//------------------------------//
// "3" The Job 
// Story: Burned Gingerbread and Fresh Pie 
// by fallen starr 
//------------------------------//

A loud thump followed an annoyed "Bwaarg," as Pinkie let her head hit the table. "Why does no one need any help? I've been to Bonnie, Rose, Tim Turner, and even Dusty!" She pushed her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "No one needs me. How can no one need me."

If she hadn't know how stressed this was making Pinkie, Twilight would have giggled at her antics. As it were, she frowned. "I don't know. I heard there was a new café opening soon, though. Ivory told me when I bumped into her yesterday. Maybe you could get on there?"

Pinkie's head jerked up, her eyes alight at the news. "Yeah. Did you find out where I could talk to the owner?"

Twilight smiled.  "Apparently, there is a luncheon for all the city officials tomorrow and he's going to be serving there. You could probably catch him after."

Pinkie grinned, and Twilight relaxed a little. Nearly two weeks after the fire, and Pinkie had been going stir-crazy. It wasn't that she didn't get out much, but without Sugarcube Corner and the Cakes here, she depended on her friends a lot more to keep her entertained. 

"Are you studying today?" Pinkie asked. She picked up her orange juice, a mischievous look in her eyes. 

Twilight's guard went up instantly. "No," she said cautiously. "Why?"

The smile that spread on Pinkie's face made Twilight want to change her answer. "Well," Pinkie said, drawing out the moment as much as possible, "I thought that if you weren't doing your studies today, and I'm never doing anything recently, we could…" Her pause for dramatic affect was diminished slightly by the over exaggerated eye movements and waving Twilight in closer. "Bake!" she yelled, jumping up from her seat and throwing both hands in the air.

This time, Twilight did giggle. "Okay, Pinkie. Okay. Just be warned, this cereal is about the end of my cooking skills, though."

It didn't take long for Pinkie to find everything the library had for baking. "If you're such a bad cook, why do you have all this stuff?" On the table lay several different ingredients. "I mean, it looks like you cook all the time."

"Spike likes to bake. And well, it isn't that I don't cook. I just burn everything." A faint flush came to her cheeks. "Spike kinda took over once he was tired of eating charcoal. He just likes sleeping late, so mostly I eat cereal for breakfast."

The faint blush Twilight had intensified as Pinkie giggled. "So, you just cooked the food too high, probably. Come on, what do you think? Cookies or cupcakes?" Pinkie paused, but not long enough for Twilight to answer. "You know what, let's just do both. Cookies are really easy. First, we gotta decide what kind of cookies we want to make."

About an hour later, the two girls were sitting at the table with glasses of milk and a tray of fresh chocolate chip cookies in front of them. "This is the best part," Pinkie said, looking at Twilight. They're just cool enough to pick up, but they are so ooey-gooey and soft." Her hand was little more than a blur as she scooped up a cookie, putting it entirely in her mouth. She moaned, drawing a giggle from Twilight. "Eat one," she said, motioning for Twilight to grab a cookie. 

Twilight's eyes widened was she took a bite of her own cookie. "These are good."

"See!" Pinkie said, already starting her third. 

It didn't take long for the girls to eat their fill of cookies.  "Okay." Pinkie sat her now empty cup back onto the table. "So, we only have twenty minutes until the cupcakes are out of the oven. Let's mix up the frosting."

"I have some in tins if—"

A loud gasp cut Twilight off. "Homemade frosting is so much better.  And it's super-duper easy to make. It takes no time at all!" Pinkie quickly gathered the needed ingredients and sat them on the counter. "First, we put in the powdered sugar, butter and cocoa and mix it all up. Here," she offered Twilight the whisk. 

"Umm…this doesn't look like frosting."

Pinkie giggled. "Of course it doesn't. Just keep mixing." Picking up a small brown bottle, she smiled at Twilight. "Add a teaspoon of vanilla," she said in a sing-song voice. Picking up a glass jar, she slowly added in milk. It didn't take long for the frosting to reach the right consistency. "And done! See, it's simple. Now, for the most important part." Pinkie scooped some frosting out of the bowl with her finger. "Perfect."

Twilight glanced over to check on the cake timer. "Only a couple minutes left," she said. She turned back to Pinkie, only to see a mischievous smile and Pinkie's hand coming toward her face, the contact leaving a chocolate streak across her cheek. 

"We have extra," Pinkie said, getting more frosting on her finger and taking a step toward Twilight. 

"Pinkie this isn't—wait—" as best she could, she avoided Pinkie's frosting covered hand. "This isn't proper kitchen etiquette." Twilight giggled. She ran to the other side of the table, so that she and Pinkie were facing each other.

"Who is the professional baker here now, Twily." Quicker than Twilight thought she could move, Pinkie was around the table, barely giving her time to escape. She ran for the counter to get some chocolate ammo for herself. When she turned around, frosted finger ready, Pinkie caught her hand. Using her other hand, Twilight left a dollop of frosting on Pinkie's nose before Pinkie grabbed that hand as well.

Twilight tried freeing her hands, but Pinkie pushed them back onto the counter. "Oh, Twily, I always win frosting wars." Pinkie grinned, softening her grip so that Twilight could move her hands if she wanted. Pinkie was incredibly close to Twilight, their noses not an inch away. 

Twilight was finding it hard to breath. Her heart was racing, and not from the mock battle they had just had. She had never realized just how much Pinkie's eyes sparkled, or how beautiful her pink hair was against her brown skin, or how soft her lips looked, until now. 

Pinkie's playful grin changed into a different type of smile, though Twilight couldn't place what the exact difference was. She felt Pinkie shift ever so slightly, bringing their faces closer together. Pinkie completely released one of Twilight's hand. The thumb on the other ran over the Twilight's skin.

Twilight knew what every fiber of her being was telling her to do in the moment. Kiss her. She's right there, just kiss her. Wait, no, she's my friend. One of my best friends. I can't do that. Can I? Just as she made up her mind, the buzzing of a timer made her jump. "Oh, there's the cupcakes." She nervously giggled, moving out from the tight space between Pinkie and the counter. She reached into the oven and pulled them out. "They smell amazing. You really are a great cook."

"Thanks, Twilight," Pinkie said. "We just gotta let them cool before we frost them. Some people like to put the frosting on as soon as possible, but I learned that just makes the frosting melt."

Twilight watched as the pink-haired girl sat about cleaning up the kitchen. She didn't notice anything different, anything that would indicate she knew what Twilight had felt, what she had been about to do, just a moment ago. Pinkie walked past Twilight, putting up some of the dry ingredients. "Come on, we gotta clean up. Spike will be back soon, and it's more magical not seeing the mess of baking."

Twilight picked up the milk, putting it back in the refrigerator. "Spike knows what a mess baking can be. I don't think cupcakes are magical to him anyway, he's eighteen."

Pinkie turned and gave Twilight a look she couldn't decipher. "Cupcakes are magical to me."



Twilight sat on the couch reading a book. She hadn't had an assignment from the Princess in days, so she had taken to reading whatever caught her interest. As such, she had found herself in the romance section of the library that morning after Pinkie had left to see about a job. Her first response was to write the Princess and ask for advice on what to do with the feelings that had surfaced. As appealing as that idea was, she she had thrown that idea out once she realized Princess Celestia would tell her to follow her heart. That would make things so awkward, though. I mean, it's just a passing crush. It means nothing. The Princess wasn't the person Twilight went to over matters of the heart, anyway.

That had led her thoughts to Cadance. She told her old babysitter everything, but they hadn't spoken like that in years. I didn't even know she liked Shiny, Twilight thought to herself. To just write to her now, when she and Shining Armor were still adjusting to ruling a kingdom and being married would seem silly. The only other person she could talk to was her brother, but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be. 

What she truly wanted to do was talk to Pinkie, but that thought terrified her. What if Pinkie hadn't noticed, or worse, didn't feel the same? What if Pinkie decided she didn't want to stay with Twilight once she found out? They were still sleeping in the same bed, because Pinkie refused to let Twilight buy one, so would that just make things worse? Maybe I should start sleeping on the couch. I should have done that night one. I thought I had control of this.

So she found herself walking to Rarity's. Of all her friends, Twilight thought Rarity would be the best person to talk too. The other three would just tell her to talk to Pinkie. The path to Rarity's house went by rather quickly, and before she realized what she was really doing, she had knocked on the door.

Her hand froze after the third knock. Maybe she isn't home. Oh, I don't want to do this now. I can't just tell Rarity. Maybe it was just a onetime thing and it'll pass. That's probably it. Why did I think this was a good idea? I wasn't thinking at all. Maybe I don't have to tell her that—

"Twilight, darling. How are you?"

"I like Pinkie." She slapped her hands to her mouth, wide eyed. She hadn't intended to finish her thoughts aloud.

Rarity simply raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. "Would you like to come in? I can make some tea." Twilight nodded, rubbing her left arm with her hand. "I found a simply divine brew that I imported from the Southlands. Would you like to try some?"

"That sounds great, Rarity. Thank you." Sitting at the table, Twilight noticed the tea pot and two cups were already sitting out. "Am I interrupting something?" 

Glancing at the teapot, Rarity shook her head. "Not at all. I had an…appointment with someone, but that isn't until later. If he comes early, as he usually does,  he can simply join is. Or perhaps you wouldn't want him to know…" Twilight felt her face tinge pink.  "So, Pinkie? Tell me, when did you realize you liked her."

"I didn't even mean to say that." Twilight hid her face in her hands. Then she looked up, a grin on her face. "Wait, he? Are you seeing someone?"

"Well…yes, and I really do need to talk to you about it. First, though, I want to hear what happened between you and Pinkie."

Twilight sighed, picking up her tea cup. "I've liked her for a while, but I had some real control over my feeling, before she became immersed in my life. We were making cupcakes yesterday. So innocuous." Twilight looked into the teacup, breathing deeply. "We had made homemade frosting, and while waiting on the cupcakes to come out of the oven, we had a frosting fight. I went to get some frosting, but she was right behind me, so when I turned around she pinned me to the counter. And then…well, nothing happened but it was just--I wanted to kiss her." Twilight sat the teacup down, looking straight at Rarity. "It was so hard to not wrap my arms around her and just..." Twilight lightly clapped her hands together.

Rarity's eyes sparkled, though the crease in her brow let Twilight know she was thinking. "And what did Pinkie say about that encounter?"

"Nothing." Twilight shook her head. "We frosted the cupcakes and went about our day." Twilight stirred her tea, taking a sip. Pinkie hadn't acted any differently than normal. Was she missing something? "Wait," Twilight said, looking up at Rarity, "We were talking about cleaning up the mess so Spike would think the cupcakes were magical or something. I don't remember exactly, because I was still thinking about the frosting fight, but she said cupcakes were magical to her. I just took it as a Pinkie thing to say, but maybe it wasn't."

Rarity sighed, placing her tea cup on the table. "You are basing this entire thing on one event? Yesterday was the first time?"

"It's the first time I paid attention," Twilight said, her voice lower than normal. She looked at her nearly empty tea cup, as if it had all the answers to her problem. "I mean, I've always thought she was pretty. She's insanely smart, even if she doesn't like to show it a lot. I think about her a lot. It's just a stupid crush. I can get over those easily. I always have before."  

"What do you like about her? You mentioned you think she's pretty and smart. Is that all?" 

Twilight didn't notice Rarity's sly grin. "Of course not. She can make anyone smile. She sees the joy and beauty in everything. She understands the scary dark parts of life, and she still grins everyday. She's brave and strong. And I don't mean that just physically, either, though she's that, too." Twilight met Rarity's eyes, her hands gesturing wildly now. "She lost Gummy, and she's still not over him, but she has found the ability to see the good. He was getting old, and maybe it was better this way than a slow death. She lost her job and her home and she wakes me with a smile every morning. She's just…" Twilight shrugged. "She's just her."

Rarity giggled. "You've got it bad, darling. Luckily, I know a few things about the ways of the heart."

"So, you don't think it's a crush that will just go away? Or that she doesn't feel the same? Because yesterday could have been just a random encounter." As much as she had tried to keep herself from it, Twilight felt hopeful  that maybe she and Pinkie had a chance. 

"As far as the situation with the frosting, dear, it tends takes two to make tension. Could it had simply been a one off thing on Pinkie's part? Possibly." At Rarity's words, Twilight felt her the small bead of hope she had been holding to topple from her grasp. "But I don't think it was. Try droping subtle hints." Rarity held up her hand, blocking Twilight's comment before she could start. "Yes, I know it's Pinkie, but the girl can be incredibly subtle when she wants."

Twilight bit her lip. "My parents are going to kill me. I mean, Jonathan married a princess. They're both nobles. If all this works out then I'm going to have to explain that to them. They expect me to marry within class, you know? And—"

Rarity laid a hand on Twilight's. "Darling, that is all so far in the future. I've only met your parents twice, but they seem like reasonable people. And besides, the heart can't help who it loves." Rarity smiled at Twilight, who smiled back with a nod. The moment was broken with a knock on the front door. "Oh, umm…if you'll excuse me, I'll just tell him to come back later." 

Twilight stood, walking along with Rarity. "Don't worry about it. I think I'm going to see if Pinkie is back at the library yet."

Rarity stopped, a tight smile on her face. "Yes but…Twilight, before I open the door, we really should talk, okay? I started to tell you earlier, but as I said, he does like to be early. I thought I would have time—"

"Rarity?" a voice called out, followed by the shutting of the front door.

"Spike?" Twilight called back.

Through the doorway to the kitchen stepped a young man, his shaggy green hair and brilliant emerald eyes looking familiar to Twilight. The expression of bewilderment on his face was unusual. "What are you doing here? I mean, you weren't in the library so…"

As Spike went on with his explanation, Twilight realized something. "You're dating Spike? I…why didn't you tell me? Either of you? How…when…" Twilight looked between the two, completely lost. 

"It's recent. We wanted to tell you. It was simply finding the correct way to present the information. I was about to tell you, but…" Rarity sighed. "Are you angry at us?"

Spike moved to stand with Rarity, before stopping and turning toward Twilight. He looked between the two women before running his hand through his hair. "You aren't mad, right?"

Twilight grinned. "Of course not, Spike. The heart can't help who it wants, right?"

Rarity grinned.



Pinkie still wasn't back when Twilight arrived at the library. She bit her lip, hoping the reason Pinkie was gone so long was because she had got the job. She picked up the book she had been reading earlier. How am I supposed to subtlety see if she likes me? Maybe I could lead into talking about crushes by telling her about Spike and Rarity. And then I could ask who she likes. That sounds like a plan, at least. Twilight giggled to herself. "Maybe I should just kiss her."

"Kiss who?" a perky voice asked from behind.  Twilight jumped, her book flying through the air and landing at Pinkie's feet. "Oh, I didn't make it very far through this one. The protagonist bored me." Grinning, Pinkie handed the book back to Twilight.

"H-Hey." Twilight cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Hey Pinkie. How did it go?"

Pinkie's grin told Twilight everything she needed to know. Not that it stopped Pinkie from telling her anyway. "Well, I think it went really well. I told him all about how I worked at Sugarcube Corner, and then he really seemed to like that I know everyone in Ponyville. He remembered me welcoming him a few weeks ago. I didn't know he owned a restaurant then, though. I guess it never came up between the welcome song and the cake dance. Hmm…"

"So…that made him give you the job?" Twilight asked.

Shaking her head, Pinkie said, "Oh, no. He said he really needed waitresses and that his help ad hadn't ran yet so he was really happy that I wanted the job and I start tomorrow so I stopped and got us celebratory cupcakes." From behind her back, Pinkie pulled out two cupcakes. "I got coconut delight. I know they're your favorite."

"Thanks, Pinkie. It's great that you got the job." Twilight stood and took the cupcake, licking off some of the white frosting. "What time to you have to start tomorrow?"

As she had just stuffed the last of her cupcake in her mouth, "Around two," came out muffled and with a small scattering of crumbs. 

Twilight giggled, sitting her cupcake down. She wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug, which was happily returned. "You know what this means, right? We've got to get you some waitressing clothes. A trip to the salon wouldn't hurt, either."

Pinkie giggled. "Geez, Twily. Have you been hanging around Rarity lately?" 

Twilight's smile slid down a notch. "Oh, well, if you don't want to, we don't have to. I mean, I just thought you'd need to get some stuff to wear to work, you know? And I have an appointment at the Hairbalist today anyway, so…"

Shaking her head, Pinkie pushed Twilight toward the door. "I didn't say that, silly. I love going shopping with you. I might try something different with my hair, too. Besides, I love doing things with you."

As they walked out the door, Twilight's tried to keep herself from over reacting. Nothing Pinkie said couldn't be said to just a good friend. It was entirely possible that Pinkie meant everything completely platonically.

Pinkie had brought her a cupcake. Pinkie wanted to celebrate with her. Pinkie loved shopping with her.

Was Pinkie trying to be subtle and tell her she liked her too? Or was she reading to much into nothing.

An arm around her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. "Geez silly, I really was just playing. I wanna come. No need to be all quiet and serious." Pinkie's grin melted away all her worries. Putting her arm around Pinkie, Twilight grinned.