//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - Making Friend Fries // Story: The Steeden University of Culinary Arts // by Dee Pad //------------------------------// The Steeden University of Culinary Arts By Dee Pad ===================================================================== Chapter 2: Making Friend Fries ===================================================================== The door of the majestic, Canterlot airship swung open after touching down on one of the many stations at the foreign air dock. The crisp, cool air of the countryside immediately overpowered the stagnant atmosphere of the ship's interior, not having been exposed to the outside since taking off from Canterlot. The ship's passengers began to disembark, stepping out onto foreign land, two individuals in particular doing so for the first time in their lives. Pinkie Pie and Candy Cane, with their luggage in tow, walked out onto the dock. The latter taking a moment to stretch her back and legs from being stuck in a seat for nine hours, and the former inhaling a deep breath through her nostrils, experiencing the freshness of the local air. Both stopped momentarily to take in their surroundings. They had landed in Steeden's capitol city of Trotholm, a city that, according to the limited research Pinkie had done before leaving, was an impressive fusion of industry and nature. Such was evident by the landscape itself. Behind the pair of ponies and the airship they arrived on was a vast lake, the water as bright and blue as Pinkie's own glistening irises as she marveled in the country's natural beauty. The lake lay on a backdrop of a sprawling mountain range, so tall the peaks were capped with snow, and the land leading toward the lake, just beyond the boundaries of the air dock, was a vibrant, green meadow, decorated with countless flowers and tall, healthy trees here and there. How a pony-made area like the docks could be built so close to nature without disturbing it must have been some sort of miracle. Fluttershy might have liked this place, Pinkie figured. Opposite the breathtaking natural scenery was its total contrast: the city of Trotholm itself, built upon a small archipelago a little ways inland from the sea. The many islands of the capitol were connected by bridges spanning the countless canals. It almost looked like the city was just floating on the water's surface. What was more impressive, however, was how Trotholm compared to a city like Manehattan. Manehattan, as Fluttershy had once put it, felt a little cold and sterile at first glance. But this new city, although perhaps just as bustling as Manehattan, felt much more inviting and almost beckoned to Pinkie and Candy to explore its wonders. The buildings were clean, colorful, and artistically designed, signifying a rich and deep culture. Pinkie Pie finally exhaled the extra long breath she had taken, the cool, clean air flushing all apprehension out of her mind. She smiled contentedly. "Ahhh, Steeden. We're finally here." Candy stared in awe at the beautiful city before them. "We're actually going to be living here for a whole year? It almost feels like we're just on vacation or something. This place is amazing." "I know, right?" Pinkie agreed in a high-pitched tone. "Just think of the parties you can throw in a place like this. Oh! You think we're allowed to swim in the lakes? A lakeside party would be so cool!" Candy chuckled at her friend's exuberance. "As fun as that sounds, I think we have more important things to deal with. First and foremost being getting to the university and getting our dorm rooms before nightfall. We don't want to wind up sleeping in the streets for the night." Pinkie nodded resolutely. "Alrighty, then. Lemme just..." Pinkie jammed a hoof into one of her duffle bags and fished around for a few seconds before pulling out a folded piece of paper. She proceeded to unfold it time after time until it had revealed itself to be a map of Trotholm. Pinkie plonked herself down and started to analyze the map, her tongue protruding from the corner of her mouth as she sized it up. "I think it's supposed to be somewhere on the east side of town. And I think we might already be on the east side," Candy mentioned, looking around for anything that would confirm her hypothesis. "Um... Okay, here's the dock we're at," Pinkie said, pointing to the location of the air dock, verifying that they were indeed on the east side of the city. "Aaaaaaand weeeeeee haaaaaave to goooooooo... here." She tapped the paper where the name of the university was spelled out. "Okay, that's not too far from here," Candy said with a touch of relief. "It's still pretty early. We can probably get there before orientation starts." Pinkie lifted an eyebrow at Candy. She reached back into her bags and pulled out a small pocket watch to look at it, tilting her head in confusion. "No kidding. It's five a.m." She glanced up into the sky, noticing a distinct lack of the usual darkness that she associated with this hour. "Sky's kinda bright for five a.m., don'tcha think?" Candy simply giggled at her ignorance. "We're in another time zone, Pinkie. You'll have to turn your clocks ahead six hours while you're here." Pinkie gasped loudly. "You mean... we're in the future! Do you think they have teleporters over here? Or, like, pneumatic tubes that transport you to different parts of the city? Maybe their food is in pill form." Her face filled with panic and she grabbed Candy by the shoulders. "What if their food is in pill form?!" Candy smiled and placed a hoof on Pinkie's foreleg reassuringly. "I don't think you have to worry about that," she said as she removed the other mare's legs from her shoulders. "Just set your time to eleven a.m. and let's get going, okay? Orientation starts at one o' clock." After taking a deep breath to calm herself over such a horrific thought, Pinkie Pie turned back to the grand city and the two of them started towards it. They briefly crossed over a short bridge connecting the air dock to the city proper, spanning over a shallow stream that diverged from the main canals. Pinkie took a moment to peer over the railing of the bridge, delighted by the sight of several fresh water fish swimming upstream. It really was awe-inspiring to see the combination of natural and artificial beauty that this city exhibited. Once they made it onto the city streets, it became increasingly obvious just how diverse things were on this side of the ocean. Given that the Griffon Empire was also located overseas, it should not have been surprising to see many of them in the surrounding countries. However, they hadn't quite expected the numbers that were now before them. Though, like their own homeland, Steeden appeared to be full of ponies—earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns all freely and happily intermingling—it appeared that the population of griffons was close, if not equal, to the pony populace. Pinkie had only met a couple of griffons in her life, and those individuals tended to be somewhat arrogant and a little pushy, but the griffons here were practically indiscernible from the ponies aside from how they looked. Many groups of people that were traveling together consisted of both species, chatting and going about life like normal. Clearly her perception of griffons may have been skewed slightly by personal experience. That, and living in a rural community like Ponyville didn't often bring in a lot of cultural diversity. Reaching an intersection on the road, Pinkie pulled out her map once more, ascertained their location, and determined the route they needed to go using street names. That wasn't easy considering all the street names were in Steedish. While using the same basic alphabet, the written language over here may as well have been ancient hieroglyphs to the two foreigners. Even if they couldn't actually decipher it, all they really had to do was match up the words on the map to the appropriate street sign and follow it. It certainly didn't help that everywhere they went there was nothing but Steedish plastered all over everything. Corner stores, office buildings, and restaurants were only recognizable because of how they looked rather than their labels. Although, much to Candy Cane's confusion, Pinkie managed to order a danish from a nearby food stall, perhaps her stomach knowing more about the language than her brain. After about a half an hour of walking, the pair finally caught sight of the university, an absolutely gargantuan building located across a decadent bridge and sitting upon its own small island on the water. The school itself was a brick structure—or perhaps just designed to look that way—colored reddish-brown and looked far too fancy for a couple of average ponies like Pinkie and Candy. The building's size was attributed mostly to it's width, only being three stories tall, but judging by the amount of people mingling in the serene gardens of the courtyard, a lot of that space was likely for the students' dormitories. It was hard to believe this place was just a cooking school. Despite the rather imposing elegance of the premises, the other people within the school grounds seemed pretty normal and even more culturally diverse than the rest of the city, with more than just ponies and griffons present. Judging from the fact that a lot of them were also carrying around large bags or suitcases, they must have also come a long way just to enroll here and were passing the time until orientation started, which would be another couple of hours yet. "Well, we've got some time to kill. Any ideas?" asked Candy as she took in the splendor of the surrounding campus. A loud gurgling noise grabbed the attention of not just Pinkie and Candy, but several other nearby ponies. Pinkie looked down at her stomach. "I could go for bite to eat," she answered with a giggle. "That danish not enough for you?" "It was good, but all I've had to eat since yesterday was that and some measly airline food. I need to get a proper meal in me." Candy looked up at the large clock face above the main entrance of the university. "We probably have time, but I don't know if I want to risk it. There's always a possibility that we could get lost, even with a map." "Pfft, you're starting to sound like Fluttershy," Pinkie scoffed. "Besides, I can get pretty irritable on an empty stomach. You wouldn't like me when I'm irritable." "This place's got to have a cafeteria, right?" Candy suggested. "If it's open, we can grab a quick bite there." Pinkie gawked at Candy. "Seriously? We're in a foreign country and you want to settle for cafeteria food? Where's your sense of adventure? We gotta sample the local cuisine!" Candy gave the other mare an irritated look. "Need I remind you that neither one of us know any Steedish. Finding a restaurant, let alone ordering a meal, might prove problematic." Pinkie wrapped a hoof around Candy's neck and pulled her close, an eager grin on her face. "That's the idea. Going to a restaurant and not knowing what you're going to get. Will it be a pleasant surprise for your palate, or will it kill off all your taste buds? It's a thrilling game of chance!" Candy groaned, unsure if that was appealing or not. Taking another look around, she once again took note of the large population of griffons within the city. "Is that really a good idea? Considering how many griffons seem to live here, I'd guess that most menus probably contain a sizable selection for carnivores. I wouldn't want to accidentally order something that used to, you know, breathe." "Ugh!" Pinkie groaned loudly and threw her hooves up. "Come on, Candy. Do you actually think they'd let a pony order that kind of stuff? They probably have separate menus for that. Stop being such a worrywart." "Alright, alright, let's just go," Candy finally conceded with a huff. "All this talk about food is making me even hungrier anyway. At this point, I just want to eat something, doesn't really matter what." "Great!" Pinkie exclaimed, jumping up onto her hind legs and pointing toward the city. "Then let us embark on a quest for food with which to satisfy our rumbly tummies!" ***** ***** ***** Having aimlessly wandered the streets of Trotholm for the better part of thirty minutes—though making sure not to wander too far from the university—Candy Cane and Pinkie Pie happened upon what appeared to be a restaurant district, conveniently enough. At least, that's what they assumed it was. They took a shot at asking around for directions or any clues they could possibly decipher, but nopony or griffon they stopped on the street seemed to speak Ponish. It came down to simply picking a place that looked like they could afford and throwing caution to the wind in regards to the food they wound up with. "This place seems alright," Candy said as she peered into the window of one restaurant. Inside, the place was rather quaint looking and had a "down-home" kind of atmosphere, the kind of place that likely served local specialties in order to draw in tourists. It also wasn't too crowded, which meant they could probably get their meals in a timely manner and make it back in time for orientation. Nothing on the outside of the establishment gave them any additional information or even so much as confirming any speculation. What they assumed was a menu of today's specials written on a chalkboard in the window was completely illegible for the two foreigners, apart from the prices. "The prices are reasonable," Candy elaborated. She analyzed the chalkboard more closely. "Well, I assume they are. I have no idea what this stuff is supposed to be." Candy heard the sound of something rattling and looked over to see Pinkie Pie sitting on the sidewalk and shaking a small, plastic cup, then poured out the contents onto the cement: a pair of dice. "What are you doing?" "Making a choice," Pinkie answered simply, her eyes looking back and forth between the dice and the chalkboard. With a satisfied grin she pointed to one of the listed items known apparently as "pitepalt". "'Kay. I'm getting that one." "You don't even know what that is." Candy raised an eyebrow momentarily. "Uh, do you?" Pinkie shook her head, her smile persisting. "Nope." The other mare rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Let's just hurry up and get our orders in." Upon opening the door, the pair of foreigners were met by the tinkling sound of an entrance bell and the voices of the other patrons engaging in idle conversation. The first thing that Pinkie noticed, however, was the rich, earthy aroma that enveloped the restaurant. The party pony inhaled deeply through her nostrils, the scent of cooked vegetables pleasantly caressing her olfactory receptors. She responded to the stimulation with a content sigh and a gurgle from her belly. Picking out an empty table for two, Pinkie and Candy took their seats and used the time they had waiting for menus to take a look around. The place looked pretty old, with most everything, including the tables and chairs, clearly hoof-crafted and with fine craftsmanship to boot. The walls appeared to be decorated with framed photos of picturesque locations and landscapes around Steeden. It was probably a family-run business if a guess had to be made, and it felt pretty comfortable and welcoming. A unicorn stallion dressed in black approached their table with a smile, passing the two mares a pair of menus. As Candy flipped hers open, the waiter asked them a question, but they could only respond with blank stares, having no clue what it was he was saying. "Heh, sorry. We're not from around here. We don't speak Steedish," Candy said with an embarrassed chuckle as if he would have understood her any better. His smile staying where it was, the waiter made a slight gesture to the two as if to apologize, then turned to grab the attention of a waitress across the room, requesting that she come over. Once the other server arrived at the table—her smile just as friendly—the stallion departed to tend to another table. Their new server was a unicorn mare with a bright red coat and well-styled, light purple mane tied in a braid. Her cutie mark was currently obscured by the skirt of her uniform, but her most eye-catching feature was her... well, eyes. The mascara and eyeliner she had applied made her vibrant, pink irises stand out, almost forming a central focal point on her body, drawing the eyes of others to hers. "Good morning," she greeted in a soothing tone, accompanied by a slight, yet noticeable, Steedish accent. A wave of relief washed over Candy as soon as she heard the waitress's voice. "Oh, you speak Ponish?" The waitress nodded. "Ya. This place gets a lot of tourists. It is always good to have at least one staff member who can speak Ponish." She performed a quick curtsy. "My name is Sugar Cookie and I will be your waitress today." "Hiya, Sugar Cookie!" Pinkie greeted rather loudly, eliciting some irritation from the other customers. "I'm Pinkie Pie and this my friend Candy Cane. Nice to meetcha." "A pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Pie," Sugar Cookie returned in a soft, comforting voice. "To set the record straight," Candy interjected, "we're not tourists. We came all the way here because we're taking a course at the Steeden University of Culinary Arts." Sugar Cookie's face became awash with pleasant surprise. "Is that right? Well, that is a coincidence. I, too, am to attend that school." Pinkie gasped at this news. "You are?! That's awesome! We might be classmates! And if we're gonna be classmates, we gotta be friends, too! Let's be friends!" Sugar Cookie giggled at Pinkie's display of enthusiasm. "My my, you move quickly. But what kind of pony would I be to turn down a generous offer like that from such a nice, young mare?" Pinkie clapped giddily at her answer. "Ya know, to be honest, it would be pretty nice to have a friend who knows the area," Candy admitted. "It would help remove that whole 'fish-out-of-water' feeling." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Wait, if you're going to the university, too, then what are you doing working here? Are you going to be able to make it to the orientation?" "This is a part-time job," Sugar Cookie answered. "My shift is over in thirty minutes. I have plenty of time. I took this job to help pay my way through school. It is not much, but I can get by." "Must be tough having to balance school and work like that," Candy commented. "My dad just saved up a bunch of money since I was born to help pay for my education." "And I always put a few bits from my paycheck aside for the same reason," Pinkie added. "Little amounts really add up over time." Sugar Cookie smiled fondly at Pinkie. "You seem very smart, Miss Pie." The party pony waved a hoof and scoffed. "Oh, come on. Drop the formalities. We're friends. You can call me Pinkie. And you can call her Candy," she said, pointing across the table. "And we'll call you... Uh, do you prefer 'Sugar' or 'Cookie'?" With a soft smile, she responded, "For you, Pinkie, either one will do." Pinkie smiled at the prospect. "Oooo, choices. Maybe I'll call you 'Sugar' on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 'Cookie' on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And alternate between the two every Sunday. So today's Friday, that means today I'll call you 'Sugar.' That sound good?" "Sounds great," Sugar replied with a giggle. "But as much as I have been enjoying our chat, I suppose I do have a job to do. So, can I take your orders?" "Oh, right!" Pinkie blurted as she flipped open her menu. After scanning through it for a moment, she pointed to one particular item. "That's the one I want. The, um... pit-a-palt." She pursed her lips, starting to second guess whether or not it was really worth it to order something completely random. "So, uh... what is that anyway?" "Pitepalt is simply boiled potatoes with barley flour and served with butter and lingonberry jam. It's one of the specialties here," Sugar happily answered. "'Lingonberry jam?' What's that?" Candy asked curiously. Sugar shrugged at the question. "Exactly as it sounds: jam made from lingonberries. They grow in abundance around here." "Oooo." Suddenly, Pinkie's interest was piqued once more, her worries successfully quelled. "That actually sounds pretty tasty," Candy admitted. "I'll have some of that too." Sugar jotted their order onto a notepad and left to deliver it to the chefs. Some time later, she returned with their meals, each plate adorned with two potato balls coated in barley flour with a dollop of bright crimson jam on the side and a small plate of butter, accompanied by two glasses of milk. Even if the serving size wasn't too impressive, when they began digging in, they couldn't deny the distinct, local flavor. And if that weren't enough, Sugar surprised them after their meal by delivering dessert, courtesy of herself. She referred to it as "A gift to celebrate their new friendship." Their "gift" came in the form of what she called "ostkaka"; slices of firm Steedish cheesecake topped with fruit, ice cream, and more lingonberry jam. If this dessert was any indication of the stuff they'd be making at the university, they were in for a treat. With their bellies full, Candy and Pinkie graciously said goodbye to Sugar—though they knew they would see her again pretty soon—and decided to make their way back to the school campus and wait out the remaining time there. There was still about a half an hour until orientation started, but the doors of the university were already open, giving the students a chance to take a look around while they waited. The pair of foreigners figured they should capitalize on the opportunity. Passing through the grand, oak double doors of the university's entrance, the two found themselves within a rather plain-looking lobby. There wasn't really anything too interesting about it really. Opposite the door was a desk where a receptionist was sitting and busily leafing through some papers, and there were a few potted plants here and there, but overall it wasn't as elegant or majestic as either of them had envisioned, especially given the posh design of the building's exterior. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the lobby was the large painting just above the receptionist's desk depicting a mustachioed stallion wearing a chef's uniform, presumably the founder of the university. Moving further into the building, Pinkie and Candy wandered down one of the school's corridors. To their left were tall windows looking out towards the beautiful courtyard, and to the right were doors leading to various classrooms. Pinkie curiously stuck her head into one of the doors. To her confusion, she saw not what she expected—which was large kitchens where many students could learn to cook. Instead she was looking at what appeared to be an ordinary classroom; just a blackboard, a teacher's desk, and many desks for students. "Huh. This doesn't really look like a cooking school," Pinkie pointed out. "Are we in the right place? Did we accidentally go to a school that just so happens to look exactly like the Steeden University of Culinary Arts?" "I don't think so," Candy replied from further down the hall. She was peering into a separate room. Pinkie trotted over to have a peek for herself. Sure enough, this room was exactly what she had been expecting: a large kitchen with several ovens lining the walls and long tables for the students to do their prep work. Everything was state-of-the-art too. Pinkie walked into the room and toward one of the ovens, looking it over with awe. "Whoa, a Burn Master," she breathed in disbelief. "These are, like, the best ovens in the world. Stainless steel, dual racks, digital timer, and, oh, baby, look at those induction burners." Pinkie began running her hooves along the edges, taking in its glory like an obsessed fangirl. "I take it you know a lot about this stuff," Candy inferred. "For a while I was considering dipping into my college money to buy one of these beasts for Sugarcube Corner. Just look at it!" Pinkie wrapped a hoof around Candy's shoulders, staring at the range and basking in its majesty. "Isn't that just the sexiest thing you've ever laid your peepers on?" "Uh, sure," Candy muttered, admittedly finding Pinkie's current mood a touch creepy. "But maybe we shouldn't be messing around with it, you know? We could get in serious trouble if we broke something." "You're probably right," Pinkie agreed as she turned for the door. "We've got more exploring to do anyway. Gotta see everything before orientation." Candy made to join her, and just as Pinkie was about to shut the door, she hesitated and peered back at the ovens once more, biting her lip and whispering, "Soon, my sweet." Exploring further down the hall, the pair began to hear a commotion coming from up ahead. Soon enough, they came upon the doors to the student lounge where a large group of curious students like themselves had gathered and were waiting. The room essentially looked like a very large living room, with several couches, some bookshelves with a plethora of reading material, and there was even a small dining area with tables and a café where they could sit and have breakfast in the mornings or a light snack during the day. Anypony could tell that this was where students would be spending most of their free time if not out exploring the city. The room was fairly crowded even now, with ponies and griffons and zebras casually loitering and chatting. With a smile, Pinkie hopped onto one of the couches, plopping herself down between a male griffon and a stallion that were conversing. She contentedly leaned back, draping her forelegs against the back of the couch and behind the two males whose conversation she had intruded upon, completely oblivious to how awkward and uncomfortable she was making them. "Now, this is more like it," Pinkie said to Candy as if there weren't two sets of eyes glaring daggers at her from both sides. "For a while I was thinkin' this school would be all stuck up and formal, but this place is pretty cozy." Seeing no sign that the obnoxious mare was going to return them to their privacy, the frustrated males stood up and left her sitting alone. Pinkie just sat there, still smiling as if she hadn't even noticed they were there in the first place. Candy took the opportunity to sit next to her. Pinkie glanced around the room, mentally sizing up its dimensions. "Ya know, this room is pretty big. I could see us throwing some killer parties in here." "In all seriousness, Pinkie, we're not here to throw parties. We're here to learn," Candy reminded her. "We could get in a lot of trouble if we just started throwing random parties." "Random parties are the best parties," Pinkie said with a slight pout. "And 'impromptu' is one of my favorite words. Besides, parties are a great way to put your baking skills to the test. Cuz what's a good party without tasty snack cakes?" Candy shrugged in response. "Hey, if you can get permission from the faculty, then I'm all for it." Pinkie threw her head back in annoyance. "Ugh. You can be a real buzz kill sometimes, you know that?" "Hey, I'm not getting kicked out of college just because of my association with you." "Pfft. We're not gonna get kicked out," Pinkie scoffed. She let out a resigned sigh. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'll try to tone it down a bit, 'kay?" Satisfied that she had pacified her friend's party muscle, Candy smiled. "That's all I'm asking. I do want to have fun while I'm here. I just don't want that fun to ruin our experience here, you know what I mean?" Pinkie waved a hoof dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I getcha." The voice of an older woman suddenly filled the student lounge, echoing through a speaker in the wall and grabbing the attention of everyone present. "Your attention please. Orientation is about to begin. All students entering their second term are asked to report to Lecture Hall A immediately. All students enrolling in the advanced program, report to Lecture Hall B." The voice repeated her message several more times in other languages and the students made their way back into the hall to seek out the lecture halls, with Pinkie and Candy looking for Lecture Hall B. It didn't take long to find the room in question. Many of the students already seemed to know where it was since they were given time to look around. Pinkie and Candy simply had to follow the crowd and check the plate on the door to ensure it was the right room. The lecture hall was by far the largest room they'd seen yet. All of the seats where the students were beginning to sit down were placed upon a pitched floor; the further back one sat, the higher up they would be, giving everyone a clear view of whomever was speaking at the bottom. There was enough space here for perhaps a couple hundred individuals, although it didn't appear that there were nearly that many present. The room itself was pretty much barren, with no real discernible features other than the many desks and the large, oak desk and blackboard that spanned almost the entire wall down in front where the speaker would be. Speaking of which, no instructor seemed to be present at the moment as the desk was empty and everyone else were students trying to find seats. Pinkie scanned the whole room as she tried to decide where to sit. She paused momentarily as her line of sight met with a pair of pink eyes staring back at her, outlined by heavy mascara and eyeliner that made them clearly visible, even though she was sitting halfway up the enormous lecture hall. Sugar Cookie beckoned silently to Pinkie with her soft, inviting smile and Pinkie returned it gleefully. She tugged Candy's foreleg, pointing out Sugar, and dragged her up the steps, the pair seating themselves next to Sugar Cookie. "Fancy meeting you here," Sugar joked with a light chuckle. Pinkie responded with a giggle of her own, excited to be spending time with a new friend. Now that she was out of uniform, Pinkie Pie could clearly see the image of a heart-shaped cookie with pink frosting that was her cutie mark. "So any idea what exactly is going to happen here?" Candy asked. Sugar simply shrugged. "Not really. I suppose we will just be given a brief outline of the course and what to expect throughout the year." "Yeah, you know, get us orientated," Pinkie chirped with unusual sass. "I mean, it's an orientation, so duh." Candy rolled her eyes and ignored her friend's quip. "What about the instructor? We didn't seem to run into any of the faculty when we were looking around." Once again, Sugar replied with an uninformed shrug. "I heard the staff are all vorld-reknowed chefs from all sorts of countries," came a voice from behind the three mares with a distinct Germane accent. Turning around, they were looking at a rather short, portly, earth pony mare with a tan coat and a blonde mane tied into short pig tails. Upon seeing the odd looks on their faces, the mare quickly shrunk back. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I vas just answering your question since you didn't seem to know." "That's okay," chirped Pinkie Pie. "And thank—" "Per'aps zee little piggy should learn to keep 'er snout out of ozer people's business, non?" the female griffon sitting next to the short mare remarked. The griffon was eyeing the mare condescendingly with her piercing, golden eyes as she flicked the normally white feathers of her bangs with a claw, though the tips of the feathers appeared to be dyed black and red. Her black tail—matching the rest of the fur on her body—swished next to her, almost swatting the Germane mare. The mare shrunk back even more at the insensitive griffon's comment. "Hey, it's not nice to call other people names!" Pinkie snapped. The griffon simply sighed, leaning her head against her talons indifferently. "Why don't you turn around and mind your own business as well, hm? Some of us are 'ere to learn, not make friends." "Well, I'm here to do both." Pinkie was about to stand up to confront the griffon, but was stopped by Candy's hoof on her shoulder. "Pinkie, don't go getting into a fight already. It's our first day here. Just let it go, okay?" she whispered. "I'm not gonna fight anypony—er, griffon. I'm just trying to stand up for the little pony." "You may want to put that on hold," Sugar interrupted, pointing to the door as it was opening. "I think the orientation is starting." Pinkie cast one last, glare to the mean griffon and reluctantly sat in her seat and faced forward. The griffon simply responded with a haughty "Hmph." All of the chatting students fell silent and took their seats immediately once the supposed instructor stepped into the room. The instant Pinkie Pie got a look at him, though, her eyes flew wide and her mouth dropped open with a barely restrained gasp. Waltzing into the room with a confident gait was a griffon, his feathers off-white and his coat a dark, smokey grey. Around his neck he wore a red kerchief, and upon his head a ruffled, white chef's hat. But by far his most distinguishable trait was the long, thin mustache sprouting from his beak. The griffon stood before the room full of aspiring pastry chefs, his eyes closed as he cleared his throat and his claw placed against his chest as he prepared to speak. "Bonjour, students. Je m'appelle—" "Gustaaaaave!" The griffon's eyes shot wide open and bloodshot at the sound of the loud, shrill, and frighteningly familiar voice that called out from somewhere in the room. Hesitantly, and perhaps against his better judgment, he allowed his eyes, as well as those of every other student present, to trace the voice to its source, ultimately to find that his suspicions were confirmed. Standing from her seat with a massive, toothy grin and flailing her hoof in the air to get his attention, as if her voice were not enough, was a pink, poofy-maned, earth pony mare. The griffon's eye twitched. With a shake of his head, he laboriously attempted to ignore the familiar mare for the time being and continue with what he had come here to do. Once more, he cleared his throat, more loudly this time. "As I was saying," he started, prompting Pinkie Pie to take her seat again, who saw that she was being ignored. "Je m'appelle Gustave le Grand," he introduced with a flourish of his claw. "And I will be your 'ead chef for zee duration of zis course. As such, I 'ave made it mon objectif to mold you all into zee best of zee best." Gustave paused for a moment, looking over the crowd of students. His beak curled into a somewhat disappointed frown, as if he had been expecting applause at his proclamation. He continued regardless. "Zat being said, I can guarantee zat only approximately 'alf of you will make it past zee first two weeks." He observed the uncertain expressions his words had elicited, taking no sadistic joy in their reaction. "And zat is not because I do not 'ave faith in you, it is because some of you may be in over vous tête. Zis is somezing I 'ave 'ad zee displeasure of seeing 'appen before; aspiring pastry chefs jumping straight into zee advanced courses because zey 'ave désabuse—disillusions—about zeir skills." Gustave began to pace across the classroom as he continued. "'Aving applied for zis course, I will assume zat you all know zee basics of zee art of baking and will teach you as such. Zee first week will déterminer whezer or not you are ready to be 'ere and become a master baker." The silence that had permeated the rows of students was suddenly broken by the stifled giggles of a certain pink pony. Looking around, Pinkie quickly noticed that she was the only one laughing and promptly quieted herself, straightening her face once more. Gustave simply raised an eyebrow in both confusion and mild irritation before clearing his throat and continuing. "Our first class is Monday morning. Zat is when your skills will be put to zee test. Until zen, you 'ave zee weekend to familiarize yourselves wiz zee school and its facilities. I would suggest you use zee remainder of your time today to pick up your textbooks and schedules at zee student lounge and go to zee front desk to receive your room assignments if you 'ave not already done so. Rejeté—you are dismissed." The group of students all began to stand up and make their way out the door, some of them heading to the student lounge for books, others to the lobby for the keys to their dormitories. Gustave himself gave a curt bow to his students before sitting down at his desk, sifting through his curriculum for the first week of classes. Glancing up briefly, he noticed that the pink earth pony from earlier had stood up, but was not moving and had the same toothy grin plastered on her bright-eyed face. Whenever a student would obstruct his line of sight with the mare, she seemed to appeared closer once he could see her again. Bit by bit, she warped ever closer to his desk, her goofy expression never shifting, until the crowd had finally thinned out and she was standing right at his desk, grinning widely. Gustave let out a defeated groan; may as well get this over with, he thought. "Bonjour, Pinkie Pie," he greeted with monotony, though smiled slightly as well. "Hiya, Gustave!" Pinkie shouted back, perhaps a little louder than was necessary for their proximity. "Wowzas, who'd a thought you of all people would be my teacher at this school?" Gustave couldn't help but grin as well. "'Oo would 'ave zought you would be mon êtudiant?" Pinkie giggled gleefully. "That's what you'd call a 'coinkey-dink,'" "I suppose some people would," Gustave muttered under his breath. "But, more to zee point, what are you doing 'ere, Miss Pie? Are you not 'appy wiz your job at... what was it called? Sugarcube Corner?" "Course I am. I looooove working at Sugarcube Corner." "Zen why would you have need of zis course if you are satisfied by your current occupation?" Pinkie Pie thumped her hoof against her chest proudly, her expression showing devote seriousness. "Because it has always been a dream of mine to become, as you put it, a 'master baker,'" She lost a little of her composure at the end, barely forcing back her laughter. Gustave nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. It is a matter of personal pride, is it? Zat is quite admirable." Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. However, she suddenly spoke with some worry in her voice. "So... what you said before about only half of the students making it. Do you think I have what it takes?" Gustave clasped his claws together, closing his eyes in thought. "I suppose we will just 'ave to see. But, from personal expérience, I can say wiz beacoup confiance zat you 'ave natural talent in zee art of baking. I 'ave witnessed zis first claw." Pinkie shuffled her hooves modestly. "Well, the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness was actually made by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. I mean, I helped of course, but it was their project." Gustave shook his head. "Non, I am referring to zee way you combined our desserts togezer, forming an absolue chef-d'œuvre—a masterpiece. Zough I could 'ave done wizout all of zee shenanigans zat took place." "You really think I have potential, Gustave?" Pinkie asked with pleading eyes. The griffon nodded and rose from his seat, walking Pinkie toward the door. "Oui. 'Owever, from zis point on, you and your classmates must refer to me as 'Chef le Grand.' Do zat, and I will 'elp you become a master baker." Once again, Pinkie stifled a giggle as they approached the door. "Snrk! Right, you got it, Chef le Grand! I won't disappoint you! Hehe!" The griffon raised an eyebrow. "What in Equestria is so funny?" "Nothin'. See you Monday!" With that, Pinkie slipped out the door and into the hall, leaving Gustave to sigh as he anticipated the coming headaches that this year promised. The school's halls were now much more packed with students than they had been earlier, most of them trying to either find their way to where they could pick up their textbooks, heading to the lobby for their dorm keys or the dorms themselves, or had already done all that and were just having a look around, getting a feel for their new environment. Once Pinkie exited the lecture hall, she was immediately greeted by Candy, who had been waiting for her. "Oh, there you are. I was starting to wonder if you wandered off without me. What were you still doing in there?" With a smile, Pinkie responded, "Just catching up with Gustave—er, Chef le Grand." Candy tilted her head curiously. "You know him?" Pinkie nodded. "Yup. We met once when we were both going to the National Dessert Competition in Canterlot. He was entering his world-famous éclairs, and I was representing Mr. and Mrs. Cake and their Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness. Long story short: everypony won!" "Wow. It's pretty cool that you actually know our instructor. Who knows, maybe that'll give you a leg up," Candy joked. "Ahem." A voice from behind them diverted the two ponies from their conversation. Standing there with a rather condescending gaze was the same griffon that Pinkie Pie had had the unpleasant exchange with earlier. "Oh, it's you," Candy acknowledged flatly. "Looking for trouble?" Pinkie asked with a crack of her neck. "Cuz you found it." Candy rolled her eyes. "Would you stop?" She turned to the griffon. "Look, don't mind her. She's excitable." The griffon didn't even bat an eye. "Hmph. I was simply curious as to what it was zat you were discussing wiz mon père." Pinkie tilted her head. "Your 'pear?' I don't see any fruit anywhere?" The griffon shook her head. "Non, not 'pear.' Mon papa." "You're father?" Candy repeated. Her eyes widened slightly as she made the connection. "Wait, you mean Chef le Grand? He's your dad?!" The griffon grinned proudly. "Oui. Je m'appelle Gwenivere le Grand. Zee pleasure is all yours." "Ooooooh," Pinkie expressed in realization. "Ya know, I thought that fancy, Prench accent sounded familiar. It all makes sense now." "Yeah, because only two griffons in the whole world have Prench accents," Candy said sarcastically. Gwenivere glared at Pinkie, irritation showing in her features. "You 'ave not answered my question: why were you talking wiz mon père?" Pinkie snapped back to attention. "Oh, right. It's because I know your dad." "Why would mon papa associate wiz a nopony like you?" Pinkie shrugged indifferently. "I dunno. We were on the same train, heading to the same place for the same reason. He's a nice guy once you get past his big ego." Gwenivere's eyes narrowed. "Pardon moi?" Candy, seeing the look in the griffon's eyes, glanced worriedly at Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie, maybe you should take that back." The party pony raised an eyebrow. "Why? I'm just telling it like I see it. He went on and on about how his éclairs were, like, the best thing since sliced bread. And sliced bread is pretty sweet, let me tell you." "It is not egotistical if it is zee truth," Gwenivere interjected. "Papa is zee best pastry chef in zee world and, as such, I am to follow in 'is paw prints. You can never 'ope to surpass my skill in zee art of baking." "I never said I did," Pinkie replied with an innocent smile. "I'm here to be the best that I can be, not the best that you can be. It's not a competition." Gwenivere paused, seemingly mulling something over. "Per'aps not, but do not zink zat you can coast through zis course by buttering up mon papa. You do not deserve 'is charity. See you Monday, little ponies." The haughty griffon strolled past them and disappeared further down the hall. Candy grimaced at the whole exchange. "Did it seem like she was being a jerk for no reason?" Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe it's a Prench thing. I dunno, I kinda like her." Candy stared, befuddled by that statement. "What? She did nothing but talk down to you. Why would you like her?" Pinkie glanced back, an odd smile on her face as if plotting something. "I like a challenge." The other mare blinked uncomprehendingly. "A... challenge? Weren't you the one who said this wasn't a competition?" She shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Anyway, we gotta stop wasting time and get our books and our keys. I wanna get in as much exploring around this place as I can before Monday." Pinkie galloped ahead, leaving Candy behind. "Uh, Pinkie? The lobby's the other way." ***** ***** ***** Several students roamed the upper floors of the university where the dormitories were situated. The halls had a similar feel to that of a high class hotel, with plush, red carpeting spanning their entire length and ornate lamps hanging from the walls to illuminate the area. Many of the students wandering around were busy searching for their assigned rooms, amongst them two pink earth ponies burdened by their luggage. Pinkie Pie stared begrudgingly at her key as she and Candy Cane arrived on the second floor of the building. She hadn't taken her eyes off of it—or rather, the tag that was attached to it—since they each picked theirs up from the receptionist at the lobby. Engraved upon the tag on Pinkie's key was "2-C"; her room number. However, it wasn't her number per se that was the source of her ire, but Candy's, which read "2-H." Candy Cane, seeing the distress upon her friend's features, placed a hoof comfortingly upon her shoulder. "Come on, Pinkie, it's not that big a deal." "It's a super big deal!" Pinkie whined. "We were supposed to be roomies! What am I gonna do now?!" Candy sighed with a slight smile at the other mare's overreaction to the situation. "Calm down. It's not like we're living on opposite sides of the building or separate floors or anything. I'm right down the hall." She pointed down to the fourth door on the right. This didn't seem to quell Pinkie's worries though, as the normally optimistic pony stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout, her eyes already beginning to well up at the thought of them being separated. Candy tapped her chin in thought for a moment, grinning as an idea came to her. "Think about it this way: if we live in separate rooms, that means we each get our own roommate, A.K.A. a new friend." Pinkie suddenly perked up, her ears standing to attention. "Then I can introduce you to my roomie, you can introduce me to yours, and we can introduce them to each other to a create an even bigger circle of friends. How's that sound?" Pinkie's eyes widened at the prospect, her pupils twinkling. She bolted to her dorm—the second on the left—unlocked the door, and swung it open. "OkayIgottagomeetmyroommatenowbye!" The door slammed loudly behind her as she disappeared behind it. Candy chuckled to herself and casually made her way to her own dorm. After slamming the door shut behind her, Pinkie Pie threw down her bags, then gazed at the dorm, her jaw dropping in disbelief. If the halls were like those of a high-end hotel, then the rooms were luxury suites. In front of her was a posh living room, with a large, comfy-looking sofa seated in front of a rectangular, glass coffee table and a large, flat-screen television on the wall. There were several end tables near the couch and door with either reading lamps or potted plants placed upon them. The far wall was practically just a big window that overlooked the garden in front of the university, providing a breathtaking view. To the right of the door was a chest-high partition jutting out from the far wall and extending almost the whole length of the living room. Through the gap that was left was the dorm's kitchen, which quickly sparked Pinkie's interest. There, a dining table was set up with four chairs, all clearly expertly hoof-carved and painted jet-black. But, more important were the kitchen appliances. Pinkie was practically chomping at the bit when she saw what the school had given her to work with in her spare time. An enormous, stainless-steel, double-door refrigerator; a high-performance microwave; a deluxe mixer; only the most state-of-the-art equipment an aspiring pastry chef like her could want. The pièce de résistance though, was the oven: the same model of Burn Master that Pinkie had been drooling over earlier. At first the place made her feel more like she was on vacation than at school, but now it felt like heaven. She could only imagine how expensive it must have been to get all of this for every dorm in the school. It spoke volumes of the university's reputation as the best culinary school in the world. Still though, her silent tour was not over. Past the kitchen was the bedroom, which, admittedly, was perhaps not as luxurious as the rest of the dorm. It was homey and comfortable, but lacking any real flair and occupied only by a pair of double beds and some side tables. Pinkie hopped into the air and belly-flopped onto one of the beds to test it. She landed with a fwump and slowly began to sink a few inches into it. She sighed contentedly. "Yup, this'll do nicely." Turning her head to her right, Pinkie noticed an open door leading into a bathroom. Not wanting to get up from the cozy embrace of the mattress, she simply looked it over from her current vantage point. Again, like the bedroom, it wasn't anything to write home about outside of the glaring, well-polished whiteness of... well, everything in there. A toilet; a sink; a shower. That was pretty much it, but that's all she needed really. Pinkie Pie was suddenly distracted by the sound of the door to the dormitory opening. Curious, she sprang from the bed and cantered back to the living room. To her surprise, closing the door as she entered was the same portly mare with pigtails that Gwenivere had insulted back in the lecture hall. Now that Pinkie saw her standing up, she had a clear view of her cutie mark, which appeared to be a powdered, jelly-filled donut. The mare placed her bags on the floor and looked upon the dorm with the same awestruck expression that Pinkie had used a few minutes earlier. Her head turned toward the kitchen, only now noticing that she wasn't alone. "Oh, I didn't see you there," she said, somewhat soft-spoken. After a moment, the mare recognized the pink pony. "Aren't you the mare I vas talking to earlier?" With a smile, Pinkie chirped, "Yep. Fancy meeting you here." A sudden gasp escaped her lips. "Wait, does this mean you're my roomie?" "This is 2-C, ya?" she asked, Pinkie affirming with a quick nod. "Then I guess so." "Cool!" squealed Pinkie. "I can tell we're gonna be super good friends." The Germane mare's lips curled into a small smile, her round cheeks dimpling. "Sounds like fun. You seem nice... um..." Pinkie gasped again in realization. "Oh yeah! Duh. If we're gonna be friends, we gotta introduce ourselves. My name's Pinkie Pie!" "It's nice to meet you, Pinkie Pie. Mein name is Poof." "Poof? Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Poof." The other mare seemed confused. "Nein, not 'Poof', Poof." "That's what I said. Poof." The Germane mare shook her head in mild frustration. "Nein, nein. Mein name is Poof. Poof Pastry." Pinkie stared blankly for a moment before finally making sense of their exchange. "Oooooh, Puff Pastry." She giggled with slight embarrassment. "Heh, sorry about that. Guess your accent kinda threw me off." Puff Pastry waved a hoof. "It's fine. Anyway, you can call me Poof." Pinkie tilted her head in puzzlement. "But... I thought you just said—" "Puff!" she interrupted, straining to suppress her accent to get the pronunciation across. "Call me... Puff." "Alright-y then, Puff. Then you can call me Pinkie. Or Pinks. Or Pinkerton. Or Pinkie Pinkie Bo Binky. Or—" "Can I just stick vith 'Pinkie'?" "Hm? Oh, sure, if you want. Anywhozits, now that we've met, I gotta introduce you to my friend Candy! Her room's just down the hall. If you're gonna roll with me, you gotta roll with mah friends." "Oh," Puff uttered, showing mild disappointment as she glanced around the apartment. "I vas kind of hoping to look around at the dorm first." Pinkie placed a hoof on Puff's shoulder and turned her toward the door. "Pshaw. You got a whole year to look at this place—F.Y.I.: it's pretty sweet—but we need to make as many friends as possible while we're here to maximize our fun capacitors." "Our vhat?" "To Candy's!" Pinkie Pie hastily dragged a reluctant Puff out into the hall and straight down to room 2-H, Candy's room. With an eager grin, she formed a short beat upon the door with her knocking. After a moment, the door was opened by the very mare they sought. At first, Candy seemed as if she was bothered by something, but put on a smile when she saw Pinkie's beaming face. "Hey, there you are. It's been almost ten minutes. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong," Candy joked. She then took notice of the other mare standing beside her, immediately recognizing her. "Oh, it's you." Her tone sounded both pleasantly surprised, yet oddly concerned. Pinkie nodded. "Yup! Candy, this is Puff Pastry, my new roomie!" Puff smiled and gave a weak wave. "Guten tag." Pinkie then turned to Puff. "And this is my friend Candy Cane." "It's nice to meet you," Candy greeted. Before Candy or Puff could say anything more, Pinkie continued. "Okay, now you've met my roommate. So it's time for me to meet yours! Are they here?" Candy's smile faded and she rubbed the back of her head, glancing worriedly at Puff. "Well, see, about that..." "And what do we 'ave 'ere?" Puff's smile immediately vanished at the sound of the familiar, condescending, Prench accent. Sure enough, stepping into view behind Candy was Gwenivere le Grand, a haughty grin on her beak. Candy let out a sigh, looking remorsefully at Pinkie. "Sorry." The party pony, however, seemed undeterred by the griffon's presence. In fact, she looked pleasantly surprised. "Hiya, Gwen! Wow, this day is just full of coinkey-dinks, huh?" Gwenivere's smirk faltered for a moment at Pinkie's unauthorized use of a nickname, but decided to let it go, looking instead at the pudgy mare standing next to her. "So zey put zee two of you in a room togezer, hm?" She chuckled, looking at Pinkie. "Better be careful. Zee little piggy might clean out your fridge." Candy watched Puff hang her head down slightly and turn away. She rolled her eyes at her roommate's attitude. "Actually, you might not be able to tell just looking at me, but I can really pack away the snacks, too," Pinkie argued. Gwenivere simply grinned. "Zen I fear for you boz." Candy simply shook her head. "Sorry, Pinkie. Maybe now's not a good time for introductions. Besides, we have unpacking to do, right?" Pinkie blinked. "Huh? But we were supposed to complete our big circle of friends. That's what you said." "Yeah, but that was before I found out who my roommate was," Candy said, casting a glare at the griffon. "Face it, it's a lost cause." Pinkie Pie looked Gwenivere in the eyes. The griffon seemed confused to see the pink pony smile at her. "Nah. I'm sure we'll be great friends." Gwenivere scoffed at the notion. "Hmph. As if. I may 'ave to tolerate 'er," she said, pointing at Candy, "but I 'ave no intention of being friends wiz a poofy, pink bubble and a little piglet." With a flick of her tail, she turned her back to the door and walked back into the apartment and out of sight. Candy gave Pinkie a look, suggesting that she rethink her goals. Pinkie just continued to smile and shrugged. "She'll come around." Once again, Candy sighed. "Just don't get your hopes up. And sorry about all the stuff she said and probably will say in the future, Puff. If it's any consolation, I'd still like to be your friend." Puff smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Actually, I don't care that she makes fun of my veight. It's her attitude that bothers me." Candy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, tell me about. At least you don't have to live with her for the next year." The two earth ponies shared a laugh together, prompting a big smile from Pinkie Pie to see them hitting it off so well. "Great! So I guess we should go unpack our stuff. Plus, I wanna write a letter to my friends back home and tell them all about my first day in Steeden." "Alright. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Candy asked with a grin. "Yep! See ya!" With that, Pinkie and Puff returned to their room to unpack their belongings and make themselves at home. After finishing up her letter to her friends, Pinkie flopped down in bed and curled up under the sheets, eager to dive head first into everything that this country and this school offered.