Definition of a Word.
"Aight, fillies! Today, we are trying for cooking cutie marks! GOOO, CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" - shouted Applebloom, - "...Uh, where do we start, though?" Scootaloo, naturally, felt less then exuberant about the idea - "Aw, come on, Applebloom. We tried being gourmet chefs just the other week. My coat`s still growing out!" Unfortunately for her, Sweetie Belle was all for the idea - "Which is why we`re going to try fast food today! Rarity never lets me have the fries!"
As they argued, the starting point of their crusade tout jour loomed just ahead - a library, where they hoped to borrow a cookbook. That was Sweetie Belle`s idea, and as instigator, she had the noble and loathed task of actually asking Twilight for the said book. Now, while normally Twilight was the sweetest pony ever, she could be very protective of her books, and CMC members had a bit of infamy connected to them in the town. Still, Sweetie Belle was hopeful.
* * *
"A cooking book?" - mused Twilight, as she scanned the shelves - "I think that`s what you`re looking for." She levitated a book titled "One Hundred and One Simple Dishes" and hovered it next to Sweetie Belle. "Wow, thanks, Twilight!" - exuberant filly could not quite believe her luck as she grasped the book firmly and started making her way toward the door.
"Wait, where are you going?" - asked lavender unicorn, as she reached out to stop filly. "Well, um... I wanted to check this book out?" - she ventured, looking at Twilight with puppy dog eyes. Librarian groaned - "...Well, I suppose. But Sweetie Belle, please, I implore you, take care of the book. Other ponies will need it after you`re done with it." Grinning, little unicorn shook her head - "I`ll take good care of it, I swear!"
Twilight shook her head. She had her reservations about letting the foal take the book out of library, but when all was said and done, she couldn`t refuse the request. After all, that was the whole point of having a library, after all. Still, she felt the chill of impending doom, as the filly trotted out with book. Out on the street, she could see Pinkie Pie having a twitchy-twitch that signaled some kind of magic mishap. Oh dear. Temporarily forgetting about Sweetie Belle, Twilight hurried to the basement, anxious to doublecheck and safeguard her latest experiment.
* * *
"Alright, so what will we cook?" - asked Sweetie Belle as she leafed through the book impatiently. "Breakfasts... Soups... Appetisers... Roasts... Pasta..." - she muttered the names of chapters as she read the index. Scootaloo suddenly perked up - "Pasta? Hey, I like pasta. Let`s make pasta!" "Fie. It does not even have apples in it!" - opined Applebloom, crossing her hooves defiantly, - "Ah`m not eatin` anything that does not have apple in it!" Sweetie Belle ignored them, trying to concentrate on the book.
"How about we try fries, like we wanted to?" - she asked finally, having had located the recipe. As all the fillies congregated around the opened page, Applebloom shook her head - "We ain`t got that much oil, Sweetie.... Actually, we ain`t got much stuff here at all." Scootaloo was already rummaging through the cupboards. "No, no, no... Argh, there`s nothing good here!" - she complained, slamming the door shut. Cupboard shivered and the thin packet on top of it tipped over, falling down and bouncing off Scootaloo`s head.
"AW! What gives!?" - pegasus exclaimed, grabbing her head with both forehooves and covering just in case the rest of sky decided to fall. When it didn`t, she picked up the offender - "Why you... Hey! That`s noodles! Now we can make pasta!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged glances and shrugged. Fates of today clearly had their minds set on pasta, after all.
* * *
"I dunno. Twilight`s going to be so mad..." - opined Sweetie Belle, as she stood before library doors, holding soggy book gingerly. Everything started so well, too. They were almost ready to make the pasta! Until Applebloom discovered they boiled the book instead of noodles. "...Crunk,crunk,crunch... Just tell her it was an accident, Sweetie Belle. She`ll understand." - ventured Scootaloo through the mouthful of dry noodles. "Yuck, stop spitting that stuff all over me!" - retorted unicorn filly indignantly, as she shook off an errant snip of dry pasta from her cheek, - "And if you think it`s so easy, why don`t you go return the book, hm?"
"Ah, I couldn`t. You checked it out, you`re supposed to bring it back. Twilight`ll send me to fetch you if I tried to." - replied pegasus filly quickly, - "Come on, let`s get this over with and go play. Applebloom`s waiting for us at the fort." Sighing, Sweetie Belle boldly stepped into the library, soldiering on for the earful librarian would surely give her about the ruined book.
* * *
"...Oh. My. Stars." - opined Twilight, as she looked over the ruined book, her eye twitching - "What have you done with that poor book!?" "Ehehe... It was an accident... Well, I must really run, I`m late for something, in fact!" - Sweetie Belle attempted to escape, but as soon as she turned to the door, it slammed shut, bolt shining with lavender glow as it slid locked.
"Sweetie Belle. It seems that I have been gravely misunderstood when I asked you to treat this book with care." - ventured Twilight softly, her mane frizzling, as she stepped toward the unicorn filly, - "Allow me to enlighten you on the definition of word "care"." Her horn flashed bright violet, as magician mumbled an arcane formula through gritting teeth.
* * *
"Well, it went pretty well." - offered Scoolaloo as Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered in the treehouse later, - "Twilight didn`t even keep you there for long, now did she?" "Allow me to avoid defining my thoughts on the matter. I assure you, they are quite uncouth at the moment." - spelled out Sweetie Belle. Applebloom snickered - "Hay, Sweetie. What does "prestitigitashion" means, anyways?" Floating thesaurus shivered, her pages fluttering as she opened at the letter P. "Do I look like a dictionary to you?" - spelled Sweetie Belle a second later, - "Wait... Don`t answer. Rhetoric question."