//------------------------------//
// Travel 
// Story: Twilight's Canterlot: RotE Episode 6 
// by Dream Volt 
//------------------------------//

	I was looking around.  I knew it had to be close, but I clearly had forgotten exactly where.  Then I saw it.  It was a very pink building, vaguely looking like a giant cake.  The effect wasn't quite as strong as Suguarcube Corner, but there was trim that looked like frosting, and the building was topped with a swirl of cement painted like chocolate.  As expected Pinkie was quickly bouncing ahead of us, but surprisingly she stopped, turned around, and waited for us to catch up.  She did this several more times as we went on.

"Come on, stop going so slow."  Then Pinkie frowned  "Oh no, this isn't where we're going, is it?"

"Ah course it is sugarcube, right Twi?"

I nodded.  "Oh yes.  I figure Pinkie may enjoy this place the most, but I was always very fond of Madame La flour's sweets."

"She's real?"

Dash's yell surprised me, but Pinkie's reaction was more surprising.  It was a long hard glare at Dash.  Dash flew backwards, looking away.

"Now what exactly do you mean by that?" asked Rarity

"Oh, uh, just that I didn't think she was a real pony, just some name, like Ms. Butterworth."  Dash then blinked  "Though I guess that does sound like somepony's real name doesn't it?"

"Ohhhh." Said Pinkie, smiling.  "Sorry Dashie, I was just being a silly willy Pinkie winkie.  I thought you were about to tell a secret, and that’s the fastest way to…"

"…lose a friend." I then smiled

"Forever." Everypony echoed, then we all laughed.

Pinkie kept laughing until she let out a snort.  "Come on, I didn't know the Madame started a chain of stores."  She looked down.  "You know, I really miss her sometimes.  Its just France is so far away."

Dash rolled her eyes.  "I still say France is a stupid name.  I know Fluttershy and Rarity like the clothes and you love the food, but it just doesn't sound right."

Rarity shook her head.  "Rainbow, you really have no appreciation of foreign culture at all, do you?  It's supposed to sound foreign."

Rainbow then turned to Rarity and spoke something rapid fire.  It was too fast for me to follow, and only in retrospect did I realize it was Olympian.  Then I blinked.  It wasn't even modern Olympian, but ancient Olympian.  I blinked.

"Dash, why do you know an ancient language?"

"Mom is an archeologist.  I picked up stuff."

"She is?"

Dash rolled her eyes.  "Duh.  Adventurer isn't a real job.  It meant she was away a good bit, but she had the most awesome stories."  Dash suddenly blinked and looked over at AJ  "Not her books of course, but you know, just talking."

I rolled my eyes but said nothing.

"I know modern Olympian too.  Even been there once."

"Really?" said Rarity, letting out a small gasp.  "But its such a long journey, and over the ocean."

Dash laughed  "Clouds are everywhere, and even when they aren't you can just make more.  There is plenty of moisture over the ocean, even if it's way easier to just use the factory and kinda a pain."

"Do you know any more languages?"

"A few.  It's no big deal though, just remembering a bunch of junk.  But my point is there's foreign, then there's, France.  So dumb."

Rarity sighed.  "Clearly there is no changing your mind at least some of us…"  Then Rarity blinked, and suddenly turned to Pinkie.  "You know somepony in France?"

Pinkie nodded.  "Duh.  Of course I do."

"Why?  How?"

"Oh Rarity, it's really easy.  All you do is walk up to someone and introduce yourself.  I thought you knew that?"

One of Rarity's eyes twitched.  "I know how to make friends Pinkie, I mean why and how did you go to France?"

"Ohhhh.  Why didn’t' you just say so?"

Rarity face hoofed.  "Just tell me please.  It surprises me only slightly you could appreciate French cuisine, but actually visiting there?"

"Oh I didn't visit, I lived there for like two years."

"What?"

"Yea, I mean I said to myself…"  Pinkie then flipped around facing where she had been standing a moment before.  "Pinkie, you want to be the bestest party pony ever, right?"

Pinkie then switched back to nod, then back again.

"You know what that means right?  You need to know how to make the bestest food for parties ever.  You know where you have to go, right?"

She switched places again.  "Great Braytin?"

"No."  She was then glaring at the spot she just vacated.  "France you silly filly, you need to go to France and study food."

"And then I said, oh, now I get, and so I went, and studied at Madame La Flour Sifter's School for the Culinarily Gifted, since it's the bestest."

Rarity went pale.  "Wait, Flour Sifter, as in the Flour Sifter?"

Pinkie nodded.  "Yea.  She's such a silly mare.  I mean I like cooking, but I mean she like loves cooking.  She talks to the food all the time too.  It's weird."

"Did you seriously just say that?" asked Dash

"So you're saying you've trained under the most prestigious Chef in the world?"

Pinkie nodded.  "She always said I was her star pupil, but I graduated and I just had to come back to Equestria."

"Oh, does this mean you're the one that made that sign that ask about our fancy food special orders sign in Sugarcube corner?" asked Fluttershy

"But all this time I thought that just meant fancy decorating." whined Rarity  "All this time I could have been ordering the best in French cuisine?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yea, though honestly most of the really fancy stuff seems sorta silly, and the portions are so small.  I mean come on.  Also it is a bakery silly, so it's not like I can just make non-bakery stuff."

"Actually there is no reason that…"  I began, then realized what I was doing and how pointless is was.  "Never mind, it's not important."

One of Rarity's ears twitched.  "So only cakes, pastries, bread and delectable deserts sure to ruin any diet.  Yes Pinkie, that makes me feel so much better."

"It does?  I mean that's some of the best stuff."

Rarity face hooved, saying nothing more.

"So how about we go girls?"

Pinkke bounced.  "Oooo, Ooo, I almost forgot.  This should be so fun."

As she bounced forward I suddenly remembered something.  While the food really was very good, and claimed to be French, the staff wasn't very French, and I didn't know what would make French cuisine authentic.  Pinkie could be serious sometimes, and when she was, it could be scary.  I suddenly curious if she might be less than pleased with the way her cooking mentor's name was being used.