Piece of cake
“Wow! Pinkie, you’ve outdone yourself there!” stated Twilight Sparkle.
And rightfully so. Under her eyes was a magnificent awesome cake made with chocolate, cherries from Dodge Junction and a lot of cream. And everypony there, including Twilight, was having their mouths watering.
“Thank you!” replied the pink pony. “But Fluttershy is the one who baked the cake.”
Everypony’s looks turned to the yellow Pegasus who blushed and crawled back.
“Well, I guess the next thing to do is to cut it.” said Twilight, understanding she should change the subject in order to take the attention away from her shy friend, even if she would have liked for her to enjoy her triumph.
Not that Fluttershy didn’t enjoy the compliments. She just enjoyed it in her very own way.
“Would you do us the honor please?” Rarity asked Twilight, giving her the knife.
“Of course.” Twilight replied, deciding to ignore the known fact that she was asked because she was a princess and Rarity just thought every honor was meant to be given to royalty. “So six parts, right?” the alicorn added with a little smile.
It was obvious she had to cut six parts. One for each pony. It was a no brainer. She would have preferred a four or eight parts separation, as it is way easier to do, but she quickly calculated the needed angle of each part so that they might be absolutely equals, then made a magic protractor appear to ensure a perfect equality.
This was going to be a piece of cake.
“Wait just a minute!” almost shouted Rainbow Dash with her usual direct approach. “What are you doing?”
“I’m making sure we all get an equal slice of cake of course.” answered Twilight.
Rainbow Dash didn’t reply and a very little silence ensued during which the alicorn hesitated. On one hoof, she could go on with the cutting and ignore her friend’s intervention as it seemed to be over. In fact, it may have been nothing. Even more, maybe Rainbow Dash had just not understanding the whole idea of calculating angles to create equal shares.
On the other hoof, Twilight’s instinct was telling her there was something else and that she should care about it, however weird or difficult it might become.
And being a good friend, Twilight decided to opt for the second option.
“Is there a problem with making equal shares?” she asked the Pegasus.
And asking that question, she regretted it, because she saw no reason why equal shares would create any problem whatsoever. The simple idea that inequality would be an actual better choice seemed completely absurd.
“No, of course not…” began Rainbow Dash, hesitating to really tell her mind before finally saying: “Well, actually yes! There is a problem.”
Everypony looked at the Pegasus and she immediately understood she had to explain.
“I get that you don’t want to be treated differently because you’re a princess and all. But it doesn’t change the fact that you do are a princess Twilight.” Rainbow said. “If it was princess Celestia, we would give her the whole cake. And to tell the truth, I like you even more than the princess.”
“What is your point?” asked Twilight, already knowing the answer and fearing it.
“I think you should get a bigger part than any of us.” directly explained the bold pegasus.
To Twilight’s surprise, nopony contradicted Rainbow Dash. She looked at every one of them and they just looked down to escape her.
“Do you also think that I should get a bigger part?” Twilight asked them.
They hesitated for a moment. It was feeling weird for them too.
“Well, you do are a princess dear.” said Rarity. “For once, I have to agree with Rainbow Dash. Your rank does grant you a bigger part.”
“But I don’t want a bigger part!” responded Twilight.
“I never said you had to take it!” quickly defended herself Rarity. “Just that you would rightfully deserve it.”
“And I’m saying that you have to take it.” Rainbow Dash affirmed.
Once again, everypony’s look fell on her as it was completely unexpected.
“You are a princess, so you get the biggest part, that’s how it works.” The pegasus explained. “What you do with it regards only you, but it is our duty, as citizen of Equestria and your loyal subject as well as your friends to ensure you receive what you deserve!”
The obsession was becoming ridiculous and, at the same time, the tone of Rainbow’s voice as well as the tone of her voice was making it clear she was completely serious about it.
So as ridiculous as it was, Twilight decided that she should better just deal with it as she didn’t want to argue the whole night about a matter as trivial as who get the bigger slice of the cake.
“Alright, alright!” she said, trying to hide her frustration. “So a bigger part for me, and five equal parts for each one of you.”
“You can always take some of my part, so everypony else won’t lose anything.” Rarity proposed. “I wouldn’t need a whole part anyway. As tasty this cake might look, I do have to be careful about my good figure if you understand what I mean.”
“Oh come on!” shouted Twilight.
The alicorn tried to take a good breath, to simmer down and apologize. But still, this was getting out of hoof. In her mind it looked like a strange dream, so far away from any potential reality. Were they really arguing and debating how to cut a cake?
“I’m sorry.” Twilight said, after having taken back possession of her means. “I didn’t mean to shout like I did. If those are your wishes, I have to respect them.”
She sighed.
“So, before I finally cut that cake, is there any more wish I have to take into account?”
“Hum…” said a very faint voice.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked, surprised.
“It’s just…” the shy pony began, “I mean… I don’t want to disturb you… but…”
Applejack took upon herself to go to the yellow pegasus and reassure her.
“Don’t you worry sugarcube. You can say whatever you want. We are your friends, remember?”
Fluttershy gratefully smiled, found the courage to express her opinion and therefore said:
“I really would like for everypony to get an equal share.”
A dragon could have crashed into the room without startling the ponies any less.
“We can’t make equal share because Twilight is a princess!” said Rainbow Dash as if she was explaining something very obvious to a little child.
“Sorry…” replied Fluttershy.
“You can be sorry!” Dash continued with an unusual agressivity. “Because you very well knew that if we all get an equal share, it means Twilight can’t get a bigger one.”
The alicorn, on her side, had almost dropped the knife. This wasn’t ridiculous anymore, this was just crazy. She turned to Pinkie Pie, who was the only one still smiling and enjoying herself in the middle of all the debating and arguing.
“What do you think of all that?” Twilight asked the pink pony.
“I think it’s great that everypony is so passionate! Don’t you think it’s great?” Pinkie replied.
“Maybe…” Twilight replied, not sure what she should think about it all. “I’m just happy you don’t want anything more than a normal slice of cake.”
“Wait, what?” asked Pinkie Pie back. “But I do want more than a normal slice of cake, silly you.”
“You do?” Twilight asked, suddenly afraid of how much more difficult the calculus of the angles might become with yet another demand.
“Of course I do.” Pinkie said.
“And what is it you want then?”
“I want the entire cake just for myself of course!” Pinkie joyfully replied, while licking her chops.
Twilight literally crumbled under the news. She was doomed. Her mind was racing to find a solution that was escaping her even more by the second.
A moment ago, she might have found a way to give herself a bigger part while giving an equal part to all of her friends. That seemed feasible, even if not so easy in appearance. But now, she had to give everypony an equal slice of cake, while giving herself the biggest part, while giving Pinkie the whole cake.
For a second, she thought she should just cry.
“Hey, are you okay sugarcube?” Applejack asked her with her comforting voice. “It’s not like you to give up like that. I’m sure it ain’t as bad as you’re thinking it is.”
Twilight sniffed, but felt better because of the support of her friend. She looked around and saw that the others had ceased fighting to care about her and make sure she was feeling okay.
“I just don’t understand what is going on.” Twilight explained, regaining composure. “Why is it that everypony is suddenly demanding such impossible things all of a sudden? How am I supposed to satisfy everypony? Please don’t tell me you also want something special. Just please don’t. Lie to me if necessary.”
“I won’t have to lie to you.” Applejack replied, laughing. “I don’t really care how big my part of the cake might be.”
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. At least one of her friend wouldn’t complicate the situation.
“I may even have the solution to your problem.” Applejack added. “I can always go back to the farm and quickly bake another cake. It might not be as fancy as this one, but there will be plenty for everypony.”
“Oh, oh!” said Pinkie Pie, suddenly realizing what was going on. “I want that cake too!”
“What?” asked Applejack, now just as lost as Twilight was.
“You can’t have the whole cake!” said Rainbow Dash. “You did nothing to deserve the whole cake!”
“Rainbow Dash is right dear.” Rarity told Pinkie Pie. “You’re not a princess.”
“I would like to get some cake if it is possible…” softly said Fluttershy.
“Wait, why should I bake another cake if I can’t even taste it?” asked Applejack, suddenly realizing that she was being left out of the loop.
All the voices were piercing through Twilight’s head, directly into her minds, like so many little needles, and it was feeling very painful. She would have liked for all of them to just shut up. She would have liked for them all to just think like her and stop having different opinions that she was unable to understand.
Why was it so important for Rainbow Dash that she, Twilight, had to get a bigger part of the cake?
Why was it so important for Fluttershy that the cake shall be cut equally?
Why would Pinkie Pie selfishly demand the whole cake for herself?
Why would Rarity accept to give up a part of her slice of cake?
Why would Applejack have to give up any right on a cake she had baked herself?
And what was that Twilight herself wanted?
This last question created emptiness in the middle of the hurricane. She was the all-powerful princess and paradoxically the only one who hadn’t demanded anything.
What was so different about her to act in another way than that of her friends?
She realized it.
She didn’t need to demand anything, she was a princess: she already had everything.
“All of you, listen to me!” Twilight told all of her friends with her most imperative voice.
They stopped arguing and immediately gave her all their attention.
“I have decided how I want to cut that cake.”
And before all of her friend’s looks, she took the knife and made eight completely same slices of cake.
“Now each one of us get one. As for the two last, whoever wants one takes it.”
Fluttershy quickly took her slice of the cake and gratefully smiled to Twilight. Applejack and Rarity took theirs, happy to finally be able to enjoy the cake. Pinkie Pie also took her part and finished it in just one bite, as Rainbow Dash also took her own.
But Twilight wasn't finished and as everypony was going back to enjoy the party, as if the whole cake thing had never happened, she went to the multicolor pegasus and just told her:
“You know, you’re really a great pony.”
“What?” asked, surprised, Rainbow Dash.
“I’m just saying you’re not only a very good and passionate friend, but you’re also an awesome athlete. I’m certain that your hard work is going to pay off in the end.” Twilight explained, before adding: “I guess we don’t tell it to you as often as we should because we fear you might get big-headed again. But you do are awesome.”
“I…” Rainbow Dash said, surprised but very flatted, and incapable of hiding her blushing. “Of course I’m awesome.”
She quickly glanced left and right, made sure nopony else was listening and added:
“Thanks Twilight.”
This is how Twilight was able to divide the cake amongst everypony. She knew she hadn’t really solved anything, as, in the end, everypony would always want the whole cake for themselves: It was in the pony nature.
Nonetheless, she was hopeful. Cake is one thing, but certainly not everything in life. She was in a position where she could easily see that. And she thought that one day her friends would think the same way.
Maybe even sooner than she would expect them too.
I have to add that the rest of the party went on without any more problems and that, after a few hours, everypony went to sleep.
As they all left, the light went out on the table, on which was the cake’s plate.
…
With two pieces of cake left.
[THE END]