Here Comes the Sun

by JapaneseTeeth

Rating: everyone
Tags: Trixie, Spike, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 29938

The Summer Sun Celebration has come again, and the residents of Ponyville are going to make sure that THIS year it goes smoothly.

The Summer Sun Celebration has come to Ponyville once more. Last year's celebration didn't go quite as planned, what with Eternal Night being only narrowly averted, so this year they're going to extra lengths to make sure it goes smoothly.

Note: this fic takes place in an AU where Twilight hasn't become an alicorn yet; basically as if the next SSC happened mid-season 3 instead of later on. A friend wanted to see a more slice of life version of how things might've turned out.

Published 2017-12-03 18:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-10-14 01:36:55 UTC

Piece of Cake

Twilight stared in displeasure at the enormous cylinder of cheese that sat on the library floor. It looked a little bit bigger every time she looked at it. Apparently, it was smoked Gouda, not that it made her job any easier.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” She mumbled to herself.

“Eat it?” Spike suggested. “With some crackers, maybe?”

“Seriously? Not even you could eat that whole thing! Besides, do you have any idea what eating so much cheese can do to your digestive tract? It isn’t pleasant.”

“I wasn’t talking about just you.” Spike sniffed at the cheese. “I mean, we’re hosting a festival with hundreds of ponies coming in. And we’re feeding them. Doesn’t the problem kinda solve itself?”

“But we already have the menu set. They’ve been working on it all day. You can’t just throw hundreds of pounds of cheese into a meal and expect it to work.”

“Make it an hors d’oeuvre then?” he suggested. “I don’t get what’s so hard about this.”

“That might work,” Twilight examined the cheese. “Of course, we’d still have to take the time to cut up this entire thing into bite-sized pieces, find a sufficient number of crackers, and then actually setting them all out. Maybe if we started now we’d be able to finish by…” She did some quick mental calculations. “Tomorrow morning. Yeah, that won’t work.” She sighed and slumped over on the cheese. “Why would Luna decide to bring this now of all times? We have to do something with it! It’s a royal gift; she’d be offended if we don’t use it.”

“Wait! I’ve got it!” Spike hopped up on top of the cheese and posed proudly. “Equestria’s biggest Grilled Cheese Sandwich!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Do you realize just how wide the sandwich would have to be to actually get it to melt the whole way through? You’d have a sandwich that would be twenty feet on each side! Do you think that Ponyville has a loaf of bread that big? Not to mention that it would be enough to make something like two thousand sandwiches. Maybe if that were the only meal we could get rid of it, but in addition? We’d never get rid of it all. Besides, do you want to be the one to cut this thing up into sandwich sized chunks.”

Spike snorted and climbed off the cheese. “I was just trying to come up with ideas.”

“I know, I know.” Twilight sighed. “I’ll worry about the cheese later. I need to go check up on everypony.”

“No no no, you’re still coming in a bit late.” Fluttershy's eye twitched. She had just learned a new rule about choir directing: with the addition of each new voice, the likelihood of one of them missing a cue increased exponentially. It felt like that, at least. Maybe doubling the number of birds had been a bad idea. “Remember, the robins need to come in halfway through the blue jay’s line. Let’s start again at measure thirty-two. One, two, three, four-”

The birds began to sing. For the first few seconds, the music sounded lovely. Then the harmony was shattered by a loud noise halfway between a snort and a sneeze. The birds immediately broke into squawking.

“Quiet down! Shhh!” Fluttershy waggled a hoof at the birds as they began to settle. “Did any of you make that sound?”

The birds shook their heads.

“Then where did it come from?”

The choir pointed in the general direction of a single tiny cloud that hung in the otherwise blue sky.

“Of course,” Fluttershy sighed. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” She flew over to the cloud, and sure enough, Rainbow Dash was splayed over it, emitting surprisingly loud sounds. “I should’ve known,” Fluttershy whispered. She pushed gently on the side of the cloud, scooting it through the sky. With luck, Rainbow Dash wouldn’t notice that her favored napping spot was being relocated.

“Hey, what’s going on!?” Rainbow Dash flipped over. “What are you moving my napping cloud for?”

Fluttershy sighed again. “Your…. um… snoring was disturbing the birds. I’m trying to rehearse for tonight. I just thought I’d move your cloud a little further away.”

“Aw c’mon! I spent like half an hour making sure that the location was perfect so that I could get a nice breeze!” She sat on the cloud and crossed her forelegs. “Why can’t you just move the birds?”

“But you knew we were going to practice here,” Fluttershy said. “You could’ve napped anywhere else in Ponyville!”

“I thought listening to your birds would help me fall asleep.”

“Well, you definitely won’t be able to hear them if you’re going to snore like that. There’s no way we can rehearse with all that noise!”

“My snoring isn’t that bad!”

“Have you ever heard yourself snore before?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, no.”

“Trust me,” she said.

“Fine,” Rainbow Dash kicked the cloud grumpily. “I guess I can find someplace else to nap.”

“Why do you need to nap so badly anyway? Don’t you have stuff to do?”

“Gotta make sure I’m rested up for when I have to clear the sky.” She cracked her neck emphatically. “You know how it is.”

Fluttershy looked to the sky, which was pure blue. “Um. What do you need to clear, exactly?”

“Okay, there might not be any clouds now, but later on there are supposed to be some rolling in. I have to be ready for anything.”

Fluttershy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, as long as you’re ready somewhere where you aren’t disturbing the rehearsal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.” Rainbow Dash grabbed her cloud and fluttered into the distance, grumbling to herself all the way.

Fluttershy watched her go, and satisfied that she had departed, returned to her birds.

“Sorry about the disruption. We should be able to finish our rehearsal now. Why don’t we just take it from the top?”

“Ugh, now where am I supposed to sleep?” Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself as she dragged her cloud along. The obvious solution was to just find a spot out in the Apple Family’s orchard somewhere. It was the only place in town not filled with hustle and bustle, and Applejack was probably still at Sugarcube Corner. And Big Macintosh never made noise. The Orchard would be perfect.

She chose one of the fields in the back, furthest from the town. Nopony would think to bother her there. The fact that everything smelled like apples was a nice bonus. She tucked her cloud between two of the branches and curled up on it. She was just starting to nod off when the entire tree shuddered.

“Whoa!” She rolled over, forgetting that she had perched her cloud in a tree. She rolled into a branch and began to flail. “What’s going on!”

She dropped out of the tree with a thud. She opened her eyes, and Big Macintosh was looking down at her.

“What happened?”

“You fell out of the tree.”

“I know that.” Rainbow Dash got to her hooves. “But why did you knock me out of it?”

“We needed more apples!” Apple Bloom poked her head out of a nearby cart. “Takes a lot of ‘em to feed everypony. What’re you doin’ in our tree, anyway?”

“I was taking a nap,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “I guess I’ll find another tree.”

“We weren’t plannin’ on usin’ any of the trees in that field over there,” Apple Bloom said. “You can go sleep over in those trees.”

“I guess I’ll go over there, then.” Rainbow Dash grabbed her cloud and headed over to the trees that Apple Bloom had indicated. They weren’t quite as secluded as she would’ve liked, but it would serve. She tucked her cloud into the branches and settled in. Almost perfect except for a single twig that was poking her in the flank. She snapped it off and tossed it to the ground. “That’s better.”

For a second, things were quiet.

“Wait a second, what’s that buzzing?”

“Finally, we actually got something checked off,” Spike said as he made a mark on his scroll.

“Yes, all of the tables are set up, and it looks like Roseluck, Daisy, and Lily have already finished up the centerpieces. All they need to do is actually put them on the tables, but they’re not going to do that until right before the festival starts.” Twilight took the scroll and examined it.

“What’s next on the list?” Spike asked.

“Sugarcube Corner,” Twilight answered. “Making sure that the cakes are ready.”

“When you say ‘cakes’, do you mean like Mr. and Mrs. Cake, or the actual cakes?”

“Both, I guess.” Twilight stowed the scroll in her saddlebag. “We need to know when the Cakes will be ready to take the cakes to Town Hall.”

“Sure.” Spike scratched his head. “Although it looks like you might want to deal with that first?”

“That? What’s that?”

“Whatever the Mayor is galloping over here to tell you.” Spike pointed. “It’s probably important.”

“Oh no!” Twilight galloped to meet her. “What is it!? Is everything okay? Is Luna alright? She needs something, doesn’t she? What can I do?”

“The princess is fine,” the mayor answered, a little out of breath. “She’s still at town hall. I arranged for the various vendors to bring samples to assure that she approves of everything.”

“So what’s the problem, then?”

“Well-” Crackling fireworks that were mostly invisible against the bright sky cut her off. A distressingly familiar, though slightly flat, musical jingle followed the pops.

“Oh no,” Twilight groaned.

“The Grrrrreat and Powerful Trixie has returned!” A rickety-looking but well-decorated cart rattled down the road toward them, pulled by a blue unicorn.

“Why is she here?” Twilight asked under her breath.

“I have no idea,” the mayor whispered back. “I’m going to go check on Luna. You probably know how to handle this best, anyway!” She spun around and hurried back down the road without waiting for a response.

“Hey, wait!”

“The Grrrrrreat and Powerful Trixie has arrived!” Trixie declared a second time. Her cart shuddered as she released another explosion of fireworks.

“I heard you the first time,” Twilight said, trying not to sound as grumpy as she felt. “What happened to being the Great and Apologetic Trixie?”

Trixie flicked the tip of her mane. “Trixie can be both apologetic and powerful at the same time.”

“I see. So what brings you to Ponyville?”

“The Great and Powerful and also Apologetic Trixie desires to make up for her past misdeeds by putting on a free performance for the citizens of Ponyville. It would be certain to liven up the Summer Sun Celebration! This time, Trixie assures you that she will not involve audience members. That never ends well.”

“Uh huh. First of all, can you just stop doing the whole third person thing? I already know your name.”

“Very well,” Trixie grumbled.

“Second,” Twilight continued, “last time you were here, you used an ancient artifact to take over Ponyville, banish me, and spend the next few days tormenting the townsponies. Even if you’ve turned over a new leaf, I don’t think that it would go over very well.”

“Trixie just… er, I just want to demonstrate to everypony that I have changed,” she said proudly. “I assure you I have no intention whatsoever of using any sort of dark magic artifact to put Ponyville inside a bubble. Or to cause any other sort of harm, of course. I only want to entertain everypony to make up for everything.”

“And I suppose the publicity from being able to say you performed at the Summer Sun Celebration would just be a bonus?”

“Yes,” Trixie nodded vigorously in a manner that indicated that she didn’t want Twilight to think she had already thought of that.

“I see,” Twilight said flatly. “In that case, what makes you think this would even be possible? The Summer Sun Celebration was planned months ago, and the schedule has been set for like three weeks. Do you seriously think you can show up right before it starts and actually get to perform?”

“Er. Maybe?”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Does the Great and Powerful Trixie get to perform, or not?”

“There’s that third person thing again-”

“Do I get to perform? Pleeeeeeeaaaassssee?”

“Trixie, we don’t have a location, a stage, or a time. Why don’t you just enjoy the Celebration and worry about performing later?”

“But I came all this way!” Trixie whined. “I can use my cart for the stage, and I could be the warm-up act for all the ponies who arrive early! I promise I won’t use my magic on anypony. Unless it’s something totally harmless like pulling a bit out of somepony’s ear.”

“You need magic to pull that off?” Spike asked. Trixie just glared at him.

Twilight massaged the side of her head. She was starting to get a headache and preparations were barely even getting started. Even if she had turned over a new leaf, there was no way Trixie would take no for an answer. At least not from her…

“How about this?” Twilight said. “Technically, I’m just supposed to be overseeing preparations. I’m not in charge of the schedule for the celebration itself.”

“Oh,” Trixie’s face fell for a moment, then her eyes lit back up. “Could you tell Trixie, er, tell me who is in charge of the schedule?”

Twilight fought the urge to grin maniacally. “Princess Luna.”

“The… princess?” Trixie’s face made some weird motions as she tried to figure out whether to smile or frown.

“Yes. I believe she’s over in Town Hall right now. If anypony could find a place for you in the schedule, it would be her. I can’t guarantee that she will, of course.”

“Of course.” Trixie giddily pranced in place.

“I’ll have Spike write you a note so that you can get an audience with her,” Twilight continued. “You realize that she’s quite busy right now, so please don’t waste her time.”

“I most certainly will not!” Trixie plucked the note out of Spike’s claws before the ink had time to dry. “Trixie will remember this!” She galloped down the road towards Town Hall.

“Hey, wait!” Twilight shouted after her. “You need to move this cart out of the road!” It was too late. Trixie was already out of earshot.

“Figures.” Twilight grumbled. “Come on, let’s get this thing out of the way. And remind me to have the mayor put a ticket on it.”

“Do you think it was a good idea to send her to Princess Luna?” Spike said as he helped Twilight drag the cart, which had only one good wheel, off to the side of the road.

“Of course!” Twilight said proudly. “It solved all of our problems! Trixie obviously wasn’t going to listen to me, but if there’s anypony she’ll actually listen to, it’s one of the Princesses. Princess Luna wouldn’t put up with her nonsense. Sure, I don’t want to pester Luna with anything, but we have things to do, and I can’t stand here and argue with Trixie all afternoon. Luna can just call the guards if Trixie starts wasting her time. Speaking of which, what is the next thing on our schedule?”

Spike examined the scroll. “Pinkie should be finishing up with the cakes right about now.”

Rainbow Dash winced as she finished dabbing the ointment on the bee stings that now covered her flank. Hundreds of trees in the orchard, and she picked the one branch that happened to be next to a hive. She’d have to have a talk with Fluttershy about moving them somewhere. But not now. Right now, she needed to relax a little bit and get some rest. She put the ointment away and started to try to think of another place to nap where she wouldn’t be disturbed. As she stumbled out of the bathroom she almost tripped over her bed.

“Duh…” she muttered to herself. She had already dragged her house over an empty field near the outskirts of town, far away from the preparations. Nopony would bother her here. She wanted to kick herself for not thinking of that sooner. She flopped into bed and began to doze off.

Then the voices started.

“Yes! This field will be just perfect for the Great and Powerful Trixie to hold her performance!”

What is she doing here? Rainbow Dash thought. There’s no way that Twilight would let her set up here…

“I thought it would be ideal,” said a second voice. Even though it was only speaking, it was still so loud that it sounded like it were right next to Dash’s bed. “It is true that the main preparations for the Celebration are not yet complete, but it is likely there will be many attendees who will arrive early. They will need to be entertained.”

Princess Luna. Nopony else talks that loud. Rainbow Dash buried her head in her pillow.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie will entertain them! She thanks you for the opportunity to demonstrate her regret.”

“Think nothing of it. I know full well how difficult it can be to atone for one’s past misdeeds. I only ask that you make the most of this opportunity.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie fully intends to, Princess Luna. Trixie would be honored if you could attend one of her performances.”

Ugh… Rainbow Dash put her head under the pillow. It didn’t help.

“I would love to. In fact, if it is possible, I will bring my sister along as well. I am sure that she would enjoy it very much. But for now, I must return to my other duties. I trust you have everything you require inside your cart?”

“Of course. I will see you at my performance! And thank you once again for this opportunity.”

“Think nothing of it. And now I must be off.”

Finally, she’s gone. Rainbow Dash relaxed. Without those two shouting at each other, I can finally get some-

An out-of-key cacophony of horns, whistles, and drums blared from below, so loudly that it made the bed tremble.

What the-

She fearfully poked her head out from under the covers.

“No no no!” Trixie was saying to herself. “This simply will not do! The Great and Powerful Trixie’s fanfare cannot be out of tune! Fortunately, there is plenty of time to retune everything!”

The fanfare played again, just as loudly and only slightly less out of tune.

“It must be more damaged than I thought,” Trixie continued, talking to herself much more loudly than necessary. “I suppose Trixie must tune each component individually!”

The fanfare played again. This time it got worse.

“How annoying,” Trixie grumbled. “If this keeps up, I won’t even have enough time to test-fire my pyrotechnics!”

Up in the cloud house, Rainbow Dash began to beat her head on her pillow.

“It looks like Applejack is right on schedule with the pies,” Spike said as he examined the cart that sat outside Sugarcube Corner. It was already stacked high with boxes of baked goods.

“That’s a good sign!” Twilight said, smiling broadly. “Although I wonder where Applejack is. If she’s done with the pies I wonder why she hasn’t brought them to Town Hall yet?”

“Maybe she’s helping Pinkie before she goes,” Spike suggested.

“I bet that’s it,” Twilight said. “Come on, let’s go in.”

She pulled the door open, releasing a massive cloud of powdered sugar. It instantaneously settled onto her coat and began to clump.

“I really should’ve seen that coming,” she said with a sigh. Spike gave her a smug grin and brushed the sugar off of his scales. Twilight just snorted and began picking what she could out of her mane. Then another puff of sugar blasted her in the face with such force that she rolled backward out the door.

“Whoopsie!” said a voice from above her. Pinkie.

“I told you we shoulda checked to make sure there was nopony outside,” said another voice, obviously Applejack’s.

“At least we got the kitchen cleaned up!” Pinkie answered. “Just a sec and I’ll have Twilight nice and clean!”

“Wait just a second,” Twilight protested. “Don’t-”

“Hold on tight!” Pinkie said.

A strong gust of air blasted into Twilight, who braced herself against the ground. The force of the air drove her back, her hooves grinding furrows into the dirt.

“There we go!”

Twilight opened her eyes to see Pinkie grinning at her, leaning on a massive fan that looked like it might’ve been repurposed from an airship engine.

“I told you I’d get that sugar off!” Pinkie said.

Applejack peered cautiously out the door. “Well, you got most of it.”

“What do you mean most?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

Spike stifled a giggle. “Your mane!”

“What about my mane?”

“It’s… uh…” Applejack chewed on her lip.

Twilight felt at the back of her head and groaned. Her mane was somehow sticking straight out behind her, held in place by a sugary crust. She turned to look at her tail.

“Ow!” Spike rubbed his head. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing!”

“Pinkie, what is this?”

“It’s an experiment!” Pinkie announced.

“Why are you doing an experiment?”

“Pinkie was trying to apply the principles of rock candy production to frosting,” said a flat voice from inside. The head of a mare with a gray coat and pale lavender mane appeared in the door. “It seems that the aerosolized sugar was subject to rapid crystallization when it came into contact with your mane.”

“Uh, Pinkie, who is this?”

“This is my sister, Maud!” Pinkie bounced to the door and dragged her sister, who showed no surprise, over to the door. “She came all the way down here just to see me! And also look at rocks.”

“I’ve heard reports that Ponyville has unique levels of strata,” Maud said. “I’m going to collect some data to use in my research.”

“She’s working on her Rocktorate!” Pinkie said proudly.

“That’s great,” Twilight said. “It really is. But I have a lot to do and I just wanted to make sure that the pies and cakes are ready to go.”

“Pies are all loaded up and ready to go to Town Hall.” Applejack said. “I was just about to head over there.”

“And the cakes?” Twilight asked hopefully.

“The cakes are done, and they look great!” Pinkie bounded over Twilight’s head and landed behind her. She spun around and began to shove her into the bakery. “And they taste great, too! Don’t worry, we didn’t eat any of the actual cakes.”

“They’re amazing!” Twilight said. The cakes did look wonderful. She might be overenthusiastic, but when it came to baking, Pinkie was still a professional. The colors matched, and the frosting patterns were surprisingly intricate, almost like something Rarity might’ve done. And there was no doubt that they’d taste great. That was never a question. The only problem was… “They’re… bigger than I expected.”

“Oh, right. About that…” Applejack cleared her throat. “We did run into a bit of an issue with the cakes. Well, the cakes themselves are fine, but…”

Twilight groaned. “I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy. What’s the problem?”

Pinkie giggled nervously. “I may have, kinda, sorta, made the cakes too big to get out the door.”

“Too big?”

“Yeah, the cakes are too wide for the door,” Applejack said. “We’ve tried every angle, but there’s no way they’re gettin’ through there. The only real option is to, er, enlarge the door. My family can repair it for ‘em lickety-split after the celebration, but I doubt they’d be happy about it, and I ain’t doin’ nothing until I get their okay.”

Twilight’s eye almost twitched itself off of her face. “There aren’t any other ways we could get it out?”

“Well, Pinkie’s sister offered to dig a tunnel out, but we agreed it wouldn’t work. We couldn’t agree why it wouldn’t work, but we agree that it wouldn’t.”

“Why would you disagree on that?” Spike asked.

“Maud could totally dig a tunnel big enough for the cakes to go through!” Pinkie interrupted. “It would be like, super easy! I just don’t want to get dirt on the cake when we take it through the tunnel!”

“Nopony is gonna be able to dig a tunnel that big that quickly without causin’ a cave-in!” Applejack retorted. “I’ve dug enough basements to know that. Maybe if you did it out in a field, but not under a building! You’d bust a hole right through Sugarcube Corner’s foundation!”

“Pffft! Maud could dig a tunnel through anything!” Pinkie answered, sticking her tongue out. “You’ve just never seen her dig before!”

“It’s not about the diggin’, it’s about distributin’ the load!” Applejack stomped her hoof for emphasis. “We can’t risk destabilizin’ the whole place. Besides, it would mess up the floor anyway.”

“Yeah, Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn’t be happy if we dug a hole in their kitchen,” Pinkie said. She paused. “I guess we’ll just have to knock down a wall then.”

“It would be easier to do that then to repair the foundation,” Applejack said. “I guess we could blow out the bit between the window and the door. That’ll take the least fixin’. I’ll have to go find one of the Cakes to make sure they’ll let us do it.”

“This is ridiculous,” Twilight grumbled to herself.

“Yeah, seriously,” Spike added. “Especially since Twilight could just ‘poof’ the cakes outside with her magic anyway.”

Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other. Twilight looked back and forth at them. Maud looked at a chunk of quartz that the Cakes had been using as a doorstop.

“Fine,” Twilight grunted. “But this is just a one-time thing so you don’t have to knock down the wall. Next time, I’m not bailing you out. Now be quiet. I have to concentrate.”

Twilight’s horn began to glow. A second later, so did the cakes. The sparkling aura grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly vanished, taking the desserts with it.

“There. Is there anything else you need me to help with?” She glared at Applejack and Pinkie, wordlessly daring them to make a request. “No? Good. Now, get those cakes to Town Hall and we’ll see what we can do from there. I’ve got to go finish my rounds.” She spun around and began to head out the door.

“Uh, Twilight?”

Twilight bristled at the sound of Applejack’s voice, but still stopped. “Yes?”

“Where did you teleport the cakes to?”

Twilight froze. “Oh, no.”

Author's Note

Whoops. :twilightoops:

Keep Those Cheeses Rolling

“You found the cake!” Pinkie bounced leisurely next to Twilight as the unicorn galloped down the road. “You found the cake!”

“We haven’t found it yet,” Twilight answered. “My spell picked up the cake’s magical signature, so we know which way it is. The signal is really weak though. It must be all the way at the outskirts of town.”

“I knew it would be in the last place we looked!” Pinkie said sagely as she pronked along.

“Of course it would be in the last place we looked. Once we find it, we wouldn’t be looking anymore!” Twilight wanted to roll her eyes, but didn’t, because she knew that if she took her eyes off the road she’d probably run into something.

“Hey, look! Rainbow Dash and Applejack found it too!” Pinkie pointed.

Rainbow Dash was above them, flying in the same direction. Applejack emerged from a side street to gallop alongside Twilight, although for Applejack it was really more of a trot.

“You found the cake?” Twilight gasped.

“Dash saw it out by that road near where she parked her house. Right by Trixie’s wagon.”

“I sure hope Trixie didn’t do anything to it.” Twilight scowled at the prospect of having to encounter Trixie again.

“Maybe she’ll make it disappear!” Pinkie suggested.

“She had better not. We’ve wasted enough time looking for it already.” Twilight gasped. Trying to keep pace with the two earth ponies was harder than it looked. “Look! There it is! And it looks like it’s completely undamaged!”

“That’s great! Huh?” Applejack watched as Rainbow Dash somehow managed to skid to a halt in the air and make a beeline toward them. “What the hay is she doin’?”

Rainbow Dash blasted past them, shouting out a single word as she passed.

“RUN!”

Rarity eyed everything with suspicion. The plaza in front of the Town Hall was mostly empty, most of the ponies having snuck away from their responsibilities to take a break, and the ones that remained were occupied elsewhere trying to pick up the slack.

“It’s safe,” she said, and motioned at the door.

“I do not see why we must be so cautious,” Luna said as she emerged from Town Hall.

“After all the time and effort we have put into that dress, I will not see it damaged again before it can be properly appreciated at the celebration!” Rarity snapped.

Luna looked up at the sky, which was clear and blue. “I really do not think that the dress is in that much danger.”

“You would think that,” Rarity answered. “But this is Ponyville. There’s always some sort of disaster waiting around the corner. Who knows when there might be a rabbit stampede, or a swarm of parasprites, or any sort of disaster that could destroy the dress completely!” She shuddered. “It would be so much safer if we left the dress in the dressing room.”

“Perhaps if you had not sewn me into it, that would have been a viable option,” Luna said. “As it is, I must be at the train station to receive my sister. And even if I did not, I would still need to get out of that dressing room. I have been in there all morning, and must get some fresh air.”

“Fine, fine.” Rarity chewed her lip at the thought of what might happen. “Though I must be clear that should something… unfortunate happen, I will certainly not have time to do any more repairs. I am already a bit behind in my duties.”

“And I need to get back to my rehearsal!” Fluttershy added.

“Gah!” Luna twitched. “I did not realize that you were back there.”

“Sorry.”

“In any case, I am most grateful for your help and I will not impose on you any longer. The three of... “ Luna looked around. “Where did Sweetie Belle go?”

“Once I had Fluttershy helping me, I let her go find her friends,” Rarity answered. “After helping me all morning she deserved a break.”

“Well, if I do not see her before the festival is over, give her my thanks as well,” Luna said. “As I was saying, I greatly appreciate the help the two of you have given-”

A loud explosion rang in the distance, immediately followed by roughly a billion others. All three of them turned to look at it. At the edge of town, it appeared that a fireworks display had taken a flying leap straight to the grand finale.

“Wow,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity snorted. “You would think that they would wait until dark before firing those off. You can barely see them all!”

“Perhaps Trixie decided to do a practice run before her show tonight,” Luna offered.

“I suppose that is…” Rarity paused to think. “Wait, did you say Trixie?”

Fluttershy gasped. “You mean Trixie is AAHHHHH!”

She screeched in horror as a massive hunk of debris from the explosion fell from the air, landing smack dab on Luna with a resounding SPLAT!

“Princess Luna! Are you alright!?” Fluttershy wailed.

“I am fine,” Luna said. “I have taken much worse than a stray… is this cake?”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Rarity sighed in relief. “It’s just cake.”

“Good thing, too. Luna might’ve been really hurt if it was something else.”

“Oh yes. That is true. But if it’s only cake, the dress should be undamaged.” Rarity brushed at Luna’s flank, and the mess of cake and frosting slid right off without so much as a stain. “See? Perfectly pristine!”

“Wh… how is that possible?” Fluttershy gawked at the dress as she watched Rarity clean it off. “It should be ruined!”

“I must admit that while I am glad the dress is unharmed, I am also rather confused,” Luna said.

“After an… incident involving a cake at the Grand Galloping Gala last year, it was clear how badly stray baked goods can ruin a dress,” Rarity said. “As such, I developed a form of anti-cake spell that will protect textiles from that particular threat. I make it a habit to treat all of my materials with it.”

“If you did that, shouldn’t the original parts of the dress still be stained?” Fluttershy asked as she helped Rarity wipe off the fabric.

“Yes, it… appears that we got rather… zealous with replacing the materials.”

Luna cocked her head. “You mean…”

Rarity chuckled awkwardly. “It seems that we may have inadvertently replaced the dress entirely.”

“Wait,” Fluttershy said, rubbing her head. “Why didn’t we just make her a new dress from scratch, then?”

“That is a very good question,” Rarity said.

“Whatever the case, I must be on my way,” Luna said. “I must go receive my sister. My guards will accompany me. Thank you again for your help.” She gestured to her guards, and they proceeded down the road toward the station.

“As much as I enjoy my work, I must say I’m glad that that’s over,” Rarity said, sighing. She turned towards the site of the fireworks explosion, which was now just a large column of smoke. “I wonder why… wait a moment.”

Fluttershy swallowed. “Luna said that it was Trixie, didn’t she?”

Rarity nodded. “I was hoping I had misheard, but I suppose not.”

“Why would Trixie be here?”

“I don’t know, and that worries me. I suppose we ought to investigate.”

Fluttershy hung her head as if she had just gotten called in to work on her day off. “I guess so.”

Pinkie sniffed the air. “Mmmm! Sugar and sulfer! Smells like New Years!”

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash poked her head out from the tree where she had taken refuge.

“A fireworks explosion!” Pinkie poked her head out of the tree next to Rainbow Dash.

“Whoa!” Dash recoiled and fell out of the tree.

“I dunno how you didn’t know that,” Pinkie said. “You’re the one who saw it in the first place.”

“I mean… why?” Rainbow Dash stood and began picking twigs and leaves out of her mane. “Why was there a gigantic bag of fireworks sitting right next to a fire? Who would do that?”

“Uh, guys?”
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie turned to look at Applejack.

“I think Twilight is broken.”

Luna had no idea why Rarity had made such a fuss over her need to meet her sister at the train station. She arrived at the platform with exactly no complications whatsoever. Rarity had made her expect that she would’ve had to fend off a dragon or swarms of fruitbats or some other calamity. But no, she had reached her destination, and both Ponyville and her dress remained in perfect condition.

A puff of smoke in the distance informed her that Celestia’s train was about to arrive. She glanced at the clock that hung from the side of the station. Only three minutes late; practically early. The train’s brakes squawked as it slowed to a stop. Everything was going just fine. Everypony always got so worked up over nothing.

The car opened, but Celestia did not step out.

Suddenly, all of the horror stories that Rarity and Fluttershy had told her suddenly didn’t seem so far fetched.

“Sister?” She poked her head into the car. “Are you there?”

The car was empty, aside from a few guards.

“Is this not my sister’s personal carriage?” she demanded.

They nodded.

“Yet, she does not appear to be here.”

More nodding.

“I assume that she is, in fact, not in this car, and that she has not been turned invisible or some other such nonsense.”

Yet more nodding.

“Unbelievable!” Luna stormed back onto the platform and began to stomp up and down the platform. “How is this possible? How could she go missing now? Surely she couldn’t have missed the train. Which means that something must have prevented her from coming! Perhaps there is some sort of disaster in Canterlot. No, in that case she would’ve sent me a message. Which can only mean that she has been kidnapped! But who would be powerful enough to do so? Dragons, perhaps. They have always been a bit hostile. But kidnapping does not suit them. They would never be able to capture her without anypony noticing. The only ones who could kidnap her without alerting anypony would be changelings! That must be it! My sister has been kidnapped by changelings!”

“I haven’t been kidnapped by changelings, actually.” Celestia poked her head out of the train. “I was just in the dining car. For some reason it seems that tiramisu tastes better on a train.”

“How do I know you aren’t an imposter?” Luna gave her sister a sideways glance.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Changelings? Really?” She nodded towards the sun, which vibrated a bit before doing a quick figure-eight in the sky.

“Ah.” Luna cleared her throat and adjusted the frills on her dress. “It appears you have not been kidnapped.”

“No. You’ve been spending time with Twilight, haven’t you?”

“Rarity and Fluttershy, actually. They were rendering some assistance with my ensemble for tonight.”

Celestia nodded. “The dress does look nice, though it isn’t the one I thought you were going to wear.”

“A button fell off, and it… more or less snowballed from there. It is a long story.”

“Things that happen in Ponyville usually are.”

“Where is your dress? Surely you did not go through the trouble of making me select a dress when you do not intend to wear one.”

“It’s still in the train,” Celestia said. “My guards should be unloading everything shortly. I’ll change at Town Hall. No point in wearing it around and getting it dirty. Or losing a button.”

Luna snorted. “Why is it that everypony assumes that if you wear a dress in this town that the destruction of said dress is an inevitability?!”

“That’s Ponyville for you,” Celestia said with a shrug. “Although I guess if you had been at the Gala last year you might see where everypony is coming from.”

“Perhaps. Did you plan on having your guards deliver the customary gift to the Twilight or to the Mayor? I hear that Twilight’s plate is already rather full, so to speak.”
Celestia stared blankly at her sister. “What?”

“Have I suddenly grown a second head? Why are you gawking?”

“What gift?” Celestia asked, confused.

“What do you mean, ‘what gift?’” Luna said with a frown. “The customary gift to the hosts of the festival! Remember how you suggested I bring that wheel of cheese… What is wrong with your face?”

Celestia’s lips and eyes were contorting themselves, as if they were trying to smile, frown, scowl, glower, and grin all at once. She gave up and snorted loudly.

“You thought I was serious?!”

“What are you talking about!?”

“The cheese wheel! You actually brought the cheese wheel here and gave it to Twilight?”

“Of course I did!” Luna said indignantly. “It was your idea!”

“I was joking! Why on earth would you bring a cheese wheel of all things to the Summer Sun Celebration!”

“You told me it was traditional!”

“Why would a cheese wheel be a traditional gift?!” Celestia sat and rubbed the sides of her head. “I realize that you’ve been absent for quite some time, but I would’ve thought you’d realize I wasn’t being serious! There was no cheese wheel at the last Summer Sun Celebration!”

“I… thought that everypony had devoured it before I made my appearance.”

“And there hasn’t been a cheese wheel at any official function that either of us has taken part of. Unless some dignitary brought you one while I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Yes, yes, I get it. I am gullible. I do not see what the big deal is.”

“And you gave it to Twilight?”

“Of course. She was the one who welcomed me to town, after all.”

“Now this I have to see,” Celestia grinned. “We’d better find her and let her know it was a misunderstanding.”

“Is that truly necessary? Surely somepony as intelligent as Twilight Sparkle would be aware that this was simply a faux pas on my part.”

Celestia chuckled, and shook her head. “You don’t know Twilight very well, do you?”

“Equestria to Twilight! Equestria to Twilight!” Rainbow Dash began to re-enact her usual royal guard routine. Twilight continued to stare forward at the now-empty space where the cake had been. “Nope. Nothing.”

“Maybe I could try another song?” Pinkie withdrew an accordion from her mane. “I’ll try polka this time.”

“How about not?” Applejack shook her head and stepped between Pinkie and the instrument. “I think that might make it worse.”

“Maybe we should take her to the hospital,” Fluttershy suggested. “She might’ve gotten a concussion from the explosion.”

“I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash said with a snort. “I know concussions and this is no concussion. Besides, we were nowhere near the boom.”

“It really wasn’t even one explosion. More like a bunch of small ones,” Applejack said. “You’re right that we might wanna get her to a doctor though. Even for Twilight, this ain’t normal.”

“Maybe she got frozen by some kind of spell!” Pinkie offered.

“Nah, her eye is still twitching and she’s breathing and everything.” Rainbow Dash poked Twilight on the nose.

“It must be psychological,” Fluttershy said. “The shock of seeing the cake get destroyed must’ve been too much for her.”

“The other cake blew up? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” Spike shuffled up the road, trailing a partially unrolled scroll behind him. He paused as he saw Twilight. “What happened to Twilight?”

Applejack sighed. “She watched the cake go up in smoke-”

“And sparkles!” Pinkie added

“...and now she’s… gone into shock or somethin’. I don’t really know. We were about to go take her to a doctor.”

“Eh, she does that sometimes. Just a sec.” Spike walked up to Twilight and cleared his throat. “You’ve got a due date coming up!”

“GAH!” Twilight’s head snapped around. “I knew I missed something! What is it?”

“There’s no due date. You were just… you know.”

“Oh right, the cake.” Her eye twitched. “The cake exploded, and-”

“Well, before you get back to that, I have some good news. I just got back from checking up on the staging crew at Town Hall.”

“They didn’t mess up my decorations, did they?” Rarity asked.

“No, the decorations are fine.”

Rarity sighed in relief.

“Anyway, we were talking, and we figured out something to do with the cheese wheel. I’ll, uh, fill you in on the details later. It looks like you’re gonna have your plate full with the cake. And with… uh…”

“And with what?”

“HOW IS THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE SUPPOSED TO PUT ON HER SHOW NOW?!”

“Without fireworks, apparently,” Twilight grumbled to nopony in particular. “Which, and I know I shouldn’t be so dismissive but I have too much on my plate already, is entirely not my problem!”

Trixie stomped up to Twilight, her robe and hat now stained with frosting and soot. “How is Trixie supposed to perform without fireworks?”

“I’m sure you’ll work something out,” Twilight grumbled. “Surely the Great and Powerful Trixie wouldn’t have any trouble figuring something out!”

“Trixie is Great and Powerful, but not rich. I demand restitution! The delivery pony blew up the fireworks! And damaged my wagon in the process!”

“That was your fault!” Lyra poked her head out of a nearby bush, where she had dived to shield herself from the explosion. “You told her to put the fireworks there! It’s your fault for having an open fire back there!”

“It was not!” Trixie protested. “And besides, you’re the one who set up the delivery!”

“If you would’ve done it yourself, this wouldn’t have happened!” Bon Bon emerged from the bush, beside Lyra, twigs sticking out of her mane like a pincushion.

“If you wouldn’t have distracted me, I would’ve known not to put them there!”

Twilight slowly began to shuffle backward, away from Trixie and toward what was left of the cake. The rest of her friends had already done the same.

“There’s more of it left than I thought there would be,” Rarity whispered, trying not to draw Trixie’s attention. “The side that was facing away from the explosion is surprisingly pristine.”

“Well, I did make it double size,” Pinkie said.

“Way more than double size,” Applejack said. “We’ve been over this.”

“But what are we supposed to do with this thing?” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, I know we have half a cake, but we kinda need a whole one!”

“Well, we would have had a whole one,” Pinkie said, “if somepony hadn’t flown into it.”

“You mean if somepony hadn’t teleported the cake in front of me while I was flying!” Rainbow Dash hissed.

“Actually, now that I think about it, we would have had a whole two cakes!” Pinkie continued. “Since there was that cake and this cake. But how we have two half cakes. So I guess we kinda do have one whole cake. It’s just not all in one place.”

“That’s it!” Twilight gasped, then put her hooves over her mouth. Fortunately, Trixie was too involved in her argument with Lyra and Bon Bon to notice. Twilight lowered her voice. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, do you think you can get what’s left of the cake back to Sugarcube Corner without damaging it more?”

“Might need to bring a cart out here, but if we can get it on there I wouldn’t think it would be much hassle. If it survived gettin’ blown up, it can handle a ride, especially if we got Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash keepin’ it steady.”

“Great. You go get the cart.” She turned to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “You stay here and just make sure that nothing else damages the cake.”

“What about them?” Fluttershy waved at the three arguing ponies.

“...Just hope they keep ignoring you. If they try to bother you, just tell them to go see Luna. It was her idea for Trixie to perform, after all. Rarity, Pinkie, you two head back to Sugarcube corner and start fixing up what’s left of the other cake. We need to have everything ready to go as soon as possible to get this to work.”

Pinkie saluted. “Will do!”

“Great. I’ll meet you there shortly.”

“But where are you going?” Rarity asked.

“To get the cheese wheel out of the library. I don’t know what Spike has planned for it, but at this point I don’t have any other ideas.”

“You mean you’re just going to go with it?” Spike stared at her in surprise. “I thought you’d at least want to know what the plan is?”

“Honestly, I don’t. I don’t have time to come up with any other plan, so we might as well just go with whatever it is you have planned. Let’s just get the cheese out of the way and get back to the cakes.”

Spike shrugged. “Alright. Let’s go move some cheese.”

“You are certain that there is time for this?” Luna asked.

“Of course.” Celestia nodded. “I ensured that most of my duties were taken care of before I departed Canterlot. All I have left to do before the Celebration begins is rehearsal, and we cannot do that until they’ve finished decorating the stage.”

“I suppose.”

“Besides, after last year, I am quite sure that Twilight has already taken care of nearly everything, including things that she wasn’t assigned to begin with. It’s only right that I try to take something off of her plate.”

“I suppose. She did appear quite… stretched when I saw her.”

“I haven’t seen her yet today, but I’m certain that this is quite the understatement. Besides, after last year, even if something does go wrong, it probably won’t be a big deal. Everypony will just be glad that Equestria wasn’t almost destroyed.”

“As ever, you know how to find the silver lining.”

“After a thousand years of ruling a country, you take what you can get.” She paused, noting the column of smoke on the horizon. “Do I even want to know what that is?”

Luna shrugged. “A fireworks test, I believe.”

“I didn’t think that a fireworks show was part of the program this year.”

“Ah.” Luna looked away sheepishly. “I...may have made some small alterations. Nothing that changes the sequence of the presentation, of course. Have I overstepped my bounds?”

“Not at all.” Celestia shook her head. “Fireworks are great! If anything I was afraid that this year’s festival might have been a little too calm.”

“THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DEMANDS AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PRINCESS.”

Trixie made a valiant effort to push her way through the line of Royal Guards that had been escorting the Princesses toward the town square, but found herself pushed back.

“Can’t see the princesses without an appointment,” the guard said wearily.

“Fine! The Great and Powerful Trixie will see only one Princess, then.”

“Uh…” The guards looked at each other. “I’m pretty sure you still need an appointment for that.”

“Trixie did not need an appointment earlier today!”

The guards looked at each other again.

Celestia nudged her sister. “So how long do you plan on letting your guards deal with her? I admit it is somewhat entertaining, but we really do have things to do.”

“I suppose so.” Luna cleared her throat. “You may stand down and let her pass,” she announced. “I will see her. Briefly.”

Trixie snorted before trotting past them. As she approached the Princesses, she paused to give a customary and exceptionally quick bow. She opened her mouth for another declaration, but noting that she now faced two alicorns, she thought better of it and simply took a confident pose.

“As you have no doubt guessed,” Luna said, “this is the Great and Powerful Trixie. I have given her special permission to put on a magic show for everypony as they are waiting for the celebration to begin.”

“Ah, yes. Twilight has written all about you in her letters.” Celestia extended a hoof to Trixie. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Is that… so?” Trixie deflated slightly as she accepted Celestia’s hoof.

“What is the reason for your… visit?” Luna asked.

“A… mishap has resulted in the Great and Powerful Trixie’s supply of fireworks being… er…”

“Blown up?” Celestia suggested.

“Yes. The small amount remaining is hardly sufficient for an adequate performance, and Trixie does not have the funds needed to purchase more. The lack of pyrotechnics will ruin the quality of Trixie’s show!”

“I understand,” Luna said, nodding. “While the budget allotment for the festival does not allow me to give you any further funds, but I am given to understand that Ponyville has a store of fireworks set aside for various events. Perhaps if you were to talk to the Mayor, she may be able to provide you with any spare materials.”

“I see,” Trixie said, clearly disappointed to not be handed everything, but still glad that she had gotten some help. “In that case, Trixie will go to her. Trixie is indebted to your for your assistance.” She spun around and galloped back toward Town Hall before either princess could change their mind.

“Twilight wasn’t joking about her tendency to speak in third person,” Celestia remarked. “I must say, I’m quite interested in seeing how her show will turn out.”

“I thought you would be.”

“The Mayor, on the other hand…”

“Watch out! Cheese coming through! Everypony out of the way!”

The crowd scattered as the massive wheel of cheese rolled down the center of the street. Twilight galloped after it, with Spike clinging on for dear life. Ponies dove out of the way as the massive cylinder crushed everything in its path.

“Why did you roll it so fast?!” Spike said, trying to maintain his grip.

“I didn’t! Twilight answered angrily between breaths. “It started speeding up on its own! The road must be sloped!”

“Why couldn’t you just teleport it!”

“After what happened to the cakes? No way! I might accidentally smoosh somepony!”

“Well, can’t you at least use your magic to slow it down a little?”

“Easier said than done! I can’t just ignore the laws of physics! That cheese wheel probably weighs almost a ton! It would take a lot of energy to stop it!”

“So what do we do?”

“Try to keep anypony from getting run over. Watch out!”

More ponies scrambled out of the way. Unfortunately, one of them was towing a massive fruit cart. He sighed in resignation as the enormous dairy product bore down on him.

“Gah!” Twilight instinctively grabbed at the cheese. She felt its weight pull at her. It was impossible to stop; or even to fully grasp with her telekinesis. Instead, the magic latched on to the edge. The cheese rolled on, but in a slightly different direction. It clipped the edge of the cart as it rolled past, leaving it intact. The cart pony blinked in surprise as Twilight and Spike chased the cheese down the street.

“That’s it!” Twilight exclaimed. “I might not be able to stop it, but we can steer it enough to make sure it doesn’t hit anything important! Town Hall is almost a straight shot from here! We’ll just let the cheese move itself!”

“That’s a great idea!” Spike nodded in approval as Twilight began to maneuver the cheese so that it wasn’t headed straight towards the lines of booths set up along the road to the square. “Only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“How do we stop it once we get to Town Hall?”

“Uh… Too late!” The cheese had arrived. Twilight gave it a final magic poke, sending it in the direction of the stairs leading into Town Hall’s main entryway. “Everypony watch out!”

The cheese rolled up the stairs, carried by momentum. It slowed slightly as it ascended. But only slightly. It maintained more than enough speed to ramp off the top of the stairs, bounce off the top of the doorway, and barrel into the hall with a loud crash.

Twilight and Spike cringed as the cheese vanished from sight. A variety of unpleasant sounds echoed from within.

“Rarity’s not going to be happy about that,” Spike said.

Twilight just sighed. “At least it’s here…”

The Cake Pit and the Cheese Pendulum

Twilight approached Sugarcube Corner with trepidation. She half expected that upon opening the door, what was left of the cake would spontaneously combust. Assuming, of course, that the bakery didn’t just collapse before she reached it. And then there would probably be an earthquake, and a gigantic crevice would open and swallow the town whole. Although at least at that point she wouldn’t have to worry about the Summer Sun Celebration anymore.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Spike said. “The Town Hall steps didn’t collapse, and once they dislodge the cheese from the stage-”

Twilight stopped just long enough to turn her head and glare at him with a twitchy eye.

“Just saying. It’ll be fine.”

“I certainly hope so.” Twilight took a deep breath before opening the door. To her surprise, the interior of Sugarcube Corner was not a disaster zone. At least, not more of one than it usually was. Both of the cakes, or at least what was left of them, sat in the kitchen.

“There you are!” Pinkie poked her head out from behind the cake. “We were wondering when you would get here!”

Twilight blinked. “You actually got the cake here?”

“Yup! No problem at all!” Applejack said with a satisfied nod. “It wobbled a bit when the cart hit a pothole, but Fluttershy and Dash managed to keep it from tippin’ too much.”

“No problem!” Rainbow Dash patted the cake lightly.

Fluttershy stepped carefully between them, taking care not to touch anything. “So how did things go with the, uh, the cheese?”

Twilight twitched.

“That bad, huh?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, about that… Would you mind heading over there? There was some… minor damage to the stage that needs to be repaired. I wouldn’t think it would take you too long.”

“I guess I might as well. I dunno if I’d be able to really help y’all with the cake that much anyway.”

“What about the decorations?” Rarity grabbed Twilight and gave her a shake. “What about my decorations!?”

“The decorations are fine!” Twilight managed to blurt out as she shoved Rarity back. “The ribbons at the front of the stage got knocked around a bit, but everything else is fine!”

“I’ll be the judge of that!” Rarity said with a snort. “I spent all morning on those decorations and I must make sure that they are pristine when the festival begins. Unless of course, it is imperative that I am here.”

Twilight turned to Pinkie. “Are we going to need her help?”

Pinkie thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Nah, we should be fine!”

“In that case, I must be on my way! I will return as soon as I can!” She trotted out the door. Applejack followed, with somewhat less enthusiasm.

“I guess I better get a move on too,” she said. “Good luck with gettin’ those cakes fixed up.”

“Twilight is not here,” Luna stated bluntly as she emerged from the library. “Neither is the cheese. It appears that she has already transported it elsewhere.”

“Are you certain that she brought the cheese here?” Celestia asked. “She could have simply brought it elsewhere.”

“No, she specifically stated that she would bring the cheese here while preparations were taking place.” Luna carefully shut the door. “Not to mention that I could smell it. The cheese wheel was definitely here.”

“Tell me,” Celestia said. “How did you deliver the cheese wheel to her home?”

“The guards brought it on a cart. Why?”

“Because there is a long indentation in the ground leading to her door that appears to be about the same size that a cheese wheel might leave if one rolled it along the ground.” She pointed. Sure enough, a depression ran through the dirt, down the road toward Town Hall. “If we follow it, we’ll probably find the cheese. It looks like it’s going in the same direction we were going anyway.”

“Brilliant! Let us go!” Luna marched dramatically along the path left by the cheese.

Celestia chuckled to herself and followed after her with considerably less formality.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Rainbow Dash said as she no-so-carefully trimmed damaged bits of cake from the top tier. “The new Daring Do movie is going to be awesome! How could it not be!?”

“Because there’s no way that they could possibly fit the entire story into a two hour movie!” Twilight retorted. She was engaged on cleaning up the bottom half the cake. “Do you know how much stuff they’re going to have to cut out?”

“They’ve gotta take out some stuff. You should know that.”

“Well, yes, but they’re taking out all of the wrong things! There’s no sign of the entire library sequence anywhere!”

“That’s because the library thing was boring.” Rainbow Dash trimmed off a long ribbon of fondant and rolled it into a ball. “There’s a reason none of the other books have scenes like that. Nobody goes to the movies to see somepony do research.” She lobbed the ball over Twilight’s head toward the nearby bowl where they were placing all of the miscellaneous bits of cake. Pinkie intercepted the throw with her mouth.

“I admit that it might’ve been a bit slow, but it was vital to the plot! It was when she figured out the location of the Sapphire Statue!” Twilight carved angrily at one of the damaged sections of cake.

“Yeah, because they couldn’t totally do that without actually showing her in there. Why couldn’t they just go right to the bit with the ship and have her be like ‘Yeah, I discovered the location of the statue after almost boring myself to death yesterday’ or something.”

“That would go entirely against her characterization! Her whole character arc is about her progression from being a normal researcher to actually being an adventurer in the field!” Twilight wrinkled her nose as she glared at Rainbow Dash. “That was the entire point of the book!”

“I thought the point was to find the Sapphire Statue. It’s right there in the title!”

“That’s the plot, but the theme of the book was Daring Do’s growth from from a scholar who never did anything with her knowledge to somepony who was able to put all of her studies to use! If they skip over that it completely misses what the story’s about!”

“How’s the cake coming!?” Pinkie bounced between the two of them, breaking the angry stares they had been giving each other. “Or the half-cake, I guess.”

“Huh?” They turned to look at the cake. Miraculously enough, given the lack of attention that they had been paying towards it, their section of the cake was pristine. The damaged sections had been completely pared away, and what was left had been carved to very nearly exactly half of what it had originally been.

“Great job!” Pinkie said, nodding in satisfaction. “Fluttershy should be just about done with our half!” She spun around. “How’s it going?”

“Just about there...done!” Fluttershy sliced off a final bit of damaged confection and tossed it towards the bowl.

Pinkie lunged into the air and caught it on her tongue. She chewed for a few second before her tongue forces itself back out of her mouth, bearing the lump of frosting.

“Bleeeaaaaaaghhhh! It tastes like rotten eggs and sadness!” She spit it into the garbage.

“Well, it did get blown up with fireworks,” Twilight said. “You really should’ve known better.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie grumbled as she wiped off her tongue.

“So now we’re going to put the two cakes together?” Fluttershy hovered in a slow circle around the cakes, being careful not to disturb them.

“That’s the plan, yes,” Twilight answered. “This is the first Summer Sun Celebration in a millennium to have both Princesses present, so it makes perfect sense to have a cake that symbolizes their reunion!”

Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs and snorted derisively. “That’s… pretty much the cheesiest thing ever.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“What’s wrong with cheese?” Pinkie said as she cartwheeled around the two cake halves. “It’s totally thematically appropriate because it’s what the moon is made of and I just realized that Luna’s cake should’ve been a cheesecake! How did I not think of that bef—” Distracted by her train of thought, Pinkie barreled into a cabinet, sending up a cloud of flour.

“Um, so what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked as she watched Pinkie shake the flour off. “We’ve got the cakes ready to go. Do we just push them together and frost over the seam?”

“I… guess?” Twilight shrugged. “Pinkie is in charge of that.”

“What she said!” Pinkie said, her voice muffled by the flour sack over her head.

Twilight nodded. “We’d better get started, then. We’ve only got...uh… not very long before we need to get this cake done, and to town hall!”

“Um…” Fluttershy raised a hoof like a nervous student waiting to ask a question. “Before we do that…”

“What?” Twilight asked. “I don’t want to rush, but we really do need to get going.”

“I was just thinking, since we had all of these problems because we couldn’t fit the cakes out the door… Uh. If we put the two half cakes together, wouldn’t they also be too big to fit out the door?”

Twilight stared blankly ahead for a moment, while Pinkie and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other.

“Gaaah!” Twilight sat down with a thump. “We dodged a bullet, there! Thanks, Fluttershy. We almost had the exact same problem again.” She turned to Pinkie. “Could we move the cake outside before we start to frost the sides together?”

Pinkie nodded. “Sure! As long as it doesn’t rain!”

Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Just how lazy do you think I am?”

“I don’t know why you insisted on comin’ along,” Applejack grumbled as she trotted down the road toward the Town Hall. “It’s gonna be mostly construction work on the stage. Once we’re done I think we can stick a few ribbons or whatever back up on there.”

“It’s much more than just a few ribbons!” Rarity snorted in response. “Well, not literally, of course. But placing such things properly is absolutely essential in making sure that the room comes together!”

“Yeah, when the curtain opens and the Princesses’ walk out, I’m sure everypony’s gonna be lookin’ at the wall.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I just wanna make sure there’s a stage for ‘em to walk out on. Once I get that done, you can go decorate however you want.”

“Applejack, hosting such an event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I would be remiss if I did not ensure perfection!”

“Rarity, the Summer Sun Celebration was here last year too, and you had the exact same set of duties. So you’ve had that ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity twice. Which means it ain’t once-in-a-lifetime.”

“If you want to be literal, I suppose you’re right,” Rarity grumbled. “But even so, last year’s… incident really just postponed the celebration more than anything else. We never had the chance to truly prove ourselves capable of putting on such an event.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and savin’ Equestria from Nightmare Moon and reunitin’ Celestia and Luna didn’t count for anything, I guess.”

“Well, saving Equestria is all well and good, but doing that hardly demonstrates that we are capable of hosting a major event.”

Applejack mulled it over for a moment. “You actually think that throwin’ a big fancy party is as important as savin’ Equestria, don’t you?”

She never got an answer.

“My decorations!” Rarity rushed into the Town Hall, following the trail of destruction left by the cheese. “Oh, thank Celestia, there wasn’t much damage!”

“What the hay are you talkin’ about?” Applejack groaned as she surveyed the aftermath of the cheese wheel. The Town Hall steps had mostly survived, though a few of them would need to be replaced and there was a noticeable dent in the floor where the cheese had landed after ramping off the stairs. But the stage had taken the brunt of the dairy product’s rampage. The cheese was embedded in it, having taken little damage from the collision. The stage, on the other hand, now had a massive hole right in the center. “This place is a disaster area!”

“Oh, the stage, yes,” Rarity muttered, nodding. “But it doesn’t seem to have hit any tables. It appears to have rattled a few of them, but nothing some straightening won’t fix! And as for the stage, all that must be done is to rehang some garlands.”

“Yeah, after we move the cheese, fix the supports, rewire the lighting, and replace all the planks.” Applejack sighed. “As if we didn’t have enough to worry about already.”

Rarity didn’t hear her. She was too busy scurrying between tables, nudging the centerpieces back into alignment.

Applejack shook her head and looked at the cheese. “How the hay am I gonna move this thing?”

“...I must say, I never before had considered the destructive potential of an aged dairy product.” Luna said as she noticed the damage to the Town Hall steps.

“I would think anything could be destructive if it were big enough,” Celestia said with a shrug. “I must say, I wonder why Twilight would go to the trouble of bringing it here. I would’ve thought she would’ve taken it to the food preparation area.”

“I wonder what Twilight intends to use it for,” Luna said. She walked carefully up the steps, not wanting to cause any addition damage.

“I’m sure that she’s found something to use it for,” Celestia answered as she followed Luna into the hall. “Perhaps they’re planning to serve it during the” —she froze as she saw the cheese, which dangled precariously from a rope from somewhere above the stage— “presentation. That is a very odd place to put it.”

“Is it good now?” Applejack’s voice rang from above the cheese.

“It’s gettin’ there.” Apple Bloom stood in front of the stage, exactly at center, squinting up at the suspended dairy. “I think you gotta move it a bit to the left.”

Applejack grunted, and the cheese slowly swung like a massive pendulum as it made its way to the side.

“No, the other way! I meant stage left!”

“Really? Why couldn’t you just point and say ‘that way’?”

“Well, we’re workin’ on a stage, and that’s what they call it!”

“Why do theatre ponies gotta have their own words for everything? Isn’t just regular old ‘left’ and ‘right’ good enough for ‘em?”

“I dunno, that’s just how it is!” Apple Bloom snorted. “Okay, that looks pretty good.”

The cheese wheel drifted lazily back and forth, slightly offcenter of the stage.

“You got any idea why they wanted it strung up like that?” Applejack asked as she climbed down from the rafters.

“I dunno. Spike just told me to....” Apple Bloom froze as she saw the two Princesses and then bowed. Neither one of them noticed her. Their gazes were transfixed on the cheese.

“Apple Bloom, what are you doin’ down on the- oh!” Applejack let herself drop to the stage, where she prostrated herself. “Welcome to Ponyville, your majesties! Er, forgive the mess. We had a bit of a… problem. We’ll have the stage all fixed up right as rain by the time we gotta get the show on the road.”

“Huh?” Celestia blinked, and noticed that everypony was bowing. “Oh, thank you. It is wonderful to be back in Ponyville. I have no doubt that you will be able to make your repairs. We were simply curious about what Twilight had done with the cheese wheel.”

“To tell the truth I’m not exactly sure what she’s doin’ with it either,” Applejack said, regarding the airborne dairy product. “She just told me to get it hoisted up there so it’ll be out of the way while we fix up the stage.”

“Yes, the… mishap with the stage is unfortunate,” Luna said. “Though perhaps it could’ve been avoided” —she gave her sister a pointed look— “if we had been properly informed of the proper procedure regarding customary gifts.”

“Luna, it was just a misunderstanding!”

“And while we are on the subject, some explanation of modern fashion might have prevented us from having to spend so long getting the dress modified.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I offered to have a tailor drop by to fix things up for you.”

“Yes. In the middle of the afternoon! You know that I must sleep during the day due to my duties!”

“You could have had the secretary schedule a nighttime visit.”

“I would have if I had known such a thing was necessary,” Luna snorted. “As it is, I was forced to drag her away from her work!” She waved at Rarity, who was posed differentially next to the table she had been straightening.

“Oh it was no trouble at all,” she said. “It was an honor. In fact,” —she turned to Celestia— “if you require any repairs or modifications to your wardrobe, I would be more than happy to assist.”

“Thank you. I do not believe that will be necessary, but if something arises, you will be the first pony I come to.”

“Are you certain?” Luna asked. “It has been quite a while since your last formal occasion, and I recall that there you have judged a few baking competitions since then…”

“Oh, quite,” Celestia said. “Cake doesn’t go to the flanks in quite the way grilled cheese does.”

The sisters shared an irritated glare.

“Uh, we gotta get started on fixin’ the stage,” Applejack said quickly. “There’s gonna be all sorts of glue and wood and sawdust and such, and I’d hate for either of you to get dirty.”

“Yes!” Rarity grinned nervously. “Why don’t I show you to your dressing rooms so that you can begin your preparations?”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Celestia said. “Come on, Luna. We’d better go.”

“Very well.”

“Everypony out of the way! Cake coming through!” Scootaloo lowered the megaphone. “How was that?”

“Perfect!” Rainbow Dash gave a gesture approximating a thumbs-up. “I knew we could count on you.”

“It’s certainly loud enough,” Twilight said, rubbing her ears. “Is the cake ready to go?”

“Just about!” Pinkie answered. She dangled from Fluttershy’s hooves next to the top of the cake. Fluttershy was breathing hard, trying to hold steady and make sure that Pinkie didn’t slip out of her grip.

“So why aren’t you holding Pinkie up?” Scootaloo asked. “I bet you could hold like a dozen Pinkies up without breaking a sweat!”

“A dozen Pinkies…” Twilight shuddered at the thought.

“Yeah, it would be pretty easy,” Rainbow Dash said. “Too easy! I thought it would be better if I went and found somepony to help us escort the cake to Town Hall! I totally knew you’d be able to help us!”

“I thought it was because you couldn’t hold still long enough for Pinkie to get any frosting done,” Twilight said.

“So here’s what you’ve gotta do,” Rainbow Dash continued. “We just need you to circle the cake as we move it down the road and make sure that everypony stays back!”

“Got it!”

“Wide circles. Slowly,” Twilight added. “The last thing we want is to have you accidentally smash into the cake while trying to protect it.”

“But not too slowly,” Rainbow Dash said. “We don’t want anypony to slip by. Me and Fluttershy will be up top making sure nothing hits the cake from above.”

“What would hit the cake from above?” Scootaloo asked.

“Honestly, the way this day has been going? Pegasi, fireworks, flock of pigeons, lightning bolt, griffons, a meteor… pretty much anything, really. And that’s assuming we don’t have any more magical mishaps.”

“It was an accident!” Twilight protested. “Besides, that’s the whole reason we’re taking the cake on a cart rather than trying to teleport it again. We’re not even going to risk it. Also, if anypony sees Trixie, protect the cake at all costs.”

“Why would Trixie try to destroy the cake?” Scootaloo glanced curiously at Twilight.

“Whether or not she’s trying to destroy the cake doesn’t matter. Last time she came near a cake, it ended up exploding!”

“The cake exploded?!” Scootaloo asked. “Is that what that big bang was before?”

“You can’t blame Trixie for that!” Rainbow Dash said. “Or well, I guess you can, but not entirely. Should we keep you away from the cake too? You’re the one who got both of them all messed up!”

“Twilight blew up a cake?” Scootaloo asked with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

“I did not blow up a cake! I didn’t even damage either of them! You’re the one who flew right into it! It practically had a pegasus-shaped hole!”

“Wait, you messed up a cake, too?” Scootaloo cocked her head. “Has anypony here not ruined a cake?”

“I haven’t!” Pinkie declared proudly. Beside her, Fluttershy silently raised her hoof.

“I only flew into it because she teleported it right in front of me!” Rainbow Dash snapped. “It’s like those cakes are just bad luck or something.”

Scootaloo’s eyes darted to the cake, to Rainbow Dash, to the smoke rising in the distance from the smoldering remains of Trixie’s wagon. “You know, I don’t think you really need me to help escort the cake.”

“You’ll be fine!” Rainbow Dash patted her on the back. “The whole reason we need you is to make sure that the cake doesn’t attract any more...uh…you know.”

“I’m not sure I do,” Twilight muttered.

“I wouldn’t trust anypony else with this job,” Rainbow Dash said. “We might’ve had some trouble with the cake before, but now that we’ve got you on watch, that’s totally not gonna be a problem.”

“You sure?”

“Sure I’m sure!” Rainbow Dash ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “We’ve got nothing to worry about!”

“Alright! When do we go?”

“As soon as they’re done with the frosting,” Twilight said, then turned to face the cake. “How’s it going?”

“We’re done!” Pinkie declared, tossing the half-empty frosting bag over her shoulder. “Look at that! Nopony could even tell that it used to be two cakes!”

“Um, I hate to say it, but it’s pretty obvious that it’s two cakes,” Fluttershy said as she set Pinkie down. “The two sides are completely different colors and decorated in different styles.”

“Okay, but it looks like it’s supposed to be that way, right?” Pinkie said.

“Oh yes. If I hadn’t seen the original two cakes, I never would’ve been able to tell.”

“It looks great, Pinkie,” Twilight said. She wanted to sigh in relief, but was too preoccupied calculating the odds of the cake making it to its destination safely. “Looks like we’ve got” —she glanced at the clock tower— “just enough time to get it to Town Hall before things are supposed to start. Come on, we’d better get a move on. The less we have to rush, the better.”

Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a final headpat before taking to the air. “Alright, Scoots! You’re up!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not gonna build your speakers into the stage.” Applejack pointedly continued nailing the board into place. “I’m just here to fix up the stage, not make any major renovations to it.”

The blue-maned unicorn remained undeterred.

“But think of how great it would be for the acoustics! You’d have sound coming from another direction! If your bones had ears, they’d be able to hear it!”

“My bones don’t have ears, and frankly I’m pretty glad, because that would just be weird. I wouldn’t want to be able to hear music with my bones.”

“That’s because you’ve never heard music with your bones before! Once you have, you’ll never listen to music the same way again!”

“I think I’ll stick to listenin’ with my ears, thank you very much. If you need an extra hoof to move your gear in, I can help as soon as I’m finished with this, but anything else and you’re gonna have to find somepony else to help you.”

“Vinyl! Quit bothering everypony and start helping to move all of your electronics. I’m certainly not going to do it all for you!” A gray earth pony with an elegantly coiffed mane trotted up beside the unicorn and made a shooing motion with her hoof. “Go on. You do this every time!”

“I’m telling you, Tavi, if we could get the bass speakers embedded in the architecture, it would totally revolutionize my sound!”

“You aren’t here to revolutionize your sound, you are here to provide appropriate background music during the afterparty. This isn’t one of your gigs.” She turned to Applejack. “I apologize for my friend. She’s quite an excellent musician in her own way, but she… gets carried away easily.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Applejack said, glad to be talking to somepony with some sense. “I know plenty of ponies like that, so I’m used to dealin’ with that kinda thing. The whole reason I’m fixin’ the stage in the first place is because a giant cheese wheel got crashed into it.”

“I told you!” Vinyl poked her head back through the door. “You owe me ten bits!”

“I most certainly do not!”

“But we had a bet!”

“You had a bet. I never agreed to anything. And I thought you were supposed to be setting your equipment up outside. The afterparty certainly isn’t going to be held here.”

“As long as it’s loud enough, it doesn’t matter.”

“If you have your speakers in here loud enough that you could hear it outside, I’m pretty sure you’d knock down the Town Hall,” Applejack said. “And I’d rather not have to rebuild it.”

Vinyl shrugged. “Alright, I get it. I’ll get set up outside. And don’t worry, I’ll face the subwoofers away from this building.” She turned and headed outside.

Applejack sighed in relief and turned back to Octavia, who was studying her face.

“Uh, is there something I can help you with?”

“It’s nothing. You just looked a bit familiar for a moment there.”

Applejack gulped as she remembered the events of the Grand Galloping Gala. Sure, she hadn’t really been responsible for most of the trouble, and Celestia had officially pardoned them, but she still felt a little guilty by association.

“Uh, I don’t believe we’ve, er, ever met,” she said. It wasn’t a lie; Octavia had definitely been playing the Grand Galloping Gala, but they had never been formally introduced. And it would probably be for the best not to mention the fact that she and her friends had been responsible for the… incidents that had played out. She decided to attempt a diversion. “Have you ever been to Ponyville before?”

“Oh yes, several times. I believe the last time was when Vinyl was performing at a fashion show. You probably would’ve known her as DJ-PON3. I must say, that show was quite a…” she blinked. “That’s where I’ve seen you! You were in the fashion show!”

“Er.”

“It was that one with the rather… unorthodox designs! I believe you were wearing some form of bowler hat.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that. I’m not real big on fashion.”

“I honestly didn’t think it was that bad,” Octavia continued. “It was certainly different, but that’s not always bad.”

“Sometimes it is,” Applejack answered.

The floor suddenly began to vibrate.

“What the hay is that?”

“Oh, that’s probably just Vinyl testing her subwoofers.”

The shaking abated. Rarity appeared out of the back rooms, scowling furiously.

“What was that?! Now I have to go make sure that everything is lined up properly!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Of course. You mind tellin’ her to turn it down a mite? Pretty sure it doesn’t need to be that loud.”

“Believe me, I have tried. Perhaps if we-”

“Incoming cake!” shouted an excited voice from outside. “Everypony out of the way!”

Applejack grimaced. “How many times does she usually test her speakers?”

“Generally several. She’s very… picky.”

Applejack sighed deeply. “Go figure. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She turned and galloped out the door.

This Time, the Night Only Felt Endless

“What was that?” Celestia looked up at the ceiling, which had just rattled violently.

“Perhaps it was the giant wheel of cheese that I so foolishly brought as a gift.”

Celestia sighed. Her eye threatened to twitch, but centuries of dealing with politicians and nobles had long since taught her how to control it. “Luna, for the last time, it was just a joke! Sometimes I think you have no sense of humor at all.”

“That should not surprise you. It is not like I had anypony else to tell jokes to on the moon.”

“Luna, you were possessed by a dark magical force and attempting to bring about an eternal night. You would’ve wiped out all life in Equestria.”

“Why must you always remind me of that? Do you think I do not remember? It was at this very festival in this very building that I attempted my evil plot!”

“Yes, which is why I cannot understand why you’re getting so worked up over the cheese thing.”

Luna snorted. “You and I both know that everypony is going to be thinking of the… incident that happened last year. I had thought that this year I could redeem myself and show that I have truly changed! And now you have made me look like a fool!”

Celestia’s eye twitched. “First of all, I didn’t make you look like anything. Nobody but Twilight and a hooffull of guards even know about it. The general populace is hardly going to think that you’re foolish due to something that they don’t know about.”

“Hmph. I suppose.”

“And second, are you seriously comparing trying to conquer the world to mistakenly giving Twilight a cheese wheel? Even if everypony did know about the cheese, they aren’t going to care.”

“It will only further fuel the rumors concerning my… er….”

“This is about your butt, isn’t it?”

Luna snorted indignantly. “It-it most certainly is not!”
“It is! It isn’t about the Nightmare Moon thing at all! You’re still worried about those rumors!”

“You have one grilled cheese sandwich for a midnight snack and suddenly everypony in Canterlot thinks you eat nothing else…”

“Even if you did what does it matter? There will always be rumors.” Celestia rolled her eyes. “You should hear some of the ridiculous things they’ve come up with about me over the years.”

Luna continued to scowl. “It is easy to say that.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Especially when the rumors are… wholly false.”

“I was right!” Celestia broke into a wide grin. “I knew I smelled grilled cheese when I got up in the morning!”

“The nights are long, and I get hungry! The royal chefs are asleep and I am hardly going to rouse them to make me a snack!” She sat down, careful not to damage the dress. “And you are in no place to mock my need for sustenance. I know how much cake you consume.”

“Yes, and?”

“And-”

The furniture rattled and the support beams in the ceiling creaked.

“And there it is again!”

“I… I cannot believe my eyes!” Rarity blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on her. “I made it all the way here without damaging my mane or my ensemble.”

“Congratulations,” Rainbow Dash grumbled with no attempt to hide her sarcasm. “Now quit staring at yourself and help me check on the cake.”

Rarity sighed, and turned away from the exceptionally shiny platter in which she had been admiring her reflection. She had returned to Town Hall expecting it to be, once again, a disaster. To her surprise, aside from a few straightenings, things seemed to be undisturbed. To her even greater surprise, the cake was somehow safely inside the hall.

“Mmhm.” Rarity stepped gingerly around the cake, wondering whether it was actually in as good condition as it appeared. As far as she could see, it hadn’t been damaged at all. “It appears to be in pristine condition. Either there is something terribly wrong with it that isn’t immediately apparent, or you have somehow pulled off the impossible. However did you manage to get the cake past that DJ?”

“With great difficulty,” Twilight muttered in answer as she stomped through the door..

“Well, that’s awfully vague. I was…” Rarity froze in horror. “What happened to your mane?”

“Supposedly it was music, though it felt more like the shockwave of a large explosion.” She flicked the tip of her mane. Aside from her bangs, the entire thing stood out straight behind her.

“We must certainly take care of it,” Rarity stated firmly. “You simply cannot introduce the princesses looking like that.”

“I don’t have time to have you style my mane!” Twilight protested. “The celebration is scheduled to formally begin in… uh… SPIKE!”

“What is it?” Spike appeared next to her, seemingly out of thin air.

“How long is it until the Summer Sun Celebration is supposed to start? All this business with the cake has preoccupied me so much that I can’t keep my schedule straight.”

“Approximately forty-three minutes,” Spike answered.

“Ah, see?” Rarity said. “Plenty of time to repair your mane.”

“Uh uh,” Twilight held up her hoof. “Spike, what’s left on our last-minute checklist?”

“What isn’t left?” He muttered as he started to unroll a sizeable scroll. “Let’s see. Consulting with the princesses, checking to make sure the food is ready, checking that the bird choir is ready to sing the Princesses’ introductions, warming up your vocal chords in preparation for your introductory speech-”

“Okay, I get it,” Rarity snorted. “You have things to do. But do you really expect to go in front of everypony with your mane like that?”

“No, but I know if I let you work on it now, it’s going to take forever.”

“Perfection takes time.”

“Yes, and I don’t have that much. How about this? I’ll go and take care of the other stuff on my list, and then you can try to fix up my mane before the ceremony starts.”

“I suppose that will have to do.”

Applejack poked her head out from behind the curtain to watch the ponies file into Town Hall. The disaster that had accompanied the previous year’s celebration hadn’t put the slightest dent in attendance. If anything, there were even more ponies crammed in, eager to see what drama would unfold.

“Looks like we got a full house out there,” she said. She glanced at the clock. “We got twelve minutes before we’re supposed to get started. Wonder where Twilight is. I’d have thought that she’d be back by… Rarity, what the hay are you doin’?”

Rarity trotted rapidly back and forth, pausing to tap her hooves rhythmically on the floor, muttering to herself under her breath.

“Rarity!”

“Huh?” She ground to a halt. “Did you need something, Applejack?”

“What’s with all that pacin’? You need to go to the little fillies’ room or something?”

“What? No.” Rarity snorted indignantly at the implication. “I am simply brainstorming potential manestyles for Twilight once she returns from her final checklists. Normally I would simply create it as we go, but that takes time, and we hardly have that.”

“What do you need to come up with manestyles for? Twilight’s just gonna want you to straighten her mane out for her.”

“Pfft,” Rarity shook her head. “Please, Applejack. You ought to know better. I could never allow Twilight to maintain her normal, day-to-day manestyle for a celebration such as this. A special occasion requires a special style."

“Oh, is that so?” Applejack flicked the end of her ponytail. “And I suppose it wasn’t worth the trouble tryin’ to work on my mane?”

“You are being facetious, but we both know that if I attempted to style your mane, it would prove a massive waste of time for both of us.”

Applejack considered the statement for a moment, then nodded. “Yup. What about your mane? You’ve got the same curls you’ve always got. What happened to needin’ a special style for a special occasion?”

Rarity let out a laugh before answering. “Applejack, dear. For me, every day is a special occasion.”

“I kinda figured it would be somethin’ like that. Oh hey, there she is.”

Twilight staggered through the doors, Spike ambling along beside her bearing a long, unrolled scroll that dragged behind him as he walked. One of her eyes was twitching and her mane, while still extended out behind her, was beginning to curl at the ends.

“Oh my,” Rarity said. “I was not expecting the curls. I will have to find a way to incorporate those.”

Applejack just rolled her eyes and headed for Twilight. “You okay, Twi? You look a bit, er… y’know.”

“I… I can’t believe it…” Twilight murmured. “I can’t… I didn’t think it was possible.”

“Oh boy. What happened now?”

“She actually finished her checklist!” Spike triumphantly declared. “Look!” He shoved the list in Applejack’s face. Sure enough, every single item had a large check scrawled beside it. “This hasn’t happened in years! I can’t even remember the last time she actually managed to get to the end of a list without adding more to it!”

“Really?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“You know what this calls for!?” Pinkie poked her head in between them. “A p-”

“Nope!” Applejack put her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth. “Ain’t got time for that now. Go back to guardin’ the cake.” She shoved backwards and hoped that Pinkie would get the hint.

“It’s wonderful that you’ve completed your checklist!” Rarity said, clapping her hooves excitedly. “Now then, about your mane-”

“I can’t believe I actually finished the list!” Twilight interrupted. “I must have missed something!”

“Twilight, we didn’t miss anything,” Spike started rolling up the scroll. “I was double-checking as we went along.”

“I think we need to triple check. Just to make sure. If I hurry, I can-”

“Oh, no you don’t.” Applejack whistled, and Rainbow Dash dropped out of the air next to Twilight. “Dash, make sure she holds still while Rarity gets her mane fixed up.”

“Got it.”

“Fluttershy, your birds are ready to go, right?”

Fluttershy bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yes, they sound wonderful!”

“Great. Can you try to get Twilight to unwind a bit while she’s gettin’ her mane done? If she’s still all worked up, her mane’s gonna curl up again.”

“Of course. Come on, Twilight. Why don’t you practice giving your speech while Rarity works on your mane?”

Twilight finally stopped muttering to herself. “Yes. Yes, I think that would be fine. Even if there are other things missing from the list, it’s too late to do anything about them now. I’ve done everything I can.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s head over to Rarity’s boutique.”

“Wonderful!” Rarity said. “Your mane is beginning to uncurl!”

“Another checklist, really?” Applejack asked with a groan. “I thought you did all that already?”

“Pfft.” Spike stifled a giggle. “That really shouldn’t surprise you. Twilight always has another checklist. You should know that by now.”

“I suppose so.” Applejack shrugged. “As long as it doesn’t take too long.”

“Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those lists,” Twilight answered. Her mane was still curled at the ends, but this time it was clearly intentional. “It’s just a final check to make sure everything is ready to go. It should only take a minute or two.”

“I sure hope so.”
Twilight nodded. “Fluttershy, are the birds ready to sing?”

“They sure are!”

“Is the cake ready to be served?”

“Yep!” Pinkie nodded so vigorously that she almost hit Twilight in the face with her mane.

“Trixie’s magic show finished on time for everypony to get to Town Hall?”

“Took a few lightning bolts, and a quick downpour, but yeah,” Rainbow Dash said with a wide grin.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are ready?”

Rarity nodded. “They are on their way up from the changing rooms right now.”

“And all the food is ready?”

“Just got back from checking it,” Applejack said.

“And I’ve got the notes for my speech right here!” Twilight took a small scroll from Spike’s claws and scanned it to make sure that it was the correct one. “And that’s everything! Looks like we’re ready to go!”

“Whoohoo!” Pinkie cartwheeled in a circle around Twilight. “Then let’s get this show on the road!”

“What? We can’t start now!” Twilight stared at Pinkie in the way she usually stared at Pinkie.

“Oh boy.” Applejack groaned. “What is it this time?”

“It’s not scheduled to start for three and a half more minutes.”

“Wait.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “The reason we can’t get started is because we’re ahead of schedule?”

“Well, yeah. We have to give everypony time to get in here. We wouldn’t want anypony to miss it.”

“It is pretty unusual to manage to get everything together,” said a voice from behind the group. They turned around to see Celestia and Luna approaching them. “Even official events in Canterlot barely manage to get started on time.” Celestia smiled warmly at Twilight. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”

Twilight bowed. “Thank you.” She glanced at the clock. “Two more minutes. Everypony, it’s time to get into position!”

Trixie pushed her way through the fringes of the crowd gathered in Town Hall. Unable to penetrate the dense mass of ponies that filled the building, she settled for wedging herself in at the edge. If she stretched, she could just barely see the edge of the stage.

“I cannot believe that they interrupted the Great and Powerful Trixie’s performance!” she grumbled, much to the displeasure of most of the ponies crammed in around her. “Trixie was about to perform her most impressive and glorious spell!” She turned to the pony beside her. “Do you know just what it was you missed?”

“Pulling a geode out of a hat?”

“What?” Trixie shook her head, smacking several other ponies with the brim of her hat. “No! Trixie does not waste time performing such cliched tricks as pulling things out of her hat! Especially not a geode! What is a geode anyway?”

“It’s a geological structure consisting of fully enclosed cavity of stone lined with crystalline structures."

“Well, if Trixie was going to pull something out of a hat, she certainly wouldn’t use that. Pulling objects out of hats is an overused illusion anyway.”

“You could pull a geode out of somepony’s ear,” the pony suggested.

“Why would I do that?”

“It would be more impressive, since a geode wouldn’t usually fit in anypony’s ear. So everypony would wonder how you did it. Isn’t that the point of a magic act?”

“Well, yes, but pulling a rock out of somepony’s ear is hardly an act fit for the Great and Powerful Trixie. Then again… you said that geodes are hollow?”

“Yes.”

“Hmmm. That does give Trixie an idea. Perhaps some form of disappearing act that ends with me emerging from the geode… that could be quite an impressive trick.”

“I would pay to watch that performance.”

“Where would Trixie go about finding a geode?”

“Underground.”

“Well, yes. I kind of figured that. If you could give me some more specific information about obtaining one-”

Trixie was cut off by a sudden fanfare. The silence after it subsided was so heavy that even Trixie couldn’t bring herself to break it. She could bring herself to wrinkle her snout unhappily as Twilight trotted to center stage.

“Good evening, mares and gentlecolts!” Twilight announced. “I would like to welcome all of you to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration!”

The crowd cheered loudly, except for Trixie, who was still mentally grumbling to herself, and the pony next to Trixie, who just said “whoohoo.”

“You don’t know how much it means to all of us to have you here. I realize that there were a few… complications during last year’s celebration” —a few muffled chuckles emanated from the assembly— “but in the end it just gave us something new to celebrate. For years, the Summer Sun Celebration has simply been an observance of Princess Celestia’s duties. But now, it means more than that. It represents the reconciliation of a family who were kept apart for centuries…” she paused to nod in the direction of the cake, hoping that the ponies would notice the blatant symbolism, “and the redemption and return of our princess.

“We are honored that you have come to take part in celebrating this occasion with us and hope that you will have a wonderful time! It is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you the two ponies who have given us so many reasons to celebrate. Please join me in welcoming Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!”

She shuffled to the edge of the stage. Over the sound of applause, Fluttershy’s bird chorus could be heard singing as the curtain at the back of the stage slowly raised. Celestia and Luna stood at the center of the stage, facing each other.

“...did not eat your cheesecake!” Celestia was saying. “You probably ate it yourself as a snack and forgot about it!”

“I most certainly did not!” Luna retorted. “I had been saving it for a special occasion! It was a special order all the way from Sugarcube Corner! You are the only pony who could have taken it! It was stored in my personal icebox in my quarters. None of my attendants would’ve taken it.”

“Luna, if I wanted a cheesecake from Sugarcube Corner I would just order one of my own. I wouldn’t steal it out of your icebox!”

“Oh please. A delivery all the way from Ponyville would take far too long to satisfy your cravings! I know all too well of your affinity for cake!”

“You know I prefer normal cakes,” Celestia said with a snort. “Cheese has no place in a cake, anyway. But I suppose that cheese is your specialty, not mine.”

“I already told you, I do not eat that many grilled cheese sandwiches. The incident with the dress was just a-”

They both froze as they realized that the curtain no longer shielded them from the crowd. They quickly glanced at each other. Celestia cleared her throat.

“Welcome, everypony! It is a true honor to be here with all of you.”

Over in the wings, just off the edge of the stage, Twilight was in the middle of a breathing exercise, trying to push her heart rate back down to where it was supposed to be.

“Here.” Spike held out a cup of water.

Twilight gulped it down and sighed. “Thank you. Phew, am I glad that’s all over.”

“You did wonderfully, darling,” Rarity said, patting her on the head. Carefully, so as not to mess up her mane. “A perfect introductory speech.”

“Good. Good,” Twilight managed. “I thought my head was going to explode or something.”

Fluttershy emerged from the backstage darkness with her birds flitting along behind her. “Did we hit our cue okay? I thought we might’ve started half a measure late!”

“You were fine, dear,” Rarity answered. “Perfectly on time. Although the Princesses seemed to have-”

Spike shook his head violently.

“Seemed to have what?” Twilight’s head snapped up, and her eye twitched.

“Seemed to have greatly appreciated your introduction.”

“Oh. Great!” Twilight finally relaxed. It almost made her look like she was melting. “Finally, I’m out of things that I need to worry about!”

“I told you you’d be fine,” Spike said, patting her head. “Now you can just enjoy the rest of the celebration like everypony else.”

“Yeah, it feels pretty good to have everything go off without a hitch,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I wouldn’t say ‘without a hitch’, exactly,” Applejack said. “I’m pretty sure all that stuff with the cake would count as hitches.”

“Okay, so getting everything ready didn’t go so smooth, but the actual thing is going fine.”

“I do have one question, though,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“What did you end up doing with that cheese wheel?”

“Twilight, now’s not the time to worry about that!” Applejack jabbed her lightly in the flank. “You’re done with plannin’ for tonight, okay?”

“I know, I know. I’m just curious. I spent all day trying to think of something to do with it, and I couldn’t come up with anything.”

“Believe me, I’m curious too,” Applejack said.

“But I thought you helped Spike get the cheese ready.”

“I did. That’s why I’m so curious.”

Twilight turned to look at Spike, a confused look on her face.

“Give it a few minutes, you’ll see.”

“I’m not sure I want to, now, but alright.” She turned back to the stage, where Celestia and Luna were just finishing their introductions.

“...with utmost gladness that I am able to receive such a welcome. I realize fully that there have been a few… incidents in my past that would hardly endear me to all of you. That you have looked past my history and accepted me here means much.” She dipped her head deferentially. “I understand that it would be in quite bad taste for me display my power in the same manner that my sister displays her own. However, I still must express my gratitude. As such, I have brought a gift with which to show my thanks.”

“Now!” Spike gave a thumbs-up to the ponies offstage on the other side.

Luna waved towards the top of the stage, casting a shimmering light across it with her horn.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Twilight said.

The cheese descended slowly from the rafters above, swinging slowly as it emerged from the darkness. Celestia took a few steps back from the edge of the stage, chewing on her lip to keep from laughing. The crowd stared at the cheese, trying to decide whether or not they were supposed to laugh. In the end nopony did, though there were a few stifled snorts.

Twilight turned back to Spike. “That was your grand plan to deal with the cheese? Have Luna ‘raise’ it? How in Equestria did you get her to agree to that?”

Spike shrugged. “She loved the idea of taking her gift and incorporating it in. I think it made her feel a little less silly about dragging it all the way down here.”

“But what do we do with it after the ceremony is over?” Applejack asked. “We can’t just leave it hangin’ up there.”

“Already have it figured out,” Spike said. “When the Summer Sun Celebration is over, we’ll cut it up and sell chunks of it as a public fundraiser. To pay for some sort of public work project. Like renovating Town Hall or filling in that smoldering crater where Trixie’s wagon used to be.”

“Oh, right, that.” Twilight’s eye twitched for a second, but then she brightened up. “Mayor Mare is going to have a really busy week coming up.” She ruffled Spike’s head. “You did a great job taking care of the cheese. We’ll have to remember to buy a piece when it goes on sale.”

“I knew it!” Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly. Applejack grabbed her by the tail and towed her away from the edge of the stage before she bounded into the view of everypony in the audience. “I knew the moon was made of cheese!”

Twilight began to twitch again. “The moon isn’t actually…” She shook her head. “Nope. I’ve already spent the whole day worrying about things. The festival got off to a good start, and my work for the day is done. If Pinkie wants to think that the moon is really made of cheese, she can go right ahead. I’m just going to enjoy the rest of the Celebration.”

“Well, I think that all went rather well,” Luna said. “Excepting the incident with the curtain raising a tad early.”

“The curtain didn’t raise early,” Celestia answered. “You just weren’t paying attention.” She yawned.

“If I wasn’t paying attention, it was because you were distracting me.” Luna snorted. “And stop yawning. The day has only started.”

“I’m sorry. Some of us aren’t used to spending the whole night awake.” She yawned again, aiming at Luna’s face. “So tell me why we’re going to see a smoking crater?”

“We are not going to see the crater. The crater just happens to be adjacent to our actual destination. And we will hardly be the only ponies there. See?”

Luna waved her hoof at the large crowd of ponies who had gathered in the field, in long rows in front of the remains of Trixie’s wagon. The back corner of it was missing, presumably scattered across the field as splinters, and most of the remainder was black with soot. But by some miracle, the stage facade remained mostly undamaged.

“Ah, is this that magic show you were telling me about?”

“Indeed. I have every reason to believe that it will be quite enjoyable.”

“As long as she doesn’t ask for volunteers,” Celestia answered. “I suppose those are our seats?” She nodded towards a gap near the front where Twilight and her friends were seated. Twilight turned and waved.

“Of course.”

The crowd parted for them as they made their way toward their seats. As they sat, a fanfare began to play. The two princesses looked at each other, then at Twilight.

“Did you arrange for the trumpets?” Celestia asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, but I don’t think they were meant for you anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

A series of loud pops and flashes erupted from the stage. It wasn’t quite the same as fireworks, but still managed to look somewhat impressive. The facade rocked a little, and chunk of charred wood fell off the back.

“Welcome, mares and gentlecolts, to the Grrrrrreat and Powerful Trixie’s Summer Sun Celebration Extravaganza!” Trixie posed dramatically, using her magic to ensure that her cape billowed appropriately. The portion of the crowd who remembered her last appearance glowered, but luckily for her, they were in the minority. The out-of-town crowd cheered wildly. “And introducing Trixie’s assistant, the Amazing Maud!”

Another poof of smoke revealed Maud standing on the side of the stage, looking exactly as she had earlier on, only with her dress covered with glitter and sequins.

“Huh, I didn’t realize your sister was going to be part of the show,” Twilight whispered.

“Neither did I!” Pinkie whispered back, loud enough that everyone in the row could hear. “This is awesome!”

“Ssshhhh!” Rarity whispered back, for real. “I cannot believe that she’s wearing that.”

“Maud never really did have much of a sense for fashion,” Pinkie said in agreement.

“I still can’t believe you let her put on a show,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Especially after what happened last time.

“I didn’t,” Twilight grumbled.

Applejack shrugged. “I guess it’s alright as long as she learned a bit from what happened last time she was here.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie will…. not require a volunteer.”

There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone who remembered her last visit.

“Maud, if you will, this trick will require a cannon, a bouquet of flowers, and a large geode!”

“You were right, Luna,” Celestia said, grinning. “This looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun!”

Luna gave her a smug smile. “I thought so.”

The train was already waiting at the station when Twilight and the two princesses arrived. It was the first time in a year that it had been on time, largely because it had never actually left after its arrival the previous day. Celestia and Luna had swapped their fancy ensembles for dull cloaks that made them stand out only slightly less from the crowds of ponies streaming out of Ponyville in an effort to avoid having to take part in the cleanup. They also wanted to avoid the inevitable rainstorm that was about to roll over the town. After clearing out the weather for a day, the local pegasi had to make up for lost time. The fact that scrubbing the town with rain and wind was far easier than sweeping the streets was just a bonus. All of the stray garbage that the storm caught up would be dumped in the gulley outside of town and cleaned up all at once.

The first few drops were already starting to fall.

“Is everything loaded?” Celestia asked the porter.

“Just about. We’re still waiting on Princess Luna’s dress.”

“You need not wait for that,” Luna said. “As I likely will not be wearing it to another formal function, I am leaving it in Rarity’s care. She assures me that it will make for a lovely display piece.”

“So basically that dress has given you enough trouble already, so you decided to just ditch it here?” Celestia translated.

“Precisely.”

“So you’re ready to go then?” asked the porter.

Celestia nodded. “It seems we are.”

“Then I’ll go prepare for departure.” He scurried off in the direction of the engine. Celestia watched him go for a moment, then turned back to Twilight.

“Are you glad to be finished with the festival?”

Twilight took a deep breath. “You have no idea. Did I do a good job?”

“You did a wonderful job. It has been many years since everything went so smoothly.”

Twilight blinked. “I don’t know if I’d say smoothly....”

“It certainly was compared to last year,” Luna muttered.

“Don’t be like that,” Celestia said. “You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” Luna said with a nod. “I had quite a wonderful time. And I am not just saying that due to my part in what happened last time.” She yawned. “I am sorry. It is past my bedtime, and I become cranky when I have not gotten enough sleep.”

“We really ought to be on our way,” Celestia added. “As much as we enjoyed ourselves, there is always something else that must be taken care of.”

Twilight shuddered. “Organizing the festival was bad enough. I have no idea how you manage to handle running the whole country.”

“Sometimes neither do I,” Celestia answered with a grin.

“Well, it was great to see you both, and I’m glad that you enjoyed yourselves. Although I would understand… and appreciate, if you chose to hold the Summer Sun Celebration somewhere else next year.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. It has been quite a while since Cloudsdale has hosted it, if I remember right. I assure you that if you attend next year, it will be as a guest.”

“That’s good to know.” Twilight twitched as a large raindrop landed on her head. “It was wonderful to have you here. I’ll make sure to have my next friendship letter on its way by tomorrow.”

Luna suddenly grunted unhappily. Celestia giggled. “I told you she wouldn’t forget!” she said, poking her sister in the flank. “You owe me a hundred bits!” She turned back to Twilight. “After all the hard work you put in this week, I think you deserve a break from your lessons. Your only assignment is to relax. And speaking of relaxing, you aren’t the only one who needs some R&R. We will see you again soon.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Have a safe trip back to Canterlot.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Twilight.” Celestia patted her on the head before disappearing into the train.

Luna yawned again. “It seems we must part ways for the time being. Please give all of your friends my greatest thanks for all of their assistance.”

“I sure will,” Twilight answered. “And thank you for being here. And for the cheese. I’m sure everypony will enjoy getting a piece of it.”

“Ah yes. The cheese.” Luna wrinkled her nose. “I will have to discuss that with my sister.”

There was a stifled laugh from inside the train.

“I heard that!” Luna snapped. Then she turned her attention back to Twilight. “And please let Trixie know that I greatly enjoyed her performance.

“Ah. I… suppose I could do that.”

“I still cannot figure out how she managed to get herself inside of that geode. Quite exceptional.”

“I… guess?”

Luna yawned a third time. “Perhaps I will be able to figure it out once I have slept. I am used to staying up all night, but I am also used to going to bed as soon as the sun is up. Attending a citywide party and magic show? Not so much. Not that I didn’t enjoy myself, of course.”

A thunderclap rolled over the town.

“And that is a sign that I really ought to be going. It was lovely seeing you again, and I hope that we will have the opportunity to spend more time together in the future.”

“Me too,” Twilight said. “Although I hope the circumstances are a little bit less stressful. Maybe at the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“I am not sure that would qualify as less stressful, but we would welcome your presence nonetheless, along with that of your friends.”

“We’re already looking forward to it. Have a good trip.”

“I have a bed set up in my personal car. My trip will be quite good. Farewell, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna bowed graciously.

“Farew… er, goodbye, Princess Luna.”

Luna nodded and headed into the train. Twilight waved at her through the windows. A moment later, the train began to groan its way forward out of the station. A moment after that, a large raindrop landed squarely on Twilight’s nose. She looked up, just in time for more raindrops to start pelting her in the face. Lightning flashed above her, and rain began to pour from the sky. She took a second to sigh, and then galloped back home.

Epilogue

Twilight slammed the library door behind her. Or at least, she tried to. It swung about halfway closed before the wind tried to push it open again. She groaned and kicked it shut. “Spike! I need a-”

He held out a towel. “I figured you’d need this. It’s coming down pretty hard out there.”

“You’ve got no idea.” Twilight wrapped the towel around her head and started to soak up the water. Her entire body was saturated, as if she had just had a swim. Even after she dried off, she felt like she was floating. “I told Rainbow Dash to hold off on the storm until I could see the Princesses off at the station!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault! Storms have a lot of momentum. Once you get them going, you can’t just stop them!”

“Then you shouldn’t have started them so… wait a minute.” She pulled the towel off of her head and found Rainbow Dash sitting at her table, munching on a bowl of popcorn. “Why are you here?!”

“Trixie accidentally busted my house loose during her magic show, and I’m pretty sure it’s drifting somewhere out by Ghastly Gorge. I didn’t have time to tow it back and re-anchor it before the storm rolled in.”

“So you thought you’d crash here?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It was closest.”

“Ugh, fine. I guess it’s not a big deal.”

Rarity poked her head out of the bathroom. “You wouldn’t happen to have any conditioner, would you dear?”

“It’s on the second self of the cabinet,” Twilight answered as she sat at the table. “I’m guessing that she came here because her house is too far away and she didn’t want her dress to get ruined by the rain?”

“Right on, Twilight,” Applejack said as she emerged from the kitchen. “I’m here ‘cause Rarity needed somepony to carry her umbrella.” She held up a plate. “Cheese and crackers?”

“Sure, why not.” Twilight took a bite. “Let me guess. Pinkie is hiding on the ceiling?”

“Nope! Just hanging out!” Pinkie appeared out of thin air next to Twilight. “I would’ve gone back to Sugarcube Corner, but I had the cake leftovers with me, and it was starting to rain.” She nodded at the cake cart. Oddly, the quarter or so of the cake that remained was somehow still in pristine condition. “Although now that I think about it, it’s not like we really need to protect it anymore.”

“Mmmhmm.” Twilight nodded. “And Fluttershy?”

The pegasus poked her head out from behind the cake. “I, er, just followed everypony else here.”

Rainbow Dash yawned. “It feels kinda weird to not have anything to worry about.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s something,” Pinkie said. “We could worry about the-”

“Don’t even go startin’ that, Pinkie,” Applejack interrupted. “We’re tryin’ to unwind a bit, you know?”

“How about-”

“And don’t even suggest some sorta after-party thing.”

Pinkie made a sound like a deflating balloon.

“Ahh, much better!” Rarity emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, her mane and tail both wrapped tightly in towels. “While I do like how my mane turned out, I do wish I would be able to pull it off without requiring so much hairspray.”

“Did you use all of my towels?” Twilight asked.

“Not all of them. I left one or two.”

“Is there anypony else hanging around that I should know about?” Twilight asked wearily.

“No, I think that it’s just us,” Fluttershy said. “You don’t mind us being here, do you? I know you probably wanted to relax by yourself after everything that’s happened.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight said. “You guys can do whatever you want. I’m going to go upstairs, crawl in bed, and pass out. As long as you don’t wake me up or disorganize the library, you can do whatever you want.”

“Sleepin’ does sound pretty good,” Applejack said.

“Slumber party!” Pinkie bounded into the air, forcing Applejack to grab her tail and tow her back down.

“I’m afraid not, dear,” Rarity said. “We’re all far too tired to have a party. But Applejack is right, the slumber part is quite appealing.”

“I am pretty wiped out after getting the storm kicked off,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I could go for a nap.”

“Well, you’re welcome to sleep wherever,” Twilight said as she began to drag herself up the stairs. “Though if anypony starts snoring loud enough to wake me up, I will teleport you out into the rain.”

“Do you mind if we borrow some of your blankets?” Fluttershy asked.

“Blankets, pillows, chairs, couch, whatever,” Twilight answered from the top of the stairway. “Just don’t wake me up.” She opened her bedroom door, and stepped halfway through. Then she paused, and turned around. “Before I go to bed. I just want to thank all of you again for all of your help. The celebration wouldn’t have been possible without your help. I know some things didn’t quite go as planned, but through the power of teamwork and friendship, we managed to overcome every obstacle in our-”

“Twilight,” Applejack interrupted. “Why don’t you go get some shuteye? You’re starting to get all sappy. You can thank us all tomorrow.”

Twilight blinked a few times, then yawned. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight?” Pinkie cocked her head. “But it’s still morning!”

“Whatever.” Twilight closed the door behind her.

Spike was already there, fluffing his pillow in expectation of a long nap. “Princesses on their way home?” he asked.

“Yes. The train actually left on time for once.”

“What? Really? I wish I could’ve been there to see that.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You wish you could’ve seen the train leave, but you didn’t bother to show up to say goodbye?”

“I said goodbye when they left for the station,” Spike retorted. “And I can send them a message whenever I want.” He coughed out a flame for emphasis. “Besides, we see them all the time. I’ve never seen the train actually depart on schedule. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“I guess so,” Twilight answered with a shrug. “Maybe if I wasn’t so tired, I’d be more excited about it.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Spike began to curl up in his bed. “It’s been a long day. And night. And morning. I’m glad we’re done with everything.”

“Well, we’re not quite done with everything.”

Spike pulled his blanket over his head and made a groan that sounded kind of like “oh no.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long. I just want to get the Friendship Report out of the way. Then I can really relax.”

Spike poked his head out from his nest. “Or, you could just relax now and not do the friendship report. You know, since you were literally talking to Princess Celestia like twenty minutes ago. And none of the problems we ran into were even friendship things. It was all stuff like cakes and explosions and dresses and dealing with Trixie. The last one is the only thing that was even kind of a friendship problem, and you only ‘solved’ that by making Princess Luna deal with it. What lesson did you learn here, exactly?”

“Uh…. teamwork?”

“Oh come on. You already knew that. That’s why you gathered everypony to help you before things started.” Spike pulled his head back under the blanket. “Besides, you don’t want to write a report while you’re half asleep anyway. Remember what happened the last time?”

“Eagh.” Twilight twitched at the thought. “You know what? You’re right. We managed to pull it off, and now we’ve earned some rest.”

“Exactly!”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Mrrnng,” Spike grumbled.

“Thanks for your help. Especially with the cheese. I still don’t know what I would’ve done with it.”

Spike poked his head back out. “Eh, that was no problem. I just convinced Luna to have the Mayor take care of it. And you know how the mayor loves her fundraising projects.”

“Well, however you did it, I really appreciate it.” Twilight flopped into bed and pulled the curtains shut. “I couldn’t have done it without-”

Spike started snoring.

Twilight smiled. “You know, I think you’ve got the right idea.”

She turned out the light and pulled the covers over her head.

Author's Note

Just a brief little epilogue to wrap things up.

Metaphorical Hitches

Twilight paced back and forth across the floor of the library, putting her hooves down with such resolution that she risked leaving grooves in the floor. Her friends were lined up in front of her, waiting to find out why she had gathered all of them. She cleared her throat.

“Okay, everypony! The Summer Sun Celebration starts in exactly” —Twilight paused, and within half a second the clock tower had begun to toll in the distance— “sixteen hours! It is imperative that everything is precisely in place so that everything will go off without a hitch! I don’t want to see any hitches!”

“But I was going to use this to pull the cake to Town Hall!” Pinkie held up a rope with a metal ring on the end.

“Metaphorical hitches!” Twilight’s eye twitched. “What I mean is that everything needs to go smoothly without any problems. And why did you even bring- no, not going to ask.” She took a deep breath. “All of you know just how important this festival is.”

“‘Course we do,” Applejack said. “You’ve been tellin’ us nonstop all morning.”

“Oh, right. Well, anyway, that’s why I just wanted to go over the list of preparations one more time, just to make sure that we’ll have everything ready in time for the start of the celebration!”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Then why did you drag us all over here? We were working on all that stuff already. This is just gonna make it take longer!”

“You weren’t workin’ on anything,” Applejack replied. “You were sleepin’ on one of your clouds. I had to wake you up to give you Twilight’s message.”

“I was just resting up so I’d be ready for tonight,” Dash said defensively. “It wouldn’t do any good to clear the sky now anyway. If I did the clouds could just roll in later.”

Twilight stomped her hoof and cleared her throat at the same time. All of them turned back to her. “I realize that I pulled you away from your work,” she said, “but Spike and I have been going over the schedule and I want to make sure everything lines up correctly.”

Spike held up a gigantic scroll and let it unroll, dropping to the ground and unfurling for a good ten feet across the floor before finally running out.

“I...didn’t realize the schedule was quite so packed,” Rarity mumbled.

“It isn’t that bad,” Spike said, “she just made it in five minute increments.”

“I think that’s goin’ a bit overboard,” Applejack said, eying the scroll as if she didn’t trust it. “Is there really that much stuff to worry about?”

“Well, not for you guys,” Twilight said, “but I have to coordinate everything so it all comes together at the right moment!”

“Um, I didn’t think it mattered when we finish things as long as they’re ready when things start,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, as long as we divide up the work, we should be able to get it all done with time to spare.”

“That’s the goal, yes,” Twilight said. She sighed. “Listen, I don’t want to keep you here any longer than I have to. I just want to make sure that everypony is on the same page so that everything is perfect.”

“Pfft, it’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash patted Twilight on the head. “As long as Luna doesn’t get corrupted by darkness and try to bring about eternal night again, we’re good!”

Twilight’s eye twitched. “And that’s another thing! Princess Luna is still very sensitive about the… incident from last year, so let’s try not to draw attention to that. It’s just bad form, okay?”

“Yes, that is quite improper,” Rarity said with a nod. “Though be that as it may, Rainbow Dash has a point. Last year’s celebration was proceeding quite nicely until… well, you know. So long as something comparable to that does not happen, everything ought to come together quite nicely.”

“Yeah, I know,” Twilight rubbed her eyes. “I’ve just been planning this for weeks, and both princesses are counting on me to make things work. And I’m counting on all of you.”

“So can we get back to work then?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Or not working,” Applejack muttered under her breath.

“You can, as soon as I finish going over this with you. I promise it’s not that much.”

“Oh, really?” Rainbow Dash looked to Spike.

He nodded. “It really isn’t that much.”

“Alright, fine.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs. “Let’s hear it.”

“Great!” Twilight’s ears perked up. “Rainbow Dash, you’re in charge of clearing the skies so that it’s clear for the sunrise.”

“I knew that.”

“However, since we’re expecting more ponies this year due to Luna’s presence, we’re holding more events outside, so we need to make sure there isn’t too much wind. We don’t want any tables getting blown over.”

“Got it!”

“Fluttershy, you’re doing the music, right?”

Fluttershy nodded. “The chorale has two dozen birds this year. We even have a parakeet to do some of the lyrics.”

“Great! The mayor was wondering if you could bring some birds over to help decorate Town Hall after you’re done rehearsing. They’re a bit shorthooved and they need all the fliers they can to help on the exterior.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Applejack and Pinkie, you’re in charge of the dessert. Pinkie, you have the two special order cakes for the Princesses, and Applejack, you have all the pies and drinks.”

“Got a special batch of cider we’ve been saving all year.”

“I’ve been planning those cakes since like, yesterday! But I did a lot of planning!”

“Good. Since there are so many ponies staying overnight, they’re wondering if the two of you could help whip up some apple pancakes for everypony to eat the next day.”

“No problem!” Applejack saluted.

“Pancake is my middle name!” Pinkie said. “Well, it isn’t, but it could be if I did all the paperwork for it.”

“Riiiight….” Twilight studied the list again.

“Rarity, you’re in charge of the interior decorations.”

“No surprises there.” Rarity flicked her mane. “What other duties do you have for me?”

“You might need to help out with the centerpieces on the outdoor tables. They need to match the ones inside.”

“That won’t be a problem in the slightest.”

“Good.” Twilight rolled the scroll up. “If any of you have any questions about anything, just let me know and we’ll figure everything out. If you can’t find me, just tell Spike and he’ll make sure I get the message.”

Spike gave a thumbs up. “Sure thing!”

“Well, that’s all I’ve got for you right now. Let’s make this the best Summer Sun Celebration that Equestria has ever seen!”

“Twilight, I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Spike said as he checked the final item off of the checklist for the third time. “This isn’t their first rodeo. Literally, in Applejack’s case. Besides, Fluttershy is right. As long as all the preparations are done before things start, it’ll be fine.”

“It should be fine,” Twilight corrected. “But this celebration is going to be so much bigger than the last one, and there’s a lot more going on!”

“Well, yeah, but you don’t have to handle all of it,” Spike said. “Celestia was super clear about that. She just wants you to make sure all the stuff is ready for when it starts. The princesses assigned Mayor Mare to take care of organizing the ceremony itself, remember.”

“That’s real reassuring,” Twilight grumbled. “Remember Winter Wrap-Up? In the time it would’ve taken them to clean winter it would be almost time for it to start again.”

“Yeah, the Summer Sun Celebration isn’t nearly that complicated,” Spike answered. “She organized it just fine last year, and she does pretty good with all the other events we’ve had during the year. She’s just not used to having to mobilize the entire town.”

“I guess so,” Twilight admitted. “But still, shouldn’t we at least go check to make sure everything is going okay?”

“Twilight, Celestia split up the work so that you wouldn’t have to worry about everything. Even if something goes wrong, isn’t it the Mayor’s problem anyway? You know, since she’s the one who’s actually supposed to be handling that? You should focus on the stuff that Celestia actually assigned you. After you get all that finished you can see if the Mayor needs your help.”

“Yes… That’s right.” Twilight smiled awkwardly.

“You’re going to go to Town Hall, aren’t you?”

“I’m not going to do anything. I just want to talk to the Mayor really quick to see if there’s anything she might need help with. We’ll be in and out in like five minutes.”

“Fine,” Spike rolled up his list. “But after that let’s stick to our actual responsibilities. We’ve got enough stuff to worry about without adding more stuff on.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said as she slipped into her saddlebags. “It won’t be a problem at all!”

“Decisions, decisions,” Rarity mused. She sat in front of a massive rack bearing a dozen different rolls of ribbon, all blue with silver filigree. Floating next to her was a short length of white ribbon layered with delicate gold trim. “I suppose it would be a bit gauche to take some samples in to the princesses to compare to their coats…” she mumbled to herself.

She was so engrossed in her careful examination that she barely even noticed Twilight and Spike approaching her from behind.

“Hello, Rarity,” she said. “I hate to bother you, but have you seen—”

“These ribbons!” Rarity spun around, a dozen different samples hovering in the air around her. “Twilight, which of these would you say best matches this one?” The white and gold ribbon smacked Twilight in the face. “I fully believe this one is an excellent representation of Celestia, but I’ve had some trouble deciding on one for Luna.”

“I, uh…” Twilight tried to focus on the ribbons, but they were too close to her face.

“I think they all look great!” Spike offered. “You could make any of them work!”

“Well of course any of them could work, but I must know which one is ideal.” Rarity’s attention, and the ribbons, shifted to Spike. “Which one of them do you think would best fit?”

“Er…” Spike chewed on his lip before answering. “They’re different?”

“Of course they’re different! This one most closely matches the shade of Luna’s coat directly after the events of last year’s event, but obviously her coloration has shifted slightly since then. And I believe it’s a bit too light to provide adequate contrast to Celestia’s ribbons anyway.”

Spike nodded dumbly.

“Now, this one matches her current color, but I am not at all convinced that the pattern of the silver inlay is at all appropriate. The pattern on this one here is better, but it’s also too narrow. This one has an excellent pattern and is sufficiently wide, but the hue is a bit on the dark side. Then again, I could compensate for that with the proper lighting-”

Twilight cleared her throat.

“Ah, yes, you are busy, yes?” Rarity glanced at the clock. “I would have thought you would’ve given me a bit more time to come to a proper decision. I realize we are on a schedule, but these decisions take time, darling.”

“I know, I’m not here about the decorations,” Twilight said.

“Why didn’t you say so? After your little pep talk, I would’ve thought you were anxious about that.”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “Well, yes, but not quite yet. I just wanted to check in with the Mayor. Do you know where she is?”

“Last I heard she was at the train station awaiting the Princesses’ arrival”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “They’re here already!?”

“I don’t believe they were due to arrive for another hour or so,” Rarity answered. “I suppose she just wanted to make sure everything was in order before they arrived.”

“In order. Right. Come on, Spike!” She headed towards the door, dragging Spike behind her.

“But what about the ribbons?” Rarity called after her. “Which one do you prefer?”

“Ummm…. That one!” Twilight pointed and then headed out the door.

“Ah, yes, this one.” Rarity picked up the roll that Twilight had indicated in her haste to leave. It was bright orange with green frills protruding from each edge. “No, I don’t think so. Why did I even bring this one?”

“Thanks for lettin’ us use your ovens, Mrs. Cake,” Applejack said as she dragged a cart containing several barrels of apples through the door. “We got a lot of mouths to feed, and the house only has one oven. Even Granny couldn’t make that many pies in there.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Mrs. Cake answered happily. “We’ve got more than enough space to accommodate you. We’ll need to reserve a few ovens for the Princesses’ cakes, of course, but that shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Nah, we should definitely be able to…share…” A blast of warm, sugary air blasted Applejack in the face as she walked into the kitchen. The smell tasted like chocolate cake. Every single counter, table, and cart held a bowl, tray, or cup full of frosting, batter, or other ingredients. The floor held a mix of everything else. Several mixers rattled merrily along, puffing out the occasional cloud of flour.

“Uh,” Applejack turned back to Mrs. Cake. “You sure about that?”

Mrs. Cake sighed. “Pinkie, what is going on here?”

Pinkie’s head (and only the head, somehow), coated in splotches of flour and batter, emerged from the sugary haze.

“Hi, Mrs. Cake! Hey, Applejack! What brings you by?”

“Well, she came by because she needed to borrow our ovens to make pies, since she has to make so many,” Mrs. Cake said. “You know, because the cakes we were baking only required the use of a few ovens?”

“Oooooooooooh.” A pink hoof came out of the flour clouds to scratch Pinkie’s chin. “You’re probably wondering why I’m using all the ovens, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that was going to be my next question.”

“Well, I had just figured out what flavor cakes to make for the Princess. Celestia is a lemon cake with white buttercream frosting, because if you slice a lemon in half it kinda looks like the sun would look if the sun were a fruit. Although if the sun were a fruit it probably wouldn’t be sour. I think it would be more spicy, because the sun is so hot-”

“Pinkie,” Applejack interrupted. “We’re kinda on a schedule here.”

Pinkie’s head nodded. “Right. Anyway, Luna’s cake is a dark chocolate cake because-”

“It’s dark? Like the night?”

“Exactly! Also because I don’t know what flavors she likes, but everypony likes chocolate. That cake has cream cheese frosting. You know, because the moon is made of cheese.”

“The moon isn’t made of cheese, Pinkie,” Applejack said with a shake of her head.

“Or is it?” Pinkie said.

“Uh, no. It ain’t. It’s made of, like, rocks.”

“Rocks, huh?” Pinkie stroked her chin pensively. “I should ask my sister about that. She likes rocks.”

Mrs. Cake cleared her throat. “Pinkie, we’ve been over this. What I want to know is why you’re making so much cake.”

“Oh, that. Well, I thought that since the cakes are for the Princesses, and the Princesses are like twice as big as anypony else, that their cakes should be twice as big! So I decided to double the size of the cake! Twice as big! Twice as long! Twice as high!”

Mrs. Cake groaned. “You forgot the Square-Cube law, didn’t you? Pinkie, we've been over this.”

“The squared-cube whatsit, now?” Pinkie asked.

“When you make something proportionally bigger, the volume increases way more than the surface area. If you double all the sides, the cake is gonna end up bein’ eight times as big.”

Both Pinkie and Mrs. Cake stared at Applejack.

“What? I’m not really a math pony, but Granny Smith made sure I knew how to do a barn-raisin’ properly. My uncle Apple Crumble tried to make his barn three times bigger and ended up havin’ to rent it out as a blimp hanger to pay for the buildin’ costs.”

“Why didn’t you just double the recipe?” Mrs. Cake asked, eying the mess that coated the kitchen.

“Yeah, looking back on it, that really would’ve made more sense,” Pinkie admitted. “But hey, I’ve already got all the batter mixed up. I don’t want to waste it.”

“Can you spare any ovens?” Applejack asked. “We really do need to get these pies going. We don’t need that many. The pies aren’t that big; we could probably fit half a dozen into the oven at a time if we needed to. And I’ll need a counter to put the pies together.”

“No problem! Those ovens over there are almost done, and I should be able to get a counter cleaned off in no time!”

“Great!” Mrs. Cake sighed in relief. “For a moment there I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to get everything done in time.”

“Well, don’t,” Applejack said. “Sure, it might be a bit crowded, but we’ve got plenty of time.”

A door at the far side of the kitchen opened to reveal Mr. Cake’s face. “Honey? Could you give me a hoof with the twins? I need to get back to working on the pastries!”

“I’ll be right there!” She turned back to Applejack and Pinkie. “You two will be alright?”

“Of course,”Applejack tipped her hat, which was now coated in sugar dust. “This isn’t my first rodeo, you know.”

“Good. I’ll check in on you later!” Mrs. Cake waded through the chaos and disappeared through the door.

Applejack took a deep breath, and coughed. “Okay, which ovens am I usin’ again?”

Twilight arrived at the train station just in time to spend a few minutes pacing back and forth anxiously on the platform, waiting for either the smoke from the train’s engine to appear on the horizon or for the Mayor to arrive at the platform. Both happened more or less simultaneously. As the first wisps of smoke floated over the hills, the Mayor sauntered out of the station.

“There you are!” Twilight gasped, and then sighed in relief. “Don’t you know that the Princesses are about to arrive?”

“Well, yes, that’s why I’m here.” The Mayor cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

“Because you weren’t here.”

“Well, technically I suppose I wasn’t. I was over there.” She pointed at the station. “Getting a cup of coffee. Their train isn’t scheduled to arrive for another few minutes anyway. And you know as well as I do that the train never actually shows up on schedule anyway.”

“That’s… not exactly a good thing.” Twilight’s eye started to twitch as she watched the train approach with what appeared to be agonizing slowness. “And besides, it has the Princesses on it.”

The Mayor shrugged. “It will still be late, just not by as much.”

Twilight was silent as she watched the train intently, stopping only to glance at the clock. As the hands ticked off the time that the train was supposed to arrive, the Mayor coughed. Two minutes after that, the train rolled into the station and groaned to a stop. The door of the carriage opened and two Royal guards trotted out, rolling out a short red carpet as they did so.

“We have arrived!” Luna declared dramatically as she emerged from the train. She frowned as she noted the absence of any other ponies on the platform. “We were expecting a bit more of a welcome.”

“Welcome, Princess Luna.” The Mayor bowed gracefully. “I realize that this is not much of a reception, but we didn’t want the station to be mobbed.”

“I see.” Luna nodded in assent. “It is just as well. We are here to prepare for the night’s festivities, not to make a public appearance.”

Twilight chewed her lip as she waited for Celestia to follow Luna out of the car. She didn’t appear. “Excuse me, Princess Luna?”

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle? What is it?”

“I can’t help but notice that Princess Celestia isn’t here yet.”

“Ah, yes. She is not aboard this train. She will be arriving shortly. Some last minute business arose in Canterlot, and she sent me ahead of time to begin the preparations.”

“But… you said ‘we’.”

“...It is the royal ‘we’.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

“Of course it won’t be,” the Mayor interjected. “Preparations for tonight’s festivities are already well underway, and barring any unforeseen circumstances everything will be ready with plenty of time to spare.”

“All well and good,” Luna said. “I assure you, this year I will do my best to not interfere with the celebration.”

Twilight and the Mayor looked at each other.

“That was… er… a joke?” Luna chuckled nervously. “Celestia informed me that I ought to be a bit less formal with everypony, and that humor was a good way of doing so.”

“Oh, uh…” Twilight scratched her head. “I see. I just didn’t expect you to be making jokes about that.”

“Do not worry. I realize I have not yet become adept at it. When I last ruled Equestria, it was not something that we attempted to do very often.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it,” Mayor Mare said. “For now, why don’t I show you to Town Hall so you can see how everything is set up?”

“An excellent idea,” Luna said. “Just as soon as I have the guards unload my contribution to this festival.”

“Oooh! I didn’t realize that you were bringing anything,” the mayor said excitedly.

“It is a tradition from days gone by, yet one that I wish to continue. It would hardly do for a Princess to contribute nothing.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!” Twilight said. “What did you bring?”

“The traditional royal gift!” Luna beamed. “A five hundred pound cheese wheel!”

Twilight chuckled. “See, you’re already picking up how to make ponies laugh!”

“That was not a joke, actually,” Luna scratched her head. “The cheese wheel is in the caboose.”

“Oh. Uh…” Twilight grinned awkwardly. “Well, in that case… um… Mayor, why don’t you show Luna to Town Hall, and I’ll take care of the… er… gift.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Luna declared. “Lead on!” She and her entourage of guards followed the Mayor off the platform and down the road.

Twilight shook her head as she watched them go. “What am I supposed to do with a cheese wheel?”

Author's Note

Normally the citizens present the ruler with the cheese.

Not Having Your Cake or Eating It Too

Everypony stared at the empty space where the cakes had been. Expect for Maud, who was still focused on the doorstop, and Spike, who was staring at the cake space but wasn’t a pony.

“How the hay can you not know where you teleported the cakes to!” Applejack pulled her hat down over her face. “You’re the one doin’ the teleportin’!”

“Teleporting an object isn’t the same as teleporting yourself, okay?” Twilight said defensively. She tried to focus her frustration towards something useful. “You don’t usually have to worry about targeting it because you’re there.”

“And you didn’t think to account for that?!”

“I get it, I messed up! I’m in a hurry and I rushed it and now I’m even further behind because now we have to track down the missing cakes!”

“Assumin’ that they’re still in one piece,” Applejack said.

“Well, that won’t be a problem, at least,” Twilight said. “The teleport spell has all sorts of failsafes built in. It automatically corrects the destination so that objects don’t get teleported into each other and ensures that they land on a surface that can support them, mostly. Besides, you can tell when a teleport is successful, and it was. The cakes arrived at their destination just fine. We just need to figure out where that is before anything happens to them.”

“THE CAKES!” Pinkie bounced into the air and off the ceiling. She would’ve repeated the bounces several more times, but Applejack snatched her out of the air. “Calm down, Pinkie! The cakes are fine. We just gotta find ‘em!”

“Oh.” Pinkie stopped bouncing in midair and floated down to the floor. “Alright, then. Those cakes are pretty tough; they’ll be fine until we find them!”

“So I guess that’s the next thing on the schedule?” Spike asked. “Find the cakes?”

“Pretty much,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Applejack, you get your pies to Town Hall before something happens to them. While you’re there, try to grab anypony who’s not busy who might be able to help us search. Pinkie, you search around Sugarcube Corner to see if the cakes are nearby. We’ll all meet back here as soon as possible.”

“Will do!” Applejack tipped her hat and headed outside.

“Okey dokey!” Pinkie bounced out after Applejack.

“Come on, Spike,” Twilight said. “We have to get back here as soon as we can.”

“Huh? Where are we going?” he asked. “Shouldn’t we start looking for the cake?”

“We will, on the way back to the library.”

“Why are we going back to the library?”

Twilight rapped a hoof on her mane. It made a thumping sound. “So I can take a bath.”

Rainbow Dash zipped through the sky above Ponyville, scanning the streets for any sign of Twilight. If anypony could convince the Loud and Annoying Trixie to move her rehearsal out from under her house, it would be Twilight. She just had to find her. Twilight could be anywhere. And was probably running herself ragged trying to make sure that anything and everything was going absolutely perfect. That meant that Twilight could be anywhere, and would probably be in the most inconvenient location possible.

She’s probably going to be checking in on everypony, Rainbow Dash thought. Maybe they’ll know where she is. She bore to the right a bit, towards Sugarcube Corner. The puffs of sugar powder coming out the window made it clear that Pinkie was there. She decided not to risk going through the kitchen. The last time she had flown in, it had taken hours to get the taffy out of her mane. This time she’d play it safe and fly in Pinkie’s bedroom window and take the stairs to the kitchen. Much less chance of getting slammed in the face by a stray baked good.

She dove towards the window. As she made her final approach, she was blinded by a flash of light. As the glare faded, she found herself rocketing toward an excessively large and impressively ornate multi-tiered cake.

Oh come o-

“Thank you so much for your help, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity patted her sister on the head. “The Town Hall looks magnificent! I could not have done it without you! Or perhaps I could have, but it would’ve taken much longer and been much more of a hassle.”

“You’re welcome!” Sweetie Belle glanced happily around the auditorium. Everything had come together nicely and without incident. Which probably meant that something would happen to disturb it. Maybe a stray pegasus crashing through the ceiling, or a parasprite invasion, or perhaps some creature from the Everfree forest drawn by the smell of appetizers, or a cake dropping out of the sky and exploding on the stage. But whatever destroyed everything, it wouldn’t be their fault.

“What are we gonna do now?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I am going to relax!” Rarity slumped onto the chaise lounge that she had brought along in case a dramatic faint was needed. “I have no pressing duties at the moment, but it is only a matter of time before something will arise. Twilight will likely be along any moment with some task to carry out, and I would like to enjoy a moment of relaxation before that occurs.”

“Rarity! Rarity!”

“And there it is.”

The mayor trotted up to her and cleared her throat. “First of all, I must say that I love what you’ve done with the hall. It looks wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Rarity answered. “I suppose there is something else that requires my help?

“Nothing particularly major. Princess Luna has been readying herself for tonight, and it appears that one of the buttons on her dress has come off. If you have a few minutes, would you mind running down to her room and sewing it back on?”

Rarity sighed in relief. “That will not be a problem in the slightest. I was afraid that there would be some larger, more pressing issue to worry about.”

“Hopefully not,” the mayor said. “I will see you tonight at the festival.” She trotted off, ostensibly to attend to other festival business.

“Come along, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity beckoned her sister to follow. “I am certain that Luna will not mind if you accompany me.”

“Everything feels so much better after a shower,” Twilight said as she trotted down the road. “It really just washes away the stress.”

“And the sugar,” Spike added.

“Yes, that too. Everything seems a lot better when you aren’t crusted over in frosting. What with how big those cakes are it shouldn’t be hard to find them. Besides, I’m sure if anypony sees them, word will spread quickly. We’ll find them in no time! Ah, looks like Applejack and Pinkie Pie are already back at Sugarcube Corner!”

Applejack and Pinkie stood at the door, talking in low voices.

“They look… nervous,” Spike said.

“Well, we’re all a bit on edge today,” Twilight said. “Hello, everypony!”

“Oh, Twilight!” Applejack fiddled with the brim of her hat. “You’re back!”

“I sure am! Did either of you find anypony to help us look for the cakes?”

Pinkie nodded vigorously. “Rainbow Dash is going to be here to help us look for the other cake any minute now!”

“Wait, other cake? You found one of them already?”

“Yeah, about that…” Applejack cleared her throat. “There’s good news and bad news. The good news is, Rainbow Dash found the cake.”

“And the bad news?”

“The bad news is I found the cake when it appeared right in front of me as I was flying!” Rainbow Dash emerged from Sugarcube Corner, her mane wrapped in a towel. “I just finished getting all the frosting out of my hair.”

“You and me both,” Twilight said, her newfound optimism rapidly deflating. “So I guess that cake is a lost cause, then?”

“Well, we haven’t actually had time to review the damage yet,” Applejack answered. “Apparently the cake landed on the balcony upstairs. Pinkie apparently made the cakes so unnecessarily big that some of it might be salvageable.”

“I guess we’d better go check the damage, then.” Twilight took a deep breath, trying to hold on to what was left of her good mood. “Let’s get moving.”

“It is a pity we could not meet earlier, Princess,” Rarity said. She had spent most of her Nightmare Night cooped up in her shop attempting to perfect her complex and unusually ornate costume. She had only heard about the… incidents secondhand. “I understand that you have a loose button that needs repairing.”

“Yes, my dress is right over here.” Luna pulled a ball of fabric out of a garment bag hanging from a rack on the wall. The bag really hadn’t helped the state of the clothing much.

“Ah.” Rarity bit her lip at the sight of the outfit. “It appears to be a bit wrinkled. Would you like me to take care of that as well?”

“If you have the time, that would be wonderful,” Luna replied. “I must admit I was… in a slight rush when I prepared to come here. I had been up all night doing my usual rounds and such, and I needed a quick nap before leaving. I suppose I should have directed one of my assistants to pack for me.”

“It won’t be a problem in the slightest.” Rarity carefully began to unfold the dress. And then continued to unfold it in a less gentle manner, as it was evident that it wasn’t a particularly delicate number. “Hmmmmm.”

“I must admit that my selection may not be the most appropriate,” Luna mumbled. “As I said, I was in a hurry and I may have simply just grabbed a dress at random.”

Rarity’s ear twitched.

“I realize I ought to have put a bit more effort into choosing a dress,” Luna continued. “But with all the other preparations to be done it slipped my mind. I choose the wrong one, didn’t I?”

“I would not say wrong,” Rarity said carefully.

“You can be honest.”

“There is nothing wrong with the dress itself,” Rarity said. “It just lacks the… ornamentation one would expect for this sort of occasion. As it is, it would be more fitting for a semi-formal event. If you wish, it would not be particularly difficult for me to add a bit of flair to it, to make it more suitable for the celebration.”

“If it would not be too much trouble, I would be delighted,” Luna said. “I would prefer to have the proper attire.”

“It will not be a problem at all.” Rarity grinned widely. “Sweetie Belle, be a dear and fetch my sewing kit from the boutique. I have some work to do.”

“So here’s the plan. We start the search for cake #2 at Sugarcube Corner.” She tapped on the map with her pointer. “We’ll go in two groups, starting on opposite sides; Rainbow Dash and Applejack on this side, and Pinkie and I on the other. Rainbow Dash will search from the air, and I’ll use a spell to trace any lingering traces of magic from the teleportation. Applejack and Pinkie can search on ground level and ask any ponies we’ve run into if they’ve seen the cake. As long as we follow the path, we’ll go past any potential locations twice, making sure we don’t miss it. Any questions?”

Applejack raised a hoof.

“Yes?”

“Where’d you get the diagram from? I thought we were in a hurry.”

“I just… happened to have it available, okay?”

“You just happened to have a map of Ponyville available so you could coordinate these kinds of things?”

Twilight scowled at her. “With all the weird stuff that happens in this town, I wanted to be prepared. Honestly, I’m surprised that I haven’t had to use this sooner.”

“Seriously,” Spike added. “She got this thing set up like three months ago. It’s been sitting in the basement for weeks.”

“What’s Spike doing?” Pinkie asked.

“I’m going to keep up with Twilight’s checklist, and also see if I can find the Cakes. Not the cake, but the Cakes. You know, the ponies.”

“Yeah, we got that,” Rainbow Dash said. “Can we get going already? The sooner we go, the sooner we find the cake, and the sooner we find the cake, the sooner I can convince Twilight to tell Trixie to get out from under my house!”

“Trixie is under your house?” Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash. “What’s she doing there?”

“Tuning her musical… thing, and shooting off fireworks.”

“And why is she doing that?” Applejack asked.

“Rehearsing for her show, apparently?”

“Wait, she’s putting on a show?” Twilight’s whole face contorted in frustration. “But I told it was too last-minute!”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Well, apparently Princess Luna overruled you. She actually seemed pretty pumped about seeing Trixie’s production.”

Spike bit his lip, trying not to giggle. “Solves all our problems, huh?”

Twilight silenced him with a glare.

“I can’t believe Trixie even has the nerve to show her face in Ponyville after what happened last time,” Applejack grumbled. “Never mind somehow managin’ to get an audience with the Princess. How’d she manage that?”

“Because I sent her to Luna,” Twilight admitted. “She was bothering me about getting to perform, and she wouldn’t listen to me. I figured she’d have to listen if a Princess told her no.”

“But you forgot about the whole Nightmare Moon thing?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, Luna knows what it’s like to turn bad and do something nasty and then turn back and have everypony be afraid of you.”

“Okay, yes, in retrospect it wasn’t the best idea.” Twilight stomped her hoof. “But that’s not important now. I’ll deal with her after we find the cakes. Let’s get a move on.”

She spun around without waiting for a response, stomped outside, and took a deep breath of the sugar-free air. Hopefully she hadn’t sent the cake too far. If she was responsible for destroying it, she’d never be able to look at a cake again. Which would be a problem, seeing as she was friends with Pinkie Pie.

“Alright. Let’s find that cake.”

“Hmmmm. Yes. Yes.” Rarity adjusted her glasses. “This silver thread will hold this trim nicely.” She plucked some pins out of the pincushion and began to stick them into the fabric. Luna watched her with fascination. Neither of them even noticed when the door opened and Sweetie Belle entered, carefully balancing a large roll of deep blue fabric on her back. She tiptoed across the room, the floor of which was buried under the numerous tools and materials that Rarity had required.

“I brought it!” she announced and dumped it onto the floor next to Rarity.

“Wonderful!” The fabric floated up and began to unroll. “Precisely what I needed.”

“Is that it?” Sweetie Belle flopped over onto a pile of unused fabric scraps.

“Maybe,” Rarity said. “We won’t know until we see what it looks like on the Princess.”

She floated the dress over to Luna.

“Is it truly necessary that I try it on?”

“Of course. I simply cannot go without ensuring that I have made your ensemble as fashionable as I possibly can.”

“I suppose that is true.” Luna took the dress.

“We will wait outside. Though do be careful. Some of the seams are a bit delicate.”

Rarity and Sweetie Belle filed out and closed the door behind them.

“So now what are we doing?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You know, when her dress is done?”

“Well, the first order of business will be to move all of my materials and tools back to the boutique.”

Sweetie Bell groaned. “Everything?”

“Of course, we cannot just leave all of this clutter in Princess Luna’s dressing room. That would not be proper.”

“Why didn’t you just have her come over to the boutique in the first place?”

Rarity shrugged. “Well, looking back on it, that would have been the simplest solution, but I simply didn’t realize the scale of the modifications that needed to be made.”

There was a tearing sound from behind the door, followed by rapid, muffled, mumbling.

“That wasn’t a good sound,” Sweetie Belle said.

“No, it wasn’t.”

“See anythin’, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, I see all sorts of stuff,” Rainbow Dash answered. “No cake, though.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that?”

Dash shrugged. “You asked.”

“You know darn well I was askin’ about the cake,” Applejack snapped, kicking at a dirt clod in an effort to expend some frustrated energy. “There’s no reason to go and get all snippy about it.”

“You’re the one who’s making a big deal out of it.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “You could’ve just rolled your eyes and ignored it, but no, you had to go and get all bent out of shape.”

“Who’s gettin’ bent out of shape? It sure ain’t me.”

“Hey, my shape is fine,” Rainbow Dash retorted, flexing her forelegs. “That’s the whole reason I train.”

“I’m not talkin’ about your literal shape.” Applejack pulled her hat down over her eyes. “It’s a figure of speech.”

“Oh, so now you’re getting all fancy and using figures of speech?”

“There’s nothin’ fancy about it!” Applejack stomped her hoof. “Do you see any sign of the cake, or not?”

“Nope, no cake. Or anything cake-related. What about you?”

“Nothing down here.” Applejack straightened her hat. “Nopony’s seen anything. We’d better move on.”

Applejack trotted down the road that Twilight had instructed them to follow. Rainbow Dash was clearly ornery due to repeated napping failures. Applejack could understand the frustration. After spending all morning with Pinkie and then having to haul carts of pies around, she was tired too. Then again, at least she didn’t have to go on the cake search with Pinkie. She didn’t have the mental fortitude for that at the moment.

Twilight tried to focus on her spell. It would pick up any remaining traces of magic that clung to the cake, but by now, those traces would have faded so much that she’d barely be able to detect them unless she paid very close attention. Paying close attention to magic was normally a simple task for her.

But normally Pinkie Pie wasn’t following her around. Or questioning every single pony they encountered if they had seen a cake. In song.

She had to admit, the song had been catchy at first, but after the first half a dozen repetitions it had started to grate, and at the moment it had degraded into a drone.

“Pinkie, is it really necessary to sing at everypony?”

“Of course not!” Pinkie chirped, before she continued to sing.

“Then why are you still singing?”

“Why not?”

“That’s not a reason,” Twilight muttered. “By that logic you should constantly be doing somersaults unless you have a reason not to.”

“Good point,” Pinkie said, rather than sang.

Twilight tried to hide her relief. “Looks like nopony around here has seen the cake. Let’s head over towards Town Hall and see if it’s over there.”

“On it!” Pinkie curled up into a ball and began to roll down the road.

Twilight just sighed and shook her head.

“I knew I should not have over-indulged in grilled cheese sandwiches!” Luna wailed. “Celestia warned me that they would go straight to my flanks!”

“Your flanks are fine,” Rarity snapped as she investigated the remnants of the dress. “Unfortunately it appears as though I was a bit too hasty in my modifications. The trim I added reduced the elasticity of the fabric. Your flanks are not to blame. Not that it matters. Nowadays I am told that some prefer a prodigious rump.”

“Is that so?” Luna asked.

“The real question,” Rarity continued, “is determining what method would be best to repair the damage.”

“You mean you do not know?”

“Of course I know! Off the top of my head I can think of three different methods. The question is choosing which one would be best to maintain both the integrity and appearance of the dress, considering we will need to replace a fair bit of fabric. I’m sure I could choose one given time to think it over, but we do not have that time. So I-”

Fluttershy burst into Luna’s dressing room, panting for breath. She paused her gasps to bow
before gulping down more air.

“...sought a second opinion.”

“I came as quickly as I could,” Fluttershy choked out between breaths. “When I heard you needed my help, I dropped everything and flew right over!”

Luna stared at her, shocked by her sudden arrival. “I... er… am honored by your willingness to assist me, but I am not the one who requested help.”

“You… weren’t?” She turned to see Rarity grinning at her and slowly waving her hoof.

“I never realized you were such a fast… flier… Fluttershy…” Sweetie Belle stumbled through the door behind her and collapsed onto a pile of fabric scraps.

“I thought you said that Princess Luna needed me!”

“I did!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “That’s what Rarity told me to tell you!”

“Rarity, what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked.

“Princess Luna had a slight… mishap with the dress she intended to wear to the festivities tonight, and as you have some knowledge of sewing, I thought you might be able to assist me in choosing the proper method to repair it.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Sweetie Belle made it sound like it was… um… an emergency.”

“It is an emergency!” Rarity snapped. Then she cleared her throat. “Well, of a sort.”

“I did not think it was so serious!” Luna wailed. “Curse the day I learned of the Grilled Cheese!”

“What?” Fluttershy scratched her head in confusion.

“Don’t worry about that. Worry about this.” Rarity thrust the dress at her.

“Rarity, I was right in the middle of rehearsing with my birds! Er, well, we were kind of taking a break between songs, but even so.”

“The faster you help me with this, the faster you can get back to that!” Rarity said. “Please? I really do need your help. Princess Luna really needs your help!”

Fluttershy glanced over at Luna, who was gesticulating wildly at herself in the mirror and muttering in loud whispers about midnight snacks.
She sighed. “Alright, what kind of material did you use?”

“Lyra, where are we going?”

“This way!” Lyra answered excitedly.

“That doesn’t answer my question. At all. And why am I wearing a blindfold?”

“Shhh, Bon Bon!” Lyra said. “We’re almost there!”

“This had better be a great surprise,” Bon Bon grumbled as she trudged along. “I need to finish up the sweets for tonight.”

“Oh, please, you had all of those finished like yesterday!” Lyra scoffed. “Besides, you’ve been working like, all day. I don’t know what you were working on, but you can totally take a break.”

“Then how about I take a break and you actually do some work in the meantime?”

“Hey, I was working. Kinda. There was a last minute addition to the schedule who needed my help tuning up her calliope! That’s when I found it!”

Even with the blindfold, Bon Bon was visibly raising a confused eyebrow. “Since when do you know anything about calliopes?”

“Listen, you know all about making candy and whatnot, I know how to do music stuff. It’s right there on my flank, remember?”

“Your harp, yes, but a calliope?”

“Okay, so I’ve never tuned a calliope before, but it’s in the same ballpark.”

“Are we almost there?” Bon Bon asked. “I really do need to be getting back to the shop.”

“Yeah, yeah, just about! Watch the tree stump.”

“What tree st-” Bon Bon found herself accidentally somersaulting forward.

“That tree stump.”

“Alright, I’m losing the blindfold.”

She pulled the cloth off of her face. Lyra had taken her to some random field on the outskirts of town. It was empty except for a rickety-looking and takily-decorated wagon, and an enormous cake. The thing was twice the height of a pony and probably weighed as much as a few dozen of them. Why anypony would have ever created such a thing, she didn’t know, never mind why they would leave it out in the middle of nowhere.

“It’s a cake!” Lyra said excitedly.

“I can see that,” Bon Bon said. “Why is there a cake here?”

“I have no idea! But it looks delicious, and I’m gonna find out what kind it is! I bet it’s chocolate.” Lyra held up a large fork. Bon Bon wasn’t sure where it had come from. “You want a piece?”

“Wait just a second!” Bon Bon snatched the fork out of Lyra’s hoof, and watched closely in case she pulled another one out. “You can’t just eat it.”

“Why not?”

“Seriously? Look at it! It’s obviously meant for the Summer Sun Celebration. You can’t just start cutting into it.”

Lyra snorted. “Why would they leave it out here in the middle of nowhere if they didn’t want anypony to eat it? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, I don’t know, but I do know that you should at least try to find out whose cake it is before you start eating it.” Bon Bon stepped between Lyra and the cake. “I mean, seriously, you don’t even know if it’s safe to eat. For all you know there might be a bunch of ponies inside it waiting to pop out or something?”

“Why were there be anypony in the cake?”

“I don’t know, but why else would you make it so big?”

“Did you two come to get this cake out of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s way?” Trixie bellowed as she kicked open the door of her wagon, causing the whole thing to shudder. “It is sitting right were the Great and Powerful Trixie’s audience is supposed to be sitting!”

“Wait just a second!” The cake dropped out of Bon Bon’s mind. “Aren’t you the one who almost destroyed Ponyville twice?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has never almost destroyed Ponyville!”

“You lured and Ursa Minor into town!” Bon Bon said.
“Trixie most certainly did not! Those two colts were responsible for that. Trixie even made a valiant attempt to vanquish the creature!”

“What about when you put Ponyville under the giant bubble?” Bon Bon continued. “And knock it off with the third person thing.”

“What giant bubble?” Lyra asked. “I don’t remember any giant bubble.”

“How do you not remember the giant bubble?” Bon Bon shook her head. “The whole town was imprisoned for two days after she took over with an ancient artifact! Twilight had to sneak back in and dual Trixie to free everypony.”

“First of all,” Trixie said, “It was more like a large glass dome. Second, it was not two days. It was… a day and a half at most. Also, I was under the influence of an evil amulet. Under normal circumstances I would never try to take over a town.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you?”

“No. I have no interest in having to run a town. I simply want to be showered with praise and adulation from my adoring fans!”

“What adoring fans?”

“Trixie’s fanbase may be small now due to her… past indiscretions, but rest assured that after her performance at this celebration, she will have a whole legion of fans!”

“You’re performing at the celebration?” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “I never saw you on the schedule-Lyra, get away from the cake!”

Behind her, Lyra grumbled at Bon Bon’s inexplicably wide range of vision.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie was a last minute addition. By Princess Luna herself!” Trixie said smugly.

“So I guess that’s why you have this enormous cake then? The frosting does seem to be moon-themed.”

“Trixie knows nothing about the cake, except that it is in the way. My audience is supposed to sit there.”

Bon Bon sighed. “I don’t suppose you know where it came from?”

Trixie shrugged. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no idea. I thought you had come to move it. Or to deliver my fireworks.” She thrust a hoof at Lyra. “You did not forget Trixie’s fireworks, did you?”

“What? No! I just arranged for somepony else to deliver them. I didn’t know where to get fireworks.”

Bon Bon frowned. “You don’t know where to get fireworks? But what about-”

“Legal fireworks,” Lyra coughed.

“Oh.”

“Well, they had better be here soon,” Trixie said, stomping her hoof. “Trixie needs to begin setting up for her show!”

“They’ll be here soon. Don’t worry. In fact, I think I see the delivery pony now!”

“It’s about time,” Trixie grumbled as she looked up and saw a grey pegasus hauling a large sack towards Trixie’s wagon.

“Delivery!” announced the pegasus. She held up a clipboard and checked it. “For a Trixie, Great and Powerful?”

“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie announced, her voice suddenly jumping about ten decibels in volume. “Have you brought my fireworks!”

“Yup! One giant sack of assorted fireworks. Just sign here.”

“Finally, somepony who actually knows what they’re doing.” Trixie took the clipboard and scrawled her name in outrageously large and ostentatious letters. “Hold onto that. The Great and Powerful Trixie’s autograph will be very valuable someday! You can leave the fireworks behind the wagon.”

“Will do!”

“How on earth did you get that delivery set up so quickly?” Bon Bon asked. “Whenever I order anything it takes days. Never mind getting a delivery on a day like today.”

“It is quite impressive that she made the delivery with such haste,” Trixie admitted. “I wish I could get that kind of service.”

Lyra shrugged. “You want to know the secret? Muffins.”
“Muffins?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah. Just offer her a basket of muffins if she hurries it up and she’d go to Tartarus and back.”

“So that’s where my breakfast went,” Bon Bon said with a groan.

“Thanks for the muffins, Lyra!” The pegasus waved as she fluttered by. “They were great!”

“They were mine,” Bon Bon muttered. “If you don’t mind, could you do me a favor? I have some banana nut muffins for you.”

“Sure!” The pegasus landed and waited intently.

“When you head back into town, could you find somepony official and ask them why this cake is here? Like Mayor Mare or Twilight. Just see if anypony knows why it’s here.”

“No problem!” The Pegasus nodded vigorously. “I’ll be by to pick up the muffins later!” She flipped into the air and glided towards town.

“I sure hope you actually have some banana nut muffins, or you’re in trouble,” Lyra said, grinning.

“Don’t worry about that that,” Bon Bon said. “I’ll take care of it later. Right now I need to get back to the shop and finish up my…” She sniffed. “Do you smell that?”

Lyra’s nose twitched. “Yeah, I do smell something. Smells kinda like smoke.”

“I think it’s coming from Trixie’s wagon.” Bon Bon wrinkled her nose. “Did you leave something on the stove or something?”

“Of course not! Trixie’s wagon doesn’t have a kitchen, so she is forced to cook outside over a fire. In fact, Trixie was doing just that when the two of you arrived.”

Bon Bon’s eyes widened. “Where was your fire, exactly?”

“Well, Trixie couldn’t have a giant burned spot where she was going to perform, so she built it behind her…..oh.”

The three ponies looked at each other, then at the wagon. A large plume of smoke was rising up from behind it.

“We should probably run,” Lyra said.