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// 16: All the Right Ingredients 
// Story: Blooming 
// by Bookish Delight 
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"Right! Yes! Meals! Cooking! Okay, okay, I'm calm now, I promise, I swear." Juniper broke their hug, fanned herself a bit, bringing back her usual composure and showiness. "Okay, then. I know that neither of us are very good socially, but the good news is, we don't have to be. The key to good show business is to realize that your audience only knows what you show them." She turned Wallflower towards the doorway. "Lie to them. Lie like crazy. But also put yourself into the performance."

"That," Wallflower said, "sounds a little conflicting?"

"Only because this is your first time trying it. Act confident, or, at least, what you think confidence looks like—then tell our viewers at home what's on the menu tonight."

Wallflower imagined that audience. An audience full of people in an auditorium, formless shadows at first, but soon enough, shapes and skin tones and colors washed over them, morphing them quickly into an amassed group of people which looked strikingly like the same audience from that fateful day back in Canterlot High School…

The day of the garden club presentation.

The day when she'd given everything she had into presenting herself, and her greatest love, to the world—and had been punished soundly for her trouble.

The fear from back then, the burning, the mild nausea, came rushing up from her stomach, to her chest, to her throat.

Until she looked out over the audience again. Canterlot High students meant a lot of people who ignored her, sure.

But it also meant people like…

Like Sunset. And Rarity. And Rainbow, and Vinyl, and Photo Finish—and even people who don't even go there, like Sour, and Indigo, and Sunny…

She could see them in the audience now, able to make them out through lights shining on them from above. They were smiling at Wallflower, eyes wide, hanging on Wallflower's every word and action, waiting for her to go on!

People who…

She looked to her side, to Juniper, who had the same expectant expression.

…people who actually want me here.

The painful burning turned to a much softer, energizing warmth. Wallflower straightened, standing tall—which was still almost a full head shorter than Juniper, and the latter loved teasing her about it—and looked out at the new audience, which did still have some people who could have cared less about her presence or emotions, but also contained just enough support to convince her to take another shot.

It also helped that a quick glance in one of the kitchen's mirrors, allowing her to see herself in a head chef's uniform, to see herself in charge, was still doing its job at making her feel revered. Important. Noticed.

(Wallflower made a mental note to tell Rarity and Sour Sweet about the experience—perhaps they could come up with some more garment ideas along such lines. Once Rarity was done crowing about how she was right all along, of course.)

"Tonight," Wallflower addressed the world with conviction (from inside a closed house where only one person could see and hear her, which admittedly also helped), "we're making chunky vegetable stew. No meat, all spices, all taste! At least, if things go well."

"Eeeeee!" Juniper squealed, throwing her arms around Wallflower from behind. "I cannot wait!"

Without even thinking about it, Wallflower laughed, and said, "Then help me out, silly!" She walked over to the cooler of vegetables, and started laying ingredients out on the kitchen counter.

"You got it! For cuisine, and for friendship, even this actress shall dirty her hands!" Juniper fetched a large plastic knife and cutting board, then washed each of the vegetables from the cooler in the sink, and set them down on the same counter she'd place the cutting board.

"Joke's on you, Wallflower," she said, brandishing the plastic knife with a faux-malevolent grin. "While you were cavorting with plants, I studied the salad slicer. Wa-cha!" At high speed, Juniper began chopping carrots and celery stalks.

All Wallflower could do was laugh again at the sight, with an extra warning of, "Be careful, please!"

From there, the two worked in sync, with Juniper preparing the vegetables to Wallflower's specifications, and Wallflower preparing the pot, the broth, and the seasoning, using Juniper's ample spice cabinet. Juniper mentioned that every spice in her kitchen had the privilege of being imported due to her uncle doing lots of international location shoots. (Wallflower wasn't quite sure if Himaneighan pink salt, Prench thyme or Spaintish paprika would work out any better than the usual stuff from the supermarket, but it surely couldn't hurt, right?)

Before long, all of the vegetables in the cooler were in small pieces courtesy of Juniper, and both girls used large spoons and bowls to take to the pot: carrots, celery, potatoes, tomato sauce, beans, and mushrooms.

Wallflower mixed them all in, relishing Juniper's amazed expression as they all jumbled together, raising the stew's broth level to a height that had even surprised Wallflower the first time she'd tried this recipe.

"Whoa. I've, uh, got a kitchen sink next to me if you need that too," Juniper said.

Wallflower smiled. "Maybe next time."

"If I make it to next time without going into a food coma. Seriously, this smells amazing and we haven't even started cooking yet! What were you doing over here while I was chopping veggies?"

"My duty as our head chef," Wallflower said. "In this case, getting the broth flavor-ready so that the veggies have some good stuff to absorb," Wallflower said. "A little pepper, salt, oregano, basil, paprika, rosemary…" Wallflower snapped her fingers. "Oh! But I almost forgot the most important thing!" She turned to Juniper. "Do you have a citrus squeezer?"

"Sure. What for?" Juniper said, grabbing one from the cabinet. "Also, totally unrelated question: was I supposed to do anything with the lemons in the cooler? They were the only thing left, but it didn't seem right to chop them up along with everything else." Juniper's face twisted. "Fruit peels in stew… didn't feel right to me."

Wallflower giggled. "Your intuition was spot on," she said, juicing one of the lemons and pouring the resulting liquid into the pot, then stirring. After nearly a full minute of cooking, then stirring again, she fetched two clean spoons, scooped out a little of the stew-in-progress, tasted it with her spoon. Perfect. She offered Juniper her own spoonful to taste.

Wallflower squealed inwardly as she watched Juniper accept, slurp the stew, and her eyebrows shoot up. "Oh my utter goodness. It's a flavor party in my mouth and I'm making a million new friends all at once! Wally, you're a kitchen wizard."

Wallflower blushed. "I just have a lot of practice. Especially with this recipe."

"I believe it," Juniper said, sidling close to Wallflower. "Can I just drink this stuff? We don't even need the veggies."

"No, no you can't," Wallflower said, laughing and bumping Juniper back. She watched the stew softly bubble, feeling light on her feet and in her chest as she sampled its savory aroma. "Always, always veggies. Especially now that I've decided… that life's worth living, to the fullest. So I'm gonna make sure I live forever." She smiled up at Juniper. "And I want you to, also."

It was Juniper's turn to blush, far more deeply given her complexion. "Found the screenwriter. Don't be surprised if I tap you for a script."

"Hmmmm," Wallflower said. "I do enjoy writing."

"I mean, all the quiet ones do."

Wallflower stirred the ingredients in the pot one last time, placed a lit on top, and set the stove to simmer. "All right, this'll take about an hour to cook. Just enough time for a sharing session like we promised?" Wallflower asked as they left the kitchen.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Juniper said, closing her eyes and placing the back of her hand on her forehead. "I'll go first, fighting through my ravenous hunger to reveal my sordid past!" she proclaimed.

Wallflower snapped her fingers. "Actually, hang on. You won't need to go that far." She darted back into the kitchen, opened up a hidden compartment to the vegetable cooler, grabbed a sandwich bag containing two carrots within, then returned. "I always keep a little extra snack handy, since I get hungry during cooking too. Nutrients while we wait!" She did a small excited hop as she offered one carrot to Juniper.

Juniper examined the carrot, turning it around in her hand as if it were evidence in a crime scene, then shrugged. "Well, at least I know it's good for me." She took a bite, munching along with Wallflower. "So, okay, this is gonna sound silly, but there's this really old kid's show about a couple of cute, happy rabbits, that I suddenly feel we just are right now—"

She was cut off by a gasp from Wallflower, who put two index fingers beside her ears, and grinned… then after a moment, broke into song:

"We are the bunnies who know way too much for our own good!"

Juniper lit up in shock. Elated shock, but shock nonetheless. Still, she recovered just in time to continue the medley:

"But we know to share all our knowledge, like good little bunnies totally should!"

And just like in the diner, both girls squealed in unison, amidst laughter. "How in the heck do you know Four-Ears Academy?" Juniper exclaimed. "No one knows Four-Ears Academy!"

"Really?" Wallflower said. I always caught people singing the theme song growing up. Even back in Canterlot Elementary."

"Huh. Mom was right. I always was bad at being aware of my surroundings," Juniper muttered.

Wallflower smiled. "Join the club."

Juniper smiled back at Wallflower as she neared the stairs . "Think I will. Though, if you're looking for a real nostalgia session… come on. Follow me."

"More fashion?" Wallflower asked.

Juniper shook her head. "Nah. That was coming attractions. Now," she said, a glint in her eye, "it's feature time."