In which Applejack attempts to win a heart with pie. She just needs to know what that last darn ingredient is.
Applejack accidentally makes the best apple pie in existence (well, according to Rainbow, anyway). She just needs to know what it was she friggin' added in it.
Applejack considered herself to be a pretty good cook. There was no helping it- Sweet Apple Acres had always prided itself on its baked goods, boasting a killer combo of its mouth-watering crop with dough and lots of love that Ponyville would sing praises of for generations. On top of that, the family (excluding Apple Bloom) took turns preparing food, so she got lots of practice.
However, as she stood up behind the counter on her hind legs, muzzle scrunched in concentration as she mixed the contents of a bowl- she wondered when this had gotten so hard.
It all started at one of Pinkie’s many, many parties. It was a potluck and everypony had to bring some food along to contribute. Applejack was more than happy to tow along a wagon of her family’s treats, as did many other ponies who had probably spent all weekend whipping up delights. When she had gotten to the town square, the place was positively alive, a crowd already beginning to form in the early morning. Pinkie herself was at the podium, readying her megaphone with hyperactive hooves.
“HEY, EVERYPONY!” The loudspeakers on either side of her boomed. “WHO’S READY TO EAT SOME GOOD FOOD??!”
“Me!” The crowd cheered.
“I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
“ME!” Even more resounding this time.
“GREAT! CUZ I CAN’T WAIT TO TASTE ALLLL YOUR SUGARY GOODS!” Pinkie screeched into the megaphone, and Applejack really wasn’t sure she should be taking more sugar.
F-FWUMP! A cyan pegasus flashed down from the sky and Applejack’s breath caught. Slowly, she looked behind her as Rainbow Dash made a hard landing, a dust cloud coming up beneath her hooves.
Applejack noticed the linen satchel clenched between her teeth and eyed it curiously. “Howdy there, Rainbow. You actually cooked something?”
It was no big secret in Ponyville that Rainbow was terrible at cooking, or baking, or anything of the sort. It was as if letting her within a 5-mile radius of any kitchen would cause everything in it to spontaneously explode. While she couldn’t cook, what Rainbow had was an impressive appetite, and that was why she was allowed to turn up at these potluck events empty-hooved- in return serving as a trash can for the leftovers.
“I, uh, thought I should at least bring something this time.” Rainbow dropped the satchel and it opened to reveal a colourful assortment of Froot Loops and candies. “I didn’t cook them, though. I grabbed these from a store.”
“Nothin’ to worry about there,” Applejack chuckled. “Like my Granny always says- it’s the thought that counts.”
“Mmmm.” Rainbow said, leaning down to pick up the satchel again. “Besides...”
Applejack shook her head and reached for it first, tossing it onto her wagon. “There, now we can talk better. Besides what?”
Rainbow hesitated for a moment. Then she pointed a fuzzy hoof at the wagon. “Your stuff more than makes up for it!”
The mare watched in disbelief as she dove straight into the pile. The wagon teetered, and Rainbow emerged with a face full of diced apples and cream, smacking her lips.
“Holy buck, AJ.” She grinned. “Didja change your recipe? This apple pie tastes even better than usual! I didn’t even know that was possible!”
“Uhhhhhhhhhh.” While the rest of Applejack’s brain was screaming ohmygodshelikesmypies, the rational side of her scrambled to think what she could have done different with her pies this time. “Really?”
“Yeah!” Rainbow devoured another pie and hoofed one to her. “You try it!”
Applejack shakily accepted the offer and took a tentative bite. She rolled the pastry over with her tongue and the familiar flavours of the signature Apple Family pie burst within her mouth. Carefully examining the texture and flavour, she scoured every inch of her brain to find if she had added an extra ingredient or kneaded the dough another way.
Trouble was, Applejack normally paid no extra attention to what exactly she did with her pies- the Apple way of making pies was more by feel than a hard-down recipe. You filled your heart with happy thoughts, and let the baking do the magic.
That was not very helpful for Applejack’s current predicament, because she tasted nothing different in the pie. It tasted good, but not different. Her tastebuds were long used to Sweet Apple Acres’ pies, and she reckoned that she had eaten too many of them to tell differences anymore.
Rainbow was already on her fourth- fifth?- pie when Applejack finished ruminating over her pie. She sighed, lept onto the wagon, and clamped her teeth around her colourful tail. The other ponies were starting to gather over and taking their share of pastries, and they stared as Applejack dragged a whining pegasus away from the food.
“Rainbow Dash!” she hissed. “At the rate you were going, there ain’t gonna be enough left for the others!”
She burped and said nothing else. Applejack rolled her eyes and uttered casually, “If you want more pies, I can just make ‘em for ya.”
Although Applejack felt like she had just signed her own death warrant- the way Rainbow’s eyes lit up made any thoughts of backing out vanish instantly. The pegasus did a happy flip and shot off into the distance, presumably to enjoy more gastronomical delights elsewhere. Her last yell drifted in the wind:
“Then I’m holding you to that, AJ!”
“......”
“What are you doing, big sis?”
Applejack turned around to see the kitchen door creaked open. Apple Bloom was poking her head in, looking at the mixing bowl questioningly.
She let out a breath and smiled. “I’m making the best apple pie in existence.”
“Oh- wowwwww!” Apple Bloom ran in excitedly and got up on the kitchen stool to get a better look. “Can I help?”
Applejack ruffled her hair lovingly. “You sure can, sugarcube. I just so happened ta’ need a taste tester.”
Apple Bloom reached for the mixing bowl. “I can do that!”
“Nonono, not that one,” Applejack gently pushed her hoof away from the raw apple mixture. “I’m talkin’ about the apple pie that we brought to Pinkie’s potluck yesterday.”
“Pinkie’s potluck? But whatever for?” The filly watched as her sister retrieved a fully-baked pie from the fridge and set it on the counter.
She removed a layer of foil as she explained. “We got feedback that the pies at the potluck were better than usual. I was hoping to recreate it so that Ponyville can keep enjoying the finest of the fine.”
Apple Bloom munched on the slice spooned to her. She cocked her head thoughtfully and said, “I guess it’s a little sweeter than usual?”
Applejack jumped up. “Sweeter like how?”
“Umm...” Apple Bloom licked her lips and cut herself another slice messily. “It’s just sweeter. Like, yum.”
“Oookay...” Applejack cut Apple Bloom’s slice in half so she could try it again. Still no different. She vaguely remembered Twilight mentioning that fillies had more acute tastebuds and could taste more flavours than an adult. Applejack decided that she must be getting old.
Apple Bloom had finished her second slice and was picking up the butter knife again. Applejack tutted and shook her head. “That’s enough for today, sweetie.”
She pouted and put the knife down. Applejack added, “You’re going to be eating a lot more pies later. I don’t want ya to get sick.”
The pout disappeared immediately, replaced by a big grin. “Yayyyyy! I get to be your taste tester!” Apple Bloom skipped around the kitchen while Applejack kept the remaining pie back into the fridge. When she settled down, she trotted calmly out the door, knowing that she best be well-behaved in case her sister changed her mind.
The place returned to peace and quiet, save for the clucking from the hen house next door. Applejack grabbed a few items from the fridge and got to work.
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Applejack had in front of her three steaming pies: the first with white sugar, the second with brown sugar and the third with honey. From each, she had cut a teeny slice.
The whole kitchen was permeated with the warm smell of baked pie, and it must've travelled because her little taste tester was back, sniffing the air with a greedy look on her face.
"Granny was askin' where you were and I said you were making pies for dinner." Apple Bloom hopped onto the counter and squinted. "These are for dinner, right?"
"T'would be plum wasteful if I let you taste a little and threw the rest away," Applejack hadn't really thought about it that way- she had been so caught up in making the pies that she'd forgotten about other farm duties. She decided to go along with it. "Yes, they're for dinner."
"I could just help you eat everything," she offered.
"Now, now Apple Bloom," Applejack chided. "What did I say about too many sweet treats?"
"You get tummy aches."
"Do you want tummy aches?"
"No sis…" Apple Bloom climbed off the counter reluctantly.
Applejack patted her head. "Good girl. Now help me taste these pies- I tried them beforehand to make sure they ain't too hot, so just-"
Apple Bloom scarfed down all three slices. She glanced up expectantly as Applejack face-hoofed, "-be careful."
"These dun quite taste the same as the other time." The young pie-taster licked her lips.
Applejack craned her neck. "And why?"
She shrugged. "I dunno. But hey, the honey one tastes real good!"
Applejack slumped on the table and waved her hoof. "Never mind. Go help set the table or somethin'."
"Okay!" Apple Bloom giggled and skipped out the kitchen with a mouthful of jangling cutlery. Applejack watched her go with a sigh. What had she expected? Apple Bloom was just a filly. She hadn't much of a vocabulary to describe the different tastes, and she didn't do any cooking to be able to pinpoint ingredients.
She began to clean up the kitchen, a few ideas forming in her mind. She would need to go see somepony tomorrow… Somepony with refined taste.
When Applejack got to Carousel Boutique, Rarity was taking a break from work. She jerked up at the rapping on the door and was about to put together a welcome, but relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Applejack darling!" She trotted over, delighted. "Why hello there. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Mighty glad to see you as well, Rarity." Applejack bowed her head in return. "I was wonderin' if you could lend me a hoof with something."
Rarity straightened. "Of course, dear. Though- you see- I was just about to go get lunch. Perhaps you could join me and discuss it there. "
"That's a great offer, but I had something else in mind." Applejack swooped her hat off her head to reveal the pie underneath. Rarity gasped.
"My, my," she said as Applejack gingerly took off the pie and placed it on the table. "Wherever did you learn to balance like that?"
Applejack smiled. It was always funny watching ponies' reactions when she did tricks like that. "While I was in Manehatten, my Aunt Orange made me take classes on balancin' stuff on my head. It was to train for those heavy princess crowns and such, all prissy-like. I found it to be a pretty useful skill later."
"That's simply marvellous." Rarity clapped her hooves together, then glanced uneasily at the pie. "So you would like my help...in eating this pie of yours?"
"Right," Applejack said, leaning down to peel off the foil with her teeth. The "pie" was in fact made of two half-pies, split by a rough line down the centre.
"This half is my regular pie, and this other is the pie I brought to Pinkie's potluck. I need ya to taste them and tell me the difference."
"Hmm," Rarity levitated a fork over with blue telekinesis and poked daintily at it.
"I was thinking of asking Pinkie, y'know- from one baker to another." Applejack paced about. "But I was afraid she wouldn't give me a straight answer. I can't be making pies all day! Nopony's been able to tell the difference- not even me- and it's driving me nuts!"
"And I suppose you felt I would be able to give such an answer." Rarity mused, nibbling both sides of the pie. "Well, I might just have what you are looking for. However..."
"However what?" Surprised, Applejack stopped pacing. She’d expected her to take far longer to figure it out.
"However... I'm going to need some more information to pinpoint exactly what it is," Rarity said coyly. Applejack had a bad feeling about this, but she had to know what was in that pie.
"Ask away."
"You say that nopony's been able to tell the difference between these two pies, including yourself." She paused to take another bite, chewing while regarding Applejack. "What makes you so sure that they are, in fact, different?"
"A customer told me that they tasted better than usual."
"Uh-huh. And why would you stress so much over this miniscule difference if only a select few ponies could tell it apart?"
"Umm…"
"I'm guessing that this customer is perhaps somepony very important to you."
Applejack shifted nervously under her gaze. "...Does it matter?"
“Why yes darling. I may not bake often, but I do know that there are certain tastes that are incredibly specific to the individual pony, of which others may not be able to discern without sensitive tastebuds,” Rarity had a pretty intense detective stare on now, but it was also... kind.
“I shan’t press you to disclose information that you are comfortable with sharing. Still, it would be helpful if you knew who this particular pony was.”
Then I’m holding you to that, AJ!
“I...” Applejack’s throat felt dry. She wanted to back out and say that she didn’t want to share, or that she didn’t know what Rarity was even talking about. Yet, her heart ached under the burden of a long-kept secret, and she couldn’t bear to lie.
She exhaled slowly. “It’s Rainbow.”
Rarity smiled at her, then retreated into a room- her kitchen, probably- giving Applejack space to sit there in silence. She later re-emerged with a fancy blue vial, topped with some shiny stone.
“Cloudsdalian mist,” Rarity placed the vial down with a clink. “A very subtle, sweet taste similar to cotton candy. A common, natural ingredient there that might’ve reminded Rainbow of her old home. I wouldn’t be surprised if some floated over Ponyville and landed on your pies. ”
“Thanks,” Applejack took the vial and slipped it below her hat. She was getting ready to leave when she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
“I have reason to believe that this mist may not be the only ingredient you seek.” Rarity’s eyes twinkled. “If you wish to make that pie perfect, then I suggest that you go talk things out with Rainbow Dash herself.”
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As per Apple family tradition- and maybe some part of her own- Applejack filled her heart with colours and feathers, and prepared one last pie that day. She dusted the surface with the sweetened mist like an afterthought, before stowing away the vial to return later. The pie went securely under her hat and she trotted out of the farmhouse.
Along the way, she noticed an odd shadow inside the wagon parked outside. Curious, she peeked in and saw a dirt-stained white satchel- the one she had helped Rainbow carry back at the potluck.
Applejack snorted quietly. Of course no one had bothered to eat those processed sweets when they could be eating freshly-baked pastries. Well, she couldn’t just let them sit there and rot, so she hopped in the wagon and started chomping on the cereal-sugar mix.
She was reaching the bottom of the bag when her muzzle brushed against a scrap of paper. She stopped and scooped it out. Unfolding the note, she read it quizzically:
Hey, AJ. This is for in case I chicken out. If you’re reading this, I probably chickened out. Anyway pls come to my house or something so I can try to not chicken againk ok enjoy the froot loop & sweets
Applejack stared. She rubbed her eyes, but the words were still there. Her heart fluttered strangely upon reading the familiar hoofwriting. It might be nothing, but she dared to hope.
And so- apple pie perfectly balanced on her head- Applejack bucking ran to Rainbow’s house.
“Rainbow!” Applejack called up to the floating cloud home. “Ya get down here right now!”
About two seconds later, a blue shape launched from one of the windows and plummeted. Rainbow Dash came to an halt abruptly before impact, remaining in a hovering position. “Yeah?”
Applejack rolled her eyes, fighting the tremble of anticipation in her hooves. “You said you wanted a chance to not be chicken. So un-chicken yourself.”
“Um,” Rainbow’s ears folded and her eyes darted from side to side anxiously. "I'm not sure if I can say it."
Something in Applejack softened. She came closer, remembering Rarity's words. "It's okay. I promise I won't judge."
Rainbow blinked. Then, her tight expression relaxed, and she floated slowly to the ground.
"I have a crush on you, AJ." She began rapidly. Her whole face flushed at that, but she continued. "And it's huge. I like you a lot and I wanna go out with you and stuff but if you don't wanna I totally understand. I hope you at least liked the Froot Loops. Yup."
With that, Rainbow promptly dove into the nearest bush. It was at times like this when Applejack should have been wondering why she had fallen for such an idiot, but now? She was too gosh-darn smitten to care.
She pulled herself together and trotted over. "I can't believe you just confessed to me with Froot Loops."
The magenta eyes peeking out from the bush crinkled. "Look-"
"Let me show you how a proper confession is done," Applejack smirked and revealed the apple pie beneath the hat with a flourish. “I don’t have a moving speech planned, but I figured I should let my baking speak for itself.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. She flew out of the bush, her wings flapping at such a frenetic pace Applejack was worried they’d snap off. “Wait. You. Did you just-”
“Eeyup.” Applejack tried not to look like she was about to explode with either frustration or sheer happiness.
Rainbow looked at the pie. Looked at her. Looked back at the pie.
“Forgive me,” she finally said, as if having just made a very difficult decision. “I think your pie will have to wait.” And then Rainbow kissed her.
It was sugary, sugary sweet. Like cotton candy, but warmer and a whole lot softer. When Rainbow pulled away bashfully, as sudden as she had begun, Applejack just had to laugh.
She leaned in to kiss her again, and the recipe was complete.
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Epilogue
“Thank goodness yer back!” Granny scrutinized Applejack’s giddy smile. “Are you making pies again today? ‘Cuz I’m beginning to think you got a pie addiction or somethin’!”
“No more pies, Granny.” Applejack laughed merrily as Rainbow swooped down from the clouds to land beside her. “I’ve got all I need.”
