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?”