A Rare Cake Indeed

by Zodiacspear

Rating: everyone
Tags: Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5158

A super duper special order for a cake has landed in Pinkie's hooves, and there's only one pony she knows who can help her get it just right!

It's another busy day at Sugar Cube Corner! The orders are piling in and Pinkie is having a blast. Busy day means lots of smiles! But when a special order arrives all the way from Canterlot, Pinkie finds herself at wit's end on how to get the cake just right.

Thankfully, there's one pony she knows who knows Canterlot and how the ponies there like their stuff more than anypony else!

My first one-shot in almost a year! Big thanks to my pre-readers Carapace and Noble Thought. Your guy's input helped me out a lot, thank you. Cover art created through gimp and edited to fit.

Published 2017-05-06 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-05-06 19:40:01 UTC

Cake Me!

“Making a cake! Making a cake! Everypony loves a freshly baked cake!” Pinkie’s hips swayed as she sang, the stack of full cake pans threatening to tilt with each lively bounce. With a practiced kick, she opened the oven and tilted her back so the stack fell into her waiting hooves. With a deft toss, each pan settled in the oven neatly, as skillfully as any dealer of cards.

Humming her song, she sorted through the refrigerator for more eggs and milk. The orders had flooded in, swamping Mrs. and Mr. Cake with all sorts of requests! A quadruple hoof-full of cookies for Mr. Filthy Rich, cupcakes for Miss Cheerilee—each with her students’ names—and even a double-decker, strawberry-fudge cheesecake for Lyra and Thunderlane! And it wasn’t even half past eight!

“So many different goodies for so many different ponies, I think this is the busiest we’ve been in…” She paused, juggling the eggs between the cushion of her mane and her hooves to the counter. “Ever!” The train of eggs stopped briefly. “Well… except for that one time when Mr. and Mrs. Cake had to leave town, but that was a long time ago,” she told them, setting the last one to spinning. “And this time we’re all working together.”

The door opened just as she poured the milk into the bowl, a delicate operation, requiring all but one of her ears to get just right.

“Pinkie Pie, are you busy?”

There, just right. “Right back here, Mrs. Cake!” she called and turned as Mrs. Cake entered the kitchen, a piece of paper held in the elder mare’s hoof. Flour speckled her coat, and the apron she wore carried the battle scars of a dozen cupcakes freshly decorated. “Whatcha need made, Mrs. Cake? Blueberry tarts? No, too tart. Persimmon cookies? Hmm, no, you don’t look persimmonious. Oh! Oh! I know! You need a cake!”

Mrs. Cake brushed back a few stray strands of flour-white mane. “Actually, yes, Pinkie, I do. How did you know?”

Pinkie shrugged, smiling and brushing a hoof against her chest. “Lucky guess.”

Mrs. Cake hummed and looked over her note again. “Well, it is a cake, but it’s a special—”

“Oooh! A special cake?” With a number of audible ‘proinks’, Pinkie leaped over Mrs. Cake and back a few times—well, more than a few times. “A super-duper special cake just for somepony special!” She tried peering over Mrs. Cake at the note. “Who’s it for? Is it for Granny Smith’s birthday? No, that can’t be it. That’s not until winter! Oh! Is it for another Cutecinera? Who’s the lucky filly? Or colt, it could be either! Why not both! Twins! So who is it for, huh?”

“No, no, Pinkie, it’s nothing like that,” Mrs. Cake said as she stepped back to allow herself some breathing space. “We’ve just got a special order all the way from Canterlot.”

“Oh, from Canterlot?” She tapped her chin. “That’s a long way to go for a cake. Especially since they have all of their super delicious bakeries up there, too. It has to be a super duper cake to be ordered from Canterlot.”

A smile played across Mrs. Cake’s face. “It is indeed, Pinkie Pie, the request comes from a pony named Fancy Pants—”

“Oh! I know Fancy Pants. He’s a friend of Rarity’s from when she stayed in Canterlot for a while. He was always so nice!” Pinkie peered at the note from behind, trying to make sense of the backward words. “Is it for his birthday or some super special party?”

Mrs. Pie sighed and hoofed over the note before she smiled. “It’s for his wife, Fleur de Leis. It’s for her birthday and he said he’s heard so much about our bakery that he wants to order her cake for their party from us.”

“Whoo hoo!” Pinkie shouted, throwing out a hoof-full of her emergency confetti. “A super special cake for Fleur’s birthday! I can’t wait to get started!” She lifted the note and started reading. “Hmm, vanilla cake—can’t go wrong with the classics. Whipped frosting—oooh, getting adventurous now.” A low whistle escaped her. “Oooooh, he wants decorations—he’s going all out!”

She handed the note back, a firm smile on her face. “Don’t you worry, Mrs. Cake. I’ll make the super, most special, birthday cake he’s ever seen.” She smiled a bit wider. “My cake will blow his fancy pants right off!”

Mrs. Cake winced before she looked at the note again, her brow furrowing. “Wait a minute, Pinkie.”

Pinkie peered over her shoulder. “Yes, Mrs. Cake?”

“Did you read the paragraph below? He added a note.”

“What’s it say?” Pinkie asked as she started digging out her cake pans and other baking necessities.

“He said he wants an emphasis on decorations.” Turning the note over, she offered it to her. “He wants the best decorations we have, do you think you can handle it on your own? This is a tall order after all.”

“Don’t you worry a bit, Mrs. Cake, I’ve got everything under control,” Pinkie said, giving the older mare an easy smile. “I’ll bake the most super stupendous, most decorated cake ever baked.”

Mrs. Cake smiled a warm smile. “If you need help, Pinkie, just ask,” she said before trotting back for the storefront.

Smiling to herself, Pinkie flew into a flurry of baking madness. As the cakes soon rested on the counter, she slid the icing along the edges, accenting it with little swirls—all the while humming her song to herself. That done, she carefully stacked the cake layers on top of each other and stepped back to marvel at her work.

“Whew,” she breathed, wiping the sweat and flour from her brow. “That was some intense cake making.” Looking back at her cake, her eyes sparkled at the sight. “Sooo… beautiful. So delicious. So…”

A frown tugged at her lips as she tilted her head. “Sooo… huh, not sure.” Tapping at her chin, she looked the cake over. “Is this what Fancy Pants would want? Is that enough decorations?”

Walking around the cake, her eyes narrowed at a small swirl that was just a little bit bigger than the others. “Shape up, you!”

As the swirl shrank down to the correct size, she gave a firm nod before looking the rest of the cake over.

That done, she looked the cake over once more, sitting on her haunches. “Well, it looks like a good cake. I’d certainly eat it, but is it what they’d want?”

Her eyes widened and she dashed for a nearby drawer. Pulling out a small tube, she gave it a shake and a spray of candy confetti spread across the cake.

Frowning as the confetti settled, she grabbed a bag from her super secret drawer—where that was, well, it’s a secret—and ringed the cake layers with brightly colored gummy drops.

“There! All done!”

Her smile slowly faded as she looked over her creation. What was wrong with the cake? It looked delicious. It smelled delicious. It even tasted delicious—she was quick to cover the bite mark with more icing—yet something was just not right!

“Oooh! What’s it missing?” Groaning, she ruffled her mane into an even bigger mess. “Is this what Fancy Pants and Fleur would want for their cake? Do they like confetti and gummy drops? I like confetti and gummy drops… and chocolate chunks, and candy bits and...” She grabbed her cheeks, “Focus, Pinkie Pie. Think! What would they like on their cake?”

She wracked her brain as she tried remembering all she could of the few times she’d met the two. The two were some of the more laidback ponies among all the stuffy sorts she met, but still, would they like a cake like this?

“Maybe I should write them and ask what they’d like, but that’d take forever! If only I had my own magical, letter-sending dragon too!” She groaned again before her eyes widened and an impossibly-wide smile spread across her face.

“I know! Who else knows Fancy Pants and Fleur better than me?”

Not even bothering to shake the flour from her coat, she dashed past a stunned Mr. Cake as he opened the back door to bring in supplies.

-0-

This was it. The final thread to her greatest creation. A single stitch was all it would take to complete her latest masterpiece and she can showcase it off to the world! A washcloth floated over, dabbing at the bead of sweat that threatened to roll down Rarity’s face. There was no room for perspiration in this room, at this all-important moment.

“Total and utter control, Opulence. A single wayward motion could ruin the whole thing, and that simply will, not, do,” she said to her pet cat as the feline lazily watched the unfolding drama.

Even as her cat gave off an unimpressed yawn, Rarity squinted at the thread and needle as it hovered over the shimmering cloth. A marvelous ensemble made of star spider silk and shaved gemstones, it reflected the light of her magic, giving off a beautiful glow. A smile slowly spread across Rarity’s face as she imagined her buyer’s face when she tried it on. No matter where she would go, she would always stand out as the glowing attraction, and always the name of its creator would be on the lips of the ponies who watched with awestruck expressions.

Resisting the urge squeal in delight, Rarity forced herself to focus on the all-important task at hoof. Carefully, ever-so-carefully, the needle lowered. Puncturing the cloth, not a single mar to be had, Rarity carefully pulled back the—

“Rarity!” The door slammed open to her room. “Are you in here?”

She gave a startled squeak and jumped, her heart threatening to erupt from her chest. She all but froze as she saw Sweetie Belle standing in the doorway, the brightest of smiles on her little sister’s face.

“Anything I can do to help?”

It was almost as if every second had turned into an hour, but as Rarity turned back to look at her masterpiece, she felt as if the world had fallen around her and she was plummeting into a never-ending void.

There was her masterpiece, a tear where the final stitch was to be.

An eye twitched, and Rarity sputtered, the tears threatening to overwhelm her. How could this have happened? How could the universe be so cruel as to rob such a marvelous thing of its chance to shine? A thing of unseen beauty… lost!

Her eyes narrowed to slits at the startled gasp from behind. Turning slowly, her glare locked on the filly whose eyes had widened and ears that laid back at the building storm.

“I...ah...Got some crusading to do. Bye!”

“Sweetie Beeeeeellllllle!” A volcano would’ve been hard-pressed to match the sheer ferocity of Rarity’s eruption. Her shout chased after the filly, causing Sweetie to put on an extra burst of speed as she fled for dear life.

A good cry and buckets of ice cream later, Rarity reclined on her diva—a cup of hot tea floating nearby. Bringing the cup over, she took a sip as she mulled over the possibilities of saving her masterpiece.

“Maybe a patch with the same fabric?” She shook her head. “No, a patch would stand out like a sore hoof. Maybe a fabric pen to cover the tear? No, it would wear off eventually and my reputation would be ruined!” Sighing, she took another sip of the ginseng tea. “Maybe Twilight knows a spell that can repair the material, but that would be considered cheating...”

A rapid knocking on the door set her teeth to grinding. Setting down her cup of tea, she trotted for the door as the knocks continued unabated. “Sweetie Belle, if that is you, you are in so much trouble.”

Turning the handle, she opened the door. “Yes? Hello?”

“Rarity! Thank goodness you’re home!” She blinked as she found herself face to face with a wide-eyed, happily-smiling Pinkie Pie.

Sighing internally, she stepped back to give herself some breathing space. “Pinkie Pie, darling, what is the matter?”

“I need your help with something, Rarity. Something big!” she threw her forelegs out wide for show. “I’m making a cake, a super duper important cake, and I need your help.” Pinkie blinked before tilting her head. “Did you have mint chocolate ice cream? Did something happen? You never eat mint chocolate ice cream unless something awful happened. Are you okay?”

Rarity furrowed her brow. “How did you know I ate ice cream?”

“You just told me.” Pinkie smiled wider. “And I can smell the mint.”

Turning, Rarity puffed into a hoof and gave a sniff. She gave the pink mare a dubious look before shaking her head. “So what brings you here today, Pinkie? You said you needed some help with a cake or something?”

“Oh! Yes! I need your help in making a super duper important cake that only you can help me with.”

Rarity gave a subtle roll of her eyes before saying, “Pinkie Pie, you’ve made countless cakes before, how is one cake any different from the others?”

“It’s because Fancy Pants ordered it for Fleur’s birthday. And he really real—”

Stuffing a hoof over her mouth, Rarity’s voice rose a few octaves. “The cake is for Fancy Pants and Fleur de Leis!?”

Pinkie nodded vigorously and tried talking past her hoof, but all that came out were unintelligible muffles.

Rarity sighed and lowered her hoof. “Say that again, Pinkie Pie.”

“I said: mrff muff ermeruff muff muff.”

“Pinkie…” Rarity’s tone taking a dangerous edge.

“I said he really really wants it decorated super special for her. I’ve tried so many different things to make the cake the most decoratedly decorated cake ever, but it’s just not turning out right. You know Fancy Pants and Fleur better than anypony in Ponyville, that’s why I came to ask for your help.” She stuck her bottom lip out and gave her the watery eyes routine. “Please. With lots and lots of chocolate syrup on top?”

Brushing her delicate curls aside, Rarity gave her a small smile. “Of course, Pinkie Pie, maybe a small break will help refresh my mind for when I come back to my dress.”

Rarity found herself a victim of another of Pinkie’s bone-crushing hugs, the mare holding her so tight as to cut off air. “Oh, thank you, Rarity! Thank you!” She pointed back for Sugarcube Corner. “Quickly! Back to the kitchen!”

“Pinkie! Let me lock up shop first!” Rarity shouted as she was dragged along. “Pinkiiiiiiieeee!”

-0-

As Pinkie lead her towards the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity had to admit the smell of bakeries were a unique and enjoyable scent. Just being around the smell of cooking sweets and delicacies made her mouth water. Maybe when she was done helping Pinkie with her little task, she’d take home some chocolates for herself. A mare was allowed a few treats every now and then, yes?

“So, Fancy Pants wanted a birthday cake with a special emphasis on decorations?” she asked as she gave Mrs. Cake a wave. “Did he ask for a specific type of decoration?”

“Uh-uh. The letter said he just wanted it as decorated as we can, but I just can’t figure out what is enough for what he wants. That’s why I need your help.”

Pursing her lip, she nodded. “I see. All right then, let’s see what you got so far.”

As they entered the kitchen, Rarity had to stop and just… marvel at the state Pinkie left her part of the kitchen in. Despite knowing that Pinkie was meticulous in planning parties—even for parties years in advance—it certainly didn’t show in the kitchen. Flour seemed to coat the kitchen like a second layer of paint, baking pans lay stacked everywhere, and she even saw Gummy swimming around in the kitchen sink.

A bit of flour made its way into her nose and Rarity had to cover a delicate sneeze with a hoof. “Goodness, Pinkie Pie, you’re certainly… dedicated to your art.”

The mare smiled wide. “I know, isn’t it great? Baking is so much fun, especially all the smiles I get when I give the sweets out to everypony.” Her smile took a wispy turn. “It’s why I like doing it. To see those bright and cheery smiles!”

Rarity smiled herself, remembering the many smiles of her own happy customers. “Well, shall we get started on Fancy Pants’s cake?”

“Indeedy!” With a ‘pronk’, Pinkie bounced over to the table where a large, multi-layered cake rested. “This is what I made first, whatcha think?”

Looking at the tall cake, Rarity could see why Pinkie questioned her choice of decorations… rather, all her decorations.

“Well, you certainly did go all out, Pinkie Pie, but there is a thing as too many decorations.” Her horn lit up and the gumdrops floated to neatly stack on the counter. “Confetti, candy, and colorful icing is ideal for little fillies and their out-of-control sweet tooths, but for the more refined tastes, we—”

As she removed a few more candy pieces, a large collection of icing slid away to reveal a bite mark. When she turned a flat look at Pinkie, the mare could only give off a wide, sheepish smile. “Oopsies.”

“This simply won’t do,” Rarity said as she looked around the kitchen, “We’ll have to start from scratch.”

“Yay!” Pinkie jumped around collecting another set of clean pans from the cabinets. “Pinkie and Rarity working together to make a super special birthday cake! Fleur is going to love it.”

“She most certainly will,” Rarity agreed as she collected the flour, milk, and eggs and set them on the table. “I’ll let you bake the cake, Pinkie Pie, then I’ll help you decorate it.”

“Alrighty then.” The pink mare wasted no time in whipping up the batter and filling the pans full of bakery gooyness. Once all pans were securely in their ovens, Pinkie turned back as Rarity spoke up.

“So, what shall we do while we wait for the cake to bake?”

Pinkie tapped at her chin a moment before her eyes widened. “I’ve got an idea.”

Rarity tilted her head at her. “Oh? What’s that?”

“A song!” Pinkie cried before pulling out an accordion from somewhere. “Nothing passes the time like a good ol’ baking song.”

Rarity felt her blood go cold and her ears drape against her skull. “I walked right into that...”

A rousing song and dance number later—one of which Rarity concluded she learned more about the niceties of baking and cake making than she ever wanted to know—she sat on her haunches, catching her breath, as Pinkie waved the backup dancers goodbye. “Same time next Tuesday!”

A metallic ‘ding’ had both mares looking towards the oven as the smell of freshly baked cake filled the air like an incense. “Cake’s done!” Pinkie sang out as she skipped for the ovens.

“How do you do that?” Rarity asked under her breath before rising to her hooves, the smell of the cake washing away her exhaustion.

“Huh, I don’t know,” Pinkie said as she carefully set the hot pans on the counter. “When I need to do something and it's gonna take a while, I just start a musical number and it's usually finished by the time I'm done singing!” She gave a sly wink to her. “You’ve done it too, remember?”

Rarity raised a hoof to argue before her eyes widened and her argument died in her throat. With a sigh, she lowered her hoof back to the ground. “That’s only fair.”

“Oo! I like fairs! That’s where they have all of those fun rides, cotton candy, funnel cakes, and—”

Grabbing Pinkie by her cheeks, Rarity pressed her snout to hers. “Focus, Pinkie Pie! We've got a job to do.”

“Indeedy!” Pinkie said as she bounced for the counters, carefully easing the cakes out of their pans and setting them on the counter. “So, what do you think? Fancy Pants asked for vanilla icing and lots of decorations.”

A smile played across Rarity’s face as her mouth watered a bit. “Vanilla, he certainly does like the classics.”

“That’s what I said!”

“Well,” Rarity said, her tone all business. “Let us press on and see what we can create!”

Even as Pinkie stacked the cakes on top of the other, Rarity floated over a tub of icing. Once they were stacked, the two of them started smearing the icing over the warm cakes. As they worked, Rarity concluded she could see why Pinkie liked baking so much. There was a certain finesse to it that she hadn’t considered. Applying the icing for an even coating all around was not unlike making sure her own stitches were even. Gaudily-done stitch work would look just as tacky as a cake with uneven icing.

As Rarity focused on her task, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, she nearly jumped as Pinkie piped up.

“Rarity, you’ve got something there,” she said, motioning towards her own cheek.

She turned to regard the pink mare before reaching up to brush away whatever it was. “Where?”

“Boop!” She tapped Rarity on the cheek. “Right there!”

Snapping her head back, Rarity reached up to wipe away the icing that Pinkie had left behind. Looking at her hoof then to the broadly-smiling Pinkie Pie, a small growl escaped her.

“Pinkie Pie, seriously, there is no time for silly games,” she said, her tone not unlike how she would admonish Sweetie Belle. “We’re working on a very important order for Fancy Pants, and he prefers things to be of the finest quality. If we’re to do that, we can’t be playing around.”

Pinkie’s ears dropped and she looked up at Rarity with watery eyes. “I’m sorry, Rarity. You looked so serious that I just tried to get you to smile.”

“I appreciate the effort, Pinkie Pie, but let’s turn our focus back to the task at hoof. We can have fun and play afterward.”

Pinkie hummed and turned back to the cake, a noticeable slump in her posture as she reached for a bowl of strawberries.

As Rarity levitated a bowl of blueberries and started placing them around the edges of the cake, she caught herself glancing at Pinkie Pie often. Her friend would place a strawberry after each blueberry she set, ringing the layers with an alternating, colorful line of fresh fruit. A frown pulled at her face as she saw that Pinkie’s smile had faded and she had a distant look in her eyes.

’Goodness, is she that upset about me yelling at her? Surely not.’

When they started adding strips of colored icing, Rarity again caught herself watching Pinkie Pie. The bright and eager smile she wore earlier was nowhere to be seen; her expression looked so out of place without her smile.

‘Did I go too far? All I wanted was for her to focus on this important task she has. For such a high priority order, there can’t be any playing around. We need to be focused and serious if we’re to make what Fancy Pants would like for Fleur’s birthday party.’

The more she thought about it, the more she found her own attention drifting. She thought back on the event and tried to visualize it from Pinkie’s perspective. If she had looked like what Pinkie was now, she too would’ve tried to cheer her friend up.

Her own frown tugged upwards as she realized that the icing trick was kind of funny. Maybe she did overreact. What joy was there in working together with your friend if you didn’t enjoy yourself?

‘How to fix this...’ she thought, tapping her chin with a hoof.

Her gaze fell on the tub of icing and a smile pulled at her lips. Dipping the tip of her hoof within, she called over to Pinkie. “Pinkie, darling, can you come here a moment?”

Pinkie set her tube of colored icing down and trotted over, her eyes still downcast. “What’s wrong, Rarity?”

“What do you think about this?” Rarity asked, motioning to the cake.

Pinkie turned to the cake and tilted her head. “I don’t see anything. It looks good to me.”

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I just—” she started before pointing to Pinkie’s cheek. “You’ve got some icing there, darling.”

Her eyes widened and she rubbed her cheek against her shoulder. “Is it still there?”

“No, it’s right… there!” She tapped her cheek with the icing-tipped hoof. “Gotcha.”

Pinkie’s lashes fluttered as she wiped the icing off. Tilting her head, she asked, “What was that for? I thought you said we weren’t supposed to be playing?”

“I know, Pinkie, but I realized how I acted was harsh, and you were only trying to cheer me up.” She wrapped a hoof around Pinkie’s withers and gave her a hug. “What’s the point of doing something with your friend if you’re not going to have fun doing it, hm?”

A small smile tugged at Pinkie’s mouth. “It’d be pretty boring if ya ask me. Besides, I like it when we have fun doing things together.”

“Me too, darling, can you ever forgive me?”

Rarity felt her ribs about to give again as Pinkie wrapped her up in another big hug. “I’ll always forgive you, silly. It was pretty funny after all.”

Patting her friend on the back, she pushed herself back to allow space for breathing again. “Oh! There was one more thing, Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened as she tilted her head. “What did we forget?”

“We forgot this.” She reached up and bopped her friend on the nose with an icing-covered hoof. “Boop!”

Pinkie stepped back, her eyes impossibly wide. Her gaze crossed as she looked at her icing-covered snout and back to the smugly-grinning Rarity.

“Ooohohoho…” she said, a mischievous smile growing across her face. “To quote a friend: It. Is. On!”

-0-

The smell of baking goods caused a little drool to escape the corner of her mouth as Twilight pushed the door to Sugar Cube Corner open. Looking around inside, her stomach gave off an audible growl as she saw all the pastries set out for customers, including some of her favorites like strawberry-topped cookies or grape muffins. Her hooves clopped on the wooden floor as she headed for the counter.

Reaching up to tap the little bell on the counter, she turned as she saw Mrs. Cake make her way from the kitchen. “Good evening, Mrs. Cake. How are…” her voice trailed off as she noted the older mare was all but plastered by icing and flour. “Goodness, what happened? Did Pinkie go into another of her baking frenzies?”

“No, nothing like that, dear,” Mrs. Cake said as she used a towel to wipe her face clean of the errant pastry bits. “Pinkie had asked Rarity for help with a special order when things kinda got… out of hoof.”

“Rarity’s here?” She tried to peer past Mrs. Cake but couldn’t see much of what was going on. “Do you mind if I go see them?”

She shook her head. “Of course not, dear. Just be careful that you don’t slip.” She looked back and a cringe crossed her face. “It’s kind of a mess back there right now.”

“With Rarity back there, that can’t be right,” Twilight said as she trotted past for the kitchen. Lighting her horn, she swung the door to the kitchen open. “Rarity! Pinkie! Are you both…” Her eyes widened and her jaw hung slack. “Sweet Celestia…”

Everywhere she looked, the kitchen was covered in icing or flour. If this wasn’t the results of a Pinkie Pie baking frenzy, she hated to see what one actually was! The Cake Twins were coated in the mess, giggling as they slid around, and Gummy had built himself a small igloo of icing.

Taking a step inward, Twilight pulled back a hoof as she stepped in a puddle of the stuff. “What happened here?” Twilight said before her eyes settled on the cake that rested on the counter. Her breath caught as her eyes widened again.

Practically glowing, was the multilayered cake. Fresh strawberries and blueberries ringed each layer of the cake with alternating lines of red and blue icing swirling around them. On the front of each layer was the words: “Happy Birthday Fleur” written in red frosting. Atop the cake were two small statues that looked like Fleur and Fancy Pants, flanked by a pair of candles.

“That’s… amazing,” Twilight breathed.

“Ain’t it though?” a glob of icing next to her said.

“Ah!” Twilight jumped as the blob of icing shook to reveal a happily-smiling Pinkie Pie.

“Rarity and I made it! Don’t you think it’s great?” Pinkie asked as she stood next to Twilight to marvel at the creation.

“Great doesn’t begin to describe it,” Twilight said before turning a curious gaze to her friend. “Where is Rarity?”

“Over here, darling,” Rarity said as she stepped from the back room, wiping the rest of the icing from her cheeks. “We may have gotten a little overboard when we played around some.”

Twilight looked around the chaos and gave the two a helpless look. “A little?!”

“Semantics, my dear Twilight,” Pinkie said as she wrapped a foreleg around Twilight. “Whatcha think? Do you think Fancy Pants and Fleur would like it?”

Twilight licked her lips to keep the drool from escaping again. “It looks so delicious and amazing. How couldn’t he?” She turned to look at the pair of proudly-smiling ponies. “You both made this?”

Rarity nodded. “Mm-hm. Pinkie and I spent the afternoon working on it to make the best cake ever for Fancy Pants.” She smiled a little wider. “And we had fun doing it.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed as she brought the two into a hug. “Doing things together with your friends can make anything so much better. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

Rarity winced. “Let’s just not go through so many buckets of icing this time, Pinkie Pie.”

As they laughed, a warm smile spread across Twilight’s face. “I wish I could have been here with you both. It looks like you had so much fun, that I feel a little left out.”

Twilight stiffened as she noted the shared look between the two before mischievous smiles spread across their faces. “G-Girls?”

“Who said you had to miss out on the fun, Twilight?” Rarity said as she floated a bucket of icing nearby.

Twilight backed up until she felt her rump hit a counter and she looked between them as they had her trapped. “I asked for this, didn’t I?”

“Indeedy!”

Another icing fight later, Twilight could only agree with the two that doing things together really did make everything so much more enjoyable—even if it took days to get all of the icing out of your mane!