't slow down and say hello....you know how it goes.
 * Pinkie Pie: [under her breath] I know how it goes alright!
 * Rainbow Dash: Yeah... so why don't you come with me over to Sweet Apple Acres?
 * Pinkie Pie: No thanks. I'm spending time with my real friends. Isn't that right, Madame LaFlour?
 * Pinkie Pie [as Madame LaFlour]: OUI, ZAT IS CORRECT, MADAME.
 * Pinkie Pie [as Rocky]: YOU HEARD THE LADY! SHE AIN'T GOING NOWHERES, CHUMP!
 * Rainbow Dash: Who you calling a chump, CHUMP?! [knocks over Rocky] That's it. Party's over.
 * Applejack: Why in the world would you think we didn't like you anymore, sugarcube?
 * Pinkie Pie: Why? Why?! WHY?!! Because you’ve been lying to me and avoiding me all day! That’s why!
 * Rainbow Dash: Uh, yeah! Because we wanted your party to be a surprise.
 * Twilight Sparkle: If this is a "farewell party", why does the cake I picked up from Sugarcube Corner say "Happy Birthday, Pinkie Pie"?
 * Pinkie Pie: ...Because it's my BIRTHDAY! Oh, how could I have forgotten my own birthday?

Gallery



 * Party of One image gallery

Trivia

 * The title is a reference to the phrase "party of one", which is used when booking a reservation for a single person at a restaurant or hosting establishment. The phrase "army of one" is meant to convey the notion of a strong and resourceful individual. In this sense, Pinkie Pie is a "party of one". It could also refer to the classic short film "Dinner for One", in which an elderly lady dines with her (deceased) friends, impersonated by her butler.
 * This is the second episode when Rainbow Dash unsuccessfully tries to hide from Pinkie Pie, the other being Griffon the Brush Off.
 * The music playing during the party was the same as in Call of the Cutie and The Show Stoppers.
 * In this episode, Pinkie's shift in personality is visually emphasized by her hair and shading of her color. During the time of her depression, her hair "deflates" into a more normal and straighter style while her color is set in a dimmer shade, which mirrors her appearance when she was younger on her parents' rock farm, back when she never smiled. When she becomes happy again, she regains her poofy hair and brighter shade.
 * Pinkie Pie and Gummy wear Groucho Marx glasses in one scene in the episode. The glasses feature a human nose.
 * Pinkie Pie's chant to Gummy: "Go Gummy! It's your birthday! Go Gummy! It's your birthday!" is a paraphrase of hip-hop artist 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and also a possible reference to similar frequent chants from several episodes of Nickelodeon's cartoon series, Rocket Power.
 * The Treehouse TV airing of this episode mutes out all occurrences of the word "losers".
 * Counting every movie, episode, and special from previous generations, Party of One is the 100th animated My Little Pony story.
 * When the party for Pinkie Pie is thrown, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight and Rarity are wearing party hats decorated with symbols similar to their cutie marks.
 * When Pinkie Pie is inviting Rainbow Dash to the "after birthday" party, the far shot of Rainbow's cloud-house shows bits of other cloud-houses in the foreground. A bit of a cloud-house could also be seen very briefly in Dragonshy.
 * A pile of rocks similar to Rocky appears in A Bird in the Hoof at 11:15, with the top and middle rocks' position switched.
 * At the party near the end of the episode, when Spike is trying to dance with Rarity, he does the famous dance moves from the 1977-movie Saturday Night Fever.