The Steeden University of Culinary Arts

by Dee Pad

Chapter 8 - Familiar Flavor

The Steeden University of Culinary Arts
By Dee Pad
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Chapter 8: Familiar Flavor

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The cyan pegasus's magenta eyes cracked open, a laborious effort that felt as if she were trying to pry open a stuck elevator door. But once they were open, she remained motionless and confused. She stared straight up at the ceiling. That wasn't the ceiling of her bedroom. Where were her countless Wonderbolts posters? Rainbow Dash rubbed her heavy, tired eyes. It was only now that she realized that she wasn't even in a bed, but rather a white couch, and covered by a single wool blanket.

That's right, she wasn't at home. It was starting to come back to her now. She was in Steeden. The last thing she remembered was seeing the surprised look on Pinkie Pie's face when she showed up at her door out of the blue. Then... nothing. She must have blacked out.

Rainbow Dash massaged her temple, a very noticeable discomfort in various parts of her body, primarily her wings and her chest. She rolled her tongue around in her mouth, noting a distinct lack of moisture; it felt like sandpaper when she dragged her tongue along the roof of her mouth, and her throat felt as though she had just swallowed a tablespoon of salt. She needed a drink. Badly. Dash was about to lift herself from the couch, but turning her head, she immediately caught sight of a full glass of water on the coffee table, perfectly within hoof's reach. The pegasus propped herself up and leaned out to grab the glass, but stopped.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mass of pink. Rainbow Dash stared down at the object—or rather, the person—lying there. Pinkie Pie lay sleeping on the floor, curled up like a loyal dog waiting for her owner to awaken. Dash didn't bother to fight back her smile. She was just glad to see how concerned Pinkie must have been to be willing to sleep on the floor, but more so to see her best friend for the first time in six months. A part of her was wondering if last night was just a lucid dream, but she was very pleased to see that that wasn't the case after all. She was, in fact, in Steeden, and Pinkie was, in fact, right in front of her.

Satisfied with her current situation, Rainbow Dash once again reached for the glass of water, sitting up against the arm of the couch, and chugging down the liquid. She sloshed it around a bit to moisturize her dry mouth and tongue, not paying any mind to the fact that the water was warm, likely having been put there by Pinkie Pie last night for when Rainbow Dash woke up.

Dash took a moment to finally survey her surroundings. The dorm room wasn't anything too fancy, though certainly more well-maintained than her own house; she never was one for boring, household chores, and she lived alone anyway, so who would she be trying to impress? She glanced over her shoulder to the source of the light that filled the room: a large window that looked out over the snow-covered courtyard of the university. She hadn't bothered to look around on the way there, as she was much too intent on seeing Pinkie Pie. It was a pretty breathtaking view. But what was even more breathtaking was the enormous, flat-screen television on the wall. She'd always wanted something like that in her house, but they cost a fortune. You could probably see every individual hair of a pony's mane on that thing.

The snoozing form of Pinkie Pie began to stretch herself out in her sleep, letting out a long yawn before her bright, blue eyes fluttered open. Rainbow Dash smiled down on the sleepy mare.

"Morning, sleepy head," Dash chuckled.

"Morning, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie replied as she rubbed her tired eyes. But those tired eyes shot open the instant she realized what she had just said. Pinkie flipped over onto her hooves with an enormous smile and tackled Rainbow Dash with a tight hug. "Dashie! Thank goodness you're awake you passed out and I thought something was wrong are you hurt hungry thirsty do you need anything at all just tell—"

Rainbow Dash plugged Pinkie's running mouth with her hoof. "Take it easy, I'm fine."

Pinkie released her grip on the pegasus, allowing her some room to breath, and taking a deep breath herself. "I was worried about you, Rainbow Dash. You just zonked out right in front of me. Are you sure you're okay?"

Rainbow waved off Pinkie's concerns with a shrug. "Like I said, I'm fine."

Pinkie held a hoof to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. So I guess I can get right to my next question: WHAT?!" she shrieked, throwing her hooves up in the air.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head with a nervous grin. "Heh heh, yeah, I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?" She tossed the blanket off of herself and sat up on the couch, stretching her back. "The short version is, I..." She shifted in place, blushing slightly. "...missed you."

As touched as she was that Rainbow Dash was willing to go to such lengths to see her, even Pinkie knew that she was being impractical. "I missed you, too, Dashie, but coming all the way to Steeden just to say 'hi'?"

Rainbow Dash let out a deep sigh. "I-I know, but I was going stir crazy. Do you know how boring Ponyville is without you around? Now I know how you felt when I went to the Wonderbolt Academy."

"Yeah, but the academy was just a short balloon ride away. Steeden's on the other side of the ocean. That's a long way away."

"But it was worth it," Dash said with a self-validated grin. "But I'm here now, right? So we might as well make the most of it."

"Speaking of which, how come the other girls didn't come with you? If I'm gonna get to see you, I'd like to see all of you."

Rainbow Dash broke eye contact, her eyes drifting up to the ceiling. "Yeeeeaaaah, see, that's the thing: I didn't tell them I was coming."

Pinkie's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Why not?!"

"Obviously because they would have tried to stop me. Twilight was pretty convinced that getting all of us to Steeden would be more trouble than it was worth, even if it meant getting to see you. Clearly I've got a little more motivation than them."

"Geez, Dash, airship tickets are pretty pricey. Are you sure that's not gonna come back to bite you?"

Rainbow Dash scoffed at the notion. "Pfft, are you kidding? You think I'd blow all my cash on that?" She flapped her wings proudly. "These babies can outrun any airship," she stated matter-of-factly.

Pinkie blinked in stunned silence. Her mouth drifted open to speak, but it took a moment for the words to coalesce. "You... You what?!"

Dash leaned back, holding her hooves behind her head. "What? You sound surprised."

"But that's a nine hour flight?!" Pinkie gawked.

"For one of those over-sized balloons maybe." Dash shifted her eyes for a moment. "Um... Admittedly, it was a bit of a bigger endeavor than I expected. I might be the best flier in Equestria, but that was still a pretty long flight. I mean, you saw me last night. It was quite a workout."

"Flying across the ocean nonstop with no food, no water, and nopony knowing where you are is stupid reckless. What if you just passed out from exhaustion mid-flight? You could have died!"

"Hey, give me some credit. I might not be the smartest pony in the world, but I'm not an idiot. I had a fifteen minute break on a small island along the way. Well, I say 'small island,' but it was really more like a big rock. A big rock covered in turtles. Like, a lot of turtles. Like, a stupid amount of turtles. Seriously, why were there so many turtles?"

Pinkie was conflicted. On the one hoof, she wanted to slap Rainbow Dash silly for being so nonchalant about putting her life at risk. On the other hoof, however, she missed Rainbow Dash just as much as the pegasus missed her, and she was overjoyed to see her best friend again. Looking at the situation from her current perspective, she should just be happy that Rainbow Dash is okay now, and she's been reunited with her after six month's apart. Might as well make the best of it.

Pinkie Pie wrapped her hooves around Dash's neck and hugged her tightly. She leaned back and gave her cyan friend her signature smile. "It's so good to see you again, Dashie."

Rainbow Dash pat Pinkie on the shoulder and returned her smile. "Ditto."

Pinkie noticed Dash's expression change quickly, now looking over Pinkie's shoulder to the kitchen. Peeking back herself, the pink mare saw that her roommate was awake and preparing a pot of coffee. Oddly, she seemed to make no fuss about the presence of a strange pegasus in their dorm. Surely she had to have noticed them, especially considering they had done nothing to control the volume of their voices. That suspicion was confirmed when they saw her fill three mugs with black brew, placed them upon a breakfast tray alongside a bowl of sugar and small pitcher of cream, and delivered it with a hospitable smile to the coffee table.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash exchanged confused glances before Pinkie spoke up to the grinning, tan mare. "Soooooo... Any questions?"

Puff chuckled in response. "A few, ya."

"Okay," Pinkie started, hopping off the couch and coaxing Rainbow Dash to do the same. "First off, Puff, this is Rainbow Dash, my best friend in the whooooole world. Dashie, this is Puff Pastry, my roommate."

"Nice to meet you," Dash greeted with a friendly grin, offering her hoof.

"You, too. I've heard a lot about you from Pinkie Pie."

"You're not surprised to see her at all?" Pinkie interjected.

"I vas very surprised actually. Imagine coming back to see a rainbow-maned pegasus sleeping on our couch, vith my roommate sleeping on the floor in front of her. I vas a bit tipsy by the time Candy und I got back, so I vasn't even sure if vhat I vas seeing vas real. Eventually, I did recognize her from the picture on your coffee mug." Puff pointed out Pinkie's mug on the tray with the group photo of the pink pony and her friends back home. "It's a nice surprise, but I vish I had a little heads up first."

"You and me both," Pinkie laughed. "She just randomly showed up at the door last night." She gave a stern scowl to the pegasus. "Apparently, she thought it was necessary to fly all the way across the ocean, like a loony."

"I'm avare," Puff chuckled. "Your conversation vas plenty audible. In any case, I don't mind having her around if she's your friend."

"My best friend," Pinkie corrected, flinging her hooves around Dash's neck. "And if she's gonna be here for awhile, you two should become friends, too!"

"I've got no problem with that," Rainbow Dash shrugged with a grin. "I think it'll be pretty cool to have a Steedish friend. But your accent doesn't really sound the way I thought it would."

"Um, I'm from Germaney."

"Oh. Heh, sorry. Guess I'm not very good with accents," Dash apologized with an embarrassed blush.

"You're gonna hear all sorts of accents around here, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie chirped. "People come from all over the world to come to this school. But if you wanna hear a bona fide Steedish accent, you should talk to—" She stopped suddenly, a look of sudden realization coming over her, and her ears folded back in discomfort. "N-Nevermind..."

Rainbow Dash noticed the distressed look in her friend's eyes. "You okay, Pinkie?"

Pinkie put her smile back on immediately, attempting to push aside any unpleasant thoughts. "Yeah, fine. It's nothing."

Dash raised an eyebrow at Pinkie's behavior. She had never known Pinkie to bottle up her feelings. She was always very vocal about what was on her mind, good or bad. Even though something seemed off with Pinkie, Rainbow Dash figured she was over-thinking it. But now that she thought about it, something that Puff had said suddenly stuck out, and she wondered if that had anything to do with it.

"Did you say before that you were 'tipsy'?" the pegasus asked Puff. She looked at Pinkie in surprise. "Were you guys drinking last night?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Dash," Pinkie answered defensively. "It was just a one time thing cuz it was a special occasion."

"What occasion? Was yesterday some sort of Steedish holiday or something?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope. It was Candy's birthday, so we went out for a few drinks."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "Oh, right! Candy's here with you! Man, Fluttershy 'n' me were blown away when we saw her in that picture you sent. How crazy is it that you'd meet up with her in Steeden of all places?"

"Actually, she was on the airship when I left. I ran into her literally minutes after I said goodbye to you guys. Seeing her definitely made me a little less uneasy about leaving."

Rainbow Dash glanced around the apartment. "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"It's two to a dorm. Puff's my roommate, so Candy's in another room. Just down the hall actually."

An eager smile crossed Dash's lips. "Really? Then why don't we go say hi?"

"Um, I did just make three cups of coffee," Puff reminded them. "I'd rather they didn't go cold."

Pinkie looked down at the untouched tray, having forgotten it was even there despite the strong scent wafting up from the mugs. "Right. Coffee first, Candy second."

Just as the three mares were fixing their respective drinks the way they liked them, there was a knock at the door. Pinkie Pie smiled knowingly.

"There's only one person who'd bother coming over here this early in the morning. Guess we get to say hi after all."

Rainbow Dash took a quick sip of her coffee and waited eagerly, catching Pinkie's meaning.

Pinkie Pie opened the door, making sure to adequately block the visitor's view of the dorm. Sure enough, as expected, the morning's visitor was indeed Candy Cane, though she looked a tad disgruntled. If the shadows around her eyes were any indication, she didn't get much sleep.

"Good morning, Candy," Pinkie greeted with a chipper grin.

Candy rubbed her temple in response to Pinkie's high-pitched voice. "Could be better actually. Like, if you were to turn the volume down over here. Seriously, I think everyone on this floor can hear you. It doesn't help that I have a mild hangover. And considering how plastered you were when I last saw you, I figured you'd still be passed out in bed... Or on the bathroom floor. What exactly were you yelling about earlier?"

Pinkie maintained her grin and stuck her nose up at Candy. "Well, Little Miss Grumpy Pants, you're gonna feel like a real jerk when I show you." Pinkie sidestepped away from the door, sweeping her hoof toward the cyan pegasus behind her. "Ta-da!"

Candy widened her tired eyes as much as she could allow, not knowing exactly how to respond to the familiar face before her. "Rainbow Dash?!"

Pinkie flinched and flicked her own ear. "Now who's being loud?"

Candy stepped into the apartment, trotting over to the pegasus incredulously.

"Long time no see, Candy. What's up?" Dash greeted.

"Wha... What are you doing here?" Candy asked with mouth agape.

Pinkie hopped over to them and interrupted. "Okay, this conversation has already taken place once. So for the sake of everypony, I'll keep it brief." She cleared her throat loudly and inhaled deeply. "She missed me. She flew across the ocean without an airship. Didn't tell anypony she was coming. Didn't bring any supplies. Showed up at my door last night and passed out from exhaustion." Pinkie stood motionless for a moment, then let out the remaining air in her lungs. "Guess I didn't need such a deep breath. But, yeah, that's the gist of it. Oh, and something about turtles."

Candy's expression didn't change much, still just as baffled as before, perhaps more so. "What?! That's—"

"Stupid? Reckless? Crazy? All of the above? Yes. Yes it is," Pinkie finished, once again throwing a stern glower in Rainbow Dash's direction, to which the pegasus reacted by nervously scratching her head. "Anywho, that doesn't matter now. What does matter is that she's here and I get to hang out with my bestie again!"

Candy was still quite taken aback at the whole situation, but all things considered it was still a pleasant surprise nonetheless. But she was still plagued with questions based on Pinkie's hasty synopsis. "So your friends have no idea she's here?"

Pinkie shook her head, looking a touch irate. "No, they do not. But I'm going to write them a letter and send it as soon as possible. Hopefully, they'll get it before they need to send out search parties to find her. And those aren't the kind of parties I like."

"Okay, I get it, you don't approve of my actions," Rainbow Dash groaned. "How many times do I need to apologize?"

"At least once would be nice," Pinkie answered flatly.

"I... didn't apologize? Oops. Well, uh... sorry that I, you know... worried you..."

Pinkie gave Rainbow Dash a grateful smile and pat her on the head.

"Okay," Candy interjected, intent on proceeding with her queries, "And she didn't bring anything with her, or make any plans with you?"

Once again, Pinkie shook her head.

"So what's she going to do here?"

"She'll stay with us," Pinkie stated with an optimistic grin.

"She's not a student here, Pinkie. Only students are allowed to live in the dorms. How did she even get into the university last night?"

"I watched a lot of spy movies," Rainbow Dash said as if that were enough to explain it.

"Did anypony see you when you got here?" Pinkie asked.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head as she thought. "Can't say for sure. I was pretty exhausted, plus I was focused on just finding you. I guess if anypony saw me they would have stopped me, right?"

"If they didn't recognize you as a student, then ya," Puff confirmed. "You probably vould have been escorted off the premises if you didn't have any business here."

"So we're expected to keep her presence here a secret?" Candy's tone was becoming increasingly upset. "If the faculty finds out, we could get in serious trouble. You promised you weren't going to jeopardize our education any more."

"What am I supposed to do?" Pinkie argued. "I'm not going to let her fly back and put her life in danger again, and I don't want her living out on the streets. I'm just trying to look after my friend. And I'll take the rap if anyone finds out. There's no reason you guys should get in trouble because my best friend did something stupid."

Rainbow Dash let out groan. "I'm never going to live this down."

"And besides," Pinkie continued, "keeping this a secret is the least you can do for the pony who saved your life."

Candy's eyes widened slightly. She honestly hadn't expected Pinkie to play that card. She breathed a defeated sigh. "I... guess you have point. Fine, but if this comes back to bite us, it's all on you."

"That's what I said," Pinkie said with an affirmative salute.

"But I think we may have a bit of a problem: Gwenivere."

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. "Who's Gwenivere?"

"My roommate," explained Candy.

"She's Gustave le Grand's daughter," Pinkie added. "She was in the picture I sent you guys."

An eager grin stretched across Dash's face. "The griffon? Cool! When do I get to meet her?"

"That's the problem," Candy interrupted. "See, she doesn't exactly get along with Pinkie, so if she found out that Pinkie was harboring somepony who isn't supposed to be here, she probably wouldn't hesitate to tell her dad."

"Gustave's our teacher," Pinkie quickly explained.

"Why doesn't she like Pinkie?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"She thinks she's annoying."

Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie for moment, the pink mare giving a wide, toothy grin in return. Dash shrugged. "Yeah, that makes sense. So does that mean I don't get to meet her?" she asked with a touch of disappointment.

"If you want to stay here and not get Pinkie in trouble, then yeah, it's probably best to avoid her," Candy said.

"And that just gives me more reason to win her over," Pinkie stated with gusto. "I earn her friendship, and then we can introduce her to Rainbow Dash!"

"How hard could that be?" Dash asked with optimism, eager to meet the griffon.

"Considering Pinkie has been trying for half a year now? I vouldn't get your hopes up," Puff told her.

"You know, speaking of friends..." Rainbow Dash looked Pinkie straight in the eye. "There's something me and the other girls were wondering: you mentioned you had friends over here in your letters, but you never said anything about them. I would have thought you'd at least tell us about Gustave and Candy."

"Oh, that." Pinkie scratched the back of her head. "Well, I wanted to tell you, but I wanted to do it in a special way. That's why I sent that photo. I can only imagine the looks on your faces when you saw it! Hee hee! I was gonna talk more about them in my next letter."

"Okay, I guess that makes some sense... in a 'Pinkie Pie' sorta way," Dash said, accepting Pinkie's unorthodox reasoning. The pegasus rubbed the back of her head, hesitant to speak what was on her mind. "But I was kinda starting to think that they were, you know... our... replacements."

"Replacements?!" Pinkie blurted in utter shock. "Are you nutso?! I could never replace you guys! Besides, why replace you when I can just have even more friends? I have a list of all my friends right here." Pinkie pulled a scroll out of her poofy, pink mane and let it unfurl to the floor... and across the apartment. It would have continued rolling had the wall not gotten in the way. "And this is just page one. I left the rest home because I needed to save room." She rolled the scroll back up and replaced it into her mane, fluffing the curly mass of hair as she did. "Despite what you may think, there is a limit to what this do can do."

"You vere... jealous of us?" Puff inferred.

Rainbow Dash turned away with a slight blush. "L-Look, I'm over that now. Yeah, I may have been worried before, but now that I'm here I can see that that's not the case. I mean, I kinda knew that wasn't the case, but, you know, there's always that one little part of your brain that thinks about it anyway."

Pinkie's ears folded back with guilt. "Gosh, if I'd known, I would have told you about them sooner. I'm sorry I made you feel that way, especially knowing how hard it was for you to say goodbye." Pinkie gave Rainbow Dash an apologetic hug, not her usual trachea-crushing hug, but a gentle, caring embrace, like the one they shared at the air dock when Pinkie left. Dash didn't even mind that there were two other people observing her display of affection.

After the hug had ended, Rainbow Dash's eyes happened to fall on Candy Cane for a moment, and she suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah! Pinkie said it was your birthday yesterday, right? Well, happy, uh... belated birthday, Candy."

Candy giggled with a slight amount of embarrassment. "Oh, thanks. Honestly, it was pretty fun. I kinda wish you were here to celebrate with us."

"She still can!" Pinkie corrected. "We may have had a fun night on the town last night, but you still haven't had an actual party!"

Candy seemed off-put by the idea. "Pinkie, how many times—"

"No no, don't worry, it's just gonna be a small, little thing here in our dorm," Pinkie assured. "And it'll be even more fun now that Rainbow Dash is here! Puff!" Pinkie pointed commandingly toward the chubby mare. "Grab the cake mix! We're gettin' our bake on!"

Puff gave an affirmative salute and made for the kitchen immediately.

"Should I go across the hall and invite Sugar?" Candy asked, already making her way to the door.

Pinkie's ears stood at attention, the smile draining from her face. "No!" The three other mares stared at her in confusion. Pinkie shifted her eyes around nervously, fishing for an excuse to explain her reaction. "Um, sh-she told me she usually likes to sleep in after a night of drinking. Bad hangovers, I guess, ha ha. Uhhh... Oh! And the fewer people who know about Rainbow Dash, the better, right? Wouldn't... Wouldn't want her to accidentally blab about her."

Candy shrugged in response. "I'm sure Sugar can be trusted..."

Pinkie gulped, both at the prospect of seeing Sugar again, and the unseen irony of Candy's statement.

"...but if my hangover is any indication, I can't say I blame her for wanting to stay in bed." Candy rubbed her temple again. The pain had subsided somewhat, but there was no ignoring the rhythmic throbbing in her head.

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was to have an awkward and uncomfortable air hanging over her all day when she was trying to have a party. But she put that out of her mind for now to focus on the party, making a quick trip to the bedroom to bring out a big box of party favors to decorate the apartment.

Rainbow Dash sniffed the air with a pleased smile. "That's already starting to smell good," she said, commenting on the cake that Puff had started on. The pegasus went to the kitchen to observe the progress, watching as Puff was preparing a chocolate glaze, cream, and decorations while the cake was in the oven. Dash bent down to peer inside the oven. "What kind is it?"

"Chocolate mousse cake," Puff answered with a proud grin.

"That your specialty?"

"Anything chocolate is mein specialty," Puff joked with a hearty chuckle.

"Pinkie's specialty has always been her cupcakes," Dash mentioned. "Ponies line up by the dozens for her cupcakes. Have you had them? I tell you, if you could eat dreams, they'd taste like Pinkie's cupcakes."

Puff nodded. "I have had them, und you're not lying."

"You know, I don't think Pinkie ever needed to come to this school," the pegasus said offhandedly.

In the living room, Pinkie Pie glanced over her shoulder when she heard Rainbow Dash speak. She didn't interrupt, but simply listened as she and Candy unpacked the box of streamers and balloons.

"As far as I'm concerned, she's already the best baker in Equestria. She doesn't need a fancy diploma to prove that."

Puff raised an eyebrow, unsure how she felt about that way of thinking. "You don't think she could improve?"

"No."

Dash's quick, and shockingly blunt response surprised Pinkie.

"Like I said she's already the best she can be. She doesn't need to put herself through all this."

"Through all what?"

Rainbow Dash only now noticed that Pinkie had been listening in. What was more is that she looked like she had been insulted. "Uh, well, I just meant you're already the best, so—"

"So you think I should quit and go home?"

Rainbow Dash's mouth fell open. Maybe she should have put more thought into how she worded her sentences. "I-I didn't say that. I was just telling Puff how I felt when I found out you were leaving."

Pinkie still seemed a little hurt, but also looked a touch hopeful. "Do you still feel that way?"

Dash hesitated for a moment, breaking eye contact. Really, that was all the response Pinkie needed. "I... I guess a little, but like I said back then, what kind of friend would I be if I stood in your way?"

It did make Pinkie feel a little better to hear Rainbow Dash reiterate that. "You know, I didn't just come here to improve my skills—which can be improved, by the way; I'm not perfect. I only came because this is something I've always wanted to do since I was little. And even if I don't improve, it won't be a waste." Pinkie pulled Puff closer and gave her a friendly hug. "I've made new friends, got to visit a foreign country, and have made some pretty unforgettable memories. And I still have half a year to do even more. This whole thing is really just an experience for me. You get it?"

Rainbow Dash nodded with a smile, feeling a little silly now. "Yeah, I get it. Even if you are the best, bringing all of this home with you is... pretty sweet, all things considered. I was wrong anyway."

"Wrong about what?" Pinkie inquired with a tilt of her head.

"When I said you couldn't improve, I was wrong. Just because you're the best doesn't mean you can't be even better. You proved that in spades with those pastries you sent us. An éclair with rainbow filling? Like... how did you even do that?"

"Oh, that." Pinkie put on a modest smile. "Do you remember when I asked you to get me some bottles of rainbow essence from the Cloudsdale weather factory?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "That's what you wanted it for?! I thought you just wanted to use it as hot sauce or something."

"Well, yeah, originally. But I got inspired when I gave Gwenivere a sample." Pinkie snickered into her hoof, accompanied by a couple of titters from Candy and Puff as well.

Dash felt like she was missing something, but didn't think anything of it. This was Pinkie Pie after all. "Well, keep it up. That éclair was awesome. And the stuff you made for the other girls blew their minds."

"Oh, did Twilight like the book?" Pinkie asked eagerly. "She got the joke, right?"

Dash chuckled amusedly. "Yeah, she got it."

A loud ding from the oven signaled to the group that the cake was done, and Puff proceeded to pull it out and let it cool on the counter.

"Right, the cake!" Pinkie chirped excitedly. "Puff, you decorate. Candy, help me find the candles in this box." She turned back to Rainbow Dash. "Get ready for your first party in Steeden, Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash smiled in anticipation. "I don't think anything could fully prepare me for one of your parties, but I'm definitely looking forward to it."

***** ***** *****

"I think you just used too much yeast," Candy commented with an amused giggle as she, Puff, and Pinkie ascended the stairwell on their way back from class.

"I didn't even know that was possible, even vith that much yeast," Puff added.

Candy and Puff stepped through the door at the top of the stairs, waiting in the hall for Pinkie to catch up. As the pink mare passed through the threshold, she once again pried her mane away from her eyes. Pinkie was covered head to hoof in thick, sticky dough. Her mane was so full of the under-baked dough that her mane was made heavy and drooped in front of her face, sticking stubbornly to her forehead and muzzle. It was no wonder why she had been lagging behind her friends; there was about ten pounds of dough weighing her down. Even so, Pinkie's trademark smile was ever present, not letting her predicament put a damper on her day.

"I think we've all learned something today," Pinkie admitted.

"Follow the recipe as it's written?" Puff said with a chuckle.

Pinkie shrugged. "Well, that, and don't eyeball your measurements. I could have sworn that was only two teaspoons."

"It was two cups, Pinkie," Candy deadpanned, though she couldn't really hide her amusement.

Pinkie waved off Candy's correction. "Whatever. At least we're done. I thought we'd never get out of there."

Pinkie's impatience would normally be considered uncharacteristic, all things considered. Although the party pony always wanted to occupy herself with something and couldn't stand the dull and boring, their classes were not among those. She greatly enjoyed any time she got to bake with her friends and classmates, and learn new things from the great Gustave le Grand. But today was different. Today, Pinkie had something—or rather, somepony—waiting for her back at her dorm, and she was eager to spend more time with her. However, Pinkie was forced to remain after class to clean up the results of her miscalculation, much to her chagrin. It was made only slightly more tolerable by the fact that her friends offered to help in order to speed up the process. But now, there was nothing to stand in her way, with perhaps the exception of a much needed shower, or maybe a full hosing down given her state.

Pinkie enthusiastically threw open her apartment door, forelegs outstretched as much as the sticky dough would allow. "Dashie~, I'm hooooome!"

Pinkie stood motionless for several moments, but when she was not met by a greeting from her rainbow-maned pal, she let her hooves clomp to the floor. She glanced around the dorm, looking for the cyan pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Puff squeezed in from behind her, taking care not to get any dough in her coat. Like Pinkie, she briefly surveyed the apartment, even checking the bedroom and bathroom. "She's not here."

"W-Well, where is she?"

Puff only shrugged, just as puzzled as her roommate.

The slightest hint of panic started to form in the back of Pinkie's mind. Where could Rainbow Dash have gone? Why would she leave? What if she was caught by the faculty and forced off the premises? Or worse, what if she decided to fly back home, once again putting her life in danger?

"W-We've gotta find her!" Pinkie panicked. Not wanting it to slow her down, Pinkie shook off the sticky bread dough like a wet dog, and bolted out the door. "Puff! You check the student lounge, I'll check the lobby! Go, go, go!"

"Um, Pinkie?"

The worried mare skidded to a halt at the sound of Candy's voice from down the hall. The other pink pony was standing at her own dorm and gestured Pinkie over. Curious, Pinkie put her search on hold, hoping that Candy had some information that might help her locate Rainbow Dash.

Candy simply pointed towards her open apartment door, a notable look of concern in her eyes. Pinkie Pie poked her head in cautiously and was both shocked and confused by what she saw. First and foremost, her search had ended as Rainbow Dash was seated at the kitchen table. The shocking part was that she was talking with Gwenivere despite having been explicitly told otherwise. The confusing part was that the griffon was smiling, and not a smug, self-important smirk, or a conniving sneer, but perhaps the most genuine smile Pinkie had seen on her since they met.

"...and I woke up to find 'er staring me straight in zee eye. I almost 'ad une attaque cardiaque."

Rainbow Dash simply chuckled at Gwenivere's recounting of the unpleasant event. "That's all you got?" Dash leaned forward onto the table, preparing to one-up the griffon's story. "I woke up one morning and found she had decorated my whole house for my birthday in the middle of the night. It was weird enough that she managed to do all that without waking me up, let alone in a house made entirely of clouds."

Pinkie Pie decided it was best to interject and find out exactly what was going on. "Rainbow Dash."

Dash turned her head, having no clue that Pinkie and Candy had even been standing there, with Puff now walking in behind them as well.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, umm..." Rainbow Dash felt like a foal who was caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. "Well, I was bored while you guys were off in class and heard someone in the hall. I thought it was you guys, but it was actually a griffon, so I just figured it was that Gwenivere chick you guys were talking about. Sorry, I couldn't resist, I just had to meet her. You know how much I respect the griffons. I always thought that if I could be any race other than a pegasus, I'd be a griffon."

"And I can't say I blame you. Zere are many avantages to being a griffon," Gwenivere boasted, proving her point by picking up a brownie from the plate on the table with her talons.

"I don't know why you guys thought I shouldn't meet her. We've just been chatting about some of the weird stuff Pinkie's done for the past half an hour. It's fun."

Gwenivere gave an accusatory glare to the two pink ponies. "And pourquoi would you tell 'er zat we shouldn't meet?"

Candy rubbed her foreleg, feeling a bit guilty. "Well, to be honest, we figured that if you knew she was here, you would tell your dad about her."

The griffon raised an eyebrow. "What does mon père 'ave to do wiz 'er?"

Both Candy and Pinkie were hesitant to respond, but neither one had to as Rainbow Dash filled the blank for them.

"I'm going to be staying with Pinkie for a while, and apparently that's against the rules. So they were worried that you'd tattle to get Pinkie in trouble."

"Rainbow Dash!" Candy yelped, scolding the pegasus for possibly planting ideas into Gwenivere's head.

"I would never do zat."

Pinkie and Candy stood in silence for a moment, noting the seriousness in Gwenivere's expression. "You... You wouldn't?" Candy asked, confused.

The griffon shook her head. "Of course not. Do you zink zat I would 'ave zee only pony in zis building zat I can relate to kicked out?"

"'Relate to'?" Candy echoed.

"Oui," Gwenivere responded with a slight chuckle. "Pinkie Pie grinds on 'er nerves just as much as mine, if not more so. 'Earing 'er stories makes me feel a touch better about zee zings she's done to moi. Honestly, why are you even friends wiz such an irritating mare?" she asked Rainbow Dash.

Dash just shrugged. "I know she can be annoying, believe me, but she kinda grows on you after a while." She looked at Pinkie for a moment. "Like a pink fungus."

"I put the 'fun' in fungus!" Pinkie chirped.

"So... you two have just been exchanging stories?" Candy asked, some skepticism still in her voice.

"Zat's right, and frankly I am insulted zat you zink I would take avantage of such a delightful mare just to take a jab at Pinkie Pie. She and I just 'ave so much in common."

"Narcissistic and arrogant. Yeah, can't imagine why you two managed to hit it off," Candy said with a roll of her eyes.

Pinkie leaned in towards the two, a hint of excitement in her big, blue eyes. "Does this mean you two are friends now?"

Rainbow Dash glanced across the table, waiting for Gwenivere to make that call. The griffon gave an unsure shrug. "Per'aps I wouldn't go zat far. We just met. 'Owever, she is significantly more tolerable zan you," she said, pointing at Pinkie.

"I vould have thought that you vould decline any pleasantries based on her association vith Pinkie," Puff commented.

"I admit, when she said she was Pinkie Pie's friend, I was 'esitant to even allow 'er into zee apartment. But before I knew it, we were deep in conversation."

"I'm just glad that you guys are getting along," Pinkie said with a big grin. "And maybe Rainbow Dash can convince you to be my friend, too."

Dash noticed Gwenivere roll her eyes and groan under her breath. "I can try, but I'm not making any promises," she laughed.

Candy let out a relieved sigh at what she was hearing. The moment she saw Rainbow Dash talking to Gwenivere, she immediately thought the worst. The thought that Pinkie—and possibly Puff, by association—might actually be kicked out of school for harboring somepony in their apartment crossed her mind. It was a great source of relief to discover that not only was the biggest hurdle regarding Rainbow Dash's presence rendered moot, but that the pegasus and the griffon would actually become friends, or at least acquaintances. But she still felt the need to make sure, just for her peace of mind.

"So, to clarify, Gwenivere," Candy started. "We can trust you to keep Rainbow's presence here a secret, right? You won't tell anyone, even your dad?"

Gwenivere raised one claw whilst placing the other upon her chest. "You 'ave mon voeu solennel. After all, it is nice to 'ave somepony around 'ere zat I can actually speak wiz." She turned to Rainbow Dash with an uncharacteristically friendly and inviting smile. "And feel free to visit whenever you wish, as long as she doesn't come wiz you." She tilted her head in Pinkie's direction, as if it wasn't obvious about whom she was talking.

"Well, I'd hate to interrupt this blossoming friendship..." Pinkie chimed in.

"Clearly," Gwenivere muttered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"...but now that classes are over, I figured we could give Rainbow Dash a tour of Trotholm, maybe get her to try out the local cuisine."

Dash sat up straight, preparing to hop off of her chair. "That's sounds awesome. I didn't really get a good look at the place when I got here, what with it being the middle of the night and all, and spending all of yesterday partying in Pinkie's apartment." She jumped down to stand next to Pinkie, an eager look in her eyes. "I've never been to a foreign country before. This should be fun. Hey, wanna come with, Gwen?"

Strangely enough, Gwenivere made no complaints, verbal or otherwise, about the nickname, unlike all the times Pinkie had referred to her as such. But the griffon let out a conflicted sigh. "As much as I would like to, I'm afraid I must decline. I 'ave a prior engagement wiz mon papa. But do not worry, I will mention nozing of zis."

"Oh, too bad. Maybe another time then. Okay, let's go."

Dash gave a wave goodbye to Gwenivere as the four mares exited the apartment, Candy grabbing her winter's clothes on the way. Pinkie wanted to stop off at her dorm to pick up her saddlebags and clothes as well, so Dash, Puff, and Candy waited for her at the door.

While they were waiting, Puff gave Rainbow Dash a skeptical look while taking her saddle and hat down from the rack by the door. "Do you actually like her?" she asked, referring to Gwenivere.

Rainbow Dash responded with a chuckle. "Trust me, I can tell she's a bit prickly. Actually, I used to be friends with a griffon that was... kinda like her."

Candy raised an eyebrow. "'Used to?'"

Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Yeeeah... See, when Gilda—that's her name by the way—met Pinkie, she didn't much care for her. Like, at all. She even went so far as to try and keep Pinkie away from me, like she didn't want me to be friends with her. Thankfully, though, Pinkie helped me see just what kind of person my 'friend' really was. Gilda was great when we would hang out, but apparently when my back was turned, she was nothing but a jerk and a thief. I can't be friends with someone like that."

Rainbow Dash's explanation only served to confuse the other two mares. "But... if you felt that vay about your old friend, then vhy are you trying to be friends vith Gwen?" Puff asked.

Dash shrugged, not entirely sure how to put it. "I'll be the first to admit, I'm not the greatest judge of character, but the way I see it, Pinkie's the whole reason we started talking at all. I don't know how, but I think I can get along with her just fine. Believe me though, if she tries to separate me and Pinkie, she's getting the boot. I'm not letting anyone stand between me and my best friend."

"'Kay, all set!" Pinkie called out, bounding from the bedroom to the door and grabbing her clothes from the rack. "We don't have a whole lot of time, so we better get crackin'!" She slapped a spare toque onto Rainbow Dash's head as they stepped out into the hall and headed for the stairwell.

"Candy."

Candy Cane halted in her tracks, but her friends continued onward, apparently oblivious to the whisper that she had heard. She turned around and saw the violet mane of her unicorn neighbor peeking out from behind her door. "Oh, Sugar, hi. What's up?"

Judging by the earth pony's friendly response, it was clear Pinkie hadn't said anything about the events of the other night. Sugar looked past Candy at the trio of ponies heading for the stairs, particularly the unfamiliar cyan pegasus. "Who is that mare with Pinkie Pie?"

"Huh?" Candy looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that's..." Candy stopped and let out a groan. "Ah, crap. Well, you may as well know now. That's Rainbow Dash, Pinkie's friend from back home. Look, long story short, she came here without telling anypony, and now she's staying with Pinkie. Please promise that you won't tell anypony. The only ones who know are us and Gwenivere, and Pinkie could get in serious trouble if anyone found out she was here."

Sugar stayed silent for a moment, looking once more toward Pinkie and the pegasus before they disappeared past the stairwell door. "I see."

Sugar didn't even notice the way Candy was staring at her. Something about the unicorn was off. Normally, she was always wearing a friendly smile brimming with confidence. But today she looked like there was something bothering her. Her smile was replaced with an unsure grimace. She did notice that she was much less outgoing during classes today. Maybe she was dealing with some personal stuff.

"Well, I've gotta catch up with them," Candy stated, taking a few steps backward, but she stopped when she thought of something. "Hey, we're going out to give Rainbow Dash a tour of the city. As our resident Steed, did you want to come with? I'm sure Dash would like to meet you."

Sugar hesitated before shaking her head. "No, thank you."

Candy cocked an eyebrow. That was a rather brief answer. "Oh, alright. Then I guess we'll see you later."

Sugar watched from her doorway as Candy trotted briskly to catch up with the others. She remained there for a few minutes, thinking to herself about what she had just learned.

"Rainbow Dash, hm?"

Comments

[Crimson Dawn]

Pinkie and Dash have a great dynamic here though they have a tension that I think Sugar is going to pick up on and probably will act on it too.

[Summer Dancer]

DON'T YOU FREAKING DO IT, SUGAR. YOU ALREADY TRAUMATIZED PINKIE, THE POOR THING!!!! Also...RAINBOW, YOU IDIOT! YOU SILLY LOVABLE IDIOT YOU!!

[HiddenMaster]

Wow. Rainbow has got to be the queen of not thinking things through and impulsive decisions, because she's done some pretty big ones so far.

1. Ignore her friends and convince herself that Pinkie is going to replace them despite that going against almost every facet of Pinkie's personality? Check.

2. Cross a bloody sea/possible ocean (I'm not sure on the total size) during which she could easily have died just to visit a friend out of paranoia she's going to be replaced and she misses her? Check.

3. While it's not clear, I highly doubt Rainbow even thought to or was patient enough to get a passport, so she's illegally crossed a border to another nation (unless this land is part of Equestria or there are no rules against immigration). If she's caught, that's several major broken laws there. Check.

4. Completely ignore one the tenets of her own personality-that is, you can always do better- and say Pinkie couldn't/shouldn't improve her baking skills and more or less declare Pinkie shouldn't see more of the world within shouting distance of Pinkie? Check.
-Granted, this one is less of an issue and she was actually complimenting Pinkie in her own mind, but it came out as somewhat insulting.

5. She immediately ignores the advice of Pinkie and her new friends and goes to try and make friends with a griffon that, based on their description, could very well turn her in, get her in international trouble, and get Pinkie expelled for harboring an illegal immigrant.

Wow, that's quite a list. And you know what? It fits Rainbow's character perfectly, and I love both you and this story for that.

Although, honestly I'm hoping at least one of these things comes back to majorly bite Rainbow in the ass. Because, as much as I love her, every action has a consequence, and Rainbow should be no exception. I'm personally hoping for forced deportation and banning her from the country.

Hell, while it wasn't this story, I remember another one where she tackles a foreign diplomat for messing with Twilight's head in his own lands and gets arrested by the guard and charged with assault. That was fun.