Short stories about ponies and whatnot

by shutaro

Baking, serious business

That Pinkie Pie had little to no sense of privacy wasn’t news for Twilight Sparkle. Depending on the time of day the party pony could spring from just about every place: the medicine cabinet, a bookshelf or a mailbox, just to name few. But to have Applejack storm into your bedroom at six o’clock in the morning, too, that was new.

“Wha?” Twilight was not yet sure if this was a dream or if she was awake.

Applejack looked her in the eye and asked with a voice that one would use to talk about the end of all live on the planet, “Twilight Sparkle, can you bake? Does your family have a tradition of baking? Cakes? Or Pies?”

Dream it is, Twilight decided. She turned around to the other side of the bed.

That’s where Pinkie Pie had waited for her. “This is our most desperate hour. Help us, Twilight Sparkle. You're our only hope.”

Sooo. No dream. Or it is a dream and I read too much H.P Lovecrest? Again? Twilight sat up in bed and looked at her friends. “You better have a really good explanation why you are in my bedroom at this time of night.”

Applejack and Pinkie looked at each other. “Time of night?” AJ asked. “I’ve worked in the orchard for a whole hour before I came here, sugarcube.”

“And I worked two hours with the Cakes. It’s not night-time, sillyfilly”

Twilight turned and cursed into her pillows. The only thing she really couldn’t bring herself to love about Princess Celestia. Ugh! Early risers!

A pink hoof on her shoulder kept her from thinking more about this, and Twilight knew that she would get no rest until this crisis had been dealt with.

“So tell me, Pinkie Pie, Applejack. Where’s the fire? And what was that about baking?”

“Yesterday Applejack and I found out that the next Ponyville Baking Contest will be in two months. We need to stop Granny Smith or my ma from winning. The future of this town depends on it!” Pinkie Pie’s chest heaved heavily, and she was close to hyperventilating.

Twilight looked at Applejack and cocked an eyebrow. “Again, please. With less drama?”

Applejack shook her head, “I don’t know if I can deliver less drama. The Ponyville Baking Contest is held every five years. There has always been a bit of rivalry between the Apple family and the Pie clan in that there competition.”

Pinkie Pie continued, “If Granny Smith or my ma wins, AJ and I can’t speak with each other for at least half a year. And we'd have to be really snippy about it. It’s traditional.”

Twilight looked at the farmer with disbelieve, but Applejack only nodded. “The last time Granny won. Well, me and Pinkie knew each other, but we weren’t that close.”

Pinkie suddenly stood right next to Applejack with a foreleg over the other pony’s shoulder. ”But now I don’t want to be grumpy with her over some baking contest. Or with Big Mac or Apple Bloom. So we need a pony without ties to either family to win this thing.” Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight with huge, sad puppy dog eyes.

“But I have never baked before. Sure, I know some recipes but I only ever read them.”

Pinkie Pie looked at Applejack and held out a hoof. “AJ, we'll always have Canterlot.”

Twilight got out of bed. She had given up on getting any more sleep this night. “You could ask anypony else. Cup Cake could win easily.”

“She’s a professional baker. Bakers are not allowed to participate,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly.

“Figures. Well, ask somepony else.”

Applejack looked at Twilight with a sombre face. “We’re not training ‘somepony else’, Twilight. To even have a chance against Granny or Mrs. Pie we would have to teach you everything we know about baking.” Pinkie and Applejack nodded to each other. “Even our families’ secret recipes.”

“Wow, thanks for trusting me with this. I don’t know what to say, girls. But I really don’t think I am baker material.” Twilight and her friends walked down into the library. The sounds of breakfast preparations could be heard.

Before Twilight could even suggest anything, Pinkie Pie was already at the kitchen-door. “This is my most desperate hour. Help me, Spike. You're my only hope.”

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“I still can’t believe it.” Luna sat next to her sister on the royal chariot.

Celestia tried to feign innocence, but looked away first as her sister gave her the eye. “I said I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think you are and ‘sorry’ is not enough this time,” Luna’s voice conveyed real anger. “Not only did you eat all of Spike’s cake before the other judges could try it, you also ate … fed on all the other entries. Then you tried to bribe the little dragon into becoming your personal baker. Then you tried to blackmail him. And when that failed you asked Twilight Sparkle to leave Ponyville to live with you just so the dragon would come to Canterlot too.”

“I’m sorry,” Celestia actually looked contrite.

There was silence for a few minutes.

“You would do it again for another piece of that apple pie.”

Celestia could not lie to her sister. “In a heartbeat!”

Author's Note:

This one was quite hard to come up with.

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The Prompt: Apple Pie.