It was spring morning when Twilight woke up without any idea how she got there. She looked around and noticed she was back in her room at her house. Bewildered she looked around her room. The walls were made of ebony planks. The floor made of oak and she also noticed lots of bookshelves and books and yet, it felt alien to her. For the first time in her life she wasn't eager to read any books but rather curious about last nights food.
The food was amazing. So amazing in fact that she wanted only one thing todo 'learn how to cook'. However she didn't want read any books about it. She Just wanted to experience the thrill to cook for the first time herself. so she went down stairs to the living room.
She then looked around the living room. The house was quiet. She then looked towards the clock on the wall to her left. And noticed that it was 6 o'clock in the morning. After that she moved quietly towards the kitchen and looked in the fridge. The fridge contained lots of vegetables, some milk and some eggs. In one of the many cupboards she saw flour, sugar and many other goodies for cooking, she also noticed the cookie jar in the background but ignored it. She then noticed a book next to the cookie jar. And moved the book in front of her using her magic. It says 'Cooking for Beginners'. She turned to page 1 and saw a recipe for pancakes and the ingredients as well as instructions and a picture:
1 1/2 cup flour,
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder,
1 teaspoon salt,
1 tablespoon sugar,
1 1/4 cup milk,
1 egg,
3 tablespoons of unsalted, molten butter,
She thought to herself 'Okay this is easy enough. Just mix the non-liquids together. Make a well in the center then add the liquids to the well and mix well'. She proceeded to first grab all the non-liquids together, the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. after that she added the right amount of dry ingredients into a bowl and started mixing it using her magic. However it did go as planned as she mixed the bowl too fast causing most of the content to spill out. She looked at her mistake and decided to try again.
This time she levitated a spatula into the bowl and mixed slowly until it was all well mixed. Happy with the result.
she first melted the butter using her heat magic after that she added that with the milk into a separated bowl, now she just needed to add the egg. She failed to properly crack 2 boxes of eggs before she finally added 1 egg into the separated bowl.
She then moved the ingredients from the separated bowl into well that she made in the first bowl. And proceeded to mix it until the mixture was thick.
Now that the mixture was a thick liquid she looked at the second step 'pour a little bit of oil in a preheated skillet. Then add some of the mixture to the pan. Flip the pancake atleast 4 time and place it on a plate. Sounds easy enough.'
She grabbed a small skillet out of the cupboard directly next to the stove. she proceeded heated the pan on high. She grabbed the oil from a nearby cupboard. Then added the oil to the pan, after waiting for a few moment for the pan to be hot enough.
She then proceeded to forget that the heat was on high which caused her first heaping on mixture in the pan to burn after she put some in. Not to mention she was looking at her book when she poured it in. After that incident she moved to lower the heat to medium and watched the mixture closely this time.
Her second attempt failed because she got impatient at the pancake and flipped it to soon, which caused her mixture to splash the wall behind the stove. Looking sheepish at this failure. She quickly wrote down that she needed to make sure that the pancake was stiff on both sides before attempting to flip.
She tried again. And this time the pancake was stiff enough when she attempt to flip the pancake. she successfully flipped this pancake 4 times before putting the pancake on a plate using her magic. Internally she celebrated. But when she looked closer at the pancake now on her plate. She noticed it thicker than normal, thus realizing she needed to add less mixture.
The pancake was also to dark, which suggest that she either needed to lower the heat further or bake the pancake shorter. She quickly wrote this down.
after that Twilight noticed that she made quite a mess around her in the kitchen. Not wanting to get punished, she quickly wrote down to clean every time after baking something.
For the next hour or so she used up her batter and made a total of 25 small pancakes. She was exhausted but still felt she shouldn't leave until she cleaned the kitchen. So for the next 30 minutes Twilight cleaned the kitchen while her pancakes were cooling down near a window.
after it was cool enough, she added some fresh berries and fruits to the pancake. Then adding the maple syrup and powdered sugar to the pancakes. she placed it in the living room and proceeded to eat her first creation. It was delicious but she felt like something was lacking. She couldn't figure it out. It wasn't the pancakes but perhaps it's because she was eating it alone.
After she was done, she cleaned her plate up and proceeded to move towards her room.
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Once Twilight arrives at her room she looks around her book shelves for find a good book, when she spots a scale below her bed. She then levitates the scale from under her bed and checks if it still works. noticing that it still works and that it's on zero. She proceed to stand above it and Gasps 'I gain 5 kg?!' she thought shocked.
Walking off the scale she looks in a mirror and does notice that she indeed looks a little pudgy. Realizing this, she thought that after eating all those pancakes she should exercise those pancakes out of her system. Unless she wishes to become fat.
After that Twilight scrambles to her desk and takes a scroll out of her drawer. she then grabs a feather and dips it in ink. writing: 'Mom, I am going to go outside for some exercise, I will be back before dinner, Twilight', She then closes her scroll.
Grabbing a stamp out of the same drawer and putting a stamp on the scroll. then moving the scroll to the living room and placing it on the table. After that she moves towards the front door, unlocking said door to then move outside.
Once outside Twilight decides to go to the castle for the longest possible walking trip. As its on the other side of the city and it would do her quite good. On the way there she sees Music clean the restaurant where she ate the previous night. She also notice guards patrolling the city and giving her weird looks for walking around so early.
She then moves toward a vintage point to look how far away the castle still is. Noticing a market in front of her she decided to go take a detour before going to the castle.
Twilight calmly trod towards the morning market in the commercial district. When she arrives she notices lots of fruits and vegetable to her right. And to her left she sees lots of fish and meats being sold. She sees a griffon ambassador looking at the meats and fish. But also notices that he is about to buy a low quality meat.
"Hey, good sir!" Twilight shouts at the ambassador who looks at her surprised.
"Can i help you?" the Griffon asks confused.
"You are trying to buy some good meat correct?" Twilight asks.
The griffon nods and ask "That's correct young filly, Why? Is there something wrong with this chunk of meat?" He asked pointing at the chunk.
Twilight nods and says "Yes, this meat looks indeed quite marbled but it's made with low quality meat and is being sold for a unnecessarily high price."
The griffon looks at her then at the meat and ask "How do you know?" the shopkeeper on the other side of the stall starts to sweat, which the griffon also noticed.
Twilight points at the location of the bone "If this was truly good meat, the bone would be over the entire meat, not just in one shall section like right here." "Also there is an obvious sign that someone inserted the bone into the meat, instead of it being natural." Twilight explained.
The griffon looks at the bone and nods "Good catch young one, it is indeed low quality meat." He says while looking angrily at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper sighs defeated "Okay, good sir. Pick any meat I have and it will be your for free. Just please don't tell anyone." He begs
The griffon and Twilight looks victorious. The griffon asks "So what is your name? young one."
"My name is Twilight sparkle, What is yours? good sir." Twilight asks politely
"My name is Vermouth Roux. Well now that you defeated the shopkeeper, could you choose a good meat for me?" Vermouth asks
twilight nodded and looked at his booth for a minute. disappointedly she says "Unless he's hiding some meats his "High quality meat store" is a scam" she says exactly as a guard passed her.
The guard stopped patrolling to look at the shopkeeper with narrowed eyes, which caused the shopkeeper to finch.
the shopkeeper looked at the guard, then to the filly, then towards the griffon and last to his manager on the other side of the street.
He signed and says "Okay I am hiding my high quality meat, please one moment" he turns around and grabs the biggest chunk of meat Twilight has ever seen. Even Vermouth was surprised to see that particular piece of meat.
"Please take this sir." he gave the meat to Vermouth, Vermouth scrambled to grab it when the guard lifted it for him. Vermouth looked at guard approvingly and pointed to the castle. The guard then saluted and walk off with the meat.
Vermouth turned to Twilight and says "Take this badge, if you ever need me for something. Just use that badge."
Twilight then thanked Vermouth and moved on while waving at him.
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After like 2 hours of walking she finally arrives. Just she was about to enter a guard stopped her and shouted "Hold! You are not allowed to pass!"
Twilight looks confused at the two guards and asks "Why not? I am here to see Princess Cadence."
The guard looks more closely at her. Afterwards he shook his head "I am sorry, Twilight, the princesses requested some privacy." the guard stated.
Twilight looking sad and was about to walk away when she bumped into a chef holding food for Cadence. Immediately after that the chef lost his concentration over his levitation, which caused the food to fall to the ground. The chef turns to see who he bumped into and angrily shouts "Oi! Watch where you are going! You made me drop food for Princess Cadence!"
Twilight makes herself small and says scared "I am sorry sir." the guard looks at Twilight then proceeds to stare at the chef, who immediately noticed the stare and hmpfed looking away from the guard.
Twilight looks at the food then at the chef. She then slowly stands up more comfortably and asks "Perhaps I could help you get some new food for her. Can I help you make something new for her? We would be faster together"
The chef looks at her and sighs "Thank you young child, but this is cooking for grown adults." he stated
"But I know what Cadence likes to eat!" Twilight shouted
The chef raised his eyebrow at the lack of princess in that sentence. He then looks at his food still on the ground "Fine! But you will do exactly as I say, understood?" Twilight nodded her small head up and down. "Good! Then come with me."
Twilight and the chef practically ran towards the kitchen and as she entered the chef immediately order Twilight to wash her hooves and face. Twilight doing as was told also put on a kitchen outfit in the process.
"First you need to grab some bread and cut it horizontally." "With this bread knife." The chef said showing her a knife with teeth, Twilight grabbed the knife in her magic and slowly cut a near perfect slice of bread and then another piece. The chef looks impressed at how fast Twilight acted on the request and the near perfect slice of bread. While he was working on a salad in the background.
"Then put some strawberry jam on the bottom, with a butterknife" "And add pieces brie on it." the chef stated as Twilight scrambled to grab the jam and a butterknife for the job. she then though that she made a mistake, for adding too much jam on to the slice bread. The chef altho noticing it, said nothing as Cadence liked lots of jam on her bread. Twilight then also put about 3 slices of 1 cm thick brie. The chef nodded in approval.
"Add some Rucola and some cherry tomatoes" the chef requested, Twilight added the Rucola then paused as she remember Cadence experience with cherry tomatoes.
"But Cadence does not like cherry tomatoes, I do know she like cucumber, should I substitute?" Twilight requested, the chef looked at her and thought about it...
"Okay, that is a good substitute for the tomatoes, but only and 5 slices of cucumber then." the chef stated approvingly.
Twilight then added the cucumber and then looked at the chef pointing to the second slice. The chef nodded. Twilight then placed the slice on top.
"Final task, cut the sandwich in two and putting in on this pre prepped plate." the chef said approvingly while he finished up his egg salad.
Twilight cut it in two and placed on a pre prepped plate, the chef then grabbed both the sandwich as well as the salad in his magic. beaconing Twilight to come join him in serving the dish to Princess Cadence.
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Cadence meanwhile started to get impatient and ask the guard "Where is he? It's been 30 minutes!"
The guard looked at Cadence and spoke "He had a minor incident at the front gate. He should be here any minute."
Cadence eyes narrow on the guard and ask "What incident?" The guard nervously looked at Cadence. It reminded her of her previous mistake in the public canteen.
"The chef bumped into Twilight, causing him lose focus on levitating the food. Thus dropping the food to the ground." The guard stated anxiously.
Cadence eyes widen and asked "How did that happen?"
"It's because you asked for privacy, so the guards didn't let her in and as she was about to leave she bumped into the chef."
the guard simply stated.
Cadence hmm-ed until there was a knock on the door, "Come in!" Cadence shouted
The chef AND Twilight entered the room with some food, Twilight still had a chef's outfit on as she entered, which caused Cadence to looked worried at Twilight. The chef casually placed the food in front of her. Then both the chef and Twilight bowed about to leave the room.
"Twilight wait! You stay here. I would like to chat with the chef at a later date. But you have to stay here and explain yourself." Cadence said
This caused Twilight to turn around with a sheepish smile. which caused the chef to raise an eyebrow. The chef then left while Twilight walked towards Cadence.
Cadence then told the guard to remove Twilight's outfit and asked for them to be left alone. The guard saluted and proceeded to remove Twilight's outfit and leave the room.
Cadence was about to speak when Twilight was faster "Cadence, first please eat your sandwich! You can't think straight when you are hungry." Twilight begged.
Cadence looked at her sandwich then at Twilight. She sighed at took a bite in her sandwich. She was surprised to taste a lot more jam than she usually does, and for a moment ignored Twilight to eat her sandwich.
When Cadence was done she asked "Did you make this?"
Twilight nodded smiling "All tho I think I added too much jam on it."
Cadence smiled when she saw Twilight say that "You silly filly! I like lots of jam on my sandwich always" Cadence said hugging Twilight.
Twilight looked surprised and said "I also choose to added cucumber instead of cherry tomatoes for you!"
Cadence face for a moment went grim when she heard cherry tomatoes, then she smiled and said "At this rate you would become my personal chef" she said jokingly
Twilight eyes lit up at the idea. She thought about it. 'So I love eating food, but I also like making it. Not to mention I get this warm feeling when I see people smile when they eat my food'
Cadence noticed that Twilight took that joke at lot more serious than intended. So she too thought about it and came to the conclusion that Twilight was a surprisingly good chef for her age. Not to mention she somehow knew food better than most. Even tho she always thought that Twilight was a bookworm. No that was not quite right, She has all the traits of a foodie and yet why did she think that she was a bookworm? Yes, she saw her read a lot of books, but she also ate as much books as she read.
Cadence shook her head then she asked Twilight "Want to learn how to cook?"