Chapter 5: The Contest
Time flew by as the three entrants to the bake-off prepared their treats, and pretty soon the fair had begun. Ponyville was lively with ponies from all over the area taking part in the festivities. There were rides to enjoy, games to play, and delicious food to eat. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both had stands with food from Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner, respectively. It was all about the publicity for their businesses.
The two of them had set up stands opposite each other. Whenever ponies passed by looking interested in buying some food, they were friendly as can be, always putting the customer first. It was a different story when they were by themselves.
“I suppose you think you’re gonna win the bake-off this year,” Applejack called across the road. “Well, sorry, hon, but you don’t stand a chance against what we’re cooking up.”
“Okay,” Pinkie Pie said, “keep telling yourself that.”
“Hey! That’s uncalled for!” Applejack shouted, waving a hoof at her.
“You’re the one who started talking to me,” Pinkie Pie called, tracing circles in the counter. “But keep shouting all you want. Doesn’t bother me.”
“It should bother you. When you see what we’ve got in store for the competition, you’re gonna get scared. And I’m gonna love every minute of it.”
“Okay.”
Applejack groaned and pointed her hoof threateningly at Pinkie. “You’re really starting to get on my nerves!”
“Why? Because I’m so confident about my entry that your trash talking doesn’t bother me? I think you should spend less time yapping and more time baking, and then you won’t be so insecure that you have to put me down to bring yourself up.”
“You know what? Fine! I’ll let my baked goods do the talking! You’ll see!”
“Okay.”
Applejack had to stop engaging with Pinkie Pie before she crossed the road and wrung her neck. Just remember, she thought, it’s all about the competition.
In the meanwhile, Bon Bon and Lyra were selling their candy further down the road. Spike strolled up to the booth to talk to them.
“Learning that recipe?” he asked.
“Yep,” Lyra replied.
“Are we gonna bake it to perfection the night before the contest?”
“Absolutely!” Bon Bon cheered.
“All right. Just wanted to make sure.” Spike walked away with a fluttery feeling in his stomach. This is gonna be awesome…
Like all good things, the fair passed by quickly, and soon it was the day of the bake-off. There were three places on the table for the three entrants. In front of each, the baked goods they had prepared were underneath cloches to keep them a surprise for the crowd. The Apple family was at the far left behind the number 1. Pinkie and the Cakes were number 2. Bon Bon and Lyra were the third entrants. All three groups were standing in front of their entrants for the contest.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie were staring daggers into each other’s eyes. Bon Bon and Lyra looked over at the two of them with concern. They leaned towards each other.
“Why are they taking this so seriously?” Lyra asked. “I thought they were supposed to be friends.”
“They’re always like this,” Bon Bon said, “although it is kinda sad.”
“Well, let’s just hope we can beat them this year,” Lyra said. “Do you think we can pull it off with Spike’s help?”
“Did you see the way he worked in the kitchen? The drake’s a genius!”
“Hello, hello! Cane everypony hear me?” Rarity called over the loudspeaker. The crowd of ponies hushed when they heard her voice and looked eagerly towards Rarity.
“We are about to take part in the Great Ponyville Bake-Off!” she announced. The crowd stomped their hooves and started whooping.
“Well, without further ado, I will present the entries. The Apple family, please present Entry Number One!”
Applejack lifted off the cloche and revealed a scrumptious apple pie glazed over with powdered sugar.
“And we have a delicious apple pie from the Apple family!” Rarity announced. “Its elegance is in its simplicity, but we all know that anything with apples from Sweet Apple Acres is sure to be absolutely delicious!”
Applejack grumbled to herself at the seemingly biased commentary. It didn’t matter though. All they need to do was impress the judges. One by one, the four princesses and Shining Armor took a taste of the pie. The Apple family watched them in earnest to see their reactions. Shining Armor was stone-faced, but Cadance looked satisfied and Luna was practically salivating. Twilight walked up to the pie and lifted the fork to her mouth.
“Hope you enjoy it,” Applejack said with a wink. Twilight smiled politely and took a bite. She maintained a neutral expression as she walked back to the judges’ table, and Celestia looked unimpressed as well.
“And the judges have tasted the pie! We’ll see the results once they’ve had a chance to try all three. Next up is Entry Number Two! Let’s see it, Pinkie and the Cakes!”
Pinkie revealed their entry, and the crowd murmured to each other in confusion. Pinkie winced as Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“Okay...I was told this is called the Pinkie Pie Surprise, but I didn’t know what to expect. It’s certainly...surprising. Okay, judges, take a taste!”
Pinkie scrunched her face in anger as the judges came up. Shining took a skeptical bite but nodded when he tasted the medley of flavors. Cadance twitched when she tried it, and Luna looked nonchalant. Twilight stepped up to take her bite, and she once again held a neutral expression.
“What did you think?” Pinkie implored.
“You’ll find out when we reveal the results,” Twilight responded coolly. Celestia took a bite and seemed pleasantly surprised.
“Okay,” Rarity said, “our final entry comes from the owners of the Ponyville Candy Shoppe. Let’s see it!”
Lyra lifted the cloche to reveal a chocolate cake that looked moist and delicious, with chocolate glazed icing and chocolate drizzle, decorated with plump maraschino cherries.
“Oh my,” Rarity said. “That certainly looks quite rich. It might be enough to make you full in one bite. Let’s see if the judges agree!”
Bon Bon and Lyra glared at Rarity, but they couldn’t claim she was biased towards any one entry. The judges, however, seemed quite satisfied. Shining Armor smiled at his bite, and Cadance and Luna looked at each other eagerly when they both tried it. Twilight’s eyes shimmered when she tried it, but then she looked puzzled and walked back to the judges’ table, lost in her thoughts. Celestia gave it a try and winked at Bon Bon and Lyra as she left.
“And now that the judges have tried all three entries, they will confer and present the results. In the meantime, I encourage you all to mingle amongst yourselves. I’m sure the judges will have their results shortly.”
In the meantime, all the contestants could do was wait.