Taming The Past

It was a beautiful Saturday evening, when the full moon was in view and all the shining stars filled the night sky like a portrait of the night. At Pinkie Pie’s residence, just above Sugar Cube Corner, three figures were gathered: Maud Pie, Pinkie’s older sister, and her two best friends, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle.

Around this hour, Rainbow Dash sat on the living room couch playing a video game she brought over from home and was really getting into it. Pinkie Pie and her sister Maud were gathered in the kitchen preparing the meals. By preparing the meals, it was Pinkie Pie sitting in the corner reading the cookbook while Maud did all the cooking, following the recipe. As for Twilight Sparkle, she was working hard to finish her Calculus assignment from school.

Of course, Twilight Sparkle found it rather hard to concentrate with all the shouting she could hear coming from the living room right across from the guest area.

“Oh yeah, gotcha good buddy!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “How do like that? Wait… WHAT?! Why, you little cheater?! I oughtta…”

Twilight Sparkle sighed, shaking her head as she adjusted her glasses. When it comes to Rainbow Dash, she gets heavily invested in any game she plays whether it’s for the Canterlot High sports teams or in this case a video game. Twilight can still remember how she nearly ‘Rage Quit’ competing with Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy during one of those multi-player tournament games… Which surprisingly Fluttershy won. Twilight, nor any of the other girls, had a clue what Rainbow Dash was playing but they hoped she wouldn’t get carried away.

“Maaaud!” Pinkie groaned, looking from the cookbook. “When’s the food gonna be ready? We got hungry tummies to feed!”

If there was one thing to note about Pinkie Pie, she was never the patient type… Especially when she’s hungry.

“Almost finished,” Maud replied, in her usual monotone voice.

Suffice to say, Maud never once lifted her head. She too was heavily invested, in this case on her culinary creation which Pinkie insisted was the most delicious treat she ever made. While not much was known about Maud, apart from her odd fascination with rocks, surprisingly cooking was one of her favorite hobbies. Pinkie Pie would’ve prepared the dish herself, but she insisted that Maud have a go in the kitchen. Maud didn’t seem to mind cooking for the girls, then again, it’s difficult to tell since hardly anyone but Pinkie understands her.

“BOOM!”

A shout stirred the girls from focus, turning in unison toward the living room entrance.

“Don’t bring that mess in my house! You… Just… Lost! WHOO!”

The two Pie sisters and Twilight Sparkle got a good chuckle out hearing Rainbow Dash congratulating herself.

“Hey Twi, c’mere!” Rainbow Dash called off. “You got see the most awesometacular score I just made! Beat my own record!”

“Just a minute, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out, face-deep in her work. “I’m almost done.”

All at once, Twilight Sparkle’s face lit up as if she just had an epiphany. She quickly scribbles down the final part of the equation, completing the answer to the final question. When that was complete, Twilight Sparkle carefully stores all her papers into her binder and slides it in her bag, along with her number 2 pencil. She only just got her stuff together when Pinkie Pie made the announcement.

“Lunch is ready girls! Come and get it!!!”

It wasn’t long before all the girls gathered together for lunch, Rainbow Dash strolling in last as cool as ever. Of course, rather than eating in the more spacious, if not charming, customer dining area of Sugar Cube Corner, instead they ate in the private dining room just behind the kitchen. Suffice to say, it was rather plain, small, and somewhat cramped but they managed.

Now if anyone thought Pinkie Pie had a major appetite, Rainbow Dash’s was twice that big as if she burned a severe amount of calories in one single day. So big an appetite Rainbow Dash ate every portion of the three sandwiches Maud served: From the lettuce, the tomatoes, the cheese, the mayonnaise, and not leaving a scrap of meat left on the plate. Watching her eat, apart from the occasional blink, Maud didn’t express very much as she watched Pinkie’s friend eat.

Overall, everyone’s sandwiches were beautifully crafted, particularly one sandwich containing salmon, thin slices of beef, and a slice of ham (Which Rainbow Dash devoured). For the rest, every topping was perfectly centered, even the sesame seeds were symmetrically dusted. No wonder the cooking took a while, almost made them feel bad for Maud. All that time and effort to craft such beautiful sandwiches and they were being reduced to crumbs.

Rainbow Dash happily scarfed down her lunch in a matter of seconds, twenty to be precise. Not like Pinkie had the table manners of an upper crust, she ate her meal so messily it was shameless. As Twilight Sparkle looked around, she watched Maud Pie take the cookbook, return it to the shelf, and sat quietly on an empty chair. As odd as Maud can be, Twilight Sparkle was always curious as to what she was thinking. Maud didn’t even seem to notice Twilight watching nor did she seem to care.

While this was going on, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie kept eating their sandwiches. Twilight almost imagined that even if all the food were gone, Rainbow could eat the whole table with her appetite. But then Twilight realized, she was so busy watching everyone eat that when she looked at her plate, she hadn’t taken a single bite at all. Still, she was amazed by the plating especially the masterpiece positioned upon it.

“Wow, this looks incredible,” Twilight thought.

“Hey Twilight!” Pinkie called. “Twilight!”

It was as if Twilight was instantly drawn back into reality, Pinkie’s voice stirring her out of her thoughts.

“Huh? Oh sorry, Pinkie,” Twilight answered, shaking herself. “What did you say?”

“I was asking about those papers were you were working on. What were you doing?”

It was during this moment Twilight had been looking around, not realizing how much time had actually passed. Twilight barely finished her first sandwich, having only taken two bites prior. Rainbow Dash was already done with her own pile, while Maud sat quietly, leisurely chewing on her second sandwich. As for Pinkie… Well, Twilight had lost count.

“It’s Calculus II,” Twilight replied, sounding humble. “Nothing too big.”

“Two calcu – calculuses… Too much math to me,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “How many even are there?”

“Well, actually there are different stages of calculus,” Twilight explained. “Back in Crystal Prep Academy, there are eight levels. But you only need to take the first two just for a math major.”

Rainbow Dash was so surprised at the mount of levels, she choked on her food and spat it out on her plate.

“Eight?! Now what kind of egghead would take EIGHT YEARS of calculus?”

Twilight Sparkle turned toward Rainbow Dash, tugging her glasses down with her eyebrows raised. It didn’t take long for Rainbow Dash to put two-and-two together, chuckling nervously.

“Oh, well… I mean nothing wrong with that. It’s all cool. Maybe if it were like a video game, I’d bet those levels faster than rhino eating cucumbers.”

“Rhinos don’t eat cucumbers,” Maud replied.

“Oh, come on! Just let me have this one!” Rainbow complained.

“Well, this class I’m working on is second level,” Twilight replied. “I completed Calculus I a long time ago.”

“And how did you find the time?”

“Well… I took AP Calculus during freshman year, least when I was still at Crystal Prep at the time. Course, the difference between AP Calculus and a regular class is that the former allows students college credits if they pass. Regular high school classes don’t do that.”

To say that all the girls were dumbfounded was an understatement. But Twilight realized it was that rare moment in her life she told anyone about her scholastic life, especially in Crystal Prep.

“So… Crystal Prep,” Pinkie Pie asked. “What was that like?”

But instead of answering Pinkie directly, Twilight instantly grabbed her sandwich and wolfed down the biggest bite she could. Not so much to avoid the question, truth be told she was very hungry. Still, Pinkie seemed to take the hint and dropped the question. Twilight knew she needed to change the subject, least as soon as her mouth was clear.

“Hey Maud, how did you learn to make food so well?”

Deep down, Twilight Sparkle already knew the answer. The entire Pie family are trained chefs, even for just sandwiches. Maud just stared at Twilight, as if she knew her strategy. If there’s one thing about Maud: She cares for people, especially her sister, but she doesn’t like being used like a pawn. Maud just shook her head, her eyes closed, while quietly chewing on her sandwich. Maud was too clever even for Twilight’s own good, that was a mistake. Pinkie and Rainbow, meanwhile, stared at Maud expecting her to say something… But there was only silence.

As they turn to each other, not understanding what’s going on, they turn toward Twilight and suspected she looked perturbed. There she was quietly chewing her sandwich, staring down at her plate, and they almost saw a blush on her cheeks. Twilight, on the other hand, was hoping no one would quiz her further regarding her education. But eventually, Rainbow Dash realized enough was enough.

“Twilight, is something wrong?”

Twilight Sparkle swallowed whatever was in her mouth, sighing exasperatedly. Rainbow Dash must’ve realized what Twilight was hinting at and suffice to say she looked offended. Her eyebrows angled, a frown forming upon her face, and she was not happy.

“Look, I don’t expect you to tell us about it you don’t. We get it if this is too uncomfortable to talk about. But sooner or later, we’re going to find out about it anyway. You know?”

“It’s fine, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight grumbled, sighing. “Okay, okay… I’ll tell you guys. But… Can we at least talk in the den though?”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie nodded, while Maud merely blinked her eyes. After finishing the last few bites of her meal, Twilight lead the girls into the living room. Once inside, Twilight sat on a stool just in front of the couch, waiting for her friends to get situated. Pinkie Pie sat down in the middle, while Rainbow Dash and Maud took each side.

All was silent as the three girls waited for Twilight to speak, never-mind the fact that she seemed nervous. Twilight sat with her eyes toward the floor, her hands in her skirt pockets, her legs crossed, and her mind filled with anxiety. She can feel their eyes staring at her, as if they could pierce deep into her well-being. Twilight took a deep breath, pulling her head up, knowing there was only one best place to start…

The very beginning…