Chapter 11: Shopping With Friends
“So Celestia’s birthday is coming up?” Starlight asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her coffee. “That’s cool.”
Sunburst’s mouth was slightly agape. “That’s all you have to say?!”
“What do you mean?” Starlight cocked an eyebrow.
“Princess Celestia’s, who mind you is the ruler of all of Equestria, birthday is coming up, and all you can say is that’s cool?” Sunburst shouted.
“Shhh!” Sunset quickly hushed him. “We promised we wouldn’t tell any other pony.”
“But didn’t you just tell-” Starlight tried to interrupt before her mouth was magically zipped.
“Mmm mmm mmm!”
“That’s not very nice, Sunset,” Twilight frowned, pointing at Starlight’s mouth.
“Don’t care,” Sunset bluntly said. “As I was saying, we promised we wouldn’t tell any other pony but we told you two, so you have to promise us you won’t tell anypony.”
Sunburst tilted his head. “Why don’t they want ponies to know? Doesn’t her birthday call for a huge celebration?”
“The royal guard is planning a surprise party for her this year, so no pony except them and the kitchen staff can know,” Sunset explained.
“That makes sense,” Sunburst closed his eyes and nodded. Opening them, he smiled. “Okay, I won’t tell anypony. Not that I was going to anyways.”
They heard unzipping and turned their attention to Starlight, who was glaring daggers at Sunset. She crossed her forehooves and turned her head slightly away.
“I should tell everypony after what you just did,” Starlight harrumphed. “But I won’t, because that would probably get me in trouble too.”
“Thanks, I guess?” Sunset said.
“Since you two are in on the party planning, are you doing anything special?” Starlight asked, turning back to them.
“We’re in charge of finding a special gift and cake for her” Twilight said. “We made a list the other day, but we still have a lot of places we want to check out first!”
“That sounds kind of important,” Sunburst pushed his glasses up. “Do you need any help? Starlight and I aren’t really native to Canterlot, but we could help look around.”
“Woah, who said I wanted to help?” Starlight quickly said. “I might be busy.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “We all know you’re not busy.”
“You didn’t have to be so blunt about it…” Starlight grumbled, frowning.
“It’d be awesome if you helped!” Twilight chirped. “We could cover much more ground that way.”
“I can't believe I get to help plan a party for Princess Celestia!” Sunburst grinned goofily.
“When’s the party anyways?” Starlight asked.
“It’s in a couple of days so we have a bit of time, but there’s so many shops to look at,” Sunset groaned. “I mean, look how long the list is right!”
Twilight, as if on cue, levitated the unopened scroll out of her saddlebag and placed it on the table. Opening it up, it rolled and rolled, stopping at around three feet.
Starlight stared at the list. “Woah, that’s a lot of places.”
“Yeah, and we’re not even done yet,” Sunset weakly laughed. “So you two will be a big help.”
“This is going to be great!” Sunburst said enthusiastically. Turning to Starlight, he wore a wide smile. “Right, Starlight?”
“Woohoo, shopping,” Starlight mumbled.
“So when are we going?” Sunburst asked Sunset, ignoring Starlight’s response.
“Twilight and I have been going almost everyday after our lessons with Celestia, and we still haven’t even made a dent on the list,” Sunset sighed. “We’re going to go today as well. We usually just meet at the entrance of the castle, but we could meet at the fountain downtown.”
“We’re already starting? How exciting!” Sunburst clapped his forehooves together. “Sounds good to me, and I’ll be sure to bring Starlight.”
“Do I have to go?” Starlight asked. “I mean it’s not that I don’t like Celestia, but I don’t really know what to look for, you know?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll explain it in detail later,” Sunset smirked. “Since I know you’re so excited to go.”
Starlight frowned. “I don’t even have a choice?”
“Nope!” Sunset and Sunburst said in unison.
Twilight sipped on her juice box, simply watching as they tortured poor Starlight.
“Shall we wrap up our lesson?” Celestia asked, looking down on her student.
Sunset lay on the grass, facing towards the sky. It seemed like she always ended up like this after any magic lesson. “S-Sure…” She said through pants, getting up from the ground.
“It always seems like you're in a hurry after our lessons nowadays,” Celestia smiled.
“Just really want to go study more magic, yup,” Sunset nodded her head, awkwardly chuckling. “That’s totally the reason.”
“I hope you’re staying out of trouble at least,” Celestia simply said. “I’m not one to pry into ponies' private lives, unless it is affecting their performances.”
“Thanks,” Sunset sighed.
“Though, both you and Twilight seem to be in a hurry…” Celestia smirked. “What are you two planning?”
“Planning? Who said anything about planning,” Sunset nervously grinned. “No one said anything about planning anything.”
“Calm down Sunset,” Celestia chuckled. “It was just a joke. I’m sure you two aren’t doing anything dangerous.”
“Whew…” Sunset sighed again. “Well, gotta go bye!” She quickly said, before bolting out of the garden.
Celestia watched Sunset with curious eyes, a small smile on her face.
“Now what could they be up to…”
Sunset galloped through the cobblestone streets, her saddlebags bouncing on her back. Swiftly maneuvering her way through the crowd, she reached the middle of the plaza. A beautiful fountain stood in front of her, a statue of Celestia raising the sun in the center.
“I wonder when this was built,” Sunset mumbled to herself, staring up at the statue of her mentor. “It looks kind of old, and I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t do this nowadays.”
She continued to examine the statue until she felt a tap on her back leg. Turning around, she looked down to see Twilight standing there.
“You’re early,” Sunset greeted.
Twilight smiled. “And so are you.”
“So now we’re just waiting on Sunburst and Starlight,” Sunset said, taking a seat on the fountain’s edges. “I hope they didn’t run into any trouble.”
“Or get lost,” Twilight giggled.
The streets were still bustling, all kinds of stalls set up around them. The two waited for the pair to arrive, passing time by playing I-Spy or counting the bits in the fountain.
“2022, 2023, 2024, 2025…” Twilight mindlessly said aloud, focused on the fountain.
“Oh look, I think I see them!” Sunset shook Twilight, breaking her concentration.
“Aww! I was so close to counting all of them.”
Sunset gave her a funny look. “Wait, seriously?”
“Yup!” Twilight chirped. “If I had to guess, it’s around 2100!”
“That’s a lot of bits,” Sunset said, surprised. “I wonder if anypony will try and take them all.”
“I think the guards will arrest them if they tried,” Twilight motioned towards the two guards that have been standing by the fountain since they got there.
“That’s kind of scary,” Sunset chuckled. “Wait, I think we’re forgetting something.”
“Didn’t you say you saw Starlight and Sunburst?”
“Oh yeah!” Sunset slapped her forehead. “Look, over there!”
Sunset was pointing into the crowd. Twilight followed her hoof and looked forward, seeing an orange and a lilac pony wandering around.
“I see them!” Twilight said.
“Starlight, Sunburst, over here!” Sunset shouted, waving a hoof in the air. The two turned towards Sunset, making their way through the crowd to them.
“Hey there guys!” Sunburst greeted them as they approached them. “Hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
“We waited long enough for Twilight to almost count all the bits in there,” Sunset said, motining to the fountain. “She said there’s about 2100 in there.”
“That’s a lot of bits,” Starlight said.
Sunset nodded. “That’s what I said.”
“What took you two so long?” Twilight asked.
“We kind of got lost…” Sunburst rubbed the back of his neck.
Starlight rolled her eyes. “And it was all his fault.”
“Hey! I was hungry, okay?” Sunburst protested, frowning.
“Uh huh…” Starlight nodded.
“Well since we’re all here, let’s go take a look around,” Sunburst said, levitating the list out of her saddlebag. “First on the list is some book store down the road.”
Nodding, the four started trotting down the road towards the store.
“What would Celestia even want?” Starlight asked, walking next to Sunset. “You did say you would explain in detail.”
“And we will,” Twilight said.
“What she said,” Sunset nodded, levitating another scroll out. “Since Twilight likes lists so much, we made multiple. We have a list of places to visit, and a list of items that Celestia likes.”
“We also have a list of bakeries and what kind of cakes Celestia has had before!” Twilight added.
“So many lists…” Starlight said, looking oddly dizzy.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it soon,” Sunset chuckled. “We’ll probably only need the store and gift lists today, but we’ll definitely need to start looking for that cake soon.”
“You two are really serious about this, huh?” Starlight asked, reading over the gift list.
Sunburst rolled his eyes. “It’s Princess Celestia’s birthday, of course they are!”
“I guess so…” Starlight mumbled. “Wait, why would Celestia want the Necronomicon?”
“I think Twilight might’ve put that down by accident,” Sunset snorted. “She has a weird obsession with raising the dead.”
“I just find it interesting, okay?!” Twilight pouted.
“But that’s the thing, why do you find it interesting?” Sunset asked. “Are you going to raise an army of dead ponies or something?”
“Uh…” Twilight paused, rubbing her chin. “No?”
“Why do you sound uncertain?!” Sunburst asked, alarmed.
“I promise I won’t,” Twilight said with a little more confidence. “If I don’t have to.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “What would warrant the need to form an undead army?”
“What if Canterlot, or even worse, all of Equestria was attacked?” Twilight asked. “If a pony was able to raise the dead, we could potentially minimize losses.”
“You know what, I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking of anymore,” Sunset grumbled, earning sympathetic looks from Starlight and Sunburst.
“You never know!” Twilight defended herself.
“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Sunset sighed. “Let’s just start looking.”
“Besides the Necronomicon,” Starlight started, crossing it out. “The rest of the items look pretty normal. A little too normal in my opinion.”
“She’s the ruler of Equestria, she can have pretty much anything she wants so we were sure that she already has all kinds of exotic things,” Sunset explained. “Taking that into account, Twilight and I decided that we should get her something more practical.”
“I don’t know if I’d really like a toothbrush for my birthday,” Starlight mumbled.
“We could get her a custom one,” Sunburst suggested. “Like with her cutie mark or something on it.”
“That isn’t a bad idea,” Twilight smiled.
“It isn’t, but I’m pretty sure that was just a throwaway idea,” Sunset said. “A last resort kind of thing, ya know?”
Starlight sighed. “I would hope so.”
“Oh, it seems we’re here,” Sunburst said, looking up to the shop.
The shop in front of the group felt like it didn’t really belong in the streets of Canterlot. It was a small, dainty shop that stood in between two beautiful alabaster buildings. The shop, however, was dark gray and the walls mainly made out of some sort of stone. The wooden door looked run down, and the windows were covered with curtains. The creaky sign that hung above the door, which was swaying slightly, read:
Books and Brews
“What lovely shop,” Starlight snickered.
“It caught our eye, okay?” Sunset grumbled, one of her eyes twitching.
Sunburst weakly smiled. “It’s very welcoming?”
“Let's go inside! Any store with books is awesome,” Twilight chirped, not a care in the world. “Maybe I can find my mom a gift too. She always liked reading ancient texts.”
“I think we figured out who she gets it from,” Starlight whispered, Sunset and Sunburst nodding.
There was a loud creak when Twilight opened the door, a bell ringing above them. The filly took a step into the shop, the rest of them following behind her. The store was small, only a few shelves lining the walls of the corridor. At the very end was a counter with a shelf behind it. There was a dark blue mare with glasses and a black witch hat sitting behind it, looking right at them.
She blinked a couple times before a smile slowly grew on her face. “Oh my, customers!”
“Hello!” Twilight greeted her enthusiastically. “We’re looking for a present for a very important pony, and we were wondering if you have anything interesting.”
“Straight to the point, huh,” Sunset chuckled.
“Well then you came to the right place,” the mare smiled warmly, getting out from behind the desk. Her cutie mark was simply a witch hat, much like the one she was wearing, with a bell at the end of it. “I’m Ringing Bell, the owner of this store.”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight smiled back. “Nice to meet you, Ringing Bell! ”
Ringing Bell craned her neck slightly to look past Twilight. “And you three are?”
“I’m Sunset Shimmer, and they are Sunburst and Starlight,” Sunset introduced herself and the rest of the group.
“Nice to meet you all,” Ringing Bell nodded. “Now onto the present. Do you all have any idea what this very important pony might like?”
“Do you have anything that’s a little more on the normal side here?” Sunset asked. “She already has pretty much everything she wants, so we wanted to get her something that would be more practical in her day-to-day.”
“Hmmm, something practical huh?” Ringing Bell rubbed her chin. “What does this pony do for a living?”
“Uhh…” Sunset frowned, her eyebrows furrowing.
“They’re the boss of a huge company. They manage the staff, make big decisions, and make sure everything is done correctly and safely!” Twilight jumped in to explain.
“So that’s why they have everything they want,” Ringing Bell said to herself, her eyes moving across the shelves. The four followed her eyes, looking at all the items she was grazing by. Eventually she stopped, eyeing one particular item.
“They’re a unicorn, right?”
Answering for the group, Sunset nodded.
“And do they happen to like sweets?”
Sunset nodded again. “They probably have the biggest sweet tooth in all of Equestria.”
“Perfect!” Ringing Bell smiled, levitating down a book. The book was quite worn, signifying its age. The only thing on the whole book was the title on the cover. There was no picture on the front, title on the side, and the back was completely blank.
“Ooo,” Twilight stared at the book. “What’s that?”
“It’s a cookbook,” Ringing Bell answered. “More specifically, a dessert focused one.”
“What’s so special about a cookbook?” Starlight tilted her head.
“Well this cookbook in particular is magical,” Ringing Bell explained, flipping through the pages. The group gasped.
All the pages were blank!
Sunburst frowned. “No offense, but what use is a book without any words?”
“That’s what makes this book special,” Ringing Bell grinned. “If the unicorn holding it links it to their mind, it’ll show a recipe for what dessert they are craving. Then if they wanted to, they could have it written down in the book.”
“That’s super cool!” Twilight beamed, turning back to the group. “She would love this, wouldn’t she?”
“I mean she does love sweets,” Sunset chuckled.
“I don’t really see how it would be useful to her though,” Sunburst said. “She doesn’t really bake or cook on her own, does she?”
“You’d think so, since she’s so busy,” Starlight added.
“She actually bakes quite often,” Sunset said. “She usually brings something, usually cookies or biscuits, when we have tea together.”
“They’re really good too!” Twilight added.
“Huh, color me surprised,” Starlight nodded. “Well I guess it wouldn’t be that bad of a present then.”
Twilight turned to Ringing Bell, levitating a small sack out of her saddlebags. “We’ll take it!”
“We’re seriously going to buy the first thing we looked at today?” Sunburst cocked an eyebrow. “I mean we still have hundreds of stores to check.”
“I mean we might as well get the gift out of the way as quickly as possible. We still have a cake to look for and who knows how long that’s going to take.” Sunset said. “Plus, Twilight and I have been looking forever for a gift, so we’re kind of done searching.”
Sunburst shrugged. “If you say so.”
“Great!” Ringing Bell clapped her forehooves together, levitating the book onto the counter. “Is this the only item you’d like to buy? You haven't really taken a look at anything else yet.”
“She’s right!” Twilight gasped. “I still have to find my mom a gift.”
“Go ahead,” Sunset chuckled. “Just don’t take too long, okay?”
“You kind of sound like her mom now,” Starlight snickered.
“I prefer big sister.” Sunset huffed.
Starlight smirked. “That makes Shining Armor your big brother!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Sunset rolled her eyes, looking back at Twilight.
The purple filly was looking up and down the shelves, examining the items. She was particularly looking at all the books the store had. Levitating them one at a time, she skimmed through them, mostly shaking her head.
Twilight turned towards “Do you have anything about ancient spells or dark magic?”
“What is with you and dark magic,” Sunset sighed, shaking her head.
“I don’t know if I’m legally able to sell a book about dark magic, especially to a filly,” Ringing Bell dryly laughed. “But I do have a spellbook that dates back to the Discordian era.”
“Ooo!” Twilight’s eyes sparkled. “Where? Where?!”
“Here ya go,” Ringing Bell said, levitating the spellbook over to the filly. “I haven’t gotten around to reading this one, so I don’t really know what’s inside of it.”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “You’re going to sell a potentially dangerous spellbook to a filly?”
“Not like this is illegal,” Ringing Bell shrugged. “Only things I can’t sell are dark magic, ponies, and drugs. Trust me, I read the laws.”
Starlight’s face deadpanned. “I would hope so.”
“You'd be surprised at how many shops sell illegal stuff,” Ringing Bell huffed. “At least I’m honest about what I sell here.”
“Wait, there’s shops that sell dark magic around here?” Twilight asked, her eyes sparkling even more than before. “Where?!”
Sunset narrowed her eyes at the filly. “Twilight, what did your parents and brother say about dark magic?”
“I know, I know,” Twilight grumbled, sitting down and crossing her forehooves. “Not until I’m older.”
“Good,” Sunset happily nodded. “I’m glad you remembered.”
Starlight eyed her. “You really are playing that older sister part, huh?”
“I told you, I prefer older sister,” Sunset smirked with a wink.
Ringing Bell cleared her throat, drawing everypony’s attention. “I’m guessing you’re all done shopping here now?”
“Yup!” Twilight perked back up, placing the spellbook on the counter, right next to the cookbook.
“Are we seriously going to allow her to buy a spellbook with unknown contents?” Sunburst asked, eyeing the book. “I mean, what if there’s dark magic hidden in there, or worse?!”
“Eh, that’ll be Shining’s problem then,” Sunset shrugged.
“You’re even putting the blame on the older sibling!” Starlight said. “Are you trying to integrate yourself into their family and kidnap them for leverage?” Narrowing her eyes, she frowned. “I’m onto you.”
Sunset looked at her as if she was crazy. “What are you even saying?”
“Heh, sorry,” Starlight sheepishly grinned, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ve been reading too many of those mystery novels recently. I probably should cut back.”
“Uh huh…” Sunset nodded slowly. “Anyways, we should look for a cake after this since we still have a lot of time.”
Sunburst smiled. “Cake hunting, fun!”
“Why do you two have to find the cake anyways?” Starlight asked. “I mean, shouldn’t the pâtissiers take care of that?”
“Woah, I didn’t know you could speak Prench,” Sunset said.
“I said a single word in a somewhat Prench accent,” Starlight rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t mean I can speak Prench.”
“But to answer your question,” Sunset continued, completely ignoring her comment. “They chose Twilight and I because they wanted to find a special cake this year. Something along the lines of us being her students and knowing more about her than everypony.”
“That logic does add up,” Sunburst nodded with his eyes closed. “Leave it to her two students to figure out what kind of cake she’ll like.”
“It’s a harder task than you’d imagine,” Sunset frowned. “I don’t know if you know this, but she’s scarily knowledgeable on cakes. I’m pretty sure she could name every flavor, and I mean every flavor, you fed her if she was blindfolded and couldn’t smell. Also, she has a whole journal dedicated just to cake.”
“I did not know that,” Sunburst said, Starlight nodding in agreement.
Sunset laughed. “You learn something new everyday.”
“Okay, let’s go!” Twilight popped up behind them, the two books already in her saddlebags.
“I’m not even going to ask how you got there,” Sunburst frowned. Turning back to the Ringing Bell, they thanked her.
“Be sure to visit again some time!” Ringing Bell called out as they exited the store.
“So to the bakery I guess?” Sunset asked
“Sounds good to me,” Sunburst said. “Since we found the gift so early it would only make sense to kill two birds with one stone.”
“Why are we killing birds?” Twilight frowned. “That’s mean.”
“He didn’t mean it literally, it’s an expression,” Sunset chuckled. “It basically means that we’re able to knock out two things at once. In this context at least.”
“Interesting…” Twilight nodded slowly, jotting something down on a notepad she pulled out.
The four made their way towards the first bakery on their list, which was just down the street.
“She was nice,” Twilight chirped. “She gave me a discount on both of the books. I saved five whole bits!”
“That’s a pretty big discount,” Sunset said. “I think? How much were the books?”
“It would have been ten bits,” Twilight answered.
“So it was basically buy one get one free, huh?” Sunset grinned.
“Yup!” Twilight chirped. “After I finish this book, I’m going to give it to my mom!”
Starlight chuckled. “So you bought it for yourself instead?”
“I did buy it for my mom, but my curiosity of what’s inside must be sated!” Twilight said. “Then, and only then, will I be able to give this up.”
“I didn’t think she’d be able to give up any book to be honest,” Sunset whispered to Starlight and Sunburst. “You should see her room.”
“I imagine it looks like a library?” Sunburst replied.
“Yup…” Sunset nodded, sighing.
Starlight shrugged. “Not surprised.”
“What are you three talking about?” Twilight stopped and tilted her head.
“Oh, nothing,” Sunset simply said, walking by her.
Narrowing her eyes at them for a moment, Twilight shrugged. “If you say so.”
“Do you guys smell that?” Starlight asked, sniffing the air. “It smells really good.”
The other three took a whiff of the air, the aroma of baked goods filling their nostrils.
“That does smell really good,” Sunset agreed, letting out a satisfied sigh. “The cake has to be perfect though.”
“I think Celestia would be happy that her two students got her a cake, would she not?” Starlight asked. “Regardless of the flavor, you know?”
“We still want to find the perfect cake for her to show her our appreciation!” Twilight said.
“That makes sense,” Sunburst smiled. “So let’s go find the perfect cake!”
Making their way towards the scent of cakes, pastries, and all other kinds of goodies, they ended up in front of the bakery. The sign hung above the door, reading:
Confection Connection
“You know, they say this place is one of the best bakeries in all of Equestria,” Sunset informed them. “Although I heard there’s an even better one in Ponyville of all places.”
“Ponyville? Really?” Sunburst tilted his head. I thought all that place was famous for was apples and being right next to the Everfree Forest.”
“There’s also the Castle of the Two Sisters there!” Twilight added.
Sunset’s face furrowed as she tried to remember the name “The bakery’s name is Sugar³? Or is it Cube of Sugar? Corner of Sugar?” With a shrug, she gave up. “Something of that nature.”
“Well if worse comes to worst, we can visit there,” Starlight said. “As in we, I mean you two of course,” She said, pointing at Twilight and Sunset.
“I’d want to go too!” Sunburst waved his hoof in the air.
“If Sunburst goes, maybe I’ll go too,” Starlight mumbled. “Just maybe though.”
Sunset smirked. “What’s with that sudden change of attitude?”
“N-No reason,” Starlight chuckled. “No reason at all.”
“If you say so,” Sunset winked.
“C’mon, let's go inside!” Twilight tugged on Sunset’s saddlebag. Her stomach grumbled, causing her to sheepishly smile. “I’m a little hungry.”
“Okay, okay,” Sunset smiled. “Let’s get a little snack first.”
The smell only became more fragrant as they walked in. The inside was bustling with ponies, looking at the goodies for sale in the display cases that were scattered about.
“There sure are a lot of ponies in here,” Sunburst said, looking around. “And a lot of cakes!”
Looking over to their right was a long display case filled with all kinds of cakes. There were the more simple ones, like chocolate and vanilla. There were also specialty cakes like tiramisu, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes. There were even some more outlandish ones of flavors the students have never heard of.
“Looks like we’re going to be in here a while…” Starlight sighed.
“Especially since we’re going to get a snack!” Twilight grinned.
They made their way to one of the counters where they sold the smaller snacks, such as slices of cakes, cupcakes, and loaves of bread.
There was a clerk behind the counter who greeted them.
“Welcome to Confection Connection, how can I help you all this fine evening?”
“It’s actually our first time here,” Sunset explained. “We’re actually looking for a cake, but I think this little filly here needs a snack first.” Sunset grinned as she patted Twilight on the head. Twilight tried to swat away her hoof, pouting.
“Of course!” The clerk smiled. “We’re renowned across Equestria for our cake selection here, so I know you’ll be able to find just the right cake here.”
“That’s good to hear,” Sunset smiled back.
“As for the snack, would you like a recommendation as well?”
Sunset nodded. “Something big enough for all four of us I guess.”
“Although it may seem simple, our chocolate chip cookies here are famous as well, for both taste and price,” the clerk said, directing their eyes towards the display case. Inside were well-sized, soft chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate chips were semi-melted and oozing out. “Twelve cookies is only four bits!”
“Cookies sound good,” Twilight whispered to Sunset who nodded in response. Sunset looked at Starlight and Sunburst, who both seemed to agree with Twilight’s choice.
“I guess we’ll get the cookies then,” Sunset shrugged. Turning her attention back to the clerk. “One set of twelve cookies, please.”
“Perfect!” The clerk said, taking a tray out of the case. “That will be four bits, please.”
Sunset took the money out of her saddlebag and placed it on the counter. In exchange she was handed a pastel pink box wrapped with a red bow.
“Here you are,” The clerk smiled. “There’s a seating area outside where you can enjoy these, and once you finish up I can help you find that cake you need.”
Thanking him, the students went to the seating area to enjoy their treats. Taking a seat at a free table, Sunset placed the box in the middle.
“You can smell them through the box,” Sunburst commented.
Sunset chuckled. “My mouth’s been watering the whole time I carried it out here.”
“They looked so good in that case,” Starlight sighed. “I can’t wait to eat one.”
“Then let’s eat then!” Twilight said, untying the bow. Opening the box, it seemed like the cookies were glistening in there. They could feel the warmth radiate off them. The smell was just heavenly, a slight hint of vanilla.
“Smells just like grandma’s house,” Twilight smiled, levitating a cookie out of the box.
“You got that right,” Sunset chuckled, grabbing one as well.
“Guess that means dig in!” Starlight went on for one too, Sunburst doing the same.
They all took a bite, their faces lighting up immediately. There was a perfect crunch when you first bit into it, but the inside was chewy and gooey. Each bite was perfectly balanced with chocolate and cookie, one not overpowering the other. Although it was a simple snack, it couldn’t have been baked any better.
“These are amazing!” Sunburst said, taking another bite.
Starlight chuckled. “I guess that’s why they’re famous.”
Sunset nodded. “You know, I might have to visit this place more often.
Twilight was silently nibbling on her now second cookie, a large grin on her face.
“Seems like somepony’s enjoying them as well,” Sunset commented. “Hold on, you have a little something on your face.”
Sunset levitated a napkin to Twilight’s cheeks, who tried to swat it away, but failed to. Sunset started wiping away some crumbs, like a mother would to their child.
“There we go!” Sunset chirped. “You’re quite the messy eater, huh?”
Twilight grumbled something before going back to eating.
Sunset shrugged. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“That was adorable,” Sunburst smiled.
“I still think you act more like her mother than her older sister,” Starlight said.
“Big sisters do that too, you know!” Sunset huffed.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Starlight grinned.
“I think we should probably grab some more cookies before Twilight eats them all,” Sunburst suggested. “I think she’s on her third already, and I think she wants a fourth.”
“I’ll let her have one of mine,” Sunset said. “Two is enough for me.”
Twilight’s ears perked up as she said that, gobbling down her third one. Her cheeks were puffed out slightly, mouth still filled with the cookie. Quickly reaching for the fourth, she went back to nibbling on it.
Sunburst chuckled. “She looks like a chipmunk.”
“She really took that opportunity, huh?” Starlight said.
“You were quite hungry, huh?” Sunset smiled at Twilight who nodded in response.
Soon enough the cookies were gone and the ponies were satisfied, especially Twilight. Cleaning up their table and seats, they threw the box away in a nearby trash can.
“Alright, let’s go find the perfect cake!” Sunset pumped on hoof into the air.
“Yeah!” the other three cheered, copying Sunset’s hoof pump.
Walking back into the bakery, they walked over to the clerk who had sold them the cookies.
“How were the cookies?” He greeted them.
“They were really good,” Twilight hummed.
Sunset nodded. “Probably the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.”
“Glad to hear it,” The clerk smiled. “So, onto the cake I’m presuming?”
“You got that right,” Sunset said.
“Right this way then.” The clerk started walking towards the display cases where the cakes were, the four of them following behind. “So what kind of cake are you all looking for? Is it for a party or something?”
“It’s for a party, but this cake is only for the birthday mare,” Sunset explained. “I’m sure they could finish a pretty decent sized cake by themselves though.”
The clerk chuckled. “Quite the sweet tooth then, huh?”
Sunset nodded. “The cake has to be extra special though. They like cake a lot, so they’ve tried a bunch of them.”
“Hmmm…” The clerk rubbed his chin, looking at all the cakes on display. “Does this pony travel a lot?”
“They do.”
“So something from other cities won’t work,” He mumbled to himself. “Do they have any other desserts or drinks that they enjoy?”
“They drink tea quite often.”
The clerk grinned. “Have they ever tried a cake infused with tea?”
“I’m pretty sure she hasn’t?” Sunset speculated.
“Perfect!” The clerk trotted over to a somewhat simple, round cake. It was a dark brown on the edges with a light brown middle. It was topped with a thick, white cream.
“It looks a little plain,” Starlight whispered.
“Looks can be deceiving,” The clerk winked. “This is an earl gray tea cake with dark chocolate and orange zest!”
“That's a mouthful,” Sunset laughed.
“Indeed it is,” The clerk chuckled. “The cake may look simple, but the flavor is quite complex. The earl gray tea adds a subtle sweet, floral taste. Add the dark chocolate and orange zest for a little bit of bitterness, and you’ve got one heck of a cake!”
“I never thought of putting tea into cake,” Sunburst said. “Not that I bake too often…”
“I usually just eat cake with tea!” Twilight smiled.
“Since the pony you’re buying this cake for is both a tea and cake connoisseur, it would only make sense to combine the two,” The clerk explained. “We have other cakes infused with tea as well, but in my opinion, this one is a hidden gem.”
“Not that many ponies buy it, but the ponies who do always come back to get more.”
“We’ll take it!” Twilight cheered while Sunset nodded.
“Wait, seriously?!” Sunburst stood there, mouth agape. “We’re going to go with the first gift and first cake we find?”
“Why not?” Sunset shrugged. “I mean, it’s better to get it done early then to stress over it later.”
“We could, I don’t know, look at the other bakeries first before deciding?” Sunburst suggested.
“Nah, that’s too much work and I’m too lazy,” Sunset smirked. “We’re getting this cake.”
“Looks like we were a lot of help, huh?” Starlight jabbed Sunburst’s side, snickering.
“Phooey,” Sunburst sighed dejectedly, hanging his head. “Do we at least get to go to the party?”
“I don’t see why not,” Sunset shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
“Excuse me,” The clerk said, drawing the four’s attention. “I don’t mean to interrupt you all, but I want to know if you’re going to buy the cake.”
“I guess we are,” Sunset said. “Is there any way you can let us write something on top?”
“The staff is usually the ones who do it, but if you feel the need to then you can go ahead,” The clerk said. “It’ll just cost a little extra.”
“That’s fine. How much would it be in total?”
“Twenty bits.”
Sunset levitated a small pouch out of her bag and took the bits out. Handing them to the clerk, he nodded contently.
“Perfect! Now if you come over here, you’ll be able to write whatever you want on it.” The clerk directed them to a nearby table with some piping bags with lots of different colors in them.
“Feel free to use any color you want. I’ll be back in a few moments.” The clerk set the cake down before heading to a nearby register.
“What color should we use?” Sunset asked the group.
“How about gold?” Twilight suggested. “You could even draw a little crown!”
“Any other suggestions?” Sunset looked at Sunburst, then Starlight, who both shook their heads. “Guess we’re going with gold then.”
Sunset went to grab the piping bag, but stopped suddenly.
“Twilight, how about you draw it on?” Sunset weakly chuckled. “I’m not the best with artsy things.”
“Roger that!” Twilight gave a salute before grabbing the bag and going to work. Her movements were fluid and fast, finishing in less than a minute.
Placing the bag down, Twilight grinned. “Done!”
They all looked down at the cake. Perfectly centered was the words “Happy Birthday Celestia” with a crown over it.
“Wow, you did this that fast?” Starlight nodded her head slowly. “Impressive.”
“She didn’t even use magic either,” Sunburst said.
“Well guess we’re done here.” Sunset waved over the clerk, whe nodded to them. He brought the same kind of box he put the cookies in with him as well.
“Now what did you four write…” he paused as he looked down at the cake, his eyes widening. “It’s Celestia’s bir-”
He was interrupted with a hoof covering his mouth.
“Shhhh!” Sunset frowned. “You can’t let anypony know, and I mean anypony. Understand?”
The clerk nodded his head, Sunset removing her hoof from his mouth. He quickly placed the cake in the box and wrapped it up with a golden bow. Hoofing it over to them, he smiled.
“I hope she likes it.”
“We do too,” Sunset grinned. “Thanks for the help.”
“Anytime,” The clerk smiled. “Have a wonderful evening.”
“You too!” Twilight chirped. The group made their way out of the bakery and back onto the street, the sun just setting.
“Alright, guess that concludes our little shopping session!” Sunset said, the cake resting on her back. “I take it you two are heading back to the dorms?”
“Probably,” Sunburst yawned. “I’m a little tired.”
“Tired? We still have to study together,” Starlight pouted, leaning up against him. “You promised.”
“I-I did?” Sunburst tilted his head.
Starlight nodded with puppy eyes. “You did.”
“Twilight and I are going to head out now,” Sunset let out an awkward laugh, grabbing Twilight. “Have fun flirting with you two!”
Sunset quickly ran away, giggling.
“We’re not flirting!” Sunburst yelled at the already gone mare. Looking at Starlight, he weakly smiled. “Right?”
Starlight simply smiled back.
Next chapter we shall PARTY!!!!! 
See you in the next chapter 
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I choose to read your username as "kill-ey"
I really like the sister/mother figure Sunset is to Twilight. It reminds me of a story that I worked with someone long time which sadly got canceled due to me not having the time to help making the story. It was a alternate universe where Sunset adopts Twilight as her daughter in a world that isn’t ponies rather it’s humans with similarities to Avatar the Last Airbender were there is 3 tribes of magic that are different from each other not physical so no horns or wings rather it was more wizard like say in Harry Potter.
Man, I miss creating a story though I helped a few people but with covid and my health I couldn’t get the time for it…
Anyways, awesome story. I wonder what how the book will affect Celestia and also that cake… everypony is doom!! One bite she will go crazy eating all the tea cake she wants. Maybe that’s why Luna jokes about her sister being a little rounder
When reading the chapter I had a funny thought with Twilight kind of crazy about dead ponies what if… she tries to raise Celestia’s parents? Would be a shocker
Btw was Sunset parents ever mention in this story so far? I kind of wonder how you’ll handle it.
Can’t wait for next chapter!
Awwwwwww, they missed out on the chance to meet Pinkie Pie early. Now I'm sad.
Huh, I could see Clutterstep fitting into this story just for the laughs
Since we finally got introduce to Spike in this story, is he going to have important roles/have moments in future chapters?
Darn! I ran outta chapters.
I think you mean Sunset here.
Is Sunset being modest here, or did her canon reformation awaken some art streak in her?
Very nice and looking forward to it. Hope all my comments were not too much
11278406
You do you!
11278461
I always viewed Sunset and Twilight as older sister, younger sister. I mean if we're talking canonically here, Sunset actually is older then Twilight, even if it's by a little bit.
Anyways, awesome story. I wonder what how the book will affect Celestia and also that cake… everypony is doom!! One bite she will go crazy eating all the tea cake she wants. Maybe that’s why Luna jokes about her sister being a little rounder
Celestia will definitely be baking more because of the cookbook.
She is a pony who knows how to eat!
As for Sunset's parents, I do have something planned, so stay tuned!
11278470
Wait, they don't?
Fixed it, though I did get a good laugh out of it.
11278471
Don't worry, the Pinkster will be here eventually.
11278683
I never actually thought about it like that!
11278795
Oh yes, you can expect more Spike in the future!
11288026
Hooray
11278889
Isn't it the worst?! I too hate it when I'm reading a fanfiction I like and it's still updating.
11279848
Fixed, and I actually didn't know canon Sunset was artistically inclined. I knew she could play the guitar, but she was also good at art?
11280791
I'm glad you're liking it!
Also, don't worry about commenting so much! I enjoy reading people's opinions on my stories, and it makes my day if someone likes it.
11288032
There's a couple of shorts plus the rather lackluster final special that show Sunset's quite artistically gifted, and not just music but visual art as well. (See The Art of Friendship and Display of Affection for the shorts)
11288038
okay then. The OC guard you used inb the flashback, old habit. Yu see, I had once a royal Guard OC with similar similar traits, if you really wanna konw
i like the way you think Twilight
big sister Sunset, is she an orphan in this story? if she is i am sure Twilights Parents wouldn't mind adopting her when they find how much Twilight and Sunset loves each other, and so that she can become Twilights big sister