“Now don’t be shy, you two. Dig in and tell me what you think!”
The smell of baking filled the air in the Apple family kitchen as Applejack nudged two plates across the table toward the two curious ponies before her.
Scarlet reached out with her magic, lifting the small pastry from her plate and taking a careful bite. Its flaky crust crumbled perfectly in her mouth as she chewed, nicely contrasting the crisp texture of the warm apple and the gooeyness of the cinnamon filling.
“You have quite outdone yourself, I think.” Scarlet beamed at Applejack before taking a second bite. “I could scarcely imagine a finer treat.”
“Well shucks, I’m just glad you like it.” Applejack grinned and turned to Waterwing. “How about you there? Think I got it right?”
Waterwing, having already devoured her entire pastry, busily licked at the crumbs and globs of cinnamon filling at the corners of her mouth.
Applejack chuckled. “I suppose that’s a ‘yes.’”
Finally resigning herself to cleaning up with a napkin, Waterwing nodded eagerly.
Scarlet tilted her head. “Not that I mean to complain by any stretch, but was there a reason why you needed our assistance in particular to test your new pastry?”
Applejack shrugged. “Not especially. Just that I’ve been working on this recipe for a week now, and I think Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh were getting a little tired of pastries.”
Scarlet looked affronted. “Perish the thought…”
“Huh?” Applejack suddenly found herself watching Waterwing stare at her own flank, poking at her cutie mark with her hoof. “Something wrong there, sugarcube?”
Lightly startled, Waterwing straightened up in her seat and looked over at Scarlet imploringly.
A thought struck Scarlet as she met her companion’s gaze. “Ah, yes… I nearly forgot. Applejack, would you mind if we asked you about something?”
Applejack smirked. “Has it got to do with your cutie marks?”
Scarlet stifled an amused grin. “However did you guess?”
“Just lucky, I suppose.” Applejack straightened her hat. “Though I’ll admit I’m probably not the best to ask about that sort of thing. Maybe give Twilight a poke? Might be more her speed.”
“Well, you see…” Scarlet glanced at Waterwing, who wore an uncomfortable grimace on her face. “We have in fact already spoken to her about it, but…”
Applejack scratched her head. “Didn’t go so well, I take it?”
Scarlet took a deep breath. “Her lecture on the nature of cutie marks was so excessively lengthy and detailed that by the time she had finished I honestly felt as though I understood less than I did before she started.”
Applejack gave a hearty chuckle. “I haven’t known her that long, but that sure sounds like Twilight, alright.”
Scarlet raised a hoof to her chin in thought. “Would you tell us how it was that you earned your mark? Perhaps we could extrapolate something from that.”
“I’d be happy to.” Applejack glanced down at her flank as she spoke. “I got my mark when I finally realized the place I was meant to be is here at Sweet Apple Acres with my family. I like to think of it as my way of keeping them close - there’s three apples, see? One for Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith.”
Waterwing gave a silent gasp and turned toward Scarlet, who wore a similar look of comprehension.
“I thought as much.” Scarlet paused a moment. “So it was the circumstances of its acquisition that contextualized its intended meaning, then.”
“Exactly!” Applejack’s subsequent grin was short-lived as a thought struck her. “Oh, wait… but that won’t help any, will it? Y'all said you don’t know where yours came from.”
Scarlet shook her head slowly. “They were already there when we first awoke, as mystifying as they are now.”
Applejack bit her lip. “Aw, shoot. I’m real sorry.”
“No need to worry.” Scarlet offered a reassuring smile. “I suppose our answer will simply have to wait for another time.”
Applejack’s own smile returned. “Hey, I got an idea. You two care to help me make a batch of those pastries? I reckon we can spare a few if you’re still hungry.”
Waterwing’s eyes widened as she licked her lips.
Applejack gave yet another chuckle. “Sounds like another 'yes’ to me. Let’s get started!”