//------------------------------//
// Preheat Oven to 220 Degrees C 
// Story: Heart Burns 
// by TheMessenger 
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Chapter 8


Twilight always insisted it was all in his head. Most of the roads in Ponyville were dirt, not like the cold cement streets of Manehattan or the stone paved trails leading to the castle in Canterlot. Saying that the road leading to Sweet Apple Acres seemed dirtier than all the other dusty roads of Ponyville was just plain silly, not to mention awfully rude, and yet as Spike walked right below Rainbow Dash as she flew, he couldn't help but think otherwise. 

Still, it was a nice little way of gauging one's position: the dirtier your feet, the closer you were to the apple farm. Spike wiggled his toes, rubbing away the collection of dust between them. "You sure you don't want to go over the recipe first?" he asked Rainbow, lifting the large cookbook. A few pink strings and some cloth peeked out from between the pages.

Rainbow shook her head. "Too risky," she said. "You saw those ponies laughing at us when you started reading the recipe out loud. We almost blew my entire reputation back there."

"They were in front of the prank store, they could have been laughing at anything," said Spike. "Besides, there's nopony out here except for us."

"Dude, that kind of thinking's what reveals secrets," Rainbow Dash groaned. "You know, it's one of those phrases that practically begs the universe to mess with you,"

"Like, what's the worse that could happen?"

"Exactly," Rainbow answered with a nod. "We're pretty close anyways, I don't think I can memorize that recipe in, like, three minutes."

"You don't have to memorize it, just get a little familiar with it," Spike said. He decided against pursuing the issue further however, and he carefully tucked the heavy book under his arm. Rainbow was right, they were getting rather close. From where he stood, Spike could already see the barn, or rather, what was left of it. 

"Looks like Applejack's going to need another barn raising," noted Rainbow as she followed Spike's gaze. "That thing looks like it'll fall apart any second."

Spike nodded in agreement. The barn desperately needed a new coat of paint to replace the red peels barely hanging onto the blacken walls. A huge chunk of the roof was gone, as if ripped away, and one of the large doors that should've been guarding the entrance was missing.

"I wonder what happened there," Spike said. "You think that was recent?"

"Maybe. I mean, I didn't ask the last time I was here, and that was only--" Rainbow Dash grimaced. "Oh, this can't end well."

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Spike as they approached the farmhouse. 

"Just remember stuff. I get that Granny Smith's pretty awesome for the whole zap apples thing and the founder of Ponyville shtick, but she still, well, she's still kind of old," Rainbow said. "She thought I was Fluttershy or something and kept trying to tell me the story of how she met Applejack's granddad." The pegasus shook her head as she landed on the front porch of the house, next to the bushel of apples. "Yeah, don't know what I'm supposed to learn from her."

"Well, it'll be good practice at least," Spike said, raising a claw and knocking on the door.

"It's open, come in!" somepony yelled from inside. The two entered the house and almost immediately bumped into Applejack. 

"Oh, hey, good to see you," she said. Applejack quickly adjusted her hat's position on her head. "Granny and Apple Bloom and her friends are in the kitchen. You're just in time, they haven' started yet. Y'know remember where the kitchen is?"

"Nope." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Wait, when was the last time I was actually inside your house?"

"Well, there was a couple of days ago when you were lookin' for somepony to teach you bakin'," Applejack answered. "And then there's was, uh, y'know..." The farmer started to frown as well. "Huh, well, welcome to the homestead, make yourself at home. Kitchen's where all the noise is at. I know Spike knows where it is so you can just follow him."

"Aren't you helping out too?" Spike asked as Applejack nudged her way by. 

"Gotta bring in a few more apples," Applejack explained. "Don' worry, I'll be back soon. I told you," she said, smirking at Rainbow, "I gotta see Rainbow Dash bake for myself. That should be a hoot."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Way to be a supportive friend, AJ," she said.

"Here you stand usin' my apples and my supplies in my house, I think I've been pretty supportive," Applejack said with a chuckle. "You two had better get to the kitchen, before they start before you." With a final nod, Applejack made her way past Spike and Rainbow and pushed open the front door. Spike and Rainbow watched as the door swung shut behind the earth pony before making their way toward the kitchen. Spike led the way through the rooms filled with well used pieces of furniture and apple related knickknacks. 

A large open book laying on the little table beside the rocking chair, its contents revealed to the world. The grainy photograph it showed of maybe three dozen ponies, of all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, and ages, standing in front of a barn caught Rainbow's attention, and she walked towards it for a better look.

Spike turned around, noticing that he and Rainbow were suddenly separated. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Looking for some blackmail material," Rainbow said. "Got to pay Applejack back somehow."

"For letting us use her apples and her supplies in her house?"

"What, no, it's for the whole teasing thing," Rainbow Dash said. "You know, for saying that junk about how she had to see me bake? Come on, help me look."

Reluctantly, Spike stood next to Rainbow and peeked into the photo album Rainbow Dash was flipping through. "What are we looking for?" he asked.

"Baby pictures, Applejack playing dress up or getting kissed, anything silly," Rainbow replied.

"Like that one?" Spike pointed at a picture of a little orange foal sitting underneath a picnic table. The top of filly's head was hidden under a pot she wore as a helmet, with a pair of short, stubby, yellow tails sticking out. Freckles, crumbs, and apple sauce dotted her chubby cheeks, and she raised her sticky, short legs upward. She was leaning forward with her mouth wide open, as if to devour the camera. Rainbow and Spike glanced at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, oh, that's a good one!" Rainbow Dash breathed, grabbing the chair for support. Spike nodded in agreement, unable to form words as laughter spewed from his mouth. 

A third chuckle came from behind. "Yep, I remember that reunion like it was yesterday."

Struggling to stifle their giggles, Rainbow and Spike raised their heads and found the old Apple matriarch in front of them, dabbing at the edge of her eye as she chortled. "Yeah, the year of the missin' fritters," Granny Smith said fondly, "and Aunt Crabapple's lucky soup pot. That mare never really forgave Applejack completely."

Rainbow slowly shut the photo album. "H-hey, uh..." Rainbow turned to Spike and whispered, "What do I call her?"

"Granny Smith, what else?"

"No, that's weird," Rainbow asserted. "I mean, she's not my grandma."

"What're you young'un's babblin' about, eh?" Granny Smith asked, squinting at the two whisperers. 

"Just wondering if you'd mind us calling you Granny Smith," Spike replied innocently, ignoring Rainbow as she cradled her face in between her hooves and groaned. "Can we?"

The old mare laughed and rubbed the little dragon's head roughly, folding over a few of the dull spikes on his head. "Aw, ain't that precious? Course you can, little fella. Come on, you two, Applejack told me you were gonna join us for a little bit of pie makin'. Jus', ah, give me a moment." Granny Smith scowled as she narrowed her eyes at the coffee table before moving her glare toward the book shelves. "Darn fangled spectacles, you two see any glasses lyin' 'round here?"

"You mean like the ones on your head?" Rainbow deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh?" Granny Smith patted the top of her head, knocking the pair of glasses lodged in her mane onto her nose. "Well, whadda know? How in Equestria did it get there?" She chuckled and adjusted the glasses so that they stood straight. "Well, come on now, get to the kitchen," she said, motioning toward Rainbow Dash and Spike. "We haven't all day, y'know."

Spike grabbed the recipe book and cloth inside and hurried behind Rainbow as the two followed Granny Smith into the kitchen. Clanks and bangs of metal pots and pans and groans of annoyance greeted them as they stepped into the room. 

"It was Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exclaimed immediately, pointing at the unicorn under the mountain of pot lids. Sweetie Belle muttered under her breath as she tried to pull herself out.

"I didn't mean to," the filly said shyly, staring at the ground. "I just, I don't know, thought we could help set things up before you got here."

Granny Smith smiled and pulled Sweetie Belle free. "Not sure how that's gonna help, but I appreciate the effort. You know what they say about hard work."

"That it's hard?" Rainbow whispered. Spike covered his mouth and snickered.

"Do you think we could get our cutie marks in pie makin', Granny?" Apple Bloom asked, bouncing in excitement. Sweetie Belle began to jump as well, leaving Scootaloo alone to stand about awkwardly still.

"Don' see why not," Granny Smith declared. "Speakin' of which, you ever hear 'bout how I got my cutie mark? Now that's a tale, course I always tell it 'round a nice pipin' hot plate of pie. Helps works the appetite. Speakin' of which," she said with a smirk, "who's ready to make a few?"

The Crusaders cheered, striking the air with their hooves. Even Scootaloo joined in as the fillies cried out, "Cutie Mark Crusader pie makers, go!"

"Well gather 'round the table," Granny Smith ordered as she ducked down and started opening cabinets. "And make sure you've got plenty of room, there's a bunch of you, and I don' wanna see any hittin'."

The three fillies crowded around the kitchen table, which held several large mixing bowls, a rolling pin, and a stick of butter. Three sets of eyes stared as Rainbow Dash and Spike approached as well, and they shuffled slowly along to make room. The fillies watched as Spike opened the book he carried and removed a lacy pink apron from between the pages.

Rainbow lowered herself, letting Spike drape the apron over her neck. As he began to secure the straps behind her, Rainbow noticed the wide eyed stare Scootaloo was giving her and paled. 

"Rainbow Dash," the pegasus filly began, "you, uh, what are you doing with that girly apron?"

"I, really don't want to take another bath today," Rainbow answered, rubbing the back of her head. "Flour's kind of a pain in the flank to wash off."

Apple Bloom leaned forward over the table. "Hold on, you're gonna be makin' pies with us?" she asked.

"Uh, well..." Rainbow chewed her lip as she tried to avoid Scootaloo's stare. Aw, ponyfeathers she thought. "I, er--"

"We switched bodies!" Spike suddenly exclaimed, drawing everypony's attention. "Y-yeah, we, uh--"

"It was a spell," Rainbow Dash jumped in. "You know, Twilight."

"Yeah, and I, I mean, Spike wanted pies so that's why we're here," Spike continued.

"But why are you trying to bake as Rainbow?" Sweetie Belle asked. "That seems like an awful lot of work just for some lunch."

"Because--" Rainbow Dash and Spike said at the same time. The two turned around and whispered frantically. After a few moments of panicked deliberation, Rainbow Dash and Spike turned back around.

"Because I, Spike, really wanted pies," Rainbow Dash answered confidently. "And, and, uh, Applejack told me I'd have to help out first."

"And I, Rainbow Dash, don't know how to bake because, uh..." Spike scratched his head and frowned. "Oh, right! Because that's just how I roll!"

"Fly," Rainbow Dash hissed.

"Fly, because just how I fly." Spike placed his claws on his hips and tried to grin. Rainbow tapped on the dragon's shoulder and shook her head, and Spike let his arms fall back against his side. "Was that right?" he whispered.

"You make a horrible me, but I think they're buying it," Rainbow whispered back. "So yeah, that's what's up," she said more loudly, this time toward Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. The three fillies turned to each other, then stared back at Rainbow and Spike.

"Uh huh. If you say so," Scootaloo said slowly, sitting back down. All three wore a thoughtful frown, but before anypony could say more, Granny Smith marched by. 

"Now," the old mare exclaimed, pulling the largest mixing bowl toward her, "apple pies are like--"

"Ooh, ooh!" Sweetie Belle suddenly said as she waved a hoof wildly in the air, forcing Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to duck. "Like being sisters! You can have amazing apples, and you can have a wonderfully crispy crust, but only together can you have a perfect apple pie." Everyone in the kitchen stared with varying degrees of confusion as the little unicorn relaxed and settled down. "What?" she asked.

Granny Smith shook her head, "Well, I plumb forgot what I was gonna say, but I guess Sweetie's right," she said with a shrug. "Ain't gonna get anywhere without a decent crust, so that's what we'll be workin' on first. Everypony grab a bowl."

A flurry of hooves flew across the table, reaching for the mixing bowls. Once one was in front of each pony, Granny Smith continued, saying, "Now for some flour, can't make crust without flour. Now where did I put that sack?"

"I've got it," Spike said, leaping up and making his way to the giant bag in the corner that was as large as him. Some white powder fell onto the floor as he tried to lift it. Granny Smith quickly went to Spike's side. 

"That's alright, Spike," Granny Smith said, coaxing the bag out of dragon's arms. "Why don' you, uh..." She looked around the kitchen anxiously. "Why don' you sit here and make sure these pots don' go anywhere?"

Spike blinked at the pile of pots Sweetie Belle had escaped from. Slowly, he lifted a finger and pointed. "These?"

"Yep, jus' make sure they don' leave and, uh..." The elderly mare's eyes wandered aimlessly until they came across the window above the sink and noticed the red stallion walking by with his back burdened with gardening supplies. "Actually, why don' you go help Big McIntosh?" Granny Smith suggested. "Ain't much around here for you to do anyhow."

"Help Big Mac?" Spike glanced nervously at Rainbow Dash, who in turn shot him an anxious look and shook her head furious. "But I want to help you guys," Spike said. "I could--"

"Aw, you're a sweet fella," Granny Smith cooed as she nudged the dragon out the kitchen, "but don' you worry 'bout us. We've got everythin' under control in here."

Rainbow Dash stood up. "Uh, maybe he could--" she began, only to struggle in articulating the rest of the sentence. What was she going to say, help her? Rainbow sat back down. Saying anything like that would just draw unwanted suspicion. She turned to the trio of fillies sitting next to her. Between the three of them, somepony was bound to figure out that something was wrong, and Rainbow had to admit, she and Spike weren't dealing with invasive questions very well.

And besides, Spike had helped plenty already, having guided her through the basics. Rainbow Dash had to admit, Spike was a pretty decent teacher, but wasn't there always an opportunity for the student to prove themselves and shine? She stared at the ingredients and utensils spread over the table, then looked down at her hooves. She couldn't have somepony or somedragon hold her hoof forever, Rainbow thought with a snort. She had to try doing this without Spike's assistance. She was ready, Rainbow Dash added confidently.

I'll thank Spike later, with a slice of authentic Rainbow Dash-made pie.

"Somethin' funny, Rainbow?" Apple Bloom asked, wiping the grin off of the pegasus's face.

"Huh? Oh, just a-a joke Pinkie Pie told me," Rainbow hurriedly explained. "Heh, classic Pinkie."

"Oh, I love Pinkie Pie's jokes," Sweetie Belle giggled. "Was it the one about frog that got turned into an orange and became friends with a rock?"

Scootaloo started to laugh. "Hey, I remember that one. That's definitely a good one."

"I don' think I've heard that one before," Apple Bloom said with a frown. "How does it go?"

"Okay, so there's this orange that got turned into a frog--"

"No, no," Sweetie Belle interrupted, "it's a frog that got turned into an orange."

Granny Smith barged into the kitchen just as Scootaloo opened her mouth to argue. "Whew, now that that's taken care of, we can finally get started." The bag of flour slowly approached the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Rainbow Dash as Granny Smith shoved it forward, grunting with each step. 

"Why'd you make Spike leave?" Sweetie Belle asked as Rainbow Dash glided to the old mare's side and offered to take the heavy sack instead. "It sounded like he really wanted to help."

Granny Smith sighed and made her way to the sink and washed her hooves. "Last time this place saw his help, me an' Applejack spent an hour cleaning batter off the floor, ceilin', and all four walls." She shook her hooves dry. "A determined little fella, just not all that careful. Hate to say it, but his help ain't 'actly all that helpful. Least he can't do too much damage with Big Mac around. Don' think he would've had much fun in here anyways," Granny Smith added as she took a seat beside her granddaughter just as Rainbow dropped the flour next to the table.

"Now where was I?" Granny Smith muttered as Rainbow returned to her seat. "Oh, that's right, crust. Can't have a pie without crust, and you can't have crust without dough. So everypony start gettin' some flour into those bowls. Cups over on the counter."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders made a mad dash to the counter, grabbing for the differing styled cups. Rainbow stared at the one she managed to get, rotating around to examine every side. It looked nothing like the measuring cups she had used before, what with it's ceramic composition and odd red color. It didn't look much different from a normal drinking mug.

Granny Smith walked by and stopped beside her. "Somethin' wrong?" 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's just, where are the lines and numbers?" Rainbow asked, holding the cup toward the older mare and pointing at its solid sides. "How do I, well, measure what I'm adding?"

"Oh, we haven't got 'nough measurin' cups for everypony, and I figured gettin' everypony to share was as smart as cooking pig slop," Granny Smith patted Rainbow's shoulder and smiled. "Don' worry too much 'bout it, jus' added as much as you feel is right."

"As much as I feel is right?"

Granny Smith nodded. "Of course. Bakin's not somethin' you can jus' teach, you know. Gotta follow them instincts." She gestured to the flour bag that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were crowding around. Already, the floor near it was covered in the white powder as Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo fought to fill their bowls. "Go on, give it a try."

"Okay, if you say so," said Rainbow, her words lacking her usual confidence. She scowled and tightened her grip on the cup. "Okay," she said again, this time with more conviction. She walked up to bag and reached over Scootaloo's shoulder. One cup ought to be enough Rainbow decided as she dipped her cup into the bag and filled it to the brim. She removed the cup and brought it to her bowl. 

As Rainbow poured the flour into the bowl, she looked across the flour covered table at the Crusaders' bowls. Scootaloo had nearly filled hers entirely while Rainbow could barely see the flour in Sweetie Belle's bowl. Apple Bloom was somewhere between the two, using about the amount of flour Rainbow had. Rainbow tapped her chin thoughtfully as she considered the contents of her own mixing bowl. Apple Bloom probably had the most experience out of the three fillies (maybe even more than her, Rainbow begrudgingly added), so hopefully she was on the right track.

Before Rainbow could contemplate further, Granny Smith approached, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the mess in front of her. "Eh, looks like we'll hafta draw ya'll a bath when we're done. Well, 'cept for Rainbow." 

The old mare pointed at the pink cloth protecting the pegasus's front, making Rainbow Dash blush. "Now that's smart. Scootaloo, we're makin' pie, not bread. You don' that much flour, share some with, uh, oh right, Sweetie Belle."  Granny Smith nodded. "Yeah, you're gonna need a lot more than that, Sweetie Belle. And be a little more careful when you're pourin', yeah? You're covered in so much flour, I can't even tell what your coat color's supposed to be."

Sweetie rubbed her cheeks and stared at her hooves as her friends giggled beside her. "Wait, I'm supposed to be white, aren't I?" she whispered to them. "I can't tell, do I have flour on my face?" Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's laughs grew.

"Next, ya'll wanna add a pinch of salt. Jus' a pinch, mind you," Granny Smith continued, holding up a white salt dispenser for everypony to see before passing it over to Rainbow Dash. "Go ahead, and remember, jus' a pinch."

A pinch? What does that mean? Rainbow held up the salt container and gave it a shake. "Spike, what's a--" She quickly shut her mouth and chewed at her cheek. Spike, not being present, hadn't heard, and Rainbow hoped everypony else hadn't either. "So, just a pinch, huh?" she said, keeping her tone steady as she tipped the dispenser over her bowl and jerked it. Uncertain if any had even entered the mix, she shook the dispenser again before passing it over to Scootaloo.

The filly regarded the salt with narrowed eyes. "Pies are supposed to be sweet, right?" she asked. 

"You bet your boots, 'least apple pies are." Granny Smith's face twisted in disgust. "Don' know about them sour cherry ones, 'course every family has that one cousin that just tastes things differently. Apple Bloom's old great aunt, her special recipe used a dozen ripe green apples and--"

"Okay, so what's the salt for?" Scootaloo held it away from her at foreleg length. "Salt's, well, salty, right? I'm not being crazy, am I?" She looked to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle before turning to Rainbow for support. She breathed out in relief when all three nodded and continued, saying, "You sure we're supposed to use salt and not something like sugar?"

"As sure as cider and bits next to a rodeo clown's hearse."

Apple Bloom whistled. "That's pretty sure."

"Salt brings out the flavor," Granny Smith explained. "You want something sweeter? Add a little bit of salt. An' don' go askin' how it works," the old mare added with a wag of her hoof. "Earth pony secret. Maybe we don' got fancy horns or wings, but we've still got some magic tricks up our sleeves too, you know." 

Sweetie Belle pounded on the table. "I knew cooking was witchcraft!" she exclaimed.

As Apple Bloom and Rainbow stifled their snickers and Sweetie Belle shrunk under Granny Smith's disapproving gaze, Scootaloo stared with a frown at the salt dispenser before her. She nudged it toward Apple Bloom. "Um, I think I'll go without it."

Granny Smith shrugged. "Eh, suit yourself."

"Well, what happens if I use more than just a bit of salt?" Apple Bloom asked. "If a pinch'll give the pie more flavor, would addin' more give even more flavor?"

"It don' work like that," answered Granny Smith with a shake of her head. "Too much salt'll ruin a pie. You've got to be careful. Enough to bring out the flavor, but not without makin' everythin' salty."

Apple Bloom held the salt over the flour she gathered. "So a pinch?" she said, giving the container a shake.

"Exactly." Granny Smith took the salt and passed it to Sweetie Belle. "Your turn. Careful now," she warned, grabbing the dispenser as it shook and wobbled in the unicorn's grip. "Remember, you've got to add just the right amount. Not too much, else--"

The container slipped out of Sweetie Belle's hooves and landed into her bowl, opening first. Little pale salt grains streamed into the mix, building up increasingly visible white mountains amid the floury dunes. Gasping in panic, Sweetie's horn alighted and encased the salt dispenser in a similar glow. As she tried to remove it from the bowl, the dispenser lid slid off, dumping the rest of the contents in. 

As Sweetie Belle hid herself behind her hooves, the dispenser was released and dropped into the salt and flour. Debris from both flew out and painted the kitchen table, the floor, and the mares close by. 

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Ah, ain't a problem," Granny Smith assured, chuckling. She patted the filly's shoulder, then grabbed the cup Sweetie Belle had used for retrieving flour. With the cup, Granny Smith scooped out what salt she could, putting it and any flour that came with into the emptied container. "There you go. It ain't pretty, but you can still use it for practice."

"I guess I won't be getting a cutie mark in baking any time soon," Sweetie Belle said, frowning. Granny Smith gave her another encouraging pat.

"Aw, cheer up, filly. Ain't no shame to mess up on your first try. The important thin' is that you stick to it." The old mare pushed the bowl toward Sweetie Belle, who caught it and stared inside. She took a deep breath, sat up, and nodded, grabbing onto the bowl.

"Alright," she said with more confidence, "what's the next step?"

Granny Smith beamed before making her way to the refrigerator and ducking her head inside. "So, let's see. We've got flour, salt, what next? Ah, of course." She shut the refrigerator and returned to the table, setting down a bright yellow bar on a plate.

Scootaloo leaned forward and stared with a raised eyebrow. "First salt, now butter?" 

"Makes the dough smooth an' easier to work with," Granny Smith said, pulling open drawers and searching through them. "Now where did I, ah! Here it is," she announced, removing a dull, silver knife and placing next to the butter. Apple Bloom reached for the blade, only to recoil with a yelp as Granny Smith batted her hoof away.

"I'm doin' this step for you. Now don' you start complainin'," she said just as the Crusaders started to cry out. "The last thin' I need is for a mob of angry ponies knockin' down my door 'cause you cut yourselves.

"With a butter knife?" Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes.

Granny Smith nodded. "You'd be surprised." She turned to Apple Bloom who groaned.

"One time," the filly muttered. Granny Smith ignored her as she passed the butter and the knife to Rainbow Dash. 

"Well, go ahead an' cut off a few chunks," she instructed her. "You want a good bit, enough to hold in your hoof. You, uh, know how to use that, right?" Granny Smith asked as she watched Rainbow stare blankly at the blade. Rainbow Dash shook herself quickly.

"What? Yeah, of course," she said, picking up the knife. Rainbow pressed it into the butter and pushed down. The blade sunk slowly through the yellow bar, stopping in the center. Rainbow pressed down on the handle again, forcing the knife forward until it clattered against the plate and bounced out of her hold. 

Everypony ducked as the knife and butter chunk flew through the air. The butter landed in Sweetie Belle's bowl, kicking up a small white cloud while the knife buried itself blade first in Scootaloo's flour. Slowly, with caution, everypony peeked from under the table. 

Rainbow Dash rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Heh, oops?"

"That. Was. Awesome!" Scootaloo screamed. She leapt up onto the table and stared at the knife handle sticking out of her bowl. "Did you guys see that?"

"I think we were a little busy tryin' not to get skewered," Apple Bloom deadpanned as she returned to her seat. "By a butter knife."

"Ooh, do you think next time you could get the butter into my bowl?" Scootaloo asked, her wings buzzing with excitement. "Come on, that'd be super cool."

Granny Smith yanked the knife out of Scootaloo's bowl with a humph. "I think I'll be handlin' the rest of this job now," she said, frowning at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus quickly held up her hooves and leaned back.

"No objections here," she said before giving Scootaloo a quick nudge. "Maybe next time, squirt," she whispered, winning a short laugh from the filly as Granny Smith sliced off small pieces of butter into the mixing bowls. Once everypony had received some, she set the knife in the sink.

"Alrighty, now before we add water, we've got to start mixin' everythin' together. Now we don' have enough of these spoons for everypony," Granny Smith said, holding up a pair of large wooden spoons, "so you'll have to share. One of you'll mix, an' the other'll add the water, then you switch."

"Let me guess," Apple Bloom said with a slight sneer just as Scootaloo opened her mouth, "dibs on Rainbow Dash?" Everypony laughed as Scootaloo started to blush and sputter. Rainbow extended a wing and blanketed the younger pegasus's back. 

"So, you want to mix first or water?"

"Mix," Scootaloo answered, nodding frantically. "I mean, if you're cool with it," she added, hiding her excitement with a shrug. "It doesn't really matter, I'm good with whatever."

"No problem." Rainbow stretched forward and grabbed her cup. "I'll get the water."

"You don' need a whole lot of water," Granny Smith explained as Rainbow and Sweetie Belle made their way to the sink. "Just maybe a fourth of a cup. And you want to add it in slowly, just a little bit each time. It ain't cider, so no need to pour it like it is."

"Ooh, cider in pies." Sweetie Belle licked her lips. "That sounds good."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Cider sounds good with anything." The two returned to the table with partially filled cups, Sweetie Belle making her way to Apple Bloom's side and Rainbow to Scootaloo's. Apple Bloom tapped her spoon against her bowl while Scootaloo waved hers in the air as Rainbow approached. 

"Alright, now add a little water. Just a bit."

At Granny Smith's command, Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle tipped their cups to the side, adding a portion of its contents into the mix. As she pulled hers away, Rainbow stared into the cup, giving it a shake. She watched the water slosh around and frowned. Wow, already used a lot, not much water left. Is this going to be enough?

"Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow lifted her head. "Yeah?" 

Gooey tannish glop dripped off of Scootaloo's spoon. "Is something wrong?" the filly asked. "You looked kind of, um, worried."

"Me? Worried?" Rainbow scoffed. "Please, as if. Why would I be worried?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I don't know, you had this weird look on your face, like you were thinking hard about something. Hey, can you add some more water?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." More water was poured into the bowl, this time more slowly and more controlled, with both of Rainbow Dash's hooves around the cup's rim. She watched as Scootaloo struggled to move the spoon stuck in the mix. She added just a little bit more water, and slowly, Scootaloo's spoon began to cut through the hardening flour. 

"Alright, I got this," the filly declared as she forced the spoon forward, then back.

"Make sure you get that butter all in there," Granny Smith instructed, standing over Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "You gotta make all crumby. Put your back into it now, gotta get all nice an' mixed. C'mon, ya'll."

Grunts and encouragements resonated through the kitchen as the ponies shaped their mix into lumps of dough. At last, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom laid their spoons on the table and leaned back in their seats. Granny Smith regarded the dough with scrutinizing eyes and glared into the bowls. 

"Scootaloo? Yours isn't mixed thoroughly enough, I can still see the butter in the flour," she said, pushing the bowl back. "Apple Bloom, I don' know if you didn' enough water or had too much flour, but that dough ain' sticking together very well." To demonstrate, the old mare dug the spoon Apple Bloom dropped into the dough. The white lump broke apart into smaller chunks as Granny Smith pulled the spoon out. She rapped it against the bowl's edge, shaking off the clinging bits of flour. "Alright, swap places. Let's see if your friends can do better."

As Scootaloo made her way to the sink, with her cup in her hooves, Rainbow stared at the large wooden spoon she held. She rotated it around her hoof before settling it into a sturdy grip. She drew a few circles in the air, mixing an imaginary batter. "More evenly," she muttered, slowing down. "Get the center."

"What was that?" 

Rainbow Dash quickly placed the spoon back down. "Nothing, just, nothing," she assured Scootaloo. "You got enough water?"

"Yep." Scootaloo tapped the cup, making waves with its contents that threatened to wash over the sides. "Here we go," she announced, leaning the cup over the bowl's edge. Already, the water began to soak through the flour, causing it to go hard. 

"Whoa, careful!" Rainbow exclaimed. She could feel the flour grab hold of her spoon, threatening to wrestle it out of her grasp. Fighting back the urge to growl at the utensil, Rainbow forced the spoon through the mix. Her frustration grew as the spoon moved excruciatingly slow. 

"Come on," she muttered under her breath, too quiet for Scootaloo to hear, "this wasn't so hard before." Rainbow lifted her head and turned to the filly beside her. "More water."

Scootaloo shook the empty cup and shrugged. "Sorry," she said, just as Granny Smith walked over and looked into Rainbow's bowl and frowned.

"Well, you've got the sides at least, but don' forget to get the center. An' be more even, the crust'll taste funny if the butter ain't spread out." Granny Smith opened her mouth to continue, but she was interrupted by a loud crash that shook the kitchen. Everypony's head turned to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, whose faces were covered in wet, muddy flour. The handle of the spoon, with its bowl missing, floated in the air, held aloft by Sweetie's magic.

"It was an accident!" Sweetie Belle shrieked, dropping the wooden handle. "I just thought I'd speed things up with my magic."

"You can't speed things up with bakin', young'un," Granny Smith said as she ushered the unicorn toward her granddaughter and threw a towel over the heads of the two fillies. "The best things in life are the things we take our time with. Otherwise, you just end up with a pile of phooey, like with those two Flim Flam scoundrels. Or here," Granny Smith added, gesturing at the empty bowl on the ground. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared an embarrassed look before giggling.

Clapping her hooves together, Granny Smith returned to the front of the table. "Well, now that that's over, why don' ya'll set those bowls of dough to the side. If there's any room in the ice box, put 'em in there."

"Wait, what about makin' the crust?" asked Apple Bloom. "Don' we need the dough?"

Sweetie Belle pulled the towel off. "And what about me? Should I try making more?"

"Nah, don' worry 'bout it," Granny Smith said. "I mean, I guess you could've if you wanted to make more. You'd have time since we'd have to wait for the dough to settle first before we could use it anyways."

"How long?" Scootaloo asked as Rainbow Dash bit her bottom lip and turned toward the kitchen clock.

"Well, with this," Granny Smith said, pointing into Scootaloo's bowl, "we'd have to let it sit overnight first, but--"

Another crash rang through the kitchen. Slowly, Rainbow, covered in flour, crawled back onto her feet. "Overnight?" she cried, covering her face and groaning. "But that's, ngh."

"Yep, overnight," Granny Smith repeated with nod. She smiled as she made her way to the oven and opened it, revealing a massive bowl, much larger than the ones Rainbow and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been using. "Which is why Applejack an' me busted our chops off yesterday makin' sure you four'd have enough dough to work with today.

"The last hour or so, I taught ya'll how to make dough. You want to bake anything, you've gotta know how to do that first. Right now, though..." Granny Smith smirked as she duck down and stuck her head into a cupboard. When she returned, she threw a stack of tin dishes, with raised edges like walls. They landed on the table, one in front of each pony.

"Right now, ladies, I'm gonna teach you how to bake a pie."

"Freaking finally!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.