My Final Confession: Relapse

Familiar poses and sets of utensils blink into frame. Cozy and Pinkamena stand behind the blemished table stationed with bowls, whisks, and spoons. Several ingredients are in jars of various sizes and shapes. The oven behind the pair glows a soft orange.

“Welcome back, dear viewer, to another installment of Cozy’s Cooking Corner!” Cozy explodes with cheerfulness. “Thanks for tuning in to see your cutie-licious, golly-gee wonderful host Cozy Glow create wonderful treats for you and your friends and family. We are joined by our bestest friend in the whole world, Miss Pinkamena!”

Pinkamena waves punily and gives a weak, one-sided smile.

“We were thinking that this show needs something more exotic than lemon bars and muffins, so, today, we are going to whip up something truly scrumptious and difficult to get right. Miss Pinkamena, what did you come up with?” Cozy smiles sweetly and spins around to her co-host with forelegs raised in excitement.

“Zebra bars.” Pinkamena looks as if she is being forced to be part of the show. She feigns a smile but her every word and action seems wooden.

Cozy throws her legs up and cheers joyfully. “Made with REAL zebra!”

The older mare scrunches her eyebrows and looks back and forth from Cozy to the camera. “Ummm … it’s just the name because they are white with black stripes.”

The filly deflates and gives an annoyed look to her co-host. “That’s not very exotic. Is that the best we can do today?”

Pinkamena raises an eyebrow and her tone becomes less than playful. “I’m not made of ingredients, Cozy. Do you know how hard it is to get a bag of flour, a sack of sugar, or almost any ingredients out here? I stock up once or twice a year and make them last. You know that. That’s why we pick so many wild fruits and vegetables. Zebra bars use up a lot of resources.” She then glares at the filly and states pointedly, “So did the lemon bars that we threw away before they were even made.”

Refusing to give an inch, the filly meets the stare. “Whose fault was that?” Cozy’s voice has an edge to it and her toothy smile wavers between cute and malicious. Narrowing her eyes angrily, Pinkamena smacks a hoof onto the table loudly.

The mare grits her teeth and speaks through them, provoked. “I didn’t WANT to make them in the first place, Cozy. You acted like a spoiled foal until I agreed to help.”

Cozy rolls her eyes.

“Stop rolling your eyes or I’ll roll your little head on the floor. Let’s make the zebra bars. I know where some anise grows and we can make some kind of dessert with that.”

The filly raises an eyebrow and her features sag as she makes a confused face. “What’s … what’s anise?”

“It’s a plant that tastes a lot like licorice. We can…”

“Licorice!” Cozy shouts and hops like a kangaroo with excitement. “ I love licorice! Wait … red or black?

Pinkamena sighs and rubs her temples, eyes clenched. “Black … got a problem with that?”

Cozy is like a rocket taking off, “I LOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEEE black licorice! Oh, please! Please let’s do that!”

“Sure, we’ll do it, but let’s make these zebra bars first. I used to make them all the time at Sugarcube Corner and I’m feeling nostalgic.”

Cozy bounces and hops, the curls of her mane flopping from enthusiasm. Spinning like a ballerina, the filly pirouettes and pauses to address the camera, mid twirl. “We have a two for one special today at Cozy’s Cooking Corner! Stay tuned after the main show to see how to make some delicious black licorice!”

A hoof wraps around the filly and Pinkamena draws her in for a hug. Cozy wraps her small forelegs around the older mare and then they turn back to the camera. “Okay, Cozy. Get that bowl and pay attention. First we need to …”

Cozy follows Pinkamena’s instructions to mix flour and eggs, adding in butter and other ingredients. There are several cuts to the tape to show the process and zoom in on the batter. Much of the dead time has been cut. Pinkamena perks up while instructing the filly and appears to enjoy the segment. Cozy Glow loses herself in the process and genuinely seems to have fun. During the segment where they mix icing another argument breaks out but it dies quickly and they become absorbed by their work. The segment is nearly fifteen minutes long.

The treats look wonderful and somewhat professional due to Pinkamena’s practiced hoof despite Cozy’s clumsy attempts. The video cuts and returns with each one holding a zebra bar and sitting on a green couch.

“Look how nice these have turned out! Dear viewer, we here at the Corner sure hope that your batch has baked as beautiful as these. On visual inspection, I rate these bars a solid 8 out of 10. Now we get to the best part! The taste test!”

The pair tap their baked goods together and cheer a toast before biting into them. Cozy’s eyes widen and she glows brightly. Pinkamena has difficulty chewing with her sharpened teeth but smiles at the result. She appears to be lost in herself as she carefully savors the bite.

“Ten! Ten of ten! Perfect balance of sweet and buttery! What do you think, Miss Pinkamena?” The filly turns to regard her friend.

The mare’s eyes pop open and she looks at Cozy for a moment with searching eyes. “Oh, they are great. Probably … probably the best I’ve ever tasted.”

The blue-mopped filly laughs giddily and takes another bite. She swallows it almost without chewing. “Stay tuned for the bonus episode! Licorice!”

Pinkamena shifts to look at the evening light filling the window with a gentle orange glow and her smile falters as she finishes her treat. “Cozy it’s getting late in the evening. Are you sure you want to do this tonight?”

The filly rotates from the camera to focus on Pinkamena with her head lilting to the side. “We don’t ...have to do it tonight but can we get the anus? Please?”

Pinkamena covers her mouth and gives a mirthful giggle. One of Cozy’s ears turn to the side and her head tilts further to one side.

“It’s anise, Cozy. Anise, not anus. I guess I can get it before it’s dark.”

“I’ll stay here and clean the dishes as a thank you for helping me. I’m sorry we argued a little bit.” The filly bashfully looks to the floor and places one hoof over the other before striking forward in a slick, agile movement and wrapping Pinkamena in as big a hug as she could muster. Cozy coos almost imperceptibly and the mare melts, wrapping the filly in her forelegs and pressing a kiss into her mane.

“It’s okay. I’m not the easiest to get along with all the time.” Pinkamena sounds warm, not something one can get used to easily.

Cozy blushes a deep color of maroon. “Yeah, me either. You know, if I had ever really had a mom, Miss Pinkamena, I would want it to be you.”

The magenta mare pulls Cozy closer to her chest and a single crystalline tears drip down her muzzle like a scratch and fall into the thick, curled mane of the younger pony. Pinkamena sniffles once and clenches her eyes, lips quivering as she enjoys the warmth of the filly wrapped in her embrace.

“Where do you have to go to get the anise?”

Wiping her eyes with the backs of her forelegs and clearing her throat, Pinkamena sniffles wetly and gathers herself. Her voice wavers at first but the natural timbre returns quickly. “Over the western hill. There’s a patch near the raspberry bushes. Do you remember them? It’s not terribly far but I need to go now in order to get back before it’s completely dark.”

Cozy nods and runs off-screen. When she returns, she's carrying a wicker basket in her mouth and lays it before Pinkamena. “Be careful! I’ll make sure to have everything spic and span by the time you get back!”

The mare strokes Cozy’s cheek with one tattered hoof, gives a gentle smile, and takes the basket. She walks out of the frame. Cozy moves to turn the camera off.