This story is a sequel to Say Goodnight, Pinkie
It’s the toughest assignment Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie have ever had: throwing parties for twelve days straight during the Hearth’s Warming Season at the royal court of Canterlot. Celebrating the founding of Equestria and the anniversary of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s reign is plenty of pressure on its own. But with Princess Twilight micro-managing over a thousand years of tradition, clashing expectations, jaded aristocrats, and a royal sisterly quarrel brewing, it’s just possible that somepony’s not going to be very happy during the holidays. Why is it so difficult to get Pinkie alone? Why does Cheese feel so stupid in traditional historical attire, and why won’t it stay on? And why is his Cheesy Sense going dangerously haywire?
Part of the CheesePie story arc: falls after Say Goodnight, Pinkie. Image is Fancy Night Out, by dragonfoxgirl: used by permission.
Oh...this is gooooood!
This is so AWESOME!!!
Can't wait for more!
Help! I'm craving sweets now!
But anyway, you've come up with some neat desserts for Hearth's Warming Eve. Although I'm personally not for fancy stuff, so I'd personally be munching on cookies and slurping up pudding if I was a pony.
All my love! Can't wait for moar!
Ah, embarrateful, a familiar feeling.
Perhaps it was, once, but a thousand years of tradition kind of piled up without her, and she doesn't seem to mind.
At first, I was incredibly concerned about Cheese not knowing anything about Hearth's Warming. I thought it was a sign of a near-death experience. Turns out it was just a rather ironic gap in his life experience. Granted, there's no "just" about it to Cheese, but hopefully he'll be able to learn on the job... provided he doesn't get consumed by his own self-doubt and impostor syndrome, and assuming his Cheesy Sense doesn't kill him first.
Looking forward to more, especially as you ponify more holiday traditions.
Gah! I love it so much!!! I think I was smiling the whole time I was reading this. Really amazing characterization as always, and I love your headcannon with the party pony magic. Can't wait to read more.
Yes! and I love the cover art pinkie and cheese look really pretty XD
I am really glad that you are continuing this story arc. I like the depth you are providing to the Equestrian holiday customs. Now, just as long as Nightmare Moon doesn't try to hijack Heartwarming in the delusion that she could run it better ("I bet I could improve it too!") everything should be fine.
¡This story is great!
5272172
Pardon me jordon but could you describe what a story arc is? is it like an on going plotline? ugh i am sounding old forgive me i just get confused with writer lingo since i just write for me and don't do it professionally. what i mean to ask is since its an arc do i need to read the other two stories?
5272318 Yeah, in this case, it's an ongoing plotline. (I need to update my userpage. Oops!) I try to write the stories so that if a person starts with the new one, they won't be hopelessly lost, but it helps to have read Goodbye Boneless, Good Morning, Beautiful, and Say Goodnight Pinkie before reading this. But I think you've read those already.
A "story arc" is something like this: when you're reading a comic book, or watching a television series, sometimes there will be a new plotline--and that's a story arc.
In this case, there's an overall developing story about Pinkie and Cheese, playing out over a group of individual stories. There isn't one central plot--each story has its own plot--but the development of their relationship is kind of spread out over the whole thing.
5272354
Ah okay that makes perfect sense. Yeah i did read those i think i've read everything on your page :D. I am running out of cheesepie here but thanks for explaining i feel kinda foolish now not understanding it XD. I am still learning we don't stop learning after all.
5272318
A story arc is a plotline that continues across several stories. It's very important in any series writing where an important plot development continues from one story to the next but is intended to eventually be resolved. In Scoots2's stories, the romantic relationship between Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie is one story arc, which has been continuing through all the Cheese and Pinkie stories, and is the main theme of those works. This may or may not conclude with some resolution.
Story arcs can be segmented into sub-arcs. For instance, one sub-arc of the Cheesepie stories has already involved them admitting to each other that their relationship is romantic. Another sub-arc could be concerned with the question of whether or not they will marry. Another one could be devoted to the issue of foals (she's already written three stories about that, with alternate outcomes).
Also, elements of multiple story arcs can combine in a single story. For instance, my "Flutterarc" (currently consisting of three stories Dragonshyness, A Robust Solution and Fluttershy Is Free, all set in Season 1) is basically about Fluttershy's rise to greater self-confidence as she masters her abilties, heals from the emotional abuse to which she was subjected in youth, and comes to appreciate her own worth. Each of the three stories advances this story arc by depicting a stage in Fluttershy's growth and healing. In Dragonshyness, she faces her worst fear and discovers that her love gives her the courage to use her psychic powers to overcome it. In A Robust Solution, she confronts one of the most painful episodes from her past and learns from Rarity and from her own knowledge of animal behavior that it does not prove her unlovable. And in Fluttershy Is Free she has a special outing with Rainbow Dash (in consequence of the events of Dragonshyness), tries to tell her the truth about her parentage (she's half-Changeling), fails, but realizes that she still has Dashie's love and friendship anyway, and that she is fundamentally her own Pony, no matter who was her sire.
These stories all cross with other story arcs. In Dragonshyness, there are strong elements of Twilight's Ascension (Twilight faces her first "normal" dangerous mission for Princess Celestia, in which she must deal with a possibly-hostile Dragon, rather than a mad god or super-equine sorceror) and Rainbow's Heroism (Rainbow fights the Dragon); we also see part of Rarity's Rise (in which she fails a test). Likewise, Scoots2's CheesePie stories have included three in which the focus is on Cheese Sandwich adventuring with Braeburn, in which they meet Cherries Jubilee, Trenderhoof and Flash Sentry; there is frequent reference in there to Cheese's feelings for Pinkie.
Finally, even long story arcs can be part of or bundled into super-arcs, overarching stories. The super-super-arc of everything I've written for this fandom could be termed "The Destiny of Ponykind," which is about how the Ponies surmount one obstacle and defeat one enemy after another to expand across the Multiverse, becoming one of the primary defenders of our Cosmos. This is such a high-level arc that few stories can touch on this directly and at length, Twelfth Equestriad Interview is one of the only ones which does so explicitly; though Princess Luna alludes to this in Divine Jealousy and the Voice of Reason. A sub-arc of this is my main series, "The Shadow Wars," which is about how the Ponies fight and ultimately defeat the Night Shadows. All the other story arcs are either sub-arcs of The Shadow Wars or side stories to the saga.
Thus it can be seen that story arcs can be divided, joined, and can cross each other in the same stories. The "story arc" is a very important concept if one writes a series.
5272414
Oh I see now that's pretty cool. Thanks for explaining I just dont hear that term used much so yeah.
Sounds to me as if he's actually dying, possibly maintained by his powers past the point at which a normal Pony would have at least collapsed. This shows a dark side to their abilities -- I am planning to do something similar in a totally different context, with reference to Pinkie herself. I like the drizzle of his items from wherever he keeps them as a symptom of this.
It's very appropriate that Pinkie herself winds up saving him.
Similar effect to the overclocked Pinkie I described in "Royal Business" -- he's been burning himself up to power his magic.
I like your characterization of Cheerful Luna. I know I've shown her in really dark and depressed moods in some of my stories, but she's quite capable of making merry, now that she no longer feels as lost as she once did. She can be as much of a Large Ham for comedic as for tragic effect.
Nice avoidance of chronological controversies there!
LOL!!! Because Rainbow Dash has absolutely no mushy feelings. Or at least, will not admit to them before an audience.
Awww ...
Hehehe I'm so excited! This is gonna be good!
I've become rather excited about this! Continue~!
The part at the beginning was a little scary, it makes you think the day may come when Cheese would ask Pinkie to take back the gift, it certainly seems like a curse at this moment. This is definitely an an interesting start to an intriguing story.
How come they don't eat a dessert with Clover honey for Clover the Clever?
5271440 Thank you!
5271465 Thanks! I'm frighteningly far behind on some things, but I'm sort of writing the next couple of chapters in my head, too.
5271503 Floating Island is fairly simple, actually. It's just a light vanilla custard with some soft meringue on it. Not that much different than lemon meringue without the lemon and without the pie crust. I've had all of these except for the Spanish Windtorte, and I'm not a huge fan of hard meringue, so I probably wouldn't like it. But Chancellor Puddinghead Chocolate Pudding would probably be my favorite, too. I imagine it as not like chocolate mousse, either--just unashamed, basic PUDDING.
5271510 Thanks! It'll probably be longer than I want it to, either.
5271654 Thanks! Party Pony Magic is my favorite. It's what keeps me writing these two.
5271713 Dragonfoxgirl draws beautiful, magical looking CheesePie.
5272308 Thank you!
5272172 Well. . .
[more later.]
This sounds like it should be an interesting ride. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.
5272466 Cheese has nearly died from too much strain on his magic before. In fact, sometimes his magic takes over and runs him. The items falling out and his not being able to put them away goes back to Swear on Camembert, although there he was in such bad shape that he actually had to get hold of a cart. On the other hand, then he was traveling in mild weather, and he wasn't hungry.
Funny you should mention that . . .
I am a cheater-y McCheaterpants.
Yeah, this episode, for me, shows off some of the interesting Rainbow Dash/Fluttershy dynamic, with Dash as Ultra-Pegasus and Fluttershy as Terribly-Atypical Pegasus. You can see it as both a common bond and a source of conflict. It's also interesting to see which of the three leaders vs. their assistants wind up in charge: Smart Cookie winds up following Chancellor Puddinghead around in circles, and Princess Platinum actually rides Clover the Clever, but Commander Hurricane has to fly with Private Pansy weighing him/her down the whole way.
And yes. D'aw. Kind of a nice thing for someone coming in from the cold--sitting around in a warm room with women talking to each other and not necessarily paying attention to him, but just being able to relax.
5273281 Thank you!
5274701 Thanks! I have a nice outline for the next couple of chapters. Of course it has gotten longer as it went on.
5278934 Well, honestly--I liked the pun, and also mulled wine or cider with cloves in it is a distinctly winter drink, whereas clover honey doesn't have much of a distinct taste. It's why most of the honey you see is clover honey.
I think with Party Pony Magic, there are no backsies.
5298884 Of course there are no backsies, that's what is so scary about it.
5298884
Why do I feel as if I totally missed an important clue and, in fact, Luna's going to go totally nuts in this story?
I wanted to at least try to make all of those desserts. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the floating islands. I've made them! (Not very well, but oh well) I used the recipe from sorted, so the custard was lemony (nom-my favourite part) but the meringue was too eggy and I didn't like it. Hardest part- whipping the eggs into stiff peaks. And I think I did pretty well for my first attempt at caramel. The first pan became a crusty white thing at the side. We abandoned it. The second pan was perfect! (It was super fun to lick the spoon clean!)
Oops, I rambled. Again.
I've always thought that one of these days I'd have a mlp themed Christmas, and now I'm adding these desserts to the list.
And as always, you give me diabeetus. Just sitting by the fire together is too cute.
I saw it! I'm here! I'm just in the interim between opening presents and visiting extended family at the time of writing this comment.
I liked the reverse Summer Sun celebration thing you did.
Way to make Luna feel included in a special way.
And then there's Discord.
It wouldn't be the holiday season without a ridiculous sweater. I knew who it was meant for from when you described it. It's always nice to see what the author did there. (Also, I can't help but wonder if there's a term for ponies who feel uncomfortable when nude. Not that it would apply to Cheese, of course.)
No one tell Pinkie that the first balloons were animal bladders. At least, they were on Earth. For all I know, earth ponies figured out rubber plant cultivation long ago.
Twilight is living up to my worst fears of what she'd do. Fun doesn't work that way, Twilight. At least, it doesn't for anyone else. Still, better that it break down now than build up into something even more epic. This way, only one pony went off in a snit. Granted, it was a pretty epic snit, and they were probably lucky that Luna didn't add any thunderstorms or gravitational distortions to the pool of darkness, but still, at least this was a solvable problem.
Cheese getting possessed by the panache of past party ponies was particularly pleasurable. Also, I'm not sure if his family bothered with the "shred and fry" part of latkes. Kind of important, that.
I always figured that there had been a Winter Moon Celebration. But just that after Nightmare Moon, nopony thought the longest night of the year was something to celebrate. However, there was a sort of festive momentum; ponies were used to having some kind of holiday at the time. Thus, they turned their attention to that little celebration of the story of Equestria's founding held around the same time.
I do so want to see how Discord interacts with your party ponies. Eagerly looking forward to more.
A Proto-Party-Pony! Yay!
Yes, I know your likely historical and dramatic models.
Uh-oh ... that sounds ominous ...
... and it's explained by implication. I really like the way Cheese and Pinkie helped Luna.
Oh, it's never good to forget to invite a powerful and morally-ambiguous supernatural being to a party ...
We have WorldBuilding with PartyPonies needing sugar. I wonder whether PartyPonies are immune to diabetes.
We learn that much of the festivities of Hearths' Warming appeared in the last few centuries. Poor Princess Luna does not know about the changes since her banishment.
I just realized that the Unicorns and Pegasi of PreHearths' Warming are like Americans and the PreHearths'-Warming EarthPonies are Doctor Norman Ernest Borlaug:
If one asks random nonamericans who the greatest human ever to live is and throw out the religious responses, a majority would say the name of this Agronomist who saved over a billion people from starving in the 20th century. Most spoiled Americans, with their overabundance and exploding waistlines never heard of him.
The Pegasi and Unicorns badly mistreated the EarthPonies, but without the EarthPonies and their EarthPonyMagic, all of the parasitic Unicorns and Pegasi would starve.
Doctor Norman Ernest Borlaug
*Grins* I thought Luna and Cheese's dialogue sounded familiar n_n Looking forward to the blog.
Why Scoots?? Why do you do this to me???
(Loved this chapter! I'm excited to see what Discord does!)
Discord is here oh this gonna be good.
Petition for an AU where clothes are a horrible addiction a lot of ponies suffer from, and Rarity is the most powerful mob boss in all of Equestria.
wait, does this mean Pinkie is pony-jewish too?
5491424 No, she's not, and that's a problem.
5491461
wait, but then why does her family go through pretty much all the same rituals as Cheese's?
5491519 They don't. Hers is something a bit more like Amish, where they do celebrate Hearth's Warming, but it's much more restrained. Pinkie got the occasional simple wooden toy--Cheese got whatever ponies have instead of dreidels. They both had candles, but used differently. And only Cheese's family made latkes.
5491556
Aaah, ok, I understand now.
Woooo! A Winter Moon Celebration! Of course my personal calendar puts it before Hearthwarming, but whatever.
Ohhhh. Fancy Pants played Blue Blood like a fiddle. Nicely done.
Discord. Well that's going to be interesting.
Sometimes I just want Twilight to shut up. Especially when Luna is speaking.
I don't know why, but I found myself identifying with Cheese Sandwich quite a bit...
Hopefully Cheese gets the fact that he doesn't know anything about Hearth's Warming off of his chest soon; nothing good ever comes from trying to hide something like that.
Also, you do chaotic group scenarios where everypony is talking over each other and noise and fuss and bother remarkably well.
This is off to a wonderful start. I hope you can find your Muse again for this.
I love love love this I hope you continue this it's been..what..2 years?
But this is super duper lemon trupery good! #Cheesepie5ever
Pleese Continue this, I cannot contain myself until you complete ittttttttttttttttttttt PLEEEEEEEESSSSSSSEEEEEEe
#CheesePie4LyfePeople/Ponies!!!