Rarity entered the library at a run. She slammed the door behind her once she was in. “Twilight?! Spike?!” She started running for the stairs that led up to Twilight’s room.
“Rarity?” That was Spike’s voice! It’s coming from the kitchen. “Is that you?”
She changed course. With a flick of her magic, she threw open the door and rushed in. She stopped running, but her momentum kept carrying her forward. She started talking as she slid past Spike and Twilight. “Oh, it’s just horrible! The. Worst. Possible. Thing! I don’t know what I’m going to do! I need your help! If both of you help, I may only be a little late. Please, please, please, pleeeeeaaaaassseeee?” She clasped her claws in front of her and gave the two her best puppy-dog face.
Spike stared blankly from where he sat near the oven. Twilight, who was laying on the counter, tilted her head back until she could see the frantic dragoness.
“DING!!”
Spike opened the oven and cast the protection spell on himself. It couldn’t be called the iron-scale spell since he didn’t have scales, maybe he could call it the iron-fur spell. Twilight rolled over until she was laying on her belly with her face pressed against the cool, polished granite of the counter-top.
“Oh!” Rarity threw her claws in the air and rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry! ‘Cause, you know, my career is ruined, but hey, no big deal. How was your day?” Her words dripped with sarcasm.
Sarcasm that was wasted on Twilight. “Boring,” she said, face still pressed sideways against the counter. “We made pancakes out of potatoes and sugar water.” She lifted a claw and pointed it at Spike. She made a point to use as few muscles as possible to accomplish that task. “He actually cooked sugar water and put it in a jar.”
“Just wait a few days.” Spike reached into the oven and pulled out a pan. He offered Rarity a reassuring smile. “Calm down, I’m sure whatever it is, it’s something that can be fixed.” Then he offered her the pan. “Hash brown?”
She looked down at the golden-brown patties on the pan. They smelled good, but her career hinged on the events of the next two days. This was no time to be eating! She looked up at Spike and opened her mouth to voice this opinion when a purple claw swooped down, grabbed a hash-brown, and shoved it into her mouth. “Mmh!” Her eyes went wide. She chewed the potato patty thoughtfully before swallowing. “That was good.” She stared at the rest of the hash-browns on the pan. “Savory, and just a little filling, even without meat. Seasoning’s just right too. This would make an excellent breakfast.” She caught herself reaching for another before slamming her claw to the ground. “No! I don’t have time for this. I have a deadline to meet!”
Spike nudged the pan towards her. “Don’t skip meals, you can work faster when your stomach’s full.”
She stared at him for a moment. “Maybe just one more.” She gingerly picked up another hash-brown and took a bite. She chewed, swallowed, and levitated a napkin over to wipe non-existent crumbs from her face. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have skipped lunch.” Her stomach had definitely calmed down after eating a little. Just moments ago, she felt like she was going to be sick.
“No perhaps about it,” Spike set the pan on the counter and took one of the potato patties, “if you skip a lot of meals, it throws your blood sugar off. It can make you jittery, or tired, or irritable.” He blew on his hash-brown to cool it off. Twilight examined the pan’s contents, but made no move to take one. Spike noticed and gave the pan a quick tap, causing her to jump back from the metallic clang as his hoof hit the metal. “They won’t bite, try one.”
She gave Spike a look that suggested she would have rather eaten the rotten eggs. Then she glanced at Rarity, who seemed to be enjoying the weird vegetable pancake. Is it possible that it tastes better than a potato does on its own? With a sigh, she reached a claw towards the pan. She steeled her resolve with a whispered, “for science,” and broke a piece off of one of the hash-browns. The texture seemed inconsistent with the softness of a baked potato, perhaps the odd manner of cooking is meant to impart crispiness? Twilight bit her lower lip. There was only one way to find out.
She closed her eyes,
threw her head back,
and opened her mouth.
Then she dropped in the morsel she held.
She slammed her mouth shut.
…
…
…
It was love at first crunch, love at first wonderful, salty, tasty crunch. How could this be made of potatoes? In Twilight’s experience, potatoes were tasteless, pasty things that were eaten so Rarity would give her a second helping of meat, but this was unlike any potato she had ever eaten. “Wow, Spike, you cook much better than Rarity does.” She took a hole hash-brown and bit into it eagerly. “This,” she said between chews, “is good.” She swallowed her food and took another bite. “You have to make it again sometime.”
Spike swallowed his own mouthful of hash-brown before speaking. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.” He dusted some crumbs from his face and licked the last of the salt from his hoof. “Besides, I’m not that good at cooking.”
“I’m afraid I have to disagree, darling.” Rarity took another hash-brown from the pan. “Your skills in the kitchen far outclass mine.” She punctuated her point by taking a big bite out of the hash-brown.
“Really?” Spike looked at the pan. There was only one hash-brown left. “Then wait until you try some of the stuff Grumble makes.”
“I have!” Twilight smiled, remembering the cupcake from yesterday. “He’s almost as good as Pinkie.”
“Just almost?” Spike chuckled. “I’m gonna have to try some of Pinkie’s cooking then, something besides caramel apples.” He turned to face Rarity. “So, how’re you feeling? Better?”
The dragoness replied with a nod, declining to speak since she was still chewing the last of her hash-brown.
“Good, now, tell me what’s wrong.” He struck his best imitation of the military’s at attention pose and saluted. “As a member of the Draconican military, I must remain ready to assist civilians at a moment’s notice.” He wasn’t quite structured right to perform the salute properly.
Rarity smiled despite her situation. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this calm in the face of an impossible deadline. “As a member of the Draconican military, I’m sure you’ve heard of generals Akhekhu and Rinjin.”
Spike lowered his hoof from the salute. “Lord of sand and lady of the sea, you won’t find two dragons more different than those two.”
Rarity shrugged. “They say opposites attract. I was hired to make the ceremonial armor for their wedding.”
Spike nodded, taking this information in stride. “Took’em long enough. Skip to the part where you run in screaming like Jormungandr or Typhon returned from their banishment.”
“Hmmph!” Rarity crossed her forelegs. “I did not react that badly.”
“Sorry,” Spike put his hooves up in a gesture of submission, “I just don’t understand the problem.”
Rarity let out a sigh and unfolded her limbs. “I was getting to that, dear. They came by my shop today to see their vests, and-“
“Wait!” Spike threw a hoof up in front of the dragoness to stop her. “They’re in town? Where?”
Rarity pulled her lips to the side as she glared at the purple pony. “They left. Now stop interrupting.” Spike lifted both hooves again to signal an apology. “Thank you. Now, the problem is, they were supposed to inspect their vests so I could make a few last minute adjustments, but they decided that they want to switch the designs.”
Spike nodded slowly, looking up at the ceiling as his head bobbed up and down. He stopped and looked at Rarity. “Meaning?”
With an exasperated sigh, the dragoness started walking. She didn’t have enough room to pace back and forth, so she ended up turning circles in place. “Meaning that the elegant, blue, water-themed armor that I designed for the slim and long lady Rinjin has to be reworked to fit the blocky and over-weight General Akhekhu. And his desert-themed armor must be similarly reworked to fit her.” She stopped pacing and grabbed Spike by the shoulders. “Now do you see my problem?”
“Yes.” Spike nodded solemnly. “Are you sure they left? ‘Cause I haven’t had a chance to congratulate them yet, and I-“
“Focus!” Rarity snapped at him. “The wedding is in two days! Only family members were invited!”
“All right, all right, calm down.” Spike took hold of her claws in his hooves and lifted them of his shoulders. He lowered them, but didn’t let go. “I’ll help you, just keep calm.” He punctuated his words with gentle lifts and drops of the hooves holding her claws. “Panic doesn’t get you anywhere, I learned that the hard way.” He looked down at his hooves, noticing for the first time that he hadn’t let go of her claws. He stiffened up and let go, slamming his hooves to the ground. “I’ll grab a book for Twilight and we can head to your shop. All military members are required to learn the basics of steel work and armor construction, so I should be able to help a little bit.”
Spike turned and walked out of the kitchen. Rarity started to follow him, but turned around to grab the last hash-brown. Twilight beat her to it and was holding the salty treat in both claws. The hatchling glanced at Rarity before examining the treat she held. With a twist of the claws, she ripped the thing in two. Then she offered one of the halves to the dragoness. Rarity levitated it with a smile and edged up to the counter. The hatchling climbed onto the dragoness’s back and they walked out of the kitchen.