Spike hopped on Twilight's back as the duo headed back downstairs just as DJ P0N-3 finished her set. She thanked the crowd and introduced the master of ceremonies, Pinkie Pie. The pink pony bounced up on stage and was handed the microphone; the first thing she did was thank DJ for the performance with a loud scream of her name. Everypony cheered as Twilight and Applejack joined their friends near the front of the stage, exchanging greetings and well wishes.

"And now for the reason I invited you all here!" The lights dimmed, leaving only a solitary spotlight shining on Pinkie as she began to speak, with P0N-3 providing background music.

"Mares and colts, the reason you're here is to help celebrate a super-duper-special occasion. There's somepony in this crowd who's lived in Ponyville for a year today, and that person is..."

Pinkie pointed her free hoof towards Twilight. "...YOU! Come on up here!"

More than a bit embarrassed that she was being singled out (even though it was true), Twilight hesitated before Rarity encouraged her with a gentle, "It'll be fine." Steeling herself for anything, she stepped up on stage to applause and some enthusiastic whistling from Spike.

"Pinkie Pie, what's this all about?" Twilight asked.

"Well, on behalf of all my friends and I, I'd just like to say..." P0N-3 began to play a lively musical melody as Pinkie began to sing.

"Thank you for your kindness and your ever-giving heart
I knew that we would be good buddies from the very start
Always helping, always smiling, always there to lend a hoof
A friend through thick and thin and we can't stress this enoof
You're the bestest friend we've ever had, the truest of the true
And so I dedicate this party, all of this, to you
And while this song is nearly over, there's just one thing left to see..."

When Pinkie sang the last line, two stagehooves wheeled a massive cake out to a cascade of oohs and aahs from the audience. Decked in purple fondant with her cutie mark design around the outer edges and stacked five layers high, it was one of the biggest cakes Twilight had ever seen. With a flourish, Pinkie concluded her song:

"Twilight, happy one-year friendship anniversary!"

As the crowd broke into cheers and applause, Twilight smiled and lowered her head. Pinkie came to her side and asked, "So, what do you think?"

The purple pony looked back up with tears in her eyes and said, "Pinkie, I...I don't know what to say. This is one of the nicest things anypony's ever done for me."

"You don't have to say anything, silly! Your reaction said it for you! And everypony else has something to say, too-girls, Spike, come on up!" The rest of her friends came up on stage and offered their kind words as Pinkie went to cut the cake.

Rainbow Dash put her hoof over Twilight's shoulder and said, "Nopony deserves this more than you. It's been awesome having you as a friend."

"Most definitely," Rarity added. "Ponies like you come along once in a lifetime."

"Knowing you has been one of the greatest joys of my life," Applejack beamed. "And I don't say that lightly."

"Every day I'm around you is worth it," Spike said. "It's an honor to be your number one assistant."

"You're a joy to be with and a true friend," Fluttershy said. "Don't ever let anypony tell you otherwise."

The only way Twilight could respond to her friends' kindness was with a small "Oh..." as she tried to keep her composure. Rainbow Dash gave a silent motion to the group to come in closer, and they gave Twilight a big group hug to a round of cheers from the crowd. After they broke their embrace, Pinkie returned to cutting the cake as her friends talked with one another. Her cheerful mood, however, was not to last, for as she finished cutting the cake, her tail began to twitch. Pinkie felt it immediately and her eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh, no. Not today, please not today," she whispered to herself. She tried her best to put the premonition out of her mind as her friends came over to help serve the cake to the audience. Twilight's magic helped guide the individual pieces onto the plates, and the plates were arranged by the group on a table near the stage.

"The cake is ready," Pinkie announced. "One plate per pony, please!"

As the audience helped themselves to the treat, Pinkie sighed with relief. Maybe her Pinkie sense went off at the wrong time. The cake had been served without incident, the party was bouncing and full of life, and everything was going well. But as soon as she started walking, her tail began to twitch again. She tried her best to hide it behind her flank as Fluttershy approached her.

"I saw your tail twitching earlier, Pinkie. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine-false alarm," she said, although there was no confidence in her words. Something was coming, and she knew it.

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Um...I don't think so. Everything's taken care of over here..."

"Okay." As Fluttershy turned and began to leave the stage, Pinkie caught sight of a bump in the carpeting. She tried to warn Fluttershy to watch out, but it was too late-she had failed to notice it and her left hooves were tripped up. She let out a startled yell as she began to fall, which caught the attention of everypony in the room. Pinkie rushed to grab her before she hurt herself, but Fluttershy's right rear leg careened into her gut, knocking her off balance and sending her tumbling off the stage towards the cake table. Everypony gasped as Pinkie's head struck the corner of the table, opening up a gash in her forehead as she crumpled to the ground. Within seconds her friends were at her side, asking if she was okay. The pink pony got up and assured everyone she was okey-dokey-lokey, but the blood trickling down her mane suggested otherwise.

Her friends cringed at the sight as Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Pinkie, we need to get you to a hospital!"

"Don't be silly, silly! It's not that bad!"

"Not that bad?" Rarity gasped. "Pinkie, you're bleeding! You might even need stitches!"

Pinkie touched her hoof to her forehead and looked at it to find it was all but covered in her blood. Her heart sank as she realized how bad she was hurt, and that her Pinkie sense-again-hadn't let her down. Twilight grabbed a towel and pressed it to her forehead, securing it with another towel tied around her head as she climbed on Rainbow Dash's back. As she flew towards Johns Clopkins Hospital, her friends followed suit as Twilight grabbed the microphone and gave the bad news:

"Sorry, everypony. Party's over."