Chapter 4: wedding plans and good food.
The morning sun crept into my room, filling it with it's warm glow. I began to wake up with a mighty yawn. Last night I slept like a rock and now I feel great. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes I headed for the bathroom to take a shower and do my morning routine. After that I grabbed a clean pair of pants and put a hole in the back of it for my tail, then slipped them on along with a red and black T-shirt and headed to the kitchen to make me some breakfast but when I opened my fridge I found it almost empty.
"Well it looks like I need to do some shopping this morning. I'll just grab something to munch in town, maybe a muffin and milk. Yeah that sounds good." I said as I closed the fridge and grabbed my bag from the table and headed for the door.
"AAHHHH!." I yelled when I opened the door to find a purple unicorn on my doorstep.
"AAHHHH!" Twilight yelled when I did.
"Jeez Twilight we have got to stop meeting like this, I don't think my heart can take it." I said as I tried to calm down.
"Sorry I was about to knock when you opened the door. Anyway, what's your plans today?" Twilight said with hopeful eyes.
"I need to hit the market and restock my food." I said as I shut and locked my door and with my bag and Twilight with me we headed to town.
"So what did you and the princess talk about yesterday?" Twilight asked while Spike went over there to do list.
"If I told you I think your brain might explode." I said with a smirk.
"Wouldn't be the first time." Spike said before he put the list in Twilight's saddle bag.
"Spike no I hasn't." Twilight said, giving the dragon a scolded look.
"Oh yes it is, remember when we first met Fox. You had talked like Pinkie only with questions and randomness." Spike said with a smirk as I laughed before I switched into my big fox form.
"I still can't understand how you do that. Please can you tell me what you talked about?" Twilight said with an adorable puppy dog eyes. Must resist, can't give in, no it's too much, I have to hug her. And in a second she was in my forelegs with a surprised EEP.
"To adorable must hug." I said before letting go and saw a very red face.
"Sorry that look was just too cute. Ok Spike you better get some paper for notes and I'm not stopping if you faint from brain overload." I said before we exited the forest.
"Oh please I doubt there's anything you can tell me that would make me faint." Twilight said with a huff.
"Celestia is my aunt, my mom was her and Luna's sister, not by blood, my mom was a Queen to the foxes, and now I'm king of no one." I said with a smile and I was met with silence. I turned around and found Twilight Frozen in shock with big wide eyes and Spike was poking her head.
"Yep you broke her." Spike said before I busted out laughing.
"I told you Twilight but no you had to know but please keep the fact that I'm a king to close friends ok. I'm only a king to the Mystic Foxes and I'm the only one left." I said as I placed a paw on her shoulder snapping her out of the shock.
"Oh wow ok me and you are going to have that Q&A pretty soon and trust me it will happen soon." Twilight said as we walked up to the town.
"Alright whenever you're ready just let me know. What are you up to today? Stocking up on paper?" I asked with a smirk.
"Oh that's right, would you like to come to a picnic with me and the others?" Twilight asked with a big smile before my stomach answered for me.
"I guess that answers that." I said with a smile. As I walked with Twilight I couldn't help but look up at the blue sky and I felt good today then a song popped up in my head. I couldn't help but to start to hum the turn and soon I was singing. I don't know why but it felt great.
(Play Mr. Blue Sky.)
It seemed like the whole town was singing in a choir as the song began to slow and die off. Ponies slowly started to fall out until it was just me and Twilight. The glow from my mark faded as the song ended and then I snapped back to my senses and found Twilight with a huge smile.
"What just happened?" I asked with a very confused look as Twilight hugged me but pushed me back with her hooves on my shoulders.
"You Mr. Fox just had your first song moment. Don't worry it happens all the time you get used to it but what out if it's one of Pinkies." Twilight said with a giggle.
"So it's normal here. Well it was kinda fun." I said before a thought came to mind. If the song moment started when I thought about the song maybe I could do it again. I wanted to test it and I thought up a good song to try it with
(Play Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire)
I began to hum the tune like before and sure enough the music started.
"NO one's enough." Spike said, poking me in the side making me chuckle.
(End song)
"Just testing a theory about something. Don't worry I'm too hungry for that right now anyways. At least we are at the market." I said, pointing to all the stands. I began to look around and had a thought, I'm in the land of ponies that means my chances for any meat was probably zero and I'm no Hunter that's for sure. Give me a fishing pole then I'm set. I can make due with fish and veggies for a bit.
"Hey Twilight it's just going to be you, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie right?" I asked as I looked over the market with a plan in mind.
"Yeah we always like to get together like this on a nice day with tea and snacks." Twilight said with a happy smile.
"Do you think it would be alright to cook for you guys while we're there? Sorry when I'm hungry and see what I could work with, plans seem to form and the possibilities make me excited. And the one I have now is wonderful." I said as I looked at all the fresh veggies with a wide smile.
"I'm sure everypony would love it. What do you have in mind?" She asked with a look of interest as well as Spike.
"Oh you'll see." I said as I began my search for ingredients. First stop I found a stand with some good looking veggies. He had the onions, garlic and bell peppers which I had to pay four bit for then moved on to the next. I came to a stand worked by a Stetson wearing earth pony mare.
"Well howdy there Fox. You coming to the picnic later?" She asked as she leaned on her apple stand.
"Sure is and he said he wanted to cook for use." Twilight said as she walked up next to me
"Oh really now, well I can't pass up any good cook'n. So what can I get ya partner." Applejack said as she showed her stock.
"you got a very wide selection there Applejack?" I said as I rubbed my chin.
"Well what do you expect from an apple farm, turnips." Applejack said with a large smirk.
"Hahaha point made. Let me get three Fuji apples and a jar of apple juice." I said as Applejack bagged them up and passed the bag to me.
"There ya go. That's 3 bits for the apples and two for the juice. Whatcha making anyways?" she asked as I passed the bits to her.
"You'll see. Thanks Applejack." I said as I put them in my bag for storage.
"yer welcome sugarcube. I'll see ya at the picnic." Applejack said as I moved on to the next stand with Twilight next to me.
"Alright I got the onions, garlic, bell peppers, and apples. I still need to find some broccoli, leaks, and carrots. I got most of the stuff I need back at home and I can get that with magic. Let's see what else I can find." I said to myself as Twilight looked at me with a smile Before Spike hopped off her back.
"Oh hey Twilight I forgot the cookies so I'm going to go and get them. meet you at the picnic." Spike said before running off leaving me and Twilight to shop.
"Just need a few more things and we're good to go. And I think I just found them." I said as I walked up to the stand and made my purchase. With that done me and Twilight made our way to the park.
"So did you get everything you need?" Twilight asked as we entered the park.
"Almost but the rest won't be a problem. I have what else I need at the house and I think I can use my magic to bring them here. Looks like the rest of the girls have made it." I said as we walked up to the picnic blanket.
"Hello Twilight and you to Fox I'm glad you could join use." Rarity said before offering me some tea.
"I'm happy to be here and I got a surprise for you all. I'm gonna make y'all some lunch." I said with a proud smile.
"Oh Fox I didn't know you could cook." Fluttershy said in a quiet voice.
"Well mom was never a good cook so I took over the cooking." I said as I looked for a spot to set up.
"So what are you making, big guy?" Rainbow asked, flying up to me.
"Something good."(POOF) I said before turning normal so I can use my hands.
"Oh is it a cake. Cakes are always something good." Pinkie said before pulling a piece of cake from her mane and eating it in one bit.
"I agree with you on that Pinkie but its not cake. Now stand back a bit i'm about to set up." I said as I focused on my house and where all the stuff I needed and with a magic poof I had it all. My camping cook set with hand made knives, a camping table, high heat gas burner and wok. All it took was a bit of magic and everything was in place.
"There we go all set. It won't take to long just relax girls and it will be right up." I said as I pulled out my ingredients. First up I got my rice from the house and cut up the apples into tiny pieces before I mixed to two and set them to cook. As I put the wok on the burner I heard Spike run up to us.
"Twi…Twilight (belch)." Spike said before burping up a scroll.
"Spike did you just burp up paper?" I said while I put the onions and garlic in the hot wok with some oil.
"Oh it's a letter from the princess." Twilight said before reading it.
"Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot. [to the others] Wedding? [reading] I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music.
" Oh my goodness! What an honor!" Fluttershy said happily
" Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception." Twilight read.
"Hip, hip, hooray!" Pinkie said with excitement. I couldn't help but smile as I cut the veggies and added them to the wok.
"Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception." Twilight read
" Well, color me pleased as punch!" Applejack said while I cooked up the veggies.
" Rainbow Dash I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their "I do"'s." Twilight read
"Yes!" Rainbow yelled, throwing up her hooves.
"What's a sonic rainboom?" I asked while I set some bowls out.
"Only the most awesome trick that only I can pull off. I can fly fast enough to break the sound barrier and when I do a blast of rainbow colors happens." Rainbow said as I added two eggs to the wok.
"That does sound awesome. I'll have to see that." I said while I stirred in the eggs.
"Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids." Twilight read.
"Princess Celestia wants me to– [unintelligible] ...wedding dress? For a Canterlot wedding... I, ah, ooh, oooh!" Rarity said before fainting dramatic with a smile.
" And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia." Twilight read as I added the rice to the wok and put in some soy sauce, marin, and a little bit of teriyaki sauce.
"But... I don't understand. Who's getting married?" Twilight said in confusion.
"Oh, wait! Uh, I was probably supposed to give you this one first." Spike said before handing her another scroll.
" Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and... [gasp] My brother?!" Twilight said in shock while I finished off my lunch by mixing in some sesame seeds.
"Your brother's getting married? Congratulations, Twilight! That's great news!" Applejack said happily.
"Yeah, great news. That I just got from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor. I mean, really, he couldn't tell me personally?" Twilight before picking up a sandwich and began to talk in a deep goofy voice.
"(Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know I'm making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind, you'll hear about it when you get the invitation.) Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hoof is that?!" Twilight said with angry snorts while I started to fill up the bowls
"Um, Twilight? Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked with concern.
" Sorry, it's just that Shining Armor and I have always been so close. He's my B.B.B.F.F!" Twilight said getting confused looks from us.
"Big Brother Best Friend Forever." Twilight explained while I filled the last bowl.
"Before I came here and learned the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend." Twilight said before music started to play.
When I was just a filly, I found it rather silly
To see how many other ponies I could meet
I had my books to read, didn't know that I would ever need
Other ponies to make my life complete
But there was one colt that I cared for
I knew he would be there for me
My big brother, best friend forever!
Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together
He taught me how to fly a kite (Best friend forever!)
We never had a single fight (We did everything together!)
We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams
I miss him more than I realized
It seems...
[Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and me]
Your big brother, best friend forever
Like two peas in a pod, you did everything together
[Twilight Sparkle]
And though he's, oh, so far away
I hoped that he would stay
My big brother best friend
Forever...
Forever...
After the song I could see tears fall from her eyes. I couldn't help but to feel sad and I couldn't help but shed a tear as well.
"As one of your P.F.F.'s... Pony Friends Forever...I wanna tell you that I think your brother sounds like a real good guy." Applejack said as she put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"He is pretty special. I mean, they don't let just anypony be captain of the Royal Guard." Twilight said was she sat back on the picnic blanket
" So let me get this straight. We're helping out with the wedding of not only a princess, but a captain of the Royal Guard?" Rarity asked while I put a spoon in each bowl of food.
" I guess we are." Twilight with a shrug.
"Ooh, ooh, oooh!" Rarity said before she fainted again.
"Alright y'all it's ready." I said happily as I passed out the bowls.
"Wow this looks and smells really good. What is it." Twilight asked as a round of growls could be heard from their stomachs.
"Veggie fried rice. Is supper easy to make and you can make it with lots of different ingredients." I said before taking a bit from my bowl.
"Well let's dig in y'all." Applejack said before they all took a big spoon full.
"mmmmm." They hummed with closed eyes and big smiles.
"Oh this is simply divine darling." Rarity said before taking another bite.
"Yeah I bet this could beat anything made up there in Canterlot." Rainbow said happily.
"Wait theres apples in here." Applejack said as she moved around the rice.
"Yep it adds a nice sweetness to the rice when you cook them together with a little bit of apple juice." I said with a bit of pride.
"Seconds please." Pinkie said holding out an empty bowl that I quickly refilled.
"It's wonderful Fox. Thank you." Fluttershy said with a wide smile. If I didn't have a bowl in my hands i would give that pony a big hug because of how adorable she was with rice stuck on her mussel.
"Can I get this recipe. Twilight cant really cook." Spike said with a snicker getting a blush from Twilight.
(Ding, ding, ding, ding.) Came from my bag.
"I didn't forget about you Twink." I said with a chuckle before putting her bowl in the bag.
"What's up with your bag and who's Twink." Rainbow asked before poking my bag with her hoof.
"It's a magic bag. It lets me store anything I want in it and is also linked to a massive magic library. Twink is the librarian there." I said as we finished our lunch.
"Oh I wish I could see it but Twink wont let me." Twilight said with a pout.
"Well I'm stuffed. Thanks Fox that was awesome." Rainbow said with a satisfied smile.
"Thanks girl. I don't really like to cook for myself like this but I love to cook for others. I can say my food is good but when I see that my food makes people smile, that's what makes me happy. So thank you everypony." I said with a bright smile as my heart mark glowed pink. After lunch I cleaned up the mess and sent my cooking stuff back home before we headed to the train for Canterlot.
" A sonic rainboom? At a wedding?! Can you say "best wedding ever"?!" Rainbow said as she jumped into the air.
" Best wedding ever!" Pinkie yelled in excitement while I picked up the bowls with my magic.
"So you all get to help with the big fancy wedding, but I'm the one who gets to host the bachelor party! I have just one question. What's a bachelor party?" Spike ased getting a good laugh from us.
"Why the long face, sugarcube?" Applejack said with a soft smile
"I'm just thinking about Shining Armor. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we've been seeing each other less and less. And now that he's starting a new family with this "Princess Mi Amore Ca-whatshername", we'll probably never see each other." Twilight said with a sad look. I couldn't help but feel a little sad too.
"Come on, now. You're his sister. He'll always make time for you." Applejack said before Twilight turned to the window.
" Couldn't seem to make time to tell me he was getting married." Twilight said before closing the window blinds.
"Twilight you should be happy for him. He must have some reason he didn't tell you." I said with a warm smile and then I noticed something as we came close to Canterlot.
"Um Twilight did the city always have a pink bubble around it?" I asked as we began to approach the city.
"Not normally but will find out soon." Twilight said as we passed over the bridge and started to pass through the bubble, well everypony but me. I slammed into it and was pushed out the back of the train and off the bridge.
"FOX!" they all yelled as I screamed while falling down. It was a long fall and when I noticed the bottom, I panicked as I grew closer and before I hit I was able to soften the landing with help from my magic but that only slowed be down and with a thud I hit bottom