Sunset soon arrived at her Home Ecc class, it was one of her favorite classes that she was taking this year, though after having her more unsavory side exposed; her letter grade had dropped and she was trying to play catch up. Though luckily for Sunset she had the perfect cooking/baking partner in Pinkie Pie whom she had this class with. She was the only person in class after the Fall formal to welcome her with a smile instead of a scowl, and that was the case today as Sunset walked into class. All other students glared at her as she passed by them but she didn't pay them any mind, she merely kept her focus on the smiling pink girl waving her over.
"Hi Sunset! Over here!" Pinkie called out to her pony friend.
"Hey Pinkie, sorry I took a while, the bathroom was a bit crowded." Sunset said with a coy smile as she took her seat next to Pinkie.
"It's okie dokie! I was just thinking up some plans for the Nightmare Night party, I'm so glad you wanna help me! This is gonna be the most fun night you've ever had!" Pinkie said excitedly as she was scribbling things down in her notebook.
"I can't wait Pinkie, how can I help? I may be new to all this friendship stuff but I really want to learn. And if I am gonna learn how to have fun? Like, actual fun? Who better to learn from than the quote 'Princess of Fun'. " Sunset said with a chuckle and roll of her eyes as she made air quotes with her fingers on each hand. Pinkie was unbothered by this though and simply giggled.
"My title goes unchallenged! Since we're in Home Ecc you can actually help me with making the Halloween cookies and cupcakes!" Pinkie said, her excitement at a clear high point as baking was one of her favorite things to do besides partying.
"Well you do make the best sweets in school, so I'd be honored Pinkie. Where do we start?" Sunset asked, looking over the different ingredients that Pinkie had set up for the sweet treats that would be served at the Halloween party at the school in a couple of days.
The two girls would continue their conversation, Pinkie showing Sunset the different steps it took to make a proper cupcake and advising her to make it look gross but taste yummy; a concept that confused Sunset at first but she trusted Pinkie's judgment. Meanwhile at the back of the class, sat Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom who were tasked with monitoring Sunset when they could.
"I still can't believe they actually decided to be friends with her. After everything she put Rarity through." Sweetie said with a pout on her face as she was mixing something up.
"Ah know what ya mean sweets, that girl ain't been nothin' but trouble fer AJ and her friends. She's actin' all nice and sorry now but like Granny always told me "A raccoon can't change its stripes by crossin' a dirt road." I'll betcha she's up ta something horrible to ruin the Halloween party." Apple Bloom agreed, still sour at Sunset for all the time's she bullies her and Applejack after Big Mac had graduated.
"Well we won't let her. If we can win the contest and give her a good scare? That'll show her not to pick on Freshman" Sweetie said, narrowing her eyes at Sunset who didn't even notice. Unlike her big sister, Sweetie was very capable of holding a grudge and Sunset would soon feel her wrath!
"So what's the plan Sweets?" Apple Bloom asked, looking to see what she was mixing.
"This is a special sugar glaze I learned to make from Pinkie last year. Pinkie and Sunset are making the same one, however theirs won't be coming out so sweet." Sweetie grinned as she handed Apple Bloom a vile that read 'Sour essence' on it, Apple Bloom of course looked confused.
"What're we gon' do with this?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Simple, we're gonna run the ole sweet apple shake up on Sunset and Pinkie." Sweetie smiled as she spoke in code to her best friend.
"Ugh I hate when we gotta do that, it feels so...deceitful."
"Oh don't be a Scootaloo-"
Somewhere a certain daredevil sneezed.
"I ain't no chicken, I just don't like lyin' is all. AJ always told me honesty is the best policy." Apple Bloom said as she wrung her hands.
"Pranks require a little deceit A.B.; Think about all the times Applejack and Big Mac pranked you and had to lie to make it happen. Fair is fair right?" Sweetie asked as she saw Apple Bloom process it all.
Apple Bloom would think back to all the times she had fallen for one of Applejack or Big Mac's tricks and was often labeled as the most gullible of the Apple siblings. It wasn't her fault she was so trusting of people! Applejack was honest to a fault, Big Mac always spoke his mind and Granny Smith had no filter. That left Apple Bloom as the most trusting of the family which often led to her falling victim to jokes and pranks. After mulling it over she would puff her cheeks out and nodded to her friend.
"Let's do it." Apple Bloom said with a determined nod as she grabbed the vile and got ready to walk over to Sunset and Pinkie but was stopped by Sweetie.
"Whoa, whoa, just a second. Gotta make sure they don't notice." Sweetie said as she took the sticker that labeled the vile off and replaced it with a makeshift one that read 'Sweet extract'.
"Oh, right; good point. Okay, here goes." Apple Bloom said as she took a breath and exhaled, putting on a smile she walked over to Sunset and Pinkie, trying her best to look convincing.
"Howdy Pinkie, hi Sunset; ya'll need some help?" The youngest apple sibling asked with faux sweetness. "I got some extra sweet extract if'n ya'll needed any."
"Hi Apple Bloom." Sunset said simply, doing her best to smile and be polite.
"Oh hi Bloom! Hm, I actually think we do! Oh, oh, how about we trade? I have some cinnamon extract I think would really spice up your sweets but like, in the sweet kinda way that cinnamon does, not like hot sauce." Pinkie said with a giggle as she offered to trade with Apple Bloom.
"Oh well that's mighty kind of ya Pinkie" Apple Bloom would exchange the items with Pinkie
As Apple Bloom distracted Sunset and Pinkie, Sweetie Belle slipped around behind them and swapped out their sugar with sour crystals that were made to look exactly like sugar. Snickering to herself she would slink back to her table with her sweet bounty in hand. Pinkie had always gotten the best sugar for her confections and Sweetie would now at last have some to use for herself since Pinkie refused to share it, claiming it was 'too sweet' for her! How insulting!
Once Apple Bloom was done, she too turned to the table and secretly high-fived her friend, while Pinkie and Sunset got to work baking. Shortly after, the teacher of the class Mr. Gustav, who was a veteran pastry chef from France, would address the class.
"Students, your test pastries are to be done by the end of class and I will grade each by way of a taste test. The highest scoring treat shall be featured as one of the top snacks at the Nightmare Night party and there better not be any 'tricks' in these treats!" The teacher gave a warning tone as this seemed to be a trend that he was very clearly sick of, many of the students snickered and a few tossed out their current treats to start over as that was totally their intention.
As the hour and a half rolled by, each of the students had finished their treats and spent the last 20 minutes of class presenting them to the teacher and getting their treat taste tested and graded, needless to say the French pastry chef was a harsh critic, though when it came to Pinkie Pie it was always a lock down that anything she fed him he'd like. However he had little love for Sunset and so that made his critique that much more important to win over.
After tearing into Derpy about yet again selecting muffins as her treat of choice, he moved onto Sunset & Pinkie, his scathing glare and eyes that looked almost like that of an angry bird drilling into Sunset, making her gulp and swallow the lump in her throat.
"And next we have Pinkie Pie & Sunset Shimmer, tell me what treats you've made; and I certainly hope to find no tricks this time." The chef would glare directly at Sunset who shrank under his gaze.
"N-No tricks, just sweetness, promise." Sunset said as she tried to calm her nerves.
"Yeah! You'll see Mr. G! Presenting, The Nightmare Night crown jewel! Cinnamon & Pumpkin Spice Cookies with a chocolate filling!" Pinkie would present a plate of assorted cookies that were in different Halloween themed shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, skulls and bats. They were orange and brown in color and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
"Buuuuut wait, there's more! Sunny made these! Go on, show em Sunny!" Pinkie smiled as she nudged Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset Shimmer smiled nervously and presented her treat of choice, a classic and traditional Equestrian treat that she had made with the other orphans and Celestia when she was a filly and a lot less mean. They were dark blue cookies that looked fluffier and softer than pinkie's, each in different moon-like shapes showing the different phases of the moon. They were each dusted with powdered sugar and had cream coming out of the sides.
"T-These are nightmare moon pies, I used to make these for Halloween back where I'm from. It's tradition to bake a dozen and leave them out for Nightmare Moon to eat so she doesn't gobble you up." Sunset said, recounting the lore of her world's version of Halloween and its traditions.
"Hm, I see; bringing a tradition from your homeland certainly is a nice touch, and I admire the different color pallets in your choice of treats. Blue, black, orange and purple are core Halloween themed colors. Excellent attention to detail, now for a taste test." The haughty chef would give his praise but not show much excitement though he would show respect to Sunset for wanting to spread culture a bit. Scribbling on his notepad he would pick up one of Pinkie's pumpkin shaped cookies and inspect it.
In the back of the classroom, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom snickered, waiting for the ball to drop. Mr. Gustav HATED sour and spicy foods, despite his cultured tongue; just like everyone he had a preference and much like Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle he was a lover of sweets and so spicy food or sour treats didn't sit well with him. Hence why Sweetie swapped their natural sugar for sour sugar! The whole class was about to watch the snooty Frenchman's face pucker up like he had just sucked on an extra tart lemon.
The teacher would take a bite of the cookie and savor the taste, shuddering in delight at how good it was. "Mmmm Tres Magnifique Pinkie! You've outdone yourself once again! A+!"
"Hehehe aww shucks it was nothin'! Just trying a new recipe!" Pinkie smiled
"Mmmm I can tell, the sweetness is complimented by an odd spiciness, not hot or tangy spicy but more like how cinnamon can be spicy. Very interesting and it compliments the pumpkin flavor quite well. Frankly this whole pumpkin spice craze has had me a bit baffled but I can see the appeal!"
"I figured since Applejack is going to be making a special pumpkin spice hot cocoa we should have a snack to go with it!" Pinkie proclaimed having thought far in advance.
"Ah, oui, very good. Now for yours Ms. Shimmer."
"Yes, sir. Here you go. I hope you like it."
Mr. Gustav would take one of the full moon shaped cookies and inspect it, smelled it, licked it and then took a chomp out of it. For a brief moment, the chef's eyes went wide and he dropped his clipboard. He felt himself transported back to his old family home when he was 7 years old on Halloween and his mother was baking cookies in the kitchen. He remembered her bringing him a plate of similar cookies to the ones he was eating here plus some chocolate milk as they sat under the light of the full moon. Swallowing, Mr. Gustav would finish the cookie and then take another one to eat,
"Delightful, truly delightful!"
"R-Really?" Sunset replied in surprise.
"What?!" Sweetie half yelled in confusion.
"Oui, oui; indeed! You say these are traditions in your homeland, yes? I do believe we have something similar to these in my homeland as well, though the taste is quite different, there is no mistaking it! The texture is soft but not spongy, the flavor is a delightful blend of milk chocolate and dark chocolate, the filling is delightfully smooth and creamy. I have to say Ms. Shimmer, you have certainly impressed me. A+!"
Sunset felt her cheeks heat up and she smiled, twirling a nervous finger through her hair. "Oh um t-thank you sir. I'm glad you like them so much."
"Oui, if you would like to share the recipe with me I would be honored but we can discuss that later. Onto the last group, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. What have you two made?"
Sweetie Belle had been trying to process just how her trick had failed! She saw Apple Bloom exchange the extracts! She switched out the sugar! What went wrong? She had no idea but now was no time to panic! Putting her acting skills to use, Sweetie Belle would put on a smile as she presented her treat first, an assortment of little spheres that were each glazed in a different type of frosting and made to look like eyeballs.
"I call these my Sweet Tamales, think of them like mini donut cakes! They're super sweet and melt in your mouth!" Sweetie said, presenting her sweet treat with as much dramatic flare as Rarity would present a dress. Looking at Apple Bloom she would nudge her.
"O-Oh right, and I made an apple family special; candied apples!" Apple Bloom would present her tray of candy coated apples on a stick to the chef.
"Ah, an original and a classic? Excellent choice. Let's see if you pass the tasting."
Picking up one of the sweet tamales, he would inspect it by smelling it first, then licking it; however the moment it touched his tongue he spat and sputtered in disgust and Sweetie's face went pale which was a feat considering her skin was white.
"You call these sweet?! This is completely sour!"
"W-What?! That can't be right, I used the sweetest sugar I possibly could!"
The teach would raise an eyebrow and walked over to her sugar supply, and upon looking at it he could tell at a glance what it was and he was not happy about. "Gag sugar, really Ms. Belle? I expected better from you. F!" He dropped the sour treat in the garbage and slapped a piece of paper on her desk with an F marked on it. Sweetie Belle looked like she was about to cry and Apple Bloom was sweating bullets.
"Uh ya'know what I don't think these are quite done so I'll just uh-"
Before she could toss them out he grabbed out of the apples on a stick and took a bite, looked like he was going to throw up and spat it out into the trash, glaring down at the youngest apple sibling.
"Apples and hot spices don't go together! F!" He slammed a similar paper on Apple Bloom's desk and walked away to his desk up at the front of the class.
"My mind is made up as clearly there is only one group of students here who understood the assignment. Congratulations Pinkie and Sunset; your treats will be featured."
"Woo-hoo! We did it Sunny!" Pinkie cheered and hugged Sunset.
"Heh yeah, I guess we did huh?" Sunset said with a genuine smile.
Meanwhile Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom sat in the back of the classroom seething and wondering how Pinkie managed to turn this around on them. Clutching the F marked paper she growled to herself, a sour taste in her mouth as she glared at the two girls who seemingly didn't notice.
"This...means...war!" Sweetie snarled.
"Oh brother." Apple Bloom sighed and shook her head.