Baking Bad

by XMark

Trix

The mountain began to cast its shadow over the clearing in the Everfree forest as the sun set. Next to their parked balloon, in their protective force field, Twilight was focused on levitating a beaker full of bubbling liquid over a burner.

"Okay, it's been a long day, but we're almost done. Next step: twenty milligrams of sapphire dust, fifty miligrams of jade dust, dissolved in a solution of 40% water and 60% rainbow juice, boiled at 95 degrees celcius for 3 minutes and... one, two, three, four seconds."

Twilight poured the liquid into a deep square pan. Some vapor rose from the pan, and Twilight stepped backward to avoid inhaling it.

"Are we done now?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Twilight rose an eyebrow. "You really think we're done? You would really just stop at this stage and call it a day?"

"Well yeah, you just let it cool down for an hour and you got Spark! Right?"

"No, you end up with watered-down garbage that barely passes for Crystal Spark. I can't believe that anypony would buy what you were making before. Now, put on this gas mask."

Twilight levitated two gas masks out, put one on and gave the other to Pinkie who did the same.

"This gas mask makes me look like an elephant!" said Pinkie, throwing her head back and imitating an elephant noise.

Twilight's horn began to glow. "We don't have the proper equipment for this, and it's a pretty volatile mix of chemicals, so we can't be too careful. Anything goes wrong and we'll be covered in toxic fumes. Now, if you were wondering why I had to boil the mixture even though we're just letting it cool down again, the primary reason was to remove all traces of impurities. That's of utmost importance for the next step. Supercooling the liquid."

Twilight bent her head down and focused on the pan, and a beam of cold blue light erupted from her horn to the pan. "If we've done everything right, then as the temperature goes below its regular freezing point, the light trapped within the rainbow juice will begin to leak out. The parts of the spectrum that we want to capture are in the sapphire and jade crystals."

Sure enough, the mixture began to glow in multiple colors. Everything except for blue and green.

"Eventually we'll want the liquid to crystallize, but doing so will throw the refraction of the light off, so we need to capture as much blue and green glow as possible before initiating the nucleation. The colder the better."

Twilight strained harder, and the glow around her horn intensified. She felt a sudden pain in her head which caused the light to flicker slightly. A minute later she finally let go, feeling unusually spent for such a basic spell. She looked up at Pinkie.

"I'll let you do... the honors." said Twilight, out of breath. "Initiate the nucleation!"

Pinkie looked at the pan, then back to Twilight, and shrugged her shoulders. Twilight groaned. "Give the pan a good tap."

Pinkie bumped the side of the pan and hopped backwards. She squinted her eyes and grimaced in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

Pinkie looked to Twilight, confused. "Is something supposed to..."

A brilliant flash of light erupted from the pan followed by a sizzling sound. Something resembling a sonic rainboom erupted from it. Pinkie walked up to the pan.

"Oh my goodness!" said Pinkie. "Look at the size of those crystals! I haven't seen anything like this before! I'm gonna try some."

Twilight scowled. "No. We don't use our own product."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Uh... yes, we do, silly!"

"No, we don't!" said Twilight.

"Yes, we do!" said Pinkie.

"No, we don't!" said Twilight.

"Yes, we do!" said Pinkie.

"No, we don't!" said Twilight.

"No, we don't!" said Pinkie.

"Yes, we do!" said Twilight.

"Okey dokey!" said Pinkie.

Before Twilight realized Pinkie's trick, Pinkie had already planted her face in the pan and snorted some of the Spark. Pinkie fell backwards with a huge smile on her face and started rolling around on the ground, giggling like a maniac. Twilight watched Pinkie, concerned. Was this why Pinkie Pie was still so... Pinkie Pie, even at her age?

"Oh, Twilight! You're a wizard! Ooooh it's sooo good. Ponies are going to smile so much when they get this!"

Twilight had a moment of clarity, hearing those words. She walked up to Pinkie and looked down at her. "Is that why you're doing this?"

"Hee hee hee.... I take this stuff and it makes me smile so much. And I just want to share it with everypony so they can keep smiling and keep on partying forever!"

Twilight gasped. Pinkie was an addict as well as a dealer.

"Twi?" said Pinkie, controlling her giggles. "You never told me why you're doing it."

"I've got my reasons. You don't need to know them."

"Awwwwww."

Twilight looked around and saw how dark things had gotten in the shadow of the mountain.

"I think we're done today. We've got our first batch of Spark." said Twilight. "What's next?"

"Tomorrow I'll go and sell to some of my regular customers." answered Pinkie. "They'll like it so much they'll tell their friends, and their friends' friends, and we'll have lots more customers!"

"We'll meet again in the late afternoon tomorrow, start cooking another batch."

After packing their things up, Twilight removed their force field and the two of them floated away in the balloon, parking it in a clearing just on the edge between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. It was a bit of a trot from where they left it to get back home, but they had to find a spot that wasn't within view of Fluttershy's place. The last thing they needed was someone recognizing them.

-

"Spike, I'm home!" said Twilight as she walked in her front door.

"Help me!" came Spike's voice.

Twilight heard the urgency in his voice and ran towards Spike's room. Spike was lying on the ground next to his bed, shaking, tears in his eyes.

"What happened?"

"I can't move!" said Spike. "My back... it started hurting, and I fell... and I haven't been able to move for hours now! I haven't felt pain like this ever! Where were you?"

"I was... I..."

Spike suddenly screamed in pain. "Oh Celestia! It's flaring up again!"

Twilight levitated Spike. "Don't worry, Spike. I'm taking you to the hospital."

Twilight ran through town, levitating Spike behind her, which was no small feat since Spike was now twice her size and three times her weight. When they finally reached the hospital she collapsed of exhaustion and passed out.

-

The next day, Pinkie Pie walked up to a small wagon parked just on the outskirts of Ponyville. She knocked on the door to the wagon.

"Who is it?" came a female voice from inside.

"Your favorite Pink Party Pony!"

The door glowed a light blue glow and opened. Out stepped a light blue unicorn with a white mane. The Great and Powerful Trixie, wearing her usual wizard hat and cape.

"What in Equestria are you doing here?" said Trixie. "The Great and Powerful Trix does not have any Spark to sell you at this time. Begone!"

"Well, that's just perfect because I'm not buying today, I'm selling! Wait, did you call yourself Trix?"

"Yes, that is what I am calling myself now. And if you wish to continue any business with me, you will also call me Trix."

"What's wrong with Trixie?"

"It occured to me that my original name did not fully complement my greatness. It was as if I am just, you know, a little bit Trix-ie. Not the Trix-est, or even Trix-er than anyone else. No, I will not have that. So from now on, The Great and Powerful Trixie is The Great and Powerful Trix! Now, give Trix a sample of what you're selling, and Trix will judge whether it is worthy."

Pinkie was wearing saddlebags filled with packs of Crystal Spark. She pulled a small pack of the drug out with her mouth, and Trixie levitated it. She ripped the pack open with her horn, and levitated a small pink swizzle straw to sniff a sample. The effect was immediate, and Trixie reeled back, dropping the pack. Pinkie caught it in her mane.

"My goodness!" said Trixie, wobbling in place. "Where did you get this? This is powerful stuff. Almost as powerful as the Great and Powerful Trixie... I mean, Trix!"

"I got it from me, 'cause I made it!"

Trixie began to wobble slightly back and forth, so she laid down on the ground to steady herself. "You're back in business pretty quickly. What happened with... uh... whatsername.. Gilda?"

"I was a lucky little Pinkie. The next door neighbor was cooking some delicious-smelling chocolate cupcakes, and I smelled them and knocked on her door. And we talked for a bit and I offered to help her cook cupcakes as long as I had some to eat myself. And then when I was eating cupcakes over there, the royal guards arrived and arrested Gilda. I knew they'd look around the house next, so I had to escape. They almost got me too!"

Trixie's eyes were diverging slightly and she seemed to have lost interest. She shook her head and looked back at Pinkie, refocusing her eyes. "You know, Pie the Pink... Pinkie of the Pies... oh my, this Spark is really affecting me. What was I saying? Ah yes, your story is very... what's the word when something sounds like an excuse for, uh... doing something bad?"

"Fishy?"

"Fishy! Yes, that! Your story is much like a fish. I think you're, um... swimming, like a fish, with the EADTF, or wow. Look at my hooves! They're so blue! But Gilda, you know, the griffon chick, with the feathers and stuff, she thinks you set her up."

"What? Moi? Pinkie Pie? That's ridiculous! That's Silly! That's sillydiculous! Gilda's just being a mean lying pants-on-fire dishonesty-pants! I'd like to give her a piece of my mind! But not my actual brain because that would be gross and I'm still using most of it."

Trixie began giggling uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" said Pinkie. Suddenly Pinkie's ears flopped, her eyes fluttered, and her knees twitched. "Uh oh."

The door to Trixie's Wagon opened and Gilda burst out, grabbing Pinkie Pie by the neck.

"You were saying?" growled Gilda.

"... ... .... ...." said Pinkie, her eyes bulging widely.

Gilda loosened her grip so Pinkie's words could be heard. Pinkie gasped for air, and then spoke again. "Hey there, Gildy ol' pal! You're out of the dungeons pretty quick, how's it going? Your feathers are looking nice today! Why did they let you go?"

Gilda tossed her aside. Pinkie bounced and rolled and landed on Trixie, who was too high to even react to it.

"They didn't have anything on me that could stick." said Gilda. "They'd be wasting their time and money trying to get me on a lesser charge, and I'm not the one they're looking for. And I don't think they want the public to think they're pulling the ol' griffon race card again. Ya know, I could've made it even easier for myself by ratting you out, but I ain't no fuckin' snitch. You, on the other hand..."

She picked up the packet of Crystal Spark in her claws and examined it. "Who made this Crystal? 'Cause I'll pluck my feathers and call myself an Earth pony if you made this yourself."

"It's a secret. Top-secret. I can't tell anypony who it is. I didn't even tell myself!"

Gilda grabbed Pinkie by the back of her neck, lifting her up to her face. "So that was your plan, huh? Set me up for the fall so you can ditch me for this mystery cook?"

"I Pinkie Promise that I didn't set you up!" Pinkie put her hoof to her eye. "I didn't know the guards were coming, and I had the munchies for some tasty chocolate cupcakes. That's it!"

"Chill out guys." said Trixie. "We can do business. Business... like... drug business. And stuff. This is water under the... road thingy that goes over water. Let's just meet this cook and talk more bridges. I mean, more business. Trix is gonna take a lil nap first though. G'night."

-

Twilight woke up in a hospital bed. "Wh... where am I?"

Her doctor turned to look at her. "Ah, you're awake. You're in the Ponyville hospital. You overextended your magic powers carrying Spike last night. With your condition you'll need to take it easy and allow plenty of recharge time."

Twilight rose out of her bed with a start, accidentally hitting the doctor in the face with her horn. He flinched backward.

"I'm sorry!" said Twilight. "Where's Spike? Is he okay? What time is it? Did you tell him anything about my horn rot?"

He looked at her strangely. "He's in the next room over. He's okay but... I'll let him tell you about it himself. It's 11 AM. And why are you concerned about what I told him? Have you not told him of your condition yet?"

Twilight laid back in her bed and sighed. "I'm going to eventually. Just... you didn't tell him did you? It should come from me."

"Doctor-patient confidentiality is part of the law in Ponyville. But there aren't any laws against me scolding you for keeping this a secret. My professional advice to you is to tell him and your family and friends as soon as possible. This is a burden that nopony should carry alone."

Twilight stared at the ceiling, non-verbally signifying that this conversation was over.

"All right then." said the doctor. "I'll let Spike in to see you now."

The doctor left the room, and Twilight heard a strange metallic clinking sound approaching. She turned to the door and saw Spike walking in awkwardly, supporting himself on two large metal crutches.

"What happened to you?" asked Twilight, shocked at the sight.

"It's okay, Twi. The doc says that this is a normal part of a dragon's growth. Every dragon goes through a time when their skeleton is lagging behind the body's accelerating growth rate. It's not going to be very long..."

"That's great news! So you'll be back on your feet soon?"

Spike drooped his head. "About five years. I guess that's no time in comparison to my lifespan, but still, I can't believe I have to walk on crutches for five whole years."

"Is there anything I can do to help you, Spike?" asked Twilight.

Spike shrugged his shoulders, which made him fall forward a bit. He pushed his crutches in front of him and grimaced in pain. "I'm just going to have to deal with this. What I want to know is what happened to you?"

The doctor quietly left the room, giving Twilight a stern look on the way out.

"I levitated you halfway across town at the end of a long and hard day. I guess I just pushed myself too hard." Twilight smiled. "You're a big boy now. Packing on the pounds!"

Spike frowned. "That doesn't make sense. I know how powerful your magic is. Floating me across town is nothing to you. I've seen you lift an Ursa minor, remember?"

"Guess I'm just out of practice. It's just like exercise, you know!"

Spike shook his head. "There's something you're not telling me. Something that has to do with why you were out so late last night. And why you've been acting so weird the past few days."

Twilight was at a loss for words. She should have known that Spike would see right through her excuses. She reached for some kind of explanation that could at least deflect him for a while, but none was coming.

"Fine." said Spike. "If you really don't want to tell me, then I'll let it go." he limped out of the room.

-

After Twilight took care of the hospital bills and paid for Spike's crutches, they walked home together wordlessly, Twilight providing some magical support whenever Spike seemed to be losing his balance on the crutches.

"I guess you're going out again tonight, aren't you?" said Spike when they got home.

Twilight nodded. Spike rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut.

On the way to meet Pinkie Pie, she knew that she would have to tell him about her horn rot, and sooner was better. Hiding the secret, she realized, was hurting her as much as it hurt Spike. She resolved to herself that she would tell him tonight. In fact, she was going to cancel the cooking session with Pinkie and go straight home. The Spark could wait another day.

As she approached the edge of the Everfree forest, she could see Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was shaking her head and waving her hooves. Twilight rolled her eyes. Surprise, surprise. Pinkie was being random again. She kept walking towards her, ignoring her strange gestures.

"What is it?" said Twilight when she arrived at Pinkie.

"I'm sorry," whispered Pinkie. "I tried to warn you."

Twilight heard a sound behind her, and turned around to see Gilda coming out from a bush.

"Well well," said Gilda. "It's Princess Celestia's old pet pony. You're the last pony I'd suspect of being our mystery cook."

"W...what do you want?" stammered Twilight.

Trixie stepped out from behind a tree and fixed a glare on Twilight.

"Trixie?"

"Sparkle."

Comments

[ThoriumIsBestActinid]

Dun dun DUN!

Can't wait for the next chapter!

[MythrilMoth]

This is very entertaining so far. I'll definitely be watching this one!

[Captain Tussel]

...and the plot thickens. The story is great so far, I can't wait to catch up.