Chapters Celestia's close friendship
Twilight had fallen in a deep sleep. Her lack of a nightmare put her in a deep one. Celestia however wide awake, she was watching Twilight carefully. She knew that Twilight was making up for her exhaustion of the last two years. It did bother her though. So she was pacing in her room.
Celestia had looked at the clock several times and saw that she had totally missed all of her appointments and day court. She knew the her secretary was going to probably be very angry. However that didn't matter to Celestia. Right now she was wondering if Twilight was going to need therapy care for her trauma.
Celestia then heard the guards knock on her door.
"You highness? I got a message from your sister for you." The guard stated.
"Do tell then." Celestia said curiously.
"Well. She said that she was going to talk to Blueblood for a bit and also wanted to mention that she wanted to meet Twilight, quite badly." The guard said nervously.
"Understood. Please send a message to her, saying that she can talk to her whenever Twilight was ready to meet her. Meaning that it is in Twilight's control. Not mine." Celestia stated.
"Very well. I will send that message." The guard stated before looking back out into the stairway. He closed the door behind him.
Celestia looks at Twilight. She went to hug Twilight, before she too fell asleep once more. Twilight was suddenly dreaming, besides her nightmares.
In the dreams,
"Where am I?" Twilight asks as she is walking around in a still scene from the disaster she caused.
"You are at the place you killed me." A young unicorn stated.
"I am so sorry. I couldn't-" Twilight started only to get cut off the by the unicorn.
"Twilight Sparkle. That is your name, correct?" The unicorn asked, causing her to be joined by thousands of other ponies.
"It is." Twilight simply answered.
"You improved our homes after our death did you not?" An differed pony asked.
"I did, but at what cost." Twilight said as she laid on the ground.
"Twilight do you regret it?" The original unicorn asked.
"I do. I have been haunted by it for years. I have tried to restore that which I did wrong but the memory won't ever go away." Twilight said, saddened by the event.
The unicorn among the others smiled, "Do you know who I am?" she asked.
"I do not. I do know who I am. I am your murderer." Twilight said depressed.
"Twilight look at us. Do we look hateful? Spiteful?" She asked serious.
"No. You look at peace. Smiling and at peace." Twilight said.
"Then you are not lying. We know you have a heart of gold. The elements may have rejected you. But we haven't." They said together.
"Twilight, today was the day 7 years ago. That the disaster took place. You haven't forgotten, we haven't forgotten. Yet we ask you, do you find it in your heart to forgive yourself?" They asked.
"No." Twilight said stating it matter of fact.
"Do you trust us?" They asked.
"Yes." Twilight said, she had a feeling what was going to happen.
"Then forgive yourself. We command it. This is our last wish from us to you. Will you bring our wish to fruition?" They asked.
Twilight's eyes became filled with tears, "Are you requesting me to forgive myself?" She asked.
"We do. Twilight, the elements of harmony are just stones. An icon. But you are your own pony. We ask you to let us move on. We can only do that if you forgive yourself." They said with an sad smile.
Twilight's eyes harden. She takes in a big gasp of air before exhaling deeply. "I understand. The past is in the past. The future a mystery. But the present is a gift.* I will do my hardest to forgive myself." She said to them and to herself.
"Thank you." They said as a bright light appeared over them, before slowly disappearing with an smile on each and everyone's faces.
Suddenly outside the castle. The church that Twilight had set up began to ring even though it had no church bell. Every citizen and slum dweller looked at the clock. A bright light had appeared above it.
Celestia and Luna both saw the light. They looked confused at it. Then the ball of white light suddenly turned into a ring of white light. It turned slightly yellow, before blasting off into the sky.
The light had removed all the clouds and the blue sky. Showing off the empty night sky. It blasted off into the night sky and then it hit something. It slowly turned into a star before staying there permanently. After it was all set and done. The bell stopped ringing, disappearing the bell once more.
Not a few moments later, the blue sky reappeared and the clouds return back to their position. Leaving everyone confused. Well mostly everyone. Those that had lost ponies during the disaster were crying. Something told them that their beloved ones had moved on to the second life.
After a bit of confusion, Celestia flew back into her room to find a wide awake and partly crying Twilight on her bed.
"That light was the victims moving on to the next life." Twilight said, the strain of crying under her breath,
Celestia looked wide at Twilight, before smiling genuinely. "Did you allow them to?" She asked.
"Only after they made me promise to forgive myself." Twilight said, after she shed a tear or two.
"I see. I see. Then I forgive you too." Celestia said.
"You already have." Twilight said after her body and eyes showed no sign of exhaustion.
"I know. Now why don't you go home and tell your parents where you were. They might have been getting a little worried." Celestia offered.
"Crap! I totally forgot. I got to go." Twilight said as she casually just cursed.
"Also Luna wants to meet you." Celestia quickly said, before Twilight had the chance to leave.
"Tell her that I am not ready yet." Twilight quickly said and before Celestia could respond, Twilight had already left.
Twilight ran top speed towards home. Something that before taking those fitness classes would take atleast an hour only took Twilight now five minutes. It was very fast. Most guards only saw a purple blur move past them. If they were even able to see Twilight to begin with.
Twilight arrived back at home. She knocked and heard a whole bunch of loud noises of ponies scrambling to get to the door. This caused Twilight to smile.
The door opens to reveal a very annoyed Night and Velvet. Twilight realized nearly immediately that she was in trouble.
"Where were you, young lady?!" Night said angrily.
"Uh. At the castle with Celestia?" Twilight offered. Velvet and Night both immediately calmed down.
"Next time warn us that you are going to the castle!" Velvet said somewhat annoyed.
"I wasn't thinking straight. Sorry." Twilight said drooping.
Night got closer and pushed Twilight's head up with his hoof. "You were just worrying us. But it would seem that, that visit has recovered your mind, hasn't it?" Night asked.
"It has." Twilight said with confidence.
"Good because tomorrow we are going to the castle with you. Royal asked us to allow him to borrow you. We said yes on the account that we are allowed to watch." Velvet said with an smile.
"Am I cooking for the ponies in the staff cafeteria? Like I did at the start of my desire to be a chef?" Twilight asked.
"You are. Royal wanted you to choose the menu for that day. He wasn't sure what he wanted to make, so he is giving you the chance to show how much you have changed." Night said.
"Is that so? Then we are going for master rank delicious sandwiches." Twilight said with an smirk.
"Royal had a feeling you would," Shining said with an groan.
"Good! Every chef has to start somewhere." Twilight said.
"I had hoped that you would make your famous Carpaccio salad." Shining complained.
Twilight looked at him with a smile, until she made a connection in her mind. 'What about Carpaccio BLT sandwiches? ' Twilight thought to herself.
"Oh well. You can't get everything." Shining said saddened.
Twilight looks once more at Shining before walking to her own room. Despite it all, she still needed some proper sleep. So she decided to sleep without even eating dinner. Much to the chagrin of her mother Velvet, without Twilight at the dinner table she had made way too much.
After another nice sleep, Twilight woke up early that morning. She was exhausted from the amount of sleeping she has performed in the last few days. Which caused her to wake up early.
After a nice stretch, Twilight walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As the walked down the hallway, Twilight noticed that Shining's armor and swords were missing. This caused Twilight to raise her eyebrow, it was unusual to say the least.
Ignoring her internal confusion, Twilight entered the bathroom and cleaned herself up. Afterwards she entered her good old living room. She looked at the clock, its 7 O'clock. This had become Twilight's sleeping patron for the last few years. Thanks to the schooling she received.
After entering the living room and getting a blast of nostalgia. She entered the kitchen, only to find an annoyed letter.
Dear Twilight,
Next time eat your dinner so we could have told you! Anyways we wanted to tell you that your father has to go back to Manehattan to deal with a astrological problem. And your mother has to go to Ponyville thanks to the discovery of some old not yet identified dragon bones.
Meanwhile Shining got a call in middle of dinner to deal with some scum that roam the streets. So be careful!
Yours truly,
Mom and dad.
Twilight sighed, she is once again totally alone. And although she was used to it by now. She didn't like it. So she decided to quickly eat a slice of bread with some jam on it. Before running out to meet Royal at the castle.
After a quick run that only took like 5 minutes, instead of 30 minutes. Twilight had arrived in front of the castle, she approached the two guards that were guarding the front door.
"Halt! State your name and reason to enter this early!" The guard on the left stated.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, I have an appointment with Royal Chef." Twilight stated.
"That sound about right. Come in lady Sparkle." The guard on the right said.
Twilight nodded before passing them and heading towards the kitchen. Twilight opens the door to find a disgruntled Royal standing just inside.
"Hey Royal!" Twilight cheerfully shouted.
"Twilight, good to see you. I am glad you accepted..." Royal said, he looked annoyed at the sous chef several times while saying that.
"So why the annoyance?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Well I had planned to make some sandwiches with you, with permission of the princess. But the remainder of the kitchen are scumbags and prevented me from using the kitchen." Royal said.
"You were going to let some nobody use our kitchen. I think not!" The sous chef said.
"Don't think you can use sass on me, sous chef. I outrank you!" Royal shouted.
"Be that as it may. I won't let her use it." The sous chef said. He spoke the word "Her" with poison. Twilight quickly recognized this as another textbook example of discrimination.
"Even if I have a master degree in cooking?" Twilight innocently offered.
Royal looked at Twilight, shocked. He did not expect Twilight to have obtained master degree.
"Do you have master degree experience? Young lady?" The sous chef smirked.
"Hmpf." Twilight simply said.
"That is what I thought." The sous chef said.
"Princess Celestia will hear of this. And of your discrimination!" Royal said while growling the last tit-bit.
"I like to see you try." The sous chef said.
Twilight and Royal both leave the kitchen annoyed.
"Royal you better come back. You still have to work on your dish." The sous chef shouted.
"Go fuck yourself." Royal swore before leaving and annoyed sous chef to his work.
Twilight looked ahead. She knew that this was common. Especially to female chefs. As the population of chefs mostly consists over male chefs and earth ponies at that. Twilight could feel that this discrimination was also pointed at the fact that she was a unicorn, but decided to ignore that.
"Sorry about that, Twi. I didn't know that my fellow chefs were so discriminating." Royal apologized.
"It's alright. This is more common than you think." Twilight said with an sad smile.
"Your right. I should have just rented out the entire kitchen. Not like this though." Royal said somewhat annoyed at the fact that she was right.
Twilight put her hoof on Royal's back, while shaking her head. "No. Instead why don't we go and meet Celestia while we are here." Twilight offered, while Royal looked sad at her.
"Sure." Royal said before making their way to Celestia's tower.
After a quiet walk, Twilight and Royal arrived at Celestia's bedroom. Twilight approached the guards. They look at her and Royal before shaking their heads.
"Only Twilight is allowed passed this point." They said.
"Can't you make an exception?" Twilight asked.
"It depends. What is your reason for seeing her?" The guards asked.
"Royal had gotten permission for me to cook alongside him in the canteen's kitchen. But due to some unwanted attention, he can't. We wanted to ask Celestia for help." Twilight explained.
"I see. You have permission then." The guards said, before slowly opening the door to Celestia's bedroom. Which revealed an happy and curious looking Celestia.
As soon as they both walked in. Twilight gave Celestia a quick hug, before starting their conversation.
"I take it that you heard that." Royal said first.
"I did. What is the cause that prevent her from helping you?" Celestia asked.
"Discrimination against female chefs." Twilight said quickly.
"And the sous chef thinking that he outranks me." Royal added.
Celestia's eyes turns shocked at Twilight. And surprised at Royal. She then turns around to look through her window towards the horizon.
"And here I had hoped that the discrimination towards female chefs were gone. I guess not." Celestia said. Just then Luna decided to teleport into Celestia's bedroom.
Celestia and Royal look surprised at Luna. Twilight meanwhile looked away in surprise instead.
Luna looks at everypony, but at Twilight specifically. "I have an proposal." She said.
"What is it?" Celestia asked somewhat annoyed.
"Why don't you show the world that you are the best chef?" Luna asked Twilight.
"No, instead I should show that female chefs are equal if not better then male chefs. No offence." Twilight said looking at Royal. "None taken." he quickly added.
"That is unreasonable." Luna said.
"Even if that is the case. I will try anyways." Twilight said determined.
Luna showed a soft smile at Twilight. Twilight didn't see it as she was looking away. Celestia and Royal on the other hoof did. They looked surprised at Luna's motherly smile.
"Very well. I wish you the best of luck then. This will be a difficult journey." Luna said with an smile.
"Thank you Luna. I pray that your reintegration into Equestrian society goes well." Twilight said.
Luna than gave Twilight a surprise hug before teleporting out. Leaving a stunned Twilight in her wake.
"That is the first time in a long time that I saw that smile." Celestia said with a smile of her own.
"What do you mean?" Royal asked.
"Her smile meant that she knew that Twilight will succeed. And her hug suggested that she considered Twilight a dear friend." Celestia explained while looking at a still stunned Twilight.
"I- What?" Twilight meanwhile looked totally confused.
Royal smirked as he got closer, "This meant that that you aren't alone." he said.
"Moon Nightmare also had to deal with this problem?" Twilight asked suddenly.
"More than you will ever know." Celestia confirmed, "In her case, the status royalty got in the way of things."
"Then let's fix it!" Twilight shouted determined.
"Yeah!" Celestia and Royal shouted.
Author's Note
* from Kung Fu Panda.
And that is the start of it all. I will have to think carefully on my next few chapters. As I have not planned this far ahead. It will happen, I just don't know when.
Next chapters are going to make Twilight gain experience in the kitchen for real this time.
After Twilight, Celestia and Royal agreed on obtaining experience in different parts of the cooking field which would be according Twilight the best solution. The group decided to split up to obtain the highest chance of finding places Twilight could go to, to find some decent experience and knowledge.
This would proven to be more difficult then what Twilight expected. For starters Royal had to take care of his businesses and Celestia has a country to run and a little sister to reintegrate into Equestria. And Twilight was mostly stuck searching the many job finding channels to find the perfect place to go.
And that wasn't the only troubles. Twilight was alone in Canterlot. She had to find her path and route in life. She still had a lot to learn. On top of the fact that Canterlot was even more racist regarding female chefs than Manehattan.
The fact that she was both a unicorn and a girl made things even more difficult. Most places she went denied her on the grounds that they refuse unicorns or that she was female. And besides frustrating her, this didn't do much. After failing to find any location that might accept her, Twilight was sloughing throughout Canterlot.
'I knew it was going to be difficult. But nothing prepared me for this. ' Twilight thought. Twilight knew a few locations that might accept her within her friends circle, but refused them. She knew that those locations won't have any impact at all on the discrimination towards female chefs.
Twilight needed a place that didn't know her. A place that accepted her out of necessity. A place that would normally not accept girls in a kitchen. A place that would have no choice. She would not show them that girls are strong, no, that girls can do jobs meant for boys equally.
It was then that Twilight looked in an alleyway. She overheard the conversation between a chef and their boss. It didn't sound like a very fun conversation, as Twilight already heard a bunch of swear words come from what sounded like the boss.
"But- boss! Give me another chance! That was my first mistake!" The chef pleaded.
"No! I have given you lots of chances! You keep screwing up the same dish over and over! You have ruined me! My reputation is gone! They took a star!" The boss shouted enraged.
"I- I-" The chef said as he lead pleading on the ground.
"LEAVE! Leave now! I will fire you on standing ground!" The boss shouted.
"I understand. I will get going now." The chef said depressed, as he walked off. He walked passed Twilight.
"Sigh. Now what do I do? I have send away my last chef." The boss said somewhat uncertain.
Twilight approached the stallion. "Are you alright? I heard shouting." Twilight asked innocently.
"No. I am going under at this rate. I have lost my final star, I have lost everything." The boss said.
"Well. I am looking for a kitchen job. If you are interested?" Twilight offered.
"You? Hm, a female chef and a unicorn one at that." The boss said with an impressed tone.
"Yes. I have a certified chef's degree." Twilight said, she turned to her backpack to show it to him, only for him to stop Twilight.
"You don't have to show me. I believe you. Anyone would join a kitchen after someone else lost their chef's job. Especially a up-and-coming chef." The boss said with an smile.
"I understand." Twilight said with an nod.
"Hm. What is your specialty?" The boss asked.
"I am an all-rounder." Twilight replied.
"An all-rounder?! Well that is perfect. I need somepony to be able to handle most tasks in a kitchen. I do have capable dishwashers and waiters." The boss explained
"Okay. When can I start?" Twilight asked.
"Right away. Let me show you around." The boss said as he pulls Twilight inside and show her the most filthy kitchen Twilight has ever seen.
"Before I continue, do you know the magic rule?" The boss asked.
"No magic, for any tasks inside the kitchen." Twilight said.
"Correct. So when you enter the kitchen, what is the first task you will do. Right now?" The boss asked.
"Unless there is any guests. I am going to clean this kitchen up really quick and investigate both the menu and where all the equipment has been placed." Twilight explained.
"Very well. We have a female chef's outfit inside the changing room. Go change! Then come back an get started." The boss instructed.
"Understood." Twilight said as she quickly changed clothing inside the changing room. Before grabbing every piece of cleaning equipment, to clean the kitchen up.
Twilight grabbed a bucket and filled it with warm water and some cleaning liquid. Placing the liquid inside the bucket of warm water. She mixes it, before putting a bunch rags into it.
She does this with a bunch of buckets before starting her cleaning process. She starts by removing grease from the surfaces and removing anything too hard to remove with the use of anti-grease liquid. And a towel soaked in fresh water from the tap.
Twilight did the whole degreasing process before starting to clean every nook and granny with a many wet towels that she got from the buckets. After cleaning every surface and furnace tops. Twilight took a look at her cleaning work. It was cleaner, she still had to do the inside of every drawer and cabinet. And inside the ovens and floors.
She was about to continue when she heard a beep from the counter. She removed the piece of paper that said that she has to make a focaccia with cheese and ham. She placed in on the counter before fast walking towards the fridges and freezers to see if they had any dough prepared.
They did, however the dough has gone bad. This forced Twilight to use every ounce of her training to make a quick version of the dough making process. She also grabbed the tomato sauce and the cheese and ham.
Twilight grabbed a dough mixer from the back before starting to make the dough at lightning speed. Meanwhile she cut the ham into thin slices and grated the cheese.
Twilight then placed some fresh flour onto a clean work surface and placed the fresh dough on it. Twilight then pounded and kneaded the dough with incredible speed and reflexes. And if the boss was looking, this looked a lot more like a master chef in a kitchen then an ordinary chef at work. Luckily he wasn't watching.
After putting it into the fridge for 5 minutes, she preheated the ovens to their highest temperature possible. As soon as Twilight got the dough out of the fridge, Twilight places the tomato sauce, cheese and ham on the dough before putting it into the oven. As soon as she put it into the oven, the boss walked into the kitchen.
"How much more time until the focaccia is done?" The boss asked.
"15 minutes." Twilight stated matter-of-factly.
"Very well. The guest is starting to get a bit impatient." The boss said.
"Offer the guest a glass of red wine." Twilight offered.
"Which one?" The boss asked.
"Merlot." Twilight said as she hoofs the boss a pre-opened bottle.
"Understood." He said before leaving.
After the fifteen minutes passed, Twilight grabs a fancy looking plate and places the focaccia on it. She places a small salad on it as decoration before ringing the bell. Twilight notices the waiter grabbing the plate and heading towards the guest.
The boss reenters the kitchen with an smile. "The guest liked the wine. And he looked impressed with that focaccia. Good work." he said.
"Good to hear. Are there anyone else?" Twilight asked.
"Sadly not." The boss said saddened.
"Then I will continue to clean the kitchen." Twilight said.
"I understand." The boss said before he looked surprised at the dough mixer inside the kitchen.
"Why is the dough mixer inside the kitchen?" The boss asked.
"I had to quickly make some new dough. The dough in the freezers and fridges had gone bad." Twilight said casually as she was busy cleaning some cabinets.
The boss looks surprised at Twilight, "You made some fresh new dough? In less than 25 minutes?!" he asked surprised.
Twilight didn't look at the boss, she was still busy with cleaning some cabinets interiors. "That is correct. I also was forced to throw away most of the dough. Most of them were either placed too long in the fridge or were improperly made." Twilight explained.
"Are you going to make any new dough?" The boss asked curiously.
"As soon as more dishes have to be made. Yes." Twilight said.
"You are going to make more, on the spot?" The boss asked.
"I am. Although, after I am done with the cabinets. I will make more anyways." Twilight said.
The boss nodded, and as soon as he was about to leave, he noticed that Twilight's hadn't touched the cookbook. This meant that Twilight knew how to make focaccia without any assistance. He gave Twilight one more curious look before leaving the kitchen.
Twilight meanwhile complete her task of cleaning the inside of the cabinets. Twilight took a look at the menu. It was filled with Italian and sometimes french dishes. Many of which were pizza's. Twilight smiles as she nodded at all the dishes as she mentally decided to make some new pizza dough.
Twilight started with adding 10 Kilograms of flour. With 140 grams of yeast and some 40 degree Celsius warm water. With some dinner spoons of olive oil. She mixes it. She adds a little bit of sugar and some salt on the side. Mixing it into a large dough ball.
After that she places it into the fridge for some time. Meanwhile Twilight grates some cheese and slices some ham and salami. Until, suddenly behind her, she hears a beep.
Another order came in. It was another focaccia with the same things on it. However it was times ten. She has to make 10 focaccia. By herself.
Luckily Twilight had all the ingredients ready for another set of focaccia. Twilight got started immediately. The ovens were preheated and all the toppings were also ready.
Twilight once more made ten focaccia in the span of 25 minutes. She rang the bell and another waiter took it from Twilight and moved in towards the guest. Meanwhile Twilight decided to make some fresh focaccia dough ahead of time. It was then that Twilight discovered the massive lack of ingredients. During the time that Twilight looks shocked at the larder, The boss has reentered the kitchen.
"Chef! They loved it! It has been so long since any form of praise has been given to the kitchen or the restaurant." The boss shouted.
"Good. But we might have a problem." Twilight said worried.
"And that is?" The boss asked worried.
"We don't have enough ingredients to make even more focaccia. We are out of nearly everything." Twilight said worried.
"I understand. I have an ingredients running pony. Pick up the phone and tell her what you need." The boss said.
Twilight walks towards the phone and picks it up.
"Yes chef? What do you need?" The familiar pony on the other side said.
"I need 100 small cans of tomato sauce. 5 kilograms of cheese. 2 rolls of ham and 2 rolls of salami. We need those as soon as possible." Twilight said.
"Understood. They will arrive in an hour." The pony said.
"No. You have thirty minutes." Twilight said.
The pony gasps on the other side. "If I may ask. For which product?" The pony asked.
"Focaccia. It has been wanted several times. And from the sound of it. We are currently nearly full of guests." Twilight said as she heard a order coming in.
Twilight told her to hurry up, before hanging up. She rushes towards the order and sees. A cheese pizza with added BBQ sauce. Twilight immediately searched for some BBQ sauce but found none.
Twilight grabbed some dough from the fridge and puts some tomato sauce on it. Plus some freshly grated cheese on it. She choose for cheddar, young and white cheese as cheese topping. And she made some fresh BBQ sauce in a sauce pan. Putting the pizza in the oven, Twilight decided against putting the sauce on it before putting it into the oven.
After a good 10 minutes, she removed the whole pizza out of the oven. Looked quite thick and Twilight drizzled some BBQ sauce on it as last. Twilight thought that the smell was truly amazing. She placed it onto a pizza wide plate. And onto the finished orders counter and ringing the bell.
She watched the pizza being moved inside the room. She heard a bunch of gasps from the other guests. And the guest that placed the order looked wide-eyed at the finished product.
"How am I going to finish this?!" Twilight heard the guest distinctly say. This caused both Twilight and the boss to smirk at the guest.
"Uh. Remove my order. I will assist my friend in finishing the pizza." The other guest at the table said. Twilight saw the waiter nod with a small smile on his face.
Twilight with a large smirk on her face turned around to look at the boss. He saw Twilight's smirk as he nodded back, before once again leaving the kitchen.
Twilight then heard knocking from the backdoor. Twilight walks towards the door and opens it.
"I brought you the order," The familiar pony said, until she looked at Twilight in surprise. It was old classmate Harissa.
Twilight looks at her in a pleasant surprise, "It has been awhile. I would love to chat, but I am kinda in charge of the entire kitchen right now. So you know where to place everything right?" Twilight said. Harissa nodded, and moved the ingredients to larder.
"Ah daughter! You brought the ingredients." The boss said.
Twilight gave the boss a curious look before walking off to finish a order that just arrived.
"And not a moment too soon. Another focaccia order has arrived." Twilight said as she rolls out 20 focaccia dough balls.
"Exactly. They are from five different guest tables. We got a big party today." The boss said smiling.
"Uh, dad?" Harissa asked.
"Yes, my cinnamon roll?" The boss asked.
"I know the chef." Harissa said.
"You do?" The boss said surprised.
"Yes. I know her from Celestium. She was my classmate." Harissa said as she watches Twilight run around in the kitchen, putting all the focaccia in the oven and preparing all the plates.
"Oh? So you are Twilight Sparkle then?" The boss said.
Twilight simply nodded as she places the focaccia out of the oven and onto the plates. She then moved the plates on the counter and ringing the bell.
"I see. Nice to properly meet you. My name is Pudding Pizza. And you already met, Harissa Pizza, right?" Pudding said.
"Yes. Although she didn't tell me her surname back then." Twilight said with an smile.
"My father's business was failing. I didn't want to get bullied for it. That is why I kept my surname hidden." Harissa admitted.
"I see." Twilight said. She heard another beep and started to prepare a tomato pizza with added mayo.
Twilight started to first cut full slices out of a tomato and placed it onto the pizza. She also added some paprika to the dish. She then placed her cheese mixture on it before putting it into the oven. Meanwhile Twilight made a quick homemade citrus mayo sauce.
As soon as the pizza is done, she places the pizza on the special plate and drizzled some sauce over top it. And placed it onto the counter before pushing the bell.
Twilight once again watches as ponies from the group quickly realize that the pizza is for them. And that it's way bigger then they had expected. Some ponies immediately cancelled their order to assist the stricken pony. Twilight then turned towards the waiter and said, "Please warn the next ponies about the size of the pizza."
The waiter nodded, although it looked like he was sad that the fun was over. But Twilight could tell that he understood why. Twilight then also gave the waiter a plate for pizza's as an example. The waiter took the plate and moved to the other waiters to explain the situation. They all turned towards Twilight and nodded.
"Anyways, Twilight do you need anything else?" Harissa asked.
"Yes. I need some extra virgin olive oil. And like several dozens of eggs." Twilight said.
"Understood. They will arrive in 10 minutes." Harissa said before running out the door.
"By the way. Why isn't Harissa cooking? She has a cooking degree no?" Twilight asked Pudding.
"About that. She used to have a special dish on the menu. But after nearly poisoning another guest. She has been traumatized to make it once again." Pudding said saddened.
"What was it?" Twilight asked. Although she had a feeling she knew what it was.
"It was Carpaccio pizza." Pudding said, he watches as Twilight facepalm. He looked at her with curiosity.
"Of course!" Twilight shouted.
"Uh. You knew?" He asked confused.
"I am the one that has been making those. In fact I might be the one that started that trend. I made those as lunch for the class sometimes." Twilight explained.
Pudding's eyes widen. "Then can you make yours?" He asked hopeful.
"Yes and no. For starters, I need a very specific type of carpaccio and and flour for the dough." Twilight said.
"I brought the oil and eggs." Harissa said as she cut in.
"Okay. Get me 100 kilo's of type 00 flour and 5 boxes of salami carpaccio. I also need some fresh truffle and some pine seeds." Twilight said as he cuts Pudding off.
"What do you need that for?" Harissa asked confused.
"Something special." Twilight said without missing a beat.
"Uh." Harissa said confused.
"Just go and get it. Don't worry about the reasoning." Pudding said.
"Okay." Harissa said before running off.
"By the way. Why do you need that much flour?" Pudding asked.
"It is also the best flour to have for pizza's. Although it is a tat-bit more expensive." Twilight said.
"I see. So what is that pizza like anyways?" Pudding asks curiously.
"It is a thin pizza with a minimal amount of tomato sauce, on top of the tomato sauce goes the special carpaccio and the seeds. After it is done and out of the oven. I drizzle the truffle mayo over it and done. The carpaccio pizza á la Twilight ." Twilight said.
"Is the 'á la ' necessary?" Pudding asked.
"Well it is part of the official name. So yes." Twilight said.
"I see. Then let me make it part of the menu tomorrow." Pudding said.
"Okay. By the way I have to go back to the counter. It seems there is another order. And I still have to talk to you about the contract." Twilight said.
"Very well." Pudding said with an smile.
After Twilight's work day had ended. She and Pudding entered Pudding's office.
"So about the contract. I heard you went to the Lunarium cook school in Manehattan. Which means you are more than a mere chef." Pudding said.
"No. I flopped. I obtained the rank of a head chef." Twilight lied. Twilight had fabricated a fake diploma with that on it. And showed it to Pudding.
Pudding took one look at the diploma, before laughing loudly. "This is the worst fake diploma I have ever seen. It doesn't help that after you joined just now that I looked into you past." Pudding said
Twilight looked away in shame. Pudding's reaction removed Twilight's only chance of entering a kitchen as a normal chef. And get a 'Normal' resume.
"Master Chef." Pudding said smiling. He noted that Twilight wasn't joking however. This made his face turn serious.
Twilight took one look at Pudding before looking away once more.
"Do you know why I am unhappy?" Pudding asked in a very serious tone.
"I fabricated my diploma?" Twilight offered. Her voice betrayed her anxiety.
"No. I am unhappy because you tried to make you pass off as a normal chef. But that is an insult to ordinary chefs. They are also doing their best to enter a business. You trying to lower your rank makes you a dishonest individual. And you also insult my daughter. She is an ordinary chef, if you took her place even though you could have taken the master chef job, that would make her jobless. You tried to remove their chance of entering this business." Pudding explained.
It was then that Twilight realized the error of her action. Not everyone is as capable as Twilight. So although Twilight could have taken an higher rank, those chefs can't. Taking a spot from them would prevent Twilight from getting another potentially good chef from entering the business.
"I am sorry." Twilight said with hints of self-spot in her voice.
Pudding then smiled, "You tried this at an early point of your career. You can make up for it. Can't you?" he asked.
Twilight nodded, "I can." she said.
"Good. So the master chef position. I have that position in my restaurant. This is that contract." Pudding said as he showed the contract.
Twilight looked at the contract and saw that it wasn't very good. "Tell you what. I will work for you with this contract until I pulled you out of the failing business. I will change the menu, improve the connection between the kitchen and the waiters and assist you in getting some new chefs. How about it?" Twilight offered.
"What is the condition?" Pudding asked.
"You will accept and permit female chefs to work in your kitchen. Beside me and Harissa." Twilight offered.
"Deal!" Pudding said with an satisfied smile.
"Now then. I am going to go home. I need to prepare and research Italian recipes for the new menu." Twilight said happily.
"Sure. Glad to have you on board. I can't wait what the future will be like with you on board." Pudding said dreamily.
"Don't dream too quickly. You first have to become successful before you start dreaming." Twilight said with an eyebrow raised at Pudding.
"I know, I know. I guess I am going to check if all the products in the fridges and freezers are still edible." Pudding said before walking out of the office.
Twilight meanwhile headed back to her lonely home. And once at home, she grabbed all the books on Italian dishes she could find. She moved them using her magic towards her bedroom and placed them next to the desk. She then took a seat and started to read all about the subject.
Meanwhile Celestia was just walking through one of the hallways in the castle, she was cautiously looking around. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Although she wasn't sure what exactly.
It was exactly then that she passed the royal kitchen. She overheard the conversation between Luna and the sous chef. It wasn't a very pleasant sounding one.
"So why are you telling me that I am terrible at my job? I am simply ensuring that my kitchen stays clean of filth." The sous chef grumbled.
"Filth? As in female chefs? Or female 'Intruders' in general?" Luna said with curiosity in mind.
"The latter." The sous chef said.
"Oh? Does that mean you are insulting the royal family?" Luna said as a creepy smile crossed her face. It was clear to Celestia that Luna has been waiting for that one.
The sous chef gulped as she realized what he just said. He looks at Luna, shook his head. "Of course not. I was just mentioning the female nobles that think they are way better than they actually are." he reasoned.
Luna's creepy smile slightly fades, "I guess that means your daughter isn't welcome here either." she said with a nod.
"Uh-" The sous chef tried to inject, only to get cut off by Luna.
"Well I am going to go and quickly ban her from the kitchen if you excuse me, sous chef." Luna smirked as she saw the sous chef scrambling in an attempt to stop Luna.
In the corner of Celestia's eye, she saw the sous chef's daughter approach her.
"Your highness. Can I ask you something?" The daughter asked.
"Of course, my little pony. What is it?" Celestia asked curiously.
"Uhm. Can please allow Twilight to enter the kitchen anyways?" The daughter asked.
Celestia's eyebrow rose slightly, she did not expect that one. "I could. But I am afraid that only your father has control over this decision." she said, Celestia saw how the daughter just drooped at that.
"I tried. He won't listen to me. Twilight is my idol, so he doesn't take her serious. He thinks that Twilight is simply blowing steam." The daughter said.
"What is your name, my little pony?" Celestia asked curiously. Although mentally she was surprised with Twilight popularity.
"Marie Bain. Your highness." Marie said.
"And how do you know Twilight?" Celestia asked.
"We went to Celestium together. I heard she managed to acquire master chef status at Lunarium. It makes me proud. I just wish I could find a chef job somewhere. I got a normal chef's diploma, but I can't get a job anywhere." Marie said.
Celestia smiled, she realized that Twilight had been making a name for herself even as filly. She inspired other ponies into becoming a chef and to stick with it.
"Twilight is currently working hard at fixing that problem. She is trying to make a difference by giving female chefs a better name in society." Celestia explained. As soon as she finished, she saw that Marie's eyes were filled with sparkles.
"Is that so?! She is injecting herself in world where we get removed from? All by herself?!" Marie asked as her voice was filled to the brim with excitement.
"She is. I just don't know if she will succeed." Celestia said somewhat uncertain.
"She, of course, won't succeed alone. I will call all my friends! I will get a job even if I have to fight for it!" Marie said with an incredible amount of determination.
And before Celestia could stop her. Marie forcibly enters the room where she saw her father begging at Luna. Celestia meanwhile looked on, not in horror, but in curiosity.
"DAD!" Marie shouted. Her shout had enough force to nearly blow her father away. Luna's eyes simple widen at the suddenness.
"Marie I am busy right now." The sous chef said as he tried stand back up.
"NO! I am going into the kitchen right now. You can't stop me." Marie said as she forcefully walked into the kitchen against her father's wishes.
"You will not. You will need more experience." Her father said.
"Do you want me to share all the bad things you have done to get your position with Luna?" Marie threatened.
The sous chef's eyes widen, as he sees Luna's eyes widen in intrigue. He looked at his daughter and growled. "Do that and I will ground you." he said.
"I don't care. You either allow me to enter the kitchen and cook or I share some stuff with Luna AND Celestia." Marie said as she points at Celestia in the background.
The sous chef looked shocked at her daughter as both the royal sisters look suspicious at the sous chef.
"I- I- Fine! Do whatever you want!" The sous chef said before storming out.
"What did he do?" Luna tried asking.
"Can't tell you that. Or my only form of blackmail will disappear." Marie said with a smirk at Luna.
"Uh-" Celestia attempted to inject, but was cut off by Marie.
"Don't worry. I was just bluffing anyways." Marie said smiling.
It was exactly then that Royal fell over, as the sisters and Marie could hear nearly the entire kitchen laughing in the background. Marie's smile widen even further. While Luna and Celestia simply look shocked at her.
"You are Marie Bain correct?" The royal head chef said. This man is responsible for hiring new chefs into the kitchen. He could easily overwrite the sous chef's decision.
"That I am." Marie said.
"You wanted to become a chef at my kitchen?" He asked.
"More than anything." Marie responded.
"All right. I will put you on a two week trail to see how capable you are. You can start immediately." The royal head chef said.
"Thank you so much!" Marie said as she dashes into the kitchen.
Meanwhile Celestia looked both shocked an impressed at what just happened. A random female chef just gained a potential job at the royal kitchen, thanks to her incredible desire in assisting Twilight.
Luna looks at Celestia with a smile. "See I knew Twilight would succeed. She has a large fanbase and many loyal friends. She will spark the flame that will ignite a fire in every female chef that Twilight had gotten into contact with." Luna said wisely.
"You knew." Celestia said.
"I don't. A friend is watching over Twilight. She can see Twilight's potential and sees that she is going to rock Equestria to its core." Luna said.
"You mean-" Celestia started.
"Yes." Luna confirmed.
"I see. Yes, this is going to be very interesting." Celestia said smiling. "Well I am going to bed. Good night my dear sisters."
Luna nodded at Celestia as she saw her walk off. "Does she not hate me?" ??? Said.
"Nah. She knows that Twilight wants to free you. She has actually been looking in way for her to do it herself." Luna said.
"I see." ??? said with a kind smile.
Back at Twilight's home. Twilight finally finished reading all the books on Italian dishes that she could. And on a small piece of paper she had made a list of dishes to put on the menu. All of them were authentic Italian and all of them were easily made by chefs.
The list held the following things:Pizza mozzarella, A pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese on it. Price 9 bits. Pizza prosciutto, A pizza with tomato sauce and cheese. Topped with some special smoked ham. Price 10 bits. Pizza capricciosa, A pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, smoked ham, salami, paprika and salmon. Price 13 bits.
Pasta carbonara, A pasta with cream, cheese and garlic. Price 12 bits. Pasta bolognese, A pasta with meat tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. Price 15 bits. Pasta Marinara, A pasta with an assortment of fish, tomato sauce and garlic. Price 20 bits.
Twilight felt proud of this list. Beside these pizza's and pasta's were some snacks and desserts. But these things are already pretty good. She didn't feel the need to change them.
Twilight looked at the clock, it was almost dinner time. She headed downstairs to grab something to eat before heading to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a heavy day.
While Twilight was sleeping. Marie and her friends all sat together in their favorite pub.
"I just want some root beer." Kipper said to the waiter. He was the last to make an order. The waiter walked off towards the bar to get them the drinks.
"So how is everyone?" Harissa asked.
"How is everything going with your father's Italian restaurant?" Leaf seed asked.
"We recently hired a master chef. It is looking up, we made for the first time in a while money. We are out of the red." Harissa said happily. "What about you Marie?"
"I got a potential job in the royal kitchen." Marie said. This statement caused everyone in the group to gasp.
"Oh my Celestia! How lucky! I am still searching." Mince said disappointed.
"Do you guys not want to know who my master chef is?" Harissa asked.
"Well, who is it?" Lulu asked.
Harissa smile turned into a smirk, "It's master chef Twilight Sparkle." she said.
Everyone snapped their heads towards Harissa. Everypony in the pub looks shocked at her. This turned into deathly silence. Until, Lulu spoke up.
"Well then. That is surprising." Lulu simply said, "I though she didn't know about your place."
"She didn't. She got hired by chance." Harissa said.
"I heard from the princess that Twilight is currently trying to fix the discrimination towards female chefs. However she is doing it alone." Marie explained, "Why don't we assist her?"
Everyone smiled, "We will. We are a team of chefs!" They all replied at the same time.
"Twilight won't be alone in this fight. I will talk to all my female chef friends and tell them what we are trying to do." Lulu said, her voice was filled with determination.
"Let's take this fight to the people. I was going to do this anyways." Aspic said.
"What do you mean?" Baste asked.
"My parents have tasked me to teach young fillies in the slums on how to cook. I will now also teach them on how to get a job." Aspic said.
"In order for the demand of female chef spots to increase, right?" Dress asked.
"Yup!" Aspic admitted.
"Yeah! Let's do this. Together!" Everyone else said at the same time.
"Waiter. Scrap my order. I have to go." Kipper said. He saw the waiter nodding.
Everyone on the table walked outside and their separate ways. It is time to make a difference.
Author's Note
It's time for her friends to make a move. Twilight isn't alone, this is the start of a new future.
Sorry for the delay, the weather is getting really hot and is making it harder for me to properly concentrate. Future chapters will take a while to get out due to hot temperatures.
Next up Pizzas and Pastas.
It was early in the morning. Twilight woke up after a good night sleep and decided to go to the bathroom to ready up. After a quick wash, she headed downstairs towards the kitchen and quickly made herself a jam sandwich. After she ate her sandwich, she looked at the clock.
It was six O'clock in the morning, Twilight was supposed to arrive at her most earliest around 7 O'clock. Before heading outside, Twilight quickly grabbed her list of menu dishes that they were supposed to make once they opened up. And quickly read through it once more, just to make sure.
Satisfied, Twilight put the list into her backpack and moved outside to make her way to the place. Once outside she immediately headed towards the restaurant only to bump into Lulu.
"Ouch." Twilight said surprised at Lulu.
Lulu shook her head and looked at who she bumped into. She gasped as soon as she regained herself. "Oh my Celestia! I am so sorry Twilight!" she said guilty.
"It's alright. It sure has been awhile." Twilight said with a small smile.
"Yeah. I have been busy with my parents and stuff. So what are you doing today?" Lulu asks curiously.
"I am going to work." Twilight simply stated.
"At Harissa's place right? She and the rest of our old class are still in contact with each other." Lulu said.
"Yep. I am going to help that place out of the state it is currently in." Twilight said smiling, "So what are you doing today?"
"I am going to talk to some of my connections. There is currently a flour shortage going on." Lulu explained.
"Is that so? Hm." Twilight said as she placed a hoof on her chin. Twilight immediately mentally looked at her connections circle.
"Yeah. Apparently one of the biggest flour farms have experienced a massive explosion. Which made them lose a lot of flour and nearly losing a few workers in the process." Lulu explained.
"Here take this." Twilight gave Lulu a business card. "That is one of my personal business partners. They trade flour worldwide. Tell them, that I told you, to ask them for their assistance with this problem."
Lulu looks at the card and her mouth went agape. It was 'Flour International' also known as 'FLI' the world's biggest food supplier in the world. They trade everything, from flour to bread. To cream and cake. They are Celestium's and Lunarium's biggest competitor. And incredibly famous.
"I can't. You are going to have to come with me. I am their competitor." Lulu said, her voice laced with shock and awe.
"I understand. This flour problem is also my business. Let's go." Twilight said as she and Lulu head towards the distribution district.
Once at the distribution district, Lulu and Twilight immediately spotted FLI in the distance. It was the biggest distribution center in the district. They slowly walk towards it. Lulu felt incredibly anxious, while Twilight had a simple business smile on her face.
As soon as they entered. Twilight spotted the boss of the company walking passed them. The boss who only saw a glimpse of Twilight did a double take. And when he realized that Twilight had entered the building, his smile turned tender as he approached the duo.
"Twilight Sparkle! It has been a while." The boss said gleefully.
"How is the business?" Twilight said. Immediately going to the point.
"As you can see. We are almost the biggest. All thanks to you. So how can I help my most favorite client?" The boss asked serious.
"There is a flour crisis in Canterlot." Twilight simply said.
"The explosion at one of Lunarium's farm, right? I heard about it." The boss said.
"Fix the crisis." Twilight practically ordered.
"Understood. How much do you want me to pump into the market, while your friend here, recovers the problem?" The boss asked.
"Fifty thousand tons." Twilight simply said.
"You will over saturate the market!" Lulu practically shouted.
"That is not my problem. That is your problem. You allowed this to happen, so show me the power of your family to fix it." Twilight said with a serious business face. Lulu realized that she wasn't talking to Twilight the friend, no, she was talking to a business rival.
"At once?" The boss asked surprised.
"Yes. Then stop selling flour to Equestria after that." Twilight said. This shocked both Lulu as the boss of the company.
"That will anger Celestia." The boss said concerned.
"Tell her that supplying flour is Lunarium's business. Not ours. We will grant Equestria an emergency supply of flour, but after this, we will stop our selling of flour temporarily. That way we won't over saturate the market on a long term." Twilight said.
Lulu's mouth went once again agape. Twilight's strategic move on the market is to ensure a long term relationship with Equestria, while also not undermining Lunarium regarding the flour supply. She was preventing a worst case scenario while also profiting from it. This will also solidify the rivalry between Lunarium and FLI as proper flour selling rivals.
The boss smiled, "Very well. It will be done." he said, "Also Lulu. Please remember that she is your friend and rival." He added before leaving to start ordering ponies around.
"There. I made my move." Twilight said while smirking, "What are you going to do about it?"
Lulu looks shocked at Twilight before running off to tell her parents the news.
"Alright. Back to work, I go." Twilight said as she too, ran off.
After some minutes later, Twilight finally arrived at the pasta restaurant. Only to meet an angry looking Pudding.
"You are late!" Pudding said annoyed.
"I was preventing a flour crisis from hitting Canterlot." Twilight tried to reason. However Pudding didn't seem to accept that.
"How did you know that was going to happen?" Pudding asked suspicious.
"I ran into Lulu Pepe. Her family runs a flour farm which is the primary supplier of flour to Canterlot. They had an explosion and lost all the flour they had stored up." Twilight explains.
"Since when is an explosion possible in a flour factory?" Pudding asked confused.
"Since flour is able to explode under the right circumstances." Twilight simply stated.
"And when somepony lights a flame near them." Harissa added as she walked up to Pudding.
"Is this common knowledge?" Pudding asked worried that he didn't learn the right things.
"Nah. Only those that had gone to cooking school or farming school should know about it. The circumstances I told you about can only be made at a farm. Or in rare cases also in a kitchen." Twilight explained.
"Let's just say, it takes a lot of flour to create that type of explosion." Harissa added.
"I see. Fine. Did you make a new menu?" Pudding asked defeated.
"Here it is. They are decently easy to make. It is a start. Once we have more chefs and more people, we can make more complex dishes. This will have to do for now." Twilight said.
"Alright. Please prepare to open the kitchen as soon as possible." Pudding said as he ran out of the kitchen.
"Understood. Harissa, please prepare the salad bar with all the cut up ingredients. I will go and change into my chef's attire." Twilight requested.
"Very well." Harissa said as she ran towards the larder to start to prepare the mise en place.
After quickly changing into her chef's attire. She ran towards the larder to start to prepare the focaccia and pasta dough. She also prepared some pizza dough, although she still had a bunch from yesterday.
As the mixers started to work their business, a panicked Pudding enters the kitchen.
"Twilight! Princess Celestia is here to have a chat with you!" Pudding said with panic clear in his voice. "She seems annoyed."
Twilight looks over at Pudding, "Very well. But we are going to be forced to open a little later then." Twilight said.
"That is fine. I don't want to lose such an important guest." Pudding said.
"Very well." Twilight said as she stops all the mixers from continuing to mix. "Harissa, slow down. It seems we are going to push our openings time even further."
Harissa looks at Twilight and nods, before going back to work on her tomatoes.
Twilight then casually walks towards Celestia. Celestia doesn't seem to pleased by the fact that Twilight isn't even slightly fazed by her surprise visit.
"Celestia." Twilight said as she showed her a business smile, "How may I help you?"
"Twilight. Do you know why I am here?" Celestia asked annoyed.
"Flour." Twilight simply said without a hint of worry in her voice. Although this seems to piss her off even more.
"I am fine with you intervening regarding the flour crisis. But why FLI?" Celestia asked.
"That is my card I played. I don't care if you dislike it." Twilight said dismissive.
"Twilight." Celestia growled.
"The FLI is a business I helped grow to this height. I do not need your approval for such an action. It is a business I helped and invested a lot into. There is no need for such hostility." Twilight said annoyed.
"I do not like what you have done. You made us owe that company a lot for the sudden spike in flour supply. And you didn't let Lulu handle it like we wanted." Celestia said annoyed.
"Oh I am sorry. Your highness!" Twilight annoyed, "Life isn't fair. You can't always get what you want."
"Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia boomed, "Try such an action one more time, and next time we meet. You are in the dungeon."
Twilight didn't even flinch, "So, did you tell the rest of Equestria who was behind the disaster at the slums?" she asked.
"I did not." Celestia admitted, "That has nothing to do with this."
"It does! The FLI is an organization that is build by me, for the slums! They are in charge of ensuring the prosperous future for the slum dwellers. They buy anything that an slum dweller has made for money to prevent them from going to steal stuff. They are also the once in charge of maintaining the activities and services in the slums. They hire guards and trusted merchants to assure a proper future for whoever gains a diploma at one of the schools. The FLI isn't just a massive headache for Lunarium and you. It is also to assist you!" Twilight explains, "Do you think that I don't remember what you did for the slum dwellers, right after the accident? Of course I do! They are to assist you from the background!"
Celestia mouth went agape. She had not expected the the FLI is also the organization to assist and prevent another disaster at the slums. She was stunned, no, she wasn't the only one shocked. The Pepe family that was standing outside also heard everything, not to mention the Pizza family.
"Besides the being called the "Flour international" company. FLI also stands for "To Fly, Live and Interfere". It is exactly as it says. 'To Fly' means to gain a future. 'Live' means to live not just survive and finally 'Interfere' means to prevent another disaster of such a degree." Twilight explains.
"I-" Celestia tries to cut in, but Twilight continues to ramble, her desperation becomes more and more apparent.
"Immediately following the disaster, I reached out to an old friend of mine. He was a merchant in the slums and had become homeless, right after the incident. I asked his help, despite myself and told him everything. At first he was angry, but then he realized that I was very much still a child. I told him that I would do anything to prevent another disaster like this one. And he made a proposal to make that organization a reality." Twilight continue to desperately ramble on and on.
Finally having enough, Celestia hugs Twilight. This woke Twilight up as she looks saddened at Celestia and those around her. "I am sorry." Twilight ends her rambling with.
"Don't be. I should have done my research better." Celestia said still hugging. Twilight tried to free herself from Celestia's hug, but Celestia didn't allow that.
Giving up, Twilight looks guiltily at Lulu. Lulu was just standing there in the door frame. Her face had a sad smile on it, but her eyes were filled with fire. Not angry fire, no, a determined fire.
'If she had to go through something as terrible as that and still not give up. Then I shall also not give up.' Lulu thought before leaving Celestia with Twilight. She walked off, while her family looks confused at her.
In the shadow of the alleyway stood a well hidden, Princess Luna. She had both a sad smile as well as an proud smile. She decided to enter the spotlight as she approached Twilight and Celestia from behind.
"You have just now made a difference of massive magnitude. I have a feeling that your desire for female chefs to be accepted will arrive sooner than you might believe." Luna said proudly.
Her sudden voice caused Celestia to jump. This also caused her to open up her hug just enough for Twilight to escape. And escape she does.
"Hey! Come back here!" Celestia said with a playful smile at Twilight.
"I would love to. But I have to get back to work. Actually, now that you stalled your time here. Please stay seated and Luna do take a seat. You are going to have to eat something as punishment for stalling this place from opening." Twilight practically ordered.
"Gladly!" Luna said happily.
"Ugh. Fine. I did indeed stall this place. But only if the family Pepe also joins me. They instructed me to talk to you." Celestia said as she glared at the Pepe family.
Coffee and Tart simply shrug as they took a seat and the remainder of the family joins them, one by one. Coffee in particular was curious, he wanted to know why Twilight almost always choose restaurants that were nearly closing down due to circumstances, only to prevent that from happening.
"Well, that was something." Pudding said as he sees two princesses taking a proper seat and the family Pepe also taking a look around, "So is there anything you would like to drink?" he asked.
Meanwhile Twilight quickly resumed making focaccia and pasta dough. She moved extra fast, after acknowledging the sudden spike in guests in the restaurant.
"Harissa, please hurry up. We have loads of guests that have taken a seat. They will most likely eat something." Twilight said somewhat rushed.
"Understood." Harissa said as she speed chopped all the remainder of the ingredients.
"Also please prepare your mild tomato sauce." Twilight quickly added as she herself restarted the mixers.
"I am already done with that." Harissa said with a smile.
"Very good!" Twilight said proudly.
After a few minutes of making the dough, Twilight heard a beep from her counter. She speed walked towards it. And sees two plate of pasta marinara.
"Two plates of marinara! Harissa, please prepare the fish and sauce. I will work on the pasta." Twilight instructed.
Harissa nodded as she takes out a large bowl to mix some fresh sauce in and the box filled with a random assortment of small fish. She begins by melting some of the fish in a pan filled with hot water and combining a bunch of creams to make some proper fish sauce.
Twilight in the mean time, prepared the dough roller into the smallest setting. She then rolled the dough several times through the dough roller to get it nice and thin. After it held the right structure and shape, Twilight used a chef's knife to cut it into fettuccine. She then boiled it into hot water for about six minutes and then let it dry for about a minute.
"Sauce and fish is ready!" Harissa shouted.
"Prepare the plate!" Twilight shouted.
Harissa then proceeded to grab two deep black plates and drizzle a little bit of sauce around the plates. Twilight then added the pasta on it and Harissa puts the fish on the pasta, before pouring the sauce over it. And two plates of marinara is complete.
Twilight then grabs both plates and placed it onto the cabinet, she rings the bell and watches as Pudding grabs the plates and move it to the princesses.
"That was some quick work. Well done Harissa!" Twilight complemented.
"I still got it." Harissa said as she brushes Twilight's complement off. Although Twilight could swear that she saw a small blush on her face. Twilight simply smiles, until she saw a massive order coming in.
The order had one pasta carbonara, two mozzarella pizzas and fifteen focaccia.
"Okay. Harissa please prepare the sauce for the carbonara and get me some tomato sauce for two pizzas." Twilight instructed as she grabs some fresh dough and rolls it out to make two pizza bases. Twilight also prepares some more fettuccine for the carbonara.
"Here is the tomato sauce and I complete the sauce for the carbonara." Harissa shouted.
"Here is the pasta. Please make a plate of pasta carbonara." Twilight requested.
"Understood." Harissa said happily. This basically meant that Twilight trusted her with making such a dish.
Meanwhile Twilight finished putting the sauce onto the pizzas and added the mozzarella to the pizza. Before putting them into the oven. She then made all the focaccia in less than ten minutes and added those to their own oven.
As soon as the alarm of the pizza went off, Harissa shouted that she completed the carbonara. Twilight then proceed to plate both pizzas herself. And plate all the focaccia also. She placed the focaccia and pizza onto the cabinet, and Harissa placed the pasta onto the cabinet. Twilight rings the bell and watches as Pudding grabs the plates and move them to the family Pepe.
Twilight and Harissa cleaned the kitchen up after that. While Pudding also cleaned up the bar.
Meanwhile on the other side of Canterlot.
Lulu was walking around with determination on her face. After hearing Twilight's confession, she was more determined than ever to assist Twilight with her female chef problem. She remembered Twilight talk about wanting to have her own restaurant. But also realized that as long as the world sees female chefs as bothersome, Twilight wouldn't be able to get anywhere. She didn't like that.
'Twilight has suffered enough! ' Lulu thought. She walked towards an odd looking doorway. It had a fountain in it and and some kind of seal on it.
"I magikí pórta ston kósmo ton trofímon pou éfere tin eftychía se aftó to aeropláno! *" Lulu casted on the doorway.
The doorway shone brighter than ever. As the fountain stops pouring water and sinks into the ground. And a door get revealed in the place of where the fountain once stood. Lulu opens the door and an odd individual exits the portal.
"Lulu, old friend. How can your old sister help you?" ??? Said in an heavenly voice.
"Please. Give me an hint on how to allow female chefs to be accepted by the public." Lulu requested.
"You are helping Hér ? I see. Sent your friend named Twilight to the underground facility named, 'The red friend'. It is a place that can make the difference. But she will have to go to hell and back." ??? Warned.
"I understand. I will give Twilight the place name." Lulu said with a small smile.
"Farewell. Old friend." ??? Said as it walks through the portal and disappearing the door. Replacing it with the fountain once more.
'The red friend? I heard of that place. It is filled with bounty hunters and information brokers. It is the second most dangerous place in Equestria, besides the chaos point. Why would you recommend that place out of all places? ' Lulu thought shocked.
'No matter. I will let Twilight decide on this fact. ' Lulu though as she ran back to the Italian restaurant.
Meanwhile back at the restaurant, the princesses and the family Pepe finished their food. The waiters had finally arrived, which allowed Pudding to go speak with Twilight for a minute.
"Twilight. I got some good news. Tomorrow at seven, we are getting some new chefs. I hired a bunch of trustworthy chefs at a hiring place. They are all well known and should boost this restaurant forward. They have all also signed their ten year contract." Pudding said.
"That is wonderful news. How many chefs?" Twilight asked.
"Two chefs, four assistant chefs. One head chef, one sous chef and a replacement master chef." Pudding said.
"Oh! Who is the master chef?" Twilight asked very curiously.
"You will see." Pudding said mysterious.
"Well anyways. It seems you want me to get them worked in, before I leave, no?" Twilight asked.
"That is correct. I have also decided that Harissa will stay employed as a senior chef in this kitchen." Pudding said.
"Very well." Twilight said as she went back to work. It is exactly then that Lulu enters the restaurant.
"Can I speak with Twilight for a moment?" Lulu requested.
"Twilight! Someone wants to talk to you!" One of the waiters shouted.
Twilight looks around the corner and sees Lulu. Twilight smiles and nods at Lulu, beacon her closer.
"What is it Lulu?" Twilight asks curiously, while also smiling.
"I found a place you could work at, that should make a difference regarding the acceptance of female chefs. It's just," Lulu said as she ends her sentence with a cliffhanger.
"It's just?" Twilight asks worried.
"It's a really dangerous place. But it should make all the difference." Lulu said somewhat worried.
"Well shoot." Twilight said.
"The red friend." Lulu said. Twilight looks shocked at Lulu.
"According to who?" Twilight asks serious.
"According to a very trusted source." Lulu said also serious.
"I see." Twilight said as gears were shifting in her brain. "Very well. I trust you. I will see what I can do." Twilight said at last, after a tense ten minutes.
"Thank you. Leave the rest of Equestria to us. We are also trying to succeed at your ideal." Lulu said with an smile.
"Very well." Twilight said before the duo returned to the restaurant as Twilight and Harissa continued to cook for the remainder of the day.
Twilight ended her day by making plenty of dough for all the types of things on the menu to reduce mistakes, once the new chefs arrive at the kitchen tomorrow. And lowers the stress on Twilight herself.
Before heading home, Twilight decided to go to the market to inspect the interaction that the FLI was having on the flour market. She entered the market, saw that the results were exactly as expected, and headed home once more.
When Twilight was home she ate dinner, washed up and head early to bed.
Once she was well slept, she woke up and washed up. Ate a jam sandwich before making her way to the Italian restaurant once more. Only to get a pleasant surprise.
The master chef that Pudding hired was, Leaf Seed. Twilight's old classmate at Celestium.
"Ah. Hey Twilight! What are you doing here?" Leaf asked confused.
"I am the current master chef. Which means you are the one coming after me." Twilight concluded.
"Wow. I get to walk in your hoof steps. That is awesome!" Leaf said excited.
Twilight simply smiled as she introduced herself to the other chefs that are entering the kitchen as outsiders.
"For today. I recommend that you simply watch me and Harissa cook for today. Tomorrow I will let you all take the kitchen. I will watch for a few days to prevent mistakes and allow you all to get worked in." Twilight instructed.
Twilight then turns her attention at Harissa, "Harissa, please prepare the tomato sauce, mild please. I will prepare the mise en place." Twilight instructed.
"Understood." Harissa said as she got to work. Twilight meanwhile grabbed the ingredients from the larder and cut them up in the recommended pieces. Twilight noticed that she was being watched like a rare exotic animal. They were very focused on the way Twilight prepared everything.
Meanwhile Leaf was looking at how Harissa was preparing the tomato sauce and even requested to take a small sip. Leaf immediately understood what type of tomato sauce Twilight wanted.
"Take a look at the current menu. This is a menu made to sustain a two chef kitchen. Not a full blown kitchen. I will allow Leaf to create a new menu, after the two days of me watching over you all is over." Twilight explained as she showed them the extremely simplistic menu.
"I understand. I will start doing research tomorrow." Leaf said.
Twilight simply nodded as she completed her mise en place. She then proceed to explain how each fridge, freezer and cabinet is filled in. Where to find what. And generally how to make dough.
As soon as the restaurant opened, both Twilight and Harissa totally ignores the group that is watching them. Every time Twilight prepares an order, every pony was constantly reminded that Twilight isn't an ordinary master chef. She sped through every step and action with absolute precision and speed. Her ability to lead and communicate made her a master chef most would be jealous of.
Meanwhile Harissa worked in perfect tandem with Twilight. It showed just how advanced this kitchen is, despite the small menu. And despite it being only two chefs. Her ability to plate things and prepare things made her the perfect assistant to Twilight's chef work.
After a full day of work, Twilight ended the day by showing everyone on how to make focaccia dough, pizza dough and pasta dough. Meanwhile Harissa showed how to properly spice your dishes. It was the end of long day. And an end of Twilight's adventure at Harissa's Italian restaurant.
Twilight filled the remainder of the days with instructions and quality control. Leaf took over quite quickly, and Harissa worked in the other chefs. Until the day came.
"It is time." Twilight said to the kitchen.
Leaf and Harissa looks at Twilight. They both have a disappointed smile and a sad one.
"I will miss you." Harissa said.
"I will miss you too. Perhaps we will meet again one day." Leaf said.
"I am sure we will." Twilight extended a hoof bump towards the duo.
They both bumped it, as they got back to work. Twilight walks over to Pudding.
"Thank you for your help. I send over the money. Please take care. I hope to see you soon, once more." Pudding said as he extended his hoof to shake with.
"To a better future." Twilight said while smiling happily. Twilight shook Pudding's hoof as they separated ways. Pudding's future was a bright one. Twilight's was a dark one.
Twilight then slowly walked off with a smile on her face, off to the worlds most infamous place 'The red friend'. Off to another adventure she went.
Author's Note
* The magical door to the world of food that brought happiness to this plane!
Also mise en place means preparations for a kitchen.
And that is the end of Twilight's adventure with Pudding. Leaf and Harissa are with this, also released from the story. They will no longer reappear as character that I will write about. Their futures are sealed, And Twilight will move on.
They might appear as background characters. But they will no longer actively speak.
It was a sunny morning for the citizens of Canterlot. Most ponies were very happy and thriving. As each pony shopped and ate on the go. One such pony is Lulu, she finally was able to repair the damage on the flour farm after lots of trail and error. In the end, the explosion was caused by the sloppy staff. Which made the farm gain a negative status among the higher ranking in Canterlot.
However Lunarium the school in charge of the farm didn't care about the nobles. They were too busy avoiding another disaster of the like and to deal with FLI. However FLI was surprisingly quiet. They appear to really respect Twilight's orders as they didn't do any flour selling after the sudden spike in sales regarding the flour. This made Lulu really respect Twilight, while also making her feel quite intimated by it all.
However right now, Lulu was worried about something worse. She had send Twilight to 'The red friend.' The red friend is an pub that is situated right below the Tartarus prison and next to the largest illegal black market in the world. Making the location alone extremely dangerous. But surprisingly, that is not why it was so dangerous.
No, it was the once inside the pub. Outcasts, illegal immigrants, murders and so much worse are the once that visit this truly massive establishment. Despite their bad name, they are one of the most richest pubs in the world. And also the one that look down upon female chefs the most. In fact it might have been caused by this pub that the world rejects female chefs so much.
However, Twilight was doing some research on this 'Forbidden place' and found out that the reason they look down upon these chefs were a lot more wholesome than what most might believe. Twilight found an extremely old news article from about a few thousand years ago.
Apparently this establishment was started by a female chef that was looking for work. After her many hit man jobs went mostly south, she needed a place to go and work at. Her only other skill besides killing was to cook. So she started the red friend. However as the years came and went, and the owner got older and older. One of the victims of one of her job finally tracked her down and murdered her in cold blood. At daylight. In front of her own guests.
After she died, everyone that had come to love her, slaughtered the killer in cold blood. In fact it is said that after the killer died, the guests found the killer's family and destroyed them also. This set off a chain reaction of events that eventually made it so that no female chefs were allowed to join this establishment in fear of another disaster like that one.
Not to mention, it made it become placed at the world's blacklist for most dangerous pubs in the world. Signed by every princess that lived at the time and made it so that anyone that joins it would automatically become a criminal. Even if you were totally innocent or forced to join it.
However, Twilight didn't really care about those details. If it wasn't for Celestia hiding the true details about her action. She would have become one of the most dangerous murders, herself. No, after reading through the news article Twilight stumbled upon a shocking discovery.
The one that started the 'Red friend' pub was part of an early version of the family Sparkle. As such, the one that died. Died as a Sparkle. Not the fake surname she showed off, so many times. Her name? Red Desert Star Sparkle. Star was her first name, Sparkle was her surname. And Red Desert is her nickname.
At this point, Twilight cared more about recovering her family name, than whatever goal she had before it all. She needed to know more about 'Star Sparkle' and of ways to recover her name and body. That way she could become buried alongside her fellow Sparkle family members. And become properly remembered as a Sparkle.
'It says that it's below Tartarus. But where exactly? There are lots of entrances, and most are dead ends. ' Twilight thought as she searched for an entrance. When she remembered Becky. She is a long term chef inside the underground, perhaps she would know.
So Twilight closed her book and headed outside to get to the entrance to the underground. She remembered that there was such a door inside the commercial district. But she can't quite pinpoint where exactly. So she decided that wandering and search will most likely hold the highest chance of success which is why she did exactly that as soon as she arrived.
After a few minutes of wandering, Twilight succeeded. It was right next to pub that was suspiciously called the 'Red Desert' pub. But instead of dwelling on this odd coincidence, Twilight knocks on the door.
"Who is there-" The security guard was about to ask, when he looked down, "Ah! Twilight Sparkle! Please do come in." he said surprisingly friendly.
"Do you know where Black Chef is?" Twilight asked as soon as she enters.
"At the usual." The guard simply answers, after that he simply walks off.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she rushed towards Becky's restaurant.
And as soon as she arrived, she spots Luna seated on one of the bar chairs. She also sees her dad and Royal also seated at the place. Twilight kind of expected Luna and Royal, but she did not expect her father to also be seated in the restaurant.
"Becky!" Twilight shouted. Becky turns her head towards the source and sees Twilight.
"Hey! It has been awhile. How may I help you?" Becky asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Do you know a way into the 'Tartarus Illegal market'?" Twilight asked.
Becky went wide eyed almost immediately, she looks around to see if there were any guards nearby. There weren't any. She looks at Twilight worried. "Why do you ask?" Becky asked in a hushed tone.
"I have some business at The red friend." Twilight said simply, she sees Luna do a spit take at it's name. As she looks shocked at Twilight.
"What kind of business?" Becky asked.
"Family business. Apparently the original owner was a Sparkle. And I have got a family name to recover. Besides that? Well I am still working on improving the female chefs status. I got some hot intelligence that told me that they are the fastest route." Twilight said. This caused Luna to look with some surprise at Twilight. Becky on the other hoof, looks somewhat proud.
"Fine. Take this key. There is a door frame somewhere on the outside of the prison. That door frame leads straight into the market." Becky said smiling. The key that Twilight got was made of solid gold, with some very old mystical writing on it.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she rushed out of the underground.
Meanwhile Luna looks shocked at Becky, "Why did you turn her into a criminal?" she asked shocked.
"Because she can choose her own path. There is no need for me to control it. Besides you knew this was going to happen, no?" Becky said knowingly.
Luna's shock slowly descended into prideful smile. "You are right. Although it was more like Moon knew this would happen." she said.
"Even still. This is her final step until she finds the dish that will release you two." Becky said.
"It is. After this, Twilight's time as somepony we can control will be gone. She will become what she wanted. And will join the elements of harmony at last." Luna said.
"Just not as a element bearer." Night added, "I am aware of Twilight's future, that is why I gave an excuse to go to Manehattan." he said.
"It will be the time that Twilight will forge her own path. Just like right now." Royal said also knowingly.
"It seems you are not the only one that knows of her fate, Luna." Becky said with an smile.
"So it would seem. So it would seem." Luna repeated twice. Although she seemed to be smiling.
"But I must ask." Night started, "Was that missed shot that hit the slums truly natural?" he asked.
Luna's smile turned dark and evil. "No."
Meanwhile Twilight herself was totally oblivious to her own fate. She was too busy changing the fate of thousands of others. After she obtained the key, she rented a one-way ticket to the prison which was located in the badlands.
After an extremely long trip, Twilight arrived at the border town. She was about to pass through the checkpoint when a suspicious looking guard stopped her.
"Stop. It is about to turn night time. It will be too dangerous to run around in there." The guard said nervously. The guard had black hair and had a horn. Yet something about him, made Twilight alert.
"I know that. I will be fine. Let me through." Twilight requested.
"No! I mean, I can't let you do that. I will lose my job if you do!" The guard said. Twilight however immediately knew that this guard is who he seem. No guard would say, "I will lose my job if you do!" when somepony is trying to leave while that somepony is also an young adult.
Twilight simply rose her eyebrow at the weird way he is trying to say that she isn't allowed to pass. "Oh? Do tell then. What is so dangerous in the badlands at night that would prevent you, from letting me leave?" Twilight challenged.
"Uh manticores! And snakes!" The guard tried to reason.
Twilight wanted to laugh so badly, but luckily she kept a straight face. "Well for one. There isn't any manticores in the desert. They only live in the Everfree forest. And secondly snakes only appear in the San Palomino Desert." Twilight said matter-of-factly.
"Uh." The guard immediately realized that he screwed up.
"The only threat that I could think off are either a rogue changeling, a cosmic bear if I run into a cave or the occasional dragon that might hang around it for the heat, at day." Twilight simply answers for him. "Which means that I know what I am dealing with. So let me passed!" Twilight added annoyed.
"Well-" The guard was about to step aside, when his superiority walked into the conversation.
"I am afraid, I can't let you do that. Princess Celestia herself ordered a ban on leaving at night at the border." The head guard explained.
"On what ground?" Twilight said, demanding an explanation.
"We have been getting more and more reports of rogue changelings attacking merchants at the dead of night. And we recently got some reports of night wolves also appearing more often lately. Not to mention the fact that the illegal black market is most active at night, which attracts some nasty individuals." The head guard explained.
"I don't care. You can't restrict me from entering the badlands at the dead of night. Unless you can give me reasonable belief that I might happen to stumble on such a creature?" Twilight said as she totally ignored the head guards explanation.
The head guard sighs, "Only if you will allow me to record your name, occupation and reason for moving over the border at night. No matter the reason, this is standard protocol." he said defeated.
"Fine. Twilight Sparkle, Master chef, going to go work at a certain pub." Twilight said.
"Thank you. That has been recorded. Please pass over the line and tell me one thing." The head guard instructed.
"Sure. What is it?" Twilight asked after passing over the line.
"Which pub?" He asked somewhat worried.
Twilight's smile turns dark, while appearing innocent at first glance. "The red friend." she said as she leaves.
Leaving the shocked head guard with his equally shocked guard at the border. Twilight was about to become a criminal willingly.
Light and Darkness are two that are close, yet far apart. Twilight will need both to release her from her darkness and light. Only when she has experienced both, will she succeed. Or she will shatter like glass.
It was dark, Twilight was using her horn to illuminate herself in the darkness. Twilight was about five kilometers way from the border village. She was half way. In fact, Twilight could see her destination in the distance. Twilight wasn't sure about her decision to become a criminal, but knew that would have to drag her family name out of the mud.
After some more walking later, Twilight finally arrived. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but thousands of entrances sure weren't any of them. Luckily, Twilight knew that way in. So after searching around the prison, she sees an unusually familiar door frame. It had a small fountain in it and a keyhole behind it. It looked exactly like another door frame in Canterlot with the exact same features. And that one stood directly opposite to her house.
Shaking her head, Twilight looked at the door and approached it. As soon as she touches the water, she got hit by a powerful sealing spell. It had Celestia's signature. 'Of course. Celestia is the one that likes to seal things. But this is weird. I swear I saw others go through this doorway. Why am I unable? ' Twilight thought.
Twilight then decided to see what the seal was like and saw that it was designed to prevent certain individuals from using the door. Twilight seemed to be one of them. Annoyed, Twilight pumps a lot of magic into the seal in an attempt to unseal it. Only for it to fail. Now very annoyed, Twilight was going to attempt a certain spell, that she was taught at a young age.
"Twilight! I am going to pass on a spell that I have to hoof over in every generation. It's a spell that can only function on a certain solid golden key." Velvet said.
"Why is it that specific?" Young Twilight asked.
"Because that pony will know when the right time to use it, has come." Velvet said.
"I remember, mom. I remember." Twilight said.
"Clavis est victoria, meisque votis accederet, quod aperire ianuam. Ut quamque esse futurum. De Sparkle Genus! *" Twilight casted on the key.
As soon as Twilight casted this spell, the key lights up. It was as bright as the stars above. They key changed form as it levitates itself out of Twilight's hooves. And with a blast of otherworldly power, it demolished the seal casted by Celestia and into the keyhole itself. The key awaited for Twilight to touch it. And as soon as Twilight did that, the key turned on its own.
Which revealed a door. Twilight opens the door which caused they key to return in her back pocket. And sucked Twilight inside. Twilight then moved through a portal and ended up in the largest underground city, she had ever seen.
"Welcome sister. Welcome to Tartarus primary city. Also known as Tartarlot." The odd pony besides the door said.
"Uh. Thank you. Say, do you know where the red friend is?" Twilight asked.
"It's that castle on the other side of the city. The one that looks like current day Canterlot. They say that, that castle was the inspiration to Canterlot castle. As this one has been here longer than Canterlot has." The odd pony said.
"Thank you. I will go over there then." Twilight said before walking there.
After a solid minute of just looking around the city. Twilight quickly realized that this city is probably bigger than Canterlot and Manehattan combined. And that her wandering only slowed her down, so with a quickened pace she headed toward the red friend.
As soon as she had arrived Twilight simply looked at the beauty of the building. She then entered the largest pub in the world. She walks inside and immediately receives weird looks. Especially from the staff that worked there.
"What is a young lady, like yourself, doing at a pub made for criminals?" The waiter asked.
"Am looking for a job. In a kitchen." Twilight simply stated.
"In here?" The waiter asked, while holding back his laughter.
"Yes. I heard that you guys sucked at baking, so I am here to show you how it's done." Twilight said, as she obviously taunted the pub.
The waiter immediately looks annoyed at Twilight. He didn't appreciate that back hoofed comment. As he walks away from Twilight. He looks clearly upset.
"Oh! It seems I did a boo-boo. I guess you can't take some criticism. From an obviously better chef, then whatever you are able to make." Twilight simply stated. Twilight was simply roasting the pub at this moment.
"What is your name?" The waiter said.
"What gives? You are trying to ban me? Ha! What are you a chicken?" Twilight said to the waiter, which was obviously a Pegasus.
"Enough!" The waiter finally snaps, "You are behaving like a little child! Tell me what you want, and I will let that comment go."
"I want a chef's job at this pub right here." Twilight simply said.
"Female chefs suck!" One of the chefs shouted out of the kitchen.
"Ha! You suck! Atleast I have the balls to cook unlike you!" Twilight shouted back.
The waiter was grumbling, "Do you know who owns this pub?" the waiter asked.
"A anti-female-chef's club." Twilight answered without missing a beat.
"That too. No, the family Sparkle owns it. Pearl Sparkle owns it." The waiter said.
"And?" Twilight asked, she showed no sign of worry.
"They are a powerful family." The waiter added.
"Get to the point!" Twilight shouted.
"Fine. Unless they give you permission. We can't grant you a job." The waiter explained.
"Then let me meet this Pearl!" Twilight demanded.
"Sure. You are in luck, she is in, right now!" The waiter said, "She is already aware that you wish to meet her. You see those stairs? She is at the top of that tower. Good luck!" The waiter said sarcastic.
Twilight nodded as she heads up the stairs. After like two minutes of climbing. Twilight reached the top. She knocks on the door.
"Atleast you have manners. Come in! The door is open." Pearl said somewhat annoyed.
Twilight opens the door and looks at Pearl. She looks a lot like her mom. Only taller and slimmer. She reminder Twilight of her mom and Fleur de Lis. Her cutie mark had a horn and a bloody knife.
"Hmpf. Well do tell, who are you? What is your occupation and reason to join my pub?" Pearl said.
Twilight first smirks, before she starts to talk. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the daughter of Velvet Sparkle and Night Armor Light. I have a master chef's degree with about 500 hours of experience. I am trying to make female chef's main stream." Twilight explains. As soon as the first part of her explanation showed itself to Pearl. Her mouth went agape.
It took about ten minutes for her to regain her composure. She looks closer at Twilight before her annoyance turns to a soft smile. "Twilight Sparkle." she repeated, "Yes. I remember my sister talk about you."
"Sorry for my taunts. I was trying to get attention from the pub, or well, you." Twilight said apologetic.
"I understand. It is the first time we meet. I am the sister of your mother. Pearl Sparkle." Pearl introduced, "And that is a brave goal. I understand your desire though." she added.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.
Pearls smile turns sad, "We are aware of Star Sparkle. She was our great, great, great grandmother after all. Before she died, she had many children. Of course most of those ponies are ponies that we have yet to forget about." She said, however it didn't look like she was done.
"She was cursed to be forgotten about. Of course. Some of us do still remember her. She was our family greatest wizard and the master of Star Swirl the bearded. In fact after her death. Swirl took her name to honor her." Pearl said.
It was then that something stirred inside of Twilight. She suddenly remembered a spell, that she was going cast one day, but never did. A spell that can even be casted on the dead. The uncurse super spell. It was a spell Twilight was working on, before the disaster. She did however complete it. But never casted it.
"I tried to follow in her hoof steps but failed." Pearl said, as she looks shocked at Twilight for suddenly casting a spell.
"The one that you love, will not be forgotten. For my name is Twilight Sparkle. Keeper of magic, lover of friends. Hear me! As this spell will undo that which has been sworn on your life. Undo the magicus of cursing space! " Twilight casted as a super magic circle appeared above Twilight. Twilight casted the spell on Star Sparkle and it worked.
In an instant, Pearl, Velvet and Luna remembers everything about Star Sparkle. As the power of the spell was felt across the world. A super powerful uncursing spell had been casted. And Celestia felt that it came from Twilight.
Meanwhile Pearl sat there with the worlds most painful headache ever. Twilight immediately noticed this and felt bad, but did nothing.
"Please warn me next time!" Pearl said annoyed once more.
"Uh sorry. That happened on the spur. I don't understand why I remembered that. In fact I am verily certain that, that spell was left unfinished. It's almost as if somepony else, knew that this was going to happen." Twilight said confused.
"I knew. " A ghostly voice said. Twilight and Pearl looked to their left at once. A ghostly figure of Star appeared in front of them.
Pearl wanted to say something, but she failed to say anything. The shock of her sudden appearance was too much.
"I watched, and waited, and waited. Until Velvet bore a small child named Twilight Sparkle. " Star said.
"Why me?" Twilight asked.
"It was going to happen. You were the chosen child, however something happened that changed everything. " Star said.
"The slum disaster." Twilight said.
"Don't blame yourself. Something manipulated your spell mid-flight. It became stronger mid-flight and something pushed it away from the place you targeted. Almost as if someone tried to make it so and forced it to veer off to the side. " Star explained.
Twilight looks shocked at Star. She knew something happened at the spell. But not an intervention.
"I have reason to believe, it was Luna and Nightmare Moon. They knew you were powerful and with the right push could become a master chef. " Star explained, "But it does not matter. You are here now. Trying to change the world for the better, without bearing a magical element. "
"I guess that is true. No amount of divine intervention, would prevent me from doing the world a favor." Twilight with a small smile.
Star smiled, "Which is also why, you must know. Twilight Sparkle. Cook them the dish I am about to teach you. It will also allow you to separate those dumb princesses. " she said. "And change their opinion of you. "
"I thank you!" Twilight said as she too gained a strong headache.
"I have chosen to bind myself to you. You will now gain my protection if you ever need it. " Star said before disappearing once more.
"Next time I will meet you. I will force my memory of the disaster upon you!" Twilight said as swore several times, Luna's name.
"Anyways. Why don't you make that recipe to my staff? I will personally watch over you, during your stay." Pearl said.
"Thank you. Besides I feel we have a lot to talk about. Some stuff about mother and some stuff about me." Twilight said.
"That we will. That we will." Pearl said.
Author's Note
* Key of success answer my prayers, open this door. To my proper future. Of the Sparkle Family!
And her one and only meeting of Velvet's sister. Next up is a special chapter. Twilight's quest is finally over. She has found the dish that will separate those stupid sisters. And will give the cooking world another blow.
Pearl and Twilight were happily chatting about their lives. Twilight's parents and her brother. While Pearl spoke more of her time in the underworld. It was a dark place, but it seems that most believes about it was exaggerated. It is true that it was below an active prison, but the ones living her were far from criminal.
It was true that some where indeed associated with the dark side of life. But most just lived their lives from exile, and their lives were no different from an ordinary pony. This city also had similar rules to Canterlot and had a similar security system as well. As Twilight spend more and more time at the red friend. Twilight noticed something off about what Star told her.
In the event that Moon truly did cause it, shouldn't the guards and even Celestia herself not have noticed this divine intervention? And more over, this was far from possible. Luna was still very much on the moon. She can't manipulate Equestria. Or she would have gone back long ago.
No. Someone else intervened. It was then that Twilight looked deep in her own past while she went to bed at the red friend. Pearl had granted her a room and as soon as the other staff found about the truth, they were pleasantly surprised. Twilight was then treated as family. Even though Twilight still profusely apologized to the only waiter that got most of Twilight's mean comments. She was still easily forgiven. Twilight had yet to forgive herself however.
As soon as Twilight fell asleep she swam from door to door in order to find her memory. And as soon as she opens the door she saw a still image of Twilight and the magic spell that was about to hit the slums. Instead of allowing the memory to flow, she looked at the still image and tried to look around Twilight. For anything that wouldn't make sense.
It was then, that she saw it. A single unicorn to Twilight's right was in the middle of casting an orbital laser spell. This spell has several layers of magic distortion and gravitational circles engraved on it. Twilight saw that as soon as her spell had reached halfway, this ponies gravitational side of the spell lit up.
Causing Twilight's spell to veer of as soon as that activated. Twilight connected the dots and realized that this was truly an incident. Twilight's spell was bound to gravity, as thanks to Twilight's lack of control. Meanwhile the unicorn besides Twilight thought that the spell was too powerful to be effected by gravity and started to cast her own most powerful spell in responds to her claim.
As soon as the unicorn's gravitational side of the spell activated, Twilight's magical bolt veered of to the right of the target. And as soon as it got passed it, the distortion side of the spell activated. And since the spell was already accepting her magic as another source of power besides Twilight. The distortion caused it to increase in both power and speed.
Twilight then saw the last piece of evidence right as the explosion happened. Before the shock wave could have reached Twilight, the unicorn besides Twilight already got blasted into the wall as her magic got totally drained. As her spell failed near the end of her cast, she got hit by the rebound of the spell, instead of Twilight.
Twilight had one more thing to solve who is this pony. And how could that happen. Well Twilight was able to guess the second one. She stood too close to Twilight. On top of that, she was probably casting at the same time as Twilight. This caused the spell to intertwine and cause it to expand its magic detection range. And the expanded magic detection caused her to assist Twilight's spell.
Twilight than looked closer at the pony. As Twilight inspects her body shape and look. Twilight concluded that this was Pride Keeper. This was immensely surprising, but it would make sense. Orbital laser spell was a spell that only commanders carries. Not some random guard.
Twilight carries a sad smile. At Twilight's deepest point, she was blinded by her power and sadness. She failed to realize that she wasn't alone in this disaster. Meanwhile at her highest point, Twilight was cooking for her friends, filled with happiness and pride. Twilight was a major contributor, but not the only one.
"Luna, Moon and Celestia are innocent. Twilight was the major cause and Pride was the second major cause. And the whole 'who is stronger' claim was the secondary cause." Twilight said saddened.
Twilight woke up to sounds outside of the red friend. Twilight looks at the clock and saw that it was day time. Twilight stood up at the moment that Pearl entered her bedroom.
"I was able to convince the chefs to grant you a chance. But it is the only chance. Fail it and you have failed. No second chance." Pearl warned.
"I went to Tartarus. I might as well show my inner demons." Twilight said with an evil smirk. Pearl first gulped for a moment only for it to turn into a small hopeful smile.
Twilight and Pearl went back downstairs. As soon as Pearl reentered the main floor she was surrounded by her bodyguards. Pearl looks confused at them, they look terrified back.
"My lady. We have an important guest inbound." The terrified guard told her.
"Who is it?" Pearl asked worried.
"It is that demon child." The terrified guard said, "And she is angry." he added.
"Why?" Pearl asked pale.
"She wants something that isn't on the menu. And for some reason nobody knows how to make it." The terrified guard said.
"What is it?" Twilight asked serious.
"It is something called, pancookies." The terrified guard replied.
Pearl looks shocked at the guard, "Of course we don't make that. That is a forbidden recipe! Only my sister knows how to make that." she said worried.
"I am also able to make it." Twilight said with a soft smile, "Can I see this demon child?" she asked.
"She is over there-" The terrified guard tried, only to see a chair fly towards him extremely fast.
Twilight however was faster and caught the chair in her magic. And placing it back on the ground. The guard thanked Twilight. Twilight was very unhappy however. She wasn't going to make this if the child continued to behave like this.
Twilight approached the demon girl that was throwing an tantrum.
"I want pancookies!" The girl demands.
"I know how to make it. But I will not make it if you continue to miss behave like this." Twilight demanded as well.
The girl snapped to Twilight. She didn't look happy as she started to cast a spell.
Not wanting another chair being thrown, Twilight casts a pub wide nullification spell. Stopping the girl in her tracks.
"Do you know who I am?" The girl shouts.
Finally having enough of this girls antics, Twilight does her best royal Canterlot voice impression. "Enough! You are a guest, you will behave like one. Or I will remove you right now!" Twilight boomed. This spooked the girl and made everyone else shut up.
"I am sorry." The girl said apologetic.
"Very well. So in more better detail. How can I help a young lady like yourself?" Twilight asked as her voice softens. It sounded almost motherly.
"I came in the hopes that you guys could provide me with some pancookies. I tried everywhere, this place was my last hope." The girl said with hope in her eyes, "Can you make me some?" she added.
"I can make you some pancookies are by the way a recipe that only the family Sparkle owns. Only my mother and I knows the recipe." Twilight explained. The girl's eyes widen in shock.
"Is it a family recipe?" The girl asked.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"I am sorry. I wasn't aware. I thought it was well-known. My father said that he has had it many times." The girl apologized.
"Did he mean pancakes?" Twilight asked.
"No. He specifically meant pancookies." The girl said. "I have had pancakes often. Not pancookies though."
"It is like pancakes. Just made with a cookie dough base and some even more sweet toppings." Twilight said.
"Can you make some with fruit? I can't eat chocolate and certain sugary toppings." The girl asked.
"Sure." Twilight said with a small smile as she enters the kitchen.
"I won't let you make that in my kitchen." The master chef said.
"Too bad. You are a earth pony and I am a unicorn. I wonder what happens if I use some of the more darker magics on you." Twilight threatened.
Enraged the master chef closed his distance on Twilight, "You wouldn't dare." he said.
Twilight's horn lit up, some magic that king Sombra used during his time as a tyranny. It was pure black, something that caused him to look terrified at Twilight.
"Well?" Twilight warned as her horn lit up and the darkness on her horn became louder and louder.
"Fine! Screw you, you bitch!" The master chef shouted terrified as he ran off. Twilight and the chefs noticed a pool of water on the ground and realized he pissed himself. This caused the chefs to laugh at his expense.
Twilight smiled as her horn magic went away. "It seems he hasn't learned the difference between an illusion and reality." Twilight commented.
This caused the chefs to laugh even louder. After a while everyone stopped laughing as their eyes had been filled with awe and respect. Some chefs that previously looked down on Twilight, looked a lot more friendly.
"Do you need any assistance?" One of the more friendly chefs asked.
"Can you get me these? I do not know where they are." Twilight requests as he hooves him a list of ingredients.
"Sure thing, sis." The chef said as he left.
Twilight meanwhile prepares her hardware for the job. She prepared a pan and a stove. Alongside some metal mixing bowls and utensils.
The other chefs quickly realized that she didn't use magic during any of these actions. They were curious, so one of them came forward.
"Um sis? Why are you not using magic?" One of the unicorn chefs asked. Twilight saw that the master chef in the distance also was watching in curiosity.
"There are rules in this kitchen that not a single pony is allowed to break. One! No magic in my kitchen. Two! All races are equal, but no skills are. Prioritize your guest over your desires. And lastly! Respect your fellow chef, whether they are male or female!" Twilight boomed through the kitchen to ensure everyone heard that.
Twilight noticed that the master chef that ran off was smiling. Twilight looked at his direction and saw that he motioned the following text, "Good job, sis. I have tried to make such a change happen as well. But I failed. Thank you." the master chef stated.
"Hooray!" Every chef in the kitchen agreed as they all went to work on their respective job. Twilight had finally made a proper impact. This impact was going to change everything. Alongside her friends that were working hard to change things, she has finally made a difference. A difference that will create a domino effect.
Twilight had received the ingredients and went to work. After mixing everything she placed the massive cookie in the pan and started to add fruit and the like inside of the cookie dough. The smell of Twilight's dish filled the kitchen as everyone was paying attention to the way Twilight made her dish.
Not caring one bit, Twilight continued to make her dish by herself as the whole kitchen was watching her. The way she cooked, the way she held herself. Everything was being watched. And she loved it. This meant that she was being judged to see if she really is a chef. This was a good thing, as that meant that they have accepted her.
After a few minutes, Twilight finished her pancookies and placed it only an extremely large plate. Placing the plate on her bag, she moved it towards the guest of honor. The guest saw the massive plate head her way and gulped. It was bigger than she thought, but the smell drew her in.
The girl took a single bite as she had an internal food orgasm. Which caused her to eat it in lightning speed. After less then ten minutes, the plate was empty. And the demon girl was satisfied.
"What is your name?" The demon girl asked.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am Star Sparkle's many grand's daughter." Twilight said with an smile.
"I see. My name is Mirajane. Although we will never meet again." Mirajane said saddened.
"I will set up my own restaurant, one day. You are always welcome as long as you behave." Twilight said while smiling in glee at the thought.
"Really? I can't wait. I will go pay at your boss lady. May we meet again, Master chef!" Mirajane said with a smile.
"Are you ranked, master chef?" One of the chefs asked her in shock.
"I am. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I have a master chef degree and is in middle of trying to get rid of female chef's bad name." Twilight explained.
"I see. We will support your wish. Go Twilight Sparkle, we are right behind you!" one of the many chefs said determined.
"Yeah! Go Twilight!" Every chef shouted in respect.
"Very well. Now I only have to find a way to go home." Twilight said uncertain.
"Don't worry, Twilight. I have a shortcut." Pearl said as she approached Twilight.
"I did it Pearl." Twilight said happily.
"So I saw. I am sure that Star would be proud." Pearl said with a massive smile on her face.
"I sure hope so. By the way, I don't think that Nightmare moon is behind this. I think it was an accident between me and Pride Keeper." Twilight said.
"What do you mean?" Pearl asked confused.
"Circle spell meshing." Twilight simply stated.
Pearl's eyes widen, "You mean-" she tried as Twilight cut her off.
"He stood too close." Twilight simply finished.
Pearl drooped, "You mean it was a freak accident? What was he casting?" she asked a lot more saddened than before.
"Orbital Laser spell." Twilight answered.
Pearl's eyes widen as large as dinner plates, "Gravity and empowerment." She simply added as she drooped to the ground. She looked extremely saddened.
"Why the sadness?" Twilight asked confused.
"I know him. He was blaming himself for failing to stop you. He took it very hard. And this will be the nail in the coffin." Pearl said depressed.
"No it won't. I am going to have a long and nice chat with Celestia about it. Over some tea." Twilight simply said.
"But-" Pearl said, as she cuts herself off when she noticed Twilight's hardened look.
"It's time that Equestria finds out about the truth. No more lying, no more misery. Time for the truth to be known." Twilight said determined.
"What do you mean?" Pearl asked as she opens the door to Twilight's room, in Canterlot.
"Celestia has told a false truth to keep everyone at bay, no more lies. I want no false truth, I want to gain justice. Only then can I truly move on. I am mentally moved on, but the truth. That is still the false truth." Twilight admits as she closed the door and ended up in Canterlot once more.
Author's Note
The end is near. Not for this book, no for Twilight's past.
Next up, Celestial tears
Twilight was standing in her bedroom when some guards barge their way into her room. Twilight jumped slightly as she looks at them. They look less than pleased. On top of that, they seemed to be searching for something.
"Have you seen, Pearl Sparkle? The number three most wanted criminal?" The guards asked.
"On what charges?" Twilight simply asked instead.
"On being the owner of the red friend." The guard replied without missing a beat.
"Since when is owning a pub illegal?" Twilight growled.
"Since it's hosted to the most illegal inhabitants of Equestria." The guard said as he slightly back away.
"Oh. I see. You are scared." Twilight said as she somewhat taunted the guard.
The guard gulped as he nodded, "Is that a problem?" he asked.
Twilight sighed, "She is long gone." Twilight simply said.
"Oh thank Celestia. Are you alright? Miss Pepe said you were kidnapped by them." The guard said.
'Good cover up, Lulu! ' Twilight thought as she internally smiled,
"I am fine. I was able to fight her off. I am the one that did that, after all." Twilight said as she points in the slum disaster's direction.
"Right. By the way, the princess wants to see you." The guard said.
"Which one?" Twilight asked.
"Luna." The guard said, he saw as Twilight huffed.
"Tell her that I have nothing to talk to her about. And if she is determined, that she is going to have to wait. She is not important right now." Twilight dismissed.
"But, she will get angry." The guard gulped.
"Then tell her that she has nothing on me. Unless she is interested in talking about the disaster with me." Twilight simply said, "Instead tell Celestia that I am coming to visit her."
"I understand. She will know it right away. When will you visit her?" The guard asked.
"In an hour." Twilight said.
"Very well. It will be done, lady Sparkle." The guard was about to leave when Twilight stopped him.
"By the way, Star is also my cousin. Next time if the princesses have a problem with her, then they will come to me." Twilight warned.
"Understood." The guard said as he ran off. He looked a little bit scared.
"Darn. I forgot that I am still in my mean mood. I hope I can turn it down when I arrive at Celestia's place." Twilight said somewhat self-conscious.
After Twilight washed herself and calmed down, she head for the castle. Along the way she spots an unhappy Luna head her direction. Not wanting to speak to her, Twilight decided that the only path to Celestia was to teleport there. Which was exactly what she did right afterwards. Just before she teleports, she sees as Luna's face contorts into one of an enraged princess. Twilight gulped just as the teleport went through.
Twilight was now in front of the knights that are protecting Celestia's bedroom. They both saw Twilight end nod.
"Twilight has arrived." The knight on the left shouts.
"Come in!" A cheerful Celestia said. Twilight then opens the door to see that Celestia was enjoying a nice cup of tea.
"Celestia." Twilight simply said as she did a playful bow while smirking. Celestia simply stuck her tongue out.
"So, how was the red friend?" Celestia asked.
"Not falling for Lulu's lie?" Twilight simple asked back.
"I have seen you fall for darker things." Celestia responded with a sad smile.
"About that. I came to the conclusion that the disaster that happened, was a mere freak accident." Twilight said.
"Why?" Celestia asked.
"Well you see." Twilight started to talk to Celestia about her findings and the like. Every so often, Celestia's face contorted in the many emotions a single pony could have. However after Twilight revealed the truth about the disaster, her face remained sad, disappointed and overall depressed. Twilight noticed it, but continued to the end.
"Pride Keeper." Celestia said saddened.
"In my name, I have a request." Twilight asked determined.
Celestia had a sinking feeling, "What is it?" Celestia asked.
"I want Equestria to know the full truth. No false truths." Twilight requested.
"You want to potentially sacrifice your career for something this stupid?!" Celestia almost boomed. Twilight's eyes were hardened. They looked tired of the lies, but determined.
"They deserve it. The people of Equestria deserve to know the truth. They have been patiently waiting for you to tell the truth of the investigation. Either you will walk on stage, or I will." Twilight said determined
"You might lose everything!" Celestia pleaded, "Please don't make me do this." she practically cried.
"Celestia. Do you want to lie to those that have lost their parents? To those that lost everything? To those that are experiencing something worse than death?" Twilight asked, no, begged.
"I- I-" Celestia said as she hiccuped. "I can't! Twilight do you understand what you are wishing for?" she asked.
"The truth." Twilight said simply.
"The truth will destroy their believes in you." Celestia shouted.
"The lies are burdening me. It is tiring. I plead to you. Please tell the truth." Twilight pleaded.
Celestia hugs Twilight, "You will destroy your reputation. You are giving up everything for some stupid truth?!" she said.
"Yes." Twilight said coldly.
Celestia looks at Twilight. Twilight was afraid, but exhausted. Celestia was scared, but sorrowful. Celestia sighs.
"Fine. But you must know how many you actually killed." Celestia tried, Twilight wasn't having it.
"No. You will tell Equestria, whether you like it or not." Twilight practically ordered.
Celestia was about the rebuke it. But Luna chose that exact moment to crash Twilight's party.
"You will not." Luna ordered.
"And why not?" Twilight growled.
"It will destroy your career and hard work." Luna stated.
"Is it your life?" Twilight asked.
"No, but-" Luna said as she tried to continue, Twilight casted a no speak spell on her to prevent her from continuing.
"Enough! I have decided it. Unless you can grant an proper reason. Not some stupid, "It will destroy your career," or "It will change you." bullcrap. I have chosen it. If you prevent Celestia from saying the truth then I will explain it." Twilight boomed.
Luna undid Twilight's spell. "First you undo me and my sister's bind spell. Then you can go on a that adventure." Luna requested.
"No." Twilight simply said.
"Excuse me?" Luna said utterly surprised. Celestia looked wide eyed at Twilight.
"No. If you don't like it. Then care to explain why you chose to forcibly change my fate? Besides your selfish reasons?" Twilight demanded.
Celestia looks surprised at Luna. Meanwhile Luna looked beyond sad. She looked downright depressed. "I didn't mean to." Luna tried as an excuse.
"That won't work." Twilight simply said. Her eyes were cold as ice.
"I am sorry." Luna said as she shrank into her young form she had, right after the elements of harmony did their thing.
Celestia looked shocked at how easy, Twilight had made Luna apologize. Meanwhile Twilight sighed.
"Luna. I will cure it. But I need more time. I only recently found the recipe. It will take time to master it. Besides one of the ingredients are a clear mind. If I don't clear up my past, then I won't be able to make the dish." Twilight said with a motherly tone. Luna immediately hugged Twilight as if she was her mother and started apologize over and over. Until eventually she fell asleep.
"Well. That happened." Twilight deadpanned.
"Anyways. I understand. I will make an announcement tomorrow." Celestia said defeated.
"Is tomorrow exactly the day that it happened?" Twilight asked curious.
"It is." Celestia confirmed.
"Good. One more thing." Twilight added.
"What is it?" Celestia asked.
"I have decided where I will settle down." Twilight said.
Meanwhile somewhere else in Canterlot. Shining Armor, Velvet Sparkle and Night Light got off the train after a long vacation in Manehattan, they looked more tired than relieved however.
Shining was busy with his promotion and was exhausted after he had raided about a dozen black markets.
Velvet was less busy after she completed her archaeology job in Manehattan. But she spend her days filling in the fossil collection that she had made. It was tiring because most fossils were quite heavy. Even with her ultra powerful levitation spells.
Night meanwhile was finally done with the fine tuning of the meat food law. He also properly assigned an Headquarters for the inspectors. And he was done with all the paperwork. Despite it, he was busy following Luna and Royal around to ensure that everything regarding the law was actually functioning like they were supposed to.
The trio looked at each other only to giggle. Night was the first to speak up however.
"We look like a mess. This was totally not some vacation after all." Night said as he giggled a little.
"Yeah. If archaeology wasn't my job, I would stop trying to collect those fossils if I can help myself." Velvet said sighing.
"You choose to collect the heaviest of them all, yourself." Shining blamed.
"True. So how was the black markets? Found anything interesting?" Velvet asked.
"Well, no. Mostly junk and illegal stuff. I can't bring that with me." Shining said somewhat disappointed.
"Did you hear?" One of the Canterlot citizens said besides the conversation the trio were having.
"Yeah. The princess has finally decided to tell us the truth." The other Canterlot citizens said.
"Awesome. I have waited years for it. My daughter is still in the hospital from the disaster." The first one said.
"Oh my, what is wrong with her?" The other citizen asked.
"Well. She is hurt after getting buried. She is suffering from amnesia and severe head trauma." The first one said saddened.
The other citizen hugged the first one. "It is going to be alright. I am sure she will recover." the other citizen said.
"Hm? I thought she was not going to reveal it." Shining said to Night.
"To think that ponies are still feeling the effects of that day to this day." Velvet said shocked.
"Well. Perhaps Twilight is tired of the lies." Night said, "That she pushed Celestia to reveal the truth."
"Atleast the parents and children are going to get some closure." Velvet said hopeful.
"Yeah. But Twilight-" Shining started only for Night to shake his head.
"Twilight is also going to some closure. Whether she will keep her career or not." Night said serious.
"Besides, Twilight might finally found out about how this happened to begin with." Night added.
"I guess you are right. I just hope that Twilight can cope with the pain that will follow." Shining said saddened.
"We are here for her. Aren't we?" Night said with a smile.
"I guess you're right." Shining said also gaining a smile on his face.
"Besides this was fated to have happened." Velvet said wisely.
"Right." Shining said. Night simply nodded.
Going back to Twilight. Celestia was crying. This caused Luna and Twilight to look shocked at each other.
"Sister. Why are you crying?" Luna asked worried as she pulled her sister in a hug.
"So in the end. Nothing changes." Celestia said cryptic.
After a few moment of thinking, Twilight realized what she was saying. Smiling Twilight looked in Celestia's eyes. And nodded. "You are right. In the end, no matter what was going to happen. Fate will always find their way." she said.
Luna looked at Celestia and Twilight. After a few minutes of thinking about it. She too smiled. "I guess I changed nothing, huh?" she said.
"I am not crying sad tears. I am crying happy tears." Celestia said as big smile appeared on her face.
"I sure hope so." Twilight joked.
"By the way. How much time do you need?" Luna asked Twilight.
"Give me a year. It is a very difficult recipe. Which requires many layers of magic and cooking skills. It truly is the ultimate recipe." Twilight said with a smile on her face.
"Yeah. I understand. We can wait that long." Luna said in understanding..
"Thanks." Twilight was only able to say as Celestia hugged her and Luna.
"I can't wait to see my older sister." Celestia said happily.
"Does that mean you have forgiven her?" Luna asked.
"Only if she will make the celestial cake. Will I forgive her." Celestia said as Luna and Twilight laugh at her obsession of cake. This caused her to pout. But she soon join the duo as she laughed herself.
"Celestia. Whether I was going to hold the element of Friendship or am going to be a master chef. I will always support you. I always would. The only difference is that I am going to stay mortal." Twilight said knowingly.
Luna and Celestia look shocked at her. "How did you-" Celestia started, "Know?" Luna finishes.
"Oh. Celestia. I am not stupid. I do read some books. And I may or may not have known it from the start." Twilight said with an smirk.
"What." Celestia said stumped.
"Are you a time traveler?" Luna asked utterly confused.
"Nah. But I have my ways. I always have my ways." Twilight said as she laughed at the face the two were making.
Celestia and Luna looked utterly defeated and confused. They had nothing as they just stood there.
Author's Note
Yeah. I have settled on the place Twilight will settle down. You will not find out yet.
Next up, Gone a full circle
~~Remember, she has some Pinkie Pie like abilities. The ability to foresee this, is one of them.~~
After the speech and Celestia's hard work in attempting to slow down the amount of paperwork. Canterlot was experiencing a great boom in advancements. This was mostly in health and safety, but also in food and drinks.
When the people of Canterlot heard about the truth of the disaster and about the duo that caused all of it, they chose to accept the past. And in order for a second disaster from happening, the people worked hard at improving the lives of those that have lost ponies. But also at improving hospitals and the like from getting overwhelmed too fast.
After the speech, many desired to join a rescue organization. The explosive desire caused schools that taught ponies in the art of rescue to get overwhelmed in a matter of minutes. But rescue organizations also got overwhelmed at the sudden spike in help from many places. From food to medication, it was as if the world wanted to thank them for their services so far.
And then came the diplomats. They seeked the assistance of Celestia more than anyone else. They desired a full overview of the disaster, in order for their respective countries from such a disaster. Celestia obviously complied with their request, in order to build an even stronger relationship with the respective countries.
That was until an unexpected visitor requested Twilight instead.
"With all due respect, your highness. We wish to ask Twilight Sparkle for help instead. During the disaster many of my kin got injured or even died, however we wish to ask for her help instead." The darker colored pony requested.
"Under whose name?" Celestia asked suspicious.
"Chrysalis." The pony stated.
"Hm? Who is that, if I may ask?" Celestia asked uncertain.
"A queen that rules her ponies in the badlands." The pony replied.
It was at that moment that Twilight intervened,
"Of course, I will assist. What is the specific request?" Twilight asked. Celestia jumped as Twilight stated that out of nowhere.
"Art thou more skilled?" The pony asked in a difference voice.
Twilight smiled and nodded, "I am ready. Is there a specific recipe you would like me to make?" she asked.
The pony gave her toothy grin, although Twilight could tell that the pony was sad, despite it. "Love pancakes. We love those, the sweetness and softness is great with our teeth. Make them thick though, otherwise it won't fill us." the pony said.
"How many?" Twilight asked cryptic.
The pony's eyes widen, as her smile disappears. "Are you sure you can take that weight?" The pony asked.
"It will depend. That way I can decide on how many love pancakes I make." Twilight requested.
"5 million." The pony said in a lot of pain. Twilight eyes widen, but she said nothing.
"I understand. I will make as many as I am able to produce. I will personally deliver it to you." Twilight said as her voice betrays her sheer amount of sadness.
Celestia looks confused at the exchange. She couldn't understand what they were talking about. So she intervened.
"Twilight who is this?" Celestia asked worried. She draped her wing over Twilight to suppress her sadness.
"A changeling. Queen Chrysalis is a changeling queen. That number is the amount that died due to the disaster." Twilight said, her eyes dark and her smile was dark.
"No." Celestia said in disbelieve. That was an amount she couldn't understand, it was simply too many.
"I will have to make millions of pancakes. Will you assist me?" Twilight looks hopeful at Celestia.
"Infused in love I presume?" Celestia said with a small smile.
"Exactly." Twilight said somewhat smiling.
"Wait! We don't have enough storage for that many?!" The pony said shocked.
"Then let's make a lot as an apology." Celestia said as she ignored the desperate cries of the changeling.
"Yes!" Twilight said while agreeing.
"Are you deaf?! We don't have enough space for that many pancakes!" The pony shouted annoyed.
"Oh. Who said we were just talking about pancakes." Celestia said with a big grin. The grin was creeping the changeling out.
"Yeah. I recently found a way to infuse crystals with love. We will need Cadence's help, but surely she will assist." Twilight admitted, the changeling's shock disappears and gets replaced with worry.
"Wait how are you going to transport all of that?" The pony asked worried.
"Don't underestimate us." Luna said as she jumps in, "I know the location of your hive, I can teleport it all straight to your hive."
"Oh Chrysalis, please have mercy!" The pony said dramatic.
Celestia, Luna and Twilight laughed at the responds. "I heard my name?" Cadence said as she walked in on an odd scene. Twilight and the princesses were laughing at a pony that was clearly in distress. Although at closer look, the pony was being overly dramatic.
"Cadence. Do you still have those crystal hearts? I need like 5 million of them." Twilight asked Cadence.
"What is it for?" Cadence asked suspicious.
"Oh love crystals." Twilight simply answers.
"Ah. For changelings? Sure, I can give you that many. Want me to help you fill them?" Cadence asked.
"Sure. I just hope that our changeling buddy will have enough space, besides 500 tons of love pancakes that is." Twilight said obliviously.
"You were serious?!" Celestia, Luna and the pony shouted at Twilight, shocked.
"It's the least I can do, after killing 5 million changelings by accident." Twilight admitted, much to the shock of Luna and Cadence.
"Are you sure we shouldn't double it then?" Luna asked suddenly. Much to the horror of the pony.
"Hm." Twilight thought.
"Enough! We don't want your help." The pony shouted as he stormed away.
"Too late." Twilight said while smiling.
"Shit." The pony said, "You will never get me alive!" The pony shouted as he ran off.
"So, can you teleport the end product to her?" Twilight asked Luna.
"Gladly." Luna said agreeing.
"Okay. Let's use Celestia's kitchen then. She has everything that will allow us to make 500 tons of love pancakes." Twilight said as she walked towards her kitchen.
"Let me help you with that." Cadence said as she quickens her pace to follow Twilight.
Celestia shook her head in disbelieve while following Twilight. Luna simply smiled in worry at Twilight's serious statement, but said nothing of it.
After the conversation with disguised changeling, Twilight and the princesses made their way to Celestia's private kitchen to make an tremendous amount of pancakes that were going to infused with Twilight's love of cooking. Thus appropriately named "Love pancakes".
Luna however was going to be in charge of sending a tremendous amount of pancakes and love crystals towards a single spot in the badlands. This was going to take a massive amount of magic, so she decided to make a circle magic spell instead.
Circle magic isn't as easy to cast compared to ordinary magic. However they were perfect for spells that were going to be used many times. Like in this case 'Single-point Hyper coordinated super teleport' was the name of the spell. If Luna was going to cast this without the circle spell, it would take millions of magic points. But the circle spell would lessen the pressure on the caster by a lot. 75% decrease of magic point spending per spell.*
After several minutes of casting the circle on the ground, Luna finished the spell. And just in the nick of time. Celestia, Cadence and Twilight finished their first batch of love pancake. 50 tons to be precise. This was going to go fast, due to Celestia using her military grade** mixers to make the pancakes.
And Twilight was making five pancakes per session of baking the pancakes. Cadence was in charge of packaging them for transportation and to grant some mercy to the changeling queen by lowering the amount of storage that was going to be required to store them.
"Okay. Sending the first batch." Luna said as she placed the pancakes on the circle and sending them over.
Meanwhile in the underground city that is being ruled by Chrysalis. The queen herself has been worried ever since the surprisingly eagerness from Twilight and the rulers of Equestria. The disguised changeling has also return and he too is worried, until a magic circle appears out of nowhere and a pallet with boxes on it appears out of thin air.
The changeling carefully approaches it to inspect it. But as soon as he got close, he smelled the pancakes.
"My queen. The pancakes have arrived." The changeling said.
"How many?" Chrysalis asked.
"50 tons." the changeling replied.
"Oh thank god. They had some sense." Chrysalis said relieved.
"Uh. I don't think this is the entire delivery." the changeling said worried.
"What makes you think that?" Chrysalis asked worried.
"They are still warm. If they are making them and immediately teleports them. Then-" The changeling deduced, only for his deduction to immediately answered. He was correct. Much to his queens horror.
In the following minutes, ten more pallets appeared for a total of 500 tons of pancakes. But the pallets with boxes made the storage for them much easier. Instead of a mountain like Chrysalis expected, it fitted in a small section of the storage unit.
"And that was the pancakes. Now we will get those love crystals." The changeling said.
"I hope they package it like these pallets. It will make storing much easier." Chrysalis said hopeful.
"I doubt that they will change their version of storing the crystals to the pancakes. But there is only one way to find out. So let's wait." The changeling said smiling.
Going back to Twilight, she and the princess have completed fase one of the task they promised. Cadence is currently missing however as she is currently gathering the love crystals that they are going to use.
"So wait. How are we going to gather all that love?" Luna suddenly asked Twilight.
Twilight smile turns evil, "I have my ways. However I will need to go to the place alone. Celestia can go rest up for a bit, while I want you to wait on me, for producing the stuff." Twilight said suspicious.
"Explain." Celestia practically ordered Twilight.
Twilight meanwhile simply pouted, "Ah fine. No need to go anywhere. At the time I originally met the changelings, I ask them on advice about collecting love." Twilight explained.
"Which means?" Celestia asked curious.
"Ever since my first meeting, I have secretly been collecting love into a separate pocket dimension. That is why I need to go alone. The love can't enter my body, since I own the pocket dimension. But an outsider might get infected by it. So only I can collect the love out of the pocket dimension for the crystals." Twilight explained.
"I understand." Luna said while nodding.
"So is five million crystals not too much?" Celestia asked.
"Nah. It probably contains enough love to fill five trillion magic crystals instead. After all, my cooking produces love, which means I produce a LOT of love. And eventually I actually was forced to increase the size of my pocket dimension. Which in itself was already massive. It is as big as the entirety of Equestria, but it is already about 95% full." Twilight admitted.
Luna and Celestia let their mouths drop to the ground in shock. Cadence who walked in on the revelation didn't bat an eye. She was apparently a bit aware of this, thanks to her uncanny relationship with love magic.
"Where do you want me to place the crystals?" Cadence asked.
"We are going to put them into boxes and pallets again after I fill them. Will you do that for me, Cadence?" Twilight asked.
"Sure. Leave it to me." Cadence said happily.
"Okay, opening a closed portal right here." Twilight said she points at a random direction with her horn and casted a powerful closed portal into the wall.
"I am ready to package them." Cadence said.
"Please throw all the crystals through the portal. I will fill them up and throw them back out. I will Celestia to picking them up and giving them to you Cadence." Twilight instructed.
"Okay." Celestia and Cadence said at the same time.
Twilight then entered the portal. As soon as Twilight got on the other side, she was reminded just how powerful she was. Inside she saw a dark cloud of pink energy over a magical recreation of the entirety of Equestria. She made the recreation with her magic alone and without breaking into a sweat. Something that most ponies are unable to do, in fact most have trouble recreating a building, let alone an entire country.
Shaking her head, Twilight grabs a crystal and orders the love magic to fill the crystals up. The love magic acts without delay and enters the crystals one by one. As soon as a crystal is filled, Twilight tosses them through the portal. She did this every five hundred crystals.
Meanwhile on the other side, Cadence fills each box with a total of 18 crystals and a pallet can hold 6 boxes for a total of 108 crystals per pallet. They will have to do this for 5 million crystals in total. This was going to take awhile.
"A total of 46300 pallets. This is going to take awhile." Luna deduced.
"Well it is better than cleaning up the dead bodies of the disaster." Celestia admits.
"Way to not read the mood, sis." Luna said annoyed.
"Less talking and more filling." Cadence shouts even more annoyed.
"Sorry." Luna and Celestia said saddened. As their actions quickened.
And for the next several hours, Twilight and the royal sisters filled pallets upon pallets of love crystals and sent them over to Chrysalis over and over. Chrysalis herself saw as thousands upon thousands of pallets filled with crystals appeared in front of her.
And despite being annoyed at the large amount, she was that much more grateful for the fact that Twilight kept her promise. Than the given amount, although that was certainly a bonus. However she was still planning an invasion on Canterlot, until the last love crystal got through.
It was a love crystal that has a picture and three letters attached. One from Cadence, one from the royal sisters and one from Twilight. The picture had a smiling Twilight, Cadence, Celestia and Luna on it while carrying the last love crystal on it. Although they all looked pretty tired.
The first letter Chrysalis read was from her rival, Cadence:
'Dear Chrysalis,
As you know well, My name is Cadence, and just like you I use love magic in many ways. And although our ways are different. It is the same in one way or another. I heard you lost many children during the disaster and for that I genuinely want to apologize on Twilight's behalf. I am also aware that you consider me a rival. I mean it makes sense, however since the disaster happened I have become more aware of my lack of consideration to your people.
My mother always told me that you were heartless, but I don't agree. I have seen and met truly heartless individuals but you aren't one of them. You are a mother, a queen, a ruler. But you truly care for your children and that is something that I respect. We may be rivals, but if you ever need some help. I am willing to assist, even my rival.
Yours truly, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. '
Chrysalis read this letter in particular, several times. She was surprised that Cadence was willing to grant her such mercy despite their past together. But she was glad that Cadence wasn't like her mother. Cadence's mother was truly heartless compared to herself.
The next letter she read was of the royal sisters, each with their own letter. One written on the front, the other on the the back. The one on the front was Luna, so she read hers first.
'Dear Chrysalis,
My name is Luna Nightmare. I am Celestia's younger sister. However I am much better versed with your kind. Before my banishment, I remember meeting your mother. I did hear from your own changelings that she died protecting the hive. I am saddened to hear that. We were good friends. And we both loved good food. I hope I can meet you under better circumstances next time.
Now onto what I really want to talk about. My spies have noticed that you want to invade us. And honestly I understand. After losing so many children to an accident that could have been avoided. I too would want that. However as a ruler of Equestria I ask a different question.
Why not integrate with our citizens? I asked your mother that, she would tell me what she wanted. But sadly she was unable to tell me before my banishment. So I ask you. What do you think? Please think long and hard about it.
Yours truly, Princess Luna Nightmare. '
Chrysalis was unsure how to answer that, so instead of answering, she looked at Celestia's letter.
'Dear Chrysalis,
It seems I am truly blind. Or ignorant. I did not know about your race. I wish I did, that way I might have saved your kind during the disaster, sadly I didn't know. '
Chrysalis noticed some black spots on the letter, Celestia was most likely crying when writing this.
'I could have saved more lives. But the sheer chaos of the situation may have costed more lives than I was aware off. I cannot apologize for something I wasn't aware off. And I do not ask for forgiveness. Instead as ruler of Equestria, I will grant you a lot of things. As you are technically a different country that was attacked during the disaster. It is my duty to see to it that I improve relationships with your people.
After talking with my people that is in charge of handling outside affairs I have chosen the following things. Of course, you can decide whether to accept or not. And I will allow you to hold a grudge. I am sure I would.
If you accept I can grant citizenship to your people if you are interested. Or grant a trading license for free. Or open borders with your people, this can be one-sided. Again there are many grants that I willing to grant as an apology, but I will have to ask you to sent a diplomat to my doorstep if you have made a decision.
Again on Twilight and Pride's behalf. We apologize for their actions and can ensure that it will never happen again.
Yours truly, Princess Celestia Sun. '
Chrysalis was surprised at Celestia's incredible desire to apologize. In fact she can feel the love she has put in her letter. It made her second guess about invading Equestria. But she was going to send a diplomat when she was ready, she knew of that for sure.
However she had one last letter to read. It was from Twilight. The murderer of her children, yet also an old friend to her. Just her name spoke sadness in Chrysalis subconsciousness. Yet with a heavy heart, she read Twilight's letter.
'Dear Friend,
I have done horrible things to your people. I am a murderer, a monster, a back-stabber. Yet I am also an old friend. I have done some stuff to improve though. It may never be enough for the five million that died however. So instead I will do something that I should have done years ago.
This letter contains a spell. A spell that prevents me from damaging you and your people. I do not want to damage you any more than I already have. On top of that, I will find a way to allow your own people to cook and generate your own love. As I have for years. It may take my entire lifetime, but I am willing to take that bet.
Now that the sad stuff is out of the way. Let me tell you more about love magic. I know that you know a lot. But I found something interesting. Love magic can't be controlled because of a curse, as it falls under holy magic. So if you ever learn holy magic, you could make a spell that allows changelings to generate their own love.
It might take decades, but it is not impossible. And finally I have decided to settle down somewhere soon. If you are ever interested in something else, then you could always visit me. You are always welcome.
Yours truly, Twilight. '
"Wow. The disaster got her good huh?" A random changeling behind Chrysalis said.
"Why are you reading with me?" Chrysalis asked annoyed.
"You sent me out to meet her originally. So I know what she is like." The changeling admits.
"Is she always a downer?" Chrysalis asked rudely.
"Nah. She is an optimist. For her to be this hard on herself just goes to show that she got hit harder by her own action that I though she would." The changeling said, his voice sounded saddened. Even though he had no emotions.
Chrysalis looks at him with a raised eyebrow, "Well whatever. She isn't wrong with those first three things." she said.
Chrysalis could swear that the changelings behind her glared daggers at her. Again they weren't born with emotions, so that should have been impossible.
"Fine. I guess if it wasn't for Twilight. We would have to starve." Chrysalis receded. Although the dagger stare didn't stop.
"Still these potential grants are, big to say the least." Chrysalis admits.
"Will you send me out, my queen?" One of the more friendly changeling diplomats asked.
"Perhaps. I need sometime to think about though." Chrysalis said in serious though.
"Of course. But if I may. I am sure some of our changelings that have touched Equestria food might really enjoy citizenship." the diplomat suggested.
"Wait what did it do?" Chrysalis asked worried.
The diplomat smiled, "It gave them emotions."
Meanwhile back in Canterlot, Twilight and the group laid exhausted in Celestia's bedroom.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Luna asks Celestia, "They are evil."
"And I am not?" Twilight asked in Celestia's place.
Luna sighs, "They have kidnapped ponies." she tried to reason, Celestia took a sip of her coffee.
"So have you." Cadence said knowingly. Much to the shock of Luna.
"Besides I noticed something curious." Twilight said as she switched topics.
"Which is?" Celestia asked curious.
"You said that they don't have emotions, right?" Twilight asked Luna.
"That is correct." Luna said nodding.
"Let me show you, that they do. Bring in a changeling." Twilight said as she requested one of the guards to do exactly that.
The guard brings an annoyed changeling inside. However it shuts its mouth as soon as it spots Luna.
"Eat this." Twilight gave the changeling a donut ball. The changeling took it and ate it. Only to end the meal with a large happy smile. But he noticed that Luna stared at him in shock and as soon as he realized what happened. He removes his gleeful smile off his face.
"You were saying?" Twilight said as she gave Luna and the changeling a knowing smile.
Luna was still in a state of shock, but the changeling gave up.
"To tell you the truth. We are born without emotions. But it seems that Equestria's food is so emotional that even our hearts fill with emotion. So yeah. The princess wasn't wrong. But she wasn't right either." The changeling admits.
"That is incredible." Cadence said, "Have you had to cry yet?" she suddenly asked.
"In sadness? No." The changeling said.
"So you have in happiness?" Cadence asked.
"I have. Many times." The changeling said.
"Well it is possible that the fact that love is an emotional type magic, it could cause that when in contact with happiness magic your body tries to translate that into love magic and thus cause you to reflect the food in emotion." Twilight deduced.
"That is very likely." The changeling agreed.
"So how many are infected?" Luna asked in an attempt to regain composure.
"Almost all of us. Although we have yet to experience every type of emotion." The changeling admits.
"Like?" Celestia asked, suddenly very interested.
"Well, sadness and well anger." The changeling explained.
"Those are actually the easiest to obtain. In fact I can make those two on the spot." Twilight admits.
"Really? Hm, I guess I will have to ask her next time." The changeling said cryptically.
Twilight however immediately understood, "You have found a favorite food place?" Twilight asked.
The changeling gave a warm smile, "I have. She is aware I am a changeling as I accidentally revealed myself in front of her. I may have fallen in love at first sight." he said dreamily.
Cadence suddenly jumped, her strong senses for love told her that the changeling was generating a very small amount of love.
"What is it?" Luna asked Cadence.
"Nothing. I think my love sensor is broken." Cadence said worried.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked worried.
"Nah. It's nothing." Cadence said dismissing the thought.
"Anyways. Can I please leave?" The changeling asked.
"I don't know. What were you doing?" Celestia asked the changeling and the guard.
"He was-" The guard tried only for the changeling to cut him off.
"I tried to access the forbidden section of the library." The changeling admits.
"Why?" Twilight asked before anyone could say anything.
"I, uhm, I wanted to find a book about changelings and destroy it. You know, we are supposed to not exist in the history books." The changeling admits.
"Good luck with that. That book has been missing from the forbidden library for decades." Twilight said.
"I gave it to Chrysalis's mother thousands of years ago. It might only exist on paper." Luna admits.
"You WHAT?!" Celestia suddenly shouted annoyed.
"I wanted to avoid a panic if their race existed in the books during our raids on enemy territories. Because I considered them friends. You did not." Luna explains.
"Damn right I didn't." Celestia said, "They are bugs and bugs are gross."
"With all due respect Celestia. But please SHUT UP." Twilight said as she shouts the last bit.
"I am sorry." Celestia said as she deflates.
Luna, Cadence and the changeling rose their eyebrow at how easy Twilight was able to stop Celestia. But they said nothing.
"Anyways. Can I have mercy?" The changeling pleaded.
"No." Luna and Celestia said together.
"Oh come on! I want to be with her!" The changeling pleaded.
"If you want that changeling. You will have to go through me." Twilight and Cadence said annoyed.
Luna, Celestia and the changeling rose their eyebrow at them.
"Why?" Luna asked Cadence.
"I want that changeling for my sex dungeon." Cadence admits.
Luna nearly fell over laughing at the statement, but she held it in. As there is a second pony here to stop them.
"Twilight. It's a bug and bugs are ugly." Celestia tried to reason.
"Well excuse me!" The changeling said, taking offence to that.
"I am considered a friend to their hive. I will not back stab Chrysalis any further than this. You shall not pass." Twilight exclaimed.
Luna, Celestia and Cadence were taken aback to this.
"I chose to support them. As chef it is my duty to bring happiness to those that eat my food. I consider Chrysalis one of my friends. Even if she doesn't consider me this way. Which I by the way totally understand. If you want that changeling, than you are going to have force me away first." Twilight explained.
The changeling felt touched by this. He did not expect someone like Twilight to protect them like this. He only hoped that his queen won't make things bad between each other.
"He goes back in jail, you can't stop me." Luna said.
"So much for citizenship." Twilight refuted.
This caused Luna and Celestia to stop in their tracks. Even Cadence knew that she messed up.
"I forgot. Darn!" Celestia swore. Much to the shock of the guard that was still standing in the room.
"Ugh. Anyways. What is your name? And no, don't you dare give me a number." Twilight asked the changeling.
"Jim." The changeling said. He saw as Cadence rose an eyebrow at his unusually simple name.
"Okay Jim. Let me heal your wounds." Twilight said as she used incredibly strong magic that healed him and his internal organs if he lacked any.
"One more thing. Who is the lucky pony?" Twilight asked with a warm smile.
He blushed, "Marie. Marie Bain." The changeling said.
Twilight realized who it was and smiled warm and deeply. "I see. Take good care of her for me, would you? I know her quite well. Oh! And if you hurt her by leaving, I will break your legs." Twilight said, as she casually hoofed over a death threat.
The changeling grimaced as he nodded his head ferociously. "I- I will!" he said.
"Good." Twilight said as she casually removed his bindings and removed the magic sealer, she then simply warped him away.
"Twilight." Luna said annoyed.
"Do wish to break the heart of your own citizens?" Twilight responded.
"Even still." Luna tried to refute.
"Besides, I don't want my head to be filled with regret." Twilight admitted.
Luna tried to refute, she really did. But after that statement, she stayed quiet.
"Now then. I would love to stick around. But I want to go home. I still have to find a new place to make a difference at." Twilight said.
"About that. I finally found a perfect place for you." Celestia said as shifted gears.
"Oh?" Twilight said curious.
"Have you ever experienced the Asian market? Or their food?" Celestia asked curious.
"Not a lot. But sure, I have some experience as foodie. But not as chef." Twilight admits.
"Have you ever had sushi?" Celestia asked.
"Nope." Twilight said.
"There is a place in Appleloosa of all places that recently opened. They have been searching for a female master chef. Are you interested?" Celestia asked.
"I am. Sign me up." Twilight said smiling.
"Understood. I will send them the message. Oh and by the way..." Celestia said as she looked Twilight in the eye.
"What is it?" Twilight asked worried.
"It seems your quest to recover the female chef status is nearing completion." Celestia said.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"It seems that the discrimination towards female chefs is nearly gone. Just a few more places to make an impact on and you are done." Celestia admits.
"Which places?" Twilight asked.
"Asian and French." Celestia replied.
"I see. It will be done." Twilight said confidently.
"What about Ponyville?" Luna intervened.
"Don't worry. I am going to work on that soon." Twilight said mysterious.
"Okay. Good luck, may the food gods be on your side." Cadence said.
"Thanks. I will get going then." Twilight said as she walked out of the room and towards home. While walking through the castle towards home, she saw as many the many maids and waiters were busy cleaning up the castle. But she also noticed a lot of repair crew that was installing magic detectors in the the halls.
Twilight decided to approach one of them on the spot.
"Hey what is that?" Twilight asked the manager of the repair crew.
The manager smiled, "That is a magic detector. It is designed to detect specific magic, but also smoke and certain types of bad gasses that could be poison to those that inhale them." he said.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she walked off, content with the answer.
The further Twilight walked, the more she noticed the sheer amount of staff walking around. Many were busy cleaning, but this is ridiculous. Even for Celestia and Luna. And they were cleaning with vigor.
Twilight decided to approach one of them. The maid noticed Twilight approach her, this caused her to drop what she was doing and looked curious at Twilight.
"How may I help you?" The maid asked curiously.
"Why is there so many maids walking around, cleaning stuff? Even for you guys, this is way more than normal." Twilight asked confused.
The maid nodded in agreement, "There are diplomats from all over the world inbound. They are of course coming for the overview of the disaster that happened to the slums, in an attempt to prevent it from happening in their own respective countries." the maid said.
"Ah. Thank you. I hope that they will succeed." Twilight said.
"They will! No need to pray for that." The maid said confidently.
Twilight simply gave a nervous laugh. It was then that the maid realized who she was.
"Ah, Twilight. Seriously no need to worry. That is our job, you just keep clearing the female chef name. That is all we ask of you." The maid attempt to improve the mood once more.
"Thanks for the advice. Now if you excuse me." Twilight said, the maid nodded as she too got back to work.
'I see. So many ponies rely on me for that, huh? ' Twilight thought as she continued to walk towards home.
Once outside, Twilight was met with a lot of differences. For starters, Cloudsdale rescue school was floating above Canterlot for some reason.
Then there was an incredible amount of repair crews working on improving the fire safety standard. She also saw that the meat inspection group was busy inspecting a certain meat stall and from the look of it, they were less from impressed.
The atmosphere in Canterlot felt a lot less tense and more happy-go-lucky. Canterlot felt different and looked different. And it took a single speech for Canterlot to change this much. It made Twilight smile.
While walking down the road back home, Twilight saw many familiar faces on the street. But she said nothing due to exhaustion. That didn't stop her from waving at them a few times. But sometimes they were too busy themselves to do that.
As soon as she reached home, she smell mother's cooking coming from the house. Twilight's face contorted into a happy smile as she entered the house.
"I am home!" Twilight shouts. She sees as Shining, Night and Velvet stand up from the couch they were seated on and walk over to Twilight into a deep hug.
"Welcome back home." Shining said happily.
"Welcome back." Night and Velvet also said.
"How was your fake vacation?" Twilight said knowingly.
"Well..." Shining, Night and Velvet said smiling in glee.
Author's Note
*MP points. Or Magic points in game.
Also I am back. Had to take a small break due to getting sick from the second Corona vaccine. I hope you like it so far.
Next up, Sushi Time!
Also first 5k words chapter in this book.
Twilight was currently riding a train to Appleloosa, she was seated in the back of the train. Alongside her she had a small suitcase filled with knives that belonged to her.
A few days ago, before her current location. Twilight's parents gave Twilight a knife set made by a famous knife maker in Canterlot. She even got an additional knife with her name on it. It was from an incredibly expensive brand, a single knife would cost five hundred thousand bits.
Nevertheless, she had a feeling that these knives were going to be incredibly important for her upcoming job. However Twilight has never had sushi before, she heard that it was very popular with the dragon race. Unsure of what she would expect, she decided to grab a book about it and read it while en route.
The train trip was going to take a very long time, 12 hours to be precise as it's all the way up west in Equestria. Atleast from Canterlot. From Manehattan it was going to take a whole day, even with an express. Nonetheless Twilight was excited. She has never traveled to Appleloosa before. Or anywhere besides Manehattan and Canterlot anyways.
As she looked at her book, she immediately got invested into it. The title of the book was "Sushi for beginners"
'So what is Sushi?
Sushi is an rather unpopular dish among the pony kin, but it incredibly popular among dragons. Nevertheless it's a dish that is commonly associated with three ingredients. Fish, rice and soy sauce. Fish or Sashimi is usually finely cut into decently thin slices and eaten on rice. Than soaked in soy sauce. This is technically sushi.
However the mass accompanied it to it's own thing, thus Sashimi. Sushi is rather simple, rice is rolled in Wakame or Nori and stuffed with Sashimi, vegetables and sauce. Sometimes with fried meat instead. It is considered a refined product. '
Twilight quickly looked up as the train slowed down. It was not the right stop, this was the half way point. So back to reading she went.
'So I mentioned fish. But as we all know, there are many types of fish. So which fish types are common on sushi? That is rather easy to answer, it's Salmon and Tuna. Of course this is an extremely small sample. The amount is closer to 28 types. But for the sake of simplicity, we will only talk about these two.
So Salmon is a orange fish when properly prepared and when the quality is proper. It is very commonly eaten in a Nigiri setting. If you aren't aware, there is five different sushi settings, Nigiri, Sashimi, Maki, Temaki or Uramaki. '
Again the train stopped, so Twilight stopped reading to look up. She was nearly there. Only 5 more stops.
'What are these types exactly?
Well Nigiri is fish on rice and sometimes with a bandage of Nori around it. Sashimi on the other hoof is simply cut fish and served with soy sauce or Wasabi. Uramaki and Maki are similar in the fact that they are rolls with rice and toppings in them, but Uramaki also has some rice outside the Nori roll alongside some additional toppings. And finally Temaki, Temaki is a pouch made of Nori, filled with rice and vegetables. This is a go-to dish for to-go as it's easy to carry around. '
"Final stop inbound! Appleloosa! Don't forget your bags when departing the train!" The conductor shouts over the intercom.
This alerted Twilight out of her reading trance. She quickly put her book in her suitcase and stood up to go toward one of the exits. The train was grinding to an halt as the sound of brakes filled the air. After several minutes the train had stopped and the doors had opened automatically. Twilight stepped out of the train.
Twilight was greeted by the cool air as it was late in the afternoon. Twilight choose to arrive later in the evening in order for her to not be met with a very hot midday sun. Twilight had rented out a small room at the local pub as her base of operation. Twilight decided to walk slowly towards it.
Despite the fact that it was late, the pub was as loud as it would be at day. Twilight entered the room as she saw lots of ponies celebrating this and that. Beer was flowing through the tap and many were drinking way too many at that moment. It was very cozy, despite the busy nature of the pub. Twilight decided to approach the barkeeper of the pub.
"Welcome to Apple Drink pub! How may I help ya?" The barkeeper asked in a farmers accent..
"Hi, I had rented a room. On the name Sparkle." Twilight said, she saw as the barkeeper opened a big book with the words "Inn keeping" on it.
"Ah, yes madam! I see it right here. You are going to stay for two weeks in one of our bigger rooms. Correct?" The barkeeper asked.
"That is correct." Twilight confirmed.
"Before I give the key, I need to ask on security behalf. Why are you staying so long here?" The barkeeper asked as his tone went more serious.
"Work. I am going to work at one of the local sushi places." Twilight confessed.
"Ah. Very well then. Here you go." The barkeeper said as he gave Twilight the key.
The key had the number 001 on it. Twilight gracefully accepted it.
"Also about that place. You must be Twilight right? I heard about a chef that was trying to change the world. I may have some information, but there is a price attached." The barkeeper asked, his tone has gone serious all the way.
"Wow. The rumors have a far reach." Twilight simply said impressed.
"I am a barkeeper. You should expect that much." The barkeeper said smiling.
"What is the price?" Twilight simply asked.
"Hm. Tell you what, After you are done with your currently occupation. How about you cook for my bar for a few days. Of course I will cover the room at the very least." The barkeeper suggested.
"Gladly. But I can't do that immediately after my current job, as I am still busy with my mission. Is it alright if I do that on a later date?" Twilight said, hoping that it won't delay her current mission.
"Sure. That is fine." The barkeeper said in agreement.
"Good. So that place gets a lot of dragons, but you probably already knew that right?" The barkeeper probed.
"I do." Twilight admits.
"So they are currently in hot water for a single reason. They refuse to sell to ponies and they don't sell the appropriate beverages with the sushi." The barkeeper said.
"May I ask what an appropriate beverage to sushi is?" Twilight intervened.
"Sake, Green tea, beer, wine." The barkeeper said.
"I see." Twilight said.
"You probably wonder why they refused to sell to ponies, right?" The barkeeper asked.
"Is it due to the fact that they serve fish?" Twilight asked.
"You are not far off. But its more like, they buy the wrong fish, according to the people." The barkeeper admits.
"Like what?" Twilight asked.
"Tuna and Salmon. These two are wrong according to the mass." The barkeeper said.
"Well that is a false fact. Those two are the most common. In fact, you could use any fish and make delicious sushi out of them." Twilight dismissed.
"I agree. These claims are made by their rivals and competition. In order to steal customers." The barkeeper said.
"And because of that, the dragons also refused to go to their rivals, right? Making them called out as guests thieves instead." Twilight deduced.
"Correct." The barkeeper finishes.
"But why are you telling me this? I get that I am joining them. But what has that to do with me?" Twilight asked.
"Please try to open them back up to the ponies. Their sushi is amazing, but I can't buy any right now. It saddens me." The barkeeper admits.
"I will see what I can do. For now I want to rest out. I will see if I can make a difference tomorrow." Twilight said.
"Very well. Have a nice sleep. I will wake you up tomorrow for breakfast delivery." The barkeeper said.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she walks up the stairs and open the first door into her room.
The room was nothing special, besides the nice view. Twilight was too tired to really care, and the moment that she touches the bed, she falls asleep. While unconscious, her magic automatically closed the door behind her. Not that she would ever find out, right?
Early the following day, Twilight woke up refreshed. She headed downstairs into the pub before the barkeeper has to call for her. The barkeeper rose his eyebrow at Twilight.
"You are early." The barkeeper said surprised at Twilight.
"No. I am late. I normally wake up about an hour earlier. Nonetheless, what is breakfast?" Twilight asked curious.
"Well I am originally from an Asian country far to the east of Equestria. So my breakfast is perhaps a bit different than usual." The barkeeper said worried.
"Please, I understand. In fact I gladly will eat that breakfast. To get a chance to experience a different culture's food has the same value as gold for me. As chef anyways." Twilight said excited.
The barkeeper smiled, "Okay. Breakfast is served with baked salmon, Miso soup with tofu. Two small salads as appetizer, a bowl of rice, some baked egg in an Asian way." he said. He saw as Twilight's eyes were filled with stars.
"Amazing. So this is a Asian breakfast. Itadakimasu*." Twilight said in a perfect Japanese accent.
The barkeeper raised both his eyebrows at Twilight's perfect pronunciation. Twilight noticed the stare and simple stuck her tong out at him, playfully.
As Twilight ate the dish, she immediately realized that she knew practically nothing about this culture. Many tastes were unknown to her, the spices were unknown. It made Twilight realize that she still had a lot to learn about food and that sushi were probably just one part of the culture. It made her also realize just how little she knew about the Asian culture.
This would spark a lifelong journey through the Asian food culture. And she knew it. However she finished up the breakfast as soon as her eyes spot the clock. She had thirty minutes to make herself presentable for her new workplace.
"Thanks for the delicious meal. I need to get going. I don't want to be late for work." Twilight said to the barkeeper.
"Do me a favor and say hi to Nappe Ort and Mince Mortar for me. They are my sons." The barkeeper said. This caused Twilight to stop in her track.
"Wait so who are you?" Twilight quickly asked.
"I will introduce myself after you are done with work." The barkeeper said serious.
"Very well. See you later this evening." Twilight said.
"Yup. See you this evening." The barkeeper said while smiling.
While Twilight departed, The barkeeper turned to his wife, she was standing in the kitchen and had heard everything.
"Why didn't you just straight up and tell her? She has plenty of time." The wife said.
"Where is the fun in that. Don't worry. I have a feeling that our sons will introduce us in our stead." The barkeeper said.
Meanwhile Twilight had arrived at the place. It called itself "Dragon retreat" and as the name stated, is very popular with dragons but bans ponies. Twilight didn't like this policy as it could cause a rift between the two races. Nonetheless she entered and was immediately greeted by a large dragon, it held itself as a bouncer.
"What is your business here?" The dragon bouncer said annoyed.
"I have been hired as a master chef?" Twilight offered.
The bouncer raised its eyebrow as he looked closer. "Your name please." he asked.
"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said.
"By who was the hiring done?" The bouncer asked.
"Princess Celestia." Twilight stated.
"So you are the one that has been changing the cooking scene, huh?" An unknown head chef looking stallion said.
"That I have." Twilight said.
"We don't like female chefs." Another chef stated.
"Too bad. I have been hired. I don't care about your opinion regarding the matter." Twilight said annoyed.
"Head chef. Should I kick her out?" The bouncer asked.
"Hm." The head chef stated.
"No. Do that and I will make you lose your job." The owner of the place stated angrily.
The head chef, chef and bouncer gulped. The head chef looks annoyed at the owner, but said nothing.
"So you are Twilight. Nice to meet you. I am the owner of the restaurant. A quick question, how much experience do you have with Asian cuisine?" The owner asked.
"Not much. But I am rather capable at cutting fish and working with rice, atleast." Twilight offered.
"No. That is no good. Do you know some sushi knowledge?" The owner asked hopeful.
"Nope. Never cooked in the Asian kitchen." Twilight denied.
"Wow. So useful you are." The head chef commented.
Twilight ignored the jab that the head chef threw at her. Instead she kept her focus on the owner.
"What about dragons. How much do you know about dragons?" The owner asked.
"I have high ranking dragon friends and its entire history and most of its culture." Twilight said.
"Ah. So you know a lot about dragons." The owner said relieved.
"Yes. Dragons and I mix very well." Twilight said somewhat happily.
"But you don't know about its food culture then." The owner asked.
"That is correct. I never had any need to know. So I didn't try." Twilight admits.
"Atleast you understand that we like peacefulness." The dragon bouncer said.
"Yes. That is the third thing besides hoarding you guys like." Twilight said.
"What is the second thing?" The bouncer asked.
"Well I was told to never reveal that one. So I am sorry." Twilight said as she stubbornly refused to admit the second one.
The bouncer raised his eyebrow for a moment, only to realize what she was talking about. "Good." he simply said as he walked off, satisfied.
"Dragons like you, huh." The head chef said. His attitude seemed to have made a one eighty. He seemed a lot more friendly.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the owner and was met with an apologetic look at her.
"Sorry for testing you. There is a lot of ponies that say that. But many are lying or are trying to get on our good side. There is not a lot of ponies we can currently trust." The owner said.
"Why?" Twilight asked worried.
"We used to own another sushi place in this town, only for it to get scammed away by someone we trust." The head chef admitted.
Twilight mood changed when she heard that, it went from confused to enraged in a matter of moment. Luckily she was skilled in hiding certain feelings from people.
"Who?" Twilight asked, with a total poker face.
The owner realized that they might have landed on a landmine. "Well nobody you should be concerned with." he tried.
"Either you tell me. Or I am going to manhunt that individual." Twilight warned.
"It's the Pepe family. We used to have a friendly relationship until they suddenly stabbed us in the back." The head chef admitted.
"Or Lulu Pepe to be precise. She promised to work alongside us. In the end she back stabbed us by suddenly selling our store to one of our rivals and taking all the chefs with her." The owner admits.
Twilight eyes widen, "Is that so? Hm. Can I ask for a request if I solve this issue?" she asked.
"Let me guess. Hiring female chefs?" The chef in the back deduced.
"As much as that is important. That isn't high on the to-do list. No, I want to avoid creating a rift between dragons and ponies. Please allow ponies to dine here once more." Twilight said.
The eyes of the head chef, bouncer and owner widen. "I didn't know that it would create such a rift." The owner admitted, he seemed ashamed.
"But, I see a major issue with reopening to ponies as of right now." The chef in back commented.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked curiously.
"The original reason as to why we lacked ponies, is a difference in culture. Our food on the menu just doesn't fit with the ponies in our area." The chef explained.
Twilight gained a smile at that knowledge, "Are you perhaps Nappe?" Twilight asked.
The chef in the widens his eyes, "I am." he said.
"Don't tell me, you have forgotten your Carpaccio chef." Twilight teased
Nappe's eyes widen, "Oh my goodness. You look totally different. I am so sorry." he said apologetic. Twilight simply stuck her tong out at him.
"Anyways, he does make a good point." The owner admits.
"Yeah. I didn't realize just how big the difference it must be." The bouncer also admits.
"It's big. But only if we allow it to be this big." Twilight said.
"What do you mean?" Nappe asked.
"In order to appeal to our local population we need to do three things. One we need to understand the current local likes and dislikes. Second we need to try and get as much of our products locally to ensure a more respective position. And lastly we need to try and appeal this culture to those not used to it." Twilight explained.
"Almost all of our products is obtained locally." The owner said.
"We understand their likes and dislikes, we already checked on that. We do this once a month." The head chef said.
"We always have these deals for beginners, but it doesn't work." Nappe said.
"That is not going to cut it. We have to go to the people, if they refuse to come to us." Twilight said.
"I see. That could work. Tell you what, we will allow ponies to dine with us, once more. If you can get us some ponies to our place." The owner said.
"I can do that. Head chef can you give me that list? I will make those things alongside you and then share them with our local people. Get some feedback and improve our place." Twilight said.
"Sure. I will also tell you a lot more about our food culture and our food manners culture." The head chef said, he looked very happy to teach Twilight that.
It was then that a light bulb went off in Twilight's brain. The family Pepe runs two schools, This man seems to enjoy teaching, Lulu Pepe caused some strive between this restaurant and the family. 'I see. I think I know of a way to improve their connection. ' Twilight thought.
"If your relationship with the Pepe family improves, will you join Lunarium?" Twilight asked.
"If they will allow it, then yes." The head chef said, "But it is very unlikely."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.
"I may have gotten myself banned from Lunarium." The head chef admitted.
"Lulu Pepe." Twilight said as she connected the dots.
"Exactly. I wasn't too keen on hiring a female chef at the time, but being the curious pony that I was. I allowed her to join. Only to be immediately disappointed with her work ethic. After she tried to work it off many time as a one-time thing. I became less than pleased." The head chef admitted.
"And causing the back stab to occur." Twilight added.
"Exactly." The head chef admitted as he sank inwards with sadness.
"I still regret it to this day. But I like hard-workers not those that lazy about." he added.
"I understand. I will talk with them, after I am done this place." Twilight said in understanding.
"Thanks!" The head chef said, "Now about sushi, how much do you know?" he asked.
"I know the basic five types and roughly that there is two primary fish types to look out for... out of the 28." Twilight said as she hesitantly added the second part.
The head chef smiled, "That is correct. Salmon and Tuna. Those two are the most important for right now." he said as he grab two fresh looking fish in front of him.
"Here, the left one is a salmon and the right is a Tuna. Both can be identified by the way that each has their own smell attached and color. I will show you it on a fish market, one day." The head chef explained.
Twilight simply nodded as she inspects both fish.
"These two are of high-quality. So let me show you how to prepare it. First you cut off the fins and head. Then you remove the scales, like this." The head chef removes the fins and head, he then scrapes off the scales of the fish.
"Then you remove the tail. But don't throw this out. It is useful for broth or stock. The same goes for the fins and head. The scales must get thrown away however." The chef said as he repeated it for the Tuna. He puts the ingredients that mustn't get thrown out into a metal mixing bowl.
"With the scales gone, we need to remove the hide of the fish. And then we can start to prep it for use on sushi." The head chef said as he removes the hide.
"What about the bones?" Twilight injected the question.
"Again that is for fase two. Do have patient." The head chef said, Twilight nodded in responds.
"First we have to prepare the rice. This rice is special, it is called sushi rice for a reason. It is grown to improve the water absorption and to be stickier." The head chef explained.
"Of course it has many names. Mochi rice, Japanese rice. Etc. However this rice is perfect for sushi. Now the amount of water should equal to the amount of rice. Cook it for about 20 minutes. And done. Luckily I made some ahead of time, so no need to do that, right now." The head chef said as he grabs a pan filled with still warm sushi rice inside it.
"And finally, we will use this Nori. As binder." The head chef said as he grabs a packet of it.
"What is Nori?" Twilight asked.
"Kelp or seaweed. It is sea water plant that when dried is perfect binder for sushi. In the olden days, they would use Mochi paper instead. It is also edible, but less tasty." The head chef explained.
"Now let me show you how to remove the bones of this fish. Watch closely." The head chef said as he showed Twilight how to do that. First cut it in two, making sure to follow the spine. Remove the spine of the fish and then cut it into smaller slices and remove the small bones.
"Now make it even smaller like this, and cut it into 10 mm thick slices. With a length of 4 cm." The head chef said as he masterfully did exactly that, it looked like magic to Twilight as he did it fast and precise.
"Amazing. They are glittering." Twilight said in awe.
The head master smiled, "That was Sashimi, now we put it onto this oval ball of rice, to make Nigiri." He said as he showed it off.
"Finally we have these bamboo tools to allow easy rolling. You put a Nori sheet on it and some rice. You cut the fish into a stick and put it in the center. Add a strip of cucumber and some sauce. And roll it up using the tool." The head chef said as he did exactly that.
"I know that most tools aren't toys, but can't we give the local ponies a workshop in making their own sushi?" Twilight suggested.
The head chef's eyes widen, "That is a amazing idea! I will pitch it with the boss later." he said impressed.
"Going back to the sushi, when it's rolled up, it turns into Maki." He finishes.
"There are two types left. Let me show you those." The head chef said.
"So I made another roll earlier, let me show you on how to turn this into a Uramaki. Just add rice on the outside of the Nori and done. You got some Uramaki." The head chef explains as he shows to Twilight on how to do that.
"Finally Temaki also known as the sushi crepe or open sushi roll. As the name states, it is a crepe with rice and toppings in the center. Let me show how to do that one." The head chef explained as he shows off how to do that.
"That is all you need to know. I will make some of our more popular sushi's and give them to you. You show that off and let them taste it, won't you?" The head chef said in an almost pleading tone.
"Only if you give me some rolling tools, rice and some easy to use toppings to allow me to make it in front of the guest I am trying to obtain." Twilight suggests.
"Sure." The head chef agreed.
"By the way, where is Mince?" Twilight asked.
"He is our runner boy. Right now he is at the fish auction." The head chef said.
"And Nappe? What is his job?" Twilight asked.
"He is an open sushi roller. He sits around the sushi making tables and makes personal requests." The head chef said.
"Good to hear that he became something after all. Now if you excuse me, I need to start preparing to make this advertisement happening." Twilight said serious.
"Of course. Good luck. I will get you those sushi rolls I want you to give away." The head chef said.
"No, wait for tomorrow. It is getting late. I need to go." Twilight said as she looks at the clock. The head chef also looks at the clock and his eyes widen.
"Understood. See you tomorrow." The head chef said in understanding as his mood went from friendly to business-like in an instant.
As Twilight was leaving, she was spotted by a familiar dragon.
"Twilight, is that you?!" Elly said surprised.
Twilight turns around in surprise, but then her smile softens a lot. "Elly Dragoon it has been a long while." Twilight said almost in glee.
"Twilight!" Elly shouts as she pulls Twilight into a deep friendly hug. Twilight simply returns the hug.
"So how is my favorite dragon doing?" Twilight said happily.
"Oh. Amazing. The griffons have become such close partners in both trade and friendship. It is incredible." Elly said.
"So he is behaving himself?" Twilight said teasingly.
"Yeah. Although right now he is doing business with a different race. So I haven't seen him in a long time." Elly said somewhat disappointed.
"I see. Well diplomats do that type of work, eh?" Twilight said.
"That they do. So I have seen a lot more female chefs around the food industry lately. Your imago improving is nearing completion isn't it?" Elly said.
"It has." Twilight confirmed.
"So you work here now?" Elly asked.
"Kind of. I am right now working hard on improving this restaurants imago. So no I will not be making Carpaccio sushi if that is what you are suggesting." Twilight said as she quickly added that extra sentence. Causing Elly to pout, much to the laughter of Twilight.
Twilight noticed that the owner and the head chef was looking curious at their exchange. Elly is an ambassador and thus a very high ranking dragon. For Twilight to be easily able to strike a friendly conversation with such a VIP must be surprising.
"Anyways. I am going to go and sleep, I have a hard day ahead of me." Twilight said.
"Aw. Come on! Eat with me. On my account. Hey! Owner! I pay extra if you let me eat with Twilight here!" Elly shouted, Twilight looked surprised at Elly's stubbornness.
"Sure! Well Twilight. You heard her." The owner said smiling.
Twilight groaned unhappily and rolled her eyes. "Fine." she said.
"Besides, I owe you for that time with the griffon ambassador." Elly said smiling.
Twilight remembered that time, it was before the disaster. It was one of the more happier memories. Sadly it fell by the wayside after the disaster. "Alright. I will join you. It might also be a good introduction into sushi for a foodie." Twilight admits.
"That is the spirit." Elly said, Twilight and Elly took a seat near the window. It was dark outside, well passed Twilight's bedtime. Nonetheless, today was going to be a good day.
"So as sushi eater. What do you recommend to a beginner?" Twilight asked.
"A California roll. It is decently sweet and is a good starter." Elly recommended.
"Then lets start with that." Twilight said as she nodded towards the head chef.
The head chef immediately prepared it, in mere seconds. The true power of a sushi chef. Then again he had been preparing the ingredients alongside Twilight, so all he had to do was to fill a roll and cut it in pieces.
"So what does it contain?" Twilight asked.
"Cucumber, crab and avocado." Elly replied.
"And fish eggs as decoration." The head chef added.
"I see Itadakimasu." Twilight said as she took a bite. The sushi was sweet with the distinct taste of avocado and crab. It was quite delicious.
"How is it?" Elly asked.
"I like it. But I prefer less sweet." Twilight said, as she took another one.
"Ah." Elly said as she took a sip of her Sake.
"Then let me recommend Dragon roll Maki." The head chef recommended, "It is the most popular among the dragons. And beginners."
"Let's do that than." Twilight said as she casual munched on the previous sushi roll.
The head chef started to fry some scrimp in what appears to be a fluffier texture than the ordinary frying exterior. He then rolled a sushi around it alongside some avocado and cucumber. Before placing it on a plate and putting some kind of cocktail sauce over it. He then gave the plate to Elly as she placed in front of Twilight.
"Ooh! Scrimp!" Twilight said overly happy. To the point that the head chef and the owner raised their eyebrow.
"Ah. I forgot. You are a omnivore. You can eat both flowers and meat. In fact you need it as a daily consumption, right?" Elly asked.
"That is correct." Twilight said with a mouth full as she devoured the sushi faster than they expected.
The head chef looks surprised, but Elly was faster, "She has a rare condition that allows that." Elly said.
"Ah. So you like meat?" The head chef asked.
"I do. But I like fish equally." Twilight said as she finished the sushi.
"I see, then-" The head chef and Elly continued deep into the night to talk about the many types of sushi to eat and test. It was very late and Twilight still had to work the following day, nevertheless for Twilight is was just a good night that catch up with Elly after not seeing each other for years. And a amazing introduction into the world of sushi for Twilight.
After that very fulfilling dinner, Twilight went to bed. It was two in the night. So Twilight was going to very exhausted the next time she would get to work. But that was just going to be necessary for her to get better at understanding sushi.
It was the following day, Twilight woke up at 10 when the barkeeper woke her up. The breakfast this time around consisted of a different fish than last time, but generally it was the same. And as much as Twilight wanted to talk to him about who he was, she had no time. She was three hours late to work.
"Sorry boss." Twilight apologized for being tardy.
"No need for an apology. You were up late entertaining our regular. Being here this late is to be expected. Sadly it means that we can't let you make some sushi for the potential guests as we are already open. Instead we made some that we expect the local ponies might like." The owner said.
"Understood. And the potential ability for our potential guests to make their own sushi?" Twilight asked.
"We filled your cart with those ingredients. All you need to do, is to draw people to our place." The owner said.
"What about that workshop I suggested?" Twilight asked.
"I am ironing out the potential problems, but we will use it. It is going to take some time to implement." The owner said.
"Understood. Well time to PR our products." Twilight said excited.
"Good luck. But remember, have fun. If you feel in danger, do not stick around and simply leave, okay?" The owner asked worried.
"Don't worry. I will be fine." Twilight said as she used her magic to levitate the entire cart outside.
Twilight walked outside in the hot midday desert heat. Although she didn't care about the heat very much. As she walked towards one of the random houses, she knocks on the door.
"We don't like sushi." Someone from inside shouts.
"Is that so. So you don't always want to fancy seeing some?" Twilight tried to reason.
"Do you know why we hate? Ponies force it upon us." Someone from inside the house shouts.
"I will not force anything. I was just wondering if you were interested?" Twilight tried to reason.
One of the younger ones approached Twilight, "I heard sushi is like clay, that it taste like nothing." The filly said.
"Far from it. It contains vegetables, fish, sauces and rice. It is closer to a fish product than clay. Here I brought some, if you are interested." Twilight said as she puts some California roll on a plate and drizzled some sauce over it. She then placed in front of the pony and watched as she curiously picks it up.
To an pony that has never truly seen good sushi, it was a perfect circle with some Nori around some rice with some toppings in it. It must looks suspicious to them. But nonetheless she ate it, much to the surprise of those inside. After eating it for a bit, Twilight saw as the color in her face returned and sparkles filled her eyes.
"It taste amazing!" The youngest said surprised.
Twilight smiled at her reaction, "This is one of the many sushi's available at our restaurant that is now also open for ponies." she said.
"Ah! Dragon Retreat! I heard that they were amazing. But there is one thing that prevents our family from going there." The youngest admits.
"Which is?" Twilight asked curious.
"We want more options for herbivores." The youngest said.
"Even though you can eat fish?" Twilight asked.
"No, I can't." The youngest said oblivious.
"That sushi you just ate contained fish." Twilight points out.
"It did?!" The youngest said shocked.
"To begin with, herbivores can eat meat and fish. They just don't need it to survive. Unlike predators which rely on meat and fish to survive, they too eat vegetable, despite not needing it." Twilight explains.
"Even still. If you want more ponies to eat at the restaurant, I want more herbivore options." The youngest said.
"I understand. I will return once that is done. If I succeed will you come to our place and tell your friends?" Twilight asked.
"We will." The youngest promised.
"Okay. I will discuss this as soon as possible with my boss." Twilight said nodding, she proceeds to pick her cart up with her magic and walk off.
After a few minutes of walking, Twilight arrived back at the restaurant. She looks around and sees a familiar face, complaining to the owner. It was Lulu.
"What do you mean, my family is banned?!" Lulu shouts enraged.
"We haven't forgotten that you back stabbed us!" The owner shouts back.
"That was years ago! I was just a young filly, you can't do this!" Lulu shot back.
"The damage is still being felt to this day, you oaf!" The owner refuted.
"That is impossible. What damage?!" Lulu shouts annoyed.
"Oh, I don't know. We lack our previous master chef that you took away with you and the secondary restaurant is still gone." The owner shot back.
Lulu puffed, "Those places belonged to the Pepe family to begin with." she said annoyed.
"The moment you gave it to us, it doesn't anymore." The owner shouted.
"Fine. If you want those places back, you will have to discuss that with my family." Lulu relented.
"What about our master chef?" The owner questioned.
"That is his choice. Not yours. If he stays with us, then he stays with us. And the other way around." Lulu puffed annoyed.
"Fine. I will contact him. But you are still not welcome here." The owner stated.
"You can't do this. We pay good money." Lulu said.
"It's not about money. You back stabbed us, we do not trust you. Please leave." The owner requested.
"But my sister..." Lulu tried to reason.
"That is going to be your problem." The owner stated.
Lulu puffed as she walked out of the room.
"Well so much for getting some good pony guests." Twilight commented.
"We don't trust them." The owner said.
"As employee or as guest?" Twilight asked.
"Both." The owner stated.
"Well. This is going to be difficult for you. It is going to be very unlikely that you gain those places back." Twilight stated.
"What do you mean?" The owner asked.
"That family is a noble family, it is rich and even has their own legal mafia. If you distrust Lulu, then the talk about getting your places back is as good as finished." Twilight stated.
"But-" The owner tried but Twilight cut him off.
"I will not side with you. Nor will Celestia. This is a matter between you and them. We will not play favors." Twilight said as she stated the obvious.
"Sigh. You're right. I should have tried to make up with them. It is just hard. We trust them with our business. We wanted to work together. But she crushed the dreams of our future. It hurts Twilight, it hurts." The owner admitted in pain.
"Sigh. I will try to talk to her about it. Wait here." Twilight said exhausted.
"Thanks. And sorry for our earlier behavior." The owner said saddened.
Twilight quickly ran out of the restaurant and sees Lulu board the train, Twilight quickly put one of the sleeping cows onto the track, blocking its route. Much to the conductor's chagrin.
"Lulu." Twilight simply stated.
Lulu looks out of the carriage of the train to see and displeased looking Twilight staring at her.
"Hey it has been awhile." Lulu tried to play off.
"No. Get off the train. We need to talk." Twilight said less than satisfied.
Lulu gave a deep sigh, "Sure. It's about Dragon Retreat, right?" she said with a sad tone.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"Fine. Let's talk at the pub, I am sure you have many questions." Lulu said as Twilight followed her into the pub as they sat in the corner, away from everyone else.
"No. I am only a small amount. I need one major question answered. Why did you back stab them?" Twilight asked serious.
"I didn't. They began to rely too much on us. We had no choice but to back out." Lulu stated.
"Did you have to steal their master chef and those two places away from them with your backing out?" Twilight asked annoyed.
"I did. They were overworking their master chef, that chef wanted to teach students, not be stuck with making sushi." Lulu stated.
"Since when is the master chef a child that is unable to defend itself from them?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know. But I had to do something." Lulu said.
"But since they relied on you. Why didn't you just tell them that the chef doesn't like working there?" Twilight questioned.
"The chef didn't want to disappoint them." Lulu said.
"That is no excuse for intervening. You only made things worse. And now you got yourself banned as consequences of your own actions. That is very much karma on your part." Twilight said.
Lulu looked down, saddened by this fact. "I know." she admitted.
"No. You don't know. You simply accept what I say. But if they said that, you wouldn't have accepted such an accusation." Twilight said as she knew what she just said was a fact.
"I do! Okay! I do! When I saw their faces after I betrayed them, it was so sad and disappointed that I still remember those faces. I will never forget their reaction for the life of me!" Lulu admitted as she started to cry big tears.
Twilight relaxed somewhat, "Then what drove you to pull back, for real?" Twilight asked.
"My career. I wanted to start my cooking career. I wasn't going to be able to do that, while being responsible for Dragon Retreat. They demanded that much work." Lulu explained.
Twilight now fully relaxed, immediately understood what is going on. Just like the owner, Lulu truly cares for the Dragon Retreat. However in order for Lulu to grow up and obtain a career of her own, she needed to let go. However she didn't know how to to do that. So she chose to leave with a bang. Even if it damaged her relationship with the Dragon Retreat.
"Will you tell them the truth?" Twilight asked.
"Not today or tomorrow. But I will, I am just not ready to do that." Lulu admits.
"Then I will do so, for you. Whether you like it or not, I will tell them the truth, they owe that much." Twilight said adamantly.
Lulu sighs in defeat, "Alright. I will stick around for a few more days." she said.
"Good. Barkeeper, get me a room for one. I'll pay." Twilight shouts at the barkeeper.
"Very well. How many nights?" The barkeeper shouts back.
"Six." Twilight shouts back, much to Lulu's shock.
"Is it for that friend?" The barkeeper asked.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"What is her reason for staying?" The barkeeper asked.
"To apologize to the owners of the Dragon Retreat." Twilight replied.
"Which means, you are Lulu. Nice to meet you. My name is Asi Mortar. Father of Mince and Nappe." Asi said.
"Nice to meet you." Lulu said.
"I will have you know, that Nappe and Mince originally joined the Celestium to try and drag you back to Dragon Retreat. But then they met Twilight. And things kind of changed." Asi explained.
"I am sorry." Lulu said with puppy eyes.
"That has no effect on me. You will have to tell that to the owners of the Dragon Retreat." Asi states.
"You were there." Lulu tried to shoot back, it had no effect.
"I don't care. You did that to yourself." Asi said somewhat annoyed.
"Anyways! Let's sleep. Tomorrow you will explain accordingly. Okay?!" Twilight shouted annoyed.
"Yes." Lulu said scared.
"Good. Have a night sleep. See you tomorrow." Twilight said as she walked upstairs and got to sleep decently early.
This time around, Twilight woke up early. She woke so early, that Asi wasn't done making breakfast yet.
"Good morning, Asi." Twilight said, catching his attention.
"Twilight, it's six in the morning. Why are you up so early?" Asi asked confused.
"I need to talk to you. About Lulu." Twilight admits.
Asi sighs, "Yeah. I understand. I have forgiven Lulu a long time ago. I realized that we were holding her back. Preventing her from moving on. Clinging to a naive past. So I forgave her a long time ago." Asi admits.
"Tell her that." Twilight requested.
"After she tells the truth, I will." Asi said.
"Alright. Now about breakfast. Make her favorite." Twilight suggests.
"To try and bribe her into speaking the truth. I see." Asi said, "Alright, give me a few minutes. I need to go and wake up my wife."
"Thanks." Twilight said smiling, she watched as Asi wakes up a very grumpy looking chef and whisper to her what has to happen. The wife's mood went from grumpy and annoyed to happy and smirking.
"Alright. By the way my name is Saki Ort." Saki said as she rushed into the kitchen.
"What is breakfast by the way?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Salmon baked in special sauce. Miso soup made from red Miso. Bowl of rice with raw egg and finally a pudding, Lulu style." Saki explained.
"I see. I can't wait." Twilight said excited.
"Same. It has been years since I made this." Saki said equally excited.
"Last time, you burned the rice." Asi commented.
"Shut up!" Saki said while blushing.
Twilight and Asi laughed at her expense.
"Anyways I am done. Tell Lulu to wake up." Saki requested.
"Okay. Be right back, everypony." Asi stated as he walked upstairs.
After a few minutes, Twilight and Saki heard Asi forcibly open the door with a bunch of shouting later. A tired looking Lulu appeared before them.
"Breakfast time." Twilight and Saki said at the same time.
"What is for breakfast..?" Lulu sleepily said while yawning.
"Something from the good old days." Saki said.
"Please no more black rice." Lulu sleepily said, causing Twilight laugh uproariously. Saki blushed at Twilight, but looked very annoyed at Lulu.
"Just eat it! My cooking skill have improved also. Don't you burn eggs back then?" Saki said teasingly.
Lulu looks at Saki annoyed, until she ate breakfast. A single bite was all it took for Lulu to just lose it.
"I understand. They deserve the truth." Lulu said while crying. Saki simply embraced Lulu in an attempt to stop the crying. It didn't work, instead she started to cry also.
Twilight just watched the bittersweet scene before her, while casually eating breakfast. Lulu tried to eat more, but was unable to do so, due to intense sadness. Instead she hugged Twilight out of nowhere, Twilight simply allowed her to hug while quietly continuing to eat.
"Now with breakfast out of the way. Are you ready?" Twilight asked Lulu.
"I am. More than ever." Lulu said determined.
"Good. Let's go." Twilight said as they walked together towards the Dragon Retreat.
As soon as they enter, the owner appeared on front of them.
"Lulu wants to explain the truth. Please let her." Twilight asked. The owner simply nodded as the whole restaurant's attention was pointed at Lulu.
"You see..." Lulu began to explain her many years among the restaurant and her real reason for leaving. She talked about Twilight and the like.
While they were in a busy conversation. Twilight approached the head chef.
"Hey. I talked with some ponies about wanting to visit this place. They want a menu made for herbivores. Is that possible?" Twilight asked.
"Of course that is possible. It will take some trial and error. But I will succeed." The head chef said.
"Do you think it's worth it, though?" Twilight asked.
"Of course it is. I will succeed and we can trial test it for a few months." The head chef said.
"Good. Please tell the boss about it then. I am going back to PR, meanwhile I will leave Lulu in your hooves." Twilight said.
"Sure. Leave her to me. Good luck." The head chef said.
Twilight proceeds to invite more and more ponies into Dragon Retreat for the next several weeks. Lulu went back home after a week, she had a lot to do to improve their relationship, but she was getting there. And just like that, she made an massive improvement on the way the Asian kitchen looks on female chefs.
"Twilight. I have some good news and bad news." The owner said.
"What is the bad news?" Twilight asked worried.
"I am going to have to let you go. Our old master chef is returning and you did your part." The owner said saddened.
"I understand. What is the positive news?" Twilight said somewhat relieved.
"I will accept female chefs. And Lulu has decided to work as a secondary master chef here." The owner said happily.
"Okay. Thank you for having me. I will finish up today and take my leave from Appleloosa also today." Twilight said in understanding.
"Before you go. I have some presents from your co-workers. They will give that to you as thanks. And I also have a small present for you, later. Please finish up those last clients and then come to the back." The owner instructs.
"Understood." Twilight said as she went out to get the last clients to become guests to the Dragon Retreat.
That wasn't all that hard of an task. In fact these last clients were the last to invite. And Twilight already convinced them, she just needed to get them to actually go to the restaurant. Again that wasn't hard, no it was easy. But last night in got too late so she had to finish up early. After the place opened, all of her last clients successfully became proper guests.
It was around 5 O'clock. Twilight was going to leave at seven. Twilight made her way to the break room of the restaurant and was met by everyone working at Dragon Retreat, Lulu and an old friend, Sundown Keeper. Last time Twilight met her, she was a sous-chef. Not this time around.
"So you are leaving?" The owner said.
"Yes, in two hours." Twilight said.
"By train, correct?" The bouncer asked.
"Is there another way of travel?" Twilight asked.
"There is. By dragon. There is a small flying service that recently appeared. It is quite popular among earth ponies." The bouncer explained.
"Ah. In that sense you could also teleport." Twilight said.
"Impossible." Sundown and Lulu said.
"Don't underestimate me. I can do that. Even if that will drain me nearly completely and disorientate me." Twilight warned.
"Regardless. I want to give you some stuff before you left." The owner intervened.
"Oh?" Twilight said curiously.
"Oh me first!" The bouncer said surprisingly hyper about it.
Twilight rose her eyebrow at the display. The bouncer quickly regained himself however.
"This. It's a book about our cities and the way to travel between them. Lots of pictures too." The dragon bouncer said as he hoofs over a decently thick book with the geography of the dragon kingdom on it. It looks a lot like a tourism book, but that didn't matter. Twilight was curious of it and accepted it gratefully.
"Thanks." Twilight said.
"Okay. So I heard you like our cooking style. So I have a book about the basics of Asian cooking. From breakfast to dinner. It contains everything you will need to start out as an Asian chef." The head chef said.
"Thanks. This will come in useful when I settle down. I am planning on starting an Asian style cafe with kitchen." Twilight said happily.
"Now, I am last. I have decided to give you something even better. Take this ticket. It is a full course dinner ticket at the world's best Asian style cooking restaurant. Five courses including condiments and drinks. VIP style all-inclusive. Plus a stay at their hotel that is above it. Again VIP style. For 15 nights and 16 days. All-inclusive, breakfast, lunch, dinner." The owner said, "My family owns it, I am the only pony of the family. They all are dragons."
"You did not?!" Lulu said surprised, "Golden Dragon Resort?!" she said in shock.
"It's actually called, Golden God Dragon Resort and The Golden Dragon restaurant." The owner said.
"Before I accept such an important ticket. What is your name, if they ask?" Twilight asked in half shock and half surprise.
"Orb Golden." Orb said.
"Okay. Then I have to go. Sundown and Lulu. Have fun. May we meet again, one day." Twilight said.
"See you in the future. Although our paths may not cross again." Sundown said.
"I will visit your cafe when its open." Lulu said happily.
"Thank you. I have to go, my train will depart without me." Twilight said as she saw that she had thirty minutes left.
"Bye!" Everyone said as they waved me off.
Twilight stepped into the train, not a moment too soon. As it departed as soon as she stepped on it. She looked at Appleloosa slowly disappearing in the distance as she grabs one of the books only to find two letters in them. One from Lulu and one from Saki.
'Dear Twilight,
Thank you for restoring my relationship with my favorite restaurant. Thanks to you, I had the determination to request to join them as chef. Something that I have been doing for awhile now. Thanks to you, the female chefs are more and more accepted. And finally you have been a great help for my family. We are truly grateful. So we ask you to have more patient when going to settle down. While staying in the pub I overheard a conversation about that cafe you were going to start. They say that Ponyville is currently having difficulties accepting such a request. So do be patient.
Yours,
Lulu Pepe. '
'Well darn. ' Twilight thought.
'Dear Twilight,
From the bottom of my heart I must thank you. My children at the beginning had so much trouble when they started to learn how to cook, but thanks to you, they have found their place. I don't know where your path may lead. But I do know it will be place you truly wanted to be. That much I am certain off. If you ever return to Appleloosa for whatever reason, please visit the old pub. That would be my only wish of you.
I heard from rumors that you have yet to visit the french kitchen. So let me suggest a place for you. In Los Pegasus there are many french restaurants. Many already accept female chefs thanks to you. But if you want to make a permanent mark on the french food community there is one place I would recommend.
A restaurant owned by nobility, they already accept female chefs but they look down on them. They will make a difference if you want to make a massive addition. Owned by the Confit family. They specialize in all things french. From pastry to wine. From fruit to delicious meals. They will be your best bet in changing the french cooking scene.
Good luck,
Saki Ort. '
"Confit, huh. Good old Baste." Twilight said out loud. She has now been in the train for several hours. She is almost half way, so she decided to look into this place. After going home for a bit. That being said she still had to talk with Celestia about something regarding the Golden Dragon Resort. Twilight knew nothing about the dragon lands, even with all the knowledge from books, only the princess would truly know what that country was like.
Twilight had stored the ticket in one of Twilight's more secure pocket dimensions. In case it was super rare and difficult to get. Twilight also was interested in checking out this dragon flight taxi system, in case that would be the fastest way to the dragon lands. Again Celestia would probably know more. Or so Twilight hoped, anyways.
After staring into the direction of Los Pegasus for a while, many hours passed as she looked back on her adventure so far. And before she knew it, she was back in Canterlot.
"Final stop. Canterlot main train station. Don't forget to grab your bags when stepping out of the carriage. This train will stop here to go to the depot. Thank you for travelling with us, this evening." The conductor stated through the intercom.
This woke Twilight up out of her trance and made her grab her bag automatically. She walked towards one of the exits while the train slowly arrived into the train station. After the sound of the brakes went off, the doors opened and she steps off the train. Only to find Celestia waiting for her on platform.
"How was your stay in Appleloosa, Twilight?" Celestia asked as she approached Twilight.
"It was good. Very productive. But why are you here? I was planning on going home." Twilight asked confused.
"Actually I am the bringer of bad news. Its in regards to your request to start a cafe in Ponyville." Celestia said.
"Let me guess. They are unable to allow a new place to be placed, right now?" Twilight offered.
"How did you know?" Celestia asked surprised.
"A letter from a bar owner that heard the rumors. I guess mine was one of those requests, right?" Twilight asked.
"That is correct. The reason is due to lack of horsepower and a problematic economy. I had to tell them to refuse it, sorry." Celestia admitted.
"I understand. I have to go to Los Pegasus anyways, for my french involvement." Twilight said as she dismissed Celestia worry.
"Ah. The Confit family. Good luck with that, before I go. Anything else?" Celestia asked.
"Actually yes. Do you know about the Golden Dragon Resort?" Twilight asked.
"I do. It is known as the vacation home to many royalty. Not nobility, but royals. Queens, princesses, princes, kings. Why do you ask?" Celestia explains.
"I got a golden VIP ticket for both the resort and the restaurant. 15 nights and 16 days. All-inclusive." Twilight said, she saw as Celestia nearly faints in shock.
"My god. You obtained something that holds the same price as entire Canterlot and Manehattan combined. If sold off." Celestia said, shocking Twilight even more.
"Before I ask anything else. There is one thing that is more important than that place. What is the dragon lands even like?" Twilight asked.
"Ah. There is two worlds. The food world and the combat world. The combat world is, as the name states, very combat orientated. Castle, watchtowers, outposts. But the food world is the polar opposite. They are cities, kingdoms. But the one you are referring to, is the Golden family. They have the best combat and food, IN THE WORLD." Celestia explained.
"I disagree. My food is better." Twilight said playfully.
Celestia smiled at the playfulness. "Sadly even the greatest chef in the world. The one on first place is someone from the Golden family. So that comment is invalid." she said.
"Is the greatest chef able to separate Moon and Luna without my assistance?" Twilight asked.
"Touché." Celestia said.
Twilight smiled at winning the discussion. However to say that Twilight wasn't nervous was an invalid statement also. If the fact that she got that ticket was any indication, then who knows what Twilight will see when she goes to that resort.
"Anyway, I want to go home now. Celestia, I will see you another day." Twilight said.
"Of course. See you tomorrow. Surely you have a lot of stories to tell." Celestia said smiling.
"Yeah. Good night." Twilight said as she waved at Celestia.
"Good night." Celestia returned the wave.
Twilight proceeds to turn around and walk off the platform, towards home. The walk itself was rather uneventful, Twilight saw as many places had safety improvements and there were a lot more beginner guards walking around. Clearly a new round of recruits have entered the scene for her brother and Celestia and Luna. It surprised that Twilight, that Celestia was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to meet Twilight, while she should be sleeping.
Nonetheless Twilight was standing in front of her home. The lights were on and she could see smoke coming from the chimney. Twilight could just imagine a scene where mom and dad sit in front of the fireplace, reading their good books. Shining sitting in the back, away from the fireplace. While also adjusting his gear.
It sadden Twilight, that she no longer could see her in that imagination. Instead she could see herself baking cookies in the background. With milk and everything. While it would be snowing outside. Shaking her head, she slowly walked towards her front door and knocked on it.
Her brother, Shining Armor opened it. Twilight saw as his bored face, quickly changed into one that was super happy. Twilight is back home.
Author's Note
* Itadakimasu means Thanks for the food or meal.
Okay so, as you probably noticed. This book isn't very long and I am already trying to end it. The problem is that there is no new interesting Arcs I was going to add to this book.
Besides the Moon Nightmare Arc and the Positive female imago Arc. I will add two new Arcs.
The crystal empire Arc and the Spike Arc.
Spike is a critical character for the crystal empire, so much so, that I would be forced to make major changes to this AU in order for it to work differently. I am not able to do that, three books in. So instead Spike will be introduced differently.
And the crystal empire arc is necessary in order for the fourth and final book to truly work. I can't give any details, but I was going to settle Twilight down after this Imago arc. That will not happen, or atleast I will try and shift the story slightly to make a realistic reason as to why she won't settle down yet.
Sorry for the long note, but I felt that this was necessary to mention for the longer readers. Thanks for reading so far, seriously it is what makes me continue typing in this book series and my other book.
Warning, Strong language is present in this chapter. You have been warned.
Twilight was once again on a train, this time around she was going toward Los Pegasus. It was going to be that far as this was the flying train express. They made the train drive on magical track while it is basically flying to its destination. Unlike the location that housed the festivals, which was mostly on the ground. The french restaurant that belonged to the Confit family was up in the clouds. Just above the event area that was on the ground.
Twilight knew this, so she had prepared a cloud walking spell. The spell was already casted in the form of a curse on Twilight's body. That way she didn't need to maintain it. And it would be active for as long as it is necessary.
Meanwhile she thought back on her conversation about the golden family in the dragon lands with Celestia. However she shook her head.
'Now isn't the time. Although I know my french quite well, I never thought that I would go to such a prestigious family restaurant. And a french one, no less. ' Twilight thought.
Twilight looked down in her suitcase to look for the two books about french she still got from Baste, her schoolmate. One was about the french culture, the other about french food. They were both in french. This didn't matter much to Twilight, but it did make it harder for Twilight to properly understand what was written.
Instead Twilight looked back at her french cooking class she had at Lunarium. Most of the dishes that were made in french were either bread, patisserie or certain soups. Atleast they were the ones taught in class. Luckily for Twilight the pony next to her was a tour guide.
"Uhm madam? Can I ask you some questions?" Twilight asked the tour guide.
She looked towards Twilight and smiled, "Of course. How may I help you?" the tour guide asked.
"I am trying to research more about french food. Do you know anything about their food culture?" Twilight asked.
"Of course. Hold on let me get my book really quick." The tour guide said, she ducked down into her small backpack. After a few seconds she revealed a tourism book about french culture.
"It's in french so let me give you a rundown instead." The tour guide said, Twilight simply nodded in responds.
"French food is by definition elegant and expensive. But also large in their many specialties. From cheese and olives to wine and soups. Many cooking products are french by nature. Primarily their cheese and wine. And many historical recordings of food are from french nature. Put it simply, there is a lot of food products from french. And the only way to really experience it is by trying them out, yourself." The tour guide explained.
"So trail and error." Twilight said.
"Exactly." The tour guide agreed.
"Thank you. That will be very helpful." Twilight said smiling.
"Let me guess, you are going to that Confit restaurant." The tour guide deduced.
"That is correct." Twilight said.
"I see. Then let me give you a fair warning. They do not like dishonest ponies. If you don't know, then tell them or get thrown out." The tour guide warned.
"Thank you. I will keep that in mind." Twilight said.
And with that Twilight's ride to Los Pegasus was about to end. She said goodbye to the tour guide and even gave her a tip. Twilight then looked outside and saw lots of clouds and the fact that she was getting closer to the train station.
"Bing Bong! We are nearing Los Pegasus outer station! Please, do not forget your bags when leaving the train. Thank you!" The intercom shouted.
Twilight grabbed her bag and made her way towards the door. As the train screeched to an halt, the doors opened and Twilight left quickly.
Looking around, Twilight sees a board with a map of the local area around the train station. Walking up to it, reveals that she exited at the wrong station. She was supposed to exit at the central station. Twilight didn't care however, she has never been in Los Pegasus, so she was curious about the surrounding area.
The map revealed that just outside Los Pegasus a small movement of Greek restaurants had popped up. One had a familiar name.
"Ouzo's Soutzoukakia* huh?" Twilight said out loud.
"Ah a potential guest!" The owner shouts from inside the establishment.
Twilight blinked as the the owner of the place, jumps over the counter and rushes to Twilight's location.
"Can I interest you in our world famous meatballs?" The owner asked.
"Actually-" Twilight tried but was cut off by the overly enthusiastic stallion.
"Great! Come in! Come in!" The owner said as he drags Twilight into the restaurant.
It took less than 10 seconds for Twilight to be standing and then sitting in front of a massive plate of meatballs dipped in some kind of tomato sauce.
"Please do try!" The owner said, pushing Twilight into making a decision on the spot.
"Sigh. Fine." Twilight simply gave up as she took a bite.
"And?" The owner asked worried, his mood did the one-eighty as he became more serious.
"The meatballs taste, interesting. Although it is a bit under-seasoned." Twilight said.
"Sigh, I know. Ever since my boy started to work at the Baste Family to work out a debt. It hasn't been the same." The owner sighed.
Twilight calmly looks at the owner, "What is your boy's name?" she asks with calm curiosity.
"Pate. Named after these delicious meatball. Oh my boy... What did you do?" The owner wailed.
"You know full well that this is your doing!" one of the three unknown individuals said with a mocking tone as they entered the restaurant out of nowhere.
The owner flinched as dove low to the ground in fear, "I- I-" he trembled.
"What did he do?" Twilight intercepted.
One of the three looked at her seriously, "He stole my boss's wine recipe." he said.
"Based on what proof?" Twilight said as she slowly stood up from her seat. She felt somewhat peeved at what was happening in front of her.
"None of your business!" One of the more hostile one of the three shouted loudly. Twilight could sense that he felt a bit intimidated at the way Twilight approached them.
"Actually it is my business. Pate Ouzo is a friend. A good friend. If his family is in debt than that is a serious accusation that I won't drop." Twilight said calmly. She felt that the owner looked surprised at her, but she brushed it off.
"Do you wish to be in trouble with the french mafia?!" The intimidated stallion shouted.
"I haven't done anything yet. We simply talked, no need to jump to conclusions." Twilight said.
"Calm the fuck down, Dave. Let me do the talking!" One of the more calmer stallions said to his buddy.
"But Rob!" Dave complained.
"Dave, Shut the fuck up." Rob growled.
Dave backed out, but he seemed to be still on a bit of an edge.
"As I was saying, our boss has a strong believe that he stole it." Rob explained.
"Fine he stole it, How in Celestia's name could he make wine without a winery and the tools to distill grapes?" Twilight reasoned.
"Hm." The muffled one of the trio said out loud.
"Upstairs?" Rob offered.
"Do you understand the sheer weight of these tools? A distillery is made of steel usually, and it requires a farm with grapes, and on top of that, the altitude at which these plants can be turned to wine is just above ocean level and far below cloud level. There is no way, anyone could even make wine on this height! Let alone that the grapes survived this high!" Twilight explained.
"She makes a good point Rob." The muffled one said.
"And how do you know that she isn't lying?" Dave offered.
"Because I am a wine making specialist. I know what she is talking about. She isn't wrong in this case." The muffled one said.
Dave hmpf-ed, but said nothing.
"Fine. Do you know where the recipe is, atleast?" Rob asked the owner.
"My boy returned it to the family when he went to go and pay out the debt." The owner admitted.
"James?" Rob asked the muffled one.
"I checked. It has indeed been returned." James said as his horn lit up for a moment.
"You got lucky. However the debt still stands." Rob said.
"How much is it?" Twilight asked.
"Five hundred thousand bits. For stealing the recipe and for borrowing money, plus interest and tax." James admits.
"Considered it paid. I will pay up on my behalf." Twilight said. She noticed as everyone in the room looked wide-eyed at her.
"Are you of nobility?" Rob asked worried.
"Yes. I am from Canterlot." Twilight said.
"I am sorry. We can't accept money from such high ranking individuals." Rob said.
"I don't care. Accept the money or remove the debt. Your choice!" Twilight shouted.
"Which house?" James asked cautiously.
"My full name is Twilight Sparkle. I am of the house Armor and house Sparkle. Third highest next to the crown and the princess personal mages." Twilight introduced.
"Fuck." Dave said scared.
"You are The Twilight Sparkle?!" Rob shouted in surprise.
Twilight blinked, "Yes?" she offered.
"The one that set half of Canterlot on fire with a single spell and has made great strives inside of the cooking industry?!" James questioned.
"Yes." Twilight said, she felt attacked with the first part of the sentence.
"We will remove the debt. Have a good day!" Rob shouted as he drags his two friends out of the restaurant.
"Don't tell me that I am known for that?" Twilight hoped.
"Only in the underworld. You are feared by criminals and famous among those in the light." The owner admitted.
It took Twilight a few seconds to piece it together, "Celestia!?" Twilight shouted in almost royal Canterlot voice.
"Ow." Twilight's voice has pushed the owner into the wall.
"Oops. Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she helped the owner back up.
"Don't go blame the princess. She did it to protect you from the underworld." The owner said as he stood back up with Twilight's help.
"I know. Next time she and I are going to have a heart to heart talk about this." Twilight said with a small smile.
"What are you going to do?" The owner said terrified. Her small smile made him do a double take.
Twilight's smile only became bigger and bigger until it had reached down right nightmare territory.
"Gulp." The owner said.
"Oh nothing. I might put the world painfullest hot sauce in her favorite cake. That is all." Twilight said smugly.
Somewhere in Canterlot, Celestia got some terrified shakes. Like some kind of super villain was about to do something down right terrible to her.
"Anyways. Thanks for helping me. I didn't know that he befriended such a big shot." The owner smiled.
"I wasn't such a big shot back then, anyways what was this about a recipe?" Twilight asked.
"Sigh. It was an excuse to let Pate and Baste work together. They are very good friends and they want to work together, but the Confit family didn't agree. So I stole the recipe in other to let them work together." The owner sighed.
"Which backfired." Twilight said.
"Yeah. Pate didn't like my plan. So as soon as he was forced to work there, he gave the recipe back and formally apologized." The owner said.
"Ah. So you miss your son?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah." The owner admits.
"How about I go fill his hole until he returns?" Twilight offered.
"Really?" The owner said surprised.
"Yup. I am not that familiar with Greek food however." Twilight admits.
"Until?" The owner asked.
"Until he returns. Then I am going to try and work at the Baste family. They still have some issues that I have to work out. I will gladly learn some Greek food before I go to the more hardcore restaurant." Twilight said.
"Are you saying that mine isn't hardcore?" The owner said smugly.
"No. But they serve to either high paying commoners or the nobility. One mistake could cost a lot of money." Twilight explains.
"Ah. You do have a point. So listen up, this is the schedule. At six O'clock in the morning we make a lot of Village bread and Pita. Until eleven. We then switch into a midday hot food restaurant." The owner explains.
"Ah. Which is Tzatziki and fresh fish and meat correct?" Twilight offered.
"Normally yes. But we do vegetarian only. So Tzatziki, Olives, Dolmades, Moussaka and baklava." The owner said.
"Good. I can't wait. What will be my role. Prepare or serve?" Twilight asked.
"Hm. Let's go with Prepare. Take the guest room upstairs. Place your stuff up there and come on down. Let me show you, your workstation."
"Understood. I will be right back." Twilight said, she grabbed her stuff into her magic and walked up the stairs into the guest room. The guest room was everything you expect, a comfy bed, a closet, a mirror and a small bedside lamp. All made of wood.
After Twilight placed her stuff down onto the bed, she walked back downstairs. As soon as Twilight re-entered the restaurant, suddenly a dozen or so guests had sat down and all had something to drink. On top of that a waitress was also walking around and a bartender.
Ignoring the looks she received from the guests, Twilight walking into the kitchen.
"It would seem that most of my regulars know you." The owner said.
"Only because of my fame." Twilight replied.
"Of course. But a lot of them look up to you. Not because you are powerful, but because you give them hope." The owner explained.
"Hope?" Twilight asked confused.
"Yes. Most of my guests are female. Before you did something, the girls were afraid of acting against their male bosses. However nowadays the girls have become more rebellious and more hardened. They aren't afraid to act against their boss and aren't afraid of losing their jobs. Because if they do, they rebel by telling the world the truth." The owner explained with a big smile.
"Which is bad news for the company." Twilight said with a smile.
"Exactly." The owner said.
"Good. Anyways, seeing as their are guests. Please skip the tour for now and give me a quick rundown. Then please tell me of any preparations you need me doing." Twilight said confidently.
"Very well. Normally I am with my boy and me. But I do not know how skilled you are. Above your workstation is a list of recipes. Make them to the T. Do not change without telling me." The owner requests.
"Of course. Just give me a task and it will be done." Twilight said.
"Most of the the more difficult task are already done. I require some cutting and chopping. Please chop that mountain of cucumbers for me. And peel about 20 whole garlic bulbs. Please put every cucumber into that massive metal bowl and the garlic into the white one." The owner explained.
"You want the cucumber into Brunoise?" Twilight asked.
"Yes." The owner said, "Please do it as fast as possible. Tzatziki goes through the window as fast as pony-like possible."
"Understood. It will be done in ten minutes." Twilight bragged.
The owner smiled as he went to work.
Twilight grabbed a cucumber as an example, she cut in two. She removed the seeds with a spoon and proceeds to first cut it into Julienne and then cut it into Brunoise.** She then put it into the large metal bowl.
After speeding up, Twilight successfully cut it all within 20 minutes. That included peeling the garlic.
"Done!" Twilight shouts over the sound of the oven alarm and the owner baking some minced meat with some sauce.
"Good! Remove the baklava from the oven and pour some special sweet sauce over the baklava while its still hot." The owner demanded in quick succession.
Twilight responded by doing exactly that. She put oven mitts on her hoofs and balanced it onto a table. She then poured still hot, sweet sauce over it.
"Good. The cucumber is the right size and the garlic is well peeled. I managed to make the tzatziki in record pace thanks to the well cut cucumber. And the baklava is finished. Good!" The owner shouted.
"Seeing as you are making meaty and fishy things. Let me guess in the evenings you do work with those ingredients. Seeing as it is evening." Twilight shouted back.
"That is correct. Do you know how to prepare fish in a griffon way?" The owner asked.
"Remove the bone and remove the scales. But keep the fish whole. Roasted on a grill or barbecue. Serve on plate with a base made out of pandan leaves." Twilight repeated.
"And make sure to keep the color." The owner and Twilight said at the same time.
"Good. Please prepare some." The owner requested.
"How many?" Twilight asked.
"Look at these notes. These are orders from the guests. Count and make." The owner demanded.
"Sixteen." Twilight said just as a beep went off. The owner grabs it from the device and takes a look at it.
"Make it twenty. I will leave the spices to you." The owner said.
"Understood." Twilight said as she grabs some fishes out of the freezer.
She does the things she said she had to do, but she added a special spice blend to it. Pepper, pink salt, cumin, garlic powder and as twist, nutmeg powder.
She added the blend after it was placed on the plate with the pandan leaves. It took 10 minutes making one. She was able to make ten at the same time with the space available. So she an additional twenty minutes make the remainder. It was served immediately after Twilight gave the plates to the owner.
After a good five minutes, the waitress returned.
"The guests loved the spice blend! You might have a bunch more inbound." The waitress said before going back to the workspace.
"You heard it. Keep it up. I will leave the fish to you. I will the other tasks." The owner requested.
"Understood." Twilight said.
In the next few hours she went back to bed. Hours turn to days as she worked at her friends place. Quickly making an impact on the Greek kitchen as well, although unintentionally. After a week had passed, her friend was due to come home.
Author's Note
* Greek Meatballs.
I will be honest. I haven't worked on this book very much due to the fact that a different book of mine is more popular. "Twilight Scarlet" is the one, however I haven't forgotten. I will work on it, from time to time.
However it's also thanks to that book that my writing skill has improved. So expect better chapters or atleast an improvement from my first two books. One book is the Chef's apprentice and the other I took down due to terrible quality and the fact that I, the writer, was unable to read it at all.
"I am home!" Pate shouts inside the empty kitchen.
It was Monday, the only day that the restaurant was closed for guests. Twilight and Pate's dad were sitting in the restaurant discussing the spice blend that Twilight uses on each meal that she has created thus far. As soon as the owner heard Pate's voice, he stood up and ran towards the kitchen. Hugging Pate, well more like crushing him.
"Dad. Air!" pate gasped.
"Sorry son, I am so happy to see you!" The owner said as he let go.
"Yeah you too." Pate said, he was about to say something else. But he cut himself off, when he saw Twilight casually walk towards him.
"It would seem that my job is done here." Twilight said.
"Yeah. Thanks for the advice. I will try to make due with the spice information you gave me." The owner said smiling.
"Why are you here?!" Pate asked surprised.
"To fill in the spot you left empty. How was Baste?" Twilight replied.
"Ugh. That family is a lot more complicated than meets the eye." Pate said annoyed.
"Rich families are like that." The owner said in an knowing voice.
"Not like that. That family both loves each other and hates each other." Pate said.
"Well that depends on the spectrum." Twilight said as she practically ignored Pate.
"Really? What do you mean?" The owner asked Twilight.
"My family is all love and tough love. But no hate. Hatred is an unusual attribute that a family carries." Twilight said.
"What do you mean?" Pate asked confused.
"It's more like jealousy and rivalries. Hatred is certainly a part of it, but not their main attribute." Twilight explained.
"Then their attribute is rivalries. The cooking world is constantly a struggle, I can see how everyone is a rival with everyone." Pate admits.
"Yes. That seems much more likely. However if they do carry hatred, then my job is about to become really hellish." Twilight said worried.
"Why?" Pate asked.
"She will have a much harder time, trying to advice that restaurant. Because of grudges." The owner explains.
"Ah. No, I think its more like friendly rivalries. After each collision, they do smile afterwards." Pate said.
"Ah! Hm." Twilight said as she thought things through.
"Regardless, I hope you have fun with them. Their skills in cooking are very competitive." Pate said.
"Thanks. I will pack my bags and move on." Twilight said.
"Thanks for working with us. I will share my story about you, with my fellow chefs." The owner said.
"Sure. See you another time." Twilight said as she ran upstairs, and used her levitation magic to quickly pack everything in their respective bags. She then walked out while waving at the owner and Pate.
Twilight walked to the train station and waited a couple of minutes for the train. She then stepped into the train as soon as she was able to. And took one more stop to the next place.
"Last stop. Los Pegasus central station. All non-Pegasuses please remember to either cast the cloud walking spell or an air balloon as soon as you step off the platform. Thank you." The intercom shouted.
Twilight walked to the door and lit her horn up. She then quickly casted a near permanent cloud walking spell on her body. She then waited a few minutes as the train door opens and she walked out of the train.
On the platform she sees a familiar face, it was the tour guide she met a week ago.
"Hey!" Twilight said to the tour guide.
The tour guide looks in her direction and lights up. "Ah. Finally realized that you got out of the wrong stop?" The tour guide said while smirking.
"Perhaps, I did had a chance to eat some real Greek food thanks to it." Twilight said shrugging.
"That is a fair point. So you decided that was the perfect chance to explore the outskirts of Los Pegasus, right?" The tour guide asked.
"Eeyup." Twilight simply said.
"I see. I do recommend my tourists to check out the outskirts. Perhaps that is why I 'forgot' to mention it." The tour guide said smugly.
"Well, I didn't come here on a timer. I am simply a free spirit with a lust of adventure." Twilight shrugged once again.
"That is a good point. Anyways, shall I be your guide today?" The tour guide asked.
"Actually I can't. I have been gone far longer than I had planned. I want to go to that restaurant and check things out." Twilight said.
"I know. But do you know where to go?" The tour guide asked.
"No." Twilight admitted.
"How about I will be your guide today?" The tour guide tried again.
"Sigh. Fine. You don't quit do you?" Twilight said somewhat annoyed and impressed.
"If I did, I wouldn't work in this line of work, would I?" The Tour guide admitted.
"Fine. But atleast tell me your name." Twilight asked.
"My name is Tour Blazer. And you are the famous Twilight Sparkle." Tour said knowingly.
"They did say that I am getting a lot more famous." Twilight said.
"You are my idol after all. But not just mine, every girl out there is a fan of yours." Tour said proudly.
"Is that so?" Twilight said surprised.
"Yeah. Your actions gave me the confidence I need to become what I wanted. All this time, I tried becoming a Tour guide, but my father had other plans. After you appeared as a strong women with a strong desire for improvement, I put my hoof down and became a tour guide, whether my father liked me to or not." Tour admitted.
Twilight simply smiled, "I am happy to hear that. Now about my tour, can you cut out everything that isn't food related? I need to learn atleast as much as possible about Los Pegasus's food culture before I arrive at my destination." she requested.
"Of course. You are putting the final nail in the coffin, right?" Tour asked.
"Yup. This will be my last move. A queen for a queen." Twilight said.
"Good. I will do my best to explain everything I know about Los Pegasus's food culture and history." Tour said determined.
"Okay. As you probably know, Los Pegasus used to belong to Cloudsdale, but they split off due to an different outlook of their culture. Cloudsdale choose sport, while Los Pegasus choose gambling and events. This meant that Los Pegasus had to make their landscape non-Pegasus friendly. This meant staying close to the ground and far away from Cloudsdale constant moving." Tour explained, they were walking passed some old murals made of hardened cloud.
"This caused their culture to mix with other cultures. They took Unicorns love for luxurious and expensive to whole new level, while also improving their food to stay up-to-date with the earth ponies outlook. The result is French dishes. They took some ambassadors and merchants all the way to French earth land and learned all they needed to learn. They then moved what they knew and localized it for Equestrians." Tour explained further. Twilight and Tour passed some extremely old places that served the french food that wasn't localized. It was less popular, but more luxurious.
"After the years passed and Nightmare Moon was put onto the moon. Los Pegasus is perhaps one of the few places that took Luna's style of french cooking to a whole new level. Which eventually turned into Los Pegasus's style french food. Also known as Prench food. A combination of decades of experience in french food and Luna's methods of french cooking. However that name went out of date as soon as Luna returned from her long slumber." Tour explanation finished.
"And here we are. The famous or infamous Confit family. They still use old french food, non-localized. But improved in such a way, that it is unique. The second most expensive food restaurant in Equestria." Tour said. As Twilight and Tour stood in front of a massive building.
"Which restaurant is the most expensive in Equestria?" Twilight asked.
"The Royal restaurant in Canterlot. Owned by Royal Chef." Tour explained.
"Ah. Well here. Take this as a tip. I will be going then." Twilight said as she hoof over some bits.
"I wish you the best of luck. But knowing you, you will succeed. Like you always do." Tour said confident.
"Thanks. Perhaps we will meet again when I open my own cafe in Ponyville." Twilight said.
"Yeah. Until then." Tour said as she walked off.
Twilight walked inside the restaurant and gets immediately greeted by a waitress.
"Welcome to the best restaurant in Los Pegasus. How may I help you?" The waitress asked.
"Yes. I want to meet Baste Confit. Is he available at any moment?" Twilight asked in a rich yet professional tone.
"One moment. Let me check his schedule." The waitress said as she took a look at the schedule inside a small desk.
"Well. There is nothing today. But that usually means that he is doing something private." The waitress said.
"Is there not a way that I could meet him right now?" Twilight asked.
"Hold on. Let me call his secretary." The waitress said.
The waitress picks up an old telephone and calls the secretary. After a few yes and noes, she places the phone back on the hinges.
"I asked and they said that he is currently busy." The waitress said.
"With...?" Twilight tried.
"I am sorry. They said that that is private." The waitress said.
"Fine. Is there a spot available to eat at, right now?" Twilight asked defeated.
"Yes. For one?" The waitress asked, Twilight nodded.
"Please follow me, madam." The waitress said.
Twilight followed the waitress. She noticed that a small group of other guests were already seated. The tables were made of wood with a silk cloth over them. The whole restaurant screamed old school french. As Twilight passed she noticed that the guests immediately recognized her. The waitress didn't however.
This caused the waitress to look confused at her. She didn't say anything however. Until they reached a seat that looked clearly meant as an insult. However Twilight couldn't care less. Those around her however, looked less than pleased.
"This will be your seat. Is there any drink you want before I go and grab the menu?" The waitress asked.
"An appetizer would be appreciated first." Twilight said.
"Very well." The waitress said before leaving.
Twilight noticed that someone on the second floor had noticed her and was calmly speed walking down towards her. The one that noticed her was none other than Princess Cadence. Which Twilight found out the moment she came close enough into view.
"Twilight!" Cadence said loudly. Twilight noticed that the waitress looked shocked at the fact the Cadence walked up to Twilight without warning.
"Hey. Cadence! How is my brother?" Twilight said out loud. She saw as Cadence pouted at the mention but said nothing. Instead she answered by hugging Twilight.
Twilight looked around her while Cadence pulled her into this hug. She saw a bunch of guests smiling while the staff looked confused at this. Apparently she wasn't that famous yet. Or they lived under a rock.
"Good. We are getting along with our dates. Come, join me on my table instead of this, junk." Cadence said while coldly staring at the staff.
"Uh. Sure!" Twilight said hyper. Twilight ignored Cadence unusually strong protectiveness.
"So how is your vacation been?" Cadence asked.
"Good. I learned some Greek cooking methods and stuff." Twilight said while walking up the stairs and onto a large lounge. Cadence's table already had some food on it. At the table another guest was seated, it was none other than Twilight's old friend Pride Keeper.
"Twilight! Old friend!" Pride hugged Twilight equally tight as Cadence.
It was at that moment that the staff realized that Twilight was some kind of big shot. Even if they didn't know about her. The waitress that helped Twilight immediately informed the kitchen.
"What did you say her name was?!" A familiar voice shouted loudly out of the kitchen.
Twilight heard some mumbling, which followed by a slap sound.
"The Twilight Sparkle?! Have you lived under a rock?! She is a massive big shot. Hell she is the queen of cooking right now!" The voice shouted.
Twilight blushed at the statement. She saw as Cadence agreed and Pride simply smiled.
"Where is she?!" The voice shouted. "Upstairs? She joined the princess? Good! I will meet her as soon as I am able."
"Baste! I do not appreciate the slap! That better isn't you! Or I will make it widely known of your actions!" Twilight shouted back.
"Dully noted." Baste said taken aback.
"You have grown stronger." Pride said prideful.
"That is how the world of cooking expects you to be." Twilight said shrugging.
"So how is my good old classmate?" Baste said as he finally joined Twilight at the table.
" Good! Although I am sure that you know why I am here?" Twilight said.
"Yeah and you are too late. I already convinced my family that a female chef is fine to work here." Baste said smiling.
"Proof?" Twilight asked.
"We hired a female master chef into our kitchen." Baste said.
"Is she leading or being pushed around?" Twilight asked.
"Leading. She is a strong women." Cadence answered.
"Do I know her?" Twilight asked.
"You do, It's Morning Roux. She finally stopped teaching and went back to cooking in the restaurant." Pride said.
"Oh my Celestia. I need something special then." Twilight said.
"Which is?" Baste asked.
"I need a Carpaccio appetizer with Del Pino sauce made by Morning Roux. She will know what I mean." Twilight said.
"Understood. I will go and get that. But first my father wants to meet you." Baste said.
"Tell him to come here and join us for lunch." Twilight said.
"Understood." Baste said as he went through a well hidden double doors made of entirely dark oak.
On the other side, Baste sighed. His confidence in stopping Twilight from entering their kitchen wasn't working. For starters Morning wasn't working at the Confit family restaurant anymore. She wasn't anymore due to his father's actions. His father was one of the few that truly disagreed with Twilight's actions. And was working hard at stopping her success, even if he was failing at it.
Despite Baste's father's best actions, Twilight had made a dent in the cooking world. However Twilight's actions had done far more than met the eye. Female employees weren't so easily willing to work anywhere anymore. Ponies became more rebellious and more realistic. And Twilight had become a massive inspiration for many, to the point that some called her 'The shadow of the princesses'.
When Baste's father threatened Morning when she didn't listen to the head chef's demand. She was threatened that she would get fired and banned from every restaurant that followed him, Morning simply smiled undaunted by the situation. She said that plenty of restaurants choose Twilight, and that that claim was going to be the downfall of this restaurant.
Angered by Morning's responds, his father ordered his staff to beat the crap out of Morning. Despite all of that, she smiled. Baste knew why, Twilight was eventually going to find out. And when she does, Celestia knows what might happen. However Baste knew that beneath Twilight's happy-go-lucky behavior there was a very powerful unicorn. One you do not want to mess with if you knew what was good for you.
"Father, Twilight is currently seated with Princess Cadance." Baste reported, his mood was gray and monotone.
"Why? I asked her to be placed in the poor stallion's table." His father coldly asked.
"We did, however Princess Cadance had spotted her from afar. She moved Twilight forcibly from that table and onto her own. She didn't look pleased by our action." Baste reported.
"Sigh. Fine, do what you must and prevent her from entering our kitchen." His father stated.
"About that. She ordered a Morning Roux special. One that even I, do not know about." Baste said.
"Call her. Ask her and make it." His father ordered.
"Understood." Baste coldly responded.
So Baste left the office and entered the family personal living room which held a communication catalyst. Dialing Morning's magical footprint into it, caused the orb to call it. It had a distinct beeping sound to it, until it was picked up.
"Hello? Who is this?" Morning asked confused.
"It's me. Baste." Baste said.
"Ah Baste. How can I help you?" Morning asked.
"Twilight asked me to make a Carpaccio appetizer with Del Pino sauce. Do you know how to make that?" Baste asked.
Baste heard Morning laugh on the other side, "Alright. Let me explain how to make it." Morning said as she began to explain.
After a good ten minutes of Morning explained it, and Baste writing it down. "Thanks Morning. I am glad that you do not feel any hatred towards me." Baste said.
"No. My hatred is towards your father. You are simply forced to do his bidding. Have fun with that recipe." Morning said as she hing up.
Baste then walked into a secret path that led to the kitchen in order to make it.
Meanwhile back at the table, Cadance was explaining to Twilight about Twilight's actions that she noticed from a distance. Pride simply smiled while slurping his favorite drink, an Ice tea long drink. Twilight was meanwhile looking wide-eyed at all the information given.
"And that is how you gained the title 'The Shadow of the princesses'." Cadence explained.
"Wow." Twilight said in awe. Cadence noticed that Twilight's body language said a lot more however.
Twilight was dissatisfied, or atleast that is what Cadence thought she saw.
"So, what do you think about this restaurant so far?" Pride asked.
Twilight slowly turned her head to Pride and closed in on him, "Lies..." Twilight simply said.
The way Twilight said it, made both Pride and Cadence shudder. It felt as if a totally different pony was sitting in Twilight's spot.
"What do you mean?" Cadence asked.
"I gave Baste a fake request. A test, if you will. If Morning really works here. Then she knows what that was. However if she isn't. We will receive a dish that doesn't exist." Twilight said.
"You don't trust him?" Pride asked confused.
"I trust him. I do not trust his family. If he thinks that I haven't noticed his father's actions. Then he has another thing coming." Twilight said darkly, Twilight's mood was dark and chipper. It looked down right creepy. As if Twilight was insane.
"I see. So those rumors?" Cadence asked.
"Probably true." Twilight responded.
"Darn." Cadence quietly said.
"Wait. Can I call Morning really quick?" Pride asked.
Twilight looked around, she noticed Baste holding a dish. Twilight smile turns creepy as she nodded. "I have a feeling that I will have to show Baste's family the true inner workings of my family." Twilight said maniacally.
Cadence flinched at the mention. And as she sat there, she shook a little. Pride looked worried at Twilight but said nothing.
"It's me, Pride!" Pride almost shouted at the communication spell.
"Pride! It has been a while. Where are you?" Morning asked.
"A place that most likely will feel the full might of the Sparkle family." Twilight responded.
You could hear Morning laughing on the other side. "Thank you." Morning simply said as she closed the communication spell.
"I am back." Baste said as he was holding the dish.
"So I see. Do me a favor and place that dish back into the kitchen. I would like to talk to you without it." Twilight said, her face was dark and the mood was tense.
Baste immediately knew that he screwed up, it is not the first time he saw that side of Twilight. "Okay." He said as he walked back.
As soon as he was back, Pride made place for him by standing up. Baste took a seat and Pride sat back down, blocking his escape route. Baste realized that a bit too late. He looked at Cadence, however he saw that she had a simple business smile on her face.
"Guess why I am angry." Twilight said.
"Wrong dish?" Baste offered.
Twilight laughed very loudly and creepily, as she shook her head. "No. You lied. That dish was fake and only Morning knows the answer. Why did I give you a fake request?" she asked.
"Uh. I don't know?" Baste said sweating.
"To test your father. If he thinks that I am blind and that my mother is blind then he doesn't understand our true ability." Twilight explained.
Baste gulped, he tried to say something but he couldn't. Something prevented him from doing so.
"Before a chef and a pastry chef, I am a powerful unicorn. One that has served Princess Celestia for eons. We weren't afraid of doing dangerous and downright evil things." Twilight explained, a dark cloud of magic was hanging over the table.
Cadence stared at Twilight, the stare said to calm down. Either Twilight didn't see it or she ignored it. Either way Twilight continued.
"However today isn't such a day instead I came here as chef." Twilight said as the creepy smile and the dark atmosphere disappeared.
Cadence looked at Baste, Baste was too scared to say anything.
"Do you know what that means, old friend?" Twilight asked, Twilight lit her horn and removed the restrainment spell from Baste.
"That father shouldn't try such a stunt out again?" Baste offered.
"No. That he shouldn't mess with my family. It is your choice if you wish to loose staff over a silly disagreement. However we do not tolerate such hostile behavior towards my family. Remember that, remember that by our core, we are a combat and guardian family. Not a cooking family like you. We are not afraid to remove your family from the equation. If it came to that." Twilight explained.
"Uh. What did he do?" Baste asked confused.
"To instill loneliest to me, he forced my parents to go to Manehattan by using roundabout ways of going about it." Twilight said.
"Uh. Did your parents found out?" Cadence intervened.
"Thank Luna not. Atleast I am able to calmly warn you. They would have done something far worse than me." Twilight said sighing.
"Like?" Pride tried. Twilight answered by moving her hoof over her neck.
"Dully noted." Baste said while gulping.
"Good. Now seeing as I already got a very well known name in the world. Something tells me, that you will finish my job. Isn't the right, Baste and Aspic?" Twilight said smiling.
A gulp came from behind Twilight as Aspic reveals himself.
"Yes. I will try and go against my father's wishes and return Morning back as a Head chef." Baste explained.
"Good. I will leave it to you then. My job here is done." Twilight said.
"Sigh. Yeah. Sorry Twi. I didn't agree with my father's actions either. He is just too powerful-" Baste was about to say as his father burst through to double doors and used his magic to force Baste onto the ground.
"You sick F-" Aspic tried saying as he too was forced onto the ground.
Then his father tried that one pride, but he shrugged it off. Again with Cadence but she wasn't having it, so she teleported Pride, Aspic and Baste away towards a safe place.
"You think I give up that easily?!" Baste's father said enraged.
"Why yes." Twilight calmly said.
Angered, Cadence donned her combat armor. Just in case. Her combat armor is normally stored inside of Celestia's bedroom, so when it disappeared. Celestia became alerted by it. Not only did the alarm go off, but Celestia was in the room at the time of the disappearance.
In a fit of rage, Baste's father slung a few fireballs into Twilight's direction. Twilight meanwhile calmly grabbed them out of the air using her levitation. And redirected it into the sky, where it blew up.
"If I were you, I would calm down." Twilight calmly said.
"Shut up!" Baste's father shouted as he prepared some rather destructive spells.
Realizing what he was about to do, Cadence used the armor's ability. Which was a direct danger signal to Celestia.
Meanwhile Twilight simply teleported everyone out of ground zero and placed a shield bubble over herself.
Baste's father then released the spell and it hit Twilight's barrier hard. It cracked a little, but it failed to penetrate.
On the other side of Equestria, Celestia received the emergency signal. Celestia then ordered hundreds of guards towards Los Pegasus, alongside herself.
Twilight was losing her tolerance, "I give you my final warning. Calm down or meet the consequences." Twilight said.
Baste's father ignored Twilight's warning as he shot another destructive spell towards Twilight. Twilight simply side stepped. Causing the spell to destroy the rest of the restaurant.
Twilight closed her eyes, "Very well." She said as her eyes open widely with power.
Twilight then proceeds to cast a single spell, it was a simply medical spell. "Horn removal!" Twilight shouted as she cast a very powerful spell that erased Baste's father's horn without even trying.
"ARG!?" Baste's father screamed as he lost consciousness.
Twilight then calmed down, "See that wasn't so hard." She said.
Cadence looked surprised and shocked at Twilight's calm reaction towards the ordeal. But in a positive kind of way, Twilight didn't go berserk, instead she calmly defused the situation. Even if it meant, removing someone's ability to cast magic.
It was right then, that hundreds of guards descend on the situation. Only to be met by one calm unicorn, one fainted hornless unicorn and a shocked looking alicorn.
Celestia calmly appeared onto the scene only to be met similarly. Celestia looked at Twilight then Baste's father and then towards Cadence.
"What happened?" Celestia asked confused.
"Twilight destroyed his horn to defuse the situation." Cadence explained.
"It isn't the first time I did that." Twilight said with a small smile.
Celestia sighed, "That is true." she said.
"Well considering the situation, Twilight solved it in a good way." Pride said as he reappeared out of nowhere.
"Is everyone safe?" Twilight asked worried.
"They are shocked, but fine." Pride replied.
"Where are they?" Celestia asked.
"Inside of Celestium." Twilight said with a smile.
Celestia smiled, "Very well. Pride can you please get everypony home? I need to talk to Twilight in private." she said.
"Let me help." Cadence said towards Pride.
"Okay. Let's go." Pride said as he and Cadence warped away.
"First things first, Guards! Please remove him and sent him to a hospital in Canterlot." Celestia order her guards.
Celestia and Twilight watched as Baste's father is being removed. The other guards meanwhile close the restaurant off for awhile.
"Alright. Twilight haven't you learned from the first time?" Celestia asked concerned.
"This time I had a good reason. And besides I have a good reason besides the first one." Twilight said cryptically.
"He attacked you." Celestia said.
"That too. But he also attacked my family." Twilight said.
"How?" Celestia said with one eyebrow raised.
"By pushing some strings and moving my parents to Manehattan after I returned back into Canterlot. With the purpose of making me succumb to loneliness. Which failed terribly." Twilight explained.
"I see. He slowed your father's process with the meat and reported an already found but not yet identified fossil to the museum all with the intent to slow them down and try to make you depressed." Celestia assumed.
"That is correct. He didn't realize that I was already very independent at the time. On top of that, I had plenty of things to do in Canterlot, which prevented me from realizing this ploy. Luckily I realized it, after my parents returned." Twilight admitted.
"I see. He underestimated the power of a single girl and the length you are willing to go to succeed." Celestia said while smiling.
"Exactly. He realized this too late, by then, he already lost the throne. To me." Twilight said.
"What throne?" Celestia asked confused.
"Of the most influential chef in the cooking world." Twilight explained.
"Ah." Celestia said, "Well done, my little pony."
"You wish I was yours. Sadly I am mine!" Twilight joked, Celestia giggled at it.
"But in all seriousness. You have succeeded in something that even my sisters failed to do." Celestia said proudly.
"I know. Which is why it's time. I will separate them. Luna and Moon. After I am done with that, I will search for a partner. Someone with an equal skill in cooking as me." Twilight explained.
"That is incredible news! Where are you going to search?" Celestia said excited.
"Owning an entire Cafe by myself is a bit much. So I am going to search at the Golden Dragon resort. Surely I will find someone." Twilight explains.
"A dragon, huh? Surely you will find someone." Celestia said knowingly.
"Oh I am sure. I just hope to find someone on the day I come there." Twilight said somewhat worried.
"Then do me a favor and give it a chance to relax while you still can." Celestia requested.
"I will try to. No promises." Twilight said smugly.
"Oh and one more thing. No more horn removal spell, alright? Next time just use a silencing or a restrainment spell." Celestia said serious.
"I know. He just tried to hurt my friends. I couldn't let that happen." Twilight said determined.
"No excuses, young lady! You are powerful enough to find another way. No need for such extreme measures." Celestia scolded.
"Yes, mom!" Twilight joked. Celestia simply smiled and stuck her tong out.
"But in all seriousness. I didn't remove his horn. Only temporarily removed his connection to unicorn magic and used illusion magic to make it seem that I removed his horn." Twilight said serious.
"I know. You are powerful. But not THAT powerful." Celestia said nodding.
"Horn removal magic is alicorn level of magic. At most I am demi-alicorn levels of magic." Twilight admitted.
"Oh for sure! However you did a really good job at it. You almost fooled even me." Celestia admitted.
"I certainly fooled Cadence and Pride." Twilight said confident.
"That you did. Most of my guards probably fell for it too. Seeing how fast they removed Baste's father." Celestia smirked as she looked at her guards. She saw how some actually blushed at the mention.
"So, the spell will last a month at most. Both the illusion and the disconnection." Twilight admitted.
"I know. He will spend a few moments in a quarantined cell to calm down. Then I will release him, with a warning of course." Celestia said knowingly.
"So is my father an earth pony now?" Baste said as he came running.
"No. He has just lost connection to his unicorn powers for a month and he will think he has lost his horn for about a month as well." Twilight said smiling.
"I see. You just used an illusion spell with a disconnect spell at the same time." Aspic said as he was sweating from the running.
"Correct. Well my time is up. I am going back home to prepare for my last journey." Twilight admitted.
"Last journey?" Baste asked worried.
"Yes. Then I am going to settle down." Twilight said.
"Ah. I see. Where are you going to settle down if I may ask?" Aspic asked.
"Ponyville." Twilight said.
"Why there?" Baste asked. Celestia also perked up at the question.
"Besides the fact that a lot of suppliers are from Ponyville, I want to live in an area with a lot of customers but with a twist." Twilight said.
"A twist?" Celestia asked.
"Yes. Knowing that the elements of harmony live there, I should expect lots of wacky things to happen. That way although my life is going to be a lot calmer, I will still experience some form of adventure all the time." Twilight admits.
"I see." Baste and Aspic said at the same time. They both looked at each other and smiled.
"As if life wasn't an adventure to begin with." Twilight added. She saw as Celestia smiled at the truth.
"Perhaps I will visit your cafe once it's done." Baste said.
"Perhaps. Until next time old friends." Twilight said.
"Until next time." Baste and Aspic agreed.
While Twilight and Celestia walked away, Celestia wanted to ask one last thing.
"Will you join me into going home?" Celestia asked.
"Sure!" Twilight said, as these two friends smiled while walking off into the sunset.
Author's Note
This is the end of the Imago arc. Twilight has made enough impact that her actions aren't required anymore. Besides this arc has been going on a long one. It's time to move on.
It's time to introduce a new character that isn't an OC. It will be a valuable partner to Twilight. I am sure you already know which character I am talking about.
Twilight and Celestia moved fast on the Royal carriage towards Canterlot Castle. Twilight looked around as they flew over Canterlot and into the castle that Celestia called home. Twilight noticed that Luna was aimlessly staring into space towards the would-be position of the moon while the blue hue of daylight covered it. Twilight also noticed that Luna's horn was lit up with an unnatural dark blue color.
"So Moon is currently in control of that body, huh?" Twilight said. Celestia heard Twilight said that, this caused her too look towards Luna's position.
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked,
"Look at hue of the magic color on her horn. It's dark blue. Unlike Luna's magic color which light blue." Twilight said.
Celestia's eyes widen as she looked back at Luna, realizing what Twilight just said made a lot of sense. "Nice spot. I didn't notice it." She said.
"That is probably intentional. Knowing Luna and Moon's relationship with you. I mean they probably are quite open. But after their fight with you, they probably keep a lot of emotion hidden anyways." Twilight explains.
Celestia sighed, "Yeah. No matter what, I did banish my sister to the moon. And for a thousand years at that. I could understand." she said as she drooped a little.
Twilight noticed that Celestia's hair which is normally a flowing rainbow, stopped flowing for a moment.
"Let me guess. While she was gone, you had to deal with the darkness that followed." Twilight guessed.
"I am afraid so. After I banish Luna, a lot of citizens could simply not agree with my actions. They either left or became criminals. Or in the rare cases, threw themselves at me to kill me. Only for me to kill them instead." Celestia said as her hair temporarily changed to pink.
Twilight sighed, "Every action has a reaction. And those reactions bring consequences. Even if that meant in the rare cases that ponies and stallions died." She said.
Celestia simply nodded.
"However do not take the darkness alone. You have your sister back. After I split Luna and Moon, you should talk the truth to them. Not just your actions, but also those of your citizens. Tell them everything, trust me. The anvil on your back should become a lot more lighter. But don't bottle it! I don't want another Nightmare Moon." Twilight scolded.
Celestia smiled, "You might not be our shadow or the keeper of the element of magic. However I would truly consider you, the greatest mind to my kingdom. Not as great as Starswirl the bearded. No, even greater. You understand the truth, you accept it, you improve it." She said poetically.
"Ha! You wish." Twilight said as she stuck her tong out.
Celestia smile dropped, "That's no lie. That is the truth." she said. Her hair returned back to normal.
Twilight expression dropped, "Perhaps it is because I did far worse." She said.
Celestia moved to hug Twilight, "We should move this conversation to my room." she said.
"Yeah. Lets." Twilight said.
Twilight and Celestia finally arrived and immediately moved to Celestia's bedroom. Unknowingly to them, Luna secretly followed.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Celestia asked.
"We did. We did." Twilight replied.
"And yet, why are we talking about it again?" Celestia asked.
"Because these two days will be the turning point. I will release Luna and Moon and I will go on my final adventure for a good while." Twilight said.
"I see. Well speak, you wish to reminisce right?" Celestia said with a smile.
"Yeah. So much has happened. My childhood is all about that disaster and my current is all about change. Soon it will be about the present. Yet it feels as if nothing has changed." Twilight said.
Celestia hugs Twilight calmly and cautiously, "That is true. You bring change where ever you go. Whether its the past, the present or the future. You are our shadow according to the people, I bring change, Luna hides change, Moon invites change and you start change. If you weren't a chef, I would have wanted you to be a part of the royal family." Celestia admits.
"If my chances are right, my brother and Cadence should make that happen." Twilight said.
"Heh. That is true. I have watched them. The chances are very high." Celestia said.
Twilight playfully pushes Celestia away, "Well isn't the sun a stalker or what?" she joked.
Celestia laughs tremendously, "Can you blame it? That is what happens if you look into the sun." Celestia joked.
This time it was Twilight's turn to laugh, "Nah you get blinded by it. Like love does to ya." Twilight joked.
The conversation then turned into a bunch of puns and dad jokes as both of them are poking fun at each other. As if they were sisters. Luna that was looking from a distance could just see Celestia and Moon sitting next to each other while they laugh about jokes like the sisters they are.
Luna also noticed a hint of sadness and loneliness from Twilight. It seems that Baste's father did a number, just normally its hidden by a mask like Celestia. The more Luna looked into Twilight's eyes, the more she feels her extreme loneliness. It got to the point that Luna walked in, like she usually does. And hugs Twilight before Celestia could.
Celestia and Twilight both jumped at the sudden intrusion. Not that Twilight was able to move, but that was besides the point. Celestia looked at Luna, it was one look that did. Luna's eyes said everything.
'Twilight is extremely lonely. Not that she shows it very well.' Said Luna's eyes.
"I see. You like stealing Twilight." Celestia said almost too serious.
Luna looked confused at her for her to say that, "What?" she said confused.
"She is mine." Celestia said as she bear hugged both Luna and Twilight.
"Kegh Air!" Twilight peeped.
Luna blinked and so did Celestia. "Oops sorry." They both said at the same time.
"What is wrong with you two?" Twilight asked confused.
"You think we didn't see your loneliness?" Luna said, Celestia wanted to say the same thing, but Luna was faster.
Twilight looked at them both, before drooping as her mask almost entirely broke. What both the princesses saw, broke their heart. Twilight looked exhausted and sad. But her loneliness overpowered every other emotion.
"I miss home. I miss my brother and mom and dad. But honestly? I missed you two the most." Twilight said in a depressed voice.
For the first time ever since Twilight started to make change happen, Twilight's true emotions were shown. The bottle finally broke, as Twilight couldn't stop showing them her true self.
"I try to be strong for those around me. But its hard. Every time I feel scared I have to push it down. And hide it. Only to show my other true emotion. Strength. The power to bring strength to where ever I go. If I could, I would want to hide from the world and stay unknown. But someone has to act, nobody wants to. So I do!" Twilight explained as her eyes couldn't contain all the tears she hadn't shed yet.
Celestia put a wing over Twilight, Luna simply soothed her mind. Allowed her to spill without control.
"But that is probably how you three originally felt to, no? When the weight of an entire continent was placed on your shoulders. That is not to say that my weight isn't heavy. Yet we probably felt the same fear. I have the weight of every girls fears on my shoulder. So that I may be able to bring strength to the girls instead." Twilight explained as almost every tear had been shed.
"I became their idol so I can become the embodiment of strength. That way that had a future to look forward to. But it wasn't just me. I only got the ball rolling. It's the friends I make on my journey that turned into strength. They saw me push ahead, so they followed to assist. I am not the sole embodiment, I am one of the many pioneers. Yet only I am granted a title while the others are forgotten." Twilight said saddened.
"Of course you are right. Only one got the title. However none is forgotten. Everyone got their reward whether it be by title or by the place, all your friends are where they wanted to be. If they didn't meet you, I doubt many would be where they are today." Celestia said wisely.
"I closely watched your friends, while Celestia watched you. I saw bonds being made, and broken. I saw hope being given and respect being gained. Your friends used your light to be where they wanted to be. You might have gotten the spotlight on you, however they used you as a disco ball to shine the light on many more. They knew what you wanted, so they followed it until the end. Which is right now. As far as I am concerned, Everyone is happy." Luna explained.
"So I succeeded?" Twilight asked.
"Not just succeeded. You might have changed the cooking world directly. You indirectly changed everywhere else. Even my maids aren't scared of the guards anymore. When I lowered their income by accident, every maid rebelled. Regardless if I outrank them. They simply refused to act until change came." Celestia admitted.
"While I was drunk I saw how one of my guards abused a single lonely pony on the street. The next day me and my guards were banned, because the girl protested at the guard station. And won." Luna also admitted.
"Wow." Twilight said in dumbstruck awe.
"You have done enough. Leave the rest for the stragglers. I am sure someone might take your place." Celestia said.
"Actually I might want to invite a representative of the female party within our royal circle to our table of diplomatic decisions. As I feel that now is the right time. It's unlikely that they there will be much protest. And if they do protest, expect every pony to be on the street protesting that idea." Luna explained.
Celestia jumped at the idea, "We totally should! Is there anyone you want?" she asked Luna.
"I was thinking about Lady Dis Lis." Luna said.
Celestia's eyes widen, "That is perfect!" she said.
"That will only work if you allow her to keep her modelling career." Twilight refuted.
"I am sure we can come to some kind of conclusion." Celestia denied.
"No. I will not allow it. Only if you can choose a second career besides it, like the stallion can." Twilight disagreed.
"Hm. I am sure we can talk to her about it." Luna tried.
"I wonder what would happen if I talk openly about this to her?" Twilight said evilly.
"NO!" Both Luna and Celestia said at the same time.
"Then grant her a second job or I am going to publicly talk about this. I wonder what happens..." Twilight said smiling.
"Sigh. Fine! I will see what I can do." Celestia said finally giving in.
"Good. Say is there a way for me to be a secret sister to the royal crown?" Twilight asked.
"I mean. There is, but," Luna said reluctantly.
"No. That is too much. I can't be much present anyways. I will have a cafe to run, I shouldn't get even more responsibilities on me." Twilight denied.
Celestia smile turned evil, this caused Luna and Twilight to gulp. "Luna tell me later on how to do that." Celestia asked Luna.
"What?!" Twilight said shocked.
"Oh?!" Luna smiled.
"No!" Twilight tried to deny it. Though her voice was that of a mouse.
"Yes!" Celestia said while smirking.
"Perhaps Moon will safe me!" Twilight said as her shone as bright as the sun.
"What are you-" Celestia tried to say, but the power that Twilight was using prevented her from continuing.
"Release of the spirit, From a thousand suns, May the lord win, As she has returned!" Twilight said as she casted the spell.
The spell surrounded Luna as it shone on her cutie mark and then a powerful beam shot from Twilight's horn, it hit the clouds over Canterlot and cut it like a blade. Revealing the stars and the moon that were hidden behind it. The power beam then stopped as around the moon a lot of sparkles sparkled. And then a beam of pure light and black pour back down onto Luna.
Celestia saw as Luna and Moon got separated as an ancient curse has finally been lifted. Then the light vanished leaving behind two alicorns. Luna and Moon were finally two beings once again.
"Ugh, it worked!" Twilight said happy. Only for the world to go black as she fainted from magic exhaustion.
"I am me!" Moon said over the moon.
"A warning would have been nice." Luna said dizzy.
"Tell me about it." Celestia said annoyed.
"Oh and by the way, please make Twilight my sister. I would be very pleased." Moon said smirking.
"Huh. She fainted. It must have been magic exhaustion." Luna said as she saw Twilight sleeping on the ground.
"Well. She can't protest now. Should I go ahead and make that happen?" Celestia asked them.
"Yeah!" Luna and Moon said as the same time.
"Alright. If one of you two give Twilight a bed, then I will make the paperwork happen." Celestia asked.
"Wait. Won't people freak out about me?" Moon asked worried.
"Actually that is a good point. Luna please take care of that for me. I will start talking to people about Twilight." Celestia said as wasted no time and practically ran towards her office.
"She seemed, too happy about that request. I am worried." Moon said worried.
"I can actually agree about that. Oh well, she ran a continent a thousand years longer than me. We will be fine!" Luna said ignorant.
"Okay. That is true-" Moon tried to say, until she heard some screaming from Celestia in the background.
"You know what. Perhaps I will go and help Celestia. Introductions can come later." Moon said.
Luna blinked as she too heard the screaming, "Sure and hurry. She is waking Twilight up." she said.
"On it." Moon also practically ran towards the office.
"Alright lets move you to my room for now." Luna said to Twilight quietly.
It was morning in Canterlot, Twilight felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. Not realizing that she was in Luna's bed, Twilight stood up as her internal clock screamed at her for sleeping far too long. three days too long in fact. With her sleepy eyes slightly open, she immediately realized that she was in fact sleeping on Luna's bed.
"Ugh." Twilight said as her horn still ached from the magic overuse.
"Something tells me that my pleading failed." Twilight said to herself.
Luna was not actually in the room, Twilight was totally alone with Moon besides her. However it took a few seconds to realize this.
"Atleast it worked." Twilight said as she finally became aware.
"It took three days of magic to succeed." Moon said with a smile.
"That is magic over exhaustion for you." Twilight said.
"Exactly. I got you some apples right here." Moon said.
"Thanks. So? Did you succeed?" Twilight asked, while already knowing the answer.
Moon simply smiled, "I will show you your room later, sis." she simply said.
"Ugh, what about my parents and my brother and Cadence?" Twilight asked.
"I was told that you are going to have to break the news yourself before you go to the Golden dragon resort." Moon said.
"How ironic. Only meant for princesses. Becomes a sister to the crown." Twilight said sarcastically.
Moon giggled on Twilight discomfort. "Get used to it sis." she said.
"It doesn't help that, that word injects butterflies in my belly." Twilight said frustrated.
"So you do like it, sis?" Moon asked.
"Yes. Now stop calling me that. It is going to very uncomfortable to tell my parents the truth." Twilight demanded.
"Nope. You are my sister, so I call you sis!" Moon said childishly.
"Ugh. My body aches." Twilight said as she walked out of the room with the apples in her levitation.
While Twilight's body ached and she ate the apples on the way. She meets a familiar guard. It seems that Pride became a medic guard.
"Once a guard, always a guard." Twilight said to Pride.
"It's in my blood." Pride admits.
"Can you do me a favor and tell Celestia that I went back to my parents? Oh and please tell them to sent Shining home. I need to have a serious talk with them." Twilight said,
"Only if you spill the beans." Pride bargained.
"I have to call Celestia, Luna and Moon. Sister." Twilight admits.
"What?" Pride asked confused.
"They crowned me as a sister to the crown. Or in a normal way of saying, I have been crowned as princess. Against my will." Twilight said as she left.
"Huh. So was that a royal order?" Pride shouted.
"No. But I suggest you do it anyways." Twilight shouted back.
"Okay because it's you!" Pride smirked.
"You want me to tell my new sisters that you are bullying me?" Twilight shot back.
"Fine! Geez." Pride said smiling.
Twilight ignoring Pride's comments, calmly walked back home. Twilight was now a nervous ball of fluff as she was unsure on how to break the news. But just as she said, she is good at hiding her nervousness and walked on anyways. Twilight knocked on the door. Only to be met by Cadance instead.
"Twilight! I thought you were going home three days ago!" Cadance shouted.
"I got held up. Sorry." Twilight apologized.
"Sigh. Come on in. Shiny and your parents are currently near the fireplace. They all went on a trip with me to the remaining parts of the crystal empire." Cadence explained.
"Let me guess. You got snowed in and became stuck for three days?" Twilight offered.
"You know me too well sis!" Shining said in the background.
"Actually I have some serious news to share with everyone in this room. That does include you, Cadence." Twilight said as she added the last bit when she saw Cadence trying to leave.
"Oh? Did you get promoted?" Shining tried to guess.
"Did your cafe request succeed?" Night asked at the same time.
"Are you staying a bit longer before leaving?" Velvet asked. Before Twilight had the chance to answer.
"Don't worry it's just a cold!" Cadence tried to say in order to leave.
"Please everyone. It's just, I finally succeeded in splitting Luna and Moon." Twilight said.
"OH! That is cause for celebration!" Velvet shouted.
"I actually was given a reward for it. A very stupid one." Twilight said annoyed.
Night and Shining immediately knew something was up. Twilight almost never used the word "Stupid." it caused some alarm bells to go off.
"Which was?" Cadence asked undaunted.
"They made me sister to the crown." Twilight replied.
"What does that mean?" Cadence asked confused. Twilight saw as the other were also confused.
"I got crowned princess as a reward." Twilight said annoyed.
"Thus?" Everyone asked, still not getting it.
"Ugh! I have to call Cadence, Celestia, Luna and Moon my sister as I am now officially family to them." Twilight shouted annoyed.
"You got crowned." Velvet repeated.
"Yes." Twilight replied.
"You hold the rank Princess now." Night repeated as well.
"That is correct." Twilight said.
"I have to call you sister now?" Cadence repeated.
Twilight simply nodded.
"And you call that stupid?" Shining said as he had a rising anger.
"Listen! They did it against my will. I pleaded no, I got out played by all three of them. Hell, before I fainted, they couldn't make me. As soon as I fainted they forced the decision on me." Twilight practically screamed.
"And you wanted to refuse it?!" Shining said angrily.
"Unlike the playboy in this room, I had my future in my clutches, but now the duties of a princess gets dumped over it." Twilight said angrily.
"Not necessarily." Cadence said.
"Right. I hope it won't become public." Twilight added.
"Even still, surely your new sisters won't ruin your future." Velvet cooed.
"Your right. Despite being asleep for three days in a row. I might be too tired still." Twilight said exhausted.
"Oh." Velvet said.
"I am going to my room to recalculate my future. I will be right back." Twilight said saddened to her room.
"Do you not want me to be your sister?" Cadence asked.
"Of course not. I just, it got dumped on me. I need some time to allow it to sink in. I will be back once it has." Twilight said stressed out.
Twilight went back to her room and closed the door on her for a good while.
Author's Note
Also that title has a double meaning. And also even without wings, Twilight can't escape her destiny it seems. Don't worry, it will just be a title and a heart warming thing.
The start of the final arc of this book.
It's the start of the end!
A vacation for a Princess
After Twilight came to terms with her change of position on the pyramid. Twilight finally left her room, after a solid week. She told her parents that she needed more time. And while she thinks, she will start to search for her perfect partner in her cafe. So on the move she went, Twilight didn't do much while she rode it, however she did spot a familiar face on it.
"Hey Tour!" Twilight said pleased.
"Oh! It seems our paths intertwine once more. How can I help you this time?" Tour asked curious.
"Actually I am not sure. I got a title dumped on me a few days ago and it make me, less..." Twilight said as she searched for the word.
"Attentive?" Tour offered.
"Less certain. Maybe even a bit confused." Twilight explained.
"Life has many twists and turns. If you knew what the future held, it would be a very boring life." Tour said knowingly.
Twilight sighed, "I guess you are right. So, my favorite tour guide. What can you tell me about the Golden Dragon resort?" she said as she switched gears.
"I am happy that, that helped you. So the golden dragon resort used to only belong to kings and queens. Maybe even the very gifted. However lately they seemed to be a lot more willing to accept even nobodies. Those nobodies do pay a lot, but it is more available for outsiders than in the past." Tour explained.
"Has the resort fallen on hard times?" Twilight asked.
"Maybe. I don't know. They are still very secretive about it. However it does breath new life into the resort." Tour said uncertain.
"Hm. I see. Okay. So what are the highlights of the park?" Twilight asked.
"Well this is were things are, weird. You see, as guest you have access to everything, besides royal restricted areas. Whatever those are, I don't know. From leaks we hear, you get access to areas that are normally restricted to everyone. Unless one is ranked royal." Tour explained.
"So not worth the price, essentially." Twilight noted.
"I guess so." Tour said.
"Huh. So how do they know that you are royal or not royal?" Twilight asked.
"When granted royalty, you gain magic or extra magic usually. However their way is different. They scan you and then they know." Tour explained.
"Can you refuse getting scanned?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. But I recommend against it. I heard of ponies getting kicked out for it." Tour said.
"I am sure that is not the whole story." Twilight said.
"I agree. It is probably just a scare Technique." Tour said.
"And if I get kicked, it's fine. I got my ticket as a gift. I payed nothing at all." Twilight said,
"Wow. How lucky." Tour said somewhat jealous.
"What about you?" Twilight asked.
"My brother won it, and gave it to me. Since he hate resorts." Tour said.
"Let me guess, your brother is a wonderbolt." Twilight guessed.
"Exactly." Tour said.
"Arriving at Golden Dragon resort. Please don't forget your bags and dragons please be careful not to drag a pony outside with you by accident. Thank you." The intercom said.
"Something tells me, that happens a lot." Twilight said with a giggle.
"Yeah. Sadly." Tour said.
"Did you?" Twilight asked.
"Yup." Tour said saddened.
"Sorry. Well now you are coming here with purpose." Twilight said.
"That is true. Oh! I see my tourist already on the station, I have to go. Have fun Twilight!" Tour said as she swiftly went to her bags.
"She is fast." Twilight noted.
"Time for a nice vacation." Twilight said to herself.
As soon as the train had stopped, Twilight departed the train and walked towards the resort.
While walking there, the whole resort reminded her of China and even Japan. It looked pleasant. Twilight liked the decor as she walked towards the reception.
"Welcome to Golden Dragon resort. How may I help you?" the receptionist asked Twilight.
"I reserved a room for one on behalf of a ticket." Twilight said,
"Can I see the ticket?" The receptionist requested.
"Sure." Twilight showed the ticket.
"Alright. Please follow me." The receptionist asked.
As soon as Twilight had arrived the receptionist explained how it works in the resort. After a good while the question that Twilight was going denied had arrived.
"Now I wish to scan you, may I?" The receptionist asked.
"No." Twilight denied.
"If I can't scan you, I will have to restrain you from using certain facilities." The receptionist warned.
"Like?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Every station that is public besides the restaurant." The receptionist said.
"Even the parks and stuff?" Twilight asked.
"Also those." The receptionist said.
"Hm. Perhaps I should just leave." Twilight hinted.
"How about this. If you give me a good reason why you refuse to be scanned, I might be able to polish it off, but explain it to the boss." The receptionist offered.
"Very well. I recently gained a rank against my will. I do not wish to receive any special treatment from it. Because of that, I don't want to be scanned. The rank has to stay a secret until I am ready to reveal it to Equestria." Twilight explained.
"Hm. Atleast tell me the rank with proof. I can ensure that you rank stays a secret and that you gain no special treatment with it." The receptionist offered.
"Hm. Fine. Scan me, but keep the content a secret from everyone besides your boss." Twilight requested.
"Understood." The receptionist scanned Twilight.
"So a hidden princess. Understood." The receptionist said.
"By the way, If I find out that it has been spread. I will show you my best dragon breath impression onto the park." Twilight warned.
"Dully noted. Please have fun the rest of the day. Your secret is a secret with me." The receptionist said as she left.
The receptionist walked all the way to the office to her boss.
"Boss, Twilight has settled in." The receptionist said.
"Anything I should know?" Golden asked.
"She wish to keep her currently new rank a secret and wishes no special treatment." The receptionist explained.
"Which is?" Golden asked.
"If this information gets out, Twilight was going to her best dragon breath impression onto the park." The receptionist warned.
Golden blinked, "Alright. Please whisper it then." he said.
"Princess." The receptionist whispered.
Golden blinking became more intense, "Oh! Well I understand the secrecy. I will go congratulate Twilight personally. Make a thousand percent sure that doesn't leak. Or Twilight is going to ruin someone's day." Golden warned.
"Understood." The receptionist said as she walked off.
Meanwhile Twilight is unpacking her bags. The room she received had a pretty large kitchen in it. Perfect for Twilight. She was pleased about it. Until some knocking came from the door.
Twilight opened the door and sees Orb Golden. Or Golden as he likes it.
"Oh! Come on in." Twilight said surprised.
"First things first. Congratulations with your rank up." Golden said.
"Ugh. Yeah thanks." Twilight said displeased.
"What's up?" Golden asked surprised.
"I gained that rank against my will. I need a vacation to get my mind together." Twilight admitted.
"Ah. Well I already granted you princess levels of access even without the rank. So regardless, you can access everything anyways." Golden explained.
"Won't that cause problems?" Twilight asked worried.
"Nah. And if it does, I will be responsible for it." Golden said ignorant.
"Okay. Say can you help me with something then?" Twilight asked.
Golden blinked, "Sure. What is it?" he asked.
"I am searching for a partner. I am going to start my own Cafe soon, but I can't do it alone." Twilight admitted.
"Ah. I will keep an eye out." Golden said, "Enjoy the rest of your stay, Princess Twilight." he added afterwards, which received him a groan out of Twilight.
"Thanks." Twilight said as she used the best fake smile impression she was capable of.
"But in all seriousness, I know you will come to terms with it. You always do." Golden said knowingly.
"Thanks, now please leave me be." Twilight said annoyed.
"Of course." Golden said as he finally left.
'I have already come to terms, its just. I never wanted this. I just want to be a chef. Not a chef princess. ' Twilight thought.
Sighing, Twilight continued to unpack her bags into the drawers. After she was done, Twilight calmly walked towards the central park. She decided to just sit on a bench next to a lonely tree. She grabbed a cookbook for dragons out of backpack and placed it onto the bench. She then laid down and started to read.
Out of the corner of her eye she sees something, interesting, taking place. So she closed her book and listened to an conversation she is probably not supposed to hear.
"When will this egg hatch?" A small dragon with a spiky hairdo asked.
"My dear, have patience. Besides its a gift to the golden family. What they do with it, is none of my business." The clearly older dragon said.
"Does it even contain a dragon? It's so light and when I see through it, I see no one inside it." A small dragon said.
"Then perhaps they will use it for baking. Again we are not to question them." The older dragon said.
"Which is why I question you." The small dragon said wittily.
The older dragon looks annoyed at the smaller dragon, but said nothing. As they walk passed, the smaller dragon spots Twilight, he looks wide-eyed as he hurries back alongside the older dragon.
"I thought this resort doesn't accept ponies." The smaller dragon said confused.
"They accept the rich, the powerful and royalty." The older dragon wisely said.
"Even ponies?" The small dragon asked.
"It is unusual to see a pony here. But not impossible, why?" The older dragon said.
"I think that pony on that lonely bench over there, overheard our conversation." The small dragon commented worried.
The older dragon looks into Twilight's direction and spots her. The older dragon immediately realized who it was, so she simply smiled. Twilight simply looked confused at her reaction.
"That is a big shot, Spike. She is welcome to hear whatever we say." The older dragon said.
"Who is she?" Spike asked.
"She is the shadow of the princesses of Equestria. She has brought forth more change, than princess Celestia has done in a thousand years." The older dragon said proudly.
"Is that so? What kind of change?" Spike asked.
"She has given ponies the courage to put their hooves down and fight back to the dominant stallions." The older dragon said proudly.
"Like a civil war?" Spike asked.
"No. Regarding working. Like cooking or even artistry. Ponies are much more willing to rebel than to give in. And its all thanks to her." The older dragon explained.
"That is awesome! Can I maybe meet her later?" Spike asked.
"Of course my dear. If she doesn't mind that is." The older dragon said as she looked into Twilight's direction.
Twilight nodded with permission.
"So it would seem that she doesn't mind." The older dragon said.
"Awesome~!" Spike shouted, "Lets hurry and deliver this, yeah?" he said excited as he picks up his eggs and the older dragon eggs.
"Calm down, I am sure we can find her later." The older dragon said, but it was too late. Spike was already carrying all the eggs by himself towards the delivery point.
"Huh. You are stronger than you look." The older dragon said surprised. She was smiling however. She then hurries up to catch up to spike.
"Spike, huh?" Twilight said as she went back to her book. After an hour of reading, Twilight started to get bored. She had gotten used to adventuring and constant dangers that anything less would bore the crap out of her. And just as soon as she got bored, she heard screaming in the distance. Out of the direction of where Spike went.
Alerted, Twilight closed her book and teleported it to her room. She stood up and ran towards the direction of the screaming.
After a good one hour of running later, Twilight had arrived at the source of the screaming. It seems one of kitchen staff was angry about the dragon eggs for some reason. And he was blaming Spike.
Twilight might protect girls, she wasn't one to back down for those she liked or is interested in. Like Spike. So Twilight carefully listened to the conversation.
"I ordered golden dragon eggs! These aren't golden eggs!" The staff shouted. Twilight looked at the eggs and disagreed.
These eggs were in fact golden dragon eggs. As she read in a book it said the following:
'You have two types of dragon eggs. Normal dragon eggs which is generally smaller but rich in flavor. They are cheap and can even be used by the commoner. And then you have golden dragon eggs, these are large edible eggs. They aren't colored golden, but they are expensive and has extreme flavors. What makes these eggs special is that they are the size of an ordinary breeding egg, but is primarily used in cooking.
They are extremely high in demand, which also reflects on the price. That is also why they are nicknamed Golden Dragon eggs. Due to its price being worth in gold. '
"Madam. We have no other golden dragon eggs. These are golden dragon eggs." The older dragon tried to explain.
"These are not golden dragon eggs!" The staff screamed as she threw one at Spike with her magic.
Twilight however picked it out of the sky and placed it back onto the ground. Spike looked grateful into Twilight's direction.
The staff than looked into the direction of the intervention and saw Twilight. But either he didn't know Twilight or was oblivious. Enraged he threw the rest in her direction.
Twilight shrugged it off by levitating all the eggs at the same time and placing them behind the older dragon for safe keeping.
"What!?" The staff looked shocked. He threw them one by one and Twilight just pick them all up at the same time.
"First things first, Either you don't know what a golden dragon egg is or you are incompetent. But these are in fact golden dragon eggs. They aren't made of gold, they are simply that expensive that they gained the status, "Golden" dragon eggs." Twilight explained.
Twilight proceeds to pick one up, "In fact these are of decently high quality then the norm." she said.
The older dragon smiled, she was impressed with Twilight's sheer knowledge.
"I needed Golden dragon eggs, not these!" the staff screamed ignorant.
"Enough!" Twilight shouted with the royal Canterlot voice.
The staff shrank to the ground in fear, even the older dragon got pushed away by the shout.
"If you refuse them. Then tell me right now. Seeing as they are a gift, I will gladly take them off your hooves. However if you start screaming then we are going to have problems." Twilight explained annoyed.
"I- We- I- Fine! Take them. I don't want them." The kitchen staff member said annoyed as he gave up. Which caused him to leave the area and head back to the kitchen.
"Very good. Why don't you two join me for some lunch at my room. I am sure we need to talk about this anyways." Twilight calmly asked the older dragon.
"Thanks. I would appreciated." She said.
"Very good. To avoid suspicious I will teleport us back with the eggs." Twilight explained as her horn lit up and she teleported, with the eggs and dragons and all.
After a successful teleportation session, Spike and the older dragon sat down at Twilight's couch. Twilight meanwhile placed most of the eggs near them and only took three eggs from the pile.
"I will only need three eggs. Please take the rest back home." Twilight requested.
"Sure. Thanks!" The older dragon said.
"What are you going to make?" Spike asked curious.
"Eggs Benedict." Twilight said.
"Ooh?" Spike said curious.
"What is that, if I may ask?" The older dragon asked.
"It's an egg muffin. It contains poached eggs with bacon and toast." Twilight explained.
"How are you going to poach these big eggs?" Spike asked curious.
"I will use the biggest soup pan this kitchen has." Twilight explained.
Twilight started by filling the pot with water and placing a large and heavy bowl on the bottom. She then heated the water up to about boiling point. She cracked the egg in a large bowl and swirled the water as she placed the egg into the water. The eggs lowered onto the bottom into the bowl, which caused the sides to close over the egg yolk. Turning it into a poached egg.
While she was doing that on the side and waiting five minutes for each to softly boil. She started to make the sauce and placed some bread in a toaster.
The sauce was made in a sauce pan, she poured some white wine with vinegar into it. With some peppercorns and a single laurel leaf to taste. And a small pinch of salt. She then grabbed some medium sized eggs out of the fridge and separate the egg yolk with the egg white.
She put the egg yolk with in the bowl and strained the wine sauce over it. Twilight mixed it well and the sauce was made. At this point the toast was ready and so was the sauce. Two out of three eggs were done, so Twilight plated it for her two guests.
First a double slice of toast on the plate, she then placed the egg over it and the sauce. And as last some bacon that Twilight brought with her as she normally ate it as snack. And placed it to the side as decor.
After plating them both Twilight gave them the plates. And about a minute later, Twilight had her own plate.
"Three eggs Benedict as lunch." Twilight said,
"Thanks for the food." The two dragons said at the same time.
Twilight took a bit and immediately tasted the overwhelmingly delicious taste of the golden dragon eggs, the toast and bacon managed to cancel the taste a little, but the sauce completed the dish. It was delicious. Which is also why the dragons were done much faster than Twilight.
"My god. That was delicious." Spike said as he laid down.
"I must admit. You are as good as they say you are." The older dragon also said impressed.
"Thanks. I actually never worked with this ingredient. So I am happy that it was tasty." Twilight said as finished her lunch.
"The ability to adapt on demand. That takes skill!" Spike commented impressed.
"Not to mention. Using ingredients that aren't normally meant for such a dish and make it work regardless. Sure is impressive." The older dragon said.
"Thanks. It took a long time to get here." Twilight said.
"How long?" The older dragon asked.
"Hm. Six years." Twilight said.
"That is fast!" Spike said.
"Yeah. I am a master chef and it took twenty-five years to get there. But being able to do this? I have yet to gain that skill." The older dragon admitted.
"Oh. I guess that is impressive too." Twilight said somewhat shocked at the revelation.
"Anyways. I think we should head back. I am sure our king wants to know what happened." The older dragon said.
"But I thought I was going to hang out with Twilight some more." Spike said saddened.
"I did say that. I don't know. These eggs can't stay here though." The older dragon said.
"I am staying here for 14 nights. I am sure we will meet again within it." Twilight said.
"Yeah! Next time we can talk about my cooking skills." Spike said happily.
"I don't know if your father will allow it." The older dragon said.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Spike is the heir to the crown within the dragon kingdom. He is normally name Prince Spike." The older dragon admits.
"Oh? Well let me in you on a secret then." Twilight said happily.
"What is it?" Spike asked.
"Do not share it, or I will punch your father to the moon." Twilight warned.
"Dully noted." The older dragon gulped.
"I recently got crowned to the sister of the royal crown." Twilight said.
"Which means?" Spike asked.
"I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. From the house of Sparkle and crowned by the three princesses." Twilight reintroduced.
"OH?!" The older dragon said surprised.
"Which means he comes to visit me as Prince and Princess." Twilight said.
"I see. Which makes it easier for me to visit you." Spike said nodding.
"But do me one favor. Never use the Princess title." Twilight pleaded.
"If you ignore my Prince status. Then sure." Spike said in agreement.
Twilight and Spike smiled at their similarities.
"Huh." The older dragon said uncertain.
"But. Do not report this to your father. About my title that is. It is a secret. Or I will really punch your father." Twilight warned.
"Deal!" Spike said happily.
Twilight looked at the older dragon, however the older dragon shook her head.
"I can't. He will fire me if I refuse to tell the truth." The older dragon said.
"Then put your claw down." Twilight simply said with a smile.
The older dragon looked wide-eyed at Twilight, she than smiled. "Okay."
"Perhaps we will meet again, Spike." Twilight said.
"Thanks, Twilight." He said hugging Twilight.
Spike and Twilight released the hug and Spike waved goodbye before grabbing the eggs and leaving. Leaving Twilight alone to clean up the kitchen. Which was fine in her eyes, it gave her time to think. Then a stupid yet interesting idea popped in her mind.
'What if I hire Spike as my partner? But would he want to, that is a bigger question. ' Twilight thought uncertain.
Twilight spend the rest of the day wondering that before going to bed. As she snacked on some bacon and looked outside. She saw Golden looked mighty confused. But Twilight was more tired than she thought as she fell asleep on her extremely comfy bed.
Meanwhile outside of the hotel, Golden was indeed quite a bit confused. Apparently he was the real stallion that ordered the golden dragon eggs, not that Twilight or Spike knew that. And he was confused as to where the order went. And after a single visit to the kitchen, he was immediately aware of the cause.
The stallion that told Twilight and Spike off was fired that same day. And Golden had to deal with a pissed off father dragon. As Spike's father was less than pleased about the ordeal. Luckily for Golden, thanks to the ordeal. Spike had made a new friend and he was very willing to talk about it.
Halloween Special: Trick or Treat
Author's Note
Happy Halloween everyone! I myself don't celebrate Halloween, but my character Twilight Sparkle does.
This takes place in the past, when Twilight was still a filly. This also takes place before the events of the first book.
Halloween Special: Trick or Treat
"Twilight are you ready?!" Shining shouted towards Twilight's room.
"One more minute! I think I got tangled with my clothing again!" Twilight whined in the background.
"What character are you playing again?" Shining asked.
"An insane clown, why?" Twilight asked in return.
"It's just. How did you get tangled up this time?" Shining asked confused.
"Hold on. I am almost free." Twilight said cautiously.
"There!" Twilight said as she revealed herself. Despite what Twilight said, her costume was very cute instead of scary.
"Uh. That doesn't look like an insane clown." Shining said confused.
"Oh no! These clothing is meant to make ponies believe I am sane. Until I get closer and show my real identity." Twilight said in a cute warning tone.
"Any other tricks you have up your sleeves?" Shining hoped.
"Yup. I recently learned how to cast illusion spells." Twilight said very excited.
"So what are you going for? Trick or treat?" Shining asked.
"Trick! I don't care about the candy this year." Twilight said mature.
"Oh? And how are you going to pull that off?" Velvet asked behind Shining.
"I am joining this year's haunted house attraction as actor." Twilight said proudly.
"Oh? How did you pull that off?" Night asked.
"I scared the previous clown so much, he is in the hospital in a coma. They said I somehow managed to traumatize him. Whatever that word means." Twilight said while smiling.
Shining looks worried at Velvet and Night. They simply shrugged it off. "That is great! Is that why you are already dressed up?" Velvet asked.
"Yeah. I am going to be at the final room. If you are interested, come see the haunted house. I will see you three there!" Twilight said as she ran off to join the group.
"Are you ready my little scare devil?" The leader of the haunted house group asked.
"Yeah!" Twilight said excited.
"I already prepared your room. Go over there and have some fun." The leader said with a wicked smile.
"Yeah!" Twilight said with a creepy smile this time as she ran off towards the haunted house.
"About what she said. Is that true?" Shining asked the leader.
The leader looked at Shining and shuddered, "Yes. It's a wonder that he was the only one. The others had nightmares for days." He said scared.
"Oh. That wasn't a joke, huh. I can pay for the mental damage." Velvet offered surprised.
"No. Its alright. He is shocked and impressed what your child did. Only for this year, will we allow it." The leader said proudly.
"Okay. When is the ghost house opening?" Shining asked.
"In three hours. That way the actors have time to get into their roles." The leader said.
"I see. I can't wait to get terrified by my own sister." Shining said somewhat worried.
"If she fails to scare you, then none can scare you." The leader said as he walked towards the haunted house or mansion as some calls it.
Meanwhile Twilight got the lighting and some other effects ready. When another well known actor approached Twilight.
"Hey Twi. I have some things to explain to you." The actor said.
"What is it?" Twilight asked interested.
"I hope that the situation I am sampling will be rare, but in case of emergency. Don't be afraid to stop the attraction. We don't want stallions dying of an heart attack. Or more extreme cases of ponies getting injured while getting scared. A good scare is fine, but if the guest isn't moving after a minute of being scared, you can stop the attraction to call in medical services." The actor explained.
"Of course. I am only tricking them. I don't want it to be more than a trick." Twilight said in agreement.
"Do you see that red button near the emergency exit? That is the emergency stop button. When pressed, the attraction stops and the medical services are on their way. It will also turn the lights on, so if the darkness disappears. That is why. It will also stop all music, sound effects and general effects from operating. We will have to fully reset your room before we continue." The actor explained.
"Will the intercom say anything?" Twilight asked.
"It will. It says in a loud pony-like voice that the attraction has been stopped, to not panic and wait for further instruction." The actor said.
"What about the other actors?" Twilight asked.
"They will stop their act. That includes you. Stop your act if the button has been pressed anywhere else." The actor explained.
"Understood. I will keep an eye open for it." Twilight said.
"Good. Get back to work and I hope to only see you, after we are done." The actor was about to leave when Twilight has one last question.
"Wait! What if I somehow fall asleep?" Twilight asked.
"We have ponies watching you. In case of such an event." The actor said.
"Okay. Have fun scaring others!" Twilight said as went further with preparing for her role.
Meanwhile outside people were getting a bit hyped up, when outside the haunted house it said that a new clown has joined the family. Ponies and Stallions were asking the staff about it.
One of the most well known ponies that have their own house actually got an answer.
"We made a filly clown temporarily join the family. She scared the previous clown into the hospital." The staff explained.
"A child? Isn't that a bit risky?" The pony asked.
"It is. But she is extremely skilled in playing her role. We expect her to exceed out expectations." The staff said smiling.
"Understood. I can't wait then." He said.
After the three hour mark had passed, the haunted mansion sprung to life. And the actors were being told to get ready. The lights went dark as Twilight waited for the first guest.
The first guest was that pony that also owned her own haunted house. She was happily getting scared by the usual ponies and stallions. Until she reached Twilight.
"Aw. Aren't you cute." The pony said.
"Hahahaha. Cute? Me?" Twilight said in a distorted voice. Somewhere between very chipper and very evil.
The pony immediately backed away.
"Where are you going?" Twilight said as the door slammed shut behind the pony.
The pony jumped as she was sweating quite a bit.
Twilight then turned serious for a moment, her eyes still looked blood shot. "So you have come for nurse Maniac? Good! I can always use a guinea pig." Twilight said.
"No. Nonononono. I have come for a check up. I swear!" The pony said downright terrified.
"That can't be. Let me bring out the chainsaw so that I can check your insides!" Twilight screamed as her voice turned very high and she let out a maniacal laugh as all the sound effects and effects turns on.
The pony screamed and fainted on the spot.
Twilight wasn't sure if she should continue or not, so she continues until her act finishes. Twilight proceeds to bring out a bloodied chainsaw and slowly walked closer as the chainsaw activated and the sound effects play in harmony.
According to the script, the pony should now run around Twilight and flee to the next room. As the door opened while Twilight was starting the chainsaw. However a minute passed and the pony didn't respond.
Twilight groaned, as she placed the chainsaw on the ground and pressed the red button.
"The attraction has been stopped. The work lights will now turn on and all the acts will be halted. Please do not panic and wait for further instruction." The intercom explained.
The leader entered Twilight's room and immediately saw the guest on the floor. He checks her pulse, before carrying her outside into the hooves of the medical team.
"When did she faint?" The leader asked.
"Right before the final act. Before the chainsaw was brought out." Twilight said.
"Thank you. I will reset your room." The leader said. The leader then proceeds to press several buttons as Twilight's act was reset.
"Something tells me, this is going to happen a lot more." Twilight groaned.
"If so, that means you do your job well." The leader praised.
"Alright. As soon as reset myself. I will open the door." Twilight said.
"Ponies and Stallions. This ride will now continue. The room you were in, will now only activate for the next group. Turning the work lights off." The intercom said.
As the work lights darken, the actors reset their act and wait for the next group. Twilight opened the door and started her act. This continued the next several hours. And another dozen or so emergency stops.
Until eventually, Twilight's parents and her brother entered the haunted mansion.
"Alright. Everything was scary. But this will be the scariest." Shining said extremely worried.
"You can say that again. Your daughter has caused more emergency stops than we have five years combined." The staff complained.
"Is she too scary?" Velvet asked somewhat proudly.
"Yes and no. The ones that passed her, say that she is awesome. Many came out with cold sweat thanks to it. The other are simply fainted and were escorted out." The staff explained.
"So she is simply a good actor?" Night asked.
"She is. She plays the maniac nurse very well. Almost too well." The staff said.
The group in front of Twilight's family finally entered. Shining looks to the exit and saw the group of ponies carry their stallion friend out. He had fainted.
"When did he fainted?" The staff asked.
"At the chainsaw part." They said.
"Thanks." The staff said.
"The young actor nearly pressed the red button because of it." The group admitted.
"Good. It seems most fainted ones, faint at that spot." The staff said.
"Wait how many has fainted because of her?" The group asked curious.
"Atleast half of the guests that entered the attraction. Which means about five thousand fainted because of her." The staff admitted.
"Wow! That is awesome and worrying." The group said as they walked off.
"Uh. Isn't that going to cost a lot of money?" Shining said worried.
"The attraction has been stopped. The work lights will now turn on and all the acts will be halted. Please do not panic and wait for further instruction." The intercom suddenly came on.
"Another one." The staff said.
The staff member walks around the back and saw that it was Twilight, again.
"Twilight?" Velvet asked.
"Twilight." The staff confirmed.
"Ponies and Stallions. This ride will now continue. The room you were in, will now only activate for the next group. Turning the work lights off." The intercom said once again.
"Your turn. Good luck!" The staff said to Twilight's family.
Twilight's family proceeds to go through it almost entirely. Only to be stopped in front of Twilight's door. And another emergency stop. This time it took a bit longer, one of the guests had a heart attack. So after ten minutes longer than normal, the door finally opened.
Twilight's family walked inside, and Twilight repeated the same act again in front of them. And as soon as the chainsaw act came online. Velvet, Night and Shining all had fainted.
And for the first time, Twilight swore. "God damn it!" she said.
Twilight finally had enough. So she pressed the button for the last time. Which ones again caused the work lights to go on. The leader immediately walked into the room and understood why Twilight responded this fast.
"Leader. I quit. I can't do this anymore." Twilight said aggravated.
"I know. You did very well. The clown has already recovered to take your place." The leader said with a small smile.
"How is mom and dad and Shiny?" Twilight asked worried.
"They are fine. They simply fainted. Shall I escort you home?" The leader asked.
"I would certainly appreciate it." Twilight said somewhat happy.
The leader of the haunted mansion and Twilight both walked back. They were levitating the three fainted family members of Twilight. Twilight was saddened by the whole event.
"I guess I am better left to go for treat instead." Twilight said drooping.
The leader gave Twilight a kind smile, "You did fine. This job requires some acting and some patience. You had acting down, you only need a bit more patience. It will help you in your future." he said.
"I know. I just wish it was a scare and a laugh it off. Not to the point of fainting." Twilight admitted.
"Scaring people is an art. Scare them too much and they faint. Scare them too little and they give you cute comments. Scare them enough that they jump, but not that they flee." The leader wisely said.
"If scaring is not a good job for me, then what is?" Twilight asked confused.
"I am sure you will soon find out. But for now, take these cookies. Consider that your salary for helping us today." The leader said as he gives Twilight very cute looking cookies.
It was a cookie in the form of a pumpkin, with orange and black icing. It almost looked too real. Twilight was kind of peckish from all the hard work that she immediately took a bite.
"This is amazing! Not too sweet, not to salty. Just perfect!" Twilight said excited.
"Wow. That is quite the description right there. Perhaps you will become a small chef." The leader said.
"A chef?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. Such an individual makes good food to make others smile." The leader explained.
"That is so awesome! I hope I can be a chef someday." Twilight said excited.
"Yeah." The leader and Twilight high-fived.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Twilight woke up the very next morning to her meeting with Spike. She was very rested thanks to the extra comfy beds at the Golden Dragon Resort. She did however woke a bit too early, as she is used to waking up early due to her normal working hours being in the morning.
Twilight looked at the bedside clock, it was six O' clock in the morning. And after she also cleaned herself up, it was only five minutes over six. She decided to take that chance to investigate the schedules for all the activities, which was listed on a flyer on the coffee table inside the living room of her hotel room.
But just as she suspected, there were no activities this early in the morning. In fact the first activity that was going to be open was breakfast at seven O' clock. Which was going to happen in fifty minutes. Annoyed at the lack of activity, Twilight decided to roam around the kitchen and breakfast areas.
Twilight then casually walked towards the kitchen as she saw a very interesting situation unfold at the staff entrance. Spike, Golden and an unknown dragon were standing in front of it. They were again holding a bunch of Golden dragon eggs, and Golden seemed to be measuring them. Spike meanwhile simply yawned, he didn't look like a morning dragon. And the unknown dragon seemed to look a bit insulted at Golden's actions.
"Why are you measuring them?" The unknown dragon asked in a low but loud voice.
"I need them for a very specific dish. One where its size is important." Golden said.
"Which is?" The unknown dragon asked.
"Golden cake." Golden said.
"What is golden cake?" Spike asked in the background. But it seemed as both the unknown dragon and Golden was ignoring him. Spike then looked into Twilight's direction. His eyes widen as Twilight was trying to get him to get over to her.
"It's a egg cake. It contains a lot of yellows of the egg. Making it look entirely out of golden, they then pours hollandaise sauce over it. The egg white they then bake and turn into small cubes to make it look like stars. It is also known as the lunar cake." Twilight explains to Spike.
"Oh!" Spike said curiously. "Have you ever had it?" he asked.
"Of course not. Its a Golden Dragon Resort special. That being said, I did try to make it once. Only to fail due to the consistency not being as solid as Golden dragon eggs being used in it." Twilight said.
"Did it collapse?" Spike asked.
"No. It just had a really weird texture." Twilight said, "And I didn't know how to make hollandaise sauce just yet."
"So you made it without." Spike concluded.
"Yeah. It was fine. The cake had the right shape and it wasn't under or over cooked. The egg white was the right shape and not burned. But without the hollandaise sauce it just tasted weird." Twilight admitted.
"Hm..." Spike said while thinking about it.
"Spike? Where are you?" The older dragon shouted.
"Right here! Next to my new friend!" Spike shouted back.
The older dragon turns around and sees Twilight. A normal pony would flinch at this, but not Twilight. Instead it gave Twilight the opportunity to take a closer look. The dragon resembled Spike quite a bit, so much so that as soon as Twilight realized that it was male, that she finally connected the dots.
This is Spike's father, Also known as the current king of the dragon lands. King Hightower. Also as soon as she realized this, she automatically bowed before him.
"King Hightower." Twilight said regally.
"So the pony has manners. Are you the famous Twilight Sparkle?" Hightower asked.
"That is me, your highness." Twilight said calmly.
"So I see. You don't look fazed by my appearance. Are you experienced with our race?" The king asked.
"I am. I may have made friends with another of your people. Besides Prince Spike." Twilight admits.
The king smiles at Twilight, he then sighs. "That explains why Spike's babysitter was so dominant at not revealing your identity." he said somewhat disappointed.
Twilight simply smiled at the mention, but said nothing.
"Sir Hightower? I measured the eggs. Everything seems to be in order. You will get your payment." Golden interrupts. But either Hightower was ignoring him or not paying attention. He didn't respond to his interruption.
"So Twilight Sparkle. What was she hiding?" The king continued. Golden immediately realized that he was ignored. He also realized why, causing him to pout at Twilight's direction.
Twilight smiled at both the king and Golden. "I am sorry." she said.
The king and Golden sighed at the same time. Spike meanwhile was giggling in the background. In fact Spike was now joined by his babysitter, as she too smiled at what she saw.
"But I must ask. Who did you befriend?" The king asked.
"Elly Dragoon. Your ambassador." Twilight said. She saw as the king turned wide-eyed at Twilight. Spike and his babysitter also gasped at this.
"I, see..." Golden responds. He was smiling for some reason, Twilight wasn't quite sure why.
"So you are the one that restored our connections with the Griffons." Spike said shocked.
"That is correct." Twilight said as she realized what this was about. She started to smile uncontrollably.
This time the king sighed heavily, "So you are the one that has so many connections that you can do that as a filly." he said.
Spike looked shocked towards Twilight, Twilight simply nodded.
"Twilight. Elly Dragoon isn't simply an ambassador." Golden said, Twilight looked curious in his direction.
"No. She is a true royalty. She is from the main family. Like me." The king admits. "She is my older sister.
Twilight simply shrugged it off, she was already kind of aware at this. As Celestia did call Elly for some babysitting times too. Just like Cadence. Which is odd, unless she was like Cadence. A princess. And her behavior wasn't very normal dragon-like either. There were a lot of hints at this, Twilight simply chose to ignore it, as Elly never mentioned any of this either.
"So she chose to keep me ignorant. She did kind of fail at it. But I never asked, and she never mentioned." Twilight explains.
"So you gave her space to breath. In the hopes that she would one day come clean." Spike concluded.
"That is correct." Twilight said while nodding.
"I see." Spike said somewhat worried.
"I did not see her again after my... episode." Twilight suddenly admitted. Almost a like a pit fell in her stomach.
"Right. The disaster." The babysitter said.
"What disaster?" The king asked confused. Spike also looked a bit confused.
"Before I answer that, how is she anyways?" Twilight asked in return.
"She... has been better." Spike said. Twilight looked more and more worried at this revelation.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked scared.
"She is in the Royal dragon hospital. Injured." Golden answered as he suddenly drooped. He quickly realized what this was about.
Twilight said nothing, she simply waiting for them to continue. Although from the shrinking of Twilight's pupils, you could tell that she was losing her mind at lack of answers.
"She is injured from burn and crush injuries." Spike added.
"Don't tell me..." Twilight said as she unconsciously backed away.
"She was caught up by some kind of disaster in Canterlot of few years back." The king said obliviously.
"She hasn't recovered from it." Spike said.
"I heard they were very severe. Something about her protecting other citizens from some kind of death beam." Golden added.
"She got hit. From what I understand. By the beam in an attempt to prevent further injuries. Or so the citizens told me." Spike said noticed Twilight's shaking increase. It worried him tremendously, but he didn't say anything about it.
"Not only did she receive burn injuries and crush injuries. But also severe injuries to her wings. She had literally offered herself up for the citizens." The king said. Also noticing Twilight's reaction.
It was as if Twilight was not phased by it, until it suddenly came crashing down. Twilight stood still, deathly stillness, when suddenly she shook like crazy and fainted right after. Stunning both the king and Spike. Golden rushed to her aid, while Spike's babysitter simply stood there, a sad smile across her face.
Twilight woke up immediately after, "So that is why a massive explosion followed. Instead of it cutting through the rest of Canterlot." She said ominously. Causing the group to gulp.
"That is correct." The babysitter said.
"Can I see her?" Twilight asked, no, she pleaded.
"Sure. She woke up a few days ago. She has yet to recover from it though." The king said willingly. "Golden can you teleport her there?" he requested.
"Understood. I will teleport her there, personally." Golden said as he saluted.
The king nodded, before he disappeared out of view. Golden and Twilight were immediately teleported. Right in front of Elly's hospital room.
"Here we are. Do you want me to come with you?" Golden asked worried.
"No. I need to go inside alone." Twilight said as she slowly opened the door. Revealing an fully awake Elly on the other side.
"Twilight." Elly said with a small smile.
"Hey." Twilight said as she was unconsciously struggling with herself.
"How are you?" Elly tried to give small talk. But Twilight wasn't having it.
"I am sorry." Twilight said as slowly tears appear onto Twilight's eyes.
Elly looks down, her face turns away from Twilight. "I know." she said. Her voice betrays her shaking.
"I am sorry." Twilight repeated as more and more tears appear from her eyes. And instead of attempting to hug Elly, she collapses onto the ground as she slowly moves to one of the corners.
Realizing that Twilight was hurting much more than she is, Elly attempts to climb out of her bed. Quickly realizing that she was unable to do so. However she didn't give up. As she lowered her hospital bed as close to the ground as possible, she climbs out of it by pushing her arms as much as possible. Allowing her to only crawl out, but she was out of her bed.
Twilight's vision was entirely filled with tears. As she softly repeated those same words over and over. As her entire demeanor collapses and all she feels is an extreme feeling of loneliness. Until she was suddenly hugged by Elly. Realizing she wasn't alone only made her cry harder.
Elly also couldn't stop herself from crying as a few tears fall of her eyes. And her memory of that faithful day resurfaced.
'Flashback
Elly was going to some of her more favorite bakeries in Canterlot. This one just happened to be in the slums, as soon as she was finished and headed outside. She saw a dangerous spell being casted at the training grounds. It had Twilight's magical signature. However she also felt another spell being casted next to Twilight. One that already intertwined with Twilight's spell. It only took a few seconds to realize what was about to happen.
As soon as she realized, she made a beeline for the bakery. Unable to stop the spell, and unable to save her favorite ponies. She did the only thing she could think off. As her wings appeared, she flew into the sky. In a desperate attempt to stop the spell, she flew into it's path. And as soon as the beam went off, she had a few seconds to think. And in those small moments, she thought one thing.
"I forgive you." Elly thought as she expect herself to die from it. As the beam hit, it exploded on impact. Causing the shrapnel to destroy her wings, and the knock back to send her into the back wall of the inner side of Canterlot. Crushing her body under the extreme pressure from going from one hundred to zero in an instant.
The heat of the beam itself, burned a bunch of scales off her skin. Causing severe six degree burns all over her body. And right before she lost consciousness, she saw how she did stop the beam from killing those inside the bakery. However at what cost. '
Elly and Twilight both fainted of exhaustion. Causing Golden to find Elly hugging Twilight. Outside of her bed, which is not good for Elly as she was still unable to walk. Golden then called the doctors, which moved Elly to her bed. But they were unable to make her release Twilight, as she was hugging her very tightly. And no amount of suggesting the body to release her, would make her release Twilight.
Causing Golden to intervene and teleport Twilight out of her grip. Causing the doctors to thank Golden. Golden then moved Twilight back to her room. Only for her to wake up, before he was able to leave her room.
"Golden. Do you know my relation to the disaster?" Twilight asked as her eyes was dark from a form a inner depression.
"No. I know you are related. But not exactly, why?" Golden asked.
"I caused it. My spell went berserk and caused all of that. I injured Elly and killed a bunch of ponies. I am the monster here." Twilight said as she agonized herself.
Instead of giving Twilight an answer. He simply hugged Twilight. "You are no monster." he added later.
"Then what am I, a murderer?" Twilight asked.
"No. You are a pony. A pony with some mistakes in her past." Golden said in a comforting voice.
"No. That wasn't a mere mistake." Twilight said as she slowly rolled into a ball as the trauma got the better of her.
Realizing that Twilight is at a cross-fork in the road, he asked "Do you want me to call someone?"
"Call princess Celestia. I need some help." Twilight said as she realized what was happening.
"Sure." Golden said, as he grabs his communication orb and starts an emergency communication uplink to Canterlot Castle.
"Hey Golden! How is it?" Luna said as she made connection.
"I am fine. Say, is Princess Celestia nearby?" Golden asked.
"Sure. She is right there. Do want me to give her the connection?" Luna asked.
"Please. Its important." Golden said serious.
Realizing something is wrong with Twilight in the background, Luna rushes to Celestia and gave her the orb.
"What is the matter?" Celestia asked.
"Twilight is currently having an episode with her actions during the disaster. She needs you right now." Golden said.
"Understood." Celestia said as she wasted no time and teleports towards the source of the communication uplink.
As soon as Celestia arrived, Golden grabs the orb and rushes out of the room. Leaving Twilight with only Celestia in the room. As soon as he is outside, he sees Spike, the babysitter and the king standing outside. They all look very worried. Golden simply shook her head, "She is getting some help right now. Come back later." he said.
"Understood. The babysitter told us the truth. I want to have a personal conversation with Twilight later." The king requested.
"Only if Princess Celestia allows it." Golden said.
"Of course." The king said as they all leave to give Twilight some space.
"Twilight." Celestia said as her voice softens.
"Hey. I just saw Elly's fate in the disaster." Twilight said as her voice had lost all charm and sounded empty.
Celestia's expression went from worried to downright sad. "I heard what she did. We were just in time when we found her. She was not only crushed from the impact, but also under the entire stone wall that had collapsed over her." Celestia said.
Twilight said nothing as she had already cried all her tears. Instead she simply hugged Celestia. In an attempt to find warmth, as she felt cold. Oh so cold.
Celestia saw and felt her actions. She indeed felt unnaturally cold. Realizing that Twilight might be sick, she feels Twilight's forehead. And it was burning up, she was having a very extreme fever. As she felt cold despite the heat on her head. Something was seriously wrong, realizing this she did something she hasn't done in a long time.
"GOLDEN!" Celestia shouted at top of her lungs. She used the Royal Canterlot voice at maximum volume.
This caused Golden the scramble. He was on the other side of the resort when he heard Celestia's voice. He could hear and feel Celestia's desperation. Something is seriously wrong. And he could feel it. While on his running towards the voice rampage, he collects every doctor and medication he can in a scramble.
"I have arrived." Golden said while panting. He had successfully gathered every available doctor and medication he could along the way.
Celestia simply pushes Twilight into Golden. Golden felt a lot of heat coming from Twilight's forehead, but the rest of Twilight's body was ice cold. Unsure of what was happening, he demands the doctors to investigate Twilight. After a hot minute of every doctor scrambling to investigate Twilight. They came to the conclusion that she was simply feverish. Even if this was not a normal fever.
The doctors suggested to send Twilight to the hospital for now. To better regulate her temperature and to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Albeit hesitant Celestia agreed with the doctors for now. Golden then proceeds to move Twilight to the hospital.
As a few hours pass, a doctor specialized in fevers came to Celestia to make a statement about Twilight's condition.
"Alright. After some investigations. I concluded that her fever comes from several causes. For one she hasn't eaten anything today, second due to a serious mental breakdown she most likely experienced a faint due to extreme stress. And lastly it is caused due to lack of proper self-care or in better terms lack of rest. She has been so active these past few months, that she failed to grant herself proper rest. And when she did rest, she wasn't aware at her volatile body and mind. Which in the end caused this fever." The doctor explained.
"I see. Any recommendations?" Golden asked.
"Yes. I recommend starting Breakfast time earlier in the morning, for those more used to a morning schedule. Second I recommend that someone slows her down, instead of suggesting her to keep this up. And lastly I recommend making her settle down. She has been going around doing these changes without many breaks. At this rate, her behavior could kill her." The doctor explains ominously.
"Good thing that she was already planning on doing that. After this vacation." Celestia said.
"I see. Then all I can finally recommend, is that you have some people in this resort that can see from a distance when a pony is unknowingly suffering. That way ponies or other creatures can have a guardian angel. If the princess didn't catch this in time, Twilight could have died from it." The doctor said.
Golden's eyes widen at the revelation. "Understood. I will see to it that, that will happen." he said.
"How long is she going to be stuck in the hospital?" Celestia asked.
"Two days and two nights. But I must advice, please try to prevent her from doing anything overly excited while she stays here." The doctor advised.
"Understood. I will blacklist her at all activities that could induce too much excitement." Golden confirmed.
"I will explain the situation to her family." Celestia offered.
"If you please. I will put all the information regarding her stay in the hospital inside of her folder. For her personal doctor to remember." The doctor said. "Well my job here is done."
Golden and Celestia watches as the doctor slowly walk into the distance. Golden looks concerned at Celestia, "About the excitement. I don't think I can do that." Golden admits.
"I know. Just advice her against it." Celestia requested.
"I can do that. I will just leave a pamphlet with that knowledge on it." Golden said.
"And about breakfast?" Celestia asked.
"I will just start each food eating moment one hour earlier." Golden said.
"Ah! That is another way, indeed." Celestia said surprised.
"Ah, By the way. With warning the family you also mean Luna and Cadence. Right?" Golden asked.
"Yeah. I expect Cadence to freak out though." Celestia said as she sighed. She wasn't looking forward to it.
"Then you will see nothing yet. I heard that Twilight's mother will freak out way more." Golden said worried.
"Which she has every right to be. Well if you excuse me, I will be inaccessible for awhile." Celestia said as she teleported away.
Golden sighed, "Please recover quickly. I will make sure that your stay here is the best." he said out loud.
As day one passed by, Golden and his staff did their best to improve the resort with those recommendations. Instead of moving the time down by an hour, they extended it by an hour. This was mainly due to the happy response from most of the hotel guests.
Meanwhile in Canterlot, Celestia has explained it to both families. Although the Sparkle family had a hard time, they quickly came to terms. However Luna and Cadence took it hard. But Moon took it the hardest. Apparently she looked into Twilight's memories and saw the truth. She was having a very hard time, as she could have warned Twilight in time. But she failed to do so.
Twilight was still in a coma, but her fever has reduced quite a bit as the temperature in her body had somewhat normalized. She was still burning up, but she was a lot less feverish then before.
As day two hits the resort, hotel guests heard what happened to Twilight. They weren't panicking but they were sad. A gloomy atmosphere hing in the resort as most felt bad for her. Spike also heard what happened, he was extra worried. As he tried and failed to visit Twilight several times.
In Canterlot the news also was heard. Therapists and doctor used that time to spread awareness to this issue. People became more aware of these things. Luna and Moon finally came to terms. Cadence actually tried to visit Twilight, which was successful.
As Cadence entered the hospital room that housed Twilight, she saw that Twilight was still in a coma. She was hooked onto a device used to feed the patient and to give it water. Cadence then touched Twilight's forehead. It was warm but not burning hot anymore. On top of that, Twilight's body temperature had turned back to normal.
Twilight was now having a headache at worst, but her fever was gone. The doctors expected her to wake up in another night. Because by then, her fever was most likely gone. Or so the doctors hoped.
Cadence meanwhile decided to stay, hoping that a friendly face would make Twilight happier.
As the following morning arrived, Twilight woke up with quite the headache. She looked around while holding her head, and saw that she was in a hospital and that Cadence was sleeping on the chair besides her. As her memories of yesterday had been properly sorted, she quickly realized that she might have kept all her emotions too unchecked and that she might have to visit that church a few more times.
Twilight also realized that she was not rested well enough. Her mind was smart enough to realize all the causes, like exhaustion, stress and lack of food. Although what she couldn't anticipate was the fact that she lost herself in the progress. It felt alien, she was pleased that Celestia was there for her though.
It was then that Cadence woke up, she saw that Twilight sat up straight and was looking at her with small smile.
"How are you feeling?" Cadence asked.
"Good morning to you too." Twilight said, "But I am much better."
"Do you know how many nights and days its been?" Cadence asked.
"I am guessing about 2 days and nights." Twilight said.
"Based on what?" Cadence asked curiously.
"That calendar." Twilight said as she points to a calendar right next to Cadence.
"Yeah. You had a fever and a panic attack at the same time." Cadence explained.
"I am aware. I didn't forget anything." Twilight said, "Although that was the least of my issues. I had a mental breakdown."
"You did. Which scared the crap out of Celestia." Cadence admitted.
This caused Twilight to droop, "I am sorry." she said.
"Atleast you called someone for help. The doctor said that your condition could have killed you." Cadence warned.
Twilight looked shocked into Cadence direction. "I wasn't aware of that." She said, wide-eyed.
"Anyways, the doctor recommended to take a good break and to settle down. He recommends against travelling." Cadence said.
"That is fine. I was going to do that anyways." Twilight said.
"That being said. Have you found a partner yet?" Cadence asked curious.
"I have. I just wonder if he wants it also." Twilight said.
"Who?" Cadence asked.
"Prince Spike." Twilight said.
"I see. Perhaps you got some time then. Today I am in charge of moving you back to the resort." Cadence said.
"Nah. Peace!" Twilight said smiling before warping herself away.
"Twilight!" Cadence shouted before pouting. She then swore under her breath before teleporting also.
As soon as Twilight warped back to her hotel room, she also managed to warp herself into the bed. However Cadence wasn't very far behind, she warped besides the bed. Looking mighty annoyed as well.
"I actually have to talk to you about some stuff!" Cadence shouted annoyed.
"What is it?" Twilight asked confused.
"The doctor recommends activities that aren't very physical extreme." Cadence said.
"Of course. I will not stress myself out even further." Twilight said.
"Good. Now then, I wish you a fun vacation. If its going to be fun that is." Cadence said before walking out of the room. Twilight could hear her sigh from a distance. Either that or it was her own sigh, which followed soon after.
Twilight laid down in bed, she was rather tired of today. But she wasn't done, all this time wasted and she has done absolutely nothing that is even a little bit vacation like. Besides reading below a tree that is.
It was then that she remembered something. Twilight has access to restricted areas, which was something she wasn't pleased about. However it allowed Twilight to go on another adventure without really going on another adventure. Or so she hoped.
Hopping out of bed, Twilight immediately realized how stiff her body felt. Nonetheless she walked outside, and towards the more hidden area of the forest Twilight had passed when she helped Spike. As soon as she arrived there was a single sign in front of it.
'Restricted area. Do not enter unless you are authorized to do so. Like VIP status.' The sigh read.
Curious, Twilight walks into the spooky looking pathway. Twilight being Twilight however, she couldn't care less about the spookiness. She was a pony that enjoyed the unknown, and danger to a degree. This pathway wasn't spooky in her eyes. It just looked a bit overgrown, as if none has visited this path.
As Twilight carefully inspects the way, and the ground as to not fall, she sees an odd looking statue in the distance. The closer Twilight came, the more she was able to recognize it. In the center of a large opening in the forest sat a single overgrown statue. The statue of Princess Moon. It looked abandoned, as the statue was missing some pieces. But something made it feel as if Moon Nightmare was still around it.
As soon as Twilight entered the clearing, she felt an overwhelming amount of magic in the clearing. As if some kind of barrier surrounded the clearing. However Twilight passed through it like it was nothing. Twilight then saw a small hole, in the side of the statue. It looked like a horn key.
It then clicked in Twilight's mind. This statue holds some kind of secret, and in order for Twilight to find the secret. She had to use her magic. As soon as that passed her mind however, she shook in fear. Which passed as quickly as it came, alongside her tragic memory of the disaster.
Grinding her hooves onto the ground, Twilight casts a spell onto the statue. This was a spell unique to the Sparkle house. It was simply called, 'I command thee, reveal thy self. May hope fill you, so we can be together once more.' or simply known as the disengage spell. This spell is incredibly draining, as it is considered a master rank spell. Or alicorn spell as most called it.
"I command thee, reveal thy self. May hope fill you, so we can be together once more!" Twilight shouts as her horn lights up. Almost as bright as the sun, as her magic fills the hole with as much magic as Twilight can muster.
As soon as Twilight was done and she released the spell. The statue lights up, and an ethereal form of Moon was released. It was a pre-recorded message from Princess Moon. Seeing the the sheer age of the spell, Twilight predicted that it was about a few million years old. Which also means that this is in fact not Moon Nightmare.
"If you are seeing this, my children. Then I have passed away long ago. However if you are not my children then let me introduce myself. I am Princess Starnight Nightmare, queen of the ethereal realm. And mother of Nightmare Moon. Sister of Laura Faust. I do not know who you might be, but since you have somehow unlocked this spell. You will also receive this message.
Long ago, Far before the founding of Equestria. There were two realms. The realm of the living, ruled by Queen Laura Faust. And the realm of the death, ruled by me, Queen Starnight Nightmare. We filled in peace, until one day this was broken by a new realm, the realm of chaos. They had no ruler, instead they lived in harmony among each other. However unbeknownst by me and my sister, they had somehow already influenced our realms. In the form of two new entities.
Alicorns and dragonequus. One made of the power of living and death. The other of chaos and death. However what we didn't know was the introduction of another race. A race unlike any of us. Humanoids or humans as they like to be called. They came here with a single reason. To introduce the world to cooking and food. After they did exactly that, they vanished. They never returned, however they did leave behind a single artifact. The crystal mirror. And a prophesy that said that six ponies would both restore peace to this realm as well as order. However they said that without anyone to feed them, this prophesy would have been useless.
So they created the ability to cross dimensions to obtain rare ingredients for our food. However only the one the closest to the catering industry could do such a thing. So I came here, with a single presumption. Either my children found me, or a chef that will soon obtain this ability will enter this clearing. If it is the latter, then whoever you are. Assist the six ponies of harmony. The world balance depends on it.
So now I pass this knowledge to the one that unlocked me. If you are not my children, you should see my horn light up. And my horn will grant you that ability. I wish you the best of luck to whoever found me. May Lauren Faust be on your side." The ethereal spirit said as her horn lit up and blasted Twilight with this new ability. Twilight didn't just gain a new ability, her magic, her body and her energy was entirely restored.
"Before I leave, those humans spoke of a single name and surname that would succeed and becomes this magics owner. If you are my children then find her and send her here. However if you are the chef then this is useless information.
Her name?
Twilight Sparkle." The spirit said before disappearing. Leaving Twilight confused where she stood.
"Good news and bad news." Twilight said to herself.
"My body is no longer in danger of dying due to exhaustion. Bad news? I am now stuck with this career for the rest of my life. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing." Twilight said utterly confused to herself.
"Is somebody there?" A unknown shout came from outside the clearing.
"Uh..." Twilight simply said.
"Ah! Twilight. There you are. Its me Golden." Golden said. "Can you please leave that clearing? I can't reach you."
Realizing what Golden meant, Twilight hurried over to Golden. Exiting the clearing forever. But before she does so, she looks behind her, one last time. And she saw the spirit reappear for a single second, it smiled and then disappeared.
Author's Note
It am starting to think that Twilight is suffering from PTSD. Which isn't entirely surprising. As she did kill ponies at a young age, albeit by accident.
Also holy crap, her future was predetermined from the start?!
Also also, I vaguely remember me using Elly already once in this book. Just ignore that one, its probably just an impostor.
Christmas Special: A golden desert
This takes place during the spike and the golden resort arc.
Twilight woke up from a good night sleep. As soon as she looks outside, she sees the entire resort sparkling. As it turns out, in a single night. The entire resort has been decorated accordingly to Christmas. The only thing lacking was snow, which wasn't going to happen regardless. This resort is inside the dragon territory, which if that still didn't make sense. Dragons don't like the cold.
After a solid five minutes of staring at the decorations. Twilight enters the bathroom to clean herself up and get ready for the day. As soon as she left her room, she heads downstairs towards the breakfast area. While slowly walking towards the restaurants, she sees that even the inside of the hotel she was staying in, has been totally decorated.
As soon as Twilight arrived at the breakfast restaurant. She noticed that everything was already in swing. In fact, it felt as if she was late. Which is odd, since breakfast was supposed to start an hour from now. Nonetheless, Twilight goes to the restaurant reception and gets a table. Since this is a buffet type breakfast, Twilight got her own table. It felt a bit lonesome, as she was the only one sitting on this table. But nothing can change that.
Or so she thought. Spike was about to prove her wrong. As he came running out of nowhere and take a seat opposite to Twilight.
"Hi, Twilight!" Spike said happily.
"Uh. Good morning to you too." Twilight said slightly confused.
"Oh yeah. Good morning. So are you interested in taking a look of the kitchen?" Spike asked curiously.
"Actually I came here to eat breakfast first. Why the sudden request?" Twilight asked worried.
"Well. You see. The kitchen... if you can call it that. Isn't exactly kitchen like right now." Spike said ominously.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked confused.
"What are the rules you expect any kitchen to have?" Spike asked instead.
"Uh. Well to be efficient, to waste as little as possible. And to be as clean as possible. Why?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. The last one is kinda..." Spike said.
Twilight's mood instantly turned serious. She stands up from her chair, proceeds to levitate Spike along side her. And walk towards the kitchen.
"I can walk myself!" Grumbled Spike. As soon as he was finished saying that, Twilight's levitation disappears. Causing him to fall to the floor.
After a few seconds of stomping, Golden noticed the direction Twilight was heading. He also saw Spike following quickly behind her. He gulped, as Twilight looked less than pleased. He quickly entered the kitchen himself to see what the fuss is about, and instantly realized why Twilight was annoyed.
The kitchen is a big mess. In fact it was dirty, the level dirtiness was guidelines breaking bad. In fact if anyone besides the staff saw this, oh boy, they will complain from here to Equestria. It was then that the doors opened and revealed Twilight.
As soon as Twilight saw the kitchen, she stood there shocked. Spike simply looked extreme uncomfortable, his mere presence in this kitchen was enough to make him feel uncomfortable.
"What happened here?" Twilight asked, her voice calm, but her anger was noticeable.
"I honestly don't know." Golden admits.
"I am NOT asking you." Twilight said annoyed as she points towards Golden.
Golden simply gulped as he nodded.
"What happened here?!" Twilight asked, shouting loud enough that someone in this kitchen could tell that the question was for them.
"Well you see..." A stallion came up to Twilight. The way he held himself suggested that he was a simple chef.
"What?" Twilight asked.
"We tried to make Golden Chocolate volcano lava cake. And well, it exploded." The stallion said.
"You added baking powder instead of soda, didn't you?" Twilight sighed.
"We did. I am sorry." The stallion admitted.
"Alright. I admit, that is an easy yet costly mistake to make. Tell you what, I will personally help you clean this mess up. How is that?" Twilight suggested.
"I can't let a guest help us. This is something I am going to have to fix myself." The stallion said adamantly.
"Do you know how to clean this mess up? Do you know how to effectively remove this particular chocolate? Do you know how long it will take, without the proper knowledge?" Twilight asked with her eyebrow raised.
"Fine. Please help me." The stallion sighed.
"Spike. Do you mind to get me some special soap? I need Stallion Brawn Soap. It is designed to remove chocolate." Twilight requested.
"Sure. I know how to get some. How much do you need?" Spike asked.
"Seeing as the amount. I need about fifty liters of it." Twilight said.
"Understood. I will go ahead and get some." Spike said as he runs out the door to try and get some.
"Golden. I need every cleaning tool you have. And about fifty buckets. Can you get me those?" Twilight asked.
"Sure thing." Golden said as he ran towards the cleaning department.
"And chef. Do me a favor and shut off every source of heat and water vapor of any kind. The hotter this kitchen is, the harder it is to remove. Plus the wetter it is, the stickier the chocolate is." Twilight requested.
"Understood." The chef said as he started shutting off, ovens and furnaces.
"Here is the cleaning equipment. What are you going to do?" Golden said as he placed the cleaning equipment on the ground.
"I am going to scrape off all the chocolate off the ground and walls first. The special soap is for cleaning it off objects. However I need you to stop any chef from using this kitchen for atleast the next twelve hours." Twilight said.
Golden sighed, "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?" He asked.
"Without the knowledge of how to remove this, it would take weeks to months." Twilight said.
"Dully noted. Good luck. I will try and keep the chefs off your back." Golden said as he headed for the main kitchen.
"I got us fifty liters of that special soap. How can I help you?" Spike asked.
"Can you mix one liter of that special soap with ten liters of hot water? Once you are done with that, grab a scraper of any kind, and start scraping any surface that isn't a wall or the floor." Twilight instructed.
"Alright. Let's do this." Spike said determined.
For the next twelve hours. Spike, Twilight and the chef clean up the entire kitchen from the chocolate. And thanks to Twilight's knowledge of it's removal. They were done in less than twelve hours. It took a total of eight hours to completely remove the chocolate and an additional two hours to clean the kitchen off any other residue.
In the final two hours. Twilight explains to the chef and to Spike on the inns and outs of how to make lava cakes in general. In an attempt to stop another explosion. In exchange, the chef talks about what the Christmas feast and party is going to be like. And Spike explains his relationship with Equestria and the two princesses.
"Alright. How are things here-" Golden was about to ask. Until he realized that they were done. The kitchen was clean and ready to be used once more.
"Sir golden. I am afraid that I had to throw everything away that was in this kitchen. That which wasn't caught in the explosion had to be removed in order to make the cleaning easier." The chef admitted.
"Considering that normally it takes weeks or months to clean this up. That is a small price to pay. It is alright. Everyone makes mistakes. Your punishment is that you will have to make everything you destroyed once more. The lava cake on the other hoof will be place in the hooves of a chocolate specialist." Golden said with a sigh.
"Understood. That is something I planned on doing anyways." The chef said.
"And Twilight. I will grant you a lunch from our best as thank you for assisting." Golden said.
"Sure. But I want to do it together with Spike." Twilight said determined.
"No. Spike was in part, responsible for what happened here." Golden denied.
"Regardless, he cleaned it up. You will grant this lunch alongside Spike. There is no other way." Twilight said stubborn.
Golden sighed, "Fine. But he is immediately fired for his chef work in the Golden resort. Is he alright with that?" he said.
Spike sighed, "Well I never really fitted in, anyways. They didn't like a dragon chef anyways." he said.
"Spike. You wish to be a chef?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah! Well, as princes. My father wasn't all too pleased with it. But my mother supported my wish." Spike admitted.
"Interesting." Twilight said mysteriously.
Both Spike and Golden both raised their eyebrows at Twilight. Twilight either ignored it or was too busy dragging Spike into the restaurant for lunch. Either way, Twilight totally ignored their obviously annoyed stares.
With Twilight's belly grumbling for a lack of breakfast, Twilight's desire for lunch was incredibly high. Spike not so much. He was still sulking for being fired, after being hired for less that one week. Regardless, Twilight was too hungry to care.
"So what are you going to choose to eat?" Spike asked.
"Any recommendations?" Twilight asked.
"Well. I suppose you can't eat meat." Spike said, but before he was going to answer the question. Twilight intervened.
"I actually can eat meat." Twilight said.
Spike raised his eyebrow. "Well in that case. I recommend the Dragon special. If I remember correctly, it's a piece of bread with spicy chicken wings on it." he suggested.
"Than I will take that." Twilight said excited.
After a few minutes, the waiter arrived.
"How may I take you two's order?" The waiter asked.
"I want a glass of milk with the dragon special." Twilight said.
"The dragon special contains chicken. Are you alright with that?" The waiter asked.
"I am fine with it." Twilight said.
"Alright. What about you, sir Spike?" The waiter asked.
"I will take the same." Spike said.
"Alright." The waiter said, he clearly showed signs of sadness over the fact that Spike left the team. Twilight could tell. She kind of felt bad. But sometimes you have to try and kick someone out of a different establishment if you wish to hire them instead.
"Why did you kick me out of my job?" Spike asked Twilight. He clearly looked annoyed.
"What if I told you, I did it with a reason. What would you tell me?" Twilight probed instead.
"If your reason was out of fun, I would be sad and angry. If it is out of revenge, then I would be sad. If it is out of annoyance, well then I don't know." Spike said.
Twilight quickly realized that he hasn't had a very good life. Despite being a princes, he hasn't been treated like one.
"No. None of those. I simply am searching for an assistant." Twilight said.
"So you want me badly enough, you will try to fire me?" Spike asked saddened.
"No. Of course not. I didn't know you were this close to being fired. In fact, I will share the fact that this place treat dragon staff with malicious intent. With some of my friends. Lets see how quickly Golden will lose customers." Twilight said, an evil smile donned her face.
Golden heard that in the background. He gulped, and looked at Twilight.
Twilight simply and slowly turned towards Golden. Her evil smile widening at the sight of a scared Golden.
"No! Don't! As much as I am sad to have left this establishment. I am not malicious enough to take actions." Spike said.
"You don't... But what about the others?" Twilight said as her smile widens to abnormal proportions.
"No." Spike said adamantly.
"Fine. I am just joking. I am far too nice to do that to Golden anyways." Twilight said pouting.
Golden sighed in relieve. He knew Twilight wouldn't do it, but the what if, scared him anyways.
Spike laughed, "So me getting fired..." he asked.
"Accidental at best." Twilight said shrugging.
Spike sighed, "So, what are you doing for Christmas?" he asked curious.
"I am... not sure. To be honest I am probably just going to join the Christmas feast and rest. Until I am going start my new place. I might send my family some gifts, but that is about it." Said Twilight, she wasn't one to skip Christmas. But with everything going on as it is. She wanted to spend a more quiet Christmas this year.
"So, I am guessing you didn't know then." Spike said.
"Know what?" Twilight said, slightly confused.
"Besides the Christmas feast. This year they are hosting a massive food wars tournament." Spike said.
This immediately grabbed Twilight's attention. She wasn't one to pass up on a food wars.
"Oh? What is this about exactly?" Twilight asked, suddenly very interested.
"As you probably don't know. The dragon kingdom has a lot of cooking schools. Every territory has atleast one cooking school. And once a year, an organization named Shokugeki hosts an cooking tournament every year. They also change in which month its held. This year it's held in December and in this resort. Normally this is an invite only. But only in December, they also allow entree from outsiders. Only a total of twelve outsiders are allowed access." Spike explained.
"On top of that, the resort allows their greatest chef to join the event. Every year the theme changes. And every year twelve individuals, chosen by the resort, are allowed to join." Golden explained additionally.
"Where do I sign up?" Twilight asked.
"No need. I actually already signed you up. I knew you would want to join the moment you heard of it." Golden said.
"Unlike the members of the schools. We the outsiders are allowed to know what the theme is." Spike said.
"Exactly. And this years theme is pretty hard. This years theme is 'Golden '. As you know, anything with the golden status is known to be either very expensive or very delicious. I am going to be one of the judges." Golden explained.
"Oh! The hardest theme in twelve years time." Spike said surprised, and worried at the same time.
"I see." Twilight said worried. Despite being decently good with cooking, Twilight isn't very good at food wars. In fact it was sheer luck that got Twilight into Lunarium in the first place. She didn't expect to win. Nor does she expect to stand a chance with such a big event.
"Don't be worried! You will be just fine!" Spike encouraged.
"Actually. I am not very good at cooking." Twilight admits. "I am just good at encouraging others to fight harder."
"I know. I invited you, not to win, but to show determination above all else." Golden admits.
"You want me to work and fight hard. But not to necessarily win, right?" Twilight asked.
"That is correct. If I got be real honest. You are not a winner, you are an idol. A pony to inspire to be, a fighter." Golden said.
"No. Not a fighter. You are Twilight Sparkle. A chef with all your heart. You don't care about winning, you care about caring." Spike encourages.
Twilight smile turns more and more serious. Until suddenly the waiter arrives with the food. As Twilight quickly inhales the food. Bones and all. The gears in Twilight's mind started to turn. How could she put up a fight without the intention to win? Simple! Do what she has always done. Care for the food, and care for who receives it.
As Twilight's eyes sparkle with passion. She stands up.
"Can I maybe use a spare kitchen? The one in my room won't do. I need to start preparing." Twilight requested.
"Sure. You can use my kitchen. What are you going to make?" Golden asked.
"A golden desert." Twilight said.
Author's Note
Part one of the Christmas special. This is a part of the canon. It isn't a mere special, this is also a part of story. Here she learns the most important part of cooking. How to care for the food and how to make the best you can, while making it for the ones you care about.
Sorry for being unavailable for a while. I was suffering from a severe cold. One that behaved like Pneumonia. But it wasn't that. I was just having a severe cold. By the time of writing this, my voice has yet to recover. My voice was totally gone at one point. But I regained enough energy to work on my books once more.
Christmas Special: Shokugeki
It was Christmas. Today a massive Christmas feast was held in the main hall of the restaurant plaza. But that isn't all. No, today was a massive tournament. In this tournament all the schools came together and fight. A food wars or Shokugeki as the name of the host stated. This event was already massive normally.
However this year was especially big. Every twelve years, one gets held on Christmas day. Those events are extra large, this is due to a simple fact. They would combine a Christmas event and a Shokugeki event into one. Usually this gets held inside of the dragon castle, making it the single largest event in the world.
This year was special however. The king wanted to hold it in the Golden resort. And the Golden resort allowed such an event. The reason was unknown to the hosts of both events. However both the CEO of the Golden resort as the king knew the reason. The truth? It is because of Twilight. She is the VIP to this event.
Thanks to Twilight, hundreds of knew ponies, dragons and lots of other creatures dared to become a chef this year. Mostly female, but some male creatures were inspired by Twilight to start a career in cooking. Twilight had single hoovingly become the most important figure in the cooking world. An Idol, An amazing chef, An friend. She was all of these things. This food wars came to be due to her actions. Some were bad, other good.
She wasn't at the top, she was reachable. She wasn't a winner, she was a fighter. And this made her an idol. The knowledge she held helped others, the food she made inspired others. This made her an amazing chef. And finally, she had made more connections to the top than most, she befriended all the princesses. She is an friend to the masses. All of this combined, made her the most important figure in the cooking world. Even if she herself wasn't aware of it at all.
No, Twilight was too busy with her own life. To think of how the world saw her. All her positive actions was about to be rewarded. And her negative ones already have.
"Twilight how is the dish?" Spike asked as he entered the kitchen Twilight had been busy in.
"I am done." Twilight said.
"So what is it?" Spike asked.
"Well. I made self-made ice cream using dragon milk. Pancakes with ice cream and lava cake chocolate. A true desert." Twilight said.
"Do you expect to win with it?" Spike asked.
"Nope. I am going to join it for fun. Not to win, not this time around." Twilight said.
"Very well. Can I taste it?" Spike asked.
"Sure. Let me make you a plate." Twilight said. She placed the special pancake on the plate first. This pancake was thick and very jiggly. She placed the special ice cream on top of it. And drizzled the chocolate sauce over it.
"Here you go. One pancake for Spike." Twilight said as she placed the dish in front of Spike.
"Why did you give me spoon?" Spike asked.
Twilight didn't answer, instead she went back to the kitchen to clean it up.
Unable to hold it any longer. Spike attempts to spoon the pancake, it was so soft you could spoon it. As soon as he spoon some of the pancake with some ice cream and chocolate. He takes a bite.
If Spike had clothing, it would have exploded. As he released an food orgasm in the form of a moan. After that he eats the rest on the plate as if he is starving.
"That... That was amazing. I can see why you called this simple dish, a golden desert." Spike admitted.
"It is good. Indeed. But not my best. I choose to make a good dish, over making my best dish." Twilight also admitted.
"But that is fine. Twilight. Making a good dish, is more important. Than making the best you can." Golden said as he entered the kitchen.
"Let me guess. The reason is because we are going to have to 'sell' our dishes to other to get passed the first round?" Twilight guessed.
"Exactly. You did your research. Will you ever present your best?" Golden asked.
"Perhaps in the later rounds. If I make it that far." Twilight said.
"Very good. I can not wait. The event starts in two hours. I recommend getting to your station." Golden said.
"I already have. Everything is already ready." Twilight said.
"Ah. You are just cleaning up. Aren't you?" Golden said.
"Yup. I am used to make a lot of things, in reasonably short time. I have worked a little inside of Canterlot castle canteen after all." Twilight admits.
"I see. Yes. You do look ready. You also have fame that makes you noticeable. Shokugeki always chooses the most living under a rock people. But even those living under a rock will recognize you. Your name alone has actually made people realize that you are in this event." Golden said.
Twilight simply smiled as she slowly walked towards her station. As soon as she stood there, she noticed that a lot of creatures were watching her. Not just ponies and dragons. But also a lot of unknown creatures. Some that even Twilight has never seen before.
"Hello everyone. I am today's host of this Shokugeki. And I am going to explain what you are doing today." The host said into the microphone.
"Today we are going to sell our products to our people of the resort. As you know full well. This resort expects quality and quantity from our contestants. Now as you already know, today's theme is Golden. In this case they are not talking about the color, but the quality." The host explains.
"The resort has brought out their best chef and twelve unknown outsiders. One of these outsiders is their champion or VIP. Next to me, we have the CEO of Golden resort. He is going to tell us, the VIP of today's event. Golden if you will?" The host asked.
"Thank you. Before I say who our VIP is. I am wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year! Now as you know, I am the CEO of Golden resort. Golden Orb. And I will be one of the judges this year. Now this VIP is very well known inside of the cooking world. Say hello to Twilight Sparkle!" Golden shouted.
As gasps and sounds of awe fill the room. Many quickly realized that this individual really is a big shot. The host noticed that last years champions all look shocked at the revelation. And most of the food testers also were in awe.
"Do you think your VIP will beat our Champions?" The host asked.
"No. She is only joining us to show her skills off and to have fun. She herself isn't here to win. Just expect quite a fight out of her." Golden admits.
"Before we start. Champions, do you have anything to add to this revelation?" The host asked.
"All I will say, is that its a real honor to fight against Twilight Sparkle. I cannot wait to see her dish." The number one champion said.
"And Twilight Sparkle. Do you have anything to add?" The host asked curious.
"I might not win today. But winning isn't the true victory. No the true victory is the ability to fight against these great rivals. May the best win, may the greatest reign true victory!" Twilight shouted.
"HUZZAH!!!" Everyone else shouted in the background.
"Alright. Lets begin in... 3... 2... 1... BEGIN!" The host shouted as the doors open.
Most contestants had everything already prepared. Twilight did the open kitchen idea, this allowed the guests to watch Twilight prepare the dishes. It would take a little longer, but usually this meant more of a show than only the food.
As the crowd entered, it became apparently clear. Despite Twilight name, she didn't do so well. People automatically gravitated towards the known top, while leaving Twilight in the dust. Again Twilight knew this would happen. She knew she wasn't going to make it very far. After all, for her, this event was just another event. Nothing truly special in her eyes. It brought nothing extra for her. No additions, just a bit of recognition.
Atleast that is how it was, in the beginning. As times went on, more and more were actually visiting Twilight's stall. After a solid five hours. This round of the event ended. Twilight had gained just enough votes to be able to go to the next round. Just barely. Just like her entry in Lunarium. She had gotten lucky.
Regardless, the next round was going to be a bit harder. You need to make a dish and satisfy the judge. But this was not an ordinary judge. This was the king of the dragons, king Hightower.
"Welcome to round two. This round will see half of the contestants eliminated. You are to impress me. That is all. And for those asking, yes I can eat everything. I have been born omnivore." The king explained.
"You got three hours to make a main dish. Succeed within these three hours and you go to the semi-finals. In the previous round five thousand nine hundred and sixty five contestants were eliminated, good luck!" The king said.
"Your time starts, NOW!" The king shouted.
People were starting to rush it towards their test kitchen. Twilight meanwhile casually examined her chances and her choices. Twilight decided to make a special dragon sized burger with Hollandaise sauce made from golden dragon eggs. As Twilight began making her own burgers, she choose burgers that was pre-made. Instead of making her own. Instead she would bake the burger in the oven for a hot moment.
This way Twilight only needed to focus on the meat, the sauce and chopping the ingredients to proper size. Making a burger bun the size of the dragon version would take atleast three hours, and that is minus the amount of time it needed to set in the fridge. And the fact that if she messed up, there was simply no way to recover.
So the burger meat itself, contained quite a bit of venison instead of ordinary meat like pig. No, Twilight opted to go for a mix of bunny and bear. She chose bunny to make in really soft. And bear to flex her serious skill to prepare meat. First Twilight would have to remove the gumminess of the smell. Instead of trying to cover it, Twilight opted for a more unusual approach. She would instead enhance the smell using special spices instead.
She also used the bunny to create an odd, soft and tough texture. This was done to imitate the meat that the king usually ate, with the exception that she would not follow the same path as his personal chef. The few things that Twilight knew of the king, meant that she goes all in on the things she knew.
Using breading and ordinary eggs from chickens. Twilight transformed it into a proper burger, the size of a dragon. Before she started on the sauce, she needed to prepare for the final transformation. By using ordinary ingredients, she hoped to instill an low expectation. Even though she was absolutely not normal by any means.
Twilight decided to use tomato, lettuce, white onion and pickles as her topping. The lettuce was used as crunch, the tomato was used as sweetener, the onion as balance and the pickles as sour taste. With the meat usual tasting strong, she would need some things to balance the scale. Crunch, sweet, sour and an object to balance everything. The meat would provide a meaty taste and spicy taste. While the bread would provide a buttery and floury taste.
The final product would contain all the ingredients for a perfect burger. Crunch, sweet, sour, meaty, spicy, buttery, floury and something to balance everything. A binder. And that is without the hollandaise sauce. As the hollandaise sauce would provide a sweet addition alongside the taste of egg and another binder.
Cutting the onion into full rings, the tomato was cut into slices, the lettuce was taken leaf by leaf and the pickles cut into fine cubes. Twilight prepared the toppings. And finally as last, she prepared the hollandaise sauce.
Twilight looked at the clock, she had two hours remaining. Twilight then prepared the massive plate and began baking the burger. As soon as the burger is in the massive pan, the alarm from the oven goes off. The burger buns were ready. Twilight removes the burger buns and places them on the plate.
While the burger was sizzling, Twilight quickly realized that the king was watching her closely. But she made him no attention, she was far too busy watching the burger. After a few minutes, she placed the burger buns back into the oven. The oven was quickly turned to low heat, this was to keep the buns toasty and hot.
After a while, Twilight flipped the burger to show a perfectly baked side. This was Twilight's cue to place the buns back onto the plate. Twilight turns the oven off, for good this time. After a hot moment, the burgers were ready. Twilight grabs the pan and flips the burger onto the bottom side of the bun. She then placed the onion rings on top of it. This allowed the onions to crystallize a little. On top of that went lettuce. After that goes the tomato and pickles. Finally she placed the hollandaise sauce on top of it. Placing the top side of the bun on top of it.
And as a little bit of garnish, she placed a little bit of the sauce around the burger. With some baby leaf sticks on top it. And with that, Twilight finished her burger. It took her two hours and thirty minutes in the end.
Twilight looks up, most of the other contestants were already gone. She was in fact the last one left.
"Are you finished? Champion of the Golden resort?" The king asked.
"Yes your highness. My version of the dragon burger with Hollandaise sauce is complete." Twilight responded confidently.
"Oh. That is quite a challenge. You did not only challenge this event, but also my head chef. That take a lot. I have a lot of faith in you." The king said.
"Then if you please." Twilight said as she placed the massive plate in front of the king.
"It smells rather delicious. But you used cheap ingredients, why?" The king asked.
"I am afraid that will not matter. Please eat my creation." Twilight dismissed.
The king raised his eyebrow, before picking the burger up. He inspects all sides before taking a bite. He then placed the burger back onto the plate.
"Do want a review first? Or my answer first?" The king asked.
"Your answer." Twilight said.
"You pass. I will see you in the semi-finals." The king said with a smile.
"Alright. So, how was it? Did the cheap ingredients make a difference?" Twilight asked.
"No. In fact, the fact that you only used cheap ingredients allowed the more expensive things on this burger to shine. Like the meat itself." The king admitted.
"Also, you used an combination my head chef said, wouldn't work. After tasting this dish, I wholeheartedly disagree. This is regarding the meat. Besides that, this burger was well balanced. Very impressive." The king complemented.
"Thank you. Anything I should know before moving on?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. Only ten others passed. With you, it is now eleven." The king said.
"Thank you. I will see you in the next round." Twilight said pleased.
"Before you go, are you good at patisserie? " The king asked.
"I am average. Why?" Twilight asked in return.
"The next round might be difficult for you then." The king said worried.
Twilight gulped, "Dully noted." she said, while walking towards the next room.
As soon as she stood in the next room, it was clear that he wasn't joking. There were tons of cakes on the table, with only eleven cake plates empty. It was going to be clear, this was going to be hard.
"Welcome to the semi-finals. With the VIP from the Golden Resort, we got everyone for this round." The host announces.
"Just like the years before. This is the cake round. It is to check if everyone did the proper schooling. For more than just cooking." The host explains.
"But this is more than simple cakes." Golden interrupts.
"Exactly. This is not just about aesthetics but also taste. In fact due to it being Christmas, taste is more important than aesthetics. So for those not very good at cake making, we only score on taste. Not aesthetics and looks." The king added.
"As two of the four judges explain. This year aesthetics is ignored, and taste is only factor. This is to make it fair for those outside of the dragon kingdom. Like Twilight Sparkle." The host explains.
"Now, the theme for this year is, logs. Good luck." The host said.
"Exactly. You got three hours to make a cake. Good luck!" The king's main chef explains.
"One last thing. Try to make it original. Good luck!" The kingdom's most famous patisserie adds.
"As all the judges at a chance to speak. The round starts in 3... 2... 1... GO!" The host shouts into the microphone.
Twilight understood what they meant with log. They meant Yule logs. Which is a type of cake primarily served in cold areas and during Christmas. But Twilight doesn't know how to make a Yule log. So instead she makes something similar to it. A Swiss roll. All Twilight needs to do, is make a flat cake and roll it into a log shape.
She needs to make sure, the cake is dark brown. And the filling is slightly lighter in color. Baking a flat cake is easy. Twilight has done it lots of times. The filling is also easy. Twilight decided to go safe. Even though she knew she would fail this one.
After lots of baking. Twilight managed to make the Swiss roll look exactly like a Yule log. And taste was probably similar enough. Twilight just hoped it was enough. Even though she knew that this was the end. Or it would have been the end if Twilight's luck didn't strike again. The other contestants were too greedy, so they put way too much into aesthetics then they should have. Which caused their taste to suffer. Something Twilight exactly needed to move to the final round.
After the four judges judged the other dishes. Something that the other contestants weren't allowed to be with. Twilight turn came up. Twilight enters the room and listens closely.
"And our final contestant. The VIP of my resort, Twilight Sparkle. Before we start, and please, do be honest. Is there anything you want to add before we start?" Golden asked.
"I am incapable of making a Yule log due to lack of knowledge." Twilight said honestly.
The famous patisserie smiled, "That is a good answer. I may be famous, but even I do not know everything." She said pleased.
"So what did you make to compensate for it?" The head chef asked.
"A Swiss roll." Twilight said.
"That is a good alternative." The famous patisserie said while nodding.
"As much as I would love to agree. The taste is all that matters." The king said impatient.
"Very well. Twilight if you would?" Golden requested.
Twilight then proceeded to cut even pieces of the cake and shared it with the judges.
"How about we take a bite first and review it later?" Golden suggested.
"Agreed." The other judges said.
They then all take a bite of the Swiss roll. And after a bit of munching. They were ready to review it.
"Well since the king was impatient. How about he starts then?" The famous patisserie suggested.
"Sure." The king said while shrugging.
The king clears his throat. "First of all, I am pleased that this isn't another Yule log. I was getting a bit tired of seeing the same thing over and over. And secondly this tastes as it looks, which means. This is a good Swiss roll." he said, he looked quite pleased saying this.
"Okay. My turn. So, a Swiss roll is also very Christmassy. In fact it is also much more reasonable. Most households can make a Swiss roll, but most others can't make a Yule log. And finally well done, this tastes exactly as I expected. In the best way possible." Golden said pleased.
"As much as I am tired of Yule logs. The theme stated log, which meant. Anything that looks like a log is a log, whether it's Yule of Swiss. It doesn't matter. Well done." The head chef stated.
"If you can't tell, let me admit it. We were getting tired of seeing Yule logs. Even though they are in theme. Those weren't the only things we meant. And besides that, I fear that your competition choose aesthetics over taste despite our warnings. Which why I declare you a finalist, due to keeping to theme and to keeping to chosen ruling. Congratulations!" The famous patisserie said happily.
Twilight blinked surprised. She expected semi-finals. But she didn't expect to be a finalist. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but then proceeded to close it right away afterwards.
Realizing that Twilight looked more surprised than expected, the famous patisserie decided to add a few more chosen words.
"Very well, we didn't expect you to go this far either. But think like this, if you win. You will obtain a whole lot more than if you simple lose. I will give you this much, the finals is going to cooking related." The famous patisserie said serious.
"Thank you. I guess we will be seeing you in the final round. The final cooking round." Twilight said determined.
Twilight proceeded to walk to the final room. Inside a whole bunch of familiar faces awaited her. And above all else. The final judge is going to be Spike and Elly. And from the looks of the final plate, it is going to be a main dish. Behind Twilight, another contestant entered. This one was very much a dragon.
"Welcome to the final round!" The host suddenly said.
"This round is going to be interesting. Twilight Sparkle vs the previous champion of dragons." The host declared.
"This time around, there is two judges. Prince Spike and Princess Elly are the judges. The main dish is the chosen type and the theme is Vegan." The host admits.
Twilight saw as the dragon gasped at its meaning.
"Which means, this is meatless dish. And no fish is allowed either." The host said.
"This is going to be interesting. The dragon is a meat lover, the pony is a herbivore." Spike said.
"Correction. I am an omnivore. Just like your father." Twilight said in response.
"Exactly. Which is why this is going to be tough." Elly said smiling.
"Born? Or raised?" Spike asked surprised.
"Born." Elly answered.
Spike looked surprised at Elly and she simply nodded at him. Spike looks very shocked at this revelation.
"Anyways. The predator vs the omnivore." The host said excited.
"You got three hours. Good luck!" Spike shouted.
"Touching meat and fish is banned. Good luck!" Elly shouted also.
"Let's begin in 3... 2... 1... Go!" The host shouted excited.
The dragon instantly panics and runs towards the pantry. Meanwhile Twilight simply considered her choices. As omnivore, Twilight has had many chances to make food that is Vegan. So she simply looks in the mental library of her brain to see anything fitting. It is then, she found an interesting one.
A vegan burger. Made to taste exactly like a burger and act like one. But totally Vegan. A totally beyond burger*. She called it that, since it tasted out of this world. Twilight then went to collect vegetables and some fruit. Chopping it up and turning it into a small burger. For the buns she would again use, pre-made buns. As even ordinary buns take atleast three hours including the time to set in the fridge.
After doing the exact same tricks she used in the round before the semi-finals. She did make a few changes, like a brioche bun instead of an ordinary white bun. And the use of a secret sauce she made herself. Made it special in her eyes. Since the burgers were kind of small, she choose to add some additional dishes to the dish. Like french fries and a homemade mayonnaise sauce. Made this dish come to life.
After cutting the potato and frying it. Mixing the mayonnaise sauce in a mixer and baking the burger while adding similar ingredients as before. Twilight was able to complete this dish in the same time as last time. This time with more to eat than a simple burger. It took her two hours and thirty minutes.
Meanwhile Twilight's rival didn't do so hot. He was two hours and thirty minutes deep and had yet to show anything for it. As Twilight inspects what he has at the moment, she realized that he had made a grave mistake. He used fish sauce, which isn't Vegan approved. But that was minor, compared to the biggest oof he performed. He added meat chips to add a meaty flavor, not realizing that they contained meat powder. Which is also not Vegan.
Twilight looked at the judges. Spike hadn't realized it, but Elly had. She looked sad at Twilight. Slowly nodding in agreement.
After the final thirty minutes. He was complete. He made a Miso soup with vegetable noodles.
"Three hours is up!" Spike shouted.
"Alright. Did both contestants keep close to the theme?" Spike asked.
"I did!" Twilight said confident.
"I am pretty sure also." The rival said.
"I am sad to report that our dragon did not keep the theme. He added fish sauce which isn't vegan approved. And meat chips which contained meat powder, which is also not vegan." Elly said saddened.
The rival instantly drooped at the truth. Twilight felt incredible empathetic towards the dragon. He did fine if it wasn't for those hiccups. Twilight knew better than most what it feels like, to know yet not to truly know.
"Alright. So, let's go with the dragon first then." Spike took a single sip, and he instantly knew it contained something that wasn't vegan.
"Okay." Elly said, as she tasted a little. But she knew, just how disappointed the dragon must be.
"And now the VIP." Spike said as he took a bite. The burger tasted exactly like a burger, but he knew it wasn't. It missed that meaty flavor. This was definitely vegan.
"Yeah." Elly agreed. She took a bite, and remember Twilight giving her this exact one. But an earlier version. One that did originally contained meat. It was vegan, this time around. And it tasted much better.
"As the dragon probably already know. But due to not keeping to the theme, I am going to give this to the VIP by default." Spike said, he sounded sad at the truth.
"I sadly must agree. It was an excellent fight. Perhaps you will regain this title in the future." Elly said, also agreeing with Spike.
"You heard it folks! This years winner is Twilight Sparkle!" The host declared shouting through the main microphone.
Twilight could hear cheering come from the room next door. But Twilight wasn't very happy. No she felt sad more than happy. This would have been a great showdown, but it ended by such a letdown.
"Twilight you decide. Who gets the honor to serve dinner to the king in this years Christmas?" The host asked.
"The previous champion. He gets the honor. I am happy to win, but I am letdown by the end. I may have won this war, but this does not feel like a win. I simply want to celebrate Christmas with the people in the hall. Not to be stuck in a kitchen, making even more. I will leave that, to the previous champion." Twilight admitted.
"Are you sure? You might never get such a chance." The host asked surprised.
"Yes. I will get plenty of chances in the future, if he ever comes to visit my humble cafe that is in the works." Twilight said smiling, "This is going to be my Christmas present to this young dragon."
The dragon looks in awe at Twilight, and in a gruff voice he asks, "Are you truly certain? I do not wish to take the honor of winning away from you."
"My young dragon. My win is from being able to have participated for so long. I am pleased to have been able to battle against the greatest dragon chefs of the next generation. My honor goes to the fact that although I have won, I am willing to share my victory with those around me. I didn't do this alone. May this fight be a lesson for you, if you are willing to stand up after falling down. Then you will gain my utmost respect." Twilight encouraged.
"Very well. I will do my greatest. At this years Christmas celebration." The dragon said, a fire had been lit behind his eyes.
Twilight nodded and entered the next room. Her rival was quick to follow her into it.
"Congratulations. This dragon cup goes to Twilight Sparkle. And the reward has been shared with her rival. Do your best, I expect it from you." The king said, with his voice raised.
Twilight proceeds to take the cup and wishes the king a merry Christmas. Twilight then proceeds to spend the rest of her Christmas celebration reading a good book and eating incredibly delicious meals made by the dragon greatest chef. Twilight wishes the readers of this book a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Author's Note
Okay. This is the only time the whole Shokugeki will be used as a theme. That is sort of, unoriginal and maybe even a bit cliche. But I just had to do it, just this once.
No but in all seriousness. I cannot promise another chapter this year, so Merry Christmas and a Happy new year! May next year be less Corona and more outings.
It's been six days since the Christmas party took place. Making it a total of ten days that Twilight had stayed at the resort. Her ticket will last an additional six days until she has to go home. However Twilight was far too busy getting her paperwork together to be holding a proper vacation.
The reason being that after her vacation, Twilight will finally start up her cafe she has been planning the past few months. Besides that. Twilight feels tired from doing a lot of resting for no particular reason. Especially after recovering her magic thanks to a princess of the past. She felt no reason to continue her resting time.
"Twilight!" Spike shouts through the door. He had been trying to catch Twilight's attention by knocking on the door, but Twilight hadn't responded.
This caused Twilight to wake up from her daze and run towards the door to open it.
"Sorry, I was kinda busy." Twilight admitted. She saw Spike standing in front of the door. He looked slightly annoyed at the lack of response.
"No worries. I heard from Golden that you were very busy getting that cafe started, correct?" Spike asked. As he dismissed his annoyance.
"That is correct. I was doing the finishing touches on the paperwork." Twilight explained.
"So. Like you told me before, you were searching for a partner. Right?" Spike asked.
"Yes. Which I accidentally started by getting you fired." Twilight admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal.
"Were you referring to me? When you mentioned a partner?" Spike asked hopeful.
"To be honest? I was searching for one, in general. But you are one of my current prime candidates." Twilight said.
"But why me?" Spike asked.
"Well, your curiosity was certain one of them. Another reason being, that you were the first candidates I found to begin with. Another reason is because you are a dragon." Twilight explained.
"Okay. I understand the first two reasons. But why does being a dragon matter?" Spike asked.
"Well. I could ask you the same. Why do you not see more dragon chefs work next to pony chefs?" Twilight asked instead.
"I don't know." Spike admitted.
"Neither do I. So I thought, why not hire a dragon. That way I get a good partner and be able to make a statement at same time." Twilight explained. She was smiling while explaining it.
"To show. You aren't scared of other species being in the kitchen along side a pony. Right?" Spike said.
"That is correct and to combat speciesism. So, Spike. Do you want to become my partner?" Twilight asked.
"What about my payment?" Spike asked.
"Of course. I will paid for your work, though it is mostly material payment than simply money. First of all, since it is in Ponyville, I will ask you to live with me, during the full duration that you work along side me. That means, free housing and we will share our breakfasts and dinners together. Besides that, I will prepare you an reasonable amount of pocket money. With gems being shared here and there. How about it?" Twilight asked.
"So, basically. We become family, for the entire duration that I am staying with you?" Spike asked surprised.
"Adoptive. But yes. You can even stay family, even after your employment. That way you can travel within Equestria much easier." Twilight offered.
"I will talk to my current family about it. If they say yes. Then I will join your cafe." Spike said determined.
"Very good. Which means, I will now have a partner and my hunt for one is done." Twilight said.
"They haven't said yes yet." Spike said while walking off.
"Something tells me, that they will in fact say yes." Twilight said mysteriously.
Spike raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. In fact, he simply showed his wings and flew back home.
Twilight meanwhile simply closed the door. And was about to go back to her paperwork, only for someone else to knock on the door.
"Yes?" Twilight asked as she opened the door.
"Hey, Twilight. Have you found a assistant?" Golden asked.
"I have. In the form of an partnership." Twilight admitted.
"Ah. Who is lucky boy? Or girl?" Golden said, while quickly adding the girl part afterwards.
"Spike." Twilight simply said.
"The prince?" Golden said shocked.
"Yup." Twilight said smiling.
"But. He is their heir. If he is refusing to take the crown, who will?" Golden asked worried.
"Surely they have a second prince or princess to take it instead, no?" Twilight asked.
"Uh. If so, I have never met them." Golden admits.
"Not every prince or princess is supposed to be publicly known. You know how it is. They are by nature a combat royal family. Not everything is very well known." Twilight said.
"You do have a point. Still Spike? I heard he is the worst chef among his family." Golden said worried.
"I am not looking for a chef, I am looking for a partner. And Spike is the ideal partner." Twilight argued.
"Oh? How so?" Golden asked curious.
"There is no need to explain it twice. You were standing around the corner." Twilight said annoyed.
Golden sighed, "But are you truly certain?" he asked.
"Yes. A thousand percent yes." Twilight said determined.
"Fine. Good luck with Spike." Golden said uncertain.
Golden choose that exact moment to leave Twilight alone. Causing him to walk off, he appeared begrudged to do so. But shrugged it off regardless.
Meanwhile Twilight stood there, uncertain about what just happened. Twilight then once again closed the door to continue to work on the paperwork. Twilight then continued to work on the paperwork causing an additional three days to pass by quite quickly.
This time around Twilight was the one to leave her room first. She finished the final paperwork on the cafe, this caused her to once again visit one of the libraries and read some cookbooks about foods that she might sell in her new cafe. After finding the right book, she made her way to one of hills that have a single tree on it.
And as soon as she laid down on one of them, Spike appeared out of nowhere.
"Hi Spike! Did you managed to get permission?" Twilight asked, with the weight of the cafe off her shoulder for a moment, she seemed a lot happier.
"I did. Though I did skip out on the whole adoption thing, as my parent would have instantly said no." Spike admitted.
"Ah. I totally blanked out on the magic school egg incident." Twilight admitted as moved her hoof to her face.
"Among other reasons, but yes. That would probably have been the main reason." Spike agreed.
"But that is great news! After my vacation is over, which is over three days, you are going to help me move the furniture into the cafe." Twilight said smiling.
"I see. I did wanted to know. Is this kitchen going to be on an ordinary kitchen scale or like proper full metal kitchen style?" Spike asked.
"I decided to go with the cheapest version. Which is, a kitchen with all appliances but made of granite and wood. So ordinary style." Twilight said.
"Reason?" Spike asked.
"Ponyville." Twilight simply answered.
"Ah! A small village, I understand." Spike said.
"Besides, my cafe will also have some seating indoors. Which no other cafe in the area has, at the moment." Twilight said.
"Why is that?" Spike asked.
"Too small, not enough space for such an feature." Twilight said.
"Ah, which probably means. It is an open kitchen, right?" Spike asked quite confidently.
"Yup. The only closed off area, is food storage and coolers." Twilight said quite pleased.
"So, what about the menu, have you made any decisions yet?" Spike asked.
"Sort off. Every three months the menu rotates. Making four different parts of Equestria featured in our cafe." Twilight said.
"Oh?" Spike said in thought.
"I am planning on rotating your job from waiter to kitchen staff. This means, I expect you to also interact with guests. And yes, the one in the kitchen is also responsible for dish washing." Twilight said.
"So you rotate evenly?" Spike asked.
"Not really. I will be constantly responsible for the bar, this includes making drinks. Besides that, I do my part at the kitchen and being a waitress." Twilight said.
"So, an all-rounder." Spike suggested.
"Exactly. Perhaps, one day I might hire a third member. But for now, two is enough." Twilight agreed.
"Do you expect a lot of traffic?" Spike asked.
"Nope. I am going to do little to no advertisement. The location is far from any main street or plaza. And our focus is to buy as much produce in our local area as possible. If we can't, we might grow our own." Twilight said.
"Wait. So how are you going to pay any tax or rent?" Spike asked worried.
"Ha! Don't worry. I collected a nice stash of money for rent and tax. Even if we make no income, we will be able to last for atleast five years before our money might start to dwindle." Twilight said.
"And after that?" Spike asked one more time.
"Well, I could touch my emergency savings. But that will only be broken if we totally fail. And only then, will I advertise." Twilight admitted.
"Good. So when we arrive, which theme is the start?" He asked excited.
"Dragon lands. It's a special theme. Since it would be the easiest to get started into. After those three months have passed, Canterlot." Twilight said.
"So wait. Most creatures in Ponyville is pony, so how will we do that?" He asked.
"I will explain that, once we get there. Now, I expect you in three days at the train station. Do try to bring little with you, since this isn't a mere vacation." Twilight requested.
"Alright! See you in three days!" Spike shouted excited as he made his way back home.
Twilight sighed, after that barrage of questions she was feeling less excited for her book. It made Twilight realize the reality of the situation. She was about to start a cafe, without using any of her fame made as someone that is actively helping female chefs. Thus started a business with little to no knowledge of the know-how. And without any fame that belongs to the cafe itself.
However, Ponyville is a small village. This means word does spread fast about a new cafe opening up. And something she didn't tell Spike, was the fact that after a certain period of time. In the evening, it turns into a bar instead. But not a bar in the traditional sense, but in the cocktail sense. She would serve cocktails and have a DJ play music.
At the evenings, she would have a different partner. A friend she made during her younger years in Canterlot. Her name is Vinyl Scratch or as her business name states, DJ Pon-3. She makes a living making songs and playing DJ at the night. In that sense, this bar was also a little different. In CET time, between 1700 and 2300 was bar period. That way, nopony was being kept awake by the music and it would allow Vinyl to play her music at other venues later at night. If she had any other location.
To prevent herself from overworking, she would open her cafe at 1100 so that she would work a total of twelve hours at the most in a single day. Also to keep herself from overworking, in the evening the kitchen was closed. However, Twilight did not have a contract with Vinyl. Since she didn't want to restrain her own interactions with Vinyl. Their friendship being merely platonic. But a deep one.
'Flashback
During Twilight younger years as a student from Celestium. Some days as student was very tiring. Twilight loved new information, but she didn't like the way teachers explained the information sometimes. And in order to wind down, she would go around visiting cafes and restaurants. However there was this one time, that she mistook a club for a cafe. Not in the mood to go elsewhere, Twilight decided to stay that day.
As she entered she took one big look around the room. The room she entered was quite big, with lots of installations of lights and boom boxes. And near the DJ set, was the ground filled with lights. Not to forget a disco ball on the ceiling, though this one seemed to not be working at the moment. The bar was filled neon lights and someone behind the bar was cleaning the glasses.
As Twilight was walking towards the bar, she swore to hear the sound of someone in distress. Looking towards the side of the DJ set was a young white filly. About the same age as herself. She was wearing pink stylish glasses and was swearing quite a bit. As Twilight looked closer, she could tell that one of sound transformers was badly damaged.
What Twilight didn't know, was that the person behind the bar was also the owner of the bar. He also saw what happened. Angrily, he kicks the young filly into the alleyway outside of the emergency door. Before slamming the door shut. Feeling empathetic towards the filly, Twilight exits the bar to see if the filly needed any help.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked the filly.
"No. I just lost my only source of savings. That club was the only place that would accept my music." The filly said saddened.
"Really? Why?" Twilight asked curious.
"Because I am a filly. Canterlot is cold like that." The filly said as she kicked a tin can.
"Maybe I can help you. I do have this building that has a podium and a bar, but it is not in use at the moment." Twilight said.
"Really? You will help a random stranger?" The filly asked surprised.
Twilight smiled, "Of course. What is your name?" she asked.
"My name is Vinyl Scratch. Or DJ Pon-3 as my stage name." Vinyl said.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle. So you need a place to perform? One moment let my use my Communication magic to ask my parents for permission." Twilight said.
"Sure thing. I can wait." Vinyl said. She seemed a lot happier at that fact that anyone is willing to help to begin with.
After Twilight exchanged a few words through the communication magic. She nodded, "My parents are meeting us at the venue. Let's go!" Twilight said excited.
Vinyl nodded and followed Twilight towards the club. After a good five minutes of walking. They had arrived. Twilight's parents were waiting in front of the venue. They appeared to be smiling.
"Well hello there. My name is Velvet Sparkle and this is my husband Night Light. So you are the one perform at our old club eh?" Velvet asked pleasantly surprised.
"That is correct, madam." Vinyl said, showing his most polite side of herself.
"So. What is your stage name? And your musical specialty?" Night asked.
"DJ Pon-3 and its EDM." Vinyl said.
"Very well, Pon-3 is what we will refer you as. From today on end." Night said.
"Well. I guess I will open this venue up. If you got a moment. Night dear, can you get the lights ready? Twilight please do show our guest, our DJ setup." Velvet instructed.
"Will be done!" Night saluted.
"Sure!" Twilight agreed.
"I will call our usual servers for the bar. And clean it a bit, while I may." Velvet said.
While Twilight's parents did their part. Twilight meanwhile was showing her new friend the DJ setup.
"So this is it. It might be a bit bare bone but it is better than nothing." Twilight said. She watched as Vinyl inspected the DJ set.
"Why do you guys have such an advanced set? You don't seem the music type." Vinyl asked.
"That is true. It is mostly my brother and her new girlfriend that loves discos. We had to buy an entire club, for a single date. However we can use it anytime. His girlfriend is surprisingly good with DJ sets. So we bought the best of the DJ sets at the time." Twilight explained.
"I see. What did she play?" Vinyl asked.
"I think she called it, Techno Pop." Twilight said uncertain.
"You mean Electro Pop. Which is basically EDM." Vinyl said.
"No. She did say Techno Pop." Twilight said more certain a few minutes later.
"They are basically the same thing. Anyways, yeah. I can work with this." Vinyl said excited.
"Good. Well, lights are ready!" Night shouted.
"The servers are here. And using a bit of magic, we are ready to open." Velvet said.
"Did you also get the bouncers ready?" Twilight asked.
"Oh s- I mean. I forgot. One moment." Velvet said as she nearly swore.
"Excuse my wife for a moment. Opening this club up is terribly exciting. Before the original club went down on this place, it used to always place electronic music or that EDM as you call it. Sadly their prized DJ died from an accident, causing the club to lose everything. And thus eventually being bought by us." Night explained. His Canterlot accent coming through really clear.
"Really? What was the name of this venue originally?" Vinyl asked.
"Light Scratch. Not sure why that name, but that was its name." Night said.
"Wait a minute. That name is surprisingly close to that of Vinyl's surname. Vinyl Scratch." Twilight said surprised.
"Huh. Perhaps it was faith that brought you here. Regardless, there are plenty of similar surname holders that aren't actually family." Night dismissed.
"Yes. That would be very unlikely. My family lives in Baltimare. There is simply no way she could have been family." Vinyl agreed.
"I suppose you are correct. Nonetheless I hope you will enjoy your time here. And before I go home due to it being simply too late and me having school tomorrow. Can I ask you something?" Twilight asked.
"Of course, what is it?" Vinyl asked.
"Can we be friends? Of course I will visit this bar more often. But I would like to get another friend." Twilight admitted.
Vinyl smiled, "Of course. Perhaps I can teach you on the know-how of DJ sets." she said somewhat excited.
Twilight then gave Vinyl a hug before saying goodbye and leaving to go home for school.
Twilight then spend most of her time offs at the club until Vinyl got so popular, that she had little time to interact with Twilight. Instead, she would only show sometimes. One thing was certain. Twilight's club was so popular that it was finally earning the Sparkle family money. And always had an list of DJ's wanting to play music there. '
Nowadays the club was less popular. With Vinyl Scratch living her life in Ponyville and spending most of her own time with her new roommate. She played on larger venues. And there was little incentive to play at the club once again. Since Twilight wasn't living in Canterlot a lot either. They had lost contact towards each other until a faithful meeting a few days back.
Author's Note
For those that forgot, including myself. She is staying a total of sixteen days and fifteen nights. Sorry for the cliffhanger but I felt that this chapter had said everything it needed to. Though the next one will be really, really, really interesting.
Some friendships I have never shown in this book before. Since her interactions with certain ponies was never necessary. That does change now however. Just like her best friend Vinyl Scratch. Also holy crap the research made feel really nostalgic.
During one of her many hard working moments regarding the paperwork for her new cafe and bar. She came to the conclusion that if Spike did join, she would face an different issue. That issue being the evenings. She wanted to do a cocktail bar with DJ music. But as far as she was concerned, she had no one that was willing to go and use a basic DJ set at the bar.
With most DJ's in Equestria used to a advanced set, none were willing to take on this DJ job all the way in Ponyville. It didn't help that it was in fact in Ponyville. Since a small village normally never would have a bar for the later hours besides the local pub, it was extremely unlikely anyone was going to be willing to play at such a hidden location.
Being unable to figure it out, Twilight decides to look at the activities brochure. It was that exact moment that she saw a DJ was hosting a party in the Golden Resort. And although it was invite only, as VIP however you gained automatic access. And Twilight had a VIP status. This allowed her to join the party.
Still, Twilight being Twilight. She was unsure if she allowed to join anyways. So in order to see if she was able to join this party, she decided to use the communications orb to check in with Golden.
"Hey Twilight! How can I help you?" Golden asked after a few moments of allowing the orb connect to him.
"I had a few questions about this DJ Party." Twilight said.
"Ah yes. I was hoping you would ask about that. So what do you wish to know about it?" Golden asked somewhat excited.
"Just give me a basic rundown." Twilight requested.
"Alright. As you have read, this is invite only unless you have VIP in which case, you can join without an invite. At this party they will mostly serve liqueur. And mostly just greasy snacks. The type of music being played is EDM. The snacks were out of request of the DJ itself." Golden explained.
"Who is the DJ?" Twilight asked somewhat curious.
"Ah. She is an extremely famous DJ. She lives in Equestria and is widely known for her Rave and EDM music. Though she has done more than just those two. She has also been a duo with the famous Pinkie Pie." Golden said excited.
"You have yet to answer my question. I am only familiar with cooking remember?" Twilight asked again, slightly annoyed this time around.
"Right, right. Sorry. It just took so much to get her to perform. It was crazy! Anyways her stage name is DJ Pon-3." Golden said excited.
It was then that a light bulb lit up above Twilight. "Do you know where she lives nowadays? The last time I checked, she lived in Canterlot." She asked.
"Ah. In Ponyville with her equally famous roommate Octavia Melody." Golden said.
"Perfect! I will join the party, at what time is it?" Twilight asked.
"Great! Right now it's lunch time and the start is around dinner time. 1700 give or take." Golden said excited.
"Good. I will finish some of my, more advanced, paperwork. And head down to join the party. Will you be there?" Twilight asked.
"Of course! I invited her and I am also a massive fanstallion of her work. I will see you at the party!" Golden said before disconnecting.
Twilight then proceeded to spend the rest of her day stuck behind a desk. Stamping contracts and making progress. Until evening had arrived. Twilight could tell that this was in fact her old friend. As the song 'Bass Cannon' was playing loudly over the entire Resort.
Twilight was walking with an excited spring in her gallop as she moved towards the party without the music in mind. She hoped that Vinyl had some time for her. Twilight saw that the sheer scale of the amount of people trying to get in was absolutely massive. It made sense, Golden absolutely loves Pon-3 and was willing to make it as big as he wanted it to be.
As Twilight walked towards the entrance, the bouncer let her in without much hold up. Though ponies and dragons were complaining about the unfair nature of it. And as soon as she was in, she got hit by wall of nostalgia. Not only was the song that she helped Vinyl made being played. But also the fact that she was in a busy club with Vinyl at the helm.
Nonetheless Twilight walks up to Golden, he was dancing near the bar since he was the manager. This prevented him from joining the dance floor. Though it was clear that, that matter little to him.
"Hey Golden!" Twilight greeted.
"Ah! You made it. So, how is this improve club? I had to transform the buffet to make it happen." Golden asked. He seemed very pleased.
"It is and feels like one. That is certain. So, are there any moments that I can talk to the DJ?" Twilight asked.
"With what purpose?" Golden asked suspicious.
"Remember that besides my cafe, I want to do bar with DJ set?" Twilight asked.
"Ah. And you need a DJ. I see." Golden said in understanding.
"And it is in Ponyville. So I hoped that my good old friend might be interested." Twilight said.
"You are friends with her?!" Golden asked shocked.
"Yes. In fact the current song that is playing, is a song I helped her make originally. Though this one sounds like a remix of the original." Twilight admitted.
"Wow. Did you help her become famous?" Golden asked in awe.
"I would think so. Since I helped her, when she hit rock bottom in her younger years." Twilight said.
"Well. I suppose there is a small gap. After this song, Pon-3 wanted to take a small early break. I expect her to allow you to see her." Golden said as he points towards a small room in the back.
Twilight then proceeded to wait until she took a break. As soon as she took her break, Twilight knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Vinyl asked annoyed.
"It's your old friend. DJ Sparkling Gem." Twilight said as she used her old stage name.
"Come in!" Vinyl said, her voice a lot more friendly.
Twilight opens the door and enters the break room.
"Twilight! Long time no see!" Vinyl said as she hugged Twilight in a very friendly tone.
Twilight returned the hug, "Could say the same to you! How is the old DJ set that I gave you?" she asked.
"Broken. From overuse. And irreparable." Vinyl said pleased.
"I would imagine! Since you have become so famous, you are hard to touch nowadays!" Twilight said.
"You aren't one to talk!" Vinyl said in a teasing tone.
Twilight simply stuck her tong out at Vinyl. "Anyways. As much as I want to catch up. I have a request. Something that has to do with the new cafe I am working on." Twilight said.
"Is that so? Where is this cafe going to be?" Vinyl asked curious.
"Ponyville." Twilight simply answered.
"Ah! So you are also joining this small yet chaotic village." Vinyl said.
"Yup. So you see, during the day, my cafe will mostly just sell themed menus. But in the evening, my cafe transforms into a cocktail bar with DJ set. And I need a DJ." Twilight said.
"Ah. During which times?" Vinyl asked serious.
"Not very long. 1700 and 2300. So a total of only six hours." Twilight said.
"Interesting. Is there a reason for the short time?" Vinyl asked.
"Yes. The first reason being, I don't want to keep the neighborhood awake for any longer than eleven O' clock in the evening. The second reason, is the fact that I want to allow you to be able to play at a multitude of venues in the same night. And the final reason being, I don't want to work longer than twelve hours in a single day." Twilight explained.
"Hm..." Vinyl said after taking the information in for a moment.
"Oh! But I am not going to hoof you a contract. I will simply pay you for the six hours of playtime, even if nopony comes to see it." Twilight quickly added.
"I know. You hate contracts." Vinyl said in response.
"Of course." Twilight said slightly annoyed at the response.
"Tell you what. I need to think on this proposal a little longer. When is the cafe being started?" Vinyl asked.
"Oh in nine days." Twilight said.
"Will you start the bar immediately?" Vinyl asked.
"Probably not. Instead I will give you knock on the door and reveal the plan for the week after that. Since I will pre-plan this whole thing ahead of time." Twilight said.
"Oh. One last question. What type of DJ set?" Vinyl asked.
"Since the space in our bar is going to extremely limited. I was only able to fit a basic professional type of DJ set into the bar." Twilight said.
"What about the sound boxes?" Vinyl asked.
"Two big bass ones and two small ones. Two sound transformers. And an very small array of lights for a basic addition." Twilight said.
"What type of music do you want me to play?" Vinyl asked.
"Primarily EDM. Since I will be selling Cocktails besides it. But Rave and Pop is also acceptable." Twilight explained.
"What about Classical music?" Vinyl suddenly asked.
"Well. Hm. I am not sure. I might be able to do something. But that one will be on the table for now." Twilight said, "Why?"
"My roommate is classical music player. She might get jealous if only I get to play." Vinyl said.
"Ah yes. Octavia Melody. A Cello player. I will have to figure that one out... For now, I will only accept you. Is that acceptable?" Twilight asked.
"No. Octavia must be allowed to perform also, otherwise, no deal." Vinyl said stubbornly.
Twilight sighed, "Are there any classical music lovers in Ponyville?" she asked.
"Yes. There is actually quite a lot. But there are no locations that is allowing her to perform at. So she is forced to do so, on the street. This puts a lot of mental strain on her. Like a few days ago, in which she had a mental breakdown." Vinyl said saddened.
Twilight eyes went wide, "Alright, Alright! I will make it happen. But I can only pay her the same amount as you. Is that fine?" she asked.
"It is." Vinyl said pleased.
"It is also on the same times as you, is that fine?" Twilight asked one more time.
"She can make it work." Vinyl said happily, "I knew you would allow her to play, despite yourself." she added.
"As much as I didn't expect this, I was expecting some demands from you. This is the best case scenario in my eyes. Two musicians for the price of one. Then again, I will hoof no contracts. Be sure to tell Octavia that alright?" Twilight said.
"Sure thing. Now if you excuse me, my break is over." Vinyl said as she donned her glasses and went back towards the DJ set.
Twilight meanwhile walked out of the makeshift club and towards her room. She suddenly had a lot more paperwork to work with than before.
Back at the present, Twilight had long since finished the paperwork and was on the last day of vacation. Tomorrow was the big day. Since she was going back home first, she needed to pack her bags to take back home. While putting everything neatly in her bag, the communication orb went off. Someone was calling her.
Walking over towards it, she picks it up. It was Vinyl.
"Hi Vinyl. What's up?" Twilight asked. Slightly out of character. Around Vinyl, she picked up a lot of street talk. This made her speak less noble and more street when she was around.
"So about our deal..." Vinyl said.
"Yes?" Twilight asked hopeful.
"I will take it. We will still have to discuss my payment rate, but for now I am in!" Vinyl said excited.
"Very good. And what about your roommate? Did you relay the information?" Twilight asked.
"About that... She is being a bit shy about it. I think she is happy about it, although you might need to ask her about it. She is originally from Canterlot, so she might not respond similar to it." Vinyl admitted.
"That is fine. If she is ever interested. I do have some things ready for her. I even contacted some of my mother's friends. Since one is a trumpet user and the other a violin. Both of them being quite famous inside of the classical music world and not being fussy about the details." Twilight explains.
"I see. That is good news. I will try to relay that information. But again, she might have a totally different response to this than me." Vinyl admitted.
"Snobbish?" Twilight simply asked.
"Snobbish." Vinyl said smiling.
"Anyways. Anything else you need to tell me? Since I am busy packing my bags to go home tomorrow." Twilight asked.
"Actually yes. About Pinkie Pie..." Vinyl started.
"Yes. She can host parties in my cafe. Yes. She is allow to do a comedy stand up when she plans one in with me. No, I do not mind having a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party being hosted. But with the later one, do tell her to not host it in my cafe. Since it still needs a lot of work and isn't ready to host parties yet." Twilight said in understanding.
"Buuh, wha?!" Vinyl said as she drops her jaw to the ground.
Twilight smiles, "What? You think I am totally unaware of her antics? I might not live in Ponyville yet, but that doesn't mean I do not understand her." she said.
"You are not similar!" Vinyl disagrees.
"Correct. But we do share things." Twilight said knowingly.
Vinyl sighs, "I am already getting an headache." she said.
"Ha! Didn't anyone tell you to not try to understand Pinkie logic?" Twilight asked.
"Touché." Vinyl sighed.
"Anything else?" Twilight asked.
"Do I need to introduce the element of harmony holders?" Vinyl asked.
"I suppose it can't hurt. Sure. It will save me the hassle from trying to understand the others. Besides Pinkie and Trixie." Twilight said.
"Okay. So besides those two, you have Applejack. She is the local apple farmer and the element of honesty holder. Then Rarity, she makes the best dresses from all over Equestria. She is the element of generosity holder. Uh, well the troublemaker of Ponyville Rainbow Dash. She has made the first sonic rainboom in a thousand years. She holds Loyalty. You also have Fluttershy. She is the most shy of everyone. Has an amazing collection of animals and holds Kindness." Vinyl explains.
"With Laughter being with Pinkie and Magic with Trixie respectively. Correct?" Twilight asked.
"That is correct. That is the main six." Vinyl explained.
"Huh. It would seem that Applejack and I are going to be best friends. Since apples are extremely useful in cooking." Twilight said.
"Well there are more. Like Carrot Top and some more." Vinyl said.
"I am aware. She is already a good friend." Twilight dismissed.
"So. I think that is about it." Vinyl said.
"Then thanks for calling. I think I am ready to move as soon as I am ready. I will meet you in Ponyville." Twilight said happily.
"Very good. Until then! Bye!" Vinyl said before disconnecting the connection.
Twilight continued to spend her evening packing her final things. Before going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be an exciting day.
Author's Note
All times are in CET time.
Another thing I am pleased about, is how this series has turned out. The first of this series being the first ever real 'Fan' fiction I have truly written. And my writing style improving quite nicely along side it.
Twilight's vacation had officially ended yesterday. With her bags packed and Spike in tow, they enter the high speed train to Canterlot. And although she was excited. She was also very nervous. Since this was the last day she would go to Canterlot for a long time since her home is about to change to a whole new place and that is because the cafe at Ponyville will be her next permanent home for the foreseeable future.
As Spike looked at Twilight he could tell that Twilight was nervous about this whole cafe thing. But there was little he could do to help Twilight, especially since he himself also felt that same nervousness. Instead he decided to ask more things about his new workplace.
"Hey Twilight?" Spike asked.
"Yeah?" Twilight asked curious.
"I forgot to ask you about my work hours." Spike said. He saw as Twilight posture turned serious, her nervousness all but forgotten.
"Ah. Yes. I did forget to mention some other details as well. First up, we will open the cafe from eleven O' clock in the morning to six O' clock midday. Meanwhile during the evening, we will be open from seven to eleven in the evening. But the kitchen is closed in the evening. Instead it turns into a cocktail bar. I will be working with a different employee during those hours. Allowing you some free time instead." Twilight explains.
"So seven hour work times. Correct?" Spike asked.
"Yes. Although my work time is twelve hours each day." Twilight said.
"I must ask. What makes the bar in the evening stand out from the local pub?" Spike asked.
"Oh! That is a very good question. So instead of serving alcohol in the normal sense. I will server cocktails instead. With a DJ or musician as partner for the night. So I am both bar-pony and bouncer at the same time. Meanwhile whoever performs that evening will be my partner for the evening." Twilight explains.
"Will you require my services during the evening as well?" Spike asked.
"No. I made sure to insulate the ceiling in such a way that you won't hear any music coming from the bar during the evening. Besides, the evening hours is only six hours long. From seven to eleven." Twilight added.
"So are there any performers ready to perform at our location?" Spike also asked.
"Yes. For DJ we have DJ Pon-3. For musician we have Octavia Melody... maybe. For comedian we have Pinkie Pie." Twilight said, when she spoke about Octavia her voice turned a little uncertain.
"Comedy, EDM and classical music?" Spike said to himself.
"Basically. Yes." Twilight said.
"Comedy and EDM will work. That much I am certain of. But classical? I don't know." Spike said uncertain.
"Neither do I. It could work, but I am not sure how many classical music lovers there are." Twilight admitted.
"Will she do it alone?" Spike asked.
"No. I have a violin and trumpet ready on stand by." Twilight said.
"Hm. Alright. Anyways, did that make your nerves a bit less tense?" Spike asked one last time.
Twilight smiled, "Thanks Spike. But there is more than simply the cafe that has made me nervous." she said.
"Oh?" Spike simply said.
"Remember that I gain princess status right before I entered the resort?" Twilight asked.
"Oh." Spike said as he realized the amount of pressure that was on Twilight all of a sudden.
"Exactly. But thanks for trying." Twilight said with a small smile.
The rest of the train ride was calm. Spike atleast increased Twilight's mood to happy if nothing else. Even if she was still stressed out. Regardless, this was going to go quite easy. Not that Twilight was aware of that.
As soon as they had arrived at the train station. Twilight and Spike both headed towards Twilight's home. As soon as they arrived, the knocked on the door and Shining Armor opened the door.
"Ah. Welcome back! How was the vacation?" Shining asked.
"A lot more interesting. Anyways, this is my new partner. His name is Spike. Spike this is Shining Armor, he is my brother." Twilight introduced.
"Nice to meet you." Spike said.
"Likewise." Shining said curious.
"So anyways. The reason my stuff isn't coming here is because I have gone ahead and started the moving process." Twilight said.
"I am aware. Your parents are at your cafe helping the movers place everything into place." Shining said.
"Ah. That does save me some time. Now, I am going to give you Spike for a few hours. I need to talk to my sisters for a bit, alone." Twilight said less excited.
"Sure. I can share your new partner some secrets about you." Shining smiled towards Spike. Spike seemed curious about these secrets.
"Very good. Have fun you two." Twilight said, her eyebrows raised slightly while she walked off.
Twilight then proceeded to walk towards the castle. On the way there, she sees a lot of guards with a full moon symbol on it. Which meant that Moon had gotten her own guard, while Twilight was away. Though Twilight mostly shrugged it off.
Twilight approached the entrance. And the same guards from before the vacation was standing there.
"Your highness." They both saluted and opened the door with their magic.
Twilight simply sighs, "Thank you, sirs." She said before entering.
"Ah Princess Sparkle. How may I be of your service?" The assistant of Celestia asked. He just happened to be standing just outside the court room.
"Where are my sisters?" Twilight simply asked.
"They are currently residing inside the court room. Having tea... with a prisoner." The assistant said with clear disdain.
"They must have their reasons. Let me in." Twilight simply dismissed.
"Alright. Please do be careful alright?" The assistant showed genuine concern.
"Do not worry. I managed to do whatever that disaster was as child. I can handle a single prisoner." Twilight said with a smile before entering.
Twilight entered the court room and was met by an, interesting scene. Just like the assistant mentioned, Celestia and some random prisoner were having tea. But after a second look, the prisoner was clearly a changeling.
"Hi sis!" Twilight said overly friendly.
"Twilight. Have you met this lovely chum?" Celestia said, her tone was unusual.
"Ah. You must be... Nice to meet you. I am princess Twilight Sparkle. Which changeling queen do I have the pleasure of speaking to right now?" Twilight asked as something clicked in her mind.
"Guess." The changeling answered.
"Ah. My apologies for my lack of presence in Canterlot. I was having a lovely vacation in the dragon lands. At the Golden resort. You may release my sister now. I have found an reliable way of infusing love into food without the need of a pony. Even Changelings are able to generate love through this new method." Twilight said.
"Is that so?" Chrysalis asked, "How may we be able to do so?" she added.
"You see..." Twilight then proceeded to explain the total process anyone uses to make food in general. And then how to infuse love into it. Primarily enhancing the fact that it's so easy, after enough trial and error they would have probably discovered it themselves.
"Very good. I put your sisters simply to sleep in their bedrooms. I will allow them to wake up." Chrysalis said as her horn lit up and then grow dim. Her disguise was removed and they teleported away.
After a few moments of waiting for her sisters to wake up, Twilight could tell that they were moving quite fast upon her location and since it was a lot more than the hoofclops of three alicorns. Twilight was now also expecting some guards. Which she guessed not a moment too soon.
As soon as the doors were exploded open, three rather angry looking alicorns with a platoon of guards to each side entered the room. As Celestia lit her horn to scan Twilight, it became clear that she wasn't a changeling at all.
"Thank goodness you're alright!" Celestia said as she hugs Twilight.
"Where did she go?!" Moon shouted agitated.
"Gone. She went back to her hive." Twilight calmly said.
"How do you know?" Luna asked confused.
"I had a lovely chat." Twilight simply said as she pushed Celestia off her face.
"And the changeling?" Moon asked, her voice lowered quite a bit.
"What do you think?" Twilight asked in return, her eyebrow raised at Moon.
"Very well. Thank you guards. Please go on high alert for a while. But the intruder is gone, for now." Moon instructed.
"Yes, your highness!" Both guards saluted, before walking off.
"So, explain yourself! How would you know such a insect?" Moon questioned.
"Simple. I ran into her hive in the past. My relationship is quite platonic, but friendly. Not quite friends, not quite enemies either. I give them another source of love and they leave us alone." Twilight explained.
"So, like a merchant?" Luna asked.
"Think of it more friendly, less greedy. So far, all they have done is being annoying. At the most! But when they are calmed down, they are good ponies." Twilight said optimistically.
"But love sucking..." Luna said somewhat skeptical.
"And since when has grazing grass not caused problems in the past?" Twilight rebutted.
"Touché." Luna said as she gave up.
"Still. Infiltrating a castle owned by royals is a bit far, don't you think?" Celestia asked somewhat worried.
"Annoying, yes. But I doubt they did anything while being here, no?" Twilight suggested.
Moon sighed, "Fine. We will let it go. For now!" Moon said somewhat annoyed.
"Anyways." Twilight said as she switched topics, "This is not what I am here for." she said.
"Yes we know. You are moving. Today correct?" Moon said. Despite her tone being sad, she looked impressed nonetheless.
"Yes. I am destined to help the main six after all." Twilight explained.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked.
"Inside of Golden Resort sits a statue, a statue of Luna and Moon's mother." Twilight simply said.
"What?!" Moon and Luna shouted at the same time.
"When I used a special spell on it. It revealed a prophecy about a chef that will be hailed as Equestria's greatest and most important chef. This chef's duty is to assist the Element of Harmony wielders. She also knew the name of the greatest chef in Equestria, she spoke my name out loud." Twilight explained.
"So everything that happened. All this time, was fate?" Celestia asked.
"So it would seem." Twilight simply said.
"But, the disaster? Was that fate too?" Luna asked.
Twilight and Celestia both sighed at the question, "No. Unlikely." Celestia said faster.
"Though it might have been one of the many outcomes possible that day. We just happen to get the worst one." Twilight explained.
"Regardless. Thanks to my own mother, I am now free on four hooves. Something that wouldn't have happened otherwise." Moon said slightly excited.
"That is probably true." Celestia said after a few moments of thinking about it.
"Anyways. This is my last day in Canterlot. Atleast for a long time to come." Twilight said as she once again switched topics.
"I am truly disappointed that we could have you staying much longer. But I understand. This cafe is where all your blood, sweat and tears is going towards. And I suppose that, the whole element of magic thing was also merely a path forwards." Celestia admitted.
"Which means you living in Ponyville was also a matter of time. You will meet lots of new ponies and reunite with lots of old ones. This is difficult but an important step in life." Moon added.
"We won't be going anywhere else. If you feel tired, exhausted, or simply homesick. You will know where to find us. And unlike you, we are immortal. Time has no meaning for us." Luna said somewhat excited.
"Alright. Then this is it. Before I go and grab my partner and go towards the cafe. There is one last thing I want to do." Twilight said determined.
"Which is?" Celestia asked.
"Group hug?" Twilight offered.
"Group hug!" The other three answered. As they all grab each other and hug one another.
After the group hug, Twilight spend her day wandering Canterlot, one final time. She took a look at the commerce district, a place where she met an certain diplomat. The forest, a place she rested often during her stay as a student. The district for the poor, a place she transformed both ways. And finally, the noble district. A place she had called home, most of her life.
All of this has come to an end. She was about to truly move out and move on. The past will never be forgotten, but Twilight has to move on. With Ponyville going to be her new home, she decided to do one final thing. She placed some flowers on the graveyard inside of the district for the poor. Next to the church she had build.
Now done with what she set out to do. Twilight walked back towards her home. As soon as she arrives, She spots Spike discussing his own excitement towards his new home towards Shining Armor. Twilight could tell that Shining looked sad at the facts, but he played it cool. Like the real big brother that he is. Grabbing Spike, Twilight gave Shining Armor, one final hug. Before also walking towards the train station.
As the train arrives and Twilight stands before the doors that will close as soon as the train starts moving. Twilight looks over Canterlot and says: "One door is closing, but another one is opening. This isn't the end. No, this is the beginning. Of a whole new adventure!"
No matter what, time always moves forward. Maybe not for you. But certainly for others. This is the start of the end.
Author's Note
And with that book 3 is coming to an end. But man oh man. This was so much fun to write. And so hard at the same time. As the closing sentence said, for me this book is my time going forward. When I am not writing, I am not moving forward. But when I finish, a whole new chapter opens up for another story. And also this isn't the end, this is the beginning of the final story, the final book. Book 4, I will see you there!
Next up, Epilogue (end of book 3)
It was night in Ponyville. After some delays during Twilight and Spike's travel thanks to some buffaloes, they finally arrive in Ponyville. In the middle of the night that is. The train was actually quite heavily packed with ponies. So a lot of ponies left the train together with Twilight and Spike.
As Twilight carried a sleeping Spike on her back. She took a glance around the train station. It was small but cozy. Lots of dim lights lit up the station. It certain looked like a small village train station. And due to the delays, the train station operator was still active inside his room. Twilight watched as she saw ponies that were going further away from Ponyville approach the operator and ask questions about the rest of their trip.
Twilight meanwhile walked down the pathway leading to the center of Ponyville to find their way. Luckily her mother was actually waiting for her along the pathway. She was sitting on a bench next to Lyra. Lyra was also waiting for her roommate but had fallen asleep.
As Twilight approach her mother, she watched a pony with a bonbon cutiemark poke the sleeping mare. The mare had an friendly smile while poking. Twilight then turned her attention back to her mother.
"Hi mom. Sorry for the delays." Twilight said happily. Albeit a tad bit sleepy.
"I heard about the buffalo incident from Pinkie. It is fine. Night has gone ahead a go back using the hot air balloon method." Velvet said friendly. She then points at the hot air balloon taxi pad.
"Well let's go towards the cafe. I need to put Spike to bed." Twilight said impatient. Her back was starting to hurt a bit.
Velvet nodded as she led the way towards the humble cafe. While they walked, Twilight passed some iconic buildings around Ponyville. The tree library, the mayors office, the market place. Until eventually, she spotted her new home. It was two stories building. The ground floor clearly looked like a cafe, while the upper floor seemed a more private.
As Twilight and Velvet walk up the staircase on the side of the building. Velvet puts the key in the door and turns it until the door opens. Opening the door, Velvet and Twilight walk inside. Despite the small scale on the outside, by using some advanced magic spells, it was a lot bigger on the inside. Big enough to fit two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one large living room and absolutely massive kitchen into the apartment.
Twilight opened Spike's new personal room and placed him onto his own bed. She then closed the door, allowing Spike some privacy. Meanwhile Velvet made some nice hot thee to get Twilight settled. Twilight meanwhile took a seat on the couch, it was a very comfy couch. Perfect for taking a break after long workday.
"So, this is my new home. Huh?" Twilight said somewhat curious.
"It is. I used my most powerful dimensional magic to make this place work." Velvet said pleased. She placed the thee kettle onto the table and poured two the cups with the thee. Before taking a seat in an armchair.
Twilight picked the cup up with her magic and took a sip. "Well it sure is quiet. I hope the sound cancelling magic works as intended." She commented.
"So do I." Velvet agreed.
"Did you see the small backyard with the big tangerine tree?" Twilight asked.
"I have. I placed a small wooden bench parallel to it." Velvet said.
"Very good. How is the material for the seating?" Twilight asked again.
"Sturdy and comfy. The tables looks real nice too. It seems that whoever you employed for the job, did an amazing job." Velvet commented.
Twilight simply smiled, "Used one of Dad's contacts for that one." she said.
"Oh! You mean..." Velvet said excited.
"Yes. Him." Twilight said equally excited.
"What about the costs?" Velvet asked.
"Hm. For all the furniture. It was roughly one hundred thousand bits. Which is cheap, since that includes a podium and the entire kitchen. Minus appliances. And minus the cushions and electronica." Twilight said.
Velvet nearly spit out the thee she drank, "That is cheap?!" she said.
"Either that or, well several hundreds of thousands of bits." Twilight admitted.
"So, he did you a freebie?" Velvet asked.
"No. It was because of my royalty status. And my fame." Twilight said annoyed. She didn't like her own status or the fame for that matter.
Velvet sighed in relieve. "Thank goodness. Anything I should help you with? Since I will use my advanced teleportation spell to go home otherwise." she asked.
"No. Thanks." Twilight said with a sad smile, as she hugged her mom.
"Don't worry. We are not going anywhere. You are always welcome back home!" Velvet said as she returned the hug.
"I know. I might go home once I can. If I ever have the time for it. Until that day arrives, you know where to find me." Twilight said in return.
Velvet smiles, before releasing the hug and standing clear of Twilight. Her horn lit up as she teleported all the way to Canterlot.
Leaving Twilight finish her thee by herself. The time for holding hooves was over. She was now finally living with Spike alone. Away from her family. Did this make Twilight feel a bit lonely? Yes, but also excited. Since a lot of the responsibilities that were missing, has now been placed on her. She felt somewhat refreshed by this.
As Twilight cleaned the kettle up, she walked to her own personal bedroom and laid down in it. Putting the bed sheet over herself, Twilight fell asleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.
As the moon was slowly moved down, due to Luna not being the one to move it down. It was moving a bit too slow. Since Moon never had the chance to do this. Meanwhile the sun came up on the other side, its speed not changed despite Luna being the one raising it. Celestia watched closely as her youngest sister rose her sun for the first time in a long time.
Twilight meanwhile woke up to the sounds of birds outside her window. A big city as Canterlot never had birds chirping her awake, due to sounds of artisans working in the background. Nonetheless, Twilight trained ears heard the birds. Causing her to wake up extra early.
After washing herself in her new bathroom, she woke Spike up. He woke up grumbling, though he didn't seem very annoyed about waking up. Twilight watched Spike walking into his own personal bathroom, meanwhile she made them pancakes. Her own version of course.
And after eating this alongside Spike, the went downstairs into the cafe. As Twilight turned the lights on, Spike took a good look at the kitchen. Despite it not being made of steel, it still looked quite impressive. Every appliance a kitchen needs was available. The fridge was large, the freezer equally large. And the storage had all the ingredients needed to start a day.
"So Spike, I placed the menu on your workplace. Do take a look and try to follow it as close as possible. Alright?" Twilight instructed.
"Yes Boss!" Spike said as he started to investigate the menu and the recipes on said menu.
"I am going to inspect the bar. We will not open today. The official openings day is in three days. Since Pinkie will hold a party today and I still need to talk to Vinyl about his payment rate. And I also need to discuss the potential sessions to Octavia." Twilight explained.
"And that is besides having to meet the element of harmony wielders, correct?" Spike asked.
"Of course. Because of this, I cannot open in such a short notice. I will also need to do some word to mouth type advertising to others in Ponyville." Twilight said.
"Sure. I will stay here to prepare some things that I can prepare when we open. And I will also guard the place. Why don't you start by making some more friends?" Spike offered.
"That is a good idea. I will see you in a bit then." Twilight said as she walked outside.
As soon as she was outside, Pinkie saw her and did a big gasp before running off. Twilight smiled, as she knew what was about to happen.
"Wait Pinkie! Where is the place?" Twilight asked, hinting at the fact that she knows what is about to happen.
"Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie said as she ran off.
"That isn't very helpful. But thanks." Twilight somewhat serious.
"Near town hall!" Pinkie said, despite being so far away that Twilight shouldn't be able to hear her.
"Thanks!" Twilight said as she returned the trick. She could tell the this caused Pinkie to jump a little.
Twilight meanwhile walked towards the most obvious of the main six. The absolutely massive Apple farm on the outskirts of Ponyville. While walking towards a big barn, Twilight saw a big stallion kicking a tree and dropping all the apples from the tree perfectly into the buckets. It was then that she saw a younger mare, carrying some apples.
"Are you Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"Ah sure am!" Applejack said in a accent, "Who is the pleasure that is asking me?" she added afterwards.
"The name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a new neighbor in this small village." Twilight introduced.
"Is that so? Where is your new home?" Applejack asked curious.
"Right over there." Twilight said as she points at her home from a distance.
"Ah. Nice to meet ya. So anything I should take note of?" Applejack asked.
"I might become your best customer." Twilight said.
"Why is that?" Applejack asked.
"Since my home is also a cafe. And apples are the most versatile fruit in existence. Besides the peer." Twilight said.
Applejack's eyes widen, "A new place to eat at?! Great! There simply isn't enough places to chat at, at the moment." She said, as a more foreign accent peeked through her speech.
"If you are ever interested. We will open in three days. We will be open as a cafe during the day and a cocktail bar during the evening." Twilight advertised.
"Cocktails? What is that?" Applejack asked.
"Think of it as more fancy beverage then if you drank alcohol straight from a bottle or cup. It basically is a alcoholic drink that tends to look beautiful. It is not something that your local pub might sell." Twilight said. "If that peeked your interest, I suggest taking a look once we open up."
"Is it only that cocktail bar? Or is there more to it?" Applejack asked curious.
"There is also a podium. Every evening one of three performers will play on it. Its either Pinkie as a comedian, Octavia with a her classical or Pop music or Vinyl Scratch also known as DJ Pon-3 with his EDM music." Twilight explained.
"Sure. Perhaps once I need a breather. When is the evening period?" Applejack asked, she seemed very curious.
"Between Five O' clock midday and eleven O' clock in the evening." Twilight said.
"Thanks. I might visit you then. Do you need any apples right now?" Applejack asked.
"No. I bought some apples from another one of your family farms." Twilight dismissed.
"Alright. Once a year I also sell zap apples. Just so you know." Applejack said.
"I am aware. Thanks." Twilight said before walking off.
Twilight next stop was a small cottage on the edge of the Everfree forest. She was visiting a shy Pegasus named Fluttershy. Twilight faintly remember her in the past. But only a little bit. While walking towards her home, she sees a massive clock tower and a small school. The school appeared to be in session. And the clock showed that it was ten O' clock in the morning.
Twilight then knocked on the door. After a few minutes of waiting, a yellow Pegasus with Butterflies as a cutiemark.
"How can I help you?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"Ah my apologies. I only came here to introduce myself. I have recently moved into the area." Twilight said. Twilight voice was careful, she has heard the rumors of her shy nature.
"Oh! Nice to meet you, I am Fluttershy. Who are you?" Fluttershy asked.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am moving here and starting a new cafe at the same time." Twilight said.
"A cafe? What type of cafe?" Fluttershy asked slight curious.
"A cafe that likes to show off dishes from all over Equestria." Twilight said.
"Oh. Anything else about this cafe?" Fluttershy asked, her curiosity was high.
"Yes. During the evening period, which is between Five and Eleven O' clock in the evening. The cafe turns into a Cocktail bar with musicians playing on the podium." Twilight explained.
"Cocktail?! Ooh, it has been a long time since I had one. Rarity loves those." Fluttershy said excited.
"Anyways it was nice meeting you." Twilight said.
"Yeah. If you ever need animal related help, I am your Pegasus." Fluttershy offered.
"Thanks!" Twilight said before walking off.
After walking away, Twilight quite literally bumped into a blue Pegasus with a cloud and rainbow lightning as cutiemark.
"I am so sorry." Twilight said apologetic. She looks at the Pegasus. "Ah. You must be Rainbow Dash." She added later on.
"I am." Rainbow said proud, "So, who are you?" she asked.
"A new neighbor. The name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight introduced.
"With the Cafe and Cocktail thing, right?" Rainbow asked.
"I see. Word travels fast." Twilight said smiling.
"Will you also sell cider?" Rainbow asked.
"No. Since that would make me a direct competitor to your local pub. The closest thing to some cider is our Cider related cocktails." Twilight said.
"Huh. When is the openings date?" Rainbow asked.
"Three days." Twilight said.
"I see." Rainbow said in thought.
"By the way, where is Rarities boutique? And Sugarcube Corner?" Twilight asked.
"If you take this path, and keep following it in straight line." Rainbow said.
"Thanks. Well I am sure we will meet again. Especially with Pinkie holding a party for my arrival." Twilight said knowingly.
Rainbow smiled, "Sure thing." she said before flying off.
As Twilight walked the route Rainbow gave her, she indeed almost walked straight into the boutique and that sugary looking building has to be Sugarcube Corner. Twilight proceeded to enter the boutique and almost step on a young filly sitting right in front of the entrance.
"I am so sorry." The filly apologies.
"It's quite alright. Nobody got hurt. What is your name?" Twilight asked.
"Ah! My name is Sweetie Belle. And I am a Cutie mark crusader!" Sweetie Belle said.
"Ah. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you." Twilight said.
"Likewise. Let me go get my sister real quick. I accidentally broke the entrance doorway bell." Sweetie said.
"Sure. I just go and take a look at the dresses." Twilight said, she watched Sweetie Belle run up the stairs and shouts at her sister's name.
Twilight barely payed attention to the dresses. No, she was far more interested in Rarity herself. As she saw Rarity run down the stairs and nearly bump into Sweetie Belle that was still standing on the stairs.
"My honest apologies. As my sister explained, she kinda broke the bell on the door. Welcome to Rarity's boutique, where we as generous with our dresses as we are with our prices. How may I help you?" Rarity asked.
"Ah. I didn't come as a customer. I simply wished introduce myself, since I recently moved into this neighborhood." Twilight said.
"Ah. The Cafe owner with an evening Cocktail bar with music. Twilight Sparkle correct?" Rarity asked.
"That is correct. I heard from Fluttershy that you love Cocktails." Twilight said.
"I do love one, sometimes." Rarity said, Twilight could tell that she was suppressing her excitement.
"And you must be Rarity. An up-and-coming Dressmaker." Twilight said.
"That is correct. I only recently became a bit more recognized. Thanks to the element of Generosity." Rarity said.
"So I hear. If you are ever interested. We will open in three days from today. I also heard that Applejack is total newbie in Cocktails." Twilight offered.
"Is that so..." Rarity said, her business smile turns more mischievous.
"Anyways. I have to get going. Perhaps I will come to you again if you ever sold any cushions." Twilight said.
"I will think about. It was nice meeting you." Rarity said.
"Likewise." Twilight said before walking out of the boutique.
Twilight had one last trip to make, before she would make her way towards the patisserie. She would meet an good old friend. Trixie Lulamoon. In her library treehouse. As Twilight got closer to the library, the sheer size of the tree became more and more apparent. It was large. From a distance it looks like a simple tree, but up close, it was massive.
Twilight then proceeded to open the door into the library.
"Welcome to Ponyville Library-" Trixie started and ended as she saw who entered the library.
"Oof." Twilight said as Trixie attack hugged her.
"It is so good to see you!" Trixie shouted as she hugged Twilight tightly.
"Can't breath." Twilight said as she is gasping for air.
"Oh!" Trixie said as she let go, "Sorry." she added.
"It certainly is good to see you too. How is the library life been?" Twilight asked.
"Honestly? Boring." Trixie admitted, "So what brings you to my humble library?" she asked.
"I am simply saying hello. I have now moved into the neighborhood as a cafe and bar owner." Twilight said.
"Oh! Good. Perhaps I will go and take a look once you open. It was in three days, right?" Trixie asked.
"It is." Twilight confirmed.
"Good. So, why are you stalling for three days longer?" Trixie asked.
"My cafe partner needs to become used to the new menu. And I still have some things to discuss about the evenings with Pinkie, Octavia and Vinyl." Twilight explained.
"Ah. Pinkie will probably do it for free." Trixie said.
"I don't care. Those that play on my podium, gets paid the full six hours. Whether they like me to or not." Twilight said adamant.
Trixie smiled, "I know. But I felt like I should mention it." she said.
"Anyways, I have to go to Sugarcube Corner. I don't want to miss Pinkie's surprise party." Twilight said.
"I knew that you were aware. Even if I don't get it." Trixie said.
"Believe me. If you try to figure my logic out, you might as well get a headache like from Pinkie." Twilight said while smiling.
Trixie sighed, "Fine. Let's go. We don't want keep them from waiting any longer." she said as she headed out.
Twilight simply smiled as they walked towards Sugarcube corner. As soon as Twilight entered the room, celebration paper was blown into her face. As soon as the lights turned on, Twilight saw Pinkie and rest of the cast of the main five in the room. In the corner she also spotted Spike.
"Surprise!" Pinkie said excited. "How was my surprise?" she asked.
"If it wasn't for the fact that we think quite alike, I would have been more surprised. Sadly I am not that surprised. Sorry." Twilight admitted.
"That is fine." Pinkie said, she sounded a bit disappointed.
Twilight then decided to talk some with the element holders to get to know them. And after five hours, the party had finally ended. Everyone including Spike dispersed. Leaving Twilight and Pinkie in the room alone.
"How was the party?" Pinkie asked.
"Fun. And informative." Twilight admitted.
"Good. So, is there any reason why you haven't gone home yet?" Pinkie asked.
"It's about the evening podium time." Twilight said.
"Oh?" Pinkie said.
"After some counting, and research. I have decided that if you decide to work as a stand-up comedian for my evening time, I will pay you ten bits an hour of podium time. And since the podium is open six hours, you will receive sixty bits for your work as stand-up comedian at my place. How does that sound?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie's eyes widen, "No, no, no. I merely wish to do it one time. I don't want to do it as a job." she said.
"Ah. I forgot to add. When you wish to perform as stand-up comedian, do make sure to tell me. I will plan you into the schedule. Which means this is neither a part-time nor full-time job. Think of it as venue that you can act at, whenever and however you wish to play it as. And no, I refuse to not pay you work your work as a stand-up comedian." Twilight said determined.
"Your serious?" Pinkie asked surprised.
"I may not hold the element of generosity. But hold my beer." Twilight said as she literally spawned a beer into Pinkie's hoof.
This caused Pinkie to giggle, "Fine. I will take it." she said while giggling.
Twilight smiled, "Very good. And one last thing. You aren't bound to just stand-up comedian. You can also do slapstick and other forms of comedy. Just make sure to tell me that ahead of time." she said.
"Alright. See you next time as either a customer to Sugarcube corner or boss at your cafe." Pinkie said.
"Yeah. Good night." Twilight said.
Twilight then walked home, as soon as she entered her home. She sees Spike waiting for her.
"What is it Spike?" Twilight asked curious.
"I forgot to ask you the most important question." Spike said serious.
"Which is?" Twilight asked worried.
"What is the name of the cafe?" Spike asked.
"Oh that?" Twilight smiled, "It's 'Cafe Omurice '" She replied.
Author's Note
And there you have it. That was book 3 Epilogue.
Twilight named her cafe, 'Cafe Omurice ' which is the name of a certain Japanese dish with egg and rice.
Prologue (Start of book 3)
It's been two years. Twilight finished her exam and obtained by an hair. She only obtained it by a 1 point difference. In order to get there Twilight was getting really stressed. The pressure she got from those around her was starting to get really heavy. Especially since her parents has pushed her extra hard.
Too hard even. Right after the exam, Twilight was burned out. The stress was getting to her. And the amount of emotional strain was getting too much. It didn't help that after Luna's return she has been getting nightmares each and every night. Her actions as a filly had resurfaced and her mental state was bad.
Yet she was too exhausted to tell anyone around her. Well, it wasn't like no one noticed. Her parents noticed Twilight's unnaturally high exhaustion. They felt guilty for it, as they knew that they pushed Twilight too hard. Her exhaustion had mellowed Twilight out to a point in which she cared little about those around her.
No she was constantly daydreaming. And although her parents hoped that the daydreaming was helping her get over her exhaustion. It did not. No in opposite, it made Twilight see the aftermath of her actions at the slums over and over. She didn't see it just at night, but also at day.
This exhausted her mentally. As she has had more than once the desire to commit suicide. She didn't do it though, as she knew that she worked that hard only for it to be all thrown out of the window would be damn shame. Although it did cross her mind more than once.
'I am in need of a vacation. ' Twilight thought, her mind was still repeating those days over and over again.
"Hey, Twilight? Your mom and I have decided to go to Canterlot on a vacation. We are going to take the bullet train. Will you also come with us?" Night asked, right on time.
Twilight eyebrow rose slightly, "And why do you want a vacation?" she asked uncertain.
"Well, we noticed that we have been pushing you too hard." Night said. "And we wanted to give you a break, before you go find a job to take and forget all about a vacation. You don't look too good." He said as he added the last part.
Night wasn't wrong. Twilight also did notice that she was a little pale. Her eyes had a bleak look and she didn't look very healthy.
"Your right. Lets go." Twilight softly said as she slouched towards her dad to go to the train station.
Night was very worried that Twilight was not mentally stable, so he took the taxi to the train station and took the bullet train to Canterlot. Using the bullet train only took one hour to get to Canterlot, instead of six hours using the normal passenger train. It would also cost about six times more.
Night cared little for the extra price. He wanted Twilight to feel at peace during her train trip.
Twilight meanwhile knew that. But the real reason for her mental set-backs were thanks to Celestia suddenly losing connection to Twilight. She also lost connection to Trixie. It hurted Twilight harder than she thought. It made her realize that she needed Celestia to move on. So she was going to Canterlot for just that.
One hour later and Twilight had arrived at the central train station in Canterlot. Twilight almost never used the central station. She would usual use the south bound end station in Canterlot. So Twilight looked around, her bad mental state made it hard for her to concentrate. This caused her to get lost, not even five minutes after leaving the train.
Night quickly realized that he has lost Twilight. He searched desperately in the crowd, yet he failed to notice Twilight. This caused him to panic quite badly, until he saw group of knights among the crowd. He raced to them in the hopes to find her daughter with the help of the knights.
Meanwhile Twilight had entered one of the many corridors that lead to one of the many shopping malls that surrounded the central train station. Uncertain, Twilight just walked into a random direction until she bumped into an familiar looking guard.
"Watch where you are going-" Guard Feather Doo started, until he noticed Twilight. She looks at Twilight, she had grown up to be really pretty. If she wasn't a chef, than she looked like a princess without wings.
"Sorry." Twilight immediately drooped. Her mental state made her apologize way too quickly. Even if she did nothing wrong, she would even apologize to inanimate objects like poles.
"Is that you Twilight?" Feather asked surprised.
Twilight look up to take a better look at Feather, before giving her a soft smile and nod.
"Wow. You look pretty. So why are you just wandering about in the north side exit to the shopping mall?" Feather asked.
"I don't know. I might be a little lost." Twilight said in a tone that suggested that was a little more than just confused.
Feather raised her eyebrow, "So where are you going?" she asked.
"I don't know. The castle I think? I am not sure." Twilight said with a soft voice. Feather noted that her voice sounded broken, almost no longer sane.
Feather smiled, it has been a while since she has seen Twilight. "Well then follow me. I know the route to the castle from here." she said.
"Thank you." Twilight's soft voice had a little bit of glee in it. She wanted to see Celestia and ask her lots of questions.
Meanwhile Night and the knights have given up on searching for Twilight. Night asked to keep a lookout on Twilight's whereabouts. Meanwhile he would go home in the hopes of good news. The knights nodded before spreading out to start searching the surrounding malls.
Twilight and Feather however, were long gone. They had already arrived at the shopping district. Which directly south to the castle and north to the central train station. They slowly walked towards the castle. Feather had to slow down her pace, more than once, due to Twilight's very slow pace.
Feather didn't mind that though. It gave her time to think about an explanation to her boss as to why she had abandoned her post. However Feather's thoughts were constantly going back to Twilight. She was quite worried. Twilight didn't look like herself and her way of responding to others seem, empty somehow. Not to mention her walk was very clumsy.
"So Twilight, how is school?" Feather asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
"I graduated about five days ago." Twilight said simply.
"With which degree?" Feather asked surprised.
"Master. In both practical and theory." Twilight said somewhat proud.
"Can I ask you one more question?" Feather asked careful. Twilight noticed that she was really listening to her own voice to keep in from cracking.
"Sure?" Twilight said, uncertain.
"Why do you sound and look so... Ill?" Feather asked carefully.
"My parents burned me out." Twilight stated as a matter of fact.
"Oh." Feather said before stopping to hug Twilight.
Twilight nearly jumped at the surprise hug. "I will be fine after a proper conversation with Celestia." Twilight said as she softly pushed feather away from her.
"Just tell me if you need help. You are still exceedingly popular with the guards and knights. I know lots of ponies that are gladly willing to help you with whatever you need." Feather said in a consoling tone.
"Thank you. I think a emotional talk with Celestia is all I needed." Twilight said.
"Sure. Just yell if you need us. We will be ready!" Feather said determined, 'I will have to communicate to the others that Twilight might need our help, due to some mental complications ' she though serious.
"Alright." Twilight said after ending the conversation right there.
"We have arrived. Just walk up to the guard and show him, your staff badge. Take it." Feather said as she gives Twilight a staff badge with her name on it. It said that her occupation is friends to Celestia.
Twilight eyebrow rose slightly before approaching the nearest guard and showing him, her badge. He uses is magic to check it before nodding.
"The princess is currently resting in her tower. She stated that you are allowed to visit her when ever you return to Canterlot. She is always ready to assist you. Just show the guards in front of her chamber to get access into her room." The guard explained.
"Thank you." Twilight said as the guard opens the door for her. She turns around to quickly wave at Feather before entering the castle.
Thanks to Twilight's incredible memory. She still remembered the entire castle layout like she was here yesterday. She softly walked through the corridors that was the quickest route to Celestia's personal chambers. On the way there, she spots a very familiar dragon and griffon talking to each other.
Twilight smiled as she walks past them. It would seem that Elly the dragon caught a soft glimpse of Twilight's tail. However she though that she was just dreaming so she ignored it. Vermouth also noticed Elly's sudden confusion.
"What was it?" Vermouth asked.
"Nothing I though I just saw Twilight's tail." Elly said.
"Hm? Are you hallucinating again?" Vermouth asked confused.
"Maybe. Nah it was probably just an old memory that resurfaced." Elly said with a smile.
"I get it. I miss her also." Vermouth said with an straight face.
Elly's face simply looked evilly at Vermouth. Realizing what was about to happen, he looked away with a small blush
Twilight meanwhile had moved on and was walking up the many stairs that went up into Celestia's chambers. As soon as she arrived. Both guards immediately recognized Twilight, yet they still asked for the badge.
Twilight gave them the badge as they looked closer at it. They both smiled at Twilight before shouting the following words.
"Lady Sparkle you have permission to enter!" They shouted.
Twilight could swear that she heard Celestia jump and than fall on the ground, before she heard a whole bunch of swear words.
Twilight opened the door and saw an angry looking Celestia. Celestia looked at Twilight for one second before her facial expressions calmed down.
"Twilight. It has been too long." Celestia said, she was rubbing her belly. She most likely belly flopped on it.
"Celestia." Twilight said tired.
"How are you, Twilight?" Celestia asks curiously.
"I am tired." Twilight replied.
"Of what?" Celestia asked worried.
"Of my nightmares, of my trauma. Of life." Twilight said as she clumsily made her way to Celestia.
Celestia's eyes widen at the last tit-bit that Twilight said at the end of her sentence. Looking worried, she slowly approached Twilight.
Twilight then hugged Celestia, tears falling down her face. All that build up stress finally got released into Celestia's fur. Twilight couldn't take it anymore. Her actions as a filly had finally caught up with her.
Celestia simply allowed Twilight to sob into her fur. Celestia also shed some tears as she remembered the direct aftermath.
Flashback,
Celestia was going on and on about her daily business. All was calm. She was just reading some letters coming from happy fillies out of the slums that asked her about fantastical questions. It always brought a smile to her face. Especially with the nobles constantly going on and on about less important things.
That was until, in the corner of her eye she sees something horrifying. She walked outside to see, Twilight spell go through her magic barrier and ending up in the slums. And then dead silence. Almost like the world just stopped moving for a moment.
Until a massive blast, the likes of which Celestia hasn't seen for a long time. The most destructive bang she heard as nearly every glass in the castle and in the surrounding area blasted out of the windows. And massive shock wave was felt before the extremely loud sound of the explosion had finally reached Celestia's ears. Despite her being practically next to the slums it still took about 5 minutes to reach Celestia's ears.
The explosion of which the likes was heard for the first time since Luna's banishment. Seconds later, nearly the entire air alarm system went off. As thousands of guards and knights descended on the scene in an attempt to safe any and all ponies that were caught up in the crossfire.
She looked at Twilight. Twilight was still frozen in place. Her child brain was looking and refusing to see what just happened. Celestia on the other hoof sprung into action. All her regality all but forgotten. She uses her magic to call a button that had in massive words written on it. "Disaster rescue alarm"
Celestia presses the button as she used her wings to descend on the location. She sees thousands of ponies groaning and in pain. But also dozen of ponies, lying lifeless on the ground. She spots the entirety of Cloudsdale approach Canterlot. The rescue teams had arrived. Celestia saw as thousands, no millions of citizens from all over Equestria arrive in Canterlot. In a desperate attempt to save as many lives as possible.
Celestia uses her powerful magic levitate as many pieces of rubble off trapped citizens and slum dwellers. The rescue teams waste no time rescuing any and all. They filled up each and every hospital, mansion and big facilities in an attempt to give ever one the help they needed.
Then somewhere to the north a fire broke out. Celestia rushes to the scene and uses her magic to forcibly extinguish the fire. She heard screams of pain from everywhere. It was almost like a war bomb was dropped. Celestia started to panic. The amount of injured became too much too quickly.
"General Arms! Set up an emergency field hospital just outside Canterlot!" Celestia boomed.
"Understood! Priority one everybody. We got some ponies to safe!" He said as he redirected his platoon towards the location of the field hospital.
Meanwhile Twilight was finally released from her stupor and assisted where she could. She got as much medical equipment together and food for the homeless. Celestia smiled at the fact that despite the disaster that she caused. She was not running away and instead was helping where ever she could.
Twilight got shops to assist with getting field hospitals set up. As she single hoovingly woke up Canterlot and started to get as many as possible to assist in the operation. She got thousands of bystanders to assist in helping the injured. As she used the entirety of her connections to get as much help as possible.
Celestia could see that despite everything. Twilight was saving others. With renewed vigor she and Celestia saved thousands from their potential death. As for the first time in millenniums a disaster occurred that was not written down as the worst. But as the one where entire Equestria became one to save thousands of others.
Sadly after everything calmed down. Celestia and the guards were forced to bury a total of three thousand slum dwellers and two thousand bystanders. However it could have gone way worse. In unreleased reports stood that a total of one hundred thousand ponies got injured.
Only five percentage of the many actually died. And fifty percentage got away with a trauma. This was an incredible feat. Since the last disaster had 95 percentage of ponies that died from a similar disaster. Even still, being forced to bury that many left a mark on Celestia's mind.
Yet she had forgotten, one major detail. The cause was a small filly, only eight years old. She forgot that she would get hit the hardest. Even if she was forgiven by nearly everyone.
End of flashback.
Twilight was still sobbing when Celestia got out of her flashback. Twilight seemed like a small filly for a moment as her crying had continued. It hurted Celestia immensely to see such a good friend in so much pain. Celestia hugged Twilight as they both fell asleep hugging each other and in tears.
After some moment in which Celestia had fallen asleep. Luna appeared in front of Celestia's door to her bedroom. The guards were stopping her.
"Why am I not allowed in?!" Luna asked confused and annoyed.
"Celestia is currently busy. She is currently helping Twilight Sparkle." One of the knight said.
"Oh? Twilight? I see. Well then, if you have some time. Can you tell her that I would love to meet Twilight Sparkle. In real life for once?" Luna requested.
"We will." The guards said.
"Good. And if she asks were I am. Tell her I am taking care of an decently annoying little brat named prince Blueblood." Luna stated annoyed.
"Understood." The guards said.
Author's Note
Oops I left the wrong author's notes here.
Twilight, Celestia and Luna were sitting around a large round table. Celestia had called for a large afternoon tea set and was inhaling some cake. Luna was eating a small brownie. But Twilight only had tea, she was busy looking out the window. She did not have food on her mind. No her time at Celestium and Lunarium were on her mind.
All this time, Twilight was busy focusing on cooking in an attempt to get away from the mistake that she made all those years ago. Today was different. Today she only had the disaster on her mind. She was preparing herself for the information bomb that was Celestia. And for the inevitable loss of her career.
However Twilight didn't care about her career. Regardless of the end result of Celestia's speech, Twilight would continue to cook, with or without a proper career. Ponies would get some closure and she too would get some closure. Right now it feels as if Twilight has anvils on her back, but soon she will be freed of this lying prison.
Celestia and Luna looked at Twilight with a sad smile. They knew that Twilight wouldn't be able to get away from the truth, they just wished that they never started this. All of this happened because Celestia wanted Twilight to be her personal student. And in Luna's case, she wanted her big sister back. Never did they think that their attempts to bring in the prosperous future would be this heart breaking.
But just like their mother always said, "Every action has a proper reaction. Whether good or bad, it is always meant to happen. By either fate or destiny. Someone's future is always on the line." their mother said.
'In this case, it would be Twilight's future. ' Celestia thought disappointed.
"So, when is the proper truth speech?" Twilight asked.
"In a few hours. I am still formulating in my head about the things I am about to say." Celestia admitted.
"Yes. And to honor the truth. Me and my sister are both going to level the sun in the sky. And using my magic I am also going to project her face all over Equestria." Luna explained.
"Please let me be on stage. I may not talk about anything. I am just going to stand witness of the truth." Twilight asked.
"Very well." Celestia said nodding.
"That is fine, Twilight." Luna said smiling, "No time like the present to speak a proper truth."
"And to go full circle." Twilight added.
"Exactly. Twilight, do me a favor and dress up in all black. After you are done, go on stage and just stand in place. No moving in honor of the dead," Celestia instructs.
Twilight nodded, "Well I am off. See you on stage." she said. Her face has become totally neutral without even a single emotion on it. She placed a mental mask on her face. As she dresses up in all black after dressing up, she walked onto the stage and stood on the right side of the podium. She noticed some ponies waving at her, she didn't respond. Not even batting an eye at their waves. Much to the confusion of those standing close to the podium
"The truth will be revealed in an hour!" Twilight boomed in a professional and monotone voice.
After an hour passed, an empty hologram appeared above the podium. And both the sun and moon stood next to each other on the horizon. The ponies knew that something big was going to explained. Big enough that both monarchs were going to stand on stage. They saw as Twilight's eyes was turned off-stage and as she did a small nod.
Then in black clothing, both Celestia and Luna walked on stage. Their regalia all but forgotten. Luna lit her horn and the hologram turned into Celestia. Celestia walked up to the microphone and awaited for everything to be ready. Luna turned on the lights and turned on the speakers on every hologram across Equestria. There was one in Manehattan, Ponyville, Appleloosa and Canterlot.
"Everything is set." Twilight said in a monotone voice.
Celestia nodded at Twilight as the hologram copied her motion.
"A few years ago, on this very day. A massive disaster rocked the foundations of Canterlot." Celestia boomed in a sad tone.
"A disaster so big it killed thousands. And injured millions." Luna added in a sad tone.
"This much is known thus far. But who was behind this?" Celestia asked.
"Many factors. Or so we said." Luna admitted.
"The truth? Two ponies. And a single accident." Celestia admitted. She saw as the crowd near the podium gasped.
"First what is the accident? Well the first pony casted a powerful magic bolt spell that was bound to gravity due to the lack of skill of the caster. The second spell caster casted a spell that warped gravity. They stood too close to each other. With the initial spell being half way down the spell casting range, the second spell's gravity side of the spell activated." Luna explained.
"This caused the spell to veer off the initial target in towards the slums. But the second spell was still attached to the first spell. The second spell also contained a distortion side of it. Distorting the initial spell making it faster and it's power increase." Celestia added to the explanation.
"The following thing the happened was utter destruction and chaos. The spell slammed into the slums and into a massive explosion. And with the lack of good construction, many slum houses were destroyed or fell into themself. Trapping thousands." Luna explained. The recollection of it all, shocked Equestria.
"After the explosion happened. Me and thousands of guards and civilians attempted to do the biggest rescue known to Equestria. Sadly many died regardless. I counted a total of 500 thousand deaths and double that amount in injured. Crippling every graveyard and hospital known to Canterlot. We had to go into a state of total emergency and had to also summon the Cloudsdale rescue wing. The largest rescue group in the world." Celestia explained as small tear was released from her eye.
Twilight inspected the crowd. They were shocked and deadly silent. It was clear that the princesses also suffered, but Canterlot suffered perhaps even more. Diplomats from around the world were shocked at the revelation. As the world looked down upon this disaster, they didn't realize that this was one of the most deadliest pony made disaster on the planet. If not the deadliest. That they looked down upon.
"In the end. Thanks to the help of my dear friend, Twilight Sparkle. And the inhabitant of Canterlot to reconstruct and improve the slums to their current looking state." Celestia ended.
"However." Twilight boomed from behind. Causing Celestia to look sad at her.
"That is not all there is to it." Twilight boomed.
"Exactly. We now know what truly happened. But the two ponies behind this are true criminals right?" Luna asked the world.
Twilight was about to nod when Celestia cut her off.
"Wrong. Like we stated before. This was a disaster that was avoidable. Yet why did it truly happen?" Celestia asked the world.
"It's simple. We never thought a disaster of this scale was going to be possible in current times." Luna answered.
"On top of that. The duo ponies that were behind is, Pride Keeper, our previous captain of the guard and Twilight Sparkle. The one that is standing behind us right now." Celestia boomed, she was crying that she spoke the truth.
"But at the time. Twilight Sparkle was a six year old child. A filly. Would you dare call a child a murderer?" Luna asked the crowd.
"To begin with, there was nothing inherently wrong with the spell the child casted. Only due to Pride standing too close and her lack of control thanks to her age caused this disaster." Celestia added for good measure.
"At the same time. We never made any official rules about standing too close to each other, when using ring magic." Luna added.
"If you can blame anyone, then blame the many factors that caused this. Lack of control, standing too close, young age, lack of rules and the fact that a child was standing on the training ground meant for guards and adults. These are those factors. We decided that Twilight is too young to be called a murderer, especially since she took this extra hard. Pride Keeper already stepped down, but he did nothing inherently wrong here. He also helped the thousands of injured at the disaster scene." Celestia decided.
"Instead of focusing on how it happened. We focused on how to prevent it. We now have made all the training facilities meant for guards, off-limits to anyone that isn't a guard. We created rules to not allow anyone to cast too close to each other. Circle magic can now only be taught at the age of ten. And finally we are teaching and training anyone in the art of rescuing another and surviving a deadly encounter." Luna explained.
"We have decided to drop all the actions of Twilight Sparkle and Pride Keeper in favor of improving the future instead. These two ponies are determined to help anyone in that is in pain. After Pride discovered the truth, he has become a doctor in an attempt to heal those he wronged. And Twilight has decided to cook to try and bring a smile upon those she has wronged. They haven't forgotten, nor should they." Celestia finished with a smile.
"Instead, they choose to improve the future. This disaster has taught us many things. We will continue to improve and prevent another disaster of such a kind. All we ask you, is to forgive these two ponies. They can't bring back the dead, all they can do, is to change their route and hope and pray to every gravestone that we had to build for the deaths. We are sorry." Luna also finishes.
Twilight in the background was having trouble keeping herself from crying. The truth has been revealed. Now it is only a matter of time until she will lose her career. Or so she thought. Twilight looked over to the crowd and saw that many were crying. Most looks were emphatic towards Twilight. This surprised Twilight, she thought that many were angry at her. This was not the case.
"As a pony in charge of representing the many ponies of Canterlot, My I say something?" The Canterlot Representative asked.
"Go ahead. Luna please shift the hologram." Celestia said. Luna immediately shifted.
"I got a letter from the slums. It reads as following.For a while now, we have known that Twilight was behind it. However we can't forgive her. Instead we have chosen to accept her. Every pony makes mistakes. No one is perfect. We slum dwellers know that better than most. We either were born into the slums or became one ourself. Most of us would have been very angry at her, if it wasn't for one thing. She changed herself, to change our future. She changed the slums into a small community. She never forgave herself, but she did ask those around her this one thing. "I am sorry. I am behind this. Can you forgive me?" she asked. We smiled and said, "We can't. But we accept your apology, please never do such thing again."
That will be our answer. Whether now or the past. We have forgiven you.
Is their letter. And honestly? My people have long since forgiven her. She is trying to be big, and trying to change the world for the better. Several times. And that makes her no murderer. Nor a hero. But that makes her special. We the people of Canterlot you have apparently wronged, have chosen to forgive instead." The Canterlot Representative said while he and many around him smiled.
Twilight's mask broke, as she cried hard. She was forgiven by those she wronged. She was no longer bound on this disaster. Nor will she forget. But it is now the truth and a fact. For as long as she cooked, she was improving everyone's lives. That was the best case scenario for Twilight. A scenario she never thought was possible.
"Disable the hologram. We are done." Celestia said. Luna disabled it.
Luna proceeded to grab the mess that is Twilight and move her inside. At the same time the crowd dispersed.
At the backstage, Celestia grabs Twilight with her magic and moves her to a more secluded area. As the area they were in suddenly became busy. After Equestria heard and understood the situation, it did something surprising.
For starters, the diplomats from all over the world that looked down on this disaster, decided to go home. To explain the truth to their people. And to prevent such a disaster in their own country. They visited Luna to explain the situation, meanwhile Luna simply nodded. She didn't mind and would totally understand the reasoning.
On the Manehattan side of Equestria, people had an explosive desire to improve fire safety in their skyscrapers and the people want a rescue team of their own in Manehattan. The mayoral office was totally okay with such a proposal, although it would require going to Canterlot to get the license. They sent those people over as fast as possible.
Appleloosa didn't really do much, the farms improved the standard for keep their crops. But there simply wasn't any other thing they were able to do.
Ponyville also didn't do much, they were decently close to Cloudsdale which meant that they didn't need another rescue team, however the people wanted a fire station badly. There were none in the area which meant that a fire could be catastrophic for the citizens. Not to mention that being next to a forest didn't improve the odds. But the mayor was hesitant and eventually refused it. Much to the chagrin of the citizens.
This caused Ponyville to experience several cases of people lighting fires in an attempt to force the mayor. Which did eventually work, after someone set the mayor on fire at broad daylight and in front of a few hundred ponies. The trauma that those received were bad, but the mayor herself was stuck in the hospital the following week. While in the hospital she installed a fire station AND a sheriff's office.
Celestia would eventually catch those pyromaniacs, but that would be story for another time. No back in Canterlot, Twilight was sleeping on Celestia's bed, while she was busy with the paperwork that the many overwhelmed organizations sent in.
Celestia grimaced at the large amount that was still coming in. But when she turns her head towards Twilight, a small smile gets plastered on her face. 'Although the direct accident was bad. It would seem that Equestria is learning from it. These papers all talk about safety and health in one way or another. I know this sounds bad, but I must thank you Twilight. Thanks to you Equestria will not experience anything bad for a while. And if it does happen, then we are prepared this time. ' Celestia thought to herself.
Celestia stood up from her desk and slowly walked over to Twilight. "Good Night, my little chef." Celestia quietly said, while giving her a kiss on the forehead.
Author's Note
This was the final ending of the slum disaster arc. I hope you like it so far.
(Every action has a reaction. Whether bad or good. However we can always prevent another from happening. But that isn't always the cure. It's just another reaction. )
