The Heart of the Pie
"So she didn't like you at first?
"Oh, she liked me well enough, Sugar Cube, but it was hard for us to connect after her mom's death. I moved into the bakery and tried my best to be there for her as I started running the business end of things. But I think she slightly resented me for taking Sweetberry's place even though she never let it show in front of me. Heck, I don't even think she realized it, herself."
Wow, that's so sad! Did she ever start to get along with you again? And did she ever get get over her mom's death?"
"Yeah Apple Blossom, she did gradually get over her sadness as the months passed, but there still seemed to be this distance between us that I couldn't overcome. Until one day when I was making some pies and cookies for an order, when a really clever idea struck me...
"Bon Bon, could you come over here?" Apple Pie called out to her assistant, using the cookie cutter to cut shapes out of the dough in front of her. "I need your help getting these cookies into the oven!"
"Coming, Miss Pie!" the teenage filly called back, stuffing another sweet roll into her mouth, before trotting back into the kitchen to help her boss. It was while those two were working on the latest order, that two young foals came trotting through the Magic Kitchen bakery's entrance.
"Thanks for carrying my books home, Logan." Honeyberry thanked the school age colt accompanying her. "It was really nice of you."
"Awww, it was nothin', Honey!" The young pony, whom Apple Pie noted looked exactly like a smaller version of Mr. Barrington, replied sheepishly. "I'm glad to help you out anytime."
"Why hello there, you two!" Apple beamed, motioning them both back towards the kitchen. "Honeyberry, why don't you bring your little friend back here to try some of the chocolate chip cookies we've been baking?"
"Ummmm, no thanks, Miss Pie. I need to be getting home, I promised my dad I'd help paint the house." He looked back at the little filly, and smiled. "Se ya around, Honeyberry!"
"Bye Logan! See you tomorrow!" The filly replied, waving her hoof sheepishly as the colt trotted back out the door.
"Well my my my, doesn't it seem some filly has a little admirerer." Bon Bon teased, resisting the urge to taste one of the unbked cookies on the tray she was putting in the oven. "I can't believe you got a crush on Mr. Barrington's son, Honey!"
"It's no big deal, Bon Bon, leave me alone about it." The filly waved a hoof in frustration ,at the older girl's teasing. "Miss Pie, I need to go up and get started on my homework early, if that's okay with you."
"Actually Honeyberry, I was wondering if you could help me with a pie I wanted to bake." Apple told her young charge, pulling out the recipe book. "I could really use your help with the ingredients. "
"Couldn't you just get Bon Bon to help you?" The filly complained, not wanting to stick around the kitchen for too long. "I really need to start on my homework!"
Bon Bon has to run some errands for me, and this recipe is from your mom's personal book." The blue mare replied, waving her hoof at Bon Bon to leave the kitchen. "I could really use your help, please?"
"One of... mom's old recipes?" Honeyberry asked, coming over to look at the cookbook. "Oh! the Nutmeg apple pie! Okay, mom used to make this when I was little! Here, let me show you what you need..."
"That was enough to get her to start talking to me again, and that was a step in the right direction. We started to get along better after that, me going to her school dance recitals, and hosting events for her filly scout troop. It was at one outing at the zoo, with Logan in tow, that she and I finally made a real connection.
"Hey, can you believe how weird this thing looks!?" Logan laughed, standing on the rail at the odd looking creature's enclosure. "It looks like someone smooshed a chicken and an iguana together!"
"That's called a cockatrice, Logan. An animal brought here from Equestria." Honeyberry replied, pulling the colt back from the rail with her hoof. "If it hadn't had it's magic disabled, you'd be a granite pony sculpture just by looking at it."
"My my, you really seem to know your stuff, Honeyberry." Apple Pie remarked, coming up behind the two school friends. "Logan, could you go get the each of us an ice cream cone? Make Honey's and mine chocolate." The mare handed the colt some money. "You can keep the change for yourself."
"Sure thing, Miss P." The colt laughed, trotting the long way down the boardwalk towards the refreshment stand. "Be right back, ladies."
The two other ponies sat for a few seconds in silence, before Apple Pie interjected. "Honey, listen, I know these past few months haven't been easy on you, and I'm really really sorry if my stepping in the way I did hurt your feelings. But I was just trying to-"
"No, Miss Pie, you've been totally kind to me in every way possible." The little filly replied, sounding far more mature than she should have at her young age. "I'm really glad you saved my mom's bakery from getting closed down, and I'm really glad you saved me from a foster home. I'm sorry that I've been so mean to you when you've only been trying to help."
"You weren't mean at all, Honeyberry." The blue mare smiled, leaning over towards the little filly. "You know, you remind me so much of that little sister I told you about, the one who I left behind in Equestria?" Apple pie looked at the ground sadly, stuggling to say what was coming next. "I never told you this before, but... Apple Bloom's gone too, Honey. I really miss her, and I really do know how you feel right now."
"Your little sister's... gone?" The little filly replied in shock, looking up at the older pony sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Miss Pie, I-I didn't know..."
"It's all right, little one. I didn't want you to worry about it." Apple Pie replied with a sigh, before looking up. "Oh , here comes your little friend back."
"Okaaayyyyy! I gots here one strawberry cone for me, and two chocolate cones for the fillies!" He exclaimed, holding out the two cones in his flexible hooves.
"Don't you mean 'filly and mare' Logan?" Honeyberry exclaimed, taking her cone from him, then trotting back over to nuzzle the older blue mare. "My big sister here deserves to be treated with a little more respect than that!"
"Big... sister? But you two aren't related!" The young colt asked in confusion, looking back and forth between the filly and the clearly perplexed mare, before shrugging. "Good greif, girls are so weird!"
So she called you her sister? Awww, that so cute!
Yep, turns out she always wanted a big sister, so I was kind of happy to fill in the role for her. We kind of had a bit easier time getting along after this, and I almost started to feel like I had a family again... almost. But while I was trying to stabilize my new life with this little filly, forces were already in motion to upset the apple cart I had put so much time and effort in to righten itself..
"Excuse me, Miss Pie?" Mr. Barrrington called out, as he and Mr. Meadowsweet came trotting through the bakery door. "We'd like a word with you."
"Oh, hello gentleman, welcome!" Apple smiled, coming out to the kitchen to talk to the two of them. "Please, why don't the two of you have a seat? What can I do for you?"
"Well, you see, Miss Pie, we wanted to tell you that we are very pleased that you decided to keep our business arrangement that we had with Sweetberry going." Mr. Meadowsweet told her. "And we are also very pleased to see with how well you've kept the business running since the former proprietor’s passing."
"We are, however, here to speak to you about the future." Mr. Barrington stated bluntly, getting right to the point. "Under your careful guidance, the Magic Kitchen has not only thrived, but managed to grow it's business and expand it's clientele."
"Well thank you, Mr. Barrington. The only thing I can attest to that is hard work, and giving the customer what they want." Apple Pie replied proudly, taking his words as a compliment. "Oh, and the personal touch is always a big help, of course."
"That's all well and good, Miss Pie." Mr. Meadowsweet replied. "But we were wondering if you'd consider making your business more profitable by expanding it!"
"Expanding? But Bon Bon and I are already taking on a big workload as it is!" Apple considered, rubbing her chin with her hoof. "Oh, I guess we might be able to hire a few more ponies on staff, but-"
"We're not talking about expanding your business here at this location, Miss Pie." The other stallion replied. "We're thinking about franchising! Creating a whole chain of Magic Kitchen bakeries all across the Ponyland Republic!"
"A-a whole chain!?" Apple Pie asked incredulously. "My recipes, all over the nation?"
"We really think you should consider it, Miss Pie." Mr. Barrington added. "Sure, it may take up more of your time, managing a franchise and all, but there's a whole lot of money to be made here."
And unbeknownst to the three ponies talking downstairs, a little filly was hiding at the top of the step, listening carefully to a conversation that sounded like it was going to leave her feeling betrayed yet again.