24 Candles
The last of the comic was finally drawn. Sound, exhausted from her long night of sketching over and over again, had finally completed the outline of the comic. It was a rush order to make this issue, thanks to impatient fans who had complained about the three-month gap between releases. She knew that if she were in their position that she would be angry as well, but right now she was too tired to be empathetic. She just wanted to relax and get some sleep.
"Sound!" her mother called. "You've got mail!"
"Yargh!" Sound said, frustrated as she was about to get some rest. That was her new catchphrase ever since she saw that used in a comic she had to draw. She got out of her room and went downstairs, moving slowly and trying not to look down while doing so. She reached the landing, her mother holding out the envelope. Sound grabbed it and read who'd sent it.
"Huh. It's from Pawpads and A.C.," she said as she looked over the fancy design of it. "Wonder why it's all fancy." She opened it up and found that inside was an even fancier letter.
"What's it say?" her mother asked.
"Let me read it in my fancy voice. Ahem. Dear Miss Barrier, you are cordially invited to the wedding of Apple Cider and Pawpads."
"Really? That's wonderful! Pepperoni! A.C. and Pawpads officially announced it!"
"Announced what, Bloomheart?" Sound's dad asked while he worked in the kitchen.
"Their wedding. They've finally announced their date."
"Glad to hear! Seems like they're moving fast when it comes to that. Usually it takes almost a year it seems. They've got it down to a couple months," he said, remembering the proposal at the Hearth's Warming Eve Party. "Does it say when it'll be?"
"I don't know. Sound, does it say?" she asked.
"Probably. Let's see here. Please respond with a notice of if there'll be a date with you or not. The date to save is March 16th. Wait...what?" Sound stopped her fancy accent and read over the date again.
"What is it, dear?" her mother asked.
"They're holding the wedding," she said, "on my birthday."
"Really? Huh. Wonder why?" Bloomheart said this as she looked at her calendar to check for upcoming events.
"I really don't know." Sound read through the rest of the letter. It contained other dates as well, such as when the Rehearsal and Bridal Shower would be. To her surprise all of this was to be done within the week. "Why's it so close sudden anyway? Doesn't really give a whole lot of time."
"I guess their relatives don't live far away. Anyway, I hope I can find something to get them for a wedding gift. What about you, hon?"
"Gift?" Pepperoni said, surprise in his voice. "I always thought that the money he used for the ring was the gift. Expensive enough as is."
"Seriously?" his wife asked. "How much money was it that you gave him?"
"Enough that asking me to get him a gift will change this happy-go-lucky attitude of mine to a miser that would make a banker envious," he told them.
"Well at least I'll get them something myself. I wouldn't feel right going without one. I wonder if any of them have a blender." As Bloomheart thought about what boring-but-practical gift she'd get her. Sound stood there, looking at the letter she'd gotten. She was still trying to figure out what had happened and why they'd done this.
"Well, I should be happy for them. After all, they're finally tying the knot. Took them long enough." Sound put the letter down and went back to her room, tired not only from her work, but now the recent news. Hopefully a nap would help her calm down about this news.
The rest did not do anything to cheer the frustrated mare up. The next day Sound went over to her work and dropped off the illustrations she'd done. After turning it in, she got her new assignment from her editor, Mr. Bates, to complete. She didn't want to go back over to her place right now, so she decided to just work at the studio while there.
"Heyfield, move your stuff," she told her coworker. He always had a habit of dumping his props to sketch on her desk.
"Sorry. Didn't think you'd come in today," he said, moving his materials off the table. "I don't even know how I managed to get this much stuff on your desk in only a couple days. I just recently got a new assignment, so at least there's that."
"Whatever," she replied, too annoyed to respond kindly. "I've got stuff on my mind and can't focus much on that right now."
"Really? What kind of stuff are we talking about?"
"It's about my birthday. You wouldn't understand. It's a long story," she told him, hoping that he wouldn't bother her anymore. He was about to open up his mouth before realizing that this wasn't anything he should get involved in. He then trotted away, leaving Sound to begin her new assignment, hoping to get her mind off of what was bothering her.
Her new assignment had her drawing an issue of ... she didn't even know how to pronounce it. She was too frustrated to think about what she was drawing and just ended up sketching. She eventually put down her pencil and just dropped her head on the desk, knowing that she couldn't do her job right then.
"You alright, Sound?" somepony asked. She raised her head up and looked at the pony talking to her. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up and saw that it was Cloverbud of Quality Control talking to her.
"Um, sure," she responded, trying to reorganize her papers. "Just needed a nap. Tired from all this drawing. Just been busy with other stuff as well."
"I assume you're talking about Pawpad's Wedding." Sound was surprised to hear that she knew about it, Then again, she usually forgot that the two are actually friends. "It seems like the date came out of nowhere, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. More annoying is the actual date of the wedding. They're having it on my birthday," Sound explained.
"Hmm. While that does seem to be a bit of a bummer, why's it bother you so much? It's not like it's a landmark age you're hitting, is it?"
"It's not that. It's that last year my parents actually went and forgot my birthday, so Pawpads actually went and made a promise to me. She said that we'd actually go to Manehattan for my next birthday as a treat and said that she wouldn't forget or anything. Hay, she even called last month about it to make sure that I myself hadn't forgotten about it. Now she goes and sets her wedding up on that day. She knew how upset I was last year when my parents forgot and that was the thing that really cheered my up." Sound was surprised to be saying all of this to Cloverbud. She never really believed that they were close because of her cold exterior, but here she was spilling her issues out.
"Well, maybe she needed to change it quickly. After all, this is something big for her and A.C. Your birthday isn't as big a deal," reasoned Cloverbud.
"Maybe. It doesn't make any sense as to why she would move it sooner of all things. It actually sounds like that would be more expensive to do. I mean, what possible reason would they have to move the wedding date up?" The two thought that over for a bit before Sounds' eyes lit up. "You don't think-"
"No, I don't think that Pawpads is pregnant," Clover responded quickly. "I know for a fact that neither of them would do...certain things." Clover's expression was an odd one. It expressed that she not only knew a little of each, but experience somehow. "Anyway, that wouldn't be the issue I think."
"Okay. Guess I'll just...whatever." Sound dropped her head on the table again, too bothered by this nonsense to work.
"Why don't you ask her about this?" Clover finally asked.
"Haven't seen her for a couple days," Sound mumbled through the papers. "Been too busy working on that other thing to chat with her. Maybe I'll see her after work."
"You know what? Go see her now. You're not able to draw anything other than random doodles with this weighing you down, so just work on it later like you usually do." Clover was being unusually helpful to Sound. She didn't know why, but she appreciated it.
"Thanks, Clover. I'll head on over and see what's going on." Sound packed up her stuff and went out, hoping to find out what was going on with her friend.
The first place Sound went to was the Veterinarian's Office to see if Pawpads was working today. When she arrived, the staff told her that she had taken leave for a couple days. Going off of that, she decided to head over to her place to see if she was getting set up over there.
"Paws, you there? It's me, Sound." She knocked in her door several times, waiting patiently for any sign of life. After three minutes, she started trotting away before she heard the door open up.
"Sound, is that you?" her friend asked.
"Yeah, It's me. Listen, we need to talk. Mind if I come in?"
"Um...not right now. Kinda busy cleaning up and really don't want to ruin my progress. Just let me get ready and I'll come out." The door closed again, an impatient Sound waiting for her friend to do whatever it was. After a couple minutes she burst through her door saying, "Alright! Now, what's on your mind?"
"You know, I was gonna try and build up to it, but now I'll just come out and say it; what're you doing putting your wedding on my birthday? You know that we made plans this year to go to Manehattan then. Why'd you go and put your wedding on that day without letting me know first?"
"Oh, Sound. I'm so sorry. It's just that, well, something came up and we needed to have the wedding as quickly as possible. I hope you understand."
"Pawpads, the reason why I came over here in the first place is because I don't understand what's going on. What happened that you suddenly needed to announce your wedding in a couple of days?" Sound noticed her friend squirming as she tried to come up with something to say.
"It was literally the only time within the next three years where we could use the Town Hall for our wedding," she told her. "Either we do it now, or wait till who knows when. I knew that you'd understand and tried to contact you, but I knew you were probably busy with work, so I sent you guys the letter and hoped you would understand."
"Oh, wow." Sound placed her hoof to her face, embarrassed at how she acted. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know that. I know you always wanted to get married in there, but I didn't know that it was booked that much."
"That's alright. I knew you'd understand when I finally told you about it. Sorry I couldn't reach you any sooner." The two hugged it out and laughed afterward.
"So, how'd you manage to get everything set up so quickly?" Sounds asked.
"Well, I had things planned for a while, so all we needed to do was get it in action and that's all. Don't know why it takes other couples months or even years to get their weddings ready. We got all our stuff prepped in only a couple days," Pawpads explained. "Anyway, I'm actually pretty busy at the moment, and so is my fiance, so I guess I'll see you at the Bridal Shower then." She then went back into her house and locked the door. Content with her answer, Sound went home to work on her new assignment.
The next day Sound went out with her mom to find a gift for the Bridal Shower. The two bickered all the way to the mall about what they should get them. Sound wanted to get them something unique that wouldn't be something that you could get anywhere. Bloomheart, however, said that they should get them something practical to use, like a blender. They continued this argument until they finally decided to split up and each get them separate gifts.
"Now, what would Pawpads and A.C. like to get," Sound asked as she looked at the mall's directory. "Maybe something that would be artsy? I could get them a painting. Hmm."
"Hey, Sound!" a voice called out. Sound turned around to see her old friend, Curveball. "How's it hanging?"
"Curveball! Feels like it's been forever!" The two hugged and chatted it up for a bit, Curveball explaining that she was also looking for a gift for the wedding.
"I'm thinking of getting those two something like a painting," Sound told her. "Something that would be elegant."
"Really? Why don't you get them a wheelchair or coffin while you're at it," replied Curveball. "I mean, doesn't that sort of sound really boring?"
"Maybe, but I don't wanna get them something practical and, um, boring? I dunno. My mom's been going on about getting them a blender."
"Well, maybe we can think of something better," Curveball told her. "What are some things that they'd both enjoy doing?"
"Well, I'm certain that whatever I get them should be something that they can both enjoy. Thing is that they both have really different tastes, so I can't think of one specific thing they'd like."
"I know they both like karaoke. Maybe we can get them one of those machines that has the lyrics appear and stuff," suggested Curveball.
"Maybe. That'll be on our list of possible gifts. Remember that we shouldn't get anything too cheap. It's a wedding after all." Sound took out a list and wrote 'karaoke machine' under the list of possible items. "Anything else?"
"Not right now. Let's check around and see if we can come up with anything."
For the next couple hours the two checked out different shops in the mall, playing around with gift ideas for the couple. They went to a clothing store, then a furniture store, and lastly a music shop. Deciding to take a break, they went and got lunch at the food court.
"Can't believe that we haven't found anything really good yet," Curveball said right before taking a bite of her sandwich.
"I can. Doesn't seem like they're the type to need much when it comes to practical, boring stuff," commented Sound.
"Wait, I thought we were looking for artsy or impractical non-boring stuff."
"Yeah, but after a while I decided to switch allegiances. Be on the lookout for anything else that could work."
"Sound, you're a traitor to the cause of fun. I hereby sentence you to eat the most disgusting thing I can find here at the court."
"Come on, Curvy. I'm not...huh. You're nickname is surprisingly suggestive."
"Yeah. That's why I usually don't go by that. Anyway, I challenge you to eat..." She paused as she looked around at the various places in the court, checking out the menus. As Sound was about to say something, Curveball spoke up. "There. You have to eat beef."
"Heh. Very funny." Curveball's expression didn't change as Sound chuckled. She kept on staring before Sound said, "Wait, you're serious? How do they even have that here?"
"It's the Diamond Dog stall. They actually eat meat, so that's how. Apparently they claim that they're not 'sentient' or whatever, so that's how they justify it. Anyway, I'll order a beef bowl for you and you have to eat the entire thing." She got up and went over to the counter, surprising the dogs that were working there.
"Oh, a pony?" one asked, his voice gravelly. "How may I help you?"
"I'd like one beef bowl, please." Curveball's order seemed to surprise the two of them, the one at the counter calling over his manager.
"Uh, mam, you do realize that beef is-"
"Yes. I know what beef is. Trust me on this." Deciding that capitalism is capitalism, the two prepared the food and handed it over to her. She brought the bowl back to Sound with chopsticks on the side. "Now, face the punishment of growing old."
"Come on. This is just creepy," Sound said, moving back in her chair.
"Hey. I remember that one time you told me to eat a whole box of black licourice and I did it without question. Now's the time you repaid that debt." Girding herself, Sound pulled herself over to the bowl and grabbed the chopsticks (don't ask). She went and took her first chopstick-full of the sweet and somehow sour meat and moved it over to her mouth. She stuck it in, bracing herself to the horrible taste.
"Huh. This isn't that bad," Sound said, putting some noodles into her mouth to compliment the meat. "Actually, it's pretty good."
"Wait, really?" Curveball took a piece of the meat out and took a bite. "Huh. You're right. Mind if I-"
"Now now, Curvy. You said I have to eat the whole thing, and I'd be such a terrible friend if I didn't do so." Sound was having far too much fun as she ate the rest of her meal in front of Curveball. Eating the last morsel, she pushed away her bowl and said, "Now let's get back to shopping."
"Alright, but at this point I say that if we don't find something within the next hour, we just go for the karaoke machine." The two got up from their table and went back to their quest, Sound feeling strange after doing so.
The next forty minutes had the two looking around until they came across a jewelry store. They spent a good chunk of time there looking at different items to buy until they realized they had no idea what kind of jewelry they'd like. With only twenty minutes left, it seemed like they would go for the singing device after all.
"So, looks like your quest for the boring failed, huh?" teased Curveball.
"Sure," Sound responded quickly. Her stomach gurgled intensely as she said this, alerting even her friend.
"Hey. Sound, you don't look so good."
"What're you talking about? I look...stuff."
"Yeah. You know what? How about we just cut it right here and buy the karaoke machine at the joke shop around here. You just stay here and I'll go get it. Don't worry about the money right now, okay?" Sound was too busy with her stomach to respond to her friend. "I'll just assume you know what I just said." She then went off, Sound looking for a place to sit. She came across some couches for sale and decided to park it there.
"Hey, Sound!" another voice she knew yelled out. She turned around to see that Silent Study, another one of her friends, was calling out to her. "How you doing?"
"Hmm," was all she could say in her current state. He sat down next to her, unaware of her condition, and began to chat.
"Say, um, I don't know how I'm able to say this, but I feel like I should." He kept on fiddling around with his hooves, looking around nervously as if he expected something to jump out. "You see, while I've kept it a secret for a while, there's something I've wanted to tell you." Sound was starting to lose control. "It's something that, until now, I've been able to bottle up, but now I feel like it's going to burst and spill out." Sound knew exactly what Silent Study was talking about. "Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that I think I may have a crush on you. I know it's foolish. I guess what I'm trying to do is just get it out and off my chest, that way I can feel free and move on. So, what do you think?"
"BLEARGH!" was Sound's response, as she let her own internal feelings take control and let what was inside her spill out. All over Silent Study. And the couch. When she tried to create an addendum, all she could say was "HURGH!" right onto the carpet. She then decided to rush to the bathroom as she started to feel another revelation bubble up inside of her.
"Uh," was all Curveball could tell her friend as she saw her rush past, hoof to her mouth. Deciding that whatever she must be up to was urgent, she went after her into the bathroom, where she found her occupying a stall. "I'm guessing the animal spirit is having it's revenge, isn't it?"
"Ugh," Sound slithered out before she felt it all over again. Before bowing to the porcelain queen, she felt he mane be pulled back, her friend right behind her.
"Girl's honor," she told her, a quick smile forming on Sound's face before becoming sour again. Unlike the beef she ate, this was in no way sweet.
"So, I guess my dare turned out to be a good one after all, huh?" Curveball teased. Sound's only response was a destructive glare that put her friend back in line. "Sorry. Guess this really beats me and those pants, huh?"
"Ugh." This time Sound's response was quick. She felt a moment of respite, no immediate lurching in the stomach.
"Well, I couldn't find any karaoke machine or anything, so guess we go another day. That, or we let Pawpads know next time to give us a better heads-up next time she wants a wedding in less than a week."
"I left Silent Study sitting back there on the couch where I was. He was telling me something important to him." Sound let her know.
"Well, he can wait. You have to-"
"I threw up on him. And the couch. And the carpet. I don't think we can come back here," she said with tears in her eyes, more likely from getting sick then from sadness.
"Oh. Well, um, I'll handle that, then." Curveball went off to the spot where Sound had been sitting to find a janitor cleaning up the mess. Silent Study was sitting there patiently while the janitor wiped him down. He was essentially frozen in place, his expression a solid, horrified look. "Hey, Silent. You alright?"
"As alright as someone who just said something very personal and then was promptly vomited on could be," he responded. "You?"
"I'm alright. Sound told me you were here, so I came by to see if you needed any help."
"Nah. I think this guy has it finished. Thanks," he said to the janitor who, without a word, promptly left the scene. "So, how's she doing?"
"Pretty bad. She's stopped for now, but I should get back to her soon."
"Alright. Guess I should let her be then." Curveball was about to let him leave, but suddenly noticed that he had a glum expression on his face.
"Wait a minute. She says you were talking to her about something. What exactly was it?"
"Oh, you know. I was telling her how I had a crush on her and such."
"You do realize that-"
"Yes, I know that she likes other mares. I was telling her mainly so I could get over it and move on. Now I tell her and she throws up all over me. Feels kinda awkward." Curveball saw that this was a weird situation, so she came up with a weird plan.
"Hold on. Follow me," she ordered.
"Okay." He followed her until the two of them reached the bathroom where Sound was.
"Alright. Seeing as she's in there and, for obvious reasons, you can't enter, I'll relay her messages to you so none of you feels awkward about this later on. Got it?"
"Alright." He then sat down and waited outside as the two talked.
"Hey. So. Silent Study's all cleaned up and waiting outside. Did you want to say anything to him?"
"Yeah," Sound replied, her voice sounding more clear. "Tell him that he's a good colt and that nothing's awkward between us to. Also wish him good luck with the ladies or something I dunno."
"Okay." Curveball opened up the door and told Silent, "She says that everything's fine between you two and don't feel awkward or anything. Also, don't worry about finding the right mare. When it's time you'll know, and hopefully she'll like you back in the same way."
"Really?" he said, cheering up. "Wow. Sound sure sounds like she can say a lot while sick. You sure she's not getting better?" He was answered by Sound herself as she started retching again. "Oh. Um, does she need any antacids or anything?"
"Sure. I guess. Maybe that'll calm her down somehow." He went off to find someplace that sold the meds while another pony in a suit passed by him.
"Excuse me," he asked. "Is the pony that threw up all over the couch and carpet in there?" Curveball was about to respond, but was interrupted as Sound released another salvo. "I take it so. Anyway, what I have to say is that the furniture you ruined must now be purchased. Damages and such."
"Seriously?" Curveball couldn't believe this. "We have a sick pony in here and you demand she has to pay for that stuff right away? Listen, pal, we were looking for a wedding present when-" Curveball stopped talking as she understood the blessing in disguise. "Actually, how much will the two cost together?"
"Well, luckily for you the couch was on sale, so the total comes to 850 bits."
"Uh, you accept credit?" Curveball asked, knowing that Sound and her total combined were too short of that to purchase.
"I'm sorry, but we don't with damaged goods. It's not that great a policy, but still."
"Great." Curveball didn't know how to deal with all of this. Things did not look good for the two of them.
"Alright. I got two different kinds; mint and cheery. Which would she prefer?" Silent asked as he got to the door. Her miracle was there.
"Silent, you know of the wedding between Pawpads and A.C., right?" she asked.
"Yeah. That's why I was here today; to get those two a gift." Perfect.
"Alright. So, apparently the furniture Sound threw up on is considered 'damaged', so now we have to pay for it. I don't have enough, even when combined with Sound. How much do you have on you?"
"About 200 bits."
"Okay. So here's what we do; we purchase those two things, the three of us, and gift them to Pawpads and A.C. for the wedding. Deal?"
"Sure. Was probably gonna get them something dumb like a karaoke machine," he said as he pulled out his wallet.
"Actually, you should pay us at the counter. That way it's all proper. Check out over there," the manager said as he trotted away.
"Oh, here they are," Silent said, handing Curveball the bag of meds.
"Thanks. Hey, Sound, here's something to help you feel better." She opened up the mint bottle and gave her two antacids. Sound slowly placed the two tablets in her mouth and chewed. "There. Now lets pay for the stuff and head on out."
Curveball grabbed Sound's wallet and went over with Silent to pay off the furniture. They also managed to get a delivery pony to move the couch for them as part of the offer, something the two desperately needed. After paying off the bill, the two went to retrieve Sound from the bathroom.
"Sound, it's time to- woah." Curveball was surprised to see Sound actually look worse than when she left her. "What happened?"
"Apparently when you're a pony and you eat meat, you become a philosopher's stone." Sound's slurred words confused everypony.
"What does that-"
"Cause when you put one thing in me, ten times more of that amount comes out." She giggled a little before her head fell, almost landing in her own mess before Curveball caught her and lifter her over her shoulders.
"No mare left behind," she said, carrying her friend out of the mall.
On the way home, the three came across Bloomheart (along with a blender) and explained the situation to her. They carried her back to her home and brought her up to her room and put her in bed, hoping that she'd get better soon.
"So what exactly cause her to start blowing chunks?" Bloomheart asked, causing Silent to grimace.
"Well, it may have been that she ate something that didn't agree with her." Curveball told her, trying to skip over several details.
"What did she eat? That could help us better understand what's going on," Pepperoni asked, taking time away to see what was going on with his daughter.
"Well she may have eaten some, uh, beef?"
"SHE ATE MEAT!?" the two yelled.
"Y-yeah. It was a bit of a d-dare," Curveball confessed, nervous at their reaction.
"Why?! Don't you know that Sound's allergic to meat?!" her mother yelled.
"What?! No! Sound, why the hay didn't you tell me that?" Curveball asked.
"Wha? I didn't know that," she said sleepily.
"Oh, dear. I don't think we ever actually told her that," Pepperoni said to his wife. "The actual chances of her eating the stuff were so low that we never thought it would come up."
"Really? Oh, Curveball, I'm so sorry." Bloomheart hugged the mare, saying, "Sound, I'm sorry. We should have told you that you were allergic to meat."
"Yeah. Honestly, I feel like I dropped the ball on that one," confessed Pepperoni. "I was the one who first learned about it. Sound, you feeling better?"
"I'm feeling as good as I look," she told them.
"Well, better buy a coffin then," Curveball told them.
"Shut up," Sound said to their laughter. Tired from all of this, she went to sleep.
"Sound. Sound. Come on. You've gotta be feeling better by now," a voice said. Without much energy, Sound managed to raise herself our from under her sheets and get a good look at her surroundings. She just remembered that she was last put into her room by her friends after the mall and...that's all she could remember. Her mouth felt dry, so she swallowed a bit and immediately regretted it.
"Gah! My mouth tastes like garbage!" she yelled, remembering that after getting sick she never washed out her mouth even once. "Whoever's here, please get me some water or something."
"Can't you open your eyes?" Sound realized that it was her mother talking to her.
"I can, but I can barely see right now. Everything seems blurry. How long was I asleep?"
"You've been out for two whole days," her mother explained.
"Wait, two days? Does that mean-"
"Yes. You missed the Bridal Shower and rehearsal." Sound was crushed by this. She had missed two out of three of the important events in her best friend's wedding. At least there was the wedding she was going to be part of.
"Oh. Well, at least I'll still be in the wedding, right? I mean, she has to have a Maid of Honor, right?" Her mother paused before giving her the news.
"Um, dear, apparently you're not in the wedding?"
"What?" Sound was sure she hadn't heard that correctly.
"Well, you weren't at the rehearsal, so we didn't know if you'd be able to do it or not. Actually, she doesn't have anypony as either the Best Colt or Maid of Honor. Kinda weird, but whatever." Bloomheart hoped that this would calm her down a little. It did not.
"Well, my best friend apparently decided to hold a wedding with less than a week's notice and didn't even bother to include me in the actual ceremony. Not only that, but it's still on my birthday!"
"Really?" her mother said. That was it. That was the breaking point for Sound. She wasn't sure if it was a specific thing, or a combination of things. One thing could have been the fact that she had just recovered from a serious medical issue. Another may be that said issue not only drained her of most food and liquids in her body, but she hadn't had any for the past three days. A third possibility may be because she just realized that she'd missed out on so much already and wasn't even going to be included in the ceremony. Lastly, and most possibly, it may have been because she was certain that nopony had remembered her birthday.
"Well, I know what I have to do," Sound said, her mind officially broken. "Mom, you mind leaving? I need to get myself prepared. Haven't cleaned up for a while."
"Alright dear. Just make sure to get something to eat or drink. You haven't had anything for a couple days, so you'll definitely feel weak. Be glad your mother's a nurse and knows how to take care of a sick patient." Bloomheart left, leaving Sound to her own devices.
"Excellent. Now, first things first." She proceeded to clean up, rinsing and brushing her teeth in an attempt to try and make her breath tolerable. She then washed up and got ready for her plan. The only thing now was that she wasn't even sure at what her plan was. "Maybe I should...go talk to her? I dunno. I just feel angry and really, really weird." She went off to the Town Hall, hoping to confront her friend about this once and for all.
All of Pawpads and A.C.'s friends were gathered in the Town Hall, waiting for the ceremony to begin. To the surprise of those who were there, none of the two's actual families seemed to show up for the event. When asked about it, A.C. said they weren't able to make it and that's all. Sound arrived there, avoiding her own friends while trying to make her way to the Dressing Room.
"Pawpads. You there?" asked Sound. She didn't get a response. "I'm coming in, alright?" She entered the room and found it empty. The dress she was going to wear was still there, so she knew that she'd be coming back in here. "Guess I'll just wait here." Sound took a seat and wondered what she was even going to tell her friend. Perhaps it was going to be about how she didn't understand why she never even asked her to be a Maid of Honor in the first place. Even if she was busy they still met that one time a couple days ago. At least asking would have made a difference. She noticed while sitting down that a pile of books had fallen over in the corner and went to pick them up when her friend came through the door.
"Ugh. Can't wait to finish this up. Thought it'd be wise to stay for the reception, but now I'm thinking we should have just grabbed the stuff right after the Bridal Shower." Sound couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh well. At least this gives us good time to gather the stuff."
"Pawpads! What the hay?!" Sound yelled, revealing herself to her friend. Apparently she hadn't been able to see her while she was hidden there. "Why are you acting this way? This isn't how you usually are." Her mind was ringing alongside her ears. Not eating or drinking had left her lightheaded. She couldn't tell if she were imagining things or not, but at this rate she had run out of self-control. "You...you must be a Changeling! Of course! You're here to steal A.C.'s love! Well not while I'm here."
"Sound, listen! You're not thinking-" She couldn't finish her statement before getting decked in the face with a hoof.
"Fight me, deceptive beast."
"Oh, that does it." Pawpads lunged at her friend and the two tumbled out of the room. The congregation of ponies sitting there were shocked to see the two fighting and tried to diffuse the situation without result.
"Ponies! This mare you see before you is a Changeling! She's here to steal our love and jobs. Or maybe just love." Pepperoni and Bloomheart face-hoofed as they saw their daughter breaking down.
"I'll handle this," Pepperoni said, approaching his daughter. "Sound you need to calm down. You obviously haven't eaten or drunk anything and it's affecting the way you think."
"I can see clearly, father! Tis deception and treason that this harlot brings forth to cloud thine eyes. Mine eyes could not be swayed by such shadows as-hey!" Pepperoni wasn't sure why his daughter was talking like this, but that didn't stop him from dragging his daughter away from the fight.
"This couldn't get any worse," her mother said, embarrassed at the site of her daughter.
"HALT!" a loud voice boomed. The congregation turned their head to the entrance and witnessed it get kicked open. The first pony to enter was a large guard that Sound's family recognized.
"Ret?" the three asked, not expecting a Captain of the Guard to come out of nowhere.
"Yeah. I'm here to arrest that Changeling right there!" He pointed his hoof right at Pawpads, the ponies there mumbling about what was going on.
"I have no idea what you're-" Pawpads was interrupted once again, this time by Ret bucking a propane barrel right into her face, knocking her out of her disguise.
"Feel the pain. The PROPANE!" he yelled out.
"Were you carrying that around just so you could make that pun?" somepony asked.
"Yes. Also, this." He bucked the barrel once more into the air and blasted it with his magic, blowing the nearby wall off. The dust cleared to reveal three other Changelings, not transformed, being directed by A.C."
"Wait, what's going on?" Bloomheart asked.
"These guys are part of a gang that disguise themselves as couples that are going to marry and convince ponies to give them gifts that they eventually pawn off. Wedding gifts can get pretty expensive, so that's why they go that route. They also trap the actual ponies in cocoons that eventually break open, but keep them contained until after the reception so they can split under the guise of Honeymoon. Private!"
"Here, sir," the mousy guard said, handing his superior another propane tank. This one he bucked at A.C., revealing his true form.
"Anyway, the two real ponies are at the hospital recovering. We've taken their statements and contacted their credit companies. They won't be charged for all of this. Now, line up, shut up, and cuff up!" The Changelings, too scared of the propane propelling pony, quietly submitted to his command.
"Huh. Guess our daughter is only partially crazy," Pepperoni said, looking at the smile on his daughter's face as she saw she was right.
"Awesome! Now, all we should do is...um...night." Sound collapsed on the floor, snoring in the process.
Sound woke up later that evening in Ponyville Hospital. They'd chosen the same wing as her friends were being held so they could discuss what had happened while they were trapped.
"So you somehow knew that it couldn't be me when you weren't chosen as the Maid of Honor?" the real Pawpads asked form her bed.
"Yeah. I knew that you wouldn't choose anypony other than me. After all, we're best friends." Sound said this right before digging into her salad. The rate at which she consumed it surprised even the two that'd been kept in stasis for a week. "Oh, also you totally dropped the ball on choosing my birthday of all days to hold your wedding."
"Oh yeah! Happy Birthday, Sound!" A.C. said, finally speaking up. "Say, why weren't you wondering about where I was the entire time I was gone?"
"I thought you were busy as well. I was also asleep for a couple of days thanks to eating meat. It's a long story. Anyway, you gonna eat that?" Sound was hungrier than a wolf.
"So I guess our trip to Manehattan will have to be put on hold, huh?" Pawpads was eating her meal slowly, trying to get it in during conversations.
"Obviously. That, or we go the first chance we get. Ask me when I'm not so hungry anymore." Sound swallowed her jello whole when her family and friends entered along with Ret.
"Sound! I'm sorry that I was wrong when it came to my diagnosis," her mother apologized. "I didn't realize you were that dehydrated."
"Yeah. We've been pretty awful at doing our jobs lately," Pepperoni commented. "Sorry for having to drag you out."
"That's alright. I probably would have fallen flat on my face otherwise."
"True. Thing is, we're most sorry that we still managed to forget your birthday, even after we promised not to do so this year."
"Yeah. I'm starting to get a feeling that this is a recurring thing. Maybe I should send you guys messages a couple days before it." Sound couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. "Hey, does anypony know how those creeps knew who to invite to their weddings to get stuff?"
"That'd be me," said Ret. "They used the address books of the ponies they imitated to invite local ponies that were friends or relatives and schedule it quickly before the relatives noticed them acting odd. Anyway, I should let you two know that all the money they spent in your name will be reimbursed. You should probably give back the gifts as well. Just don't wanna look cheap."
"You guys should keep our gift though," Curveball said, knowing that they wouldn't be able to return their present.
"Aww. But you guys spent so much. We should-"
"No. Keep it. Trust us," added Silent Study.
"Alright. If you insist. Oh, Sound, one more thing." Pawpads had just one last question on her mind.
"What is it?"
"How sure were you that the Changeling wasn't actually me, but an impostor? After all, you did hit her pretty hard in the face."
"Pawsy, trust me; if you did act like that and I knew you weren't an impostor, I probably still would have hit you." The group laughed as she said, this, Pawpads chuckling lightly at what she hoped was a joke.