“You know Peppermill, you can borrow that cookbook and do that back at Sweet Apple Acres. I know you have a library card after all.” Twilight Sparkle looked up from her own weighty tome at the sound of her assistant Spike`s voice. The baby dragon was hovering over the shoulder of a grey-coated Earth colt with coal black eyes and mane. Peppermill, the youngest and newest (by way of adoption) member of the Apple clan was busy writing out recipes onto cards from the hoof-full of cookbooks stacked on the table in front of him.
“It’s okay…Spike. I’m not…interested in taking…any risks.” The colt remarked casually.
“Risks?” questioned the baby dragon.
“I’ve heard…stories about what…happens to ponies…that accidentally damage…library books.” The colt gave a meaningful yet mischievous glance at the lavender unicorn mare. Spike had to stifle a laugh through his claws when Twilight made a face.
“That happened only once, and it was totally justified. Only Pinkie Pie could manage to bake a book inside a cake and manage to inhale half of it before realizing what had happened.” pouted Twilight.
“Still…I prefer a more…personal touch…to my recordings.” Twilight could only roll her eyes as colt and dragon went back to their respective tasks. The Ponyville Library fell into silence once again until…
…gurgle…
“Eeep!” Twilight’s cheeks went rosy with embarrassment as the loud rumble of her stomach echoed through the building. This time Spike made no attempt to keep the roar of laughter from escaping his mouth, while Peppermill gazed at the mare with surprise and alarm.
“I warned you Twi! I told you skipping breakfast was a bad idea.” scolded the dragon between guffaws.
“All right Spike, you made your point.” grunted Twilight crossly. “As I recall I didn’t eat because someone let me oversleep.” This accusation silenced Spike rather abruptly, but it didn’t remove the smile from his face.
“An empty stomach…is a cook’s…worse nightmare. It’s even worse…than open flames…but not by much.” announced Peppermill gravely. “You of all…ponies should know…better than to…skip an important meal…like breakfast.” It might have seemed bizarre to some, having a young colt scolding the Element of Magic and multiple time savior of Equestria so freely. But Twilight Sparkle knew and accepted the fact that for all of her almost encyclopedic knowledge of darn near everything, cuisine and food were two topics she was weak in. She had no issue in bowing to the colt’s superior knowledge in these regards.
“It’s not like this is the first time I missed a breakfast…” mumbled the mare.
“Or a lunch, or a dinner for that matter.” quipped Spike.
“What?!” exclaimed the colt, looking genuinely angry now.
“I was studying…” This was the unicorn’s truthful, yet understandably weak explanation. This didn’t mark the first time she found herself in this type of discussion, and she found herself recalling more than a few times she was on the receiving end of an earful from a concerned friend and/or acquaintance. It was a bad habit that she had nurtured from her youth, as early as her days in Magic Kindergarten.
“That’s it!” exclaimed Peppermill. “I’m going…to make something…for you.”
“Now wait a second.” remarked Twilight. “While I appreciate the gesture, our pantry is kind of bare at the moment.”
“She’s right. Our weekly grocery run isn’t scheduled until tomorrow.” agreed Spike. “You’re good in the kitchen Peppermill, but even you would find it hard to whip something up with what we have.”
“Look, I have some unscheduled free time right now. Instead of reading I’ll go to the Golden Horseshoe for a quick bite. That should tide me over for a while.” said Twilight.
“Golden…Horseshoe?” asked the colt with a puzzled tone. Spike and Twilight looked at each other, then to Peppermill in surprise.
“You know, the Golden Horseshoe. It’s the best restaurant in Ponyville.” exclaimed Twilight.
“I don’t know if I would go so far as to say ‘the best’” murmured Spike. “The fanciest, I suppose.” Spike, who was no slouch in the kitchen himself, wasn’t nearly as enamoured with the dining establishment as Twilight and the rest of Ponyville were.
“The Apple clan…isn’t big on…dining out.” remarked Peppermill. Even so, the little cook’s interest was piqued. He was always up for a new culinary adventure, and if it happened to expand his knowledge then all the more better.
“I go there all the time. It can be a bit formal, but it is good for quick meals.” explained Twilight. Suddenly the mare’s face brightened. “Say, why don’t you come with me? It’ll be my treat.”
“But if it…is as fancy as…you say it is…it’ll would probably be…expensive.” said Peppermill warily.
“Oh, I think I can afford a small snack for two.” smiled Twilight. “I get a very…generous allowance as Princess Celestia’s student. Between that and the wages I get as the town librarian I can afford to splurge every now and again.”
“Well…only if…you are sure it…will be okay…”
“You two go on then. I have some shelving and…other stuff to do.” said Spike.
“Other stuff?” questioned Twilight with a small grin.
“Dragon stuff.”
“Of course, dragon stuff…” chuckled the mare. With a flicker of lavender light, the door to the library opened up and Twilight Sparkle motioned to it with a forehoof. “The Golden Horseshoe awaits!”
***
“I suppose with…Ponyville’s good weather…outdoor dining is…feasible.” Peppermill examined the open air set up of tables with a critical eye. “Though I…don’t see any…umbrellas or other…shelter in case…of rain.”
“It helps if you happen to know a certain Pegasus prone to opening holes in the clouds.” remarked Twilight casually, to which the grey colt raised a puzzled eyebrow. The two ponies had arrived at the restaurant moments earlier and were waiting for the hostess on duty to seat them. By Peppermill’s calculations the Golden Horseshoe was only about a third full, but it seemed to take an awfully long time for a table to be prepared. Eventually the young mare returned and led the unicorn and Earth colt to a table.
I probably shouldn’t…want to…compare this place…to A/D thought Peppermill to himself as the hostess took a water pitcher in her mouth and poured Twilight and himself some ice water. Still, he found it hard not to draw comparisons between this place and his birthplace.
“Here are your menus.” announced the hostess as she plopped down the folded leather holders onto the table and breezed away. Twilight immediately levitated her menu to eye level while Peppermill was forcibly holding his tongue. He recalled quite clearly that the hostesses at his family’s restaurant were expected to presented opened menus, information on any of the chef’s recommendations and actually wait on ponies.
I suppose…being in a small town…means they can get away…with some things. Peppermill smothered his disappointment and proceeded to pour over the menu.
This time the disappointment returned as a bitter taste in his mouth. One of the things he had always taken to heart about his past life was how his father made it crystal clear that it was never about money. His late father Pepperoncino felt that a good meal was something every pony was entitled to. If given half a chance he would have handed out food to every pony that ever set foot in his restaurant. But pressure and other factors forced him to follow the trend of classy establishments and cater to high born ponies and charge (in his opinion) ludicrous prices.
At least he made up for it by literally making huge fiscal and food donations to the needy…
But as far as Peppermill could recall, the prices for the dishes being charged at the Golden Horseshoe were…in his father’s words…ludicrous.
“I imagine you are familiar with almost every dish they have here, huh?” beamed Twilight.
“Yeah…sure…” Peppermill surprised himself at how composed he sounded, despite the growing ire he was feeling. But he once again swallowed his pride and indignation as a waiter approached their table.
“Peppermill, this is the owner of the Golden Horseshoe Horte Cuisine.” Peppermill looked up from the menu to see a tall Earth stallion with a pencil-thin moustache, slicked back mane and (if Peppermill was any judge) a look of superiority on his face.
“It is always a pleasure to see you Miss Sparkle.” Twilight smiled pleasantly at the greeting, but Peppermill’s polite smile was forced. He recalled once a situation when his late mother had mentioned that she had met a pony that she disliked immediately on sight. She couldn’t provide any real reason behind her dislike, but that the pony in question just rubbed her the wrong way. Until that moment Peppermill hadn’t understood that concept. But it was now clear that this was what she meant. There was just…something about this stallion that the colt did not like.
“This is Peppermill. He is quite an accomplished chef in his own right.” Twilight seemed oblivious to the coolness of the colt’s simple nod of acknowledgement. But the briefest sign of an unimpressed smirk on Horte Cuisine’s face, quickly replaced by a benign smile, was not lost on Peppermill.
Eenope…I don’t like…him at all.
“Well, I certainly hope the young colt finds his experience here enjoyable.” With that, the stallion slid away. Twilight continued to be unaware of the animosity that appeared to have brewed between the colt and the stallion. Peppermill, for the third time that afternoon, proceeded to swallow his growing rage. By his reckoning that was two strikes against the establishment, and he hoped that there would not be any more. A waiter approached, orders were taken and Peppermill quietly stewed.
The grey colt was rewarded to a degree when their meals came after a reasonable amount of time. Twilight had already begun to dig into her food with relish and appreciative noises. After holding his breath to clear his mind and a quick sip of water to cleanse his palate, Peppermill took a bite of his chosen main dish.
…
…
…
Peppermill never thought he would live to see the day when he would become angrier than he was when he learned his own blood brother had intentionally set fire to his home out of pure envy. But all it took was one bite of his food, prepared at this questionable establishment (in his honest opinion) and presented by an equally questionable owner (still opinion) to bring back the red haze in his mind.
He could have raised his voice. He could have created a scene. He could have tossed things around. He could have done any of the countless things he recalled his father had witnessed in all on his years as a chef and restaurant owner and told him in lieu of bedtime stories. But he decided that his rage needed a more…personal touch. He carefully laid down his cutlery, dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.
“Don’t you hate it…when you begin a meal…and suddenly need…to make use of…a restroom? I’ll be…right back.” Twilight looked up from her meal long enough to give the colt a small nod of acknowledgement. The colt slid off of his chair and walked towards the building that housed the restrooms, but more importantly to him, the kitchen. As he approached his target, he was distracted by the sight of Horte Cuisine chatting with another customer, a pretty mare.
Why am I…not surprised? The colt had initially intended to approach the kitchens with intent to see what the hay was going on in there. But the sight of the haughty stallion as he walked off changed Peppermill’s plans. With a look of determination in his dark eyes and an angry stride he made a beeline for the stallion.
***
Peppermill’s food is getting cold Twilight chewed at the last of her meal with contentment as she looked around the tables. The colt had left for the bathroom a while ago, and had yet to return. She found it doubtful he could have gotten lost, but that didn’t provide an explanation as to why he seemed to have disappeared. She had just decided to go and look for him when…
“You miserable little…”
“Traitor! Slop Artist!”
“What do you know of such things?!”
“More…than you…do!”
What in the… Twilight didn’t bother to walk or even run to the sound of the raised voices. Instead she concentrated on a familiar spell and willed herself to a spot near where the commotion was occurring. In her point of view she went from being at her table to the other side of the restaurant in the blink of an eye…
…and the sight her eyes saw was distressing at best.
Nose to nose, with the colt standing on his hind legs to manage the feat, were Peppermill and Horte Cuisine. The older stallion’s snarl and the colt’s raspy growl sounding eerily similar, it was what many ponies might call an Appaloosan stand-off.
“You are…a disgrace!”
“Ignorant little welp!”
“Peppermill, what is…” This was all that Twilight was able to get out of her mouth before Horte Cuisine turned his angry gaze upon her.
“Miss Sparkle, please remove this…colt from my establishment. He is not welcome here.”
“I’m…not welcome?! I’d rather…eat at a pig…sty. At least they…aren’t being…fooled about…their food by some…hack with a…drawn on moustache!”
“Peppermill!” Twilight gasped in horror.
“I’m warning you, if you do not take this riff-raff away I will be forced to banish you as well Miss Sparkle!”
“How dare…you threaten...Twilight! Your issue...is with me!” bellowed Peppermill. The colt was about to let loose with more angry comments when he suddenly felt the sensation of his hind hooves no longer touching the ground. Beyond the red haze of anger he suddenly found his vision blurred in a violet hue. Finding no purchase, he slowly began to fall backwards until he was almost upside-down. This caused him to be facing Twilight, which revealed the truth about his situation: Peppermill was now encased in a light purple bubble, the shape tethered to the end of Twilight Sparkle’s horn with a shimmering length of pure magic.
“I am so, so sorry Horte Cuisine. I have no idea what has gotten into him.” pleaded Twilight.
“Got into…me? Hopefully none…of the swill…this wannabe…is trying to serve…as food!” snapped the colt, his voice slightly muffled due to the magical bubble enclosing him.
“Out…now!” Horte pointed with a firm hoof past Twilight. The lavender mare’s face went crimson as she spun around and raced away. She barely had time to toss a hoof-full of bits onto the table as she passed it; all the while Peppermill was rasping bloody murder.