Octavia twirled the straw in her milkshake while Concerto finished his lunch. She’d never seen him enjoy a meal so much. Watching him bury his nose in daisy and cucumber sandwich was endearing in a way that nopony other than her could possibly understand.
Sugarcube Corner’s special hunger-inducing aroma was even stronger in the kitchen. The sounds of happy customers in the front of the shop was little more than background noise. Sitting in the midst of the pots, countertops, and ovens that birthed their lunch was a special feeling, almost like sitting in an empty orchestra pit after a big performance.
In restaurant parlance they were seated at the chef’s table; the special spot set side, more often than not in the kitchen, for the most important of guests. In Sugarcube Corner’s case, applying that title was a bit of a stretch. Two highchairs were folded up in a nearby alcove, and two of the wooden chairs were monogramed with double C’s. This hallowed table wasn’t for patrons, it was for family.
Finally Concerto came up for air. “This food’s amazing.”
“You said that three times already.”
“I’m so glad they’re catering our wedding.”
She smiled. “You’re not going to fit in your suit if we keep coming here for lunch.”
His eyes darted around as he chewed. Clearly he was looking for a comeback that wouldn’t result in a milkshake to the face.
Mr. Cake walked into the kitchen from the dining area with a tray of dirty plates balanced on his head. He was the physical opposite of his wife; tall and skinny instead of short and plump. He set the tray down by the sink and smiled at them.
“How’s the happy couple doing?”
Concerto swallowed just in time to reply. “Wonderful, Mr. Cake. I don’t think our wedding feast could be in better hooves.”
“That’s what we love to hear. As soon as you’re done with your lunch we can take a look at the cake.”
Mrs. Cake stuck her head through a nearby doorway. “Speaking of the cake, dear, could you come help me with the top layer?”
“Be right there honeybun.”
After Mr. Cake dashed off to assist his wife, Octavia quietly slid her chair away from the table. She tiptoed up to the open door and peeked around the corner.
Concerto looked up from the cupcake he was about to consume. “Aren’t you going to finish your milkshake? You’ve been raving about them ever since you found this place.”
“Ssh, just a minute.”
He scarfed down the cupcake and joined her silent watch. “I can’t see the cake from here.”
“Me either.”
“Than what’re you…”
He trailed off as he realized what was actually on display. Their wedding cake was hidden behind a large mixer, but the rest of the room, occupants included, was fully visible. The room was lined with countertops and every single one of them was covered in something wedding-related. Recipe books opened to pictures of cakes, pastry bags filled with frosting, and trays of cupcakes and hors d'oeuvres were all there. The real sight to see was the bakers themselves.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake were working side by side on the unseen wedding cake. Between the background noise of customers in the dining area and array of wedding preparations in this back room, it couldn’t have been clearer that they were busy ponies. A successful baker wasn’t that different from an in-demand musician; both were high energy careers that didn’t leave much free time. Despite all of that, every few minutes they’d look up from whatever they were working on just to smile at each other.
Octavia sighed quietly. “Do you think that’ll be us in a few years?”
“I don’t think I could even make that sandwich myself, let alone run a bake–”
She elbowed him in the side. “You know what I mean. Just look at them, they couldn’t possibly be more in love.”
“I think we’re already there, Tavi.”
She looked back at him and smiled. “It sure feels that way. What about when the honeymoon’s over and we both have to go back to work? Are we going to find time just for us?”
“Always. We’ve managed all these years dating, haven’t we? After the wedding we’ll see even more of each other, especially once we find a new apartment to share.”
She grinned and pumped a hoof toward the ceiling. “No more tripping over Vinyl Scratch’s records on the way to bed, no more fighting with three other mares for the shower, no more… You don’t snore, do you?”
“You’ll have to let me know.”
“If you wake up one morning with a pillow covering your face, then yes you do.”
“I’ll take the risk. The big thing is that if we can’t find the time for each other, we’ll make it. I’ll turn down extra gigs if it gets the way of our happiness. I’d give up playing entirely if we had another way to bring in the bits. ”
She hugged him, partly so she he wouldn’t see the tear forming in the corner of her eye. “I love you, Con. Forget the wedding, I can’t wait to start our new life together.”
“I love you too, Tavi. Just two more days!”
---
“Rainbow Dash. Hey Rainbow Dash!”
Pinkie was jumping up and down, shouting her friend’s name at the apex of every jump. The rainbow blur in the sky came to a stop overhead. “Hey Pinkie, make it quick, I’m really busy.”
“I know, I just wanted to make sure we’re all set for the big big wedding in two days.”
“Yeah, about that… It’s going to be a little hard to keep the skies clear.”
Pinkie came to a full stop. Rainbow had never seen her stand so still. “There can’t be any rain, Dashie. No rain, no mud, no clouds.”
“I know, I know. Our storm cloud shipment came in a week early by mistake.”
“No clouds, no rain!”
“I heard you the first time. We’ve got ‘em corralled over by water reservoir. It’ll take the whole weather team working shifts, but we’ll keep the rain away, even if I have to bust flank through the whole wedding.”
Pinkie let out a relieved sigh. “Whew, good. Can’t let a cloudy sky ruin the party.”
“Oh come on, one little cloud’s not going to–”
“Of course not, because there won’t be any. Right Dashie?”
Rainbow Dash slowly backed away from Pinkie’s penetrating stare. Somehow her wide grin only made it worse. “Right… so why are you standing on top of Applejack’s barn?”
The two of them looked down at the metal roof under Pinkie’s feet. From here the entire apple orchard was visible, a sea of green interrupted only by tiny spots of red.
Pinkie slid down the roof and hopped onto a hay bale. “Can’t talk now, I’ve got lots of friends to check up on!”
The next pony on her list, Applejack, was raking leaves nearby.
“Hey there Applejack, all set to host the biggest, most awesome wedding Ponyville’s ever seen?”
Applejack set her rake against the nearest tree. “Howdy Pinkie. I’m just about as ready as I’m gonna get; nothin’ left to do but rake leaves and set up the stage and chairs.”
“Great!”
“Would’ve been a whole lot better if I was settin’ up tables too. Ya know, for the food.”
“You don’t need to do that, silly, the Cakes are catering the whole thing.”
“That’s what I’m getting at. The wedding’s right here on Sweet Apple Acres, so why make the Cakes truck the food all the way out here when I could’ve whipped up everything right on the farm?”
She wiped a line of sweat off her brow and walked toward the house. “I guess it don’t matter much, I need to be the bigger pony and stop looking a gift apple in the mouth.”
Pinkie ran after her. “Applejack, Applejack, it’s a party. Parties just aren’t parties without tons of food. If you really wanted to make it extra special with a few home cooked goodies I’m sure Octavia wouldn’t mind.”
Applejack looked back and raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? What about the Cakes?”
“It’s not their party Applejack, it’s Octavia’s, and it’s going to be perfect!”
Applejack winced at that last word. “Don’t you think you’re taking this a little too seriously?”
“Too seriously? This is her wedding, Applejack. I can’t let her down, not after what happened at the Gala.”
“The Gala?”
Pinkie looked away and bit her lip. “Can’t talk, gotta run!”
Pinkie’s next stop was the library.
“Twilight? Spike? Anypony home?”
She stuck her head in door. The library was unusually dark, given that it was just past noon. Pinkie stepped inside and realized she was on the verge of being buried alive. Books were stacked up to the ceiling. Long shadows from the massive towers of bound paper left the majority of the library in the dark.
“Twilight!”
There was a snort, followed by a bump and the noisy collapse of one of the smaller towers. “Huh? Who’s that? Is it time for the wedding yet? Five more minutes!”
Pinkie, now wearing a hardhat equipped with a headlamp, found her friend sprawled on a small mountain of crumpled up parchment.
“Uh, Twilight? How’re the wedding vows coming?”
Twilight grinned an eerie grin, the kind that everypony knew meant magic and trouble lay ahead. Her eyes were bloodshot and her mane was in disarray. “Wedding vows? Which version? Pre-classical? Post-neo-romantic?”
“Didn’t you say you were getting a book from the Canterlot library on–”
“I did, can’t you tell? Guess how many ‘traditional wedding vows’ there are?” Twilight swept a hoof in a wide arc. “Thousands! Tens of thousands! I’ve been studying for weeks and I’m only halfway through. That first book I requested from the Canterlot library was part of a thirty two book set, which was just a digest version of a two hundred book set, which had an index for…”
Then she was snoring on her feet.
Pinkie scaled one of the book towers lining the wall. With one flick of her tail books, and sunlight, showered the sleeping alicorn below.
Twilight jolted awake with a yelp. “Ah! It’s time isn’t it, I’m not late am I? I can’t be late, can’t be tardy.”
Pinkie returned to her side. “You’re not late, silly, the weddings not for another two days.”
“Oh, oh good. Plenty of time to study… pick something appropriate… romantic.”
Pinkie shook her before she could nod off again. “Twilight, this is important, this is Octavia’s wedding we’re talking about. Princess up and pick some vows. Write new ones if you want.”
Twilight nodded. “I said I’d marry them, so I’ll find something. I knew I’d have new responsibilities as a princess, but marrying two ponies? Uniting them for the rest of their lives? What if I do it wrong? What if I ruin their–”
“Not gonna happen. It’s too big, too important.”
Twilight curled up in ball on the floor and covered her face with her tail. “Why was this such a big deal to you anyway? Somepony from Canterlot says she’s engaged and suddenly helping her is all you talk about.”
Pinkie looked at the floor. “Remember when we all went to the Grand Galloping Gala? Octavia was playing music there and I… I ruined the party for her, almost ruined her career too. That’s why I have to make it up to her, I have to make sure she has the best wedding ever. Lucky for me I’ve got all my best friends helping me out. I don’t know what I’d do if this fell apart.”
Soft snoring was the only reply. Pinkie gently lifted the edge of Twilight’s tail and patted her head. “Sweet dreams little princess. We’ve got a big day coming up, a perfect day.”