//------------------------------// // A Valuable Lesson in Cooking // Story: Rarity's Little Disaster // by Saekwaka //------------------------------// "Granny Smith!" Three young, anxious ponies scuttled towards the old mare rocking in her chair on the front porch. "What, what is it?" The pony called "Granny Smith" snorted, now awakened from her snooze. "Where were you?" Demanded little Apple Bloom. "Yeah, we looked everywhere, but we still couldn't find you!" Included Scootaloo.  "Why, I was..." Granny trailed off, placing a hoof on her chin, then looking up at the clouds as if they held an answer for her. "What was I doin' before I fell asleep?" "Nevermind that," said an impatient Sweetie Belle. "We have cutie marks to get, remember, Apple Bloom?"  "Yeah, yeah." Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Just hold yourself for a minute; I'm gettin' to that!" "Say, Granny Smith," Scootaloo began, evidently oblivious to her other friends' conversation. "Can you teach us how to cook?" "Why, certainly!" The old pony cawed gleefully. "Come right on in the kitchen, and we'll get started." "Awesome! With Granny Smith teaching us, we'll get our cutie marks in no time!" Scootaloo said to the other two just before entering Apple Jack's house. Nodding with agreement, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trailed behind eagerly. *** "Now, Opal! I might not be an expert on cats, but I do know that if- GAH!" Apple Jack cringed as the fluffy little creature scratched the side of her cheek. "See here, cat!" Spat Apple Jack. "Rarity's comin' back soon, and if she sees you covered in mud, she's going to be right mad!"  Opal, now trapped in the corner of the Apples' barn, yowled furiously.  This cat is trying to rip me to shreds! Thought Apple Jack as she gingerly tapped the scratch on her face using her hoof. 'Course, that ain't nothin' compared to what Rarity'll do if she sees her precious Opal covered in mud. That silly creature ran straight into a mud puddle! Why did the Pegasi have to schedule a rain for yesterday?! Opal hissed in the silence, inturrupting Apple Jack's thoughts.  "Hmph. You wanna make this hard?" Apple Jack challenged. "Well two can play this game!" *** Fine, sifted flour coated Scootaloo's hooves. "Are you sure this is what we're supposed to do?" She asked, kneading the dough. "This is kind if boring." "Just be patient," replied Sweetie. "Maybe the fun part hasn't come yet." "Ain't nothin' like bakin' sweet apple pie!" Granny Smith sang out, pulling out a basket of big, bright-red apples.  "And we're supposed to be putting this on top? It looks a little bulky for a pie..." Scootaloo raised her hooves away from the fat lump if dough. "Well, we haven't rolled it out yet!" Argued Apple Bloom. "Hey, Granny Smith," said Sweetie Belle. "How long do we have to leave it in for?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it; now we have to, uh," Granny paused for a moment. Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "Have to...?"  "Oh! Yes, that's right. We gotta cut up these apples a bit." Scootaloo covered her face with her hoof. "This is so lame." "I'll say," snorted Apple Bloom. "You got flour and bits of dough all over your face!" *** It's too quiet in here. Inside of her closed barn, Apple Jack froze; letting the light from the cieling bulb reveal her determined stance. To herself, she spoke aloud. "She's around here somewhere, I know it!" Thunk! "What was that?" Apple Jack turned instinctively towards the sound, but only to find her remaining apple barrels stacked lazily in the same corner and manner she had stacked them earlier today.  No cat, hmm? Well, why don't I just take a look at what's over there? Casually, she trotted over to the barrels that seemed to have created the sound. Empty?!  "How in tarnation could this be-" WOOSH! Something small rushed inbetween her hooves; but not fast enough. Quickly, Apple Jack caught the furry feline using her jaws. She will now be groomed. With that, she carried little Opal towards the grooming kit in the corner. *** "And finally!" Said Granny Smith, picking up the unbaked pie. Scootaloo leaned over and whispered in Sweetie Belle's ear, "finally is right." Sweetie sniggered. "We put this in the oven, and set it for ten minutes and two-hundred-fifty degrees!" "Are you sure that's right, Granny?" Asked Apple Bloom. "Well, in all honesty, no. But I'm trying out a new recipe that I got from that, er, Pinkie Pie gal. You kids have fun!" After that, Granny Smith exited the room to continue her nap on the front porch. The three girls stood silently around the mess they had just made in the proccess of baking an apple pie.  "This stinks." Pouted Scootaloo. "I know! We have to wait a whole ten minutes just to get our cutie marks!" Agreed Sweetie, sitting down on the flour dusted floor and then crossing her hooves. "Well, at least it wasn't Granny's old recipe. That one took longer!" Apple Bloom said. "Isn't there a way we could speed it up?" Sweetie Belle asked, turning her head in the direction of Apple Bloom. Before she had time to answer, Scootaloo perked up, and practically shouted with excitement, "I know! We can set the oven to five-hundred degrees for five minutes!" "That's a great idea!" Squealed Sweetie. Apple Bloom, however, was less enthusiastic. "I don't know, you guys. Granny Smith said that she was followin' Pinkie's  recipe. Maybe we should just-" "Change the settings? You read my mind!" Said Scootaloo, turning the oven to five-hundred. "I didn't say that! I said we should leave it!" Apple Bloom said, turning the oven back to its original settings. "And I say we speed this up so we can actually get our cutie marks before we're snoring in rocking chairs!" Scootaloo changed the oven back, evidently unaware of the pie's bubbling inside. Sweetie Belle seemed to be the only one to notice.  "Uhm, guys?" Sweetie Belle said, watching her two friends fight over the settings on the oven. Back, and forth from two-hundred-fifty to five-hundred the oven went; over and over again. Still, nopony heard Sweetie Belle's objections. Pop! A dough-bubble explosion sounded from inside."I think you should stop now!" Ignoring Sweetie Belle's plead, Apple Bloom continued to argue with Scootaloo while the pie inside the oven still boiled and popped furiously. "Stay!" "Change!" "Stay!" "Cha-" Splat! Now, in the oven, the pie splattered in a sticky, doughy mess. Ding! The oven sounded. "Well," started Sweetie Belle, "your plan worked, Scootaloo. It's done."