//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Magical Mystery Muffin 
// Story: Sweetie Belle and the Journey to the Kingdom of the Frogs 
// by Thunderbug80 
//------------------------------//

	Sweetie Belle scrunched up her nose and stared at the white granules that were in the measuring cup sitting on the bench before her.

"So you taste a little bit of it first to make sure it's sugar instead of salt, then you add it to the mixing bowl." Her eyes grew wide. "That makes so much sense! Thank you, Pinkie." She ran over to hug her mentor, then blinked and said, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Pinkie Pie giggled and checked to see if Sweetie had properly measured the sugar. It had only been a few weeks since Sweetie and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, had finally realized their true talent of helping others see the potential within themselves – thereby earning her own cutie mark, and she was already looking to improve herself in new ways. While her budding magical talent was coming along nicely, her cooking and baking skills still left a lot to be desired.

It was this realization that had led her to Sugarcube Corner to ask for Pinkie's help on the subject, and the excitable pink pony had been more than happy to lend a hoof. It had been agreed, however, that it was probably best to start with something basic: a carrot muffin.

"Okie dokie! Now just add the sugar into the mixing bowl. Slowly, Sweetie!" Pinkie's hoof shot out to steady Sweetie's as she tried to pour it in without making a mess. "Alright, there you go. Mission accomplished!"

Sweetie Belle looked down at the mixing bowl and saw that she had managed to avoid spilling any of the sugar. Her face lit up with a smile as she looked up at Pinkie Pie. To most ponies such an accomplishment wouldn't be a very big deal, but Sweetie had been known to both burn and liquefy toast at the same time. For her, it was a major step in the right direction.

"Fantastic job!" Pinkie exclaimed. She used her muzzle to push an open bag of flour toward Sweetie. "Now just repeat the process with this. Remember: it's two cups this time!"

A few tense moments later, the first cup of flour was successfully poured into the mixing bowl. Sweetie looked up at Pinkie one more time to confirm she was doing well, then carefully poured more flour into the measuring cup, lifted it up gently with her mouth, and promptly dumped it all at once into the mixing bowl.

A small cloud of white, floury dust rose up from the bowl, and Sweetie cringed and laid her ears back.

"Whoops! I poured that one a bit too quickly." She looked up at Pinkie, then tilted her head when she saw that the pink mare was giggling. "What's so funny?"

Pinkie pointed at Sweetie's snout. "You got a bit just there."

Sweetie crossed her eyes and saw a thin layer of flour on the end of her nose. A moment later, she wrinkled her nose up as it started to itch. She breathed in, held it for a moment, went cross-eyed again, and then sneezed.

The force of the sneeze had an unexpected result, as Sweetie simultaneously unleashed a green bolt of magical energy from her horn. It bounced off the kitchen counter, ricocheted off a hanging pan, zipped over Pinkie's head, and landed directly in the mixing bowl, where it gently crackled for a few seconds before dispersing.

The two ponies stared at the bowl, eyes wide. Would the mixture suddenly come alive and wreak havoc throughout Sugarcube Corner? What if it suddenly exploded after all that hard work they had put in trying to keep the kitchen clean? Worse, what if the sugar had been turned into salt?

Pinkie Pie leaned forward and gave the bowl a tentative sniff. Then she nudged the bowl with a hoof. Finally, she dipped her hoof into the bowl and took a small lick of the mixture.

"Mmm, tasty!" she revealed. She winked at Sweetie Belle. "Looks like it's safe. Let's finish it off and bake us a muffin!"

With things back under control, Sweetie, with Pinkie's guidance, finished the mixture, poured it into a muffin tray, and placed the tray into the oven. It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with a pleasant aroma.

"Smells like it's done," Pinkie said. She gestured to the oven. "Go ahead, but be careful not to burn your mouth!"

Sweetie opened the oven door, grabbed an oven mitt in her mouth, and carefully removed the tray and placed it on the counter. After closing the oven door and returning the oven mitt to its proper location, she went back to the counter and admired her work. The muffin looked delicious, and wasn't burnt anywhere she could see.

Once it had some time to cool down, Pinkie gestured toward the treat. "Go on, see how you did. You've earned it!"

After checking with a hoof to be sure it wasn't still too hot, Sweetie picked up the muffin, admired it for a few more seconds, then shrugged and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes lit up almost immediately.

"It's good!" she said. She swallowed her mouthful and waited a few moments just in case something awful happened. When it didn't, she ran over and gave Pinkie another hug. "I can't believe it was so delicious. Thank you for helping me out, Pinkie Pie. I should probably get going, but we've got to try this again sometime so I can bake something nice for Rarity!"

"Anytime!" Pinkie said. She patted Sweetie on her head, then motioned toward the kitchen. "I'll clean all this up. You go on ahead."

"Thanks again for your help, Pinkie Pie!" With that said, Sweetie Belle left Sugarcube Corner and started on her way home.


..o0o..


It was still a gorgeous spring day in Ponyville as Sweetie Belle walked down the main road on her way to her house. The sun was bright in the sky, gardens were full of vibrant, colorful flowers, and the bees were buzzing among them. Sweetie stopped for a moment to watch as one bee flew around a small bunch of flowers, then chose one to land on. A moment later she heard a tiny, annoyed voice.

"Ah jeeze, what a pain," something said.

Sweetie blinked and looked around suddenly, but there was nopony else around her at the moment. Frowning, she scratched her head and shrugged. Then the voice came again.

"Really?" it said. "A guy can't catch a break today, huh? Has to be some other joker flyin' around here gettin' to the pollen before I do. Typical. Real bloomin' typical."

Again Sweetie looked around. Was she hearing things? There was still nopony anywhere near her. Really, there was only her and a few... bees.

She peered down at the nearest bee, who had just landed on another flower. It ducked its head between the petals, then emerged and did a small dance.

"Aw yeah, jackpot! Hey, guys! Look what I got here. I'm talkin' mother lode." It continued to dance around on the flower. "Hey, you guys listenin' or what? Jeeze, what's a bee gotta to do get noticed. I'm dancin' here!"

Sweetie Belle's mouth opened slightly as she observed the bee. She was still young, but she was pretty sure bees had never been known to speak. As she listened more closely, she noticed she could hear other voices all around her. Angry mumbles from the other bees who were nearby, happy songs from the birds in the trees above... songs she could actually understand, and other voices where she couldn't quite determine their origin. It was getting overwhelming! She lay down on the ground, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears with her forehooves.

What in Equestria was happening to her?