An Extravaganza - With Cake!
Princess Twilight Sparkle lay asleep in her library, slung over a mountain of books. At that moment, the alicorn closely resembled a limp noodle, drooling onto her copy of 400 Magical Ailments. The fault was hers however, as she had spent nearly the entire night pouring over the books until exhaustion finally won out.
Most ponies would find it odd for an alicorn to take such a keen interest in the plight of an earth pony stallion. Especially one she’d only met once. But the citizens of Ponyville knew better.
No, Twilight Sparkle did not just love research, she lived for it. The turning of pages, the hours of pondering, the sleepless nights were a special kind of magic no pony could take away. And, when she would nearly give up hope, there before her the answer always appeared. Even if that answer came from a higher authority.
“Twilight! Twilight! Oh, for heaven’s sake wake up!” A little purple dragon with green spikes was mercilessly shaking the mare awake.
“Huh? Spike? What’s all the shouting about?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you. Princess Celestia’s sent a reply to your letter.”
“Letter?”
“Yeah, the one you made me send at 10 o’clock last night. Remember?”
“Oh that letter.” Twilight jolted upright and shook her mane straight again. “Let’s hear it then.”
Spike cleared his throat and unrolled a scroll of parchment. “'My Dear Princess Twilight, I was surprised to hear of your predici-…predici-’”
Twilight rolled her eyes at the baby dragon, “Predicament?”
“Yeah that! ‘Surprised to hear of your predicament. Your friend Cheese’s problem is not a new one. You were correct in assuming that it has to do with magic-’”
“Aha! I knew it.”
“Wait Twilight. I’m not done reading yet.”
“Oh, continue Spike.”
“'However, the type of magic you refer to is not magic as you have been taught.’”
“What?”
“'I regret that though I have taught you much about unicorn magic, I have failed to teach you about a second, just as important magic.’”
“Huh? Does she mean the elements of harmony?”
It was Spikes turn to roll his eyes. “Just listen Twilight. ‘This being the magic of the earth ponies. I recall you once telling me about your friend Pinkie’s ability to sense danger with her Pinkie Sense. That ability among many others is her magic. While you or I use spells and incantations to cause large effects on the world, earth ponies unknowingly make small influences that can hardly be put into books. These small influences, affect their individual talents and, in turn, others around them.’”
“'Your friends Pinkie and Cheese have magic that relates to happiness. Both of them use their magic to bring good cheer to the ponies in their lives. However, this magic relies upon their own emotions. Do you remember when Pinkie was depressed after thinking you did not want to be her friend? Her magic had faded and she was not able to be the happy pony you know and love. I believe that is Cheese’s problem. If you wish to help him, you must uncover the root of his sorrow. That is all the advice I can give you. I wish you luck. –Princess Celestia’”
“Earth pony magic that runs on emotions? If what the Princess said is true, Cheese must be really depressed.”
“Well, you did say he started crying yesterday. I’d say that counts as sad.”
“Yes, I thought that was because he couldn’t be funny anymore. But, if his magic really is linked to his emotions…That means he was depressed before he lost his humor. What in all of Equestria could cause Cheese to be so miserable?”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………........
The birds twittered their morning song as Cheese Sandwich started awake. His dream had been a great one to say the least. He was riding on a giant circus elephant with Pinkie as they flew through cotton candy clouds. It was so much fun! Well, except for the last part. He could not remember that part clearly, but he seemed to recall falling endlessly through a dark pit. Shivering, he looked around the tent.
He was curled up on the floor, Boneless 2 resting between his front hooves. Cheese was not going to admit it to anypony but, he could not fall asleep without the rubber chicken. Cautiously he stood, feeling his muscles cry out in protest. Though he was a young stallion, he was starting to feel worn down.
Cheese winced as he flexed his legs, one by one until the creaking pain eased. Slowly, he made his way out to the brook. He took a deep swig of the cool, refreshing water and glanced around. Ponyville was a wonderful place to be sure. In less than a ten minute walk from Sugarcube Corner he had arrived in a virtual Eden.
Overhead, the trees were filled with blossoming flowers and cheerful birds. As he stood, a soft spring breeze played with his mane and sent a flurry of petals his way. Sure enough, he was set into a sneezing fit. When he looked up he noticed the sun's position in the sky. Oh no! I told Pinkie I'd meet her at dawn to start baking. I'd better get going.
He trotted as fast as his aching muscles would allow, and was halfway to the Corner when the familiar fit started. First his tail switched, then his legs, then a shiver went all the way through his body. He knew those signs anywhere, his Cheesie sense was telling him a big party was in the works down in Sarapona. For a split second he almost considered going, then realization struck. Oh yeah. I'm a party pony without a sense of humor. Some help I'd be going there. They'd just run me out of town.
He walked on, trying to ignore the crawling sensation now filling his body. This is second time I've ignored my Cheesie sense. What happens if I keep this up? Will I get struck by lightning or something? Argh! I don't know anything these days.
In what felt like a millisecond, Cheese stood outside Sugarcube Corner. He walked in and froze, "What the?"
The entire dining room of the shop had been transformed into a cake-themed wonderland. Multi-colored streamers coated the ceiling and many a balloon was tethered to the tables. There, in the center of the room, Pinkie was standing on a stool, trying to put up a big banner. She began to lose her balance, and Cheese darted forward, catching her with his hoof just in time.
"Thanks Chessie. Sorry about that." Pinkie grinned back at Cheese.
"You need to be more careful Pinkie."
"Yeah. I'll be twice as careful next time, I promise."
Cheese sighed. I'm sorry Pinkie but I doubt you'll be able to keep that promise. You seem to attract trouble. "So, Pinkie, I thought we agreed not to go planning parties. We promised the Princess, remember? And we have work to do."
"But Cheesie this is work."
"HUH?" He had worked a multitude of jobs all over Equestria, and none of them considered setting up parties as part of employment.
Pinkie practically overflowed with giddy energy and began to hop up and down. "It's an extravaganza."
"Extrava-what now?"
"Extravaganza. It's what Rarity calls super fun parties. I was thinking about a way to mind the shop and bring back your party skills. And then it hit me! Why not have both? So I decided to set up an extravaganza but with cake. I call it the cake-a-ganza."
"How's it work?"
"Well, ponies will pay a few bits to come in and sample a bunch of our sweets. While they're sampling, they can play games and have a great time. That way we're helping the Cakes and you at the same time."
"Pinkie, that's brilliant. You're brilliant! What should I do?"
"Well, it'd be super helpful if you'd hang up the banner."
"Great. I'll get on it."
Within a few minutes, the pair finished transforming the dining hall and stood back to admire their work. Cheese turned to Pinkie, "Are we ready?"
"Maybe we should double check. I don't want to forget anything."
"All right. I did the punch bowl."
"The cake carousel is spinning."
"Cake walk?"
"Yup!"
"Elephant?"
Pinkie's eyes grew wide. "Huh? Oh my gosh! I forgot the elephant."
Cheese sniggered then burst out laughing, "Pinkie calm down. It's a cake-a-ganza, we don't need an elephant. You're stressing way too much about this. It'll be fine."
"Oh right…" Pinkie found her face growing even pinker with embarrassment. The cake-a-ganza was her attempt to cheer Cheese up and she wanted everything to be perfect.
There was a creak as the front door opened and three fillies trotted triumphantly in. Applebloom puffed out her chest, "Heya Pinkie! We finished puttin' up the posters like you asked. We would have been 'ere sooner if Scoots hadn't decided to get all creative."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know posters didn't stick to cows?"
Pinkie bounced over to the Crusaders. "Wow girls. Thanks for helping out."
Sweetie Bell noticed Cheese, and shuffled her hoof, embarrassed. "Hey Cheese. Sorry about yesterday."
"That's just fine fillies." He trotted to stand next to Pinkie. "So you're our advertisement for today?"
Applebloom hopped up and down, "Yup. We've been right busy posterin' the town. Every pony knows 'bout the cake-a-ganza now."
Cheese raised an eyebrow, "Even the cows?"
Scootaloo flushed, "Ha, ha. Yeah, them too."
Pinkie and Cheese started to laugh together and the fillies joined in. After a good breather, the fillies said their goodbyes and left.
"How did you get a bunch of fillies to put up posters all over town?"
"Well, they wanted to try getting their cutie marks in poster posting."
"Cutie marks? So is that what their whole Crusader thing is about?"
"Yup a doodles Cheesie. But, I think they just wanted free cake. Everypony loves cake!"
"Guess they do." He laughed again and could not help but feel cheered by Pinkie. She really is something else.
"You ready to get baking Cheesie?"
"You know it Pinkie."
The rest of the morning went by in a flurry, as the pair prepared a vast amount of sugary treats. Pinkie worked on the little details of each sweet, while Cheese did the general baking. They were an impressive team, and they were done in less than half the time it normally took.
"Wow Cheesie, I've never seen so many sweets. This is going to be the best cake-a-ganza ever!"
"Yeah. Say Pinkie, what do we do now? The party doesn't start for another hour."
"Well…Do you want to practice our instruments together? Oooh that would be so fun. What do you say?"
"Sounds great but I don't have my accordion with me."
"Oh that's okay. You can use mine!" Pinkie practically flew up the stairs and returned with her strange conglomeration of instruments. She picked out a tuba and handed cheese the accordion. "You like polka right?"
"Yeah. It's my favorite."
What followed could only be described as the most unusual concert ever to hit Ponyville. Unlike the goof-off, they worked together to play each song. Cheese would start one of his favorites, and Pinkie would join in with the best instrument to complement the song. Then, they would switch and Pinkie would take over with one of her own songs. Cheese never felt so connected to any pony as he did to Pinkie. She seemed to read his mind before he even knew himself. I wish every day could be this fun.
As they finished their last song, a fast-paced jig, a loud cheer erupted and they looked around. The pair had been so focused on the music, that they had not noticed the ponies gathering for the cake-a-ganza. Now, what appeared to be half of Ponyville was staring at them.
A cross-eyed grey pegasus mare looped in the air. "That was great! Do it again."
Cheese grinned at Pinkie. "You up for another?"
"Don't you know it!"
They played a lively bit of polka music while the ponies danced happily along with them. Pinkie and Cheese used plenty of their party pony stunts and, in no time at all, everypony was radiating good cheer. After a grand finish, they stood in the center of the room and were inundated with happy cheers and whoops. I did it! I made them laugh. And it's all thanks to Pinkie.
Applebloom piped up. "Hey, when can we start the cake-a-ganza? I'm starvin'!"
"Right now." Pinkie bounced excitedly towards the group and Cheese went to pass out the cakes.
The cake-a-ganza was quickly turning into one of the best shindigs of the year. The fillies and colts really loved the cake walk and everypony else was enjoying the samples and conversation. Cheese was beginning to feel alive again as he joined the conversation. He was honored to discover that, not only did they remember his last party, they loved it. I never dreamed I could make such a big impact. It was just one party five months ago after all.
He noticed a group of five mares standing and talking in the corner, Pinkie's friends. As he made his way around the room, he saw how hard Pinkie was working to keep everypony satisfied. It did not take long for him to register her furtive glances towards the group of mares. He smiled and snuck up behind her. "Guess who?"
"Cheesie. How's it shaking? Are they enjoying themselves?"
"Oh most definitely. And so am I. This was a great idea Pinkie. I'm even starting to feel like my old self again."
"Oh I'm so happy Cheesie! 'Cause I was super worried you wouldn't have fun and get all sad again. And I wouldn't ever want you to be sad."
Cheese chuckled at the mare. Boy, she worries about the silliest stuff sometimes. How could I not enjoy such a great party? "Say Pinkie, I couldn't help but notice you've been eying your friends over there. Why don't you go over and chat for a while?"
"Oh I couldn't do that and leave you all alone. I'd feel oh so bad!"
"Don't worry about it. You planned this whole event, worked for hours on the decorations, and helped bake all the sweets. You've earned a break. Go on! I'll cover for you. That's a Cheesie promise."
"Okey dokey. But you'll let me know if you need me right?"
"Right. No go on and have some fun."
With that, Pinkie bounced over to the grinning group of friends and joined them at the table. Cheese turned back to the crowd, pleased that he could do something for Pinkie.
The party lasted a long time, but it eventually began to wind down. Pinkie's friends were the last to leave with a smile and a wave to him. Pinkie hopped over to where Cheese was sweeping up. "So how'd it go Cheesie?"
"Really well. We sold all the cakes and got a lot of new orders. It was a brilliant idea Pinkie."
Pinkie giggled as she started to help sweep up. As party ponies, they were no strangers to cleaning and had the place spotless in no time.
Cheese sighed and sat down at the empty table. The aching pain in his legs started to come back and he winced a little. Pinkie went over to join him.
"So, Cheese."
"Yes?" It was strange for Pinkie to omit his nickname. She looked uncharacteristically serious and he could not help but feel nervous.
"Twilight talked to me about your problem."
"Oh…well I don't think we have to worry about that anymore. After all, I was able to make ponies laugh today. I think I'm going to be just fine thanks to you. Pinkie? What's wrong?"
Pinkie had turned a paler shade of pink than normal, and her poofy mane seemed to deflate. Cheese felt his heart lurch at the sight. "It's just what Twilight said."
"What?"
"Well, she said…she said the reason you weren't able to bring cheer to others was that you were unhappy yourself. Are you sad Cheese?"
"What? I don't think I'm sad Pinkie. Besides, I'd notice if I was, wouldn't I?"
"But yesterday, when I asked you about your friends, you were sad I knew you were. Oh my gosh! They weren't abducted by sky pirates were they?"
"What? Sky pirates? No."
"Then why?" Pinkie cocked her head in that disconcerting way of hers.
"Oh, well it doesn't make me sad, more like embarrassed. The truth is, I don't have any ponies I could call friends. When you asked me about my friends, I just got so self-conscious."
Pinkie's eyes went wide as saucepans. "What? But why? You're the super-duper party pony Cheese, I'm sure you have lots of friends."
Cheese's ears flattened a bit, "Eh, not really. Because I travel so much, I don't get to speak with any pony in particular for more than a day or so. I guess I just never had the opportunity to get to know ponies personally like you."
"Doesn't that make you sad?"
"Not really. I'm a rambler after all. I guess I just got used to being alone."
"But... having no friends is just terrible Cheese. Everypony needs a friend. Besides-" Pinkie's ears flattened, her voice softer, "-I thought we were friends."
Cheese heart jumped with the sound of the word, "Yeah, yeah I guess we are."
Pinkie smiled, her coat returning to its original hue and hair springing to life. "See Cheesie, you've got a friend and don't you forget it mister! And I'm not the only one. You'll always have Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack to back you up too."
Cheese chuckled, "Okay Pinkie, you win."
Pinkie hopped up, "That's right. Say, you want some hot cocoa?"
"You bet. I'll make it. Just sit down and relax."
Cheese was so glad to have even one pony in the world who thought of him as a friend. Somehow, it felt easier talking to Pinkie than it had before. They sat together as Cheese told some about his travels. Pinkie loved to hear about all the parties he had set up, and they shared some good laughs. Daylight was fading fast, and the light of the setting sun sent a colorful display dancing off of the floorboards and walls.
They stopped conversing when a loud thud greeted them, accompanied by the flicker of ceiling lights. A female voice spoke up, "Pinkie Pie? We're back. Why do you have the lights off?"
Cheese turned to see a pair of ponies walk through the door, pushing a baby stroller. He recognized them as the Cake family. The pair walked into the center of the room and stared at Cheese and Pinkie. Mrs. Cake looked shocked, "Oh my. Cheese Sandwich right?"
"That's me." Cheese stood and walked over to the pair. "Hey, sorry for barging in like this. I've been helping Pinkie mind the shop while you were away. I hope you don't mind."
Mr. Cake stepped forward, "Oh not at all. We're just a little surprised to see you back here. How are things Pinkie?"
"Just great Mr. Cake! We had the most awesome day ever. It was a cake-a-ganza."
Mrs. Cake chuckled, "Yes, we saw the posters. Was it a success?"
"You bet ya. Especially thanks to Cheese. He helped me bake the cakes and play some party music. It was great! We sold lots too, didn't we Cheeseie?"
"Yeah. A lot more than yesterday."
"That's good to hear." Mr. Cake set his traveling hat on the hat rack and looked around at the spotless dining room. "You did a great job cleaning up Pinkie. Thank you. But, if you don't mind, we need to put the twins to bed. Why don't you walk your friend home?"
"Okey dokey." Pinkie followed Cheese out the door, humming as she went.
They went down the street, Pinkie happily keeping pace next to Cheese. "Thanks for all your help today Pinkie. I really feel better now."
"Sure. But, I didn't do anything special."
"You're more special than you give yourself credit for Pinkie."
Pinkie giggled a little bit and grinned at Cheese. "So, does that mean things are back to normal for you?"
"Normal?"
"Yeah. Can we start planning parties together again?"
Cheese chuckled, "I don't think the world's quite ready for us to plan too many parties together. No, I think I'll be moving on."
"What? So soon?"
"Yeah well, my Cheesie sense has been nagging me for days. Now that I've proven myself to be funny again, I'll hit the road."
"But what about what Twilight said?"
"Oh, I don't think I'm depressed Pinkie. Look at me, I'm the happiest I've been in ages!"
Pinkie had to admit, Cheese looked really happy. He was bouncing right along with Pinkie and grinning broadly. Yet, she could not shake the feeling they were missing a piece of the puzzle. "Awwe. Can't you stay a tinsy bit longer? You're the only pony who I've been able to practice instruments with. I thought we could at least throw one more party before you go, what do you say?"
"Well, maybe. I suppose one more day won't hurt." Cheese winked at Pinkie as they crossed over the bridge.
"Yes! It's going to be so fun."
Cheese stopped after they had crossed. "Oh, where are my manners? You've been working for hours, you must be tired. I can walk back the rest of the way. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okey dokey then see ya." Pinkie turned and hopped down the road humming a tune.
Cheese wearily crawled into his tent. As he lay down next to Boneless 2, he felt more tired than ever. The day had been one of the best he could remember in a long, long time, and tomorrow looked to be even better. Lying there in the darkness, he could not stop thinking of Pinkie's words that afternoon. Even after all the trouble I've put her through, Pinkie said I'm her friend! I must be the luckiest stallion in all of Equestria.
Stats
Page generated in 0.041 seconds
Total duration
886 users online
415,046 hits today, 2,139,894 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Cute chapter! I can't wait to read more!
The d'awww is strong in this one! I especially liked the bit about needing to cuddle Boneless or Boneless 2 in order to fall asleep, but then again, that's one of my headcanons as well. And a lot of other really nice details sprinkled through-out.
You know, one problem with this site is that you can't hit the up button more than once? You are doing such a great job with this. I can't believe how much this story has grown since the first chapter. And you also found a use for The Pony that Must Not Be Named that was so much more organic than it was when she originally appeared.
Wow. it seems like Cheese is cured. I hope though he stays in ponyville with Pinkie. Nice chapter.
You are just such an amazing writer!
4139450 Awwe thanks! You're an amazing artist
More
Aaahh, the Magic of Love...
Bestest book ever
No i'm pretty sure shes a mare...
Spot The Typo round 3:
'Right. No go on and have some fun."
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOD! I love this so far!!! <3 I can't wait to finish it!
"Hey, how was I supposed to know posters didn't stick to cows?"
My humor gland just overloaded and had a shutdown due to overuse.
6086127 We're on the same boat, buddy
The two beautiful things about this is that he's serious, and Pinkie probably meant it exactly the way he's taking it, as an expression of genuine liking rather than "friend-zoning."
TYPOS:
Italicize these lines, they're directly-quoted thoughts.
Nope not until ya start dating..
Hurray, he's back to normal! Story's over.
Or is it?