Pinkie’s Pies

by Uz Naimat

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 7 (EqG), Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Slice of Life, Pinkie Pie (EqG), Equestria Girls
Length: 5716

Pinkie has decided that it’s time to embark on a new adventure: write a book! It’s going to be wonderful and interesting, but most importantly, it’ll make people smile.

Book-writing isn’t easy. It takes years of hard work, dedication, and skill to write a book that publishers deem worthy for libraries. There’s also editing, proofreading, cover designing, and more.

Pinkie Pie has decided she doesn’t need all that to write her book.

She’s going to make a cookbook that’ll contain her most fabulous recipes, everything she’s learned since the moment she cracked her first egg! Why, you ask? Because Pinkie wants to share the joy she feels whenever she eats her treats.

After all, what’s the point of pie if not to share?

Behind-the-page: Pinkie’s Pies
Rated: Pretty Good by PaulAsaran
Reviews: Flora Blossom and SwordTune

Now with Patreon!

Published 2021-03-21 21:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-03-21 21:20:00 UTC

Splendirific Recipes

“Good morning, Twilight!”

Twilight Sparkle yelped in surprise, her pen falling. She was busy working on her English essay when Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into her room, unannounced. Twilight bent down to pick her pen up.

Pinkie walked into the room, making herself comfortable on the bed. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Twi. Sorry!” she said, looking like the most unapologetic person in the world.

Twilight straightened her glasses and went back to work. “It’s okay. I was just really buried in this essay. Writing’s a lot harder than it looks.”

“Ooh, writing. That’s actually what I’m here for,” Pinkie said. “I need your help with something.”

Twilight smiled and turned to face her friend. “Of course, Pinkie! What is it?”

“I’m going to write a book.”

Twilight dropped her pen again. “You’re going to what?”

This time, Pinkie was the one who bent to pick the poor pen and settle it on the desk. “Write a book, silly!”

Twilight sat straighter in her chair. “I know. I heard you the first time,” she said. “I was just surprised. I never expected you of all people to be interested in book-writing. What’s it gonna be about?”

Pinkie bounced on the bed, smiling widely, and said, “It’s a cookbook! It’ll contain all the recipes I’ve ever made!”

“That’s wonderful, Pinkie.” Twilight paused. “But why?”

Pinkie stopped bouncing, her smile decreasing in size. “I want to share happiness. I try my best to make people smile whenever I can, and I’ve noticed that food, especially sugar, makes me really happy. It may not work for everyone, but I want to bring a smile to as many people as I can. I already share my recipes online, why not in libraries, too?”

Twilight returned the smile. “I understand. I’ll help you. What exactly do you need help wi-!”

Twilight did not get to finish her sentence. Pinkie had jumped off the bed to give Twilight a Pinkie-style bone-crushing hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Pinkie squealed.

Twilight struggled to breathe. “Need... air...” Pinkie released her immediately.

“Oh, right! Sorry!”

Twilight took a few deep breathes before speaking. “As I was saying, I’ll help you. What do you need help with?”

“Right. I know exactly what’s going to go in the book. But I maaaay need someone to help with editing and proofreading and publishing and the like.”

Twilight nodded. “I can do that.”

“Oh, and one more thing. This is a surprise. You must not tell anyone. Not even our friends. I want them to be surprised.”

Twilight gave Pinkie a quizzical look. “I’ll respect your wishes.”

Pinkie suddenly got close to Twilight’s face. “Pinkie Promise me!” Twilight complied and Pinkie smiled.

She had work to do.

Emulsion: Process of combining two ingredients that are normally unmixable.

Pinkie took out her notebook from the nightstand drawer. The notebook was a spiral one, with a pink cover and the words ‘Secret Recipes’ written in black on the font. It was old and worn-down. It was also very important.

The notebook contained almost all of Pinkie’s recipes. Every time Pinkie would make a breakthrough in baking and cooking, she would add it to her notebook. Pinkie’s handwriting was swirly and nearly ineligible, with doodles all over the pages. Not to mention the awful grammar. But that was okay because Pinkie never intended to share her work with others.

Not anymore. Pinkie had made a decision and she intended to stick to it. Her cookbook will be vast and extensive. The recipes that brought her so much joy before would soon bring joy to others, too.

Pinkie had never considered writing before. Sure, she’s written plenty of essays for class, but this was different. She knew it would be a hard task, but Pinkie’s not one to back down from challenging tasks. Plenty of her parties were hard to put together, but that never stopped her, did it?

Pinkie sat down at her desk, setting the notebook on the table. Twilight had told her to rearrange all her recipes by type. Several categories were created: cakes, pies, cupcakes, sundaes, and more.

Pinkie took out several pages and a ballpoint pen from her drawer, getting to work.

Chocolate-honey cake with lemon zest
This recipe is great for anyone who craves pastries that are sweet, with just a little spicy flavor in them. Beware, though! Too much lemon and the sweetness will not be felt.

Several of Pinkie’s recipes were inspired by her friends. They are her biggest source of inspiration and the sweetest thing in her life. She values her friends above anything else. In fact, this book may be partly written by them.

Pinkie spent all of the night at her desk, working. She had gone through the entire notebook, only to realize she had more in other drawers.

She had no time rush, so she went to bed at two in the morning and fell asleep within seconds.

The CHS cafeteria was filled with laughs and pleasant talk. At a particular table, seven friends were eating their lunches.

“I still can’t believe I got a B on my English essay. I was so sure of my work,” Twilight moaned.

Sunset patted her on the shoulder. “Easy there, Twi. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Says the one who scored an A+,” Twilight murmured, wincing at Sunset’s touch.

“I’m more surprised Pinkie scored an A+,” Applejack said, turning to look at Pinkie.

“Yeah, Pinks. How’d you do it?” Rainbow asked.

Pinkie smiled. “I’ve been studying. And brushing up on my English. I want to write better.” She took out an apple from her hair and munched on it.

“So we’ve noticed,” Rarity remarked.

Sieve: Process of separating solids from liquids, and lumps from powders. Makes batters smooth.

Ever since embarking on the new adventure, Pinkie Pie took the necessary measures to improve her English. She signed up in the school’s book club and took online courses. Pinkie was a fast learner; it didn’t take long for her skills to improve. Twilight’s been helping her.

After school that Monday, the seven Rainbooms dispersed for their after-school activities. Pinkie left to attend her book club meeting.

Twilight had told Pinkie that reading might help write better. It would give her a better understanding of how the world of book writing works.

Today’s book was Mrs. Q’s Roaring Sights.

Pinkie took her seat in the circle, setting her backpack on the ground and taking her copy out. She had enjoyed the book but did not have enough time to finish it.

Twilight was also in the club and took her seat next to Pinkie.

Extra-cheesy grilled cheese with garlic
Studying’s hard enough as it is. But with this sandwich, you’ll find it much more enjoyable. It’s been proven that food helps the brain, so help yourself to this treat!

The club’s president, Micro Chips, stood up and asked each of the members to talk about their favorite chapter of the book.

When it came to Pinkie’s part, she got up and enacted the entire chapter, complete with two-second-long costume changes. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and made everyone laugh.

“Do you want another study session to help with your book?” Twilight asked Pinkie as they emerged from the school late in the afternoon.

“Nah, not today. I’m gonna take a break. Thanks, though! See you tomorrow!” Pinkie beamed as she hopped towards her house.

She had taken an afternoon off from work.

That weekend, Pinkie and her older sister Maud went to visit their parents at their childhood home at the Pie Family Rock Farm.

Pinkie had moved out when she started attending Canterlot High School. Before that, she had lived with her sisters and parents at the Farm. It soon became clear to her parents that life at the Farm was not ideal for Pinkie.

Pinkie was therefore moved to the Cakes’ house. Canterlot City was chosen for its social life. To prevent Pinkie from feeling completely lost, Maud moved with her, enrolling to CHS.

She loved the Cakes, but she missed her family.

Torting: Process of levelling a cake by cutting off the uneven part.

Pinkie and Maud arrived at the farm Saturday afternoon. Limestone Pie was there, working.

“There you are! I was wondering what was taking so long. Get your bags inside and start working,” she barked.

Pinkie rushed to Limestone and enveloped her in a hug. “Wonderful to see you too, Limey!”

“Pinkie! You know the rule! No hugging.”

Pinkie and Maud moved their bags up to the shared bedroom where all four sisters used to sleep.

“You go down to the farm. I’ll handle dinner tonight!” Pinkie exclaimed, puffing her chest for emphasis.

“Sounds good to me,” Maud deadpanned.

The Pie’s family kitchen was grey and cold, mostly made of stone. It was completely against Pinkie’s tastes, and yet, this where she baked her first cake. It was for her first party ever in the family’s barn. It would forever be Pinkie’s fondest memory.

Pinkie unfolded her apron and tied it up.

Rock candy
This one is for the strong toothed. ‘Rock candy’ may sound dangerous at first, but rest assured there are no actual rocks in it. It is as hard as a rock, though.

Over the years, Pinkie had adapted her favorite recipes for her family’s needs. Such as the salty rock soup and hard-as-rock cinnamon buns.

Pinkie spent the next hour cooking several of her family’s favorites. Gummy was by her side, of course, looking at her with encouraging eyes. Pinkie set the feast on the table in the dining hall and then shouted at the top of her lungs, “Dinner’s ready! Everyone come now!”

The Pies filed in the dining hall a few minutes. They were tired and sweaty from a hard day’s work, but their faces had their usual satisfied frowns. Pinkie has the uncanny ability to read her family’s emotions.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as usual. But Pinkie felt the need to break the silence. “So how was everyone’s week?” she asked.

“Dismal. This season’s harvest was not nearly as good as last year’s,” Igneous Pie, Pinkie’s father, replied.

“I’m sure more gems will pop up soon. Just give it some time, Daddy!” Pinkie beamed before stuffing a spoonful of soup in her mouth.

“We do not have the luxury of time, Pinkamena. Our client will be here any day and we need to sell the products now,” said Cloudy Quartz, Pinkie’s mother.

“But you have enough, right?” Pinkie asked. Her parents nodded. “Then excellent! No need to worry!”

Limestone shook her head but said nothing. Dinner ended on that note, none of the family members creating new conversation.

Folding: Technique of gently incorporating two mixtures together.

By the end of two weeks, Pinkie had successfully categorized all her recipes. She had over two hundred, so it took a while. Twilight called Pinkie to her house to type up the first manuscript of the book. Twilight’s mother, Twilight Velvet, was a successful self-published romance author and had a high-quality laptop to type her books.

Twilight was going to use that laptop.

“So. Titles. Do you have any mind?” Twilight asked as she switched on the computer.

Pinkie wheeled a rolling chair and took a seat next to Twilight. “Hmm. My first notebook had Secret Recipes written on the cover. Is that good?”

“I’m pretty sure there’s already a cookbook with that title. Try something else.”

“How about Splendirific Recipes”?

“Too silly. No one’ll take it seriously.”

“Happy Cooking?”

“Too childish, not reflective of what your book contains.”

Pinkie threw her hands in the air. “Alright, fine! You choose one.”

Twilight scratched her chin in thought. “Baking 101 sounds good.”

“Nah. Too common.”

“Cooking and Baking for Beginners?”

“Too long.”

Twilight rubbed the bridge of her nose. “This is hopeless.”

“How about we leave it for later? You can’t force creativity,” Pinkie said.

“Okay,” Twilight said, typing the words ‘Working Title by Pinkie Pie’ at the top of the screen. “Alright! Let’s get to work. The chapters should be each category, that way it’s easier to find them.”

“That should work.” Pinkie smiled. “Ooh! How about we write in alphabetical order of the recipe name?”

“Excellent.”

Pink triple-choco chip cookies
Pink makes everything better! Those soft cookies are also made with three types of chocolates: dark, milk, white. All combined with the lovely pink color to make your mouth water every time you think about it!

“Uh, Pinkie? You might have to tone down the sugar.”

Two hours later and Mrs. Velvet’s computer room was strewn with papers, binders, books, pens. The smell of spaghetti also lingered in the air, since the girls had taken dinner in the room itself. The computer was hot and the freshly printed papers were neatly stacked and color-coded. Twilight herself was at the computer when she called out Pinkie.

Pinkie was on the floor, numbering her ‘Sundaes’ list by ABC-order. “What do you mean by that?”

Twilight got off her chair and took one of the printed pages with her. She crouched down, right next to Pinkie. “Take a look at this,” she said, pointing at the paper. “You can’t possibly need five cups of sugar in a one-layer chocolate cake, especially since the recipes also contains melted milk chocolate.”

“Oh, yeah. I tend to up the sweetness of my recipes,” Pinkie said. “I can handle it, though.”

“That’s because you have a strong stomach. And you’re Pinkie Pie,” Twilight replied, adjusting her glasses. “But you can’t this put out into the world. It’ll be viewed as a health hazard!”

“Then we’ll reduce the sugar! You keep typing as it’s written. I’ll edit the printed copies.” With that, Pinkie got up and took the manuscript pages.

The girls worked for one more hour before turning in. Pinkie Pie stayed at Twilight’s for the night.

Pinkie Pie loved slumber parties. That’s a given.

She was the one who put forth the idea of the Friday night sleepovers. She thought it would be a good idea to have fun and help her friends unwind and relax after a hard week of art school. And boy, was she right!

Tonight was Rarity’s turn to be the host.

Crumb coat: The base for the final, thicker, decorative layer of frosting.

Twilight Sparkle, ever the punctual student, and Pinkie Pie, who would never dare be late for a party, both arrived first. Rarity greeted them at the door.

“Evening, darlings. So glad you could make it.”

Rarity ushered the two friends up to her bedroom, then excused herself when her mother called her downstairs. Twilight and Pinkie were left alone in Rarity’s bedroom. They set their bags down by the four-poster bed and Pinkie sat down on the bed, notebook in hand. She scribbled something down.

Twilight noticed that. “Pinkie, what’re you doing?” she said as she sat next to Pinkie.

Pinkie looked up from her notebook and glanced left and right. Once she made sure no one was in earshot, she said, in a low voice, “It’s for the book. I’m drawing the cover! See?” Pinkie turned her notebook to allow Twilight to see.

The page was filled with pink ink. At the top center, there were the words ‘Written by Pinkie Pie’ in swirly handwriting, and there was were several drawings of cakes, pies, muffins, and the like. It actually looked great.

“The term is ‘designing’. And the drawing looks great, Pinkie. Will this be your cover?” Twilight asked.

“Nu-uh! I’ll draw some more. And then I’ll pick the best!” Pinkie beamed widely.

“Making several samples and then choosing the best. You’re smarter than I initially gave you credit for.” Twilight paused, then frowned. “I’m afraid you’ll have to handle this one yourself. Drawing’s not really my strong suit.”

“That’s okay! You’re being such a great help already.” Pinkie smiled, then put her hand atop Twilight’s. “Thanks a ton, Twi.”

“Howdy, y’all! What’s up?” Applejack said as she entered the room, followed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The group set their bags down.

Two seconds later, Pinkie enveloped them all in one Pinkie-style group hug. The girls were pretty used to those kinds of hugs by now so they made no protests. Pinkie released them a few seconds later.

Twilight looked into the doorway right as Rarity came back. “Hey, where’s Sunset?” Twilight asked.

“She just sent a text. She’ll come straight from work. Do not fret, darling,” Rarity replied.

Seven-layer rainbow cake
So many layers of flavor and happiness in one cake. With this treat, you get to taste the rainbow. Is it complex? Yes. Takes time? Of course! Rewarding? Without a doubt.

The party did not officially start until Sunset showed up fifteen minutes later. Pinkie had insisted; refusing to start any activities without all seven of them present.

And so the party began. It was good fun: they played games, did each other’s hair and, since Rarity was the host, did a fashion with Rarity’s Closet of Shame, which hadn’t been opened in a long time.

Dinner consisted of Cookie Crumbles’ cheese and chicken pasta, with the chicken removed for Sunset and Fluttershy. Then Pinkie decided they needed desert and dragged everyone down to the kitchen to bake a cinnamon-strawberry-honey pie.

That combination obviously worked because Pinkie was baking.

After an hour of work and a messy food fight, the Rainbooms made themselves comfortable in the living room, plates of fresh pie in their hands.

Fluttershy dug her fork into her slice and took a bite. She smiled and looked at Pinkie. “This is excellent, Pinkie! As always.”

Rainbow also took a bite of pie. “I’m not usually into pies, but this is awesome!” She then abandoned the fork and just ate the slice with her hands.

“Aww, shucks, you guys. We all helped,” Pinkie said, before stuffing her face with the treat.

“Exactly. We helped. You did most of the work. And your food is simply the best,” Sunset said.

“Agreed. Pinkie’s pies are the best,” Rarity said, before daintily eating her pie.

Pinkie’s pies.

Pinkie smiled and nearly dropped her plate. That’s it! Pinkie’s Pies! She’d found the title for her book! Pinkie’s smiled was wide and her eyes full of joy. She’d text it to Twilight later, when it seemed less suspicious.

Once again, her friends had inspired her.

Proofing: Final rise of a yeast dough after it is shaped and before it is baked.

The first manuscript was printed.

Pinkie had taken it home the day after spending the night at Twilight’s. She’d taken to adjust some recipe measurements and procedures, such as reducing the sugar, turning down the oven temperature and more.

Then Twilight took the manuscript back to her house to edit the English part of the recipes. She worked on the grammar, spelling and vocabulary. She reworked some sentence structures and cut down a few unnecessary ones.

Now it was time for the manuscript’s second, and final, edition.

This time, they did it at Pinkie’s place, in her room. Twilight had taken her mother’s laptop with her, with the latter’s permission. The two girls decided to work on a Sunday so as to have more time.

It was a hard task convincing the rest of the Rainbooms not to make any plans.

Pinkie hooked up her printer to the computer while Twilight took out the manuscript. “There wasn’t much to polish. Your English is surprisingly good,” Twilight said.

“Thanks!” Pink's beamed. “Computer’s all set!”

Twilight sat down at the computer, fingers over the keyboard. “Pinkie’s Pies written by Pinkie Pie,” she said aloud as she typed. “Whenever did you come up with that title, Pinkie?”

“The slumber party at Rarity’s last Friday.” Pinkie was on the bed, notebook in front of her, drawing rough sketches for her book’s cover.

“Understood.” Twilight turned back to the computer. “Hey, Pinkie. Are you interested in writing a preface?”

“Ooh, preface. Like the first page of the book where the author talks about themselves?” Pinkie was out of bed and next to Twilight in an instant. “Okie-dokie-lokie. What should I talk about?”

“Yourself, why you wrote this book, how the process of writing went. Prefaces help pique readers’ curiosity, encouraging them to read.”

“Hmm,” Pinkie murmured. “Oh! I know what to write!”

Preface
Hello there! I’m Pinkie Pie! First off, I want to thank for taking this book and reading it. I’m sure you’ll love it. It was made with love and smiles, after all.

This book was written for you, my wonderfully amazing readers! I wanted to share the recipes and foods that have always brougth a smile to my face, so that you too can smile! And a special thank you to all my friends, especially Twilight Sparkle, for helping with the making of this book.

Enjoy!

Twilight and Pinkie had bonded a lot since Pinkie first pitched her idea. They’d spent hours in each other’s houses, and at school, chatting, working, typing and eating together. It was great.

Twilight worked on the second manuscript and completed the entire book in the span of two hours - she was pretty fast with the keyboard. The whole document comprised three hundred pages. There were recipes, a dictionary in baking terminologies and even an index at the end.

Twilight handed the document for Pinkie to look over, before she took it home to have the pages secured together.

Pinkie smiled as she read her book over. “I love it. Thanks.”

The Cake twins, Pound and Pumpkin, were a handful, but Pinkie Pie enjoyed babysitting them.

Mr. Carrot Cake and Mrs. Cup Cake left the twins in Pinkie’s care for their date night. She’d been given all the necessary tools, equipment and information needed to look after the babies. They needed food, sleep and fun. Pinkie could handle this.

Easy-peasy.

Puree: Process used to blend, mash, or grind food into a smooth, lump-free or paste-like consistency.

Pinkie set the babies down in their shared crib and pulled a chair out of nowhere. She had right in front of the twins. “Alright, you tiny little babies. We are going to have so much fun! What would you like to do first?”

The twins looked at Pinkie and started crying.

Pinkie had looked after the twins plenty of times in the past. She could easily identify their cries by now. She had even named some of them, such as the Hungry Howl and the Sleep Sob. This one meant eating time.

Pinkie took the twins in her arms and went down to the kitchen, setting them in their high chairs, one brown and one orange. Then, she went over to the cupboards and collected the ingredients to make banana puree. The twins were sure to love it.

Pound and Pumpkin Cake always enjoyed Pinkie’s homemade purees. Pinkie liked to combine foods for optimal taste and nutrition, but she made sure not to add any sugar ingredients that might upset the babies’ stomach.

Sugar swirly sprinkle croissants
This croissant is full of energy and sweetness! It’s a treat made with sugar, spice and everything nice! Perfect for breakfast, perfect anytime.

Pinkie set down a bowl of fresh, homemade banana puree on the table and took out two plastic baby spoons. She took a spoonful of sugar to feed Pound.

“Here comes the airplane! Open the garage to let it in.” Pound opened his mouth and Pinkie gently lowered the spoon into his mouth. He clapped and opened his mouth again. “Your sister first, Pound.”

The rest of the evening flew by smoothly. The twins made little fuss as Pinkie changed them and tucked them in.

“’And then the pirates sailed off into the ocean, happy as can be.’ Night-night, little ones,” Pinkie gently closed the book, careful not to make any sound. She kissed each of the twins goodnight and then reached for her notebook.

Pinkie had made about a dozen designs for her cover, but none of them seemed right. She knew the cover had to contain baked goods and the color pink, but that’s all she knew. This was frustrating, since Pinkie was creative and artistic, and yet she couldn’t draw her own book cover!

Pinkie looked up from the page and took in the surroundings. The Cakes’ nursery was currently dimly lit, but Pinkie could still make everything clearly. The crib was pink with blue sheets and pillows. A mobile hung above, decorated with plastic animals such as ponies and birds. The curtain was pastel-colored, shades of blues and oranges, with patterns of cakes and ice cream printed on it. It was a lovely patte-

Wait a second.

Pinkie got off her chair and walked over to the curtain for a closer inspection. She held the fabric in her hand, feeling its smooth texture and admiring its print. The pattern was random, childish and fun. Pinkie smiled.

She’d found her book cover.

Printed manuscript? Yessir. Edited and proofread? By none other than Twilight herself! Book cover? Of course. Pinkie’s Pies was almost ready for the bookshelves. There was only one thing left to do.

Publish it.

Blind-baking: Process of partially or fully baking a pie crust or other pastry before adding the filling.

“Do you think they’ll accept us?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “I mean, as far as they’re concerned, we’re just two high school students with no expertise in book-writing and publishing. Not to mention, we didn’t fill out any of the steps required for a publishing house.”

Twilight and Pinkie walked towards Canterlot Books, the biggest publishing house in the city. Twilight had successfully booked them a meeting but had given much details. She had also insisted they dress sharply, so they both wore smart skirts and blazers.

That did not suit Pinkie at all, as she kept tugging at her shirt collar. “Of course they’ll accept us! The book is splendirific!”

Twilight stopped dead. She turned to face Pinkie. “’Splendirific’? What does that mean?”

“Splendid plus terrific equals splendirific!” Pinkie beamed proudly.

Twilight shook her head, but gave a small smile. “Never change, Pinkie, never change,” she murmured.

The pair arrived at the building. It was looming over them and staring at the pair with intimidating window eyes. Twilight breathed deeply. “Fingers crossed.”

Pinkie wrapped an arm around Twilight, a task which proved hard because of her blaze. “You’re worrying for nothing! It’s gonna be fine!”

Cherrychangas
An unlikely combination of cherries and chimichangas. Inspired by the cherry farms around Earth, this recipe was not initially met with appraisal and awe. But it soon proved to be delicious and worth the effort!

It wasn’t fine.

Twilight and Pinkie were rejected, just as the former had suspected. The company said the book would not sell, since it as written by a bunch of teenagers and there were far too many cookbooks on the market. They were polite, but their words hurt nonetheless.

Twilight was dejected. “Everything we’ve worked for. All those hours we’d spent, all for nothing.”

But Pinkie’s spirit never faltered. She was never one to give up hope. “Don’t fret, Twi. We’ll figure something out, like we always do.”

And with that, Twilight smiled again.

Macerate: Technique used to soften fresh fruit and draw out its natural juice.

Since that initial rejection, Twilight and Pinkie had gone to several publishing houses around town, only to get rejected over and over again. They were too young. They didn’t follow the proper publishing procedures. There were too many recipes books in libraries. They had no writing expertise. They didn’t have enough money.

Pinkie and Twilight sat in the computer room at the Sparkles’ residence. Twilight was at the computer, scrolling through the list of publishing. Pinkie was doing the same on her laptop, at the spare desk placed for her. The girls’ spirits were dampened, but not faded.

Twilight Velvet walked in, carrying a tray with two steaming cups of coffee. She was well aware of Pinkie’s endeavor - her computer was being used, after all. She was encouraging and supportive, often bringing the girls food whenever Pinkie came by to work.

“Hello, girls. How’s the project going?” Velvet said as she set the mugs next to each girl.

“The project is fine, Mom. The problem is that nobody wants to put it out into the world!” Twilight, frustrated, threw her hands in the air for emphasis.

“How about you put it out yourselves?” Velvet asked.

Pinkie looked up from her laptop. “How does that work?”

“By contacting a publisher instead of a publishing house. A vanity publisher works for me. He publishes the books for me. I give him the money for printing and binding, he sells copies to libraries and bookstores, and I get to keep ownership of the book.” Velvet pulled out her phone. “I could contact him for you.”

“You would do that, Mom?” Twilight asked, adjusting her glasses.

“Of course. He will want to talk to the writer, though.” Velvet looked at Pinkie. “But I could pull some strings. He’s pretty friendly.”

Pinkie and Twilight turned to each other, shared a look and smiled. Things were looking up, after all.

Hazelnut-pistachio cupcake
Cupcakes are good for almost any occasion. And this combo of two de-licious nuts is perfect. The sweet flavor of hazelnut balances the salty flavor of pistachio in all the right ways.

Twilight Velvet’s vanity publisher, Paper Pamphlet, was, true to Velvet’s word, was approachable and friendly. Given Pinkie’s connection to his main customer, he agreed to review the manuscript. He called Pinkie within a few days and approved her manuscript.

Pinkie had decided to go with her final cover. It was dark pink with writing of lighter pink color. The background was covered with baking doodles, the same as the curtains in the Cakes’ nursery. A large blue-and-yellow pie adorned the center. Pinkie loved it.

Two first copies book were sent, one to Twilight and one to Pinkie. They looked it over and felt immensely proud of themselves. They’d done it.

Using the savings from her summer job and the various parties she’s planned, Pinkie paid Pamphlet the amount required. Pamphlet told Pinkie that the book could be made available to bookshelves immediately. Pinkie, however, told him to wait.

There was something she needed to do first.

Twilight awoke because of a ‘ping!’ from her phone. She reached her hand out for her glasses, then sat up straight and took her phone. Pinkie Pie had sent a text.

Special Announcement Party!
You’re invited to Pinkie Pie’s special announcement party! Come to the Cakes’ household tomorrow at 15:00! Food, fun and games are in order! It’s going to be great! And there’s a surprise, special announcement, too! See you there! <3 <3

“A ‘special announcementʼ party? Is she going to announce her book?” Twilight asked no one in particular, since Spike was still asleep.

Frosting: Process of making the surface of a food shiny by coating with a layer of sugar.

Pinkie had hosted parties under a time crunch before and this one was no expection.

She had baked countless cupcakes, blew tons of balloons and hung several streamers across the living room where the party would take place.

She had also asked for several copies of her book. She spent all morning signing each copy to give to her friends and family. Every signature, and accompanying message, was personalized. She then took the books and stacked them neatly on a table before pulling a curtain that had appeared out of nowhere.

The first guests arrived by 14:30. Twilight and her mother, the only ones who knew what the announcement was arrived first.

All of her guests, who had been invited by text message, were at the party at 15:15. They helped themselves to the food and pleasant chatter.

Then Pinkie jumped on the couch and yelled, “Attention, people! Itʼs time for my special announcement!”

‘Ooohʼs and ‘Aaahʼs could be heard as the guests approached the couch, eager to hear this mystery announcement.

Pinkie cleared her throat before starting. “Iʼm not really good with speeches, so Iʼll make this brief.

“These past five weeks, Twilight and I worked on a very special project. I approached her with the idea. We worked on it together and kept it a secret from all of you.

“I did this project in the hopes of reaching even more people with my words and food. I hope youʼll love it.”

Pinkie focused her gaze on Twilight. “Twi, if you could please?”

“Oh. Right.” Twilight looked at the curtains. Magenta-colored magic envelope her hands and parted the curtains to reveal the table hidden behind.

The room was filled with silence for a good five seconds.

And then everyone rushed to the table to take a good look at the books.

“You wrote a book?” Sunset asked.

“I’m really happy for you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, I’ll be. That’s real swell, Pinkie,” Applejack commented.

“I never thought of you to be interested in book-writing, Pinkie,” Rarity said.

“And that’s three eggheads in the group,” Rainbow said, only to be met with disapproving glares. “Kidding! No, but seriously, Pinks. Congrats.”

Maud was equally surprised. Her face bore the faintest of smiles. “I’m really happy for you, Pinkie.” She turned to Twilight. “Did you know about this?”

“Pinkie came to me. Asked me for help with editing and such.”

Pinkie gave Twilight a not-brushing hug. “And boy was she helpful! This would never have been been possible without her.”

Both Pinkie and Twilight were then tackled with group hug.

“You can each take your signed copy!” Pinkie shouted when the big ended.

The rest of the guest, which comprised of Pinkie’s families and other friends, all went to the table to take their copy of Pinkie’s Pies.

“You’re gonna have to tell us more, Pinkie.” Sunset grinned at Pinkie.

Pinkie waved a hand. “Later.

“For now? We celebrate!”

Pinkie’s Pie
This treat is perfect for any occasion. It’s warm, tasty and sweet. But most importantly? It’s made with love and smiles.