//------------------------------// // Cooking // Story: Learning to be a Family // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// Scootaloo’s moans were akin to the wails of whales when she was rudely woken up by a ringing in her ears. It took a few moments before she realized the ringing was not in her head, but from somewhere in her room. Flipping over in her bed, Scootaloo picked up her pillow and then folded it over the top of her head, completely covering her ears. However, the pillow did little to drown out the racket, and the incessant noise continued to blare. With much reluctance and groaning, Scootaloo let the pillow drop from her head and slowly cracked her eyes open into narrow slits. She saw that the source of her torment was coming from an alarm clock on top of a nearby nightstand. Scootaloo’s forehoof rose high into the air before falling over like a fallen tree and slamming onto the alarm clock. While the infernal device survived, blissful silence finally returned. Unfortunately, in her groggy state, Scootaloo tipped forward from her attack and before she knew it, her face was shown how hard crystalline floors were. Scootaloo groaned and lazily rolled onto her back. To add insult to injury, she caught a glimpse of the alarm clock and saw that it was way earlier than she normally woke. It was the weekend too, the best days to sleep in. Still on the floor, she shut her eyes in a desperate attempt to return to her slumber, but after much tossing and turning, she had to accept the fact that the damage was done. She could not go back to sleep. Grumbling, Scootaloo fluttered open her eyes. Her half-lidded gaze was drawn to a red circle drawn onto a calendar hanging on the wall. A nagging thought started poking the back of her mind, and she kept staring at the calendar as the gears in her head continued to warm up. Suddenly, Scootaloo’s eyes shot wide open. Today was exactly one month since she had been adopted by Rainbow and Twilight. It might not seem like much of a milestone to others, but to Scootaloo, she wanted to celebrate the occasion. She had set the alarm last night so that she would wake up before everypony else. She wanted to show her appreciation to Rainbow, Twilight, and Spike for bringing her into their family by surprising them with breakfast. With her lethargy now replaced by determination, Scootaloo trotted across her room and gingerly opened her door. She winced as the door creaked seemingly louder than the battle cry of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and she peaked out into the hall. It had taken her a bit of time before she turned off her alarm clock, but fortunately, from the looks of things, everypony else was still asleep. Scootaloo crept out into the hall, quietly closing the door behind her. Quietly, she made her way down to the kitchen and got there without hearing so much as a peep from her family. Scootaloo headed straight for the refrigerator when she arrived in the kitchen to see if she could make anything herself. She had to admit that she did not have much cooking experience, but surely she would not be as bad as Sweetie Belle. The last time Scootaloo tried her fellow crusader’s oatmeal, she ended up waking up in Fluttershy’s chicken coop with no memory of how or why she was there. She found a carton of milk, which she could use to make cereal and milk, one of the only recipes she knew, but she did not think a meal like that would properly show her appreciation. The refrigerator was also well-stocked with vegetables, but Scootaloo decided to keep her hooves clear of them. Vegetables would require cutting them, and the last time she used a kitchen knife was some time before she received her cutie mark. Suffice to say, it ended in tears. Scootaloo decided to try and cook some eggs. That seemed easy enough. All she had to do was crack some eggs into a pan and then heat it up on the stove. What could go wrong? One by one, Scootaloo transferred a few eggs from the refrigerator to the counter by the stove using her mouth, careful to not accidentally break them early and give herself a mouthful of yolk. Once she got a pan from the nearby cabinet onto the stove, she got up on her hind legs and reached for the eggs with her forehooves. It did not take long before Scootaloo eventually cracked open all the eggs, spilling their golden contents into the pan. However, she had to spend a few extra moments to use a spoon to fish out some eggshells that also happened to drop into the pan. She had watched Spike crack open eggs a couple of times, and he made it look so easy. Once the eggs were ready, Scootaloo turned on the stove, setting it to its highest setting. She had lost precious time when she did not wake up to her alarm right away, and since Spike usually woke up early to get started on breakfast, she needed to hurry things along. She figured that more heat meant the eggs would cook faster and ensure that her gift to her family would be ready by the time they woke up. The sizzling sounds of eggs frying instantly filled the air, putting a proud smile on Scootaloo’s face. She turned away, figuring that a few minutes of cooking should be enough for the eggs. In the meantime, she wanted to round out her eggs with some toast and juice. As Scootaloo was busy sticking some bread into the toaster and grabbing a pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator, she congratulated herself on a job well done. It might not be much, but she was able to cobble together a successful breakfast for her family. And then Scootaloo smelled something burning. Scootaloo whipped her head around and saw that wisps of smoke were rising from the pan, and an acrid smell was starting to spread throughout the kitchen. “Shoot, shoot, shoot!” Scootaloo frantically chanted as she rushed back to the stove. In her panic, Scootaloo reached forward with her head to grab the pan’s handle in her mouth, only to yelp and back off when she felt the heat of the stove. Her eyes darted around, in search of something that would help her plight. “No, no, no! What do I do?!” Scootaloo could see her gift literally go up in smoke. “Scootaloo! What are you doing?!” Scootaloo’s breath hitched when she saw Spike running towards her. “S-Spike… I…” Spike quickly turned off the stove and then grabbed a lid from the cupboard and jammed it onto the hot pan, effectively sealing off the smoke. With a sigh of relief, Spike turned to Scootaloo with a concerned frown. “You alright, Scootaloo?” Scootaloo could only nod, her mind still processing her disaster. “What were you trying to do?” Spike asked. Scootaloo sighed. “I was trying to cook some eggs. I wanted to make breakfast for all of you.” Spike took the lid off the pan, revealing that the eggs were nothing but a charred husk. “Yeah… I think your eggs are a little burnt…” “Gee, you think?” Scootaloo dryly replied with a small scowl. She shook her head. “Sorry, I’m just pretty frustrated that I messed up. I tried getting the pan off the stove when I saw the eggs were starting to burn, but it was too hot for me. Guess I panicked and forgot I could just turn off the stove.” “Well, as long as you’re safe, that’s what’s most important.” Scootaloo slowly nodded. “I guess…” When she saw Spike pick up the pan and dump the burnt eggs into the trash, she asked, “Um, isn’t that hot?” “Yeah, I guess,” Spike replied nonchalantly. “And it doesn’t hurt?” Spike glanced at Scootaloo with an amused smirk. “I’m a dragon. I even went swimming in lava once. I think I can handle a hot pan.” “Ah, right…” As Spike started washing the pan in the sink, Scootaloo sighed. “Hey, Spike, I’m sorry for making a mess.” “No big deal. Why were you making breakfast for us anyway?” “Well, it’s been one month since I moved in here, and I just wanted to do something nice for you all as thanks.” Scootaloo looked down and scuffed the floor with a forehoof. “I haven’t really cooked before, as you can see…” “That’s pretty cool of you. And don’t let one failed attempt get you down. Everypony has to start somewhere. Why don’t you try again? You can still surprise Twilight and Rainbow. I’ll even help.” Scootaloo looked up. “Er, I guess I could, but are you sure? It wouldn’t be much of a gift to you if you helped me with it.” Spike smiled. “I would be cooking with my sis. That’s pretty much a win in my book.” Scootaloo laughed. “That’s kind of corny, Spike.” Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay then. Guess you don’t need my help then. Excuse me while I go tell Twilight and Rainbow that you almost set the kitchen on fire.” Scootaloo clammed right up and gave Spike a big smile. “Spike, would you please help your sister make breakfast?” Spike grinned. “That’s better. Yeah, sure, I’ll help, but first…” Spike opened one of the cupboards, revealing a stack of candles. He pulled one out, placed it into a holder, and set it onto the counter. With a small puff of emerald flame, he lit the candle. “What’s that for?” Scootaloo asked. “It’s just an enchanted candle that helps get rid of the smell of smoke,” Spike explained. “Like when pegasus fillies burn some stuff.” It was Scootaloo’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah, yeah… Guess those candles are useful when there’s a fire-breathing dragon around.” “Hey, it’s not just for me. I had to break these out loads of times because of Twilight’s experiments.” Spike retorted. “Anyway, we should stop talking about who's going to burn down the castle and get to cooking if we want to have breakfast ready when Twilight and Rainbow get up.” “Oh, right.” Scootaloo nodded and then paused. “But, uh, could you just watch me and tell me if I’m doing anything wrong? I still want to try and make this by myself, if possible.” “Sure, if that’s what you want.” Spike shrugged and stepped back, giving Scootaloo room to work. Scootaloo took a deep breath and then went to retrieve another batch of eggs for her second attempt at cooking. When she was about to crack an egg into a new pan, Spike stopped her. “Hold on, you really should put some cooking oil in first,” Spike suggested. “The eggs will cook a bit better, and it also helps make them not stick to the pan when they’re done.” “Oh, uh, right,” Scootaloo replied, looking around for said oil. “Um, Spike—” “Second cabinet on your left.” Scootaloo mumbled her thanks and found the bottle of oil right where Spike said. She briefly wondered what would have happened if she tried to get her first batch of eggs out of the pan without the oil. Good thing she burnt them to a crisp before they caused any trouble. With the bottle in her hooves, she poured out a smidge of oil onto the pan, making sure to spread it around when Spike chimed in. After that, she set the bottle aside and reached for an egg, only to pause and look at Spike. After receiving a smile and nod, she proceeded with cracking open an egg. Like before, a few bits of eggshells dropped along with the yolk. As Scootaloo glared at the unwanted debris, Spike came to the rescue with some tips. Following Spike’s suggestion, Scootaloo was able to cleanly break open the rest of the eggs without trouble. Now ready to actually start cooking the eggs, Scootaloo reached for the stove’s knob to turn it on, but she was stopped by Spike once again. “Uh, wait, Scootaloo. I noticed that you had the stove on max last time. You should turn it down.” “But doesn’t more heat mean stuff cooks faster?” Scootaloo asked. “Well, yeah, it sometimes can, but it makes it really easy to burn whatever you’re cooking. You pretty much have to keep your eye on it at all times. Besides, food cooked like that tends not to come out as good.” “Oh… Okay…” Scootaloo stared at the stove’s knob for a moment before turning back to Spike. “Could you…” Spike chuckled and stepped forward to turn the stove on to the appropriate temperature. “Let’s start off low so that you can get the hang of things first. Don’t want the whole castle smelling like burnt eggs.” Scootaloo nodded and remembering Spike’s earlier words, she made sure to keep an eye on her work as the sound of sizzling eggs soon filled the kitchen once again. “You could try moving and flipping the eggs around a couple of times if you want it to cook better,” Spike pointed out. “How do I do that?” “Well, you could use a spatula, but if you want, I can show you a more fun way to do it.” Scootaloo blinked. “Uh, sure. Let’s do the fun way.” Spike directed Scootaloo to stand up on her hind legs as he walked up behind her. He held onto his sister’s forelegs and moved them to grip the pan’s handle. With gentle movements, he moved their limbs together in a circular motion, sliding the eggs around in the pan. “Now, here comes the cool part,” Spike said. With a sudden jolt, he thrusted Scootaloo’s forelegs up. The force caused the eggs to jump straight up into the air a few inches, flipped around, and landed back onto the pan upside down. “Hey, you did it!” Spike cheered. Scootaloo could not help but chuckle. “Spike, you’re easily amused.” “Hey, I thought it was pretty exciting when I first learned how to do it. Come on, you had to feel at least a bit cool doing that.” “Well… Okay, maybe a bit…” Scootaloo continued to flip the eggs every now and then with Spike’s help. It did not take long before she could see that the eggs were starting to turn out nicely. Thinking about all the directions Spike gave her, she had to admit that she most likely would have just ended up with another scorched mess without her brother’s help. The purple dragon really knew how to cook. Now that Scootaloo thought about it, Spike was the only one who she had seen cooking for everypony in the castle. She could not help but ask, “Hey, Spike, are you the only one who cooks around here?” “Pretty much. I’m sure you know Rainbow enough to now she doesn’t really have the patience for it.” Scootaloo giggled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. We pretty much only ate sandwiches or takeout when we hang out. What about Twilight?” "Twilight is… She’s an alright cook, I guess. She just doesn’t do it often since I usually do it for her so that she can study more. When she does though, she has some interesting quirks. The problem is that she can’t cook anything without a recipe and since she treats it like a checklist, she must follow it exactly.” “What’s so bad about that?” Scootaloo asked, keeping her eyes on the eggs as she flipped them again. “Because it’s Twilight being Twilight. If it were any other pony, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Everything has to be exact with her. I’m pretty sure nopony else would start counting grains of sugar to make sure she had exactly one tablespoon…” Scootaloo eyes widened, and she looked at Spike with wide eyes. “Seriously?” Spike grimly nodded. “It’s almost as bad when she chops fruits and vegetables. She brings out all sorts of measuring tools, insisting that every one of them has to be sliced into the optimal length and circumference. “I even remember one time when she tried to make a lemon pie, and she ran out of lemons. A normal pony would just go buy some more, but for Twilight, she tried to make her own lemon juice by identifying the base components of it and then reproducing it with her science-y chemical stuff.” “How was the pie in the end?” Spike shrugged. “Dunno. It exploded. Had to buy a new oven,” he replied, earning him a laugh from his sister. After Scootaloo cleanly flipped the eggs around one more time, Spike added, “You’re really getting the hang of that, aren’t you? Good job, Scootaloo.” “That’s only because you’re holding…” Scootaloo looked at Spike and saw that her brother had stepped away while they were talking. She looked back at the pan. “Whoa…” Spike chuckled. “Told you it was cool. I knew you could do it. By the way, the eggs should be done now. Here, I’ll help you serve them.” Scootaloo and Spike turned off the stove and carefully doled out the cooked eggs onto four plates. They also finished Scootaloo’s previously-planned additions, and by the time the two of them poured out four cups of orange juice and made a new batch of toast, Twilight and Rainbow came into the kitchen. “Good morning, you two,” Twilight greeted with a smile. “Morning,” Rainbow mumbled, her eyes still half-shut, before letting out a huge yawn. “Morning,” Scootaloo and Spike chimed at the same time. “Thanks for breakfast as usual, Spike,” Twilight said. “Actually, it was Scootaloo who cooked today’s breakfast,” Spike explained. “Really?” Twilight uttered as she and an awakened Rainbow both looked at the filly. “Um, well, that’s like half true,” Scootaloo replied. “I tried getting up early to make breakfast by myself, but I ended up messing that up. I only was able to make all this stuff because Spike helped me out a lot. I wanted to thank all of you for taking me in. You’re the best family I could ever ask for.” “Aww, come here, squirt,” Rainbow said, trotting up to Scootaloo to wrap her in a hug. “You’re the best filly I could ask for.” “Same here,” Twilight added, hugging Scootaloo’s other side, sandwiching the filly between her parents. “And thank you for cooking breakfast. It looks delicious.” “Sure does! I’m starving!” Rainbow cheered and flew toward the food with a giggling Twilight following behind. As Spike started walking over to join the mares, Scootaloo stopped him. “Hey, Spike?” “Yeah?” Scootaloo gave her brother a quick hug. “Thanks for helping me out. I really couldn’t have done it without your help.” “Heh, no problem. I was glad to do it,” Spike said as he returned the embrace. “Also, I was thinking that, when we have some free time, maybe you could teach me some more cooking stuff?” A wide smile appeared on Spike’s face. “I would love to.” Scootaloo returned the smile with her own. “Thanks, bro.”