Making her way towards a cabin at the outskirts of Ponyville, Lightning Dust wasn't sure what she agreed to was such a good idea.
She had met a nice pony while at one of her shows purely by chance. A mare who was into music and into getting her hooves dirty; the only downside—if it could be called that, really—was that she was an earth pony. Dust had always thought that if she’d hook up with anypony, it’d be another pegasus, somepony that could keep up with her in the sky.
But something about this mare was different.
They talked, they laughed and got along. They even exchanged letters while Dust was still out touring with her team, she promised to visit once her touring was over.
She was shocked to know that this mare in particular lived in the outskirts of Ponyville, a town she hoped to never visit again, but here she was, making her way around town towards a lone cabin near Sweet Apple Acres.
Lightning ran a hoof across her mane, licked along her lips and checked her breath. She wanted to look presentable and make a good impression. This mare she was about to see had managed to leave an impression on her.
Here she was, Lightning Dust, the bravest—yes, the bravest—most daring, fearless pony in all of Equestria quivering in her hooves in front of a wooden door just because she was about to see a mare she met at one of her shows.
Taking a deep breath to steel her resolve, Lightning Dust raised a hoof and knocked on the door. In but a few moments, the door cracked open, answered by an earth pony mare with blue mane and yellow coat, wearing a green top with a gathered edge on the bottom, an orange scarf and an off-white hat.
"Howdy, partner! Glad you could make it!"
"Pshaw, wouldn't miss it for the world!" Lightning replied with a confident smile, wiping a hoof on her chest as she looked into Fiddlesticks’ eyes.
"Well, come on in!" Fiddlesticks stepped aside and allowed Lightning to trot into the cabin. She took a look around, taking in the sights of the furniture, the walls and the size of it all. "Nice place you've got here, ‘sticks."
"Thank ya kindly! Make yourself at home! The kitchen's over this way."
Lightning had almost forgotten why she had visited in the first place. She didn't realise just how nervous she actually was until now. "Straight down to business? I like that."
After one short trot, Lightning Dust found herself in Fiddlesticks’ kitchen. "So, what are we making? I'm starving.”
"Apple Pies!" Exclaimed Fiddlesticks, pouring apples into a bowl.
Cooking wasn't Lightning Dust's forte, you see? But this mare pushed her into directions she didn't know she could traverse, made her take paths she didn't know she had available.
Life was different when she was with Fiddlesticks. It was exciting, and she thought before that excitement could only come when she was in the air, performing daredevil tricks. For some reason she couldn't explain, Lightning Dust wanted to spend time on the ground with this mare. The pony who could fly almost at the speed of sound found herself wanting to spend time on the ground, all because of one mare.
"You ever baked before?" said Fiddlesticks, oblivious to Lightning's daydreaming.
"Of course! Of course I have, totally, all the time, every day, you're talking to an expert baker!" she lied through her teeth. Sure, she knew how to cook, but never had she truly sat down to prepare a pie.
"Right, right, so first we need a bowl," Fiddlesticks said, moving around the kitchen with ease on swift hooves. She reared herself on her hind legs and fished for a bowl on the cupboards before setting it down on the counter. "For mixing the ingredients while we wait for the oven to heat up, oh, speaking of, can you do that for me? Oven's right over there," said Fiddlesticks, pointing behind Lightning.
With a nod of her head, Lightning zipped over to the oven and started to slowly turn the dial. "Uh, up to where?"
"Set it to four hundred twenty five degrees and let it sit there," said Fiddlesticks while pressing the pie crust into a plate. "Now get over here and cut some apples for me, will ya?"
Turning on the dial until the aforementioned temperature, Lightning Dust gave the oven a nod before trotting her way towards the kitchen. "How many are we slicing up?"
“Just a couple, two or three should be fine,” Fiddlesticks spoke while keeping her eyes on Lightning, at the same time, her hooves pressed the crust into the place with practised motions. Lightning thought it was incredible she didn’t need to look at the plate to know what she was doing.
Nodding her head, Lightning picked up the cutting board, a knife and an apple. The process was rather simple. Pull out the stem, peel the skin off, slice the apple in half, then those halves in half and then those in half as well. Handling a knife wasn’t a hard task for Lightning, either, so she was done pretty quickly and left to admire Fiddlesticks again. By now, Fiddlesticks was applying crust to a second plate. “We making two of ‘em?”
“Eeyup!” Fiddlesticks said with a firm nod. “Be a dear and start mixing the ingredients in that bowl there, will ya?”
Lightning Dust felt a tingly warm sensation course through her body, like sun rays on a tranquil spring afternoon washing over her coat. “Sure,” she said coolly with a smirk on her face. She gathered the large bowl and the ingredients. Sugar, flour, cinnamon powder, salt, and the previously sliced apples. Reaching over with a foreleg for a whisk—without getting in Fiddlestick’s way because she was just cool like that—Lightning was ready to go.
Holding the bowl in one wing and the whisk in the other, she began to mix them. It was messy. Lightning Dust mixed it quickly and thus made the mixture spill and splatter not only all over herself but all over the kitchen!
“Woah, easy partner!” Fiddlesticks stood behind Lightning in the blink of an eye. How could an earth pony be so fast on her hooves? Setting her hooves down on top of Lightning’s feathers, she brought the daredevil to a stop. “I know you like going fast, Dust, but this ain’t a race. You gotta treat the ingredients with care.”
Fiddlestick’s voice seemed to have a strange effect on Lightning. Going too fast? What was that supposed to mean? Anypony else telling Lightning that would probably be either eating dirt or getting some sort of sassy remark almost immediately. But not Fiddlesticks. Lightning found herself unwilling to shoot back a witty comment, she didn’t want to dismiss Fiddlesticks’ words and guidance. She felt compelled to listen, so she nodded her head. “Okay, yeah, how do you do it then?”
“Like this.” Fiddlesticks hooves held onto Dust’s wings gently and began to move them. “You have to treat food with respect, especially when preparing it. It’s going to nurture you so you want to show appreciation, you know?”
Lightning Dust felt as if everything was moving in slow motion around her. She was used to going fast, very fast. But then again, she was also used to being in the air. Everything in her life nowadays she did it in the air or at blinding speeds. And yet, here she was, mixing a bowl of ingredients for a pie with care while taking her time, guided by the hoof of a mare she found herself unable to look away from most of the time.
Time passed and Lightning set the bowl aside, finally done with mixing the ingredients to an approving nod from Fiddlesticks. With a little more guidance, Lightning poured the mixture into the pies with a spoon. It was far from perfect, but Fiddlesticks seemed pleased with Lightning’s work and that was all she needed.
Fiddlesticks hoofed over two more pie crusts to Dust, who looked back with a quizzical expression. “Those go on top,” she said, answering before Dust could ask her question. “Put ‘em on top, make sure they’re placed neatly and sealed, then cut some slits on it.”
“How do you want me to cut them, ‘sticks?”
“It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make, I don’t know, four slits on each crust.”
Lightning nodded her head and saluted Fiddlesticks with a wing before getting to work. As she set the crusts on top of the pies, Fiddlesticks checked the oven, making sure it was heated up to the right temperature.
“I think I’m done, ‘sticks,” Dust announced, putting down the knife after cutting the last slit on the pie before wiping her brow with a hoof. Who knew cooking could be so tiring? And all she did was cut some apples, mix some ingredients and try her darnest best not to stare at Fiddlesticks too much while she was busy with the pies. “Now what?”
Fiddlesticks trotted over to take a look. The pies looked good for the most part, the top crust was well placed and secured, the four slits Dust cut into each pie were even in length and parallel to each other. “Looks great, Dust!” Fiddlesticks chirped, smiling in a way that made Dust’s stomach flutter. Fiddlesticks took the pies and put them on a tray, taking them over to the oven, sliding them in and stepping back. “Now we wait.”
“How long?”
“Forty minutes or so for them to bake.”
Dust nodded. “Doesn’t sound that bad.”
“Then—” Fiddlesticks continued. “—we’ll have to wait an hour or two before we can eat ‘em.”
“What?” Lightning Dust’s wings flared up momentarily before she folded them back against her flanks. “That’s a long time,” she said, her stomach grumbling in agreement as if on cue. “What are we gonna do for two long hours?”
"Why don't we go outside and you show me some tricks?"
And suddenly, just like that, Lightning Dust wasn't so hungry anymore.
Lightning Dust came down from the clouds, landing and coming to a stop on her hooves right in front of Fiddlesticks, who was happily clapping her hooves together while cheering in excitement. Lightning stood there for a moment, wings flared, flanks rising and falling with heavy breathing and sweat dripping down her brow. She was tired from the trip, and now she was exhausted from the performance, but seeing Fiddlesticks smile—beam up the way she did from seeing Lightning spin, twist and turn in the air; it was hard for Lightning to tell if her heart was pounding from the physical exertion or because of the mare’s visage in front of her.
“So, how’d you like the private show, ‘sticks?” Dust said coolly, lifting her head up and running a hoof through her mane while sticking her chest out.
Fiddlesticks stopped her clapping only to answer. “Boy, did I! It was amazing, Dust! You sure can put on a show when you’re up there in the clouds!” Mirth poured out from every word that came out of Fiddlesticks’ mouth.
Lightning felt how every word revitalised her tired muscles.
“Psh, it’s nothing ‘sticks, I’m just awesome like that.” Lightning Dust flashed Fiddlesticks her most victorious smile.
Fiddlesticks giggled lightly, a sound that made Lightning’s ears twitch and stand to attention, spreading a fuzzy feeling within her. “Come on, Dust.” Fiddlesticks motioned with a hoof as she turned around. “Let’s go check on the pies.”
Sitting across from Fiddlesticks at the table, Lightning Dust chewed lightly on the slice of apple pie in her mouth. It tasted sugary, fruity and the hint of cinnamon aftertaste that tickled her mouth after she swallowed made her smile. She was sure she’d have fond memories of today.
She hoped she’d form many more memories with Fiddlesticks.
“How’s the pie?” Fiddlesticks pondered, bringing Lightning out of her daydream.
“It’s great!” Lightning chirped, licking her lips clean after wolfing down the last bite of the slice she was holding. “Can’t wait to have the rest!”
As Lightning reached for what would be her fourth slice of pie, Fiddlesticks smacked her hoof away. “Save some for tomorrow! We’ll have the leftovers for breakfast.” Fiddlesticks smirked and tilted her head slightly, meeting her gaze directly into Lightning’s. “You’ll need the energy after the show tomorrow morning.”
“The show? What show?”
“Oh, you know, the private performance you’ll put up for me tomorrow!” Fiddlesticks stated matter-of-factly. “These pies don’t come for free, you know?”
And just like that, Lightning knew that those memories she hoped for were already in the making.
“Hah! I like ya, ‘sticks! You got yourself a deal.”
