//------------------------------// // T & J's side stories: Expired Pasta (a.k.a. the day Jackie was moments away from being hospitalized.) // Story: You never know... // by x0jackie0x //------------------------------// "Hey, Jackie... remember that time with the pasta?" "Heh, yeah... it was expired, right? I was this close to eating it, you know. Thanks for that." "Is that sarcasm I hear in your voice?" "Naaaah... yes." _____________________________________________________________ "Let's see... No, she's saving that for later... that's Thatcher's..." Jackie was rifling through the fridge, hoping for even a little something to snack on. Her stomach was growling like crazy and her snack cabinet was barren, the last treat having been eaten the day before. Her eye caught the circular blue top of a plastic container, one that seemed strange to her. Pulling it out, she couldn't quite make out what was in it. Shrugging, she dropped it on the counter and closed the fridge, grabbing a bowl from the stack in the nearby cabinet. Pulling the lid off of the container, Jackie wrinkled her nose at the faint smell, almost unsure of what it was. "Oh. We haven't had this for a while." It was pasta, specifically fettuccine alfredo. A rather plain meal for Landscape to have made, but still quite delicious; Jackie was almost excited to have found some of the leftovers. The only thing that made her pause was that she just... couldn't remember when they last had it. There wasn't any mold to speak of, nor was the smell overwhelming. Maybe a month? "What's the worse that could happen?" She had a good nose and her nose was telling her that it should be okay. Her stomach didn't seem to care and urged her to warm it up. Obeying the organ that made good decisions (not really), she popped open the microwave and inserted the container into the appliance. After a button press and a few beeps later, the meal was steaming and ready to eat. Thank Celestia for such a wonderful invention. She poured the pasta into a bowl, only to be interrupted by hoof steps on the stairs and a rather confused stallion. Thatcher did not look happy. "Alright, alright... what in the writhing pits of Tartarus is that smell? What did you do?" Jackie gave her bowl a sideways glance before smiling at him. "I don't know what you mean. The pasta's fine." "Yeah... no. I could smell that mess upstairs! Is that... that's the alfredo! Where did you find that!?" Jackie stepped in front of the bowl, almost as if she was defending it. "It's not that bad! Besides, if it was spoiled it would look like it! We have a good fridge." "But it doesn't last! That pasta is almost three months old!" "...We have a really good..." "No, throw it out! We don't need you going to the hospital for something like this!" Thatcher concentrated for a moment and the bowl quickly became enveloped in an orange glow. "Hey!" Jackie quickly grabbed the edge of the bowl with her teeth, a small tug-of-war playing out between the two. "I'b eaten worfth!" "It worries me that you say that..." Jackie released the bowl and tapped her hoof on the tile in frustration. Nobody got between her and food, not even her employer. "Oh please, like anything is gonna happen!" The two began to bicker heatedly, going back and forth for a few minutes before a certain pegasus quietly closed her book and placed it on the coffee table. Timid had just about enough of the arguing. By the time she reached the kitchen, the 'discussion' had become quite in-depth; Thatcher was defending his point by delving into deterioration on a microbial level, while Jackie argued actual shelf life versus marketed shelf life and just how resilient a pony could be. They were so caught up in their arguing that Thatcher didn't notice when Timid pulled the plate out of his magical aura. The moment it left his grip, his horn stopped glowing, leaving his daughter free to do whatever it was she wanted. She tapped the bowl on the counter, both Jackie and Thatcher shutting their mouths and looking at her. "Ah ha! Thank you for being on my side, Timid!" Jackie reached for the bowl, but Timid tipped it over and dumped it in the sink. "Ah HA! Thank you for being on my side!" Thatcher's expression was triumphant. Timid still said nothing, but hurried over to the cabinet adjacent to Jackie's snack cabinet. It was filled with all sorts of food items, but she only pushed those aside. Behind the food sat a single solitary honey bun, still wrapped and delicious looking. Pulling it out and holding it by the corner with her teeth, Timid ran past her father and Jackie, making a beeline for the couch. Jackie simply squealed and gave chase, trying to wrestle the snack from her friend. Thatcher just stood there, dumbfounded. He shook his head and turned the faucet on, washing the old pasta down the drain. "I'm pretty sure I won that argument." _____________________________________________________________ Timid only shook her head. "You're crazy." "Hey, it was a badass fridge."