Apple Bloom snoozed under the shady awning of the Ponyville train station, a strand of wheat in her mouth. It was a very warm, sunny day late in the summer, so it was the perfect day to lounge as she waited for the train to arrive from Canterlot, her friend on her way home.
Giving a quiet snort as she stirred awake, the young mare looked up as the platform began to rumble, the familiar steam engine coming around the hillside and approaching the town. Climbing up from the platform bench, Apple Bloom stood waiting as the hissing train came to a halt, a crowd of ponies filing out of the boxcars a moment later. Smiling, Apple Bloom watched as a young unicorn filly with a bushy orange mane tied with a big blue ribbon stepped off.
"Hey there, kiddo." the mare smiled as Pumkin Cake raced to her, leaping up and giving her a big hug. "You have a good time at cooking school?"
"I sure did, Apple Bloom!" breathed the yellow filly as she snuggled into her side, her hooves still wrapped around the mare. "I learned a whole lot, an' I can't wait to show... hey wait a minute." she said, climbing back down to the platform. "Where's my mom and dad?" True, she roamed Ponyville freely most every day, but Carrot Cake and Cup Cake still made sure to see her and Pound Cake whenever they returned home from a trip away.
"Oh, you're dad is out deliverin' a wedding cake," Apple Bloom explained "and your mom is finishing a big order right now, so she asked me to come see ya home, sugarcube."
"Well, okay then." Pumpkin Cake said with a smile as the two set off into town together, chatting about their recent happenings.
"So," Apple Bloom began "you get to see a lot of Canterlot?"
"Not much," her friend replied "we mostly spent our time at the culinary school."
"You're kidding. Three weeks in a stuffy academy an' no havin' fun out on the town?" Apple Bloom gave a smirk and nudged the little unicorn. "Did Chef Shortfuse come visit you?" she teased.
"Oh, yeah, actually." Pumpkin Cake said excitedly, Apple Bloom staring in shock. "He's actually really nice and funny. Not like how everyone builds him up to be on Tartarian Kitchen." The two chattered on and on until they came to Sugarcube Corner, the trip going by in a blink for them.
"Well, kiddo, here ya go." Apple Bloom smiled as she started off toward the trail to to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Hey, wait!" Pumpkin Cake called, giving her friend's shoulder a tug. "Don't you wanna stop in for a treat? I just got home, we need to catch up." The earth pony only gave her head a shake.
"Sorry, cowpoke," she said with a small smile "but autumn's coming up. We're gettin' ready for cider season." Pumpkin Cake opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself. She knew her friend was right. Change in seasons around the apple farm always meant a lot of hard work would be needed to make sure everything was up to the peak quality Sweet Apple Acres was renowned for.
"Well, okay then. I'll come help you out like last season." she said, the mare giving her an approving nod. Bidding farewell, the two parted ways, the filly stepping into the bakery and being greeted by the heavenly scent of baking treats and delicious pastries. No doubt, Cup Cake was hard at work on something extra special.
"Mom, I'm home!" the filly called, walking behind the counter and heading into the kitchen. Looking around, she saw a sink full of dishes, flour and dough on the counters and a trolley stacked to the ceiling with crisp apple pies.
"Pumpkin! Welcome home, sweetie!" In a flash, the plump blue earth pony appeared, wearing her favorite apron and her face and swirly pink mane covered in spots of white. "How was culinary school?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, it was a ton of fun." she started excitedly. "Some of the other colts an' fillies were really good, but then I remembered your butterscotch and caramel muffin recipe you taught me back when we were little, an' everyone couldn't get enough of them. Oh yeah," she said as she remembered her brother "is Pound Cake back from young flier's camp?" Cup Cake gave her head a shake, powder drifting from her mane
"Pound Cake should be back before tonight." she explained as she began to clean the kitchen up, Pumpkin Cake peering into the oven to see a single apple pie baking, spoting a ticking kitchen timer nearby. Seeing her daughter looking perceptively about the kitchen, she smiled. "There's a special spiced apple pie baking for us." she added, her daughter's face lighting up. "It's a favorite recipe from an old friend." she sighed happily, reminiscing on one of her favorite memories.
"The pie is done, sugarcube!" Pear Butter cheered, looking over her best friend's shoulder, her bushy orange mane bouncing just a bit as she gasped excitedly when Chiffon Swirl pulled the steamy crisp pie from the oven. "I had to bake this pie in secret out in the barn one night. It didn't turn out good but my pa woulda flipped if he found out I was baking an apple pie." Chiffon giggled at this. True enough, the Pear family didn't like apples one bit, but Pear Butter had been seeing Bright Mac from the Apple family farm in secret lately. No doubt the fruit was growing on her.
"So where did this recipe come from, lover mare?" she teased, Pear Butter blushing just a little bit. "I thought you were on a strictly no-apple diet." she added, her friend giving her a playful jab back.
"Bright Mac snuck me a recipe from Ma Smith's kitchen when she wasn't looking." she explained, both of them waiting as the pie cooled on the cooking rack. "He said it was the best spiced apple pie recipe in Equestria. Having a bona fide baker take care of all the work this time will make a difference." she said with a smile.
"And cooking it in an oven instead of a kiln in a barn will help." Ciffon teased, giggling. Pear Butter, however, narrowed her eyes. Growling, the orange maned pony grabbed a scoop of flour and flung it for her friend.
"Hey!" Ciffon Swirl called between coughs. Flinging some leftover dough at her friend, Chiffon gave a smirk as her friend stumbled backward with sticky dough stuck to her cheek. At this, Pear Butter pounced, both of them crashing to the floor, butter, eggs and shortening falling over on top of them as they laughed in a messy heap.
"Look at this mess." Pear Butter sighed, brushing a slimy eggshell from her mane. "Let's clean this up."
"But first," Chiffon started, reaching for the warm apple pie "let's try this out now." Pulling out two plates and carving two gooey slices, the messy young mares took their plates to the kitchen table and set into the delicious dessert.
"Mm. Tastes like a dream." Chiffon said, the earthy spices pairing perfectly with the sweet tart apples. "Ma Smith sure knows her apples."
"Mmmm." Pear Butter cooed happily with a bite, a smile spreading across her sticky face "I know the last one didn't turn out well, but I don't really care." she said. "There's just something about cooking apple pie that just makes you feel good about life." she mused happily, Chiffon smiling at how she seemed so blissful with her special somepony.
Just then, Cup Cake was shaken from her thoughts as the kitchen timer rang. It was time to take the last pie out.
"This one's just for the four of us, Pumpkin." she said as she set it on the cooking rack. "Let's share a slice after it cools down some." she said with a smile, her daughter nodding happily.
"It smells so good, just like the pies Granny Smith makes." Pumpkin Cake sighed, sniffing at the lovely scent that hung heavy in the kitchen.
"Oh, you spend so much time at that farm, you're starting to sound like Apple Bloom." Cup Cake giggled, the little unicorn making a slight face at this. She wasn't wrong.
"Apple Bloom's my best friend." She said, scuffing gently at the floor. "I just like helping her out on the farm-"
"Oh, don't worry, sweetie," she said, nuzzling her daughter "just teasing. Apple Bloom is a good pony to look up to." Smiling, the two began cleaning up the kitchen, chatting with each other all the while, Pumpkin Cake telling her mother all about her time in Canterlot, the friends she made in culinary school, how Rarity and Sweetie Belle visited from the boutique to sample some dishes, and Chef Shortfuse himself complimented her on her butterscotch and caramel muffins.
"He said I got a whole lot of potential." the young unicorn said excitedly, the two finishing up, the kitchen spick and span. "I can't wait to learn to make more baked stuff."
"Well, there will be plenty of time for that soon enough." Cup Cake said, barely hiding her pride in her daughter's cooking prowess. "For now, let's have some pie." Pulling out two plates and carving two gooey slices, the mare and filly took their plates to the kitchen table and set into the delicious dessert.
"Mm, just as delicious as I remember." Cup Cake said with a smile. Taking a bite, Pumpkin Cake gave a tiny squeal of delight.
"I see Applejack an' Granny Smith making these pies sometimes." she sighed blissfully. "I really wanna learn how to make them. Can you teach me?" she asked, Cup Cake giving her a smile.
"Of course I can, dear." she said. "I know you'll have a knack for it, you're always so fast to pick up baking anything." At this, Pumpkin Cake gave another sigh.
"Y'know, mom," she cooed "there's just something about cooking apple pie that just makes you feel good about life." she mused happily, not noticing Cup Cake's eyes going wide. Just then, however, Pumpkin Cake felt her lip quiver just slightly, her eyes beginning to well with tears.
"Wha... what's wrong?" she asked herself aloud, giving a quiet sniffle. "Why am I crying?" she said, feeling her throat begin to hurt. "I feel... I feel like something's squeezing me inside." she said softly, brushing her tears away. Looking up, however, she saw her mother's face was identical to hers. "Why are you crying, mom?" she asked, giving another soft sniffle. At this, Cup Cake eased out a smile, wiping her own tears away
"Oh, nothing to worry about, dear." She said comfortingly, a slight shudder in her voice as she glanced briefly at her daughter's bushy orange mane. "I just feel... really happy." she added, pulling her daughter close and giving her a squeeze.
"Me too." smiled Pumpkin Cake as she hugged her mother tight. True enough, hugs and desserts like this this were no rare occurrence, but something about today filled Pumpkin with a feeling of nostalgia, like she had experienced this day before. Giving one final sniff, brushing her tears away, Pumpkin thought her mind was just playing tricks on her as she and her dear mother returned to their apple pie. They were right. There was something about sharing pie with someone dear that makes life feel sweet.