There was once a time, not so long ago, when the only restaurants in Canterlot to see any kind of business were those of the high-class. The kinds of places that would only serve a select few meals and look pretty much the same, even the point of hiring suspiciously-identical waiters. That was no longer the case, and now every strange, out-of-the-box and homely restaurant and café had itself up to their knees in orders and visitors. Foremost among them was the Tasty Treat, which was enjoying the usual lunchtime rush. Mares and stallions alike poured into the doors in a rapid rate, ready to try the now-famed spicy and exotic cuisine here. And as usual, they were greeted by that same smiling face they always saw.
"Welcome to the Tasty Treat! Please enjoy your time here!"
Saffron Masala, looking on with pride as customer after customer filled her and her Father's restaurant, and in a rare moment of calm, she let out a contented sigh. But that moment did not last long, as she once more heard the sound of the restaurant's doors opening up behind her. Spinning around, she gave her usual greeting.
"Welcome to the Tas..."
But she stopped, and her smile widened when she saw who it was that now arrived.
"Pinkie!"
The party mare herself was now inside, and likewise gave an even wider smile.
"Saffron!"
The two mares rushed forward, embracing one another in a friendly hug. When they parted, Saffron looked to her with great enthusiasm.
"I am so glad you got my message!"
Pinkie giggled.
"Of course I did! I'm not gonna miss out on a chance to catch up with a friend!"
Saffron nodded to this, watching as Pinkie walked past her and looked out o the other customers.
"So, how are things going?"
Saffron continued to wear her smile as she followed Pinkie's gaze.
"It's been going wonderfully! I can't remember a time when the place was this busy. Papa hasn't stopped cooking since he got up this morning. He's only now had enough time to go out back to take stock of our latest deliveries!"
Pinkie nodded.
"Happy to hear it! Seeing a place like this do well...it really makes me...eeeee!"
Saffron laughed at this enthusiasm, but she soon calmed herself down, looking to her companion.
"I trust you know why I asked you here?"
Again, Pinkie nodded.
"Sure! You wanted to talk food, right?"
The other mare nodded, and together the two began to make their way through the restaurant.
"I heard from Rarity that you yourself are something of a fine cook."
A blush crept onto Pinkie's face.
"Aw! That was nice of her! But I'm really just a baker. Nothing special."
But Saffron looked to her with determination.
"Nonsense! If there's one thing you and Rarity have taught me, it's that any food can succeed!"
She raised a hoof, pointing to the nearby door to the kitchen. Pinkie got the message, smiling as she gave a nod, and the two made their way over. It only took a few moments to enter the place, and immediately Pinkie's nose was filled with a thousand new and different aromas. Naturally, the mare couldn't help but get a satisfied look on her face.
"Oh yeah! That's the stuff!"
Saffron giggled.
"I'm glad you like it. But we're not here for that kind of food."
Pinkie's ears drooped slightly.
"Aww!"
Leading her further in, Saffron lit up her horn, levitating a piece of paper over to Pinkie.
"Here's our current menu. And I think you'll find that there's something rather important missing from it."
Pondering those words, Pinkie leaned in closer, squinting her eyes and rubbing her chin.
"Hmmm...is it...a birthday surprise meal?"
Saffron shook her head.
"Nope."
Pinkie looked to the menu again.
"Is it...some special two-for-one deal?"
Again, Saffron shook her head.
"Not even close."
Another few seconds passed before Pinkie finally sighed.
"Okay, I give up."
Smiling, Saffron set the menu aside, pointing her hoof to Pinkie.
"It's the one thing I happen to know that you specialise in! Desserts!"
Pinkie let out a gasp at this.
"What?! You don't have desserts on your menu?! What kind of a restaurant is this?!"
A moment or two passed while Pinkie's own question sank in for her, and when those moments were done, she regained her smile.
"Oh yeah! I remember what Kind! A good kind!"
Saffron blushed slightly.
"Thank you for your kind words."
But she then gained a more serious look.
"But the sad truth is, as much as my Father and I adore our own cooking, desserts and sweet things have never really been our specialty."
She turned, looking upon the door to the main restaurant area.
"It came to our attention that many in this street have branched out into different things. We thought we could do the same, but..."
However, Pinkie was not concerned, and gently placed her hoof upon Saffron's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Saffy! You came to the right mare! I'll help you make some of the tastiest, sweeties and all-around bestest desserts these customers of yours have ever seen!"
Saffron's face lit up with happiness, but before she could get a word in, Pinkie's face morphed into a more thoughtful one.
"Although...given what I've heard about the desserts in this part of town before Rarity and me showed up...that might not be too hard to do."
In spite of herself, Saffron giggled at that remark, as indeed did Pinkie, and when the laughter finally died down, the unicorn gave her an appreciative glance.
"I really must thank you for your aid, Pinkie. I didn't really know who else my Father and I could turn to."
Pinkie's chest briefly swelled with pride at that, but she simply waved a hoof at her.
"No need to worry, Saffron. I promise I'll help however I can. But first things first..."
She glanced around the kitchen briefly.
"...I'm gonna need some...other ingredients."
It was as if Saffron only now realised Pinkie's point, looking around herself and seeing all of the spicy and other assortments of food they had around the place.
"Yes...I suppose we're not really prepared for this type of cooking."
Pinkie giggled again.
"For the record, this kind will really just be baking. And besides..."
She gained a sly look to her.
"...we already have the right ingredients."
Saffron looked to her, seeming rather understandably confused by those words. Seeing the look on her face, Pinkie cleared her throat, before reaching up and, to Saffron's further confusion, started rummaging around in her puffy pink mane. She did this for a good few moments, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she did so. But in the end, she returned to her usual smile, pulling out a few items from that copious mane of hers. A bag of sugar, a spoon, some flour, and a good many other ingredients. As she set them all to the side, Saffron stared at them, then to her, then back to the ingredients before finally just settling on Pinkie.
"You...you just happened to have dessert ingredients...in your mane?"
Pinkie nodded, apparently not seeing any issues with this.
"Of course, silly! I always try to keep cake ingredients close by!"
Looking around in a suspicious manner, Pinkie then leaned in closer to Saffron, bringing her voice to a whisper.
"It's for cake emergencies!"
Saffron stared at her for almost a full minute, before simply letting out a sigh, then looking back up at her with a warm and genuine smile.
"You know...I should be surprised by this...but I'm not."
To that, Pinkie let out another happy squeal, giving Saffron yet another tight hug before looking once more to her ingredients.
"Well then...let's get baking!"
