Derpy was in a total panic. Time Turner had actually asked her on a date. Tonight. After the horrible relationship between her and Dinky's father, Derpy had vowed that she'd never let another block headed colt sweep her off her feet and use her again. But it was different this time. Time turner seemed to generally like her. So, she decided to give him a chance, or rather, she was going to go to the movies with him because Carrot Top decided to take matters into her own stinking hooves again and set the two up on a "blind date." As Derpy was trying to find her bestest dress, she decided that Carrot Top's fridge was in need of invading tomorrow.
"Okay Sparkler, let's see, the emergancey contacts are by the phone, I have some pasta for you already in the oven to keep warm. Oh, and don't forget to give Dinky a bath and put her to bed. Ooh, does my mane look okay? Oh no! do I have garlic breath?" AT this Derpy proceeded to huff into her babysitter's face. Now, most young mares would have been offended. Not Sparkler. She had grown quite close to the Hooves family over the years and just wrote it off as Derpy being derpy.
"Derpy, calm down. Relax, you'll be fine! You look great, your breath smells like those seven mints you just ate, and your mane looks beautiful. Don't worry. I'm sure the good doctor won't judge the whole night based on your looks alone." The grey pegasus was finally able to calm down slightly, as she tried to put on her lipstick. And, of course, when Dr. Time Turner showed up at exactly 5:00, he told her surrogate mother that she looked absolutely stunning. "Okay, have fun you two." She giggled as Derpy glared at her in mock anger.
Sparkler and Dinky had a relatively calm night playing board games and doing homework. They had a delicious dinner of pasta and garlic crumble muffins, and now came the hardest part of the night. It was time to give Dinky a bath. "Okay Dinky, now I know you don't like baths, but please, just this once can you just- Dinky?" Dinky was no where to be seen, the only evidence that she had even existed was her empty bowl that was spinning comically on the table. "Dinky!" Sparkler groaned, her voice reeking of exasperation. "I don't want to play Hide-n-seek tonight! Can't you just take your bath like a good little filly?" Silence.
"Gwah! That does it young lady, if you don't come out right now, there won't be a bedtime story!" At this, the bathroom door opened and Sparkler could hear running water.
"Sparkler, who are you yelling at?" Dinky was standing in the doorway with a worried expression. Her mane was soaked and bubbles covered most of her body. Sparkler could only stare at the little filly, completely dumb founded that Dinky had been taking a bath all by herself. "Can I go back in now? The water's getting cold." Sparkler could only nod her head. "Great. Oh, and can you get my jammies? Momma put them in the dryer for after my bath." Again, Sparkler could only nod.
Once Dinky had finished her bath and had gotten all snug under her blankets, it was time to read the bedtime story. "Okay Dinky, which story do you want me to read tonight?"
"Uh, that one!" Dinky scrunched up her face and her horn started to glow slightly, a grey aura surrounded the book she wanted, but that was pretty much it, the weight and distance being too much for the poor filly unicorn. Sparkler chuckled to herself at the adorableness of young minds trying to do magic. She focused her own magic and brought the book over in her own purple aura.
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Kee-ke-ri-kee crowed the rooster. It was the start of another beautiful morning on the farm. Dinky woke up, looked out the window, and thought, "I'd like to have a big pancake for breakfast."
Dinky's mother was already up and busy. "Momma," said Dinky, "I'd like to have a big pancake for breakfast."
"I am busy so you will have to help me," she said.
"How can I help?" asked Dinky.
"We'll need some flour," Derpy replied. "Take a sickle and cut as much wheat as the your cart can carry. Then take it to the Big Macintosh. He will grind it into flour for us."
When Dinky had cut enough wheat, she put into her little cart and totted off to Sweet Apple Acres to see if Big Mac could make some flour for her big pancake.
When Dinky arrived, she quickly found Big Mac. "Can you grind this wheat for me please?" she asked, "I need it for a big pancake."
"Eeyup." said Big Mac. "But first we must separate the grain from the chaff."
He gave Dinky a little flail and spread the wheat on the ground. Then Big Mac took another flail and began to beat the wheat with it. Dinky helped with the threshing, and soon there was a big pile of straw and chaff-and a small pile of grain.
Big Mac then poured the grain on a large flat stone. On top of it was a round millstone connected to the water wheel outside. The water wheel was turned around and around, turning the millstone round and round, too, to grind the grain into flour. At last Big Mac handed Dinky a bag of flour. Dinky rushed home to show her mom.
"Here's the flour," shouted Dinky. "Let's make a pancake."
But her mother said, "Now we need an egg."
Dinky went outside to find the orange hen. When she did, Dinky gave the hen some extra grain that had fallen into her saddle bag when she had been threshing the wheat. "Cluck, cluck," said the orange hen and went into the chicken coop. The she said "Cluck, cluck," once more and laid an egg.
Dinky quickly picked up the egg and rushed back inside. "Here's an egg," shouted Dinky. "Let's make a pancake."
But her mother said, "Now we need some milk."
Jack then went to Matilda the Cow and asked her if she could have some milk. "I wanna make a big pancake."
"Mooo-*ahem* Well of course you can have some milk Dinky. Such a nice and polite little filly," Matilda went into her barn and fetched Dinky a large bucket of milk. "Here's some fresh milk. Good luck with that pancake deary."
"Thank you Miss Matilda," said Dinky, and she hurried back home. "Here's the milk," shouted Dinky. "Let's make a pancake."
But her mother said, "We need to build a fire."
So Dinky went outside and collected some fire wood from their wood shed.
"Here's the firewood momma," shouted Dinky. "Now can we make a pancake."
But her mother said. "Wouldn't you like something sweet on your pancake?"
So Dinky went down to the cool cellar and pulled a jar of sweet apple marmalade from one of the shelves.
"Here's the marmalade," shouted Dinky. "Lets make a big ol pancake." In the kitchen, Derpy and Dinky had filled the table with the flour, the egg, the milk, and some butter. There was also a mixing bowl, a cup, a wooden spoon, a ladle, a frying pan, a plate, a knife, fork, and spoon. And last but not least, the jar of sweet apple acres marmalade.
And Dinky's mom said, "put a cup full of flour into the bowl. Then, break an egg into the flour and stir. Next, pour a cupful of milk over the egg and flour and stir again until the batter is smooth and without lumps." Derpy took the frying pan and heated it on the stove and added a piece of butter. The butter melted fast. Then she said to Dinky, "Okay, now pour a ladle full of batter into the hot pan."
After a minute or two Derpy looked at the underside of the pancake. It was golden brown. "now watch," Derpy said, "I'll turn the pancake over. Ready?"
"Ready!" squealed Dinky.
"Flip," said Derpy. Up and over went the pancake high into the air and landed right in the pan. In another minute the pancake was crisp on that side as well.
Then Derpy slipped the pancake from the frying pan onto the plate and spread some apple marmalade on it. "And now Dinky," her mother started to say, but Dinky yelled...
"Oh Momma, I know what to do now!" and she took a big bite.
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"... and it was the best pancake she ever had. The end." Sparkler closed the book at looked up at her surrogate sister. Dinky was fast asleep, clutching her stuffed octopus. It melted Sparkler's heart to see such an adorable filly sleeping. SHe carefully put the book away and quietly trotted out the door and back down stairs. As soon as she plopped down onto the couch, Derpy and Time Turner walked through the door, laughing at something.
"Hey you two. Looks like you both had a good time," said Sparkler.
Derpy just laughed. "Oh deary, we had a wonderful time, but the restaurant was closed down because a trio of fillies tried to get cooking cutie marks and burned half the building down. They then burned the other half trying to get their fire fighting cutie marks. Long story short, we're both very hungry."
At this moment Sparkler's stomach grumbled. "Oh no! the pasta is still in the oven!" Sparkler ran into the kitchen in time to see black smoke rising from the stove and going out the window. The pasta was little better than charcoal now. "Oh no! What are we going to eat now?"
At this Time Turner spoke up. "I don't know about you two, but I have the strangest craving for a big pancake."