The Equestrian Society for the Support of Animals, it was a new community run group approved by Celestia herself not long ago. The volunteer group aided in any nature affairs, tending to animals homes, gathering them enough food and the like. The problem was nopony knew about the group and funding part in small volunteer groups such as this. If they wanted any chance to show Equestria what they had, they need a publicity stunt. Something to get as many ponies' attention as possible. Something to allow ponies to participate. If ponies were able to participate, they would definitely talk about it with their friends, it would spread like wild fire. Of course, they'd need a prize, something to win, something to give them a reason to participate in the first place.
After several meetings and discussions, some of which even involved the Princess herself. The group had come to a decision to hold a fundraising contest. Whoever raised the most money for the cause would win! The deal was settled, and posters were setup through various towns all over Equestria.
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"Hey Twilight! Twilight!" Pinkie's voice could be heard from a mile away.
Twilight slowly lowered her book and sat upright waiting for the bright pink pony to burst through the door any second.
"Twilight!!!"
"3...2...1"
At that exact moment a pink earth pony slammed the front door of the library wide open with a thud. Although Twilight had managed to count down and know exactly when she would show up, the sudden appearance of her bubbly friend always took her by surprise.
"Hey Twilight, look at this!" Pinkie yelled as she held up a little note that Twilight could have sworn she saw on a noticeboard somewhere around town.
Twilight's horn glowed a faint purple, taking the note from Pinkie's grasp, she brought it closer to her face and hopped off her seat.
"The ESSA Fundraiser Event" She read out aloud giving Pinkie a funny look.
Pinkie looked at her with a grin. "Yeah!"
"This event will be hosted, this Wednesday. Whoever can raise the most amount of money will be declared the winner. The winner will receive a prize, which will be announced as soon as the winners are"
Twilight levitated the paper back over to Pinkie, who grabbed it in her mouth.
"Isn't it exciting?" Pinkie hopped in her place with glee.
Twilight cocked her brows "Sure...Pinkie...but why are you so interested in this? It's just another fundraising group trying to get on their hooves" She questioned the pink pony with genuine curiosity.
Pinkie took the note in one of her hooves and pushed it into Twilight's face. The lavender coated pony abruptly retracted her head in surprise with a grunt.
"Look! They haven't told us the prize, because it's a surprise, I LOVE surprises. Plus all the money we raise from the competition goes to a good cause anyways so everypony wins!" Pinkie squealed with delight before stopping in her place giving her friend a confused look "Well not everpony wins...because then there would be no winner"
Twilight looked at her blankly, unsure of what to think.
"Okay..."
The book she was previously reading before Pinkie's intrusion levitated itself over to her, enveloped in a familiar purple glow.
"Is there any particular reason you came to tell me about this? I hope you aren't planning anything to get me involved right? I understand it's all in good will and all but I don't think I have the time to be..."
Her sentence was cut short as she noticed Pinkie was shaking her head in denial.
"Nope" The pink party pony said
"Then why..."
"I dunno" Pinkie shrugged "You were the closest so I came here to tell you that I'd be baking some treats to raise money"
Twilight's ears perked at the sound of treats, she knew Pinkie's goods were always top notch and that if she was going to raise money, she'd definitely chosen the right way to do so.
"Oh? What kind of treats?" Twilight asked inquisitively
Pinkie paused for a moment, bringing a hoof to her chin as she thought of what to say next.
"Hmm...I'm not exactly sure you know, maybe I should try make something new, like a new kind of cupcake! I'm sure ponies would love that!" Pinkie started with her signature hop, her mane and tail playfully trailing her body with her movements.
"Well I'm sure it'll be great Pinkie" Twilight gave her a smile and headed back to her seat and continued reading.
Pinkie stopped bouncing for a moment and watched her friend stuff her face back into the book she was reading. She took a few steps backward just about to head off before her curiosity got the better of her.
"Hey Twilight, whatcha reading?" Her voice broke the little moment of silence.
Twilight looked up and lowered the book so she could see Pinkie smiling face.
"It's the second part to the astronomical astronomer's almanac to all things astronomy, it's pretty interesting, wanna read?" Twilight said with an awkward smile on her face.
Pinkie's smile suddenly drooped to a sheepish grin.
"Oh, uhh, no thanks Twilight, I should probably go get ready for that contest, I mean it IS in 2 days"
And with that, the pink earth pony was gone in an instant.
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Sugarcube Corner was filled with all sorts of noises, and it was even more full of random, assorted, special, Pinkie Pie goods. Cupcakes littered the benches, some failed, some looking rather delicious to any onlookers, fortunately for Pinkie, there were none. The Cakes had gone away for the day to visit some relatives and left the store in her care. The sweet aroma of sugar and icing along with the scents of various fruits and flavorings she was using filled the store.
Pinkie pulled yet another cupcake from the oven with a frown. Placing the cupcake on the bench along with all her others, she looked at it in slight despair.
"Ohhh...none of these are good, they taste good but they need to LOOK good to" She pouted to herself.
She looked at the dozens of cupcakes that covered the benches, in an attempt to try gain some inspiration. Nothing seemed to click. She gave herself a frown before grabbing more flour and starting over. Single cupcakes were being baked, one after the other, all different than the last not only in looks but taste as well. There were strawberry cupcakes, apple cupcakes, cinnamon swirl cupcakes, caramel, blueberry, razzleberry, rose petal, daffodil. None of them seemed to please her. She looked at them all judging them with hawk like eyes, if cupcakes could feel, they would most likely be dripping with fear.
"OHHHH! Why won't any of you turn out right?" Pinkie whined, sitting herself down
She grabbed the nearest cupcake and brought it to her mouth. Her eyes skimmed over it for a moment, examining it with care. Pinkie let out an exhausted sigh before giving the cupcake a little nibble.
"Mmm, cookies and cream!" Pinkie smiled
There was a familiar ringing sound as Pinkies ears rose to attention. That was the door. Pinkie picked herself up off the floor and set her cupcake on the little free space left. Before long a familiar voice echoed through the store.
"Hello? Pinkie?"
Fluttershy made herself visible in the kitchen, eyeing all the baked goods that lay all over the benches.
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie beamed rushing over "I was making so many cupcakes for this competition and none of look the way I wanted so I kept making more and more and now they're all over the place and I still haven't got the right one yet and I don't know what to do" Her face by now pouting.
Pinkie's voice was so fast it was hard to pick up what she was saying at all. Fluttershy stared at her with a dumbfounded look for a few moments before giving a little giggle.
"They all look fine to me Pinkie"
"But none of them are perfect!" She whined
"Pinkie, since when have you cared about perfect? I thought you didn't care so long as the taste was good?" Fluttershy asked looking around at the mess that was the kitchen.
"Well i wanted to enter this competition" She said pulling the poster she had showed Twilight earlier that day of the table nearby and showed it to her. "Competitions are usually hard because everyone else puts so much work into it...so if I don't do the same, there's no way I'll win" Pinkie let out another sigh.
"ESSA? You're going to enter in that too?" Fluttershy looked at the poster with big eyes.
"Mhmm"
"Well...I was...sort of thinking...of entering too" the yellow pony skulked back a little turning her head to it's side.
"Really?" Pinkie thought about it for a moment, Equestrian Society for the Support of Animals. Animals. Why didn't she think of that before? Of course Fluttershy would enter if the cause was to help animals.
"Well...yes, I was hoping to make some little things to sell as well...and, well, I came here to pick up some flour" Fluttershy explained "But, if you're going to enter i wouldn't want to get in your way, I'm sure you'd do much better than me" She finished with a warm grin.
"Hey now...come on, don't be like that, you can still go for it, besides all the money goes to the animals right? If both of us..." Pinkie trailed off getting lost in thought.
She suddenly sprung up with a huge cheesy grin on her face.
"I, just had the BEST, IDEA, EVER!" Pinkie squealed with glee
The sudden movement force Fluttershy back a little, sinking towards the ground in shock. Pinkie raced over to her yellow pegasus friend.
"Why don't we both, enter the competition?" Pinkie suggested, raising a hoof to the roof. "As a duo?!"
Pinkie smiled putting her hoof around Fluttershy, waving her other arm over all the cupcakes as she continued her speech.
"I'm sure you and I could come up with the best cupcake ever! And we can make heaps and heaps of them! I'm sure we'd win if we work together!"
"But...Pinkie, are you sure we're allowed to work together in groups?"
"Well, the posters doesn't say we aren't allowed to so I'm sure it'll be fine" Pinkie reassured her a pat on the back.
The idea did seem rather pleasing to her and it sounded like a lot of fun, baking cupcakes with Pinkie. She was almost certain they'd be able to raise a lot of money for the group.
"Sure, I'd love to Pinkie" Fluttershy agreed with a giggle
"GREAT! We should get started right away!"
Pinkie rushed over to the benches and cleared all the cupcakes off, tossing them into the trash except for one, the cookies and cream cupcake she had nibbled on earlier. The cupcake was the only one she had tasted, yet, she knew that it was the best tasting one of the whole lot she had whipped up today. There was no mistaking Pinkie's taste, it was yet to be rivaled. Pinkie put the half eaten cupcake on the bench in front of Fluttershy.
"I think this was the best one I made today, the only problem is, I can't seem to decorate it well enough"
Fluttershy looked at the cupcake attentively, coming up with various ways to ice the cupcake in her head.
"Well, Pinkie, if you can make more I can try make it look better if you want"
She didn't need to mutter another word, before long Pinkie gave her a prompt salute and dashed for the flour and began slapping together another batch. Fluttershy followed her along helping her mix all the ingredients carefully. Scooping the butter into cups to keep them evenly measured. Flour and milk was getting everywhere, on the floor, all over the tables even on themselves. The sound of giggling and cooking could be heard from outside, fortunately Pinkie had flipped the sign to closed so nopony came in wondering what all the noise was.
Fluttershy tried her best not to get herself messy, but being around Pinkie Pie and cooking with the ingredients they had to work with, she realized it was futile. Pinkie was taking the baking seriously but in a way, she was so free about it, like she had to make sure they were both having fun. Which made perfect sense, what good was a group project if neither of them was having fun? Pinkie snickered as she finally threw together a tray of cookies and cream cupcake batter. She slipped them into the oven and spun around admiring the mess they'd made of the kitchen.
"Look at this mess" Pinkie giggled, walking around the kitchen leaving light hoof prints in the flour, looking at their 'handiwork'.
The flour coated pegasus gazed around at her surroundings. There was a thin coat of fine white powder over the whole kitchen, butter and milk could be seen splattered here and there. There was a whole cracked egg on one of the benches, she laughed, wondering how they even managed to completely miss one whole egg let alone have it laying raw on a bench. Then there was the sugar, it was hardly visible with all the flour, but it was there, it was surely there.
"Oh my...This IS a big mess isn't it?" Fluttershy said with slight emphasis
Pinkie cocked her head up can gave her a grin "But we had fun, right?"
The pegasus pony looked into Pinkie eyes, she was clearly awaiting a response. She knew how much it meant to her when she made her friends happy.
"Yes, we did" She finally nodded
Pinkie leaped for joy "Yay!"
The sound of the oven suddenly filled the room, it's ringing indicating the cupcakes were ready. Pinkie ruched over and pulled her oven mitts on, she carefully pulled the door open trying to ignore the sudden gust of hot air billowing out. The tray slid out into Pinkie grasp, who then carried the cupcakes over to Fluttershy.
"We should probably clean up while we wait for these to cool" Pinkie suggested sheepishly
Fluttershy bobbed her head in agreement as the pair of them grabbed some brooms.
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Cleaning the kitchen wasn't all too hard, most of the mess was simply dry, powdered ingredients anyway. Neither of the ponies spoke while sweeping, likely because their mouths were full holding brooms. They enjoyed each others company none the less and Pinkie made sure to show it with an occasional glance and a smile.
Fluttershy looked down at the now cool cupcakes with determination. She picked up the green icing and slowly gave it a base coat. The pink icing was next however this time she made a small circle of pink on a tray. She paused for a moment, heading over to the oven, she slid it carefully into the heated contraption. With the yellow she added a secondary coat, a much smaller spot than the green, in the shape of a small flower. She quickly rushed over to the oven, where the little pink circle was now clearly hardened. Cutting the little circle of hard icing in half, she pressed one half in the side of the cupcake and the other half in the opposite side. Looking at the baked treat with satisfaction, her hoof pushed it towards Pinkie, who was simply sitting, watching her with complete and utter attention.
"So....what do you think?" Fluttershy's voice was almost barely audible but Pinkie made it out in the silence of the room.
Pinkie was speechless, in one try, Fluttershy had made it look so...pleasing. It was simple, yet unbelievably effective. It looked like a flower,but at the same time vaguely resembled a butterfly.
"It looks...really, really good!" Pinkie exclaimed
Her yellow friend let out a sigh of relief before her face beamed with a smile.
"I'm glad you like it Pinkie"
'Like it' was an understatement "I love it!"
A pink tint quickly found it's way to Fluttershy's face and she turned her head away the slightest.
"Well I think that's it" Pinkie said stretching herself "We'll make as many of these as we can...not now of course"
Both ponies peered outside, the sun had completely gone, and the darkness of the night had taken hold of the town.
"Wow, is it that late already?!" Pinkie shouted "Hey Fluttershy, if you don't feel like flying home in the dark, you're more than welcome to stay here the night"
Pinkie spun around to her baking companion and awaited a response.
"Oh, umm, I...sure I guess that'd be alright"
The earth pony simply gave her a welcoming smile as she headed upstairs. Fluttershy quickly followed her up as all the lights downstairs were switched off. Pinkie lead Fluttershy to her room, she'd been there before for several parties and the like so it was no surprise. The room was particularly large for a bedroom, then again this was pretty much her house, so the size was much more understandable taking that into consideration.
"You can take my bed" Pinkie offered raising a hoof at the single bed in the room "I'll take the sofa"
"Oh I don't know Pinkie, I don't think I could take your bed, I'm fine with just the sofa"
Pinkie giggled, trotting up to her modest pony friend. She put a hoof over her shoulders to comfort her.
"Really Fluttershy, it's no worry, you'd do the same for me, I know you would"
Pinkie walked over to a cupboard in the room and pulled out a spare blanket and pillow, both of which were adorned with pictures of balloons and cupcakes. She turned around only to see Fluttershy standing hesitantly by Pinkie's bed. She looked at it carefully, it had the same pattern as the blanket and pillow Pinkie had just pulled out. Pinkie's face saddened for a moment.
"Fluttershy, if it's worrying you that much you can have the sofa...I just want you to be comfy!"
"Oh...no, it's ok, thank you, Pinkie" She said pulling the sheets of the bed away.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie's mood ripened with happiness yet again.
Fluttershy lay in Pinkie's bed pulling the sheets over herself. The bed smelled of, well, Pinkie Pie. It was almost as if she was laying right next to her. Usually she'd have trouble sleeping in someone else's house, let alone their bed as well. Yet she felt comfortable here, almost as much as she did in her own bed.
"Night Fluttershy"
Pinkie's voice broke the silence, forcing Fluttershy to perk her ears at the sudden sound. There was a brief pause between that and the next sound.
"Goodnight Pinkie"