It was early morning at Sugarcube Corner. The fragrance of newly baked bread was everywhere, even sipping out the front door, teasing ponies that walked by. Upstairs, Pinkie was getting ready to meet Applejack. Once a month, they would get together to bake various treats. This day, however, was something of a special occasion.
"I can't believe it's been a year since we started our monthly baking already! It's finally the anniversary!", Pinkie said to herself with a smile. "Time sure flies!...I wonder if you can catch flying time with a net...or maybe lure it in with an open hourglass!" Her mind wandered on, as it so often does.
A knock on the door brought her back into reality. She opened the door, only to reveal Applejack, in what she could only describe as one of the cutest aprons she had ever seen. It was light blue, with apple-printing all around it. At the front, in big letters, it said "Cooking with apples". "That's AJ for you!" she thought to herself.
"Hiya Pinkie! Ya ready to get bakin'?" the orange pony asked.
“Almost, I just gotta go get the cookbook!”
It was no ordinary cookbook she meant. Everytime she and Applejack was baking, they used a very special book, engraved with the word “ApplePie”, combining their names that suited well as a title for a cookbook. They had bought it at a bookstore recommended by Twilight, in Canterlot. It featured a great number of different recipes, but also had blank notes at the back, for adding your own. Of course, Pinkie and Applejack had written quite a few of their own favorites in it.
Pinkie had a special place in which they stored the precious book. A dedicated drawer box, perfect in size for nothing but the book. As Pinkie walked over to the drawer, Applejack's mouth started watering.
“Ah' can't wait to try that “Royal Applepie” recipe we've been savin'. Ah' brought nothin' but my finest apples!” She motioned to her saddlebags, filled with bright red apples. Pinkie had been too mesmerized by the apron to notice them. “Oh yeah, it's gonna be delish!” Pinkie replied.
Before Pinkie could reach the drawer, a loud voice was heard from downstairs.
“PINKIE! GET DOWN HERE, QUICKLY!”
It was Ms. Cake, screaming with all her might. Both Pinkie and Applejack came running down the stairs. They were greeted to what looked like a hilariously dancing Ms. Cake.
“Pinkie, get this thing off of me!” she said, panicking around the bakery.
It was Gummy, who had taken a big toothless bite on her tail.
“He likes you! He always bites the tails of ponies he likes!” Pinkie said with a big grin on her face.
Ms. Cake however, wasn't amused.
“Just get him off already!”
“Okie dokie lokie!” She wagged her own tail in front of Gummy, trying to lure him over. It looked like a huge piece of cotton-candy. Too inviting to resist, Gummy jumped over to Pinkie's tail instantly.
“I've told you before Pinkie,” Ms. Cake said while raising a hoof towards Gummy. “You've got to keep an eye on your pet. You know he isn't allowed inside the kitchen.”
Hearing the disappointment in Ms. Cake's voice, Pinkie looked down at the floor. She just couldn't bare to look directly into her eyes when answering.
“I'm sorry.” That was all she could say.
“We both are”, Applejack added. “Ah' should'a noticed that Gummy wasn't in Pinkie's room. It's as much m'ah fault he got out...He probably ran off when Ah' walked into Pinkie's room.”
Pinkie's heart filled with joy, knowing that she had such a good friend. Not every friend would step in like that. It was typical of Applejack though, and Pinkie loved that about her.
Ms. Cake sighted. “Okay, you're off the hook this time. But I don't want him in the kitchen any more, understood?” Both Pinkie and Applejack nodded.
“You hear that, Gummy? No more being naughty, ok?” Gummy merely blinked. “Great! He promises to not be naughty and run away to the kitchen anymore, and he's sooo sorry about all of this.”
Applejack stared at Pinkie. “You got all of that from one blink?”
“Yep!” Pinkie replied, and began walking back up to her room.
“Well, alrighty then.” Applejack said with a smirk, following Pinkie up the stairs.
Back in Pinkie's room, she started wondering. What exactly was Gummy doing in the kitchen? It wasn't like him to go downstairs without supervision. She looked at her pet, still biting down hard on her tail. But she decided not to think too much on the matter. The baking was waiting!
“Alright, Gummy. Off you go!” Pinkie shook her tail, trying to release the tail from the alligators tight grip. However, Gummy wouldn't let go.
“Come on, your basket is right there. I'm sure you'd like a nappy-wappy!” she said, shaking even harder than before, but to no avail.
“Off.”
With a single word from Applejack, the baby gator let go instantly. Pinkie stared at Applejack. “How...”
“Many hours trainin' with Winona.” Applejack said with pride.
“Ya gotta let 'em know who's boss.”
With Gummy now finally in his basket, the baking could begin.
“Come on now, Pinkie. Get the book already.” Applejack was getting impatient, her hooves itching to knead some dough. With glee, Pinkie bounced over to her drawer. She opened it, seemingly pulling out the book and holding it over her head while proclaiming “Let's get baking!!”
“Umm...Pinkie? Where's the book?” Applejack asked while tipping her head in slight confusion.
“Huh?” Pinkie looked straight up into her hooves. And sure enough, there was nothing there.
She looked down into the empty drawer. “What the...It's gone!” Pinkie said, with a high-pitched voice.
Pinkie, now in a panicked state, started searching the other drawer boxes.
“I always but it back in the drawer after we're done! Always!”
Applejack, still wearing her apron, threw it off onto Pinkie's bed.
“Calm down, sugarcube,” she said. “The book's gotta be here. It's not like it magically grew wings like a pegasus and flew out the window.”
Pinkie gasped loudly. “What if it did?!”
True, stranger things had happened, thought Applejack.
“Nah, it's bound to be here somewhere. Let's just start searchin' your room.”
They spent a good hour looking for the book, turning Pinkie's room into a complete mess.
“It's no use...it isn't here...” Pinkie said, almost teary eyed.
Applejack looked around the war zone that was now Pinkie's room. Where could that darn book be, she wondered.
“Maybe,” she said, “we left it in the kitchen over at m'ah place, since last time.”
Pinkie turned around and looked at Applejack. “Hey yeah! Maybe we did! Let's go look! Lets-go-lets-go-lets-go!” Pinkie grabbed Applejack and rushed down the stairs.
Not wanting to waste any more time, they started galloping through Ponyville. Various ponies along the way looked at them, wondering what the rush was. But seeing Pinkie in the lead, they simply thought its was Pinkie being Pinkie, off doing yet another one of her wacky adventures.
While they were in a hurry, it didn't stop Pinkie from being her usual self, greeting different ponies with a “Hi!” or a “How ya doin'?” Applejack loved that about Pinkie.
Finally reaching Sweet Apple Acres, they could finally slow down and take a refreshing breath.
“Now, if I was a cookbook,” Pinkie said, while putting on her deerstalker hat and pulling out a magnifying glass, “where would I be?”
“Gee, Ah' dunno, in the kitchen maybe?” Applejack asked, rolling her eyes.
“Hmm...You might be on to something. Let's go check it out!”
Pinkie proceeded towards the kitchen with her trademark bouncing.
Entering the kitchen, they were struck by the intense smell of apples and cinnamon, among other spicy aromas. Applejack always loved walking into the farms kitchen. This is were she grew up. So many hours spent preparing and cooking, so many happy memories with Granny Smith.
“Why hello there, youngins.” Granny Smith welcomed the pair.
“Hiya Granny! How ya do-”
“Where's the book, Granny?!” Pinkie interupted Applejack, eager to get her hooves on it.
Applejack didn't approve of her being rude, but at the same time, she understood how important the cookbook and the whole monthly baking thing was too her. It was just as important to herself.
“Book?” the old mare asked. “Ah' have plenty a' books. Which one ya lookin' for?”
“You know very well what book! It's the most special book there ever was!”
One could hear...no, feel the intensity in Pinkie's voice. She obviously loved it very much. Granny Smith knew instantly which book she meant.
“Ah...well, m'ah memory ain't what it once was,” she said, “but I reckon you took it with ya last time y'all was here.”
“Are ya sure, Granny?” Applejack asked, still hoping the book might be somewhere in the kitchen.
Granny thought for a bit. “Hmm...Well...That adorable little filly Fluttershy did come over the other day...Wanted to borrow a book, Ah' said sure, help ya self.”
“AHA!” Pinkie proclaimed. “So it was Fluttershy who took our book! Come on, Applejack, let's go!” Once again, Pinkie grabbed Applejack and ran out the door.
“Thank's for ya help, Granny!” Applejack shouted, as the two began running again, this time towards Fluttershy's cottage.
As they were running, Applejack spoke her mind. “Y'know,” she said, “Ah' don't think Fluttershy's got our book. All she ever cooks, is fancy sallads and the occasional sweet, for her animal friends. Never any heavy stuff, like cakes and pies.”
Pinkie thought for a moment about what Applejack had said. It's true, what would she do with an advanced cookbook?
Just then, they heard something. “Hoo Hoo”
“Who what?” Pinkie asked. “Ah' didn't say anything.” Applejack replied.
They both stopped running, and looked straight up. It was Twilight's pet owl, Owloysius.
“Look! In his talons!” Applejack shouted. “A book!”
From the distance, they could indeed see the owl holding a book, identical to their own cookbook.
“Why that no good-for-nothin' bird! Come on, Pinkie! Let's follow it!...Pinkie?”
Pinkie was already following Owloysius, screaming “Come back here with our book!”
“Hey, wait for me!” Applejack started sprinting behind Pinkie.
They slowly ran after the owl for sometime. It wasn't the fastest flier there was, but since they lacked wings, all they could do was follow it.
“If only Rainbow Dash was here right now,” Pinkie muttered. “She could've flown up there and nabbed him.”
Applejack wasn't arguing. She wanted the book back, almost more so than Pinkie.
Having been steadily running for a while, they were now back in Ponyville. As they saw Owloysius fly in through a window at Twilight's library, they both got the same awful idea. Had Twilight orded the poor owl to steal their precious book? Surely, that can't be the case, they both thought.
They approached the library door. Pinkie, throwing caution to the wind, knocked as loudly as she could. The door opened, revealing Spike. “Oh, hi girls! What brings you here? Isn't today your baking day?”
Pinkie, starting to smell a conspiracy, pushed her head against Spike's.
“And how would YOU know that we were going to bake today, huh?
“Umm...everypony knows, Pinkie. You go around telling it to all of Ponyville all the time. I wouldn't be surprise if Celestia herself knows about it.”
“He's right, y'know,” Applejack said. “You DO go around telling it to everypony.”
“Oh yeah, I do don't I?” Pinkie giggled.
“Anyway, what can I help you with?” Spike seemed eager to help with whatever he could.
“We'd like to see Twilight real fast.” Applejack said with a calm voice.
She didn't want to let on how stressed she was about finding the book.
“Well, right this way.” Spike lead the way into Twilight's bedroom, where Twilight was organizing some of her favorite books.
“Hello Pinkie, Applejack. What brings you here?” Twilight asked while continuing to sort through her books.
“Well...” Applejack tried to find the right words, not wanting to offend her friend. “Y'see, we were gonna start baking earlier, but couldn't find our book, and...” Pinkie butted in. “And we just now saw your owl fly around with our book!”
Twilight giggled a little. “You mean this book?” Twilight pulled out a book from her personal library. Pinkie gasped. “There it is! Twilight, how could you?!”
Twilight giggled some more. “Look closer, Pinkie. While it may look exactly like your cookbook, it's not.”
Taking a closer look at the book, they saw that it didn't have the same engraving. This book said “Checklist Collections”.
“I ordered it from that book shop in Canterlot. I had Owloysius fly over and get it for me. I'd usually send Spike for such things, but he's been working hard lately, he deserved a break.” Twilight pointed her hoof, showing how extremely tidy and clean the little dragon had made things.
Both Pinkie and Applejack looked at each other, and let out a happy sigh, relieved that the horrible thought they had earlier wasn't true.
“Well, if the book ain't here, then our search continues.” Applejack said, while moving towards the door.
“Wait,” Twilight said, stopping them in their tracks. “You actually thought I had taken your book? I know I love books and all, being an 'egghead' as Rainbow Dash puts it, but really?”
Both Pinkie and Applejack looked down at the floor, feeling bad for having thought so.
“We're really sorry, Twilight!” Pinkie said.
“Ah' guess our minds began thinkin' all crazy like, in our lookin' for that darn book.” Applejack added.
Twilight got a smile on her face. “Don't worry about it, girls. I know you didn't mean it. And let me know if you need help finding your book. I have experience with that sort of thing.”
They both nodded, smiling at each other and Twilight.
The time had gone past quickly now, it was already late evening. Pinkie's idea of capturing time earlier could've come in handy by now.
Pinkie looked sad. Sadder than Applejack had ever seen her.
“We didn't get to bake today...and it's all my fault!”
“Hey now, sugarcube,” Applejack said, while putting a hoof around her pink friend. “We can bake some other day. Or maybe double next time!”
Applejack tried to make Pinkie happy, but it didn't work.
“But today was supposed to be special! And I ruined everything by not looking after our special book...I ruined our anniversary baking!”
“Anniversary?” Applejack asked. “You mean it's been a year already? Well golly, time sure flies!”
Pinkie looked up at Applejack. “You mean you didn't know it was our anniversary?”
Applejack shook her head.
“Nah, Ah' don't count things like that. Cause every time we bake together is special to me. Whether it's 10 times, 100 times or heck, 1000 times we bake, it wouldn't matter, it's all special to me. Every single time.”
Pinkie couldn't describe the happiness, the warmth she felt just then. It reminded her of the feeling she got after throwing her very first party. With teary eyes, she hugged Applejack like never before.
“I feel exactly the same way,” she said, hugging tighter and tighter.
The sun had now gone down the horizon, and the moon was slowly rising to take its place.
“Sugarcube?” Applejack asked quietly. “Perhaps it's time to get movin'.”
She didn't want the hug to end, but that was an unrealistic desire.
“Come on, Ah'll walk ya home and help ya clean your room.”
“Thank you, Applejack.” Pinkie said, while slowly releasing from the hug.
As they entered the bakery, they noticed a smell, different from the bread and cupcake aroma that usually filled the room. They also noticed that the lights were on in the kitchen. This was strange, seeing as the Cakes didn't bake anything at such a late hour.
Pinkie and Applejack walked out into the kitchen, only to find an adorable sight of Gummy, sleeping on the table.
“Pinkie, look!” Applejack pointed a hoof to the table.
There it was, right next to Gummy. Their precious cookbook.
“Applejack, look!” Pinkie pointed a hoof to huge applepie, cooling on the window sill.
Applejack and Pinkie couldn't believe it. It would seem that Gummy had taken the book, and baked what appeared to be a perfect applepie!
“Wait a darn minute here...Did he...Ah' mean, did Gummy bake...that?!” Applejack asked, while staring at both the pie and the alligator with wide opened eyes.
Pinkie couldn't control herself, and woke Gummy up with a great big hug.
“You amazing little alligator you! You did this all by yourself?!”
Gummy blinked. It caused Pinkie to get teary eyed again.
“What did he say, Pinkie?” Applejack asked, not even second guessing that Pinkie understood what Gummy “said”.
“He...He wanted to bake something for us, for our anniversary.”
Now even Applejack was teary eyed. “Well Ah'll be...That is one amazin' little gator ya got there.”
“Haha, he sure is!” Pinkie said, wiping a tear of her eye. “Now how about we try a piece of that pie?”
Applejack agreed completely. She'd been wanting some applepie since early this morning, and finally, she'd get some.
As they tried a bite, they simultaneously let out a loud “mmmmm!”
“Now THAT's what Ah' call a pie!” Applejack said happily, eating yet another bite. “Mhm!” Pinkie agreed, while having her mouth full of delicious pie. “If Gummy was a pony, I'm sure he'd get a pie-shaped cutie mark!”
Gummy looked at Pinkie, with a hint of a smile, only to bite her tail again.
Both Applejack and Pinkie wrapped their arm around each other, and started laughing.
From that day forth, it wasn't just Applejack's and Pinkie's special baking day. Gummy was now with them everytime, helping out with whatever he could.
The baking duo had now become a trio.
