Waking Up Different

Princess Celestia's POV

"Yes." Princess Celestia raised her head. "Guards, escort the nobles out."

The guards formed a circle around the nobles, herding them out amid protests.

"Back to business." This certainly isn't the way I wanted to tell them, but it's too late now. "I'm the pony who ascended you all to Alicorns. My reasoning? Well, Equestria needs its Elements of Harmony, and the six of you have done many things for Equestria - saving Equestria from Nightmare Moon and redeeming her to Princess Luna, saving Equestria from Discord and reforming him, saving Equestria from Queen Chrysalis and casting out the changelings far away, saving the Crystal Empire from King Sombra… I could go on all day, but I don't need to." Princess Celestia took a large breath. "And I decided that you all deserved to be Alicorns. Your coronations will be tomorrow."

"Well." Applejack snorted. "That's all fine and dandy, but what are we gonna do now? Pinkie's on caffeine, and Ah haven't the slightest idea how we're to save Equestria from her."

"My thoughts exactly," Rainbow agreed. "It's not like we can use the Elements on a fellow Bearer."

"Well," Rarity began, "we could place her in a padded room, lock the door, and make it so she can't teleport out."

"That seems a little extreme…" Fluttershy said.

"Then what's your suggestion?" Rarity asked, a little pointedly.

"Well, we could give her lots of oranges and apples and lemons and things like that," the yellow Pegasus suggested. "It works for me…"

"Yes, but Pinkie's not you."

"It might work!" Fluttershy insisted.

"It's worth a try," Discord supported her.

"Well, Ah can get some apples," Applejack added. "Ah'm not sure where to get oranges or citrus-y fruits."

"The kitchen has plenty," Princess Celestia assured.

"And I read somewhere that plenty of water will help." Twilight galloped away, presumably to get some oranges and water.

Twilight's POV

So apparently, Celestia made us all Alicorns because of our many achievements? So why didn't she make Starswirl the Bearded an Alicorn? He's achieved many more things than we have! Twilight frowned. While her hooves were on the ground, racing through the castle to the kitchens, her head was spinning through the clouds. It just… doesn't make sense!

True, a small voice in her head said, but he hasn't ever wielded the Elements of Harmony, has he?

Bump.

She hustled away from the pillar. How had she not seen it?

After a few more pillar-greetings (with her face), she made it to the kitchens.

"I need citrus-y fruits, diced please!" Twilight gasped, out of breath. For all the running she'd been doing the past few years, she certainly wasn't in shape. "And a large container of water, please."

Only moments after she spoke, a chef diced up some grapefruits and different varieties of oranges. "Here ya go," he said, pushing the cart towards her with one hind leg. A jug of water joined the fruit. "Lots o' citrus and a large jug o' water."

"Thanks," Twilight called. The jug rose next to her, captured in Twilight's magenta magic. She nosed the cart along, trying to go as fast as she could without spilling anything.

The trip back felt much shorter than the trip to the kitchens had, and when Twilight returned to the throne room, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were holding Pinkie down. A magic restrainer rested at the base of Pinkie's horn, and Pinkie's wings flapped in vain.

"Glad to see you're back," Rainbow commented. Pinkie gave one mighty heave, but she managed to hold the party mare down. "How long do we need to keep her held down?"

Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it. "Wait a second… isn't there a spell to neutralize the effects of caffeine?"

Everypony sighed. Even Discord and Pinkie Pie sighed. It was the kind of sigh that just says 'And you couldn't have told us earlier?' Of course, Applejack voiced what they were all thinking.

"And ya only just now remembered it, sugarcube?" Applejack shook her head slowly.

"Yep." Her horn glowed, magenta sparks flying from it as she aimed her horn towards the pink Alicorn. A thin beam shot towards her, and Pinkie relaxed, her body settling so much that she apparently decided to fall asleep.

"That spell would've been nice about 10 minutes ago," Rainbow remarked.

"… I guess we're not going to need all this fruit, then?" Fluttershy asked. Her teal magic enveloped some diced up oranges, delivering them into her mouth. "If not, that's okay... I really like oranges..."

Rarity's POV

She unfolded her wings, stretching them. I'll need to remember to revise Applejack's, Pinkie's, Twilight's, and my Gala dresses. While that was a terrible night indeed, that doesn't mean that I can't spiff them up a bit!

        Princess Celestia cleared her throat. "Your coronations will be in three days. Invite whoever you wish - it is your coronation, after all."

"Girls, would you like me to make coronation dresses for you?" Rarity's mind was whirling with hundreds of designs - and this time, she wouldn't allow them to interfere... well, much.

Pinkie stirred in her sleep, murmuring something about cake. I'll take that as a yes...

"Just... make sure it's cool." Rainbow replied. "This coronation is going to be 20% cooler, because, well, I make everything 20% cooler!"

"Seein' as you did such a fine job on our Gala dresses, Ah'd say you're the best pony for the job." Applejack hugged her.

Fluttershy and Twilight made noises of agreement, both enjoying an orange-y snack.

"I'd better get designing, then. Princess-"

"Not a problem," Princess Celestia finished. "I'll have lots of cloth, threads, needles, and other sewing necessities brought up to your room."

"Oh, thank you!" Rarity gave the room in general a nod, then galloped away.

Rarity, that's not how you're supposed to exit! one voice in her mind scolded.

Oh hush, you, she replied. The young Alicorn trotted to her room, her gallop from earlier long forgotten. Entering it, she brought parchment, a sturdy quill, and an inkwell out of her many, many suitcases. The parchment found a home on a sturdy surface, her quill dipped into the inkwell, and the scratching of a quill on parchment could soon be heard in the room as Rarity's creative skills went to work.

Princess Luna's POV

"Ugh…" groaned the Princess of the Night. "Why doth it rain cake?"

She staggered into the throne room, blinking in exhaustion. "Sister of mine, Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, *WHY DOTH IT RAIN CAKE WHEN THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT TRYETH TO SLEEP?!*"

"I'm sorry, Luna," began Princess Celestia, but Luna stamped her hoof down loudly.

"WE SHALL ACCEPT THY APOLOGY WHEN WE RECEIVE OUR EXPLANATION AS TO WHY IT DOTH RAIN CAKE!"

"LUNA!!" Celestia screamed. "HUSH THY PROTESTS AND THOU SHALT RECEIVE THY EXPLANATION!"

Her words echoed in the near-empty throne room. Fluttershy was covering her ears and shaking on the ground, while Discord attempted to comfort her. Applejack was trying to stretch her wings (in vain) to cover her ears, Rainbow's ears were flopped as far down as they could go, Pinkie was still - miraculously - sleeping, and Twilight was moaning "My ears…"

"Um… ow?" Rainbow massaged her ears with her hooves. "Note to self: do not make Princess Celestia mad enough to use her Royal Canterlot Voice."

Princess Celestia sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony."

Why is she sorry? I'm the one who started with the Royal Canterlot Voice. Princess Luna lowered her gaze to the ground. "We may have overreacted a little, but We are very tired and it was… quite the experience to see a slice of cake splatter against Our window when there were no showers to be scheduled… especially not cake showers."

Pinkie Pie slept on, twitching in her dreams.

Twilight chuckled. "Well, Princess Luna, it seems that Pinkie Pie is the one who made it rain cake."

"Is that so?"

"Eeyup." Applejack nodded.

"…" Luna took a second look at Pinkie. "Sister, why is Pinkie an Alicorn??"

"Well…" Celestia retold her story as to why she'd made the main six Alicorns.

"Ah. We see."

Silence filled the room, until Pinkie awoke from her deep slumber.

"Hiya, everypony!" the pink Alicorn chirped. Upon seeing the bemused faces of Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Celestia, and Luna, her excitement waned a bit. "Um… it's still raining cake, isn't it?"

Splat. One particularly enthusiastic cake smashed against one of Princess Celestia's stained glass windows; to be exact, the one of the main six defeating Discord and turning him back to stone.

Pinkie's horn glowed bright blue, and the storm of cakes halted. All the cakes that had fallen vanished, and the odd, chocolatey looking clouds above Canterlot faded away, until there was only blue sky.

"Now that the rain of cakes is done, We shall head back to Our chambers for sleep." Princess Luna turned and trotted away, aiming for her bedroom and the extremely soft bed that would welcome her.