“Ok Spike, now put that gemstone in the holder and point the tip directly at the orb at exactly forty five degrees.”
Ponyville’s librarian was once again working on some strange science that nopony in town could try to comprehend. In the middle of the Library, which had been closed for the day, stood a new scientific experiment that was being assembled. The complex structure consisted of seven small gems, triangular pyramid in shape, of different colors all pointing at a lone transparent glass orb in the center of the circle. Each gem represented a color of the rainbow, based on the color of course, and had some specific purpose to the task at hoof. The objects themselves were arranged at different heights based on their relation to their position in said rainbow, red being near the floor and violet almost two feet above Twilight’s head. Chalk lines were composed across the floor, connecting each gem stand to its neighbor and having a line pointed towards the middle. There were some other symbols in chalk dotting the lines, but Spike couldn’t even begin to hope he’d ever understand what they meant.
“So, what exactly are we doing again?” the inquisitive dragon asked while carefully aiming the gem with a protractor. Satisfied that the angle was spot on, he turned his head towards Twilight.
“Spike, have you noticed how different unicorns have a different aura when casting magic?” she asked while checking on the preparations. “Well, I’m testing to see if that specific color has any direct influence on the magic we emit or the talents we aquire. By transmitting my magic through the orb, I’m hoping the refractions will hit a certain spectrum that will illuminate certain crystals. Each crystal has a specific number value, and-“
“Alright alright, I just wanted to know why, you can write a book about it later,” the assistant grumbled with his arms crossed.
“Right, sorry.” The studious mare levitated the last crystal into place, and delicately calibrated the angle to ensure success. Once she was sure that the rig was completely set up, she nodded to her assistant and backed away from the now-completed rig.
“Alright Spike, here we go.” Both of them equipped their standard safety goggles and walked behind a reinforced steel safety barrier, with a small window, and nodded to each other. Twilight began focusing her magic into the orb, which began to start turning a solid purple. Soon afterwards, the floor began to glow as the markings reacted with the magic. Just as Twilight had predicted, certain gems began glow.
A small cackle of energy began to shoot though the gems, traveling upward through the spiral of colored crystals.
“Twi, is that supposed to happen?” Spike asked nervously, as the energy began to speed up.
“I don’t think so. Did you put the gems in the right order like I asked?” she answered as calmly as possible.
“Yeah, I even remembered that abbreviation you taught me. R.y.o.g.b.i.v.”
The lavender unicorn shot a surpised glance at this assistant. “You mean r.o.y.g.b.i.v. with an ‘o’, right!?”
“Uh oh…”
The energy picked up the pace, and a small hum started emanating from the rig.
“Oh Celestia! I have to stop this!”
Foalheartedly, she ran out from behind the barriers protection. Spike attempted to grab one of her legs or possibly her tail, but failed. Only a few moments later, a piercing white light overtook the entire library, eliminating all shadows from all corners of the room. The young dragon attempted to shield his eyes, but to no avail. And just as soon as it was there, it left and the room returned to normal. The scared assistant poked his head out from behind the barrier, assessing the damage.
Seven viscous puddles of goop, all in a different color, littered the floor. In the center, instead of an orb, there was a tomato, sparkling with a purple cackle. Twilight Sparkle was nowhere to be found.
“Twilight?” he asked, hoping for a response. The tomato stopped sparkling, and soon looked like a regular fruit. Without skipping a beat, the frightened dragon swiped the experiment result gone wrong and rushed out the door, heading to the only other unicorn he could trust.
The door swung upon with great force, slamming the opposite side. The bell hanging above still jingled as an exasperated Spike rushed through.
Rarity, who was in the kitchen while wearing an apron, turned around to meet the sudden guest. “Oh my! Spike, how thoughtful of you, a tomato. I thought I sent Sweetie Bell to go and get some for the salad we were going to have for lunch, but this one will do. What a gentledragon you are.” She levitated the tomato out of his claw, unknowing of the disaster story behind it.
“Wait…Rarity,” he huffed, attempting to catch his breath. “That’s…not…”
“Nonsense Spike, it’s a beautiful tomato. It will do just fine,” she reassured. Placing the fruit on the cutting board, she reached for a knife. Spike would have shouted, but his heavy breathing refused to let him. He watched, in agony, as Rarity diced his friend up into pieces and spread the chunks through the leafy salad. Then, as the horror show continued, she drizzled on some fine ranch sauce and grated some cheese.
Spike couldn’t handle it anymore, and collapsed on the floor. Thinking he was just out of breath, she levitated him onto a nearby couch and covered him in a silky smooth blanket. Sweetie belle arrived moments later, slightly disappointed someone had beat her to the punch. But still, the two sisters sat down and ate the delicious salad, unaware of the tragedy.
The pink pony formed her hooves around an invisible square, as if there were some imaginary picture frame hosting a portrait of the night sky behind it. She stuck her tongue out in deep concentration, until she was satisfied that the view was perfect. She sat on her haunches, tail practically wagging, and waited eagerly on the grassy knoll. The glimmering stars shone especially bright tonight, as was tradition. On this night, at an undetermined time, it was rumored that a shooting star would soar across the evening sky in a rainbow-fused trail and the first pony to wish upon its glory was to be granted three wishes that would be answered upon by Princess Luna herself.
The only problem was, this specific shooting star traveled at a blistering speed. If Pinkie had to compare it, as she had seen it only once before, she’d say it was at least four times faster than Rainbow Dash’s “Sonic Rainboom” plus two. One had to be patient, attentive, and vigilant if one hoped to even have a slim chance of being the first to wish on it. Most years, no pony even saw it.
Sitting on this hill, not peeling her eyes of the night sky for even a fraction of a second, was Pinkie; she had come to the same spot that she had seen the meteor once before. Around her were packages of sweets and drinks with enough sugar to make a lemon sweeter seven times over, and that’s putting it sweetly. A cool evening breeze wafted the smell of the confectionaries up into Pinkie’s nostrils, making it almost irresistible…almost.
Time passed slowly as the congregation of lights slowly walked across the sky, with no hint that the target had come or gone. It may have been conceivable that it had already passed and she had once again missed it.
“Where are you…”
A sudden shiver crawled down her spine, followed by a twitchy ear lobe and an itchy hoof. It was the rarest of combinations Pinkie knew and it only meant one thing: something extraordinary was about to occur. It was different from her doozy she had felt a while ago when Twilight was trying to understand her sixth sense, this time she knew what it meant and what it was for. A sudden flicker of light and a super slender straight line later, a rainbow trail zoomed across the sky.
“I wish I saw it first!” she stammered out at a speed close to the velocity of the star, whose trail had vanished already. For a few moments, nothing happened. Pinkie waited.
“Maybe it’s a delayed reaction? Like a tally or a stop watch?” she thought, keeping her spirits high.
“No, ‘tis not delayed for we have arrived!” A voice suddenly boomed from behind her.
If Pinkie was wearing socks, they would have been knocked off. She bounced vertically off the ground, from zero to sixty in two seconds flat, and then fell flat on her face. Disregarding the pain, she turned around to find that the Lunar Princess was right behind her with a smile as bright as the full moon and her famous starlit mane blowing in a nonexistent constant wind.
“How did you know what I was thinking Luna? Oooooh maybe you’re a psychic! Tell me, what am I thinking right now!” She concentrated and held her front hooves to her head, trying to block her thoughts from any intruders.
The confused moon maiden replied, “Gummy, your toothless…alligator.”
“Oooooooooh…you’re goooooood.” She returned to a normal standing position, containing her excitement so she didn’t embarrass the princess.
“Yes well, we thank you. Now then, as is custom to wishing on our royal wishing star, we have come to grant you but three wishes to which we may bestow upon you this night.”
“Oh that’s super-duper amazing Prin- wait,” she paused, “did you say tonight? Oh I wish I had known about that earlier.”
With a glow and a cackle of her Alicorn horn, Princess Luna altered the past and now Pinkie knew that she would have known it was only for tonight. Not that it changed anything really.
“Hey wait a minute!”
“Thou must be more careful with wishes, for the royal wishing star takes all words with 'wish' literally,” she warned with a stern face.
“Well I wish it wouldn’t.” Pinkie slapped a hoof over her mouth, but it was too late as Luna’s magic surged once again.
“Very well, the royal wishing star is no longer as literal with your wishes. We have been informed that the star is now completely stern with all things even remotely related to wishing. Thou hast one left, please spend it wisely.”
The pink party pony looked down at the ground, deep in thought. She began to ponder her options…just one wish left, two wasted. The element of laughter found it hard to giggle about chances lost, chances that could have been parties or cake or financial stability or streamers and balloons or cake or parties or cake…
She licked her lips as she wondered why she had cake on her mind. But why wouldn’t she have cake on her mind? Cake is awesome, everypony loves cake. Especially Pinkie’s cake.
“I know! I’ll spend my last wish on something for everypony! I wish for you to make me a cake with all three hundred and three flavors, and the cake should be as large as the city hall. And the cake should be at the perfect consistency; light enough where it doesn’t take up room in your tummy but thick enough where you won’t miss out on the super amazing flavor of your choice! And candles! Put candles everywhere on it! Oh and the frosting should be pink and blue and yellow and purple and red and violet and orange and green! And have plates for everypony with their names on it so no pony misses a single bite or has to eat ground cake. Well, unless they like ground cake.” With a large gasp, another brilliant idea came to her. “And make the center filled with fudge! And ice cream! And sprinkles!” She finished with the largest grin she had ever formed, content that she had spent the last wish wisely.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” A small bead of sweat formed on her brow.
“Yeah, who wouldn’t want cake?” she asked innocently.
“Yes, but-“
“So come on! Make me a cake!”
“I really shouldn’t, it-“
A forced flash of light erupted from her horn and a large dome of purple magic formed over the hill on which they stood. The dome could be seen from Ponyville, and many did. House lights and lanterns turned on as curious pony folk walked outside, frightened of the unknown magic happening just outside the town.
A few minutes later, the magic ceased, and the purple dome slowly dissipated. From underneath, the citizens could see a giant structure. It looked like a tiered building with strange spires on top.
The equestrians outside in the late night murmured amongst themselves, most in fright or awe of the alien anomaly.
Their whispers were hushed as a small light on the strange building burned bright at the top. Then another tiny light, and then another, and then a few more, and then a lot more! Soon, the sudden structure was lit! Before the very eyes of all the residents of Ponyville, a giant cake had appeared! Colorfully and masterfully decorated, there was an abundance of frosting of all hues ranging in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. The first to act on it was Rainbow Dash, who practically flew through the cake, oblivious of any danger that it could have proposed.
“Guys, come on!” she yelled from afar. “This cake is AWESOME!”
And so, the entire town had a late night cake fest; as they arrived they found a mysterious stack of plates with their specific name on it. Once they were passed around, they delved directly into the sweet treat. Helpings were to be had, bellies were filled, and children ran around on sugar highs. Everypony was satisfied.
“Hey guys, where’s Pinkie Pie? Didn’t she grab her plate?” Rainbow Dash asked while patting her extended belly.
“Knowing Pinkie Pie she probably jumped in like you,” Twilight Sparkle answered sarcastically.
High above the scene flew Princess Luna, returning home to Canterlot after answering wishes. A small tear dribbled down her cheek .
“I wish she had said Bake me a cake…”
