A Pear and Apple Through and Through

by SweetCookie

The Cutie Mark

The room had been filled with silence, a silence that didn't last as long at it needed to. Marmalade looked at Apple Pear with some surprise in her eyes before she scoffed and shook her head. Tenor Rhythm and Sweet Cookie looked at each other before turning to Skating Blitz, the Pegasus shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"It is a good place to start, but you'll need to be a bit more specific than that if you want that cutie mark."

"How so? Didn't I answer honestly?"

"Don't get me wrong, you did answer honestly. What do you enjoy doing with fruit? Making juice, cakes, jams..."

"Oh, those? I don't really know, I did everything to do with fruits but I don't seem to enjoy any of them."

After whispering to the Pegasus next to her. it was now Cookie's turn to walk up to Apple Pear that, an idea plastered well onto her face. She leaned towards Skating Blitz and told him her idea, something that made him smile before backing up next to the other colt as she took charge of the situation.

"Tell me little Apple, your family makes really good products form apples. What's your favourite?"

"By far I love Jams. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Marmalade here loves making some Jam, so I was thinking maybe we can kill two birds with one stone and try to make some jam here!"

"With that?"

"Glad you asked me Pear Mare~"

"Cookie, you really don't have anything to work with here. All we have are cooking ingredients."

"Do we have enough of it Tenor?"

"I mean, yeah you bought a lot of-"

"Perfect! Marmalade, Apple Pear, follow me! It's time to make some Jam!"

Both Earth Ponies looked at the excited Unicorn in a confused manner, but followed her anyway. She led them to the house's kitchen where she started using her magic to get some bowls, a few pots and ingredients out. She pulled out a few apples and pears, along with sugar, half a lemon and a bit of salt. After getting everything out, she instructed everypony else to get an apron on, all ponies in the room looking at her with patience. After getting her own apron on, Cookie cleared her throat and began handing out bowls.

"One of my friends' parents is a jam maker. She taught me and my sister how to make Jam when we were a little bit younger. I reckon that since you both loved to make Jam, we should make some ourselves! And since there are 5 of us, we can split into 2 uneven groups and make our own Jam from either Apples or Pears."

Everypony eventually nodded in agreement as Cookie gave the two mares pots to use, the two colts splitting up to work with either one of the mares. Eventually after some debate, Marmalade decided to make Pear Jam, Apple Pear settling on Apple and Pear Jam after a long debate. Well, it was a debate Skating put at ease more or less.

The task was much more fun than anypony considered it to be. With Cookie watching over the stove, the two groups worked together to make their Jams, Skating helping Apple Pear and Tenor helping Marmalade. When the selected fruits were sliced and mashed with the sugar in a pot, Cookie helped both mares place their pots on the stove and tasked them to watch over their creations while Skating Blitz offered to go out and get something to drink for the lot and Tenor suggested to Cookie that they both make something to go alongside the Jam. Everypony agreed that having another kitchen handy wasn't as far of a stretch as Skating had suggested at first.

Apple Pear and Marmalade stood in complete silence for the first few minutes waiting for their mixtures to boil, but afterwards they soon started engaging in small conversations that grew into lengthy ones, the result of getting along after seeking the CMC for their Cutie Marks showing quite visibly.

"You know, while you are an Apple, you're not so bad."

"Heh, you're not so bad yourself Marmalade."

"I think Marma is more appropriate now that we're, y'know, friends."

"I guess so. In that case, Ap or Pe is alright by me."

Both mares nodded and continued on with their work. Once the mixtures were ready Apple Pear and Marmalade covered their respective pots with different-coloured lids so that they can see who's was who's. Marmalade turned to see the other kitchen area with something inside the oven, and it looked an awful lot like donuts of some sorts. Apple and Marmalade walked into the waiting room where Tenor and Cookie were, reading a book together whilst being rather close to one another, making both younger mares smirk. After another few seconds, Cookie looked up, a smile plastering her face.

"How did they go?"

"Pe and I just finished. How long until those donut-things are ready?"

"Should be good in about a few more minutes."

"...Doesn't it take long to cook them?"

"Only without a neat little spell to speed up the heating process~"

"Huh, interesting."

"How about you two ladies sit down, it is a bit uncomfortable standing there on your hooves all day."

"I think I'll go stir my jam a little bit more."

"Really Pe? You just put the lid back on and you can't get enough of it?"

"I can't help it, I didn't know how fun it was to make this sort of stuff!"

"Well, no one's stopping you then. I'll be here if you need me."

Apple nodded and left Marmalade with Cookie and Tenor. Trotting back towards her pot, she still felt the heat radiating off of the pots on the stove, the sweet smell of jam drifting through the air. The added smell of the donuts in the next kitchen made the Earth Pony a bit hungry. The silence and the added smells in the area gave the Apple Mare ample time to think to herself. She thought about how fun it had been to create what she had created, and she remembered how fun it had been to hang around ponies that felt the same way. As she thought, she quickly came to discover how she had found it interesting to mix apples and pears together. She remembered tasting her creation for the first time and finding it rather delicious. If anything, Apple Pear found herself glowing in delight, the bright light emitting from her body almost blinding her, but it did cause her to scream.

Hearing her scream, the ponies in the building galloped into the kitchen where they saw the young Apple Farmer looking at her rear, the outline of a cutie mark visible from the bright light. Cookie smiled with wide eyes, Tenor looked on in curiosity, and Marmalade looked with intrigue and excitement. When the light finally gave the four of them a break, the cutie mark that Apple Pear obtained was nothing but strange. It was the image of an apple and pear inside a jar, something that got both younger mares excited.

"I-I-I-I got it?!"

"Y-y-you have it?!"

"I HAVE A CUTIE MARK!"
"YOU HAVE A CUTIE MARK!"

"I can't believe it!"

"Congratulations are in order young Apple Farmer, donuts on me!"

"What, a way to end the day, huh?"

"The end of the day? Is it already sunset?!"

"Yep, I think Skating Blitz should have been back by now with those-"

"I HAVE TO GO! Thanks for this, I'll come back for the food later!"

Apple Pear in a panic galloped out of the kitchen and sped outside the now open door, almost colliding with Skating blitz who just came back from the Cake Shop. Confused and jump-scared, Blitz looked on as the Apple Farmer raced all the way home, looking back at his friends in a confused manner.

"Uh, what's up with the Farmer?"

"She just got her cutie mark!"

"She did?! Aw, shucks and I missed it! What did it look like Cookie?"

"Something I'm not entirely sure her family would approve of..."

"How come?"

"She's an apple, and there's a pear on her cutie mark."

"My family always despised her family and vice versa, so to think what they'll do when they find out..."

"....Uh oh..."

Author's Note:

And this chapter is finally done! After this chapter, this is the point where I'm going to set more 'Coco' elements into the story, such as the beginning of the entrance into the story's 'Land of the Dead' parody. What it will be called, I have no idea as of late. Better stay tuned for that then folks. I also did some research on Jam making! I didn't want to offend any good jam makers who read FimFictions so I went ahead and googled it.

Here's the link to making Jam at home if anypony wants it: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-basic-fruit-jam-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-193560