Major credit goes to "Bloopsy" for some proofreading and prereading
“Blueberry muffins up!”
a soft clang resonated through the kitchen as a tray filled with hot muffins landed on the cooling table. Pinkie spat her mouth mitt on the counter next to the sink just as a blue pony with a pink mane walked into the kitchen to claim the freshly baked goods with a warm smile.
“Splendid! That’s all the orders for today. If you will, be a dear and clean a few dishes before you go out please?” Mrs. Cake asked the pink mare.
“Woohoo! Consider it done Mrs. Cake!” The poofy tailed pony dashed through the kitchen grabbing the various pans, cups, bowls, and implements needed to bake the various goods the Cakes made their livelihood on. As usual, she didn't bother to fill the washing sink with water. Instead, she ran hot water and soap over each dish quickly scrubbing the filth off and rinsing them before dumping them into the sanitizer sink. Moving quickly through the stack she reached the final measuring cup. With a deft motion of her hoof she swiped the inside clean, her smile brightening instantly as the cup fell into the sanitizer solution to soak.
“Allllllright! Time to get outta here!” Pinkie bolted through the kitchen doors setting them swinging and blazed past the counter kicking open the front door in a mad rush to leave the sweetshop in the dust.
“Bye Pinkie! Have fun today!” Mrs. Cake called after her.
“FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOM!” Rearing up on her hooves in front of the shop, she mentally set course for Rainbow’s afternoon napping spot hoping to entice the pegasus into some of their usual brand of craziness.
“Pinkie, wait!”
The party pony's hooves stopped just a few centimeters short of hitting the ground before turning to the pony trying to get her attention.
“Hey Twilight, what’s up?”
The purple unicorn wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead in relief. “I didn’t think you’d hear me in time. I kinda have a problem i need your help with. What are you doing tomorrow?”
The pink pony put her hoof to her chin in deep though “Hmmmm, tomorrow is my off day, I should be completely free. Is something bad happening tomorrow? Do you have some sort of Pinkie sense like me? I guess it would be called Twilight sense for you. Is the library going to explode?”
Twilight shook her front hooves frantically. “No,no,no, nothing like that. I just wanted to see if you could help me with some baking tomorrow night. I have a private party the next morning for uhh, a book club, and I could use a little help in the kitchen since….”
“Since you set your oven on fire the last time you tried to boil water?” Pinkie asked with a huge smile.
The purple mare blushed madly, “Yeah… that. Anyway, as I was saying, could you help me bake a few pies and turnovers?”
Pinkie clopped her hooves together noisily in glee, “Of course I can! You just pick the time and I’ll be there for sure!”
The unicorn furrowed her brow, “Uhhhh, how about eight?”
The pink mare nodded furiously, “Perfect timing! I’ll still be able to hang out with Fluttershy and make it to the library for eight. Hey, eight rhymes with date! That’s neato, maybe I’ll make a song about it.
“Heh, heh, heh… umm so it does. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you, have fun today!”
“You too Twilight!” the earth pony shouted bouncing away.
~
Twilight watched her excitable friend bounce away like some sort of wind-up toy gone mad. She breathed a slow sigh of relief and continued into town.
“Now why ya wanna go and lie like that ta her?”
The southern voice caused the purple mare’s ears to shoot straight up as if she had just been caught shoplifting. Looking to her left she saw a displeased cowpony glaring at her.
“You march yerself over now ya hear.”
Twilight obeyed, slowly moving to the applestand in a trot of shame. Applejack’s face softened at the dejected look plastered on the purple mare’s face.
“Ok now, ah might not be the smartest pony in Ponyville, but ah can tell something’s wrong. Why doncha try talkin bout it?”
The unicorn sighed in defeat, “Eh, why not. Everypony is going to know in a couple days anyway." Twilight shot a glance to her left and right noticing the ponies milling about the vendor stands," though there is still the chance somepony might overhear us….”
Applejack grabbed her friend and pulled her over the side and under the applestand. The blonde pony pressed a button above her head labeled “panic” and in the blink of an eye it folded up around them completely encasing them in their own world
“There, complete privacy, now out with it Twi.”
Despite her new cramped and dark surroundings, she felt safe in the panic room her southern friend somehow built into her applestand, safe enough to find her voice.
“I didn’t lie to her to hurt her, I lied because I want her to come over tomorrow.”
“Well, why do ya really want her ta come over then?”
Twilight’s eyes cut through the dark in determination, “You can't tell anypony about this.”
“No problem, ya’ll know how good I am with secrets.”
The unicorn breathed a sigh of relief. “I want to ask Pinkie on a date.”
“WHAT! OW!” Applejack shouted in pain as she hit her head on the roof of her panic room.
“Keep your voice down!” hissed Twilight.
The blonde pony rubbed her head gingerly where it impacted the ceiling, “You’re serious aren’t ya? Maybe we should finish this somewhere else.”
~
The front door of the library slammed, locked, bolted, and chained shut. Applejack stared at the security precautions incredulously.
“Uhhh alright, As you were sayin, ya wanna ask Pinkie on a date, right?”
Twilight nodded
“Well what in Ponyville brought that on Sugarcube?”
A book engulfed in magical aura hovered over to the orange pony who squinted at the fine print on the cover. “The signs of love and what it means to you.”
“I've read this book at least a hundred times when I noticed a special… Feeling… i started having around Pinkie. I’ve read and reread the chapter about warning signs over, and over, and over again and I’m sure I have feelings for her.”
Applejack pushed the book away slowly, “Well i have noticed ya actin funny around her lately. I just never woulda connected the dots in such a way.”
“I know, right? It started about a couple months ago. I found myself staring at her for no real reason. After a while I started looking for excuses to hang out together, and then one night while helping her clean up after a party, I wondered what … kissing her… would feel like.” Twilight poured her heart out with a furious blush on her face.
Applejack’s eyes widened at the sincerity of Twilight’s confession, “Well that’s some serious stuff alright. I think that’s just dandy! You two would make a cute couple. Is that why ya want her over here tomorrow?”
Twilight nodded slowly again.
“So ya get her to come over and then what? What happens next?”
“I… I don’t know. I don’t have a plan and it’s driving me crazy!” Twilight screamed as several hairs in her mane popped out of place.
Applejack put her hoof to her chin. “Well maybe you should ask the others. They’re mighty good at giving advice.”
Twilight hesitated, “I don’t know, the more ponies I tell, the better chance somepony else might find out.”
“Twi, ya said it yourself. In two days time it ain’t gonna be a secret. Just askem about it, what’ve ya got to lose?”
The unicorn stared at the ground silently considering her friend’s advice. She felt ironclad resolve rise in her chest until she finally stamped her hoof in determination upon the hardwood floor, “You’re right! If I want this to happen, I need everypony I can get on my side.”
The earth pony threw her arm around Twilight’s shoulder, “Maybe I should come with ya iffn ya don’t mind.”
The purple mare hugged her friend tight, “Thanks AJ, I need all the help I can get.”