As always, it was a beautiful sun filled day in Ponyville. Fillies and colts were playing tag with each other in flower filled meadows or sliding and swinging on fun filled playgrounds. Couples were laughing and whispering sweet nothings to each other. Every pony was enjoying the lovely day.
A well-known and much loved pink earth pony was happily trotting through the streets giving each pony a smile and a friendly wave. Pinkie Pie was always happy to see a friendly pony. She was also always happy to cheer up a frowny face, but today was just a wonderful day.
Pinkie hummed a little tune as her pink poofy mane bounced with her steps. She was super excited about today. It wasn’t her usual reason for being super excited either.
This afternoon she was on her way home to enjoy one of her favorite past times. It just so happened this past time was also what she did for a living. She was going to bake a cupcake. That is right she was going to bake a single cupcake.
Most ponies would say this was impossible or crazy and you had to fill the whole tray. Pinkie however, knew how to bake a single one. It was going to be the single most perfect, most delicious cupcake. She didn’t have a name for the creation yet. It was simply too perfect to just toss out a name for it.
This cupcake was a serious cupcake too. She gathered all of the right perfect ingredients for it. She didn’t use just normal flour for it. She used flour from a certain shop on the right side of a certain street. There was something about the shop that made the bag of flour extra special. Maybe it was the storage conditions, or the walk back from the store or something else, but the treat she was making required this store’s flour only. No other flour would do.
She had several other ingredients as well. Each had its own special something it added to the perfect cupcake. She even had a certain pan, whisk and every other utensil required for baking this cupcake. For this dessert, everything had to be just right.
Pinkie finally opened the door to her house as she walked inside and closed it behind her. She was ready for her creation. She put on her best apron and got out her best oven mitts. She was ready and excited to bake.
Pinkie placed the aged cupcake pan on her counter and she adjusted the angle correctly. She even used a level to make sure it sat right on the counter top.
She next mixed up the batter for this wonderful creation. Pinkie was careful with each ingredient used in the batter. She took special care to measure out every ingredient correctly.
The baker mixed it all together with careful and precise stirs. She made sure to end the mixing with just the perfect little twist. She then poured the batter slowly into the left center cup in the 12 cup pan. She had made sure each of the middle cups were used evenly when she made this treat.
She set the timer on the oven down to the correct hundredth of a second.
Next it was time to make the frosting. Pinkie added in the butter, icing sugar, and milk with precision. After this, the pink pony measured out the extra flavors and added them with care.
She used an eye dropper for the extra flavors in the special frosting. Of course it was only these flavors that were ever used in the dropper and nothing else. She even had a certain order the few flavor extracts were to be added. She whipped up the frosting the special way for this cupcake.
Finally everything was set. She put up and stored everything she didn’t need and waited for the baking to finish.
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After her oven dinged, Pinkie got out the cupcake and looked it over. The golden brown cake part of the treat was perfect. She took in a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh baked scent. She then squeezed out the frosting and applied it with perfect precision. Finally the pony baker added the sprinkles carefully.
Once this was all done Pinkie Pie took the cheery and ate it with a smile. Next she took the perfect sized bite that she carefully measured out to equal the perfect number of bites for enjoyment.
The treat, as always, was wonderful. She loved it after just one bite. Her open window made it even better.
She was just about to take a second bite when a large burst of wind sailed through the window and caught her by surprise. She gasped as the strong force caused her to accidentally drop the perfect cupcake on the floor. The frosting side landed first.
She barely heard a shout of apology from a mare outside. “That force of wind got away from me… Sorry everypony.” Outside there were a few murmurs as ponies went back to their wonderful day.
Inside her house Pinkie’s mane and tail deflated. Her usually bright blue eyes started to water as her lower lip quivered. She gave a sniff as a single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed on the remains of her hard earned and studied treat. Her perfect cupcake was ruined. Everything she worked for was destroyed.
Pinkie stood up lifelessly as she left the kitchen. She was too sad to clean the remains of her wonderful creation up at that moment. All the years she took to figure it out gone, because of some stray wind.
The pony slowly trotted upstairs and sat at her old writing desk. She lowered her head in sorrow. It wasn’t too long until she pulled out a roll of paper, an inkwell, and quill from her desk.
A hoof trembled for a moment as she dipped the quill into the ink and placed it on the paper. She slowly moved the quill back and forth as she wrote words on the paper from her heart.
Ode to a Cupcake
Oh Cupcake, oh Cupcake.
How I loved thee, my Cupcake.
So golden brown was your bread that even the sun dareth not out shine it.
So perfectly tuned your batter that even the Canterlot Orchestra would envy thee.
Your frosting, so perfect that not a ridge of delight was rough or out of place.
Your frosting, so delectable that even the stars in the night would sing of thee.
Sprinkles stood perfect and buried just right in your sweetness.
The cheery so juicy and perfect in its nest of flavor.
Oh Cupcake I loved thee. How I loved thee.
My mouth did sing praise when we briefly joined together.
One bite for my taste buds to experience pure ecstasy which could only be sung from mountain top.
One bite only followed by darkness and emptiness.
Curse the cruel wind that blew you from my hooves.
How horrible and harsh a mistress nature can be.
How painful her mockery of sunlit skies and warmth in your absence.
How sorrowful my heart after your departure.
Oh Cupcake, oh Cupcake.
How I loved you, my Cupcake.
Day 15 of May. 16th hour, 37th minute, 45th second, and 78th hundredth second.
I, Pinkamena Diane Pie, will never forget you or this day and time.
Pinkie finished writing as a couple of tears dotted the bottom of her paper. She sniffed one last time.
The pink pony then rolled up her piece of paper and tucked it away in the secret drawer of her desk. She next placed the inkwell and Quill back where they belonged.
Pinkie stood up and stretched. Her mane and tail poofed out once more. Pinkie simply said aloud in her room. “Oh well. I guess I’ll just have make another perfect cupcake.”
Pinkie trotted downstairs once more into her kitchen with a heavy heart.
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In the kitchen, a ding was heard. Pinkie got out the cupcake and looked it over. The golden brown cake part of the treat was perfect. She took in a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh baked scent. She then squeezed out the frosting and applied it with perfect precision. Finally the pony baker added the sprinkles carefully.
Pinkie ate the cherry first. Next she took the perfectly measured bite to maximize enjoyment of the treat.
And this time…
This…
Time…
She took a second bite and smiled.
It really was a beautiful and lovely day after all.
