//------------------------------// // An ancient recipe // Story: Short stories about ponies and whatnot // by shutaro //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle was always happy to see her friends at the library, especially because it meant that she didn’t have to leave the library. And to make it extra sweet, Pinkie Pie had brought her a book she had found. “You see,” the bubbly baker babbled on while Twilight inspected the old book, ”I was cleaning up the bakery, the pantry and the cellar storeroom and every time I found this book. Or rather it found me. From the highest self each time.” She pointed to three little bumps in the book’s cover. ”It still smarts when I think about it. But when a book comes after me like this it’s either really important or some jerk is trying to prank me.” Pinkie fixated one of the windows and stared hard at it like she did sometimes. “But I can’t read that book, it’s all squiggly lines. I get a headache just by looking at it. Or it might be the bumps on my head. I think I’ll lay down for a bit.” She walked to one of the reading couches and dropped herself on it. It must have been the bump indeed, Pinkie decided when Twilight woke her, the headache was gone and didn’t return as she looked at the book again. The librarian shoved the book right in Pinkie’s face and was a bundle of excited nerves. “I can’t believe it! You found such an ancient book, Pinkie Pie!” Then she remembered her first night in Ponyville. “Again!” “I have?” the pink pony asked. “Great! What is so special about it? Is it about a treasure? Or maybe the first Daring Do, because that would be super exciting.” “No, this is just a cookbook. But it was written more than thousand years ago, by a journeyman cook who visited the court of Queen Rosedust. Do you know how little we know today about those ponies? Practically nothing! At least their language and script were preserved, so I could read this.” “A cookbook wanted my attention, huh?” Pinkie stood up. “Lets see what is so important.” She closed the book, put it on its spine and let it flip open. Then she closed it, put it on the spine and let it flip open again. “What are you doing? Be careful, don’t damage it!” Twilight had calmed down and watched Pinkie’s antics with growing concern for the ancient book. “Finding out what the book wants me to do,” Pinkie answered. “Look, it always falls open on the same page.” She demonstrated it again. “What is this recipe?” Twilight looked at the page, “It’s for a cake. It says this was one of Queen Rosedust’s favorites.” “So you translate it and I’ll bake it! The book wants it.” Twilight looked at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think books want anything more than to be read. But if it makes you happy, I’ll do it.” A few minutes later Pinkie had her list of ingredients and instructions. “Are you sure about this? Especially that last part?” She looked at Twilight doubtfully. “That’s what the book says. What do you think, can you bake it?” “Of course, and I think it will taste great.” “Splendid! I’ll ask Fluttershy if she can help with that decoration.” “That’s a wonderful idea. Why don’t you invite Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash too, then we can share that cake this afternoon at Sugarcube Corner.” --- Pinkie was just about done when Rarity and Rainbow Dash reached the bakery. “I’ll be with you in a jiffy,” she called to her friends, opened the oven and took out the baking pan. “All done,” she declared to the universe because the universe likes to know about fresh cake. “Now it just needs to cool down and we can put on the final touch.” A few minutes later Applejack, Twilight and Fluttershy arrived. The yellow pegasus pony carried a box really carefully. Pinkie looked at it curiously, “Are those ...” “No, I don’t have any silkworms this time of the year,” Fluttershy opened the box and spoke softly into it. “Now, just like you promised, slowly and don’t scare anypony.” A group of spiders emerged from the case. “But these will make silk for you just as well and I don’t have to look for mulberry leaves in the Everfree Forest.” Rarity was almost climbing out of her seat and Rainbow Dash did not look so excited about free cake anymore. Applejack and Twilight had known about the contents of the box, but even they seemed not entirely relaxed. Pinkie just smiled at the spiders and placed the cake on the table. “Thank you for taking time out of your busy spider schedules, I really appreciate it.” A few minutes later the whole cake was covered with silk in a wispy spider’s web decoration. “Thank you,” Fluttershy said as the spiders crawled back into their box. Rainbow Dash relaxed visibly but eyed the box with a measure of respect. Pinkie Pie cut the cake and placed a piece on each plate. Rarity looked at it critically, bit of a tiny morsel and tasted it. Her face lightened up, she took a bigger bite, chewed, then swallowed and giggled. ”This really is a cake fit for a queen! Sweet, but not too pushy, fluffy and the silk tickles when you swallow ... but what’s this aftertaste?” Pinkie looked up from her plate, “That would be the hot sauce.” Rarity nodded at the other ponies, “and just a little bit crazy. So what’s this delicacy called?” Twilight smiled at her friends, “This is a cake that has not been baked for centuries. It was last eaten in the lost kingdom of the Flutterponies: I give you the thinly veiled Flutterpie!”