A Change of Face

by Lannakitty

Chapter 4

Baking as an earth pony was more difficult than Pinkie made it look. Twilight chalked it up to a lifetime of practice as she carefully broke open an egg into its own bowl. Getting the eggs out of the fridge had proven to be somewhat more difficult than expected and the cookies had been put on the metaphorical back burner as she cleaned up the floor.

Satisfied she hadn't broken any shell into the bowl, Twilight checked in on the twins sleeping in the other room. Both foals were still asleep but Twilight knew that wasn't going to last. She hurried back into the kitchen and began to slowly alternate adding in the dry ingredients with the milk and eggs. She'd had some practice doing this with just her hooves when she was a foal. Grandmother Moondancer had baked cookies with a young Twilight and Shining Armor whenever they'd come to visit. It had been Twilight's first introduction to basic chemistry.

When the last of the ingredients had been added to the mixer and the dry folded in, Twilight flipped the speed switch up to the next level and stood back with a small huff of satisfaction at a job well done. Time to check on the twins, she decided.

The cake twins seemed to be playing a simple game where Pumpkin would haphazardly stack everything she could reach with her nascent telekinesis, and then her brother would knock the pile over. The twins would laugh as the toys rattled or squeaked and flew about the pen, then they would repeat. Twilight watched them for a moment then chuckled as an idea occurred to her.

"Come on, you two!" she said, bouncing in place because it seemed to be what Pinkie's body wanted to do. "Auntie T-Pinkie has a great game for the two of you!"

The twins blinked at her then broke into adorable smiles.

"Okay, in this game, Pumpkin, you're going to pick up these candies with your magic." Twilight picked up a peppermint candy and wiggled it in the air in front of Pumpkin before setting it down in front of her brother. "And then do you know what you get to do?" Twilight asked in her best Pinkie voice.

The little foal blinked at her, eyes wide, all of his attention on her. Twilight grinned at him and brought her hoof down on the candy. The colt's eyes grew huge and he made a gurgle of happiness before he brought his hoof down on the cracked candy.

"Pumpkin?" Twilight asked and lifted another candy.

Pumpkin squealed and tried to pick up a candy like Twilight had done. It took a few tries for her to grasp something so small - fine telekinetic manipulation was actually harder to learn and this was both fun and good practice for the young unicorn.

"That's it!" Twilight said, stomping in applause. "Go on!" she gestured towards her brother's tray. The candy was dropped in front of him and promptly smashed.

"Fun, huh?" she asked the foals. She scraped the smashed candy off the tray and into a small mixing bowl. The twins turned the procedure into an assembly line. While it wasn't the most efficient model, they were having fun. Fun, Twilight knew, was an integral part of the Pinkie Pie experience.

Once the candies were crushed, Twilight presented the twins with small plastic cups and bowls of sugar. She showed them how to dip the bottom of the cup into the sugar then press it down on the balls of dough she'd prepared.

Pumpkin had picked up the glass with her magic and was carefully mimicking what Twilight had shown her. At least at first. Her brother proved to be too much of an influence and soon the two were slamming their cups down on the cookies at random, sugar spilling everywhere. Twilight blinked at the sudden mess then started to laugh and wrestle back some control.

Once she introduced the same sort of procedure as before, this time with Pound pressing the cookies and his sister picking up clumps of candy and sprinkling it on top, things went a bit better.

When the cookies were done, Twilight set them aside and cleaned up the now sleepy foals and put them to bed. The cookies went into the oven and Twilight went to work cleaning up the mess they'd made. She made a quick salad for lunch and practiced using one of the earth-pony style forks with a holding strap on the end. It was easier if she didn't think about it too much and she was pleased with her ability to eat without making too much of a mess. She was cleaning up the remains of lunch when the back door opened.

"Something smells great!" Mr. Cake said as he and Mrs. Cake entered.

"Oh!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed. "That does! New recipe dear?"

"Uhh," Twilight blinked then decided that some truth would work better. "Kinda sorta!" she said, brightly. "This is a recipe that Twilight gave me. She used to make it with her grandma Moondancer when she and and her brother were foals! You have to crush candy to put on top and I thought the Twins would have the bestestest, bestly, uh, best time with it!" She grinned until her lips hurt.

"Oh, I bet Pound liked that!" Mr. Cake said, going over to peer into the oven window then glance at the timer Twilight had set. "They're just about done. Don't worry about them we'll handle it while you're setting up."

"Setting- Right! Yes! Pip's birthday party!" Twilight froze. Throwing a Pinkie Pie Party had seemed so easy when Pinkie had mentioned it that morning. Now it seemed a little daunting.

"Did you want me to bring the cake by or did you want to take it yourself?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"It would be super-duper awesome if you could bring the cake by!" Twilight said.

"Not a problem Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake said as she trotted by.

"Thanks, gotta go!" Twilight said, ducking out of the apron she'd been wearing and racing up to Pinkie's room. She'd been here before and had a general idea about where Pinkie kept things, but with the impending party looming large in her mind, she was panicking just a little.

Twilight realized this then took a deep breath before letting it out with a small gesture of her foreleg. She envisioned the anxiety flowing away.

"I've been to more than three dozen Pinkie Pie birthday parties since I came to town," Twilight thought to herself. "And a bunch of those were for foals. That was research. And if I get into a huge bind, I can always ask Pinkie to come over and help. I've done it as myself after all, so no one would think it odd that Twilight was helping a good friend."

Twilight looked around the room, eyes passing over the snoozing Gummy, the crates of decorations marked with different occasions, the racks of banners, emergency confetti,Pinkie's dual degrees in Engineering and Event Planning, the- What? Twilight trotted over and peered at the diploma on the wall. It was legitimately from Canterlot University and it did in fact confer upon the recipient, Pinkamina Diane Pie, the dual degree of Bachelors of Science in Engineering and Bachelors of the Arts in Event Planning.

That... explained a lot really. Twilight chuckled and finally found what she was looking for. Her body slipped into a huge grin and she felt a strange, warm tingle when her eyes locked on Pinkie's party cannon.

---

The party cannon was heavy. Twilight was feeling winded when she finally got to the middle of town on her way to the library. Fortunately it was on the way to the house where Pip and his father lived. Twilight was wondering if she was missing something fundamental about earth pony strength, or if the cannon was just that heavy, when she felt a rather peculiar sensation in her right ear. Her ear twitched once then twice. The sensation moved to her front left hoof which felt inexplicably tingly.

Twilight was suddenly darting between the market stalls and under the skirting of Roseluck's flower stall. Twilight stuck her head out from between two baskets of flowers.

"FOREVER!" she shouted, startling Rose, Lyra and Bon Bon.

They blinked at her. Twilight blinked at them, then slowly withdrew, retreating back the way she'd come. Behind her, she could hear the mares laughing about "Pinkie", but Twilight was frowning.

Had that been Pinkie sense? She'd been in control of her body up until now, but the sensation had come and she'd just... moved..

Twilight paused and looked at her foreleg. On the outside it was pink, and built a little bit sturdier than her own leg. There were a couple little scars near the hoof, old and faded with age. Twilight knew the story involved falling down a hill filled with sharp rocks on the farm as a filly. It was a simple hoof and yet, the leg had tingled oddly, and the tingle, the magic, Twilight was sure, had moved her. Twilight set her hoof down on the ground... nothing.

"Huh."

Maybe Pinkie would know more. Twilight returned to the cannon and began pulling it the rest of the way, her mind turning the new puzzle over.

A surprisingly short time later, Twilight arrived at the library. Frowning at the cannon she turned and knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" Twilight heard her own voice say.

"Hello?" Twilight saw her body open the door with a hoof. Before she could tell Pinkie she should be using her magic, Pinkie's face split into a grin.

"Oh! Wow! You know I lost track of time? I was studying! I've never really had so much fun studying before, well except for the time my class had to make old Eqquian Trebuchets for Professor Ballistic Arc. That was a fun class. We had a competition to chuck pumpkins across the hoofball field. Hey! do you think we could maybe make that something for the colts and fillies to do at the next harvest festival? I bet Applebloom would win. She's really good and building things. Do you think maybe her cutie mark-"

Pinkie was cut off as Twilight pressed a hoof to her mouth.

"Where's Spike?" Twilight asked before removing her hoof.

"He said Peewee and Tank have a playdate, so he's hanging out with Rainbow Dash at the lake."

Twilight let out a quiet sigh of relief that no one had seen Pinkie's outburst. She walked into the library and closed the door behind her.

"So! How's it going being me?" Pinkie asked, bouncing around in a circle once.

"I took care of the twins and I made cookies!" Twilight said proudly. She gave Pinkie a softer smile. "It was like when I was a little filly and couldn't use my magic yet. I made one of the recipes Grandma Moondancer taught to Shining and me."

"Awwww!" Pinkie grabbed her friend in a hug. "I bet they taste extra special."

Twilight giggled and recounted her day so far to Pinkie. The other pony listened with a huge grin and laughed with her when Twilight told her about the hide and seek mishap and how she got the twins to help her.

"You're gonna have to teach me that recipe," Pinkie said, nodding with authority. "Sounds like the perfect thing for those two to help with."

"Sure! There was one thing that confused me though," Twilight said. "I got this weird sensation-"

Pinkie gasped, her eyes going wide. Twilight stopped speaking, her ears flicking back in worry.

"Tell me about it!" Pinkie ordered in a strangely tight and excited voice.

"My right ear twitched twice, then it went to my left hoof, here," she said, holding up her front left hoof.

Pinkie seemed to almost vibrate in place with excitement.

"So... Is that-"

"PINKIE SENSE!" Pinkie jumped into the air, her limbs spread wide. A burst of glitter and confetti appeared from her hooves and the tip of her horn erupted, emitting sparklers like the toys given to foals during the summer sun celebration. She landed back on all four hooves, grinning from ear to ear, horn still spitting little sparkles that crackled and popped.

Twilight reached over and put a gentle hoof on the sparking horn, putting it out. "So..." Twilight paused, gathering her thoughts. She looked at Pinkie seriously. "Pinkie, it was magic," she pronounced.

Pinkie blinked once then twice. Then she giggled. "Well of course, silly. I mean come on, I'm a talking pink pony. Of course it's magic."

"Wait- what?"

"Well, I guess you're the talking pink pony right now. I'm a talking purple pony at the moment, but ohhhhh let me tell you about-" Pinkie made a dramatic pose, one foreleg around Twilight's neck, the other tracing an imaginary marquee in the air. "Telekinesis!" she said dramatically. Twilight wasn't certain how, but Pinkie's voice managed to convey italics.

Twilight listened with half an ear as her friend gleefully described her attempts to pick up, put down, move and manipulate things in the Library. She distantly noticed how many of those things were now in haphazard piles strewn about the room. Twilight was thinking hard on what Pinkie had said, however.

It was always said that earth ponies had magic, Twilight had been told this time and again by her parents and even her teachers, though some of the other students had rolled their eyes. It was just... different than the unicorns or the pegasi. Twilight was confronted with the uncomfortable fact that she'd assumed it was also lesser. Intellectually she knew it wasn't right, but somehow she'd internalized what wasn't said anyway.

"Twilight?"

Twilight blinked. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"You okay?" Pinkie asked. "Your mane is all... flat." She lifted a limp strand of pink mane with one hoof. "Your hair is usually pretty straight, it's been weird to deal with, 'cause I haven't felt like I've had any really heavy, really big, really serious, really unfun feelings."

"Pinkie? Have I ever.... treated you badly because you can't do magic. I mean like a unicorn," she added hastily then facehoofed.

"Badly? No," she said, shaking her head. "I mean... You didn't exactly believe me about the whole Pinkie Sense thing to begin with, but you came around!" She smiled and hopped in place. "I thought it would be aaaaaaaages before that happened. We were both surprised!"

"I'm sorry-"

"Twilight it's no biggie, really. Wanna know what I've learned about being a unicorn?" At Twilight's nod she continued, wearing a serious look on her face. "At first I thought that unicorns think too much about magic. All my life as an earth pony, magic has just happened. You don't need to force it or cast it, you just... help it along sometimes to let it do what comes naturally. You go with it rather than against it. Unicorns spend a heck of a lot of time focusing on how to make magic do what you want it to do, rather than what it's just... gonna do."

She scuffed her hoof. "I tried letting the magic do what it wanted. Nothing happened. So I tried putting some magic through your horn and then let it do what it wanted. Half the books on the shelves just flew out in all directions!" Pinkie gesticulated wildly around her. "The other half of the books got up and started trying to eat one another! Your lamp turned into a turnip! Once I thought about it, they stopped and went back to normal. Eventually I could pick one book up, but I had to think about what I was doing and not let the magic just run wild. So I think maybe unicorns need to think about magic and that's just the way it is, and that's okay."

"You know, I was so focused on how heavy the cannon was and getting it here, when the Pinkie sense kicked in, it just happened. Then when I got back to the cannon, I was so wrapped up in thinking about your Pinkie Sense, the cannon was easier to pull down the street." Twilight gave Pinkie a wry look. "There is a whole magical PhD's worth of study here."

"Really?"

"Yes and as soon as this study is concluded I am going to write up a proposal. I haven't even spent a day as an earth pony and already I've learned so much!" Twilight said. She smiled at her friend. "Thank you."

"I think we're going to have one heck of a doozie of a friendship report for the princess when we're done," Pinkie said with authority. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! do you think we should send her some cookies with the report? Can Spike's magical green flame-of-mailing send cookies? Oh, oh! What would happen if he accidentally sneezed at a waterfall? I don't think Spike would intentionally try to send the Princess a whole waterfall because she's the princess, but actually? I think she'd probably think it was pretty funny, as long as nopony got hurt and it didn't turn the court into a pool." Pinkie gasped. "A Royal Pool Party! We should do that! I bet Princess Luna hasn't ever been to one of those yet!"

Twilight put a gentle hoof on her friend's mouth, stopping the torrent of excitement. "I think it won't hurt to ask."

The clock on the wall chimed the hour and twilight looked up. "I also think," she said, "That Pinkie Pie has a party to throw for Pip."

"Make it a good one! And then when we're back to normal we can have a combined "Yay! We're back to normal and Twilight threw an awesome Pinkie Pie Party!" Party!" Pinkie bounced in place.

Twilight hooked a hoof around Pinkie's neck in a hug. "I will try to do you proud."

"And I will study like I have never studied before! Look! I made a list!" Pinkie whirled around, her horn flared and a piece of parchment launched off the table, sailed through the air, then impaled itself on her horn.

Twilight chuckled and helped Pinkie dislodge the paper. "Don't worry, that happened to me too when I was a filly. Remember, be gentle."

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "I will! You better get going!"

"I'll see you later tonight!"

Twilight waved then trotted outside again, leaving Pinkie to her practice. The cannon remained where she'd left it, brightly colored and ingeniously packed with all manner of decorations.

"Right," she said to herself as she grabbed the cannon's tether. "It's time to party."

Author's Note:

While writing this I thought about leaving the cookies unspecified then I thought, nah, it'd be fun to make a specific cookie I enjoy and share it with the great anonymous internets. And I knew exactly which one.

Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to bake cookies with my grandmother. She often volunteered to care for us at her house so my parents could get important adult things done without three young children underfoot, and because she enjoyed having us around. We baked cookies of all sorts, but only around the Christmas holiday did we bake two types. One was <i>her</i> grandmother's sugar cookie recipe, cut into shapes and decorated to the point they were nearly inedible to anyone over 10, and my favorite, her peppermint crisps.

She had us "help" her with measuring and mixing and the all important task of cleaning up the bowl and spatula while the cookies baked. She ensured the results were edible and it made us forget we were so terribly bored because Mom and Dad weren't there and we weren't home with our own toys. Looking back now, almost two decades after her passing, I realize I was very fortunate to have had that experience.

I now live a few thousand miles from the rest of my family and have been fortunate enough to come home every year for the holidays. Every year I make it a point to bake my favorite cookies for the whole family to enjoy, and we remember the woman who was matriarch for so many years and who loved us all.

Sappy as it may be, I thought it fitting to include in a story about brightly colored, talking ponies who get magical powers from love and friendship.

Peppermint Crisps

¼ cup shortening (you can substitute unsalted butter)
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 well beaten egg
1 Tbsp. milk
3-4 Tbsps. Crushed peppermint stick candy

Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar. Mix (sift) together dry ingredients. Combine egg and milk. Add sifted dry ingredients to shortening alternately with egg–milk mixture. Drop batter in teaspoon sized bits on a greased cookie sheet. Flatten by pressing with glass dipped in flour (or granulated sugar, which is my preferred method - ed.). Sprinkle each with ½ tsp. candy.
Bake in the oven at 350(F) for 12 minutes.

Makes about 3 ½ dozen at the most.

You can easily double or triple this recipe!

Comments

[Didlsbrony4evah]

*Forms a point with his fingers as he sits villanously in a swivel chair with a half asleep black cat trapping him in place. He has been trapped in this chair for nearly six hours by this cat, and it is driving him close to madness. Were it not for the conveniently placed computer, he would have lost his sanity. Unfortunately, he is also wearing a beige suit jacket with a white faux fur wrap and a therapeutic neck-weight, as well as recently having sheared off his hair. This would not matter were it not for the computer being next to a line of windows, through which the neighbor children are watching. The neighbor children are fans of movies from the previous generations, and to them he looks like a corny supervillain. Their mother notices as well and is making a seemingly frantic series of phonecalls, presumably to the neighborhood watch, who she is the captain of. now she has a can of mace. Gods, it's a good thing that this fic is here to keep him sane*

This story. Me gusta.

[Clocklike]

yay! thanks for the cookie recipe!

[HJSDGCE]

Sweet!
A cooking recipe!

And Pinkie is probably as smart as Twilight.

[pchn00]

This is one of the nicer stories I've read in a while. Watching Twilight pretend to be Pinkie is pretty darn adorable. Very much looking forward to future chapters!

[armando92]

yay, thanks for updating this. It was a really nice way to start a sunday morning xD

[Jlargent]

I could actually see this change into a Slice of Life or a Romance fic later on.

[Avenging-Hobbits]

Please, PLEASE don't make this a shipfic

I like it the way it is.

[Thorax]

This concept pleases me, I shall follow you.

[Lannakitty]

3103603
No plans on making this a shipfic!

[Lannakitty]

3102917
Enjoy! they are delicious!

[Avenging-Hobbits]

3103994 dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4761-056.gif

AWESOME!

All too often I see great story ideas hijacked by shipping.

I mean I like shipping, but it does get tiring after awhile that every story with...say Applejack and Rainbow Dash in it ends up shipping them.

[ThePhantomAssassin]

So Pinkie picked up the piece of paper and impaled it on her horn eh? Well here's hoping she doesn't try to pick something that isn't a piece of paper up. Ya know, like Spike. That would be horrible. If she were to pick Spike up, and he died. Just awful. How awful would it be if Spike died? It'd be really bad if Pinkie killed Spike, and Spike disappeared forever. Just, gone. Forever.

[Really Big Shoe]

3104602 Jeeze, that's a bit dark considering this story is comedic and light hearted, don't you think?

[ShadowWing09]

Oh sweet Celestia, Pinkie is rubbing off on Twilight!

Naaaah, it's fine, it's always good to be able to understand the mindset of another

Still loving this story!

3104012 I know what you mean, I have seen some WONDERFUL stories where shipping should have had nothing to do with the story, yet they add the ship for seemingly no reason.

I'm fine with shipping done in moderation, and if it's the focus, but too many wonderful stories undermine the point of this show by adding in pointless shipping, particularly nonsensical pairings

[Avenging-Hobbits]

3106223 It appears I've found my spirit animal

[ThePhantomAssassin]

3105815 Hey, where's your mind at eh? I was saying how it'd be terribad if that happened.

[Really Big Shoe]

3106435 Yeah, your right, it would. It's just the way you wrote it was... kinda creepy

[Blagdaross]

That was a lot more feels than I was expecting. Good feels, though.

Keep up the good work, and hopefully it won't be so long with the updates!

[Periphery]

I hope they don't try to sell those cookies. The recipe sounds interesting, but I'd probably never eat there again if I found out they were selling baked goods made by a couple of babies using their feet to crush up ingredients, and such.

Twilight's probably going to end up blasting Pip or someone else in the face with that party cannon.

[The Elusive Badgerpony]

Pinkie's dual degrees in Engineering and Event Planning

derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDMvMDMvMjFfMzFfNTNfMjM3XzI2MTYyNV9fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmVfcGlua2llX3BpZV90ZWFtX2ZvcnRyZXNzXzJfZW5naW5lZXJfYXJ0aXN0X2FoX2Rhcm5pdF9zZW50cnkucG5nLnBuZyJdXQ/261625__safe_pinkie-pie_team-fortress-2_engineer_artist-ah-darnit_sentry.png

[Lannakitty]

3127251
Corrected TY.

[Snowstreak]

Pinkie's dual degrees in Engineering and Event Planning...

This is now headcannon.

3120454

I MEANT CANON, DURN IT!

[Buckshot2825]

COOOKIESSSSS!!!!!

[InMyMind]

I've never really had so much fun studying before, well except for the time my class had to make old Eqquian Trebuchets for Professor Ballistic Arc.

I wanna meet this guy.

[Joural]

3667568

You've never had a high school physics teacher? Like 80% of them assign this project at some point. One of mine had us build goddern roller coasters! Why? Because... actually, I still couldn't tell you. I'm pretty sure it was to do with the trade between potential energy and kinetic energy, but I can't recall.

[the other sans]

Grandmother Moondancer
Twilight giggled and recounted her day fo far to Pinkie

1. Wait... Wasn't Moondancer canonly one of Twilights friends in the first episode? Or am I currently high and I can't remember because it's about 2am here? Remember, there is no write answer, just a correct one.
2. So. Oh so, so, sososososo far...

[Anyne]

The twins blinked at her then broke into adorable toothless smiles

24.media.tumblr.com/e973feaaec1903d380fbacc04ed8d853/tumblr_myj11upXjQ1rdb717o1_500.gif
Pound Cake seems to have teeth

[Quirky Craft]

Oh my gosh, the cookie story is so, so, SO HEARTWARMING!! I'm totally gonna try making them