//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Friendship is Magic (and also cupcakes) // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Celestia hadn’t even woken up let alone raised the sun when Ruby Pinch’s eyes snapped open. She blinked once and then a smile spread across her face as she remembered what she was so excited about. Today was a special day! She pushed the covers off, then slowly slid out of bed and crept down the stairs. Her heart pounded in her chest as she nudged open the kitchen door with her muzzle. She gasped as the door fully opened. “She came!” She scampered back and rapped on the door to Berry's bedroom. “Mommy! Mommy! She came! She came!” Berry Punch woke up, squinting. Who came? Was Minuette here already? What time was it? She pushed herself up and turned on the lamp so she could see. This was a mistake; her eyes quickly clamped themselves shut against the harsh light and she groaned.  Ruby continued, urging her mother up. “The birthday pony came! She came! Come see!” Reaching out, she grabbed her mother's hoof and tried physically dragging her into the living room.  Eyes still crimped shut, Berry Punch let herself be pulled along. Ruby went straight for the kitchen. “See?” Berry Punch forced her eye open, and she couldn't help but tear up as she saw the cake there. She hadn't forgotten, but she hadn't gotten anything ready for her daughter this early in the morning. Though the legend of the birthday pony seemed to be real enough, it was comforting to know Ruby would have a special morning. “It looks amazing. So, cake for breakfast?” she asked with a smile.  “Yeah!” Ruby cheered.  Up in the trees nearby, a pony watched as Berry Punch cut them both generous slices. The pony smiled, revealing sharp little fangs…  Later that afternoon, high in the cloudy sky, a purple unicorn in a chariot rested her head on the chariot and exhaled.  “Look on the bright side, Twilight,” Spike said encouragingly. “The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?” Twilight brightened. “Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return.” Spike sighed. Twilight really needed something better to focus on, like, oh, maybe her other assignment from the princess? That whole making friends thing?  Still, he knew he'd have more luck conversing with a brick wall than Twilight when she was in one of her moods, so he settled for looking down at the ponies walking below.  They soon landed, and after thanking the pegasi who had pulled her chariot, they continued on their way. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched from the shadows by a pair of brilliant blue eyes…  Twilight looked around. “Yes. This should do nicely.” She lit her horn and began pulling books off the shelves. “What about the preparations?” Spike asked. “Or, you know, the other thing?” “It’s late tonight,” Twilight said, which was true. “I’ll get started on that first thing in the morning. Right now, I’m going to do some research.” Spike shrugged. “Knock yourself out.” Twilight awoke with a groan. She lifted her head and the page of notes she was working on last came with her, only to drop off a moment later. She’d fallen asleep on the table studying, so she was surrounded by stacks of books, a few pages of notes, a cake, and- Wait. Startled into alertness by the unexpected presence, she took another look. There was a pink cake on her table that had not been there last night. On top, the words ‘Welcome to Ponyville!’ were piped in loopy purple frosting that looked eerily similar to her coat color. She looked up, tilting her head back towards the bedroom. “Spike? Where did you get this?” Spike poked his head in. He leaned against the doorframe and rubbed his eyes blearily. “Get what?” he asked. “This cake.” “What cake?” Spike opened one eye, and then both shot open. “Ooh, cake!” He eagerly reached for it.  Twilight blocked his claw with one of the books. “Not before breakfast,” she scolded. “And probably not at all, honestly.” Spike could see his chances of eating cake quickly vanishing. “It's not every day a cake shows up. I think…” He tapped his claws together. “I think the universe wants us to eat it.” “The universe does not go around leaving cakes willy-nilly,” Twilight said. “The amount of energy that would require would be astronomical, to say nothing of the entropy that would need to be overcome.” “But you can’t deny the fact that a cake has appeared here,” Spike pointed out. “And cakes are meant to be eaten.” “It’s far more likely that somepony has left it here,” Twilight snorted.  “Then it stands to reason that that somepony wants us to eat it,” Spike said, his claws eagerly moving.  “Spike!” Twilight protested. “What if it's poisoned?” “Then I'll die happy,” Spike said, licking his lips and reaching for it.  Twilight sighed and teleported him to the edge of the kitchen. “Nopony is going to eat this cake until I’m certain it’s safe and I’ve figured out where it came from,” she said firmly. “And I’m going to start with the one place in town where I know cakes come from.” “Ok,” Spike said, unable to completely hide his excitement. “And while you do that…” “Nice try,” Twilight said, lighting her horn and picking him up. “You’re coming with me.” Mrs. Cake looked up as the bell over the door jingled. “Good morning,” she greeted her. “Good morning,” Twilight answered. “The strangest thing happened last night.” Mrs. Cake laughed lightly. “Don’t tell me. A cake mysteriously appeared in your house?” “Something like that,” Twilight said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh, dearie, there’s nothing to worry about. You were just visited by the Birthday Pony!” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The Birthday Pony?” “That’s the one! She makes a cake to welcome every new pony and one for every birthday. She’s a Ponyville legend.” Twilight pursed her lips. She had long since given up believing in mysterious, nightly-visitor beings like the tooth breezie. She’d scientifically proven it. She’d set traps, and all she’d caught was her brother. “How do you know it's a she?” Twilight had to ask.  Mrs. Cake seemed slightly taken aback that that had been her first question, but she quickly recovered. “Just a guess,” she said. “Her writing is very loopy.” Twilight narrowed her eyes further. Something was still off here.  Mrs. Cake tittered. “You have nothing to worry about,” she reassured her. “Trust me. Enjoy the cake, because you’ll have to wait for your birthday to get another.” Spike looked at her and nodded, clearly satisfied with this explanation, but Twilight was not thoroughly convinced. “And ‘she’ does this for the whole town?” “Sure does! Ask anypony you’d like,” Mrs. Cake said. Well, she did have a couple ponies to talk to about the Summer Sun Celebration. Maybe she could take care of two things at once.