//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - Bonbon Voyage // Story: The Steeden University of Culinary Arts // by Dee Pad //------------------------------// The Steeden University of Culinary Arts By Dee Pad ===================================================================== Chapter 1: Bonbon Voyage ===================================================================== "Check on those cupcakes would you, Pinkie Pie." "Sure thing, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie Pie, holding a mixing bowl and whisk as she fervently mixed a batch of meringue, exuberantly bounded from one end of the kitchen to the other to carry out the task asked of her by her employer and landlady. Bending down to look through the window of the oven, she peered inside to assess the state of the pastries in question, her foreleg never once stopping from mixing the contents of the bowl. "Still a few more minutes," she called back. Satisfied that she still had time, Pinkie bounced back to the counter to continue mixing the meringue. Sugarcube Corner was in a rather messy state this fine morning. Flour peppered almost every surface, utensils and dishes of all sorts lay littered about having served their purpose, and even the shop's three hardworking bakers were covered head to hoof in flour, icing, and dried cake batter. It was a busy morning to say the least. They had received a huge order the day before requesting confectioneries of all sorts, from cupcakes and eclairs to soufflé and crème brûlée, all in preparation for the birthday of one Diamond Tiara. Of course, since the little filly's family was the richest family in Ponyville, this meant one lucrative morning for Sugarcube Corner should everything go well, but it also meant that everything had to be perfect as they were also the snootiest family in town. But, given their track record, Pinkie Pie and the Cakes were more than capable of handling such an order. It wouldn't be the first time. Content that the meringue was sufficiently stiff, Pinkie Pie set down the bowl and hopped back over to the oven. She took one more look inside and grinned happily to see that they were ready to come out. Pulling open the door and donning a pair of oven mitts on her hooves, the pink, party pony removed the tray of cupcakes and placed them on top of the oven. Closing her eyes, she inhaled their aroma deeply. Perhaps the best part of huge orders like this was the plethora of scents that decorated Sugarcube Corner. The smell of freshly-baked goodies and sugary icing could be detected practically all over town. Folks would come into the shop just to smell the wares. "Cupcakes are all done, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie Pie informed. Mrs. Cake stepped away from the table where she had been rolling out dough, picking up a towel from nearby to wipe the sweat from her brow. "Goodness, this is tiring work," she exclaimed with a huff. "It's been a while since we've had an order this big. But I suppose all this hard work will help burn a few calories," she said with a hearty chuckle as she pat her pudgy belly. "So what's left for us to do?" Pinkie Pie inquired, eager to move on to the next task. "Well, first off I'm going to decorate those cupcakes, then..." She stepped over to the counter and picked up a notebook that had gotten caught in the crossfire and was slightly smeared with flour and batter. "...we still have two trays of chocolate chip cookies, one batch of bran muffins for the health-conscious party-goers, five miniature strawberry shortcakes, one lemon meringue pie—that you are currently working on—and we still have to finish the third layer of the main cake and decorate it as well." "So almost done then, cool!" Pinkie Pie commented innocently. The pink earth pony took another look at the nearby trolley upon which the main cake that her employer had mentioned was sitting: a large, three-tiered cake smothered in vanilla frosting, though lacking any distinct features as of yet, as well as it's third tier. When finished, it would be adorned with pink strawberry-flavored icing spread along it like ribbons and stand about the height of a full-grown stallion. Not the biggest cake they've ever made, but certainly one that would generate some buzz at the party. A knock on the front door of the shop could be heard from the kitchen. However, this did not deter Pinkie Pie and Mrs. Cake from their work; they had their hooves full as it was. Thankfully, Mr. Cake, who had been busy constructing the final tier of the main cake until now, took a moment to greet whoever it was that was knocking. Just because they were busy didn't mean they weren't going to give other potential customers the time of day. Pinkie Pie slathered a batch of meringue atop a lemon-filled pie crust and slipped it into the oven to bake for a short time. She flipped on a timer, setting it to five minutes to ensure she didn't forget about it and let the meringue burn, before hopping over to the table in the center of the kitchen and rolling out some chocolate chip cookie dough they had prepared earlier, distributing them onto a couple of baking sheets. Mr. Cake stepped back into the kitchen, holding a small stack of envelopes in his hoof and flipping through them idly. "Who was at the door, Carrot?" his wife asked. "Just the mailmare, dear," he replied. "Good thing, too. I don't know if we could handle another order right now." "Sure we could," Pinkie Pie chirped as the timer she had set chimed, prompting her to remove the pie from the oven. "We're the best bakers in Ponyville. We can do anything if we really tried." Mr. Cake chuckled. "I appreciate you're enthusiasm, Pinkie Pie, but when you're as old as us, big workloads start taking their toll on you." "Pfft, you're not that old," Pinkie scoffed. "Any important mail there?" Mrs. Cake interjected. Carrot Cake resumed flipping through the envelopes again. "Not really. Bills mostly, some random junk mail and—oh?" That got the two mares' attention. "What is it?" Pinkie inquired. He lifted one of the envelopes from the pile. "There's something here for you, Pinkie." The pink pony looked surprised, yet intrigued at the same time. "For me?" Mr. Cake passed the letter to her and she looked it over without opening it. No matter the situation, Mr. and Mrs. Cake could always see some hint of exuberance in Pinkie Pie's face; she was the kind of pony who could light up any room with her optimistic and carefree personality. So when her expression suddenly shifted and became completely unreadable as she stared at the envelope, they became concerned. Even more so when the normally chipper mare slowly and quietly sat down on the floor, never once removing her eyes from the letter. The Cakes shared worried glances. "Pinkie Pie?" Mrs. Cake said, trying to sound comforting in case this was something bad. "What is it?" Pinkie responded in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "It's from Steeden." The couple gasped in unison. "Really?!" Mr. Cake exclaimed. "They finally got back to you?" "I... I guess so." The pink mare seemed more than a little shaken by this. Mr. Cake stepped forward curiously. "Well? Aren't you going to open it?" After a moment of deliberation, Pinkie Pie rose to her hooves and tore open the envelope, removing the letter inside. She slowly unfolded the paper as if it were some sort of historical document and she was trying not to wrinkle or tear it. Mr. and Mrs. Cake watched in suspense as Pinkie's blue eyes scanned the letter, taking in every word. When she finished, she looked up and turned to her employers. "I got in." There was a moment of silence as the married couple waited for anything further, but there was nothing else said. Mrs. Cake spoke up first. "You got in?" "I got in," Pinkie repeated, adding no inflection to her tone. Carrot Cake looked to his wife with a raised eyebrow, then back to Pinkie. "Uh, I know this might sound strange, but I was expecting a more significant reaction. Aren't you happy, Pinkie?" "I-I don't know," she answered with mild confusion. "I'm not sure if I'm in shock, or I'm just so excited that there is no accurate way to express myself." A shaky smile crept across her lips. "But I'm gonna try anyway. Yahooooooooo!" Pinkie Pie leapt into the air, practically bouncing off of every surface in the kitchen, yet somehow not knocking anything over, chanting and screaming at the top of her lungs. Mr. and Mrs. Cake simply laughed at the display. This wasn't an uncommon reaction to good news, especially news like this. They were willing to happily let her ride out her excitement. When her bounding around finally came to a stop back on the kitchen floor, she let out an elated gasp. "I gotta tell everypony! They're gonna be so stoked!" She was about to bolt out the door, but paused as she looked at the smiling faces of her employers. "Uh, right after we finish up this order of course," she added with an embarrassed giggle. Mr. Cake waved a hoof dismissively. "That's alright, Pinkie. Go tell you're friends. We can handle things from here." Pinkie's eyes widened in gratitude. "You mean it?" They both nodded, but before another word could be said, a pink blur shot past them, leaving a cloud of flour and dried batter hanging in the air momentarily before plopping onto the floor where the mare used to be. ***** ***** ***** Pinkie Pie could barely contain her excitement. As soon as she was given permission, she made a beeline straight for the Golden Oaks Library, home of her good friend Twilight Sparkle and her dragon assistant Spike. The request was immediately made that all of her closest friends were to gather at the library so she could share her good news. At the moment, the library's own alicorn princess and her loyal, reptilian assistant were present alongside Fluttershy and Rarity as well. Pinkie Pie fidgeted impatiently as she awaited the arrival of the two remaining friends. The door to the library swung open and Pinkie's face lit up with a grin. Finally, Applejack had arrived, Rainbow Dash by her side who had been sent to fetch her. The orange earth pony seemed a tad confused and even a little irritated at the unexpected summoning, perhaps having been pulled away from her duties at the farm. It was an expression shared amongst the group, as none of them had any idea what was going on. "Alright, Ah'm here," Applejack announced in a slightly agitated tone. "Now, what's so important that y'all gotta drag me away in the middle of the day's harvest?" "I must say, I'm more than a little curious myself," Rarity added. "Pinkie Pie has been absolutely restless since I got here. It must be something big." Pinkie let out an eager giggle. "You bet it's big! Super big!" "Then just spit it out already," commanded an impatient Rainbow Dash. "Okay okay." Pinkie Pie took a deep breath in an attempt, though futile, to calm herself. She reached a hoof into her poofy mane and pulled out an unsealed envelope, displaying it to the group. "Ta da!" The others shared uncomprehending glances. "It's an... envelope," Spike pointed out without fanfare. "Not just any envelope," the party pony corrected. "It's only the biggest, most life-changing-est thing to ever happen to me!" Applejack let out a groan. "That's all well and good, but wouldja just stop beating around the bush and tell us what's in it?" Pinkie Pie continued as she waved the envelope around. "This, fillies and gentledragon, is a letter from the Steeden University of Culinary Arts." While the others were still somewhat unsure of what she was going on about, Twilight gasped at the news. "You finally got a response?!" Pinkie nodded excitedly. "Uh-huh." Fluttershy decided to voice the question that was on everypony's mind. "So what does that mean exactly? Why is this big news?" "Well, see, you guys may or may not know this," Pinkie Pie started, "but aside from making friends and throwing parties, I've had a lifelong dream of becoming a world-class pastry chef. Unfortunately, that meant I would need a college degree. So a few years ago, I sent an application to the Steeden University of Culinary Arts, one of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world." "I helped her out with her application," Twilight added, "making it abundantly clear that she was already of a very high skill level and wished to join the advanced program they offered: a one year course that would help her take the skills she has and further improve them." Applejack held out a hoof to stop them. "Wait, you sent this application a few years ago? And they're only just gettin' back to you?" "Well, actually they sent a reply a few weeks later," Pinkie Pie explained. "Like I said, it's a big school and eeeeeeverypony who has a passion for pastries and baking wants in. They wrote me back to let me know that I was on the waiting list. But I didn't think it would take this long to finally get a proper answer." Rarity leaned forward curiously. "And what was their answer?" Pinkie put on a huge, toothy grin. "Can't you tell? Ladies—and little dragon buddy—you are now looking at a college girl!" Finally, with the good news out in the open, Pinkie Pie's friends all gathered around the pink pony to offer proud smiles and congratulations. "My my, this is wonderful news, darling!" exclaimed Rarity. "Honestly, considerin' how good you're bakin' is, Ah suppose Ah ain't too surprised," Applejack said with a chuckle. "Does anypony else think that Pinkie Pie going to college seems just a little odd?" Spike mentioned. "Not just college, a university," Pinkie corrected. "Regardless of how odd the concept may be, this is an amazing opportunity for her," Twilight commented. "This could very well be one of the best things to ever happen to her." "But is it though?" Everypony turned to Rainbow Dash, who had strangely not joined in to congratulate Pinkie Pie on her achievement. In fact, she looked upset. "Twilight, you said this was a one year course, right?" Rainbow continued. The lavender alicorn nodded her head. "Well, yeah." "And the school is in Steeden. That's all the way across the ocean!" Now the pegasus was starting to sound worried about something. "Which means that Pinkie Pie would have to go to Steeden for a whole year!" Suddenly, all enthusiasm was drained away from the pink earth pony as this realization dawned on her. "She's right. If I do this, then that means moving away from Ponyville—from my friends—for an entire year. I-I don't want to leave my friends." Rarity shot an angry glare at the cyan mare. "Rainbow Dash, why would say something like that?" "Because I don't want to lose my best friend!" she shot back. "Nopony's going to lose any friends," Twilight stated confidently. She placed a hoof on Pinkie Pie's shoulder and looked her square in the eyes. "Pinkie, you said that this is a dream you've had your whole life, right?" She nodded solemnly. "Then there should be no doubt about whether or not you should do this. In order to achieve one's dreams, you have to be willing to make sacrifices. Do you want your friends to believe that they're the ones responsible for keeping you from achieving your dream?" "Well... no." "Then, if this is so important to you, you should do it." "It's not like we couldn't stay in touch," Fluttershy added. "We can write letters to each other while you're over there, so it'll be like we're always together, no matter how far apart we are." Pinkie Pie managed a small smile again. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But I don't want to go unless all of my friends want me to." She took another look a Rainbow Dash, who still looked unsure about the whole thing. "Maybe it's best if you take some time to think about it," Twilight suggested. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "Both of you." "This is a pretty big decision," Rarity noted. "It wouldn't be good if you went into this before you felt you were truly ready." Pinkie nodded in agreement and slowly made her way to the door. She didn't even give a second glance to Rainbow Dash as she passed by, stirring up feelings of guilt in the pegasus. As the door closed behind her friend, Dash turned to face her other friends, their faces showing mixed feelings of concern for Pinkie Pie and scowls toward herself, only serving to fuel that guilt. ***** ***** ***** Sugarcube Corner was unusually quiet. Whereas normally the place would be bustling with activity, its residents busily and cheerfully whipping up delicious baked goods, it had become eerily still. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had, by now, finished with the remaining treats for Diamond Tiara's birthday party and had gone off to deliver them. They happened to bump into Pinkie Pie just as they were leaving, a somewhat sullen look upon her face. They thought it best to give the mare some time alone to think. Now, Pinkie Pie sat in her bedroom, on the floor and leaning back against her bed, her eyes passively reading the acceptance letter she had received from the university over and over again. In a way, she was hoping that, by repeatedly skimming it, she'd find something within the lines that would help her make up her mind about this. No such luck, unfortunately. The pink mare let out a sigh and let her head fall back against the mattress behind her. It wasn't often in her life she was faced with such a difficult decision. She likened it to the day she left home when she was a filly, leaving behind everything she held closely to pursue her dreams. "Do I really want to go through that again?" she asked herself. "I mean, it's not like I ever regretted leaving home, but, at the time, it was a really hard thing to do, leaving my mom and dad and my sisters. And I know they were just as worried about it as me. I cried and they cried. We all cried. But it turned out okay in the end, right? I'm happy here in Ponyville, and I write home all the time. Would going to Steeden be much different? It's just for a year, but it's awfully far away. I could just take a train ride back home anytime I wanted, but it'd be a lot harder to book a ride on an airship to get all the way back here, not to mention expensive. I don't know if I could handle being away from my friends for that long. What do you think?" Pinkie looked down to the pair of infant foals seated on the floor in front of her and staring back, the unicorn filly idly sucking on her pacifier while the pegasus colt simply tilted his head, unable to comprehend what the older pony was even saying. Pinkie Pie managed a soft smile. "I guess it's not a big deal for you guys. You've got a few years ahead of you before you go off to college. The biggest decision you guys have to make is what toys you want to play with." The earth pony picked up a toy carriage and passed it to Pound to play with, then gave Pumpkin a stuffed turtle. Though Pound was content to wheel the carriage around for all of five seconds, it didn't take long for him see how much his twin sister was enjoying the turtle and promptly wrenched it from her grip. The filly grunted angrily and attempted to take it back, as well as Pound's carriage, and the two began a tug of war over the two toys. Pinkie Pie picked up the arguing foals, holding one in each foreleg. "No fighting, you two. You have to share. You have to make a decision over which one you want because you can't have both." She put the two foals down again to give them another chance to work it out. They both looked up at Pinkie Pie who was watching them with crossed forelegs and a stern stare. Pumpkin picked up the stuffed turtle, contemplated for a moment, then held it out to Pound. Pinkie smiled when Pound took the turtle and then proceeded to give Pumpkin the carriage. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it? You came to an agreement and now you're both happy." A knock was heard on Pinkie's bedroom door, distracting the mare from the two foals. The door slowly opened and the chromatic mane of Rainbow Dash peeked inside. "Uh, hey. Mind if I come in?" Pinkie was a little surprised to see her, but stood up to greet her friend. "Sure." Rainbow cautiously stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Pinkie Pie couldn't help but notice that she seemed nervous about something, as if something was on her mind. "Look, I-I wanna apologize about the way I acted earlier." Pinkie sighed and smiled at her friend. "It's okay. I understand how you felt, Dash." "No, it's not okay. I was being stubborn and selfish. I guess I was just worried that I was going to lose my best friend." "Like Twilight said, nopony's going to lose any friends. You and me are best friends forever, no matter what," Pinkie affirmed with a smile. Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I know, and that's why I feel bad about it. What kind of friend am I to try and stop you from doing something that's so important to you?" The earth pony's smile faded again. "It is a tough decision to make. I don't really want to leave all my friends." "And you wouldn't have to make that decision if I didn't bring it up. You could've been happy that you were accepted and just go. Now I feel like I'm standing in the way of you achieving your dream." Smiling once more, Pinkie Pie placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Actually, I'm glad you did bring it up." The pegasus quirked an eyebrow. "Why?" "Because if you hadn't, it wouldn't have dawned on me until I was already gone. Then I might have actually wound up regretting my decision. This way, I can get all my worries out beforehoof and have no reservations about leaving." Rainbow Dash lowered her head slightly. "So does that mean you've made up your mind? You're going to Steeden?" Pinkie shook her head. "No, I haven't made up my mind yet. I need to know if any of my friends don't want me to go. If even one of them wants me to stay, then I will." Rainbow Dash fell silent for a moment, turning away from Pinkie as she thought. She knew that the others were perfectly fine with this and supported Pinkie one hundred percent, so the decision ultimately came down to her. Did she want Pinkie Pie to chase her dream and risk not seeing her for a whole year? She turned back to see the big, blue eyes and warm smile of her dear friend and couldn't help but smile herself. The answer was obvious. "Like I said, I don't want to stand in the way of your dreams. No matter how far away you are and no matter how long you're gone, you're still my best friend." "Thank you, Rainbow Dash." The two mares embraced in a caring hug, Rainbow Dash trying her best to fight back a tear knowing that Pinkie was going to be leaving soon. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?" the cyan mare sniffled. Pinkie Pie pulled back from the hug, giving Dash a quizzical look. "What, are you crazy? You think they're gonna send me an acceptance letter and not give me any time to get ready? Classes don't start for a month." Dash stared back as if caught by surprise, fairly embarrassed that she had almost been caught crying. "What?! You mean we still have a month before you leave?! Why didn't you mention that earlier?! That woulda given me plenty of time to come to terms with all this." Pinkie Pie giggled at Dash's reaction. "Yeah, but we got it out of the way early. Now you don't have to be all sulky for the next month and we can enjoy the time we have left together." Rainbow Dash allowed her sudden shock to dissipate before laughing along with her pink friend. "Okay, you got a point. Let's make the most of this, alright?" "You got it." ***** ***** ***** A month can pass by pretty fast. Time flies when you're having fun as they say, and Pinkie Pie made sure to squeeze in as much fun as she possibly could in such a comparatively short amount of time, knowing that this day was eventually coming. She divvied up what precious little time she had as evenly as she could between her friends. She sat with Twilight in the library, learning things that she would probably need to know about the foreign country she was going to be living in. She honed her baking skills with Applejack, whipping up numerous apple-related goodies and helping her sell them. She helped Fluttershy take care of sick animals, and Rarity with her dresses. She went on one last pranking spree with Rainbow Dash, nearly turning the town on its head. She even made a trip back home to see her family before she left. And, of course, it wouldn't have been a proper send off without a going-away party. All in all, even with how much fun Pinkie had had this month, it still seemed too short. After a short, evening train ride, Pinkie Pie now found herself standing at the air docks in Canterlot, waiting for her ship to begin boarding. At her hooves were a few duffle bags packed with everything she would need for her trip. The ship she was to board was currently alight upon one of the landing platforms, the passengers from its previous flight in the process of disembarking. It was a rather enormous ship all things considered, though most of its size could be attributed to the colossal, violet balloon it was carried by. The ship itself was composed of a primarily aluminum hull, giving a bright, silver sheen and was large enough to easily transport one hundred ponies, plus cargo. The entire thing, envelope and ship both, was decorated with gold, not unlike much of the architecture of Canterlot's Royal Palace as the capitol was this particular ship's home. It was somewhat daunting to look at, especially since Pinkie Pie knew that, once she got on board, she would not see her friends for a long time. With that thought, she turned away from the airship to look behind her. All of her friends were standing with her, waiting to see her off, including Spike, Mr. and Mrs. Cake and the twins, as well as one little alligator standing with Fluttershy. For once in her life, Pinkie Pie was at a loss for words. She felt as if anything she could say at this moment would only make leaving more difficult. "This is a pretty big step, huh?" Twilight said, breaking the silence. Pinkie simply nodded her head, glancing once more at the airship behind her. "Yeah." Her friends took notice of her melancholy and Rarity stepped forward. "You shouldn't feel apprehensive about this, Pinkie Pie. We're all in support of your decision and want to see you succeed." The others nodded in agreement. Pinkie managed a smile. "Thanks you, guys. It means a lot knowing that you're all cheering me on." Applejack chuckled at the thought of what was actually happening right now. "Heh, ya know, ta be honest, I never thought I'd be seeing off Pinkie Pie as she left to head off ta college. If any of us were ta go to college, I'd a thought it'd be Twi." "Well, actually, Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is essentially a college," the alicorn explained. "As you might expect from the fact that the word 'Gifted' is in the name, you have to meet some pretty high requirements to get in. Getting accepted at my age was basically the equivalent of skipping several grades." Twilight glanced at the wings folded at her sides. "And I suppose my coronation also acted as my graduation." "I reckon there ain't too many universities out there that would turn away Celestia's personal protégé," Applejack joked. "I don't know about that," Twilight said modestly. "So none of you girls have ever had post-secondary education?" Applejack shook her head. "Nope. After mah parents passed on, rest their souls, I wound up quittin' school so me and Big Mac could take care o' the farm and help raise Apple Bloom." Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders. "I barely graduated from high school. By that time, I'd had enough of classrooms and textbooks. Forget that noise." "Taking care of all the animals around Ponyville takes up a lot of my time," Fluttershy said. "I've never really had the time for it. Though I suppose it would be nice to get a veterinary license someday." Rarity haughtily flicked her mane. "Well, I'm an entrepreneur. I have my own business already, so higher education is not really a necessity." Mr. Cake chuckled and joined the conversation. "Cup Cake and I are in that same boat. I guess that means that Pinkie Pie is actually the only one here who's going to be attending a proper college. How about that?" "Huh. I never really thought about that," Pinkie admitted with a giggle. "I guess it is pretty funny when you put it that way." "Regardless, you're doing a great thing with your life, Pinkie Pie," Twilight commended. "Doing this is going to open so many doors for you." "Oh, I don't care about that," Pinkie said with a dismissive wave. "I really just want to sharpen my baking skills so that all my friends in Ponyville can enjoy the best pastries this side of Equestria. I still plan on coming back to work at Sugarcube Corner." "And we'll keep the position open for you, dear," Mrs. Cake assured with a grin. The group heard the voice of an airship attendant calling out that they were preparing to board. Pinkie Pie looked at her friends one last time, trying her best to fight back tears. "I guess this is it." "Reckon it is," said Applejack with a proud smile. The Cake twins ran over to Pinkie Pie and hugged her legs tightly. With a shaky smile, she leaned down and picked them up, giving them a big hug back. "Aww, I'm gonna miss you guys, too. Don't cause too much trouble for your mom and dad while I'm gone, okay?" They nuzzled her neck before she put them down again, their parents coming over to retrieve them. Pinkie Pie walked over to Fluttershy, particularly to the small, glassy-eyed alligator next to her. She picked it up and rubbed her snout against his. "And you behave yourself while I'm gone, too, mister. Mommy loves you." As she put the reptile down, she turned to Fluttershy. "You'll take good care of Gummy, right?" The pegasus smiled back. "Like he's one of my own." "Thanks." She looked down at Gummy again. "Now, you make sure you listen to everything auntie Fluttershy tells you, 'kay? I don't want to come back and hear that you've been naughty." The gator blinked slowly in response and Pinkie Pie gave him a pat on the head. "Good boy." The moment had come. Pinkie Pie was prepared to take her first step into the unknown. As she was turning around to head toward the airship, she briefly made eye contact with Rainbow Dash and stopped in her tracks. The other mare seemed quite somber. She slowly approached the cyan pegasus. "You're still okay with me leaving, right, Rainbow Dash?" Dash managed a smile, which Pinkie took as a good sign. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's still... you know, a little sad to see you go." There was a catch in her voice. In an unusual display of affection from the normally cool mare, Rainbow Dash wrapped a hoof around Pinkie's neck and hugged her, which the earth pony gladly reciprocated. "I'm gonna miss you, Pinkie," she said with a sniffle. "I'll miss you, too." Pinkie pulled back, observing the rare tears that welled up in Rainbow Dash's eyes. That normally would have made her second guess her decision, but the smile the pegasus was wearing alleviated any worry. Their hug broken off, Pinkie Pie took a step back, and looked at her friends. "I'll miss all of you." "Good luck, darling," said Rarity, wiping her own tears with a handkerchief she had brought for just such a purpose. "Give 'em heck!" Spike added with gusto. As everypony bid her farewell, Pinkie Pie picked up her bags and finally made her way to the airship. Just as she was about to step inside, she looked back one more time to see all of her friends waving. With tearful eyes, she waved back, then entered the mighty ship, the door closing behind her. Pinkie Pie breathed a forlorn sigh and she allowed herself to fall back onto her haunches, her head resting against the door that now separated her from her friends and her home. "You need to take your seat, miss," informed the attendant that had called all the passengers aboard. "Oh, sorry," Pinkie quietly apologized, her usual spunky personality noticeably subdued. She picked up her bags and made her way down the aisle of the airship. She felt the ship's weight shift as it began to gradually lift into the sky. The inside of the vessel was not quite as luxurious as the exterior would have you believe. Though certainly not cramped or dirty, it was somewhat plain for a Canterlot airship. Of course, Pinkie could only afford to fly coach. First class must have been far more swanky, she imagined, not that it really mattered; there were going to be much more important things on her mind during this flight than her seating arrangements. She did make a note of the population within the ship as well. There weren't as many people on board as she had been expecting, though she couldn't imagine that too many ponies sought out Steeden as a vacation destination, especially not all at once. And, considering how expensive it was just to fly coach, she wasn't too surprised. In terms of numbers, there seemed to be somewhere close to fifteen or so ponies out of what looked like fifty seats. The place was pretty quiet. After making a short trek down the aisle, Pinkie stopped at a pair of empty seats, four rows from the front. Rearing up onto her hind legs, she opened the overhead compartment, then reached down and hoisted one of her bags up inside it, then the second. The third, however, appeared to have had a big breakfast that morning and was too overstuffed to fit. With great strain, Pinkie attempted to jam the bag inside, hoping the lid of the compartment would be enough to hold it in until they landed in Steeden. After one more forceful push, Pinkie's hooves slipped, causing her to fall over in the aisle, shortly followed by her fat duffle bag as it landed with a whump on her head. With a grunt, she heaved the bag off of herself and onto the window seat below the compartment. "Fine. Have it your way," she huffed at the stubborn bag as she plopped herself into the aisle seat. Pinkie Pie found herself relaxing into the surprisingly plush seat, letting out a long breath. She glanced at the bag propped up in the seat beside her, creating a crude image of somepony accompanying her on her flight. "Would be nice to have some company," she muttered to herself. She peeked out into the aisle and looked behind her. As much as she would like to start up a conversation with somepony, none of them looked like the chatty type, mostly business types skimming through newspapers, no doubt on their way to meet with foreign investors or some boring junk like that, she thought. They probably wouldn't appreciate being bothered. Pinkie groaned in annoyance. This was a nine hour flight. That's a heck of a lot of time for doing nothing, especially for somepony as fidgety as Pinkie Pie. It did give her time to think, though her thoughts always seemed to gravitate toward her friends and how much she missed them already. The pink pony clopped her hooves on her seat's armrests with resolution. "Come on, girl. You don't have to think about how sad you are to be leaving. Think about how excited you are about going to a new place. Think of all the potential new friends you can make—though they'll never replace your old friends," she made sure to remind herself. "And think of all the cool things you'll see there. And the food!" Pinkie gasped as she remembered exactly why she was going to Steeden in the first place. "The exotic recipes and flavors you've never tasted before. The rich aromas of foreign dishes." She was already beginning to drool at the mere thought of it, which reminded her that she would need to order an in-flight snack at some point. "And to think, I'm going there to learn how to make that stuff, then I can go home and share all of that with my friends! This is gonna be great!" Pinkie Pie had rediscovered her excitement about all of this, the same excitement she had felt when she first received her acceptance letter. The mare giggled gleefully at the thought, kicking her hind legs like a giddy foal on a trip to the amusement park. "Hey, do you mind?" came the grumpy voice of a mare seated in front of her, annoyed by the pink pony's hooves kicking the back of her seat. The mare peered over the back of her seat, giving Pinkie Pie a clearer view of her red-and-white striped mane, coat of a darker shade of pink than her own, and bright, green eyes. The combination of features triggered something in Pinkie Pie's memory, and the sudden look of surprise on the other mare's face indicated that the same had occurred to her. "Pinkie Pie?" Pinkie's mouth shot open in a long, exaggerated gasp as she recognized the face staring back at her. "Candy!" A pleasantly surprised smile appeared on Candy's face. "Wow, long time no—ghk!" She was cut off by the constricting pressure of Pinkie's forelegs wrapping around her neck and squeezing her in a tight hug. When the elated party pony finally released her, Candy rubbed her neck and chuckled. "Good to see you, too." "It's been forever!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed to her old friend with a smile as wide as the day is long. Candy thought for a moment as she tallied up the span of time between their first, and only, encounter. "About a year or so now, right?" Not content with having the plastic back of a chair between them, Pinkie Pie leap-frogged over the seats and plonked herself down into the empty window seat next to Candy Cane. "Is that all? It felt like eons! I would've written you letters to stay in touch, but I never got your address." "So what are you doing here?" Candy inquired with a grin. "Doing some world traveling or something?" Pinkie shook her head. "Nuh-uh." She answered with a haughty air of sophistication in her voice in mock superiority, placing a hoof to her chest and sticking her nose up. "I am to undergo the teachings of the world's finest pastry chefs to acuminate my artistry at a most prestigious academy." Not requiring any effort to decipher her words, Candy stared at Pinkie for a moment, a expectant glint in her eye. "Wait, you're going to a pastry school?" Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "It wouldn't happen to be the Steeden University of Culinary Arts, would it?" "That's it! You got it! How'd you guess?" Candy answered with an elated grin. "Because that's where I'm going!" Pinkie blanked for a second, her mind trying to devise a proper reaction to this sudden revelation. She ultimately decided on: "WHAT?!" "I'm going to study there, too!" Once again, Pinkie found herself embracing her fellow pink earth pony in an ecstatic hug. "This is great!" she beamed as she released Candy. "To be honest, I was a little scared about going someplace so far away and so unfamiliar all by myself. But now I have somepony I know going with me! That's a huge load off my mind." "Tell me about it," Candy giggled. "I was a little nervous myself. It's pretty relieving." Pinkie Pie tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's probably gonna be tough still. It's a foreign country. Even though I did some research before leaving, I'm don't know how easy things are gonna be there for us." "From what I hear, the university is pretty culturally diverse and multilingual. Most of the staff there supposedly speak Ponish. We shouldn't have too much trouble." "Well, that's good. I don't know a lick of Steedish." "Me neither," Candy chuckled. "I brought a rough translation guide with me to skim through on the flight over, but considering that you're here, I doubt I'll get to it." "Ain't distractions great?" Pinkie Pie giggled. Her smile dropped and she tilted her head for a moment, recalling something from her first time meeting Candy. "Wait, when we met back in Manehattan, you said you always wanted to go to a pastry school, but couldn't because you needed to stay home and help your dad run his business." "Because my mom passed away, yeah," Candy replied with a nod. "So... why are you going now?" Pinkie inquired. Candy's mouth opened, but she hesitated to speak, turning away from Pinkie Pie. "Um... Well, see... It's because... of Ginger Snap." Pinkie tilted her head more, holding it at a ninety degree angle. "Who's Ginger Snap?" "Dad's new girlfriend." Pinkie noticed the drastic shift of emotion in Candy Cane's voice. The other mare's hooves kneaded uncomfortably against the cushioned seat. Clearly, whatever was going on between her dad and this Ginger Snap mare, Candy was not pleased with it. "You don't like her?" "It's not that I don't like her. In fact, if it weren't for her, I couldn't go to Steeden. She helps him out around the shop and she's great at making candy and cookies and stuff. Plus, I haven't seen Dad this happy in a long time. It's just... I don't know. She's not... She's not Mom..." "Oh." Pinkie stayed silent. Even she could tell when a subject was a little too sensitive and knew not to butt into something that wasn't her business. Candy shook her head and grinned at Pinkie Pie. "Look, let's not talk about that. It's not important right now. What is important is you and me in Steeden, right?" Pinkie's smile returned as well. "That does sound pretty important. So important that it just may change our lives forever," she said with a sweep of her hoof through the air. Candy let out an amused giggle. "So, we still have, like, eight and half hours until we get there. Wanna talk about stuff?" "Do I?!" An aggravated stallion called out from the back of the room. "Can you two quiet down?" "Never!" Pinkie yelled back before turning her attention back to her friend. "Where do we start?" "How about telling me what you've been up to since we last met?" "Oooo, okay. First of all, didja know one of my best friends is a princess now?" "What, you mean Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Candy said with some surprise. "Yeppers. And being a princess's friend has it perks, let me tell you," Pinkie said with a sly grin. "What kind of perks?" Pinkie leaned over to Candy's ear, stopped to make sure nopony was eavesdropping, and whispered, "Like getting to tell people I'm friends with a princess." Candy simply hiked up an eyebrow at that answer, the doofy grin on Pinkie's face suggesting that she genuinely believed that to be a perk. Candy chuckled at her. "Sounds like you're living the life now," she said sarcastically. Pinkie rubbed her hoof against her chest, trying to act aloof. "Well, I don't like to brag." "Except that 'perk' revolves entirely around bragging." Pinkie let out a huff. "Well, if that's not good enough for ya, then I got a lot more stuff to share, so buckle up, sister." Pinkie Pie and Candy Cane continued to exchange stories, letting the hours idle themselves away and turn what was supposed to be a long and uneventful flight into a chance to reestablish an old friendship. Now, instead of spending the whole trip worrying about what hardships they would have to endure once they landed, they could take their minds off it for a while and tackle any problems they ran into together.