A Basket of Muffins

The path Fluttershy usually took to the trading post in Ponyville was, well, usual. Even in the break of midday, the constant growls of nature echoes from the forest. The low, chirping and humming of the woodland creatures, mostly comprising of self-sheltered birds, nocturnal owls, vicious and terrifying, dragons…

Fluttershy simply shuddered the feeling of ever encountering such frightening beasts, significantly increasing her sentiments of fear in the account of the fact that some of which originates from the ever enigmatic Everfree Forest, where it had been said that plants grow on their own, animals tend and care only for their own, and the clouds move without anypony, most obviously a pegasus, manipulating it. It was truly not a very likable place to reside, but Fluttershy had decided to dwell in its outskirts in hopes that caring for the animals that presumably lived there will vanquish the eternal sorrow that for so long has haunted the deep, dark, mysterious forest.

Fluttershy had been there so in some occasions that required here to traverse the forest, though these occasions were as dire and crucial to accomplish as the fate of Equestria depended on it. She would not dare set foot, especially on her own, on such an inauspicious location, under normal circumstances.

As she decided to dispose of her wary thoughts that have crammed her mind, she instead decided to focus on her current objective. She need a stack of carrots for the salad she was about to make, as she had promised Angel the treat for being obedient and helpful around their cottage home, for Angel doubtless knew not to irk Fluttershy at such times after her little trip to Assertiveness Training, which has somehow changed her. Fluttershy seldom knew her true capabilities, or what she was even capable of. Fortunately, controlling an utterly stubborn, impertinent and ill-tempered bunny rabbit was one of them.

“I’ll make you your special recipe since you’ve been such a nice bunny, Angel. Who’s a good boy?” Fluttershy had said before Angel started glaring daggers at her. Fluttershy knew Angel has never really relished being cuddled or played with, but his adorableness, coupled with Fluttershy’s inability to resist erupting in cheery twitches upon witnessing it, has made him feel more of a rebellious and cheeky fellow, and may have also encouraged him from staying that way, only to keep from being snuggled tightly or patted in the head several times in succession.

After a brisk short walk from her cottage to the trading post, and from her vantage point atop a hill nearest her home, Fluttershy was quite surprised with the sight of today’s business at the market. Fluttershy could see past the trading post several merchants and market workers carrying boxes of vegetable and fruits, common provisions and imports, all of which being wheeled into the market by carts, ready for vending by the many ponies that need them. In fact, here they come now. Several ponies have managed to rise early to get to the trading post ahead of others, for worry that there would not be enough of what they wanted to buy once they get there. Fluttershy was struck into awareness that she could end up being one of them if she did not tick her pace faster.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy hurriedly clambered onto the bridge that arced over the River Canter and proceeded to the market, now proliferated with several frantic cargo loaders, sellers and customers, galloping away in their daily hectic schedules as usual. It was as if every accident can be so common in such a place, but Fluttershy had no time for accidents. If they ran out of carrots before she or any other pony before her made it, then they may have to wait until afternoon for the next delivery to arrive. Who waits until afternoon for breakfast? Certainly it would not be somepony who had the maddening impatience of Angel.

The market was quite a hassle to begin with. For one, individual tents crafted into stalls were made for each  vendor, who sold their respective produce there. Everything was quite organized with such a system. It was navigating the trading post that was the arduous endeavor, as going from one stall to another was quite time-consuming and impractical.

“Oh please, let there be some…,” Fluttershy silently hoped, not seeing the obstacle currently in her trajectory “oh please oh please oh-“

Fluttershy felt slightly woozy from the impact, and before she could feel faint, her obstacle quickly snagged her body telekinetically in a nick of time before she completely collapsed on her back. The contents of her saddlebag did not entirely spill away, but the apple was a loss as it tumbled onto the dirt pavement, only to be ignorantly trampled on by passing merchants too busy to even notice it. Carefully, the stallion levitated Fluttershy in an upright position, unaware that she was now feeling quite nauseous from the incident.

“Woah there!” the stallion greeted with surprise in his tone. “Chasing parasprites?”

His terse fumbling with strangers was cute, but unwelcoming nevertheless. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy flushed in a heap of embarrassment. “I just didn’t see you there! Oh, you won’t be mad at me, won’t you? Please don’t be mad at me! Oh-“

“Chill, lady!” the stallion immediately said just in time. “Mistakes happen. Besides, it was probably my fault.”

“Oh no, please don’t take blame you don't deserve,” Fluttershy insisted.

“Just forget about it,” his tone was now lower and more calm now, but it the feeling of fright was quickly washed away by the next sentence. “And while you’re it, take your time to indulge yourself in the most finest, delicious and well-baked basket of muffins you will ever savor in your life!”

Fluttershy stared at his ephemerally, somehow attempting to comprehend the stranger’s sudden remark. Sensing her confusion, the stallion continued.

“So sorry for the immediate advertisement on such short notice, but let me introduce myself,” The stallion paused. “My name is Top Chef, and I bake the most phenomenal muffins in all of Equestria!”

Following his declaration, Fluttershy was struck with a twitch of recognition. Could it be?

“Top Chef? The most famous and foremost muffin maker from ‘Cutlass Culinary’?” Fluttershy once again blushed in discomfiture as she clasped her mouth against her hooved, noticing how loud her exclamation must have been. But now she has, in front of her, one of the most well-praised bakers of Equestria, and probably the known world. Why, she had only seen and read about him in those magazines they had laid in local spa’s lobby, where Rarity and she always went in weekends. What could a talented, famed and respected artist be doing in a small, rustic, country stateside known as Ponyville?

“Right you are, lady,” Top Chef replied with a jovial grin. “though I’m not exactly from Cutlass Culinary, but  just an advertising sponsor for the magazine.”

“Oh, what an honor!”

“The pleasure’s all mine, miss,” Top Chef delightfully said. His light brown coat went with his mane and tail, which was of a darker, even more vivid shade of brown. Somehow, his coat matched his occupational persona. He was cloaked in a white apron, which draped lowly on his belly and back, which also overlaid his double-breasted jacket. His toque however, as he was always portrayed with it in magazines and newspapers, was missing. “Now what can I get you?”

“Well, I’m not really here for any muffins,” Fluttershy said.

Wait! What was she thinking? This is Top Chef you’re talking with here. Does he not make the most undeniably delectable delicacies anypony could every enjoy in their lives, as he had said? How could you deny such an inviting and pleasant proposition?

This could be a one in a lifetime encounter, Fluttershy thought. From the looks of it, Top Chef is probably on an unannounced tour around Equestria to sample his new line of tastefully flavored variety of muffins, or maybe to retire from his occupation and instead do culinary masterpieces as freelancing this time. But whatever reason Top Chef had for being in town, Fluttershy seemed not to be the type to just barge into somepony else’s business , expecially one concerning something completely unrelated to her own.

“But, umm, I guess I could stick around and see what I like.”

“Splendid!” Top Chef enthusiastically proclaimed. “And may I suggest checking out my apple muffin repertoire as a starter.”

As Fluttershy surveyed his long row of dainty delicacies that had been meticulously lined up and displayed along the stall’s counter, in front of the tent, whilst listening to Top Chef’s continuous gabbling on his current projects and recipes, she had failed to suppress the urge to sniffle what amicable and soothing scents that had filled the surroundings of the establishment. These were the best muffins she had seen-and smelled- in her entire life. Top Chef has lived up to his reputation undoubtedly.

Fluttershy was shown his mainstream salon of his Blackberry Collection, his large pageant of rainbow muffins, each muffin having delicate streaks of every color imaginable, which also reminded Fluttershy of her fellow pegasus friend who similarly had such features on her mane and tail, and his personal favorite, his new line of magically enchanted muffins. And these were scheduled to be on sale next month! Why, of all the ponies in the world, would Top Chef show his most prestigious repertoire of handsomely baked shortbreads to her?

Fluttershy reminded herself that she could not have attracted the affection of a very important pony. She ousted that thought, and instead hypothesized he was merely making up for ‘his’ fault in the incident that occurred earlier. He could have done the same gentile, friendly offer to anypony he accidentally crashed into. Also, he’s married.

“Oh my, thank you, Mr. Chef. It’s really been fun looking through your new creations, but now I really think-” Fluttershy was just eager enough to bid farewell when Top Chef once again beckoned to her, cutting off Fluttershy’s sentence until it drowned in a whimper.

“Before you leave, why not buy a vanity basket of my originals. I employed my earliest recipe to make these, and, as simple as the recipe mat have been, they always come out quite well. I’m not willing to share the recipe though, for obvious reasons.”

Top Chef promptly invited her back into his baking tent, and by this time Fluttershy had grown tired of keeping in an imaginary prospect that somehow, Top Chef is only concerned with getting customers and making sales, and has possible developed a complete disregard for what his customers actually think of him, as he had become rather ostentatious. At this point, Fluttershy surmised that Top Chef will continue to brag about his greatest and latest culinary fabrications if she remained in his company, or hopefully until she decided to bolt away unexpectedly.

Before Fluttershy desperately decided to opt for the latter, her plan was thwarted by the sudden wave of muffin scent which blanketed the entire stall.  For some reason, the magnificent mix of mellow intricacy and rustic velvety had reminded her of all the good things in the world, particularly all the good things she had lived for here in Ponyville; her friends, her tendering to the animals… The muffins had somehow entranced her, invading her consciousness with pleasant thoughts and blithe audacity. Fluttershy closed her eyes in a savory, light embrace of muffin scent.

Fluttershy turned around slowly, taking in the flavors with utmost delight. It was only after she peeked out of her trance that she was jolted back into awareness, immediately finding herself halves of lengths in front Top Chef. Fluttershy instantly backed away in surprised and quickly buried herself in embarrassment.

“Ha ha, I see you’ve been catching breezes lately,” Top Chef chuckled, and beside him levitated the source of the hypnotizing fragrance’ a basket of bread muffins, whose appearance resembles nothing more than those of which the Sugarcube Corner produces, but the sweet, warm scent which constantly emanated from  it was so far bedazzling.

Fluttershy, having recovered from her minor hypnosis, gazed upon the basket, which Top Chef lay aloft in front of her. “Yup, this here is the best set of muffins there is, and I would be obliged for you to have it, since you’re certainly a mare worth bumping into.”

Unbeknownst to Fluttershy, she had somehow caught the affection of the most privileged and esteemed baker in all of Equestria. That may not come out as such a surprise. Who could resist the adorable pusillanimity and melodious, perpetual kindness, of which Fluttershy was known to embody? Everypony had seen firsthoof her unrivaled grace and elegance, and her kind equity to everypony she encounters, however callous they are to her.

But her? If Fluttershy had been told of such purported truth, then it would be fairly certain she would collapse of anxiety and uneasiness.

“Oohhh Wow. They smell amazing,” Fluttershy announced.

“Ha ha, of course they are!”

Top Chef began trotting briskly past her towards the front of the shop, stopping to set the basket down on a small round table that existed just a few hooflengths from her, and promptly stood beside it.

“And it’s yours for only sixteen bits!”

Fluttershy’s subtle smile immediately morphed into a dejected frown mixed with surprise and disbelief. Sixteen bits was by far the most preposterous price anypony could offer for such an unsophisticated basket of baked muffins, even more so when one realizes one basket contains an unjust amount of five muffins. How could such delicacy could be so adored and well-prepared as to deserve such a price? Why, she was not even sure sixteen bits would be worth it if she discovered that they tasted no better than the more inexpensive variants that Pinkie Pie and the Sugercube Corner offered. Awkwardly though, it did not surpass the more ridiculous proposition of spending twenty bits for a plain cherry.

It was obvious seduction was not something Fluttershy was capable of, as she had demonstrated before. She had the bits, thanks to the local vet imploring her assistances to a sudden influx of poorly animals from the surrounding parks, but she wanted to start saving again. She had to haggle, however futile the attempt might appear to him.

After a few mince efforts of bargaining a price, the baker remained adamant he was offering no less, and thankfully, no more than sixteen bits for the basket. At this point, Fluttershy was begin to mount frustration, and all the while losing her patience and trust to the baker’s delicacy. For Celestia’s sake, she represents the Element of Kindness. Does she not deserve some kind of discount or something?

“But surely a sweet, cool, baker like you could o-“

“Nope.”

Skies, she thought she had him.

Fluttershy is not one to take risks, but now it was nearing high noon, and Top Chef had been an inconsiderate cad for too long now. She simply had to sulk her losses and go back to canvasing ingredients for that salad she had to make.

“I’ll take it!” She said, dropping a small pouch that contained the exact amount of bits the baker had asked for the basket; sixteen bits.

“I knew you couldn’t resist!” Top Chef huffed proudly and, somewhat arrogantly. But he was right. The muffins smelled irresistible. But, do they taste good. Fluttershy cannot help to feel betrayed, not just by Chef, but also by herself. She had promised a bowl of nice, or…yes, nice salad for Angel, but instead blew her money on a package of muffins she wasn’t even sure worth trying. She sighed and silently hoped the scented delicacies might substitute.

Before leaving the tent, Top Chef said, "Pleasure doing business with you, miss!"

With a nod directed to him, Fluttershy turned to go home.

Fluttershy walked the dirt path back to her home, a mixture of troubled sense and guilt in her emotions. She can only hope Angel doesn’t overturn a bowl onto her head or simply cause rage-fueled havoc.

As luck would have it, her wish was not granted.

“I’m so, so sorry Angel,” Fluttershy has been apologizing for more than two minutes now. “It’s just, these muffins smell so good, and they probably taste good to, and they could be so much more delicious than any other salad I would make for you.”

Angel’s eyes widened after that declamation. Enough was enough for him. He hurriedly overturned a bowl onto her head, and a soft yet dull clang followed. Another erratic tantrum ensued that involved throwing out Fluttershy. Again. Through the chimney.

After about five minutes of waiting for the chaos to disperse slowly in the atmosphere, and once she was certain Angel was not in sight, Fluttershy creaked into her humble abode, taking precautionary glances left and right, as she approached a vase that has been knocked down as a result of the events that had just occurred. Fluttershy, with a dejected expression, settled the vase in an upright position once more. She surveyed the rest of her home for any more damages or things otherwise misplaced, and mercifully everything else seems to be in proper order. Even the basket of muffins that had been the sole cause of the day’s events was there on the wooden hickory coffee table, left untouched. Fluttershy mentally counted the amount of muffins in the basket. Five, exactly. Perhaps Angel was still too mad to try anything else, so there they were.

Fluttershy mused as she took a muffin from the basket. Was all this worth it? She asked herself. She was angry at herself for asking the question too many times now. If you couldn’t see the consequences of risks, what the point in taking them?

The witty outtakes had been enough. There was nothing else to be done about it now. Even if she went on and on about how anything about the basket was not worth it, she couldn’t simply trek all the way back to the market simply for a refund she obviously won’t be receiving. Fluttershy lifted a muffin and gently bit towards a quarter of it.

What ensued was a burst of flavor, of ardent passion and a consuming glitter of sweet and crumbly that tickled every bud of her tongue. It was the most magnificent thing she had ever tasted and eaten, way better than she had even hoped for. Oh, this surely was worth it, she thought as she munched quicker and gobbled up the entire muffin in less than twenty seconds. She was so entranced by the muffin, that a sensation similar to getting high felt up onto her, and lasted quite a long time in her senses.

Of course, she had not suspected that the muffins were enchanted so that anypony who ate them would taste something that suited their tastes. As for Fluttershy, her taste of nature’s bliss and her care for animals all in one muffin made them irresistible, at least, to her.

This form of enchantment required a good amount of magical know-how, as such the spell used is quite uncommon and difficult to learn, and for sure one would not expect a random and famous pastry chef to wield such knowledge. This form of magic required the arcane expertise of someone similar to the status of Twilight Sparkle, the famed wielder of the Element of Magic. Then again…

Top Chef was not exactly just a chef, is he?

Apparently, the question did not pop to Fluttershy’s head as she continued to devour the succeeding muffin, and the same, yet stronger, sensation of pleasure in the form of flavor crept in faster. The effectively of the flavor’s influence seemed to grow stronger as more of it is consumed. Fluttershy downed the third muffin, swiftly but savoring every munch it had to offer. At this point, she had no intention of sharing the treat as a few of her woodland creature friends came into the cottage,  partially curious of the welcoming scent the basket of muffins brought and partially seduced by it, making their mouths water. Fluttershy, however, ignored them and came to the fourth muffin.

Little did she know that how much she ate, is how much she craved for more. Possibly a side effect of the spell casted onto the delicacies, but it mattered not for Fluttershy, who was now down to the last muffin.

Fluttershy gave a light burp and licked her teeth, amazed at what she just had; the best muffins in the world. She continued to savor what was left of the flavor still trapped in her taste muds, until an odd, tingling feeling crept inside her. She wanted more. She wanted the heavenly flavor and taste back into her senses again. But alas, the fifth and last muffin was gone.

Then she remembered the chef who made them. It’s still a little past midday, so Top Chef is bound to be still at the market, no doubt enticing other oblivious and naïve passer-bys into his stall. That meant he still had more of them somewhere, in his stash.

But first, she needed bits for them. Though it may look foolish to spend another sixteen bits on something as superfluous as them, right now Fluttershy could not hold back the wants. She paced briefly around her living room, thinking on how she should tackle the situation. The came to her mind the piggy bank she had since she was just a little foal. She had not deposited anything in it since last year, but she remembered her last deposit was quite a lot.

She went upstairs and trotted over to her bedroom closet to retrieve the bit bank, only to find that the only way to get the bits inside is opening a small hatch on the belly of the pig or by smashing the thing to pieces. Fluttershy, who had since lost the key to the piggy bank, opted for the latter with a hint of regret. Her mother bought the piggy bank for her.

The ceramic made a loud echoing sound similar to breaking glass as it met the floor with enough force to it into two halves and several other pieces. Fluttershy moved to salvage what she could. She felt rather pathetic for doing this, but what’s done is done.

After a quick tidy-up, she piled the bits in a stack on her bedside table and proceeded to count.

Sixteen bits. Exactly.

“Just enough,” Fluttershy silently said. Without another word, she gathered the bits and trotted off to the market.