Chapter One: The Request
It was morning in Ponyville. Over at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was busy trying to entertain her employer's/landlord's twin foals, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Pinkie was making all manner of silly faces and noises. But, as usual, her antics seemed to confuse the young ones more then they amused them. It was only when Pinkie accidentally slipped on a mop and ended up with her head in a bucket that the twins started giggling.
"Hoo boy, I'm good!" Smirked Pinkie.
As Pinkie shook the water out of her hair, Mr. Cake entered the room.
"Pinkie, there's somepony up front who wants to speak with you." He told her. "I'll keep an eye on the kids until you come back."
"Oh, okay." Pinkie smiled.
As Pinkie left the room, Pumpkin used her unicorn magic to levitate herself onto her father's back, while Pound fluttered up on his pegasus wings, landing on his parent's head.
"Gee up, daddy!" Pumpkin gurgled.
"Yah!" Pound cheered.
"Okay, okay." Mr. Cake chuckled as he adjusted his hat, which had been pushed over his eyes by Pound. "One pony ride, coming right up!"
Mr. Cake started trotting around the room in slow circles, to the immense enjoyment of his offspring.
Pinkie bounced out to the front of the building, where the main store was. She was pleasantly surprised to see that her visitors were a smiling Cranky Doodle Dandy and his love Matilda. Pinkie was still getting used to the sight of the formerly dour Cranky smiling, but all the same, she couldn't get enough of it.
"Hi, guys!" Pinkie bounded over and hugged the two of them tightly. "What's up?"
"Hello, Pinkie." Said Cranky, gently removing her hoof from around his neck. "We came here to ask a favor of you."
"Doodle and I have made an important decision." Matilda said softly. "We're going to get married!"
"Wow, really?" Pinkie gasped. "Awesome!"
"The ceremony will be on next saturday." Cranky told her.
"So soon?" Pinkie asked.
"After all those years apart, Doodle and I agreed there's no sense in waiting." Matilda nodded.
"Awwww, that's so sweet!" Pinkie crooned.
"There's more." Cranky said. "Matilda and I both agreed that we want you to be the Mare of Honor at our wedding."
Me?" Pinkie gasped again. "Really?"
"Of course." Matilda chuckled. "It's because of you that Doodle and I finally found each other again. We can't think of a more deserving pony in all of Equestria."
"Aw, shucks!" Pinkie blushed modestly. "In that case, I'd be happy to!"
"Wonderful." Grinned Cranky. "We'll come by tomorrow with all the details."
As Cranky and Matilda departed Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie called after them.
"You can count on me!" She yelled. "I'll be the best Mare of Honor there ever was!"
"My word, Pinkie." Mrs. Cake entered from the kitchen. "What's all the noise about?"
"Great news, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie cheered. "Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda are getting married, and they asked me to the Mare of Honor!"
"That's wonderful, Pinkie." Mrs. Cake smiled.
"It sure is!" Pinkie whooped. "Just one thing, though... What's a Mare of Honor?"
To Be Continued...
Knowing is Half the Battle
Chapter Two: Knowing is Half the Battle
"The Mare of Honor is essentially the chief bridesmaid." Twilight Sparkle told Pinkie, who had come to her library home for information. "It's her job to organise, plan, and of course, take part in the main ceremony."
"Really?" Pinkie asked. "Well, that sure sounds easy enough! Okay, first, I'm gonna need ballons, lots of balloons... Ooh, and I'd better load up the old party cannon! And then I-"
"No offense, Pinkie, but I think you may want to lay off on the "party" stuff." Twilight interjected.
"Twilight is absolutely right, darling." Said Rarity, who had come to Twilight's library to check out a book on the history of the hem stitch. "A wedding is a solemn, dignified occasion. Though the reception afterwards does tend to have something of a "party" atmosphere, there's certainly no place for your usual antics in the main ceremony itself.
"What?" Pinkie gasped, genuinely shocked. "No streamers, no noisemakers, no... no party cannon!"
"I'm afraid not, Pinkie." Twilight told her.
"That doesn't sound like a lot of fun." Pinkie mused.
"Perhaps you should politely decline Cranky and Matilda's offer." Rarity offered. "After all, it doesn't really seem to suit your... talents, shall we say?"
"No, I can't do that!" Pinkie declared stubbournly. "They wanted Pinkie, and they're gonna get Pinkie! Just... a little less Pinkie then usual."
"You sure about that?" Twilight asked.
"Positive." Pinkie said determinedly. "I can do this. Cranky and Matilda will have the most solemn dignified wedding Equestria has ever seen! This, I Pinkie Promise!"
Pausing only to place her hoof inches next to her eye, Pinkie boldly trotted out of the library. Twilight and Rarity shared worried looks.
The next day, Pinkie was again visited by Cranky and Matilda, who gave her a list of official Mare of Honor duties.
"Don't worry about a thing, you two lovebirds!" Pinkie told them "I'll get all this done, no sweat!"
"Of course you will, Pinkie." Matilda smiled.
"We have complete faith in you." Cranky told her.
"Yep, no problem!" Pinkie chuckled nervously. "Easy-peasy apple-squeezy!"
As the two donkeys left Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie's happy face collapsed into worry.
"I hope..." She mumbled to herself.
The next day, Pinkie arrived at the local church, where she found Daisy Lilly and Rose, who had agreed to being Matilda's bridesmares.
"Okay gals, let's get to work!" Pinkie declared cheerily. "Whaddya got, Rose?"
"I've brought some lovely white roses." Rose held up one of several bouquets of white flowers. "I thought they'd look lovely by the atlar."
"Sounds good to me. "Pinkie nodded, although privately she thought more colorful flowers would have been better.
"And we've put together some great matching ribbons!" Piped up Daisy.
"They'd make great bows to put on the pews!" Lilly smiled.
"Great." Said Pinkie, less enthusiastically then before.
As the day wore on, Pinkie's mind began to wander. She began fantasising about what the church would look like covered in brightly-colored streamers, balloons and confetti. She shook these visions off as rapidly as they appeared, but they continued popping up with increasing rapidity.
By the end of the day, Pinkie could contain herself no longer. The instant Daisy, Lilly and Rose left, she dashed over to Sugarcube Corner, loaded up her party cannon to overflowing with all the party supplies she had, then barreled back to the church.
Aiming the cannon, Pinkie was about to fire when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Pinkie, what are you doing?"
It was Twilight.
"Twilight!" Pinkie gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I was on my way home when I saw you charging over here with your party cannon." Twilight told her.
"I was just..." Pinkie started, then gave up. "I'm sorry, but I just couldn't take it anymore! These decorations are so... drab! So... nonfun!"
"Look, I know it's hard for you to put aside your innate... Pinkieness." Twilight sighed. "But Cranky and Matilda are your friends, and they're probably expecting a traditional, low-key wedding. You don't want to let them down, do you?"
"No." Pinkie sighed. The pink pony was willing do anything for my friends, even putting aside her 'Pinkieness'. "Thanks, Twilight. I almost made a big mistake."
"No problem, Pinkie." Smiled Twilight, before turning to leave.
"And just to make sure I don't almost make it again..." Pinkie's eye's narrowed as she upturned the party cannon, emptying it of it's contents. She then looked around the church for somewhere she put away the party elements, out of sight and out of mind. She spotted a large wooden object in the corner of the room. Believing it to be the perfect spot, she shoved every last streamer, balloon and confetti piece inside. "There! No more temptation. This wedding will be perfect!"
Pinkie trotted out of the church quite proud of herself, neither knowing nor caring just what it was she had stuffed her party supplies into. Unbeknownst to her, she would know soon enough...
To Be Continued...
Chapter Three: The Big Day
The day of Cranky and Matilda's wedding had finally arrived. At Carousel Boutique, Pinkie and the other bridesmares were having some final adjustments made to their gowns. White wasn't Pinkie's favorite color, but for such a momentous occasion, she was willing to sacrifice.
All in all, Pinkie felt quite proud of herself. She had resisted the temptation to turn the wedding into a wild, crazy party, keeping it traditionally quiet and understated. The thought of how happy Cranky and Matilda would be with her work had kept her smiling all through Rarity's ministrations.
At the moment, Pinkie and the others were waiting for Rarity to put the finishing touches on Matilda's dress.
All too soon, Matilda emerged, looking quite beautiful in a white silk dress, a bouquet entwined in her tail.
"Wow, Matilda!" Pinkie hopped over to her. "You look great!"
"Thank you, Pinkie." Matilda beamed.
"Indeed." Rarity nodded. "Quite possibly my best work yet, if I do say so myself."
"No time like the present, gals." Pinkie declared. "Let's get moving!"
The entourage made their way outside the Boutique, where a white carriage, pulled by the earth pony Chance-A-Lot, waited to take them to the chapel.
After a short trip, the bridal procession entered the chapel, where practically every pony in Ponyville waited inside. Among the guests sitting in the pews were Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Mr. and Mrs. Cake (with the unusually well-behaved twins in their laps), Caramel and his girlfriend Wind Whistler, and even the zebra Zecora was in attendance. The sheer number of guests was no surprise to Pinkie; Matilda had lived in Ponyville for a long time, and was friends with more or less everypony there.
With the bride having arrived, the organist began playing the Bridal March. Mr. Waddle, who was performing the marriage ceremony itself, stepped forward.
The bridal procession moved forward. As they went, Pinkie heard snippets of whispered conversation from the guests.
"Isn't this beautiful, ginger snap?" Mrs. Cake whispered to her husband.
"Reminds me of our wedding, honeybun." Mr. Cake nuzzled his wife.
"Does this give you any ideas, sweetie?" Wind Whistler grinned at Caramel.
"Maybe..." Caramel grinned back.
As they walked towards the altar, Pinkie spotted Cranky, wearing a dashing top hat with matching tails and a new wig (Provided by Rarity, who dubbed it "The Dreamboat Special Deluxe"). He was flanked by a donkey friend of his from Fillydelphia, who served as his best stallion. Laying eyes on Matilda, Cranky smiled wider then ever before.
Pinkie could barely contain her excitement, not to mention her relief. The big day had finally come, and absolutely nothing had gone wrong!
Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly. Looking over, Pinkie saw that one of the pipe organ's key was producing no sound. After tapping two or three times, the organist raised both hooves, ready to bring them both down hard on the defective key.
At that point, Pinkie suddenly remembered that it was in the pipe organ that she had stuffed her party supplies days ago.
"No, wait!" Pinkie cried in vain, just as the organist brought his hooves down on the key.
Suddenly, a shower of confetti, streamers, and uninflated balloons blasted out of the pipes, raining down on everypony in the church. Pinkie guiltily looked over at Cranky and Matilda, whose mouths hung open in surprise.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Pinkie babbled rapidly. "I knew you'd want a normal, quiet wedding, so I stuffed all my party stuff in the pipe organ so I wouldn't be tempted, but I didn't know that would happen! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry!"
Cranky and Matilda looked at Pinkie, then each other, then started laughing merrily.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked a hugely confused Pinkie. "I just ruined your big day!"
"Oh, Pinkie." Chuckled Cranky as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Why do you think we wanted you to be our Mare of Honor in the first place?"
"We were hoping you'd liven up the proceedings." Matilda smiled. "Your standard wedding is such a dull affair."
"To be honest, we were starting to get worried when we saw the chapel earlier this week." Cranky told her. "We thought something was wrong."
"But it appears we thought wrongly." Matilda indicated teh brightly-colored objects strewn across the chapel. "You always were good at surprises, my dear."
"So... you're not mad?" Pinkie asked tentatively. "Everything's okay?"
"Everything's perfect." Matilda smiled.
"Couldn't be better." Cranky grinned.
"Phew!" Pinkie mopped her brow. "I can't believe I held back my Pinkieness for no reason! Kinda silly, huh?"
"Pardon me, miss Pinkie." Mr. Waddle piped up. "As interesting as all this is, we still do have a wedding to get through."
"Oh, right!" Pinkie chuckled, returning to her rightful position. "Sorry!"
Mr. Waddle began the ceremony. It was the standard wedding fare, ending with the classic line: "You may now kiss the bride."
When Cranky and Matilda's lips met, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Even Rainbow Dash, who by her own admission wasn't a fan of "sappy stuff" shed a tear or two.
The ceremony complete, the newlyweds made their way down the aisle. As they reached the chapel door, Matilda tossed her bouquet into the air. Practically every mare in the vicinity scrabbled for it, only for the flowers to end up speared through the horn of a bemused Twilight Sparkle, who hadn't even tried to catch them.
"Well, well!" Spike sniggered. "Who's the lucky guy?"
"Very funny, Spike." Twilight rolled her eyes.
Upon leaving the chapel, the newlyweds and their guests made their way to Sugarcube Corner for the reception. Once everypony there was seated and served, Pinkie stood up and raised her glass of cider.
"A toast to the happy couple!" She declared.
"Cheers!" The crowd roared as one.
"Thank you, everypony." Matilda smiled.
"And how about a toast to our Mare of Honor, who has truly made this a day to remember?" Cranky suggested.
Once again, the crowd cheered.
"Aw, shucks!" Pinkie beamed, using her best Applejack impression. "T'weren't nuthin'!"
As everypony was having their fill of the food, the newlyweds turned to Pinkie.
"After dinner, we'll be having the dance." Matilda told her.
"Think you can add a little of your Pinkie Pie magic to the proceedings, kid?" Cranky asked.
"You bet!" Pinkie jumped up onto her chair. "I ordered a bunch of new party supplies for today. I could have had them here sooner, but that was back when I thought you didn't want a Pinkie-style wedding, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't tempted- Holy moly! What am I still standing around here for?"
And with that, Pinkie devoured what was left on her plate in one gulp and sped upstairs, ready to load her party cannon for maximum festive dispersal.
Once the food had been finished, the tables were cleared away, and music (provided by Ponyville's resident band) filled the room, prompting everypony to start dancing. Cranky and Matilda entered into a close, slow dance, just as Pinkie arrived downstairs with the party cannon.
"PARTY TIME!" She cheered, firing the cannon in every direction.
Confetti, streamers and balloons rained down on the amused guests, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake especially, who cheered and reached for the brightly colored objects as they descended upon them.
Cranky and Matilda parted slightly to behold the festive rain all around them.
"We made the perfect choice, my darling." Cranky smiled.
"So true, Doodle." Matilda smiled back.
As the two donkeys kissed again, Pinkie leapt up into the air and loudly proclaimed "Best. Day. Ever!"
The End.