Greetings again, friends! Another week, another chapter.

I have seen your desires, and taken them into account. A lot of the reason I only post once a week is because it usually takes that long to write a chapter. You know, life and stuff. But as the story gets into what I consider the "meat" of the story, I might get production up. Just stick with me, please!

And no, I don't believe in sparkling vampires. They just sound too conspicuous. And just to put it out there, I did indeed read the entire Twilight series. Mainly because of an ex-girlfriend, mainly because I hate leaving book series unfinished. Sparkling vampires just isn't my thing. I prefer my bloodsuckers to be a little more... well, you'll see. :D

Enough blathering from me. Into the chapter!

Chapter 26: Sweet Belief

"She made it through the preliminaries!"

Ace raised his head from his bed as Scootaloo came running into the room, stopping just short of the bed he was sharing with Rainbow Dash. The rainbow haired athlete grumbled and rolled over onto her other side. "Who did what now?" He asked while rubbing at his eyes. He was still groggy, and Scootaloo's excitement wasn't helping matters.

"Sherry! She made top ten in the second group!" Scootaloo was extremely happy for her friend, which was obvious. Sherry had come in seventh in the first round, and then third in the second. With a small chuckle, Ace reached out and tousled her hair.

"Well, that's good for her. Are they doing the second round yet?"

"I think they're doing it today, so we should find out soon."

"Well, considering how good that girl is at baking, she should make it for sure."

"Yeah! Oh, the girls wanted to know if we could check out the city today!"

She seemed pretty eager, and Ace couldn't find it in himself to say no. "Well, let me get up and take a shower first."

"Okay, but hurry up!" Scootaloo dashed back out into the hallway.

Rainbow rolled back over and looked up at Ace with her rose colored eyes. "She's excited."

"Her friend made the top ten," Ace pointed out. "Even Sherry was shocked."

His girlfriend chuckled. "Yeah, she almost had a panic attack! So, she's gotta actually cook something now?"

"From what Tyr said, yeah. Jeez. It's crazy when you think about it. That girl is in the top ten of five hundred people."

"I guess it's a big deal," Rainbow muttered, rolling onto her back. Ace rolled his eyes and got up out of the bed. The hotel room was pretty comfortable, and spending two days so far in it had been pretty swag. Plus, they were on a different floor than the others, so when Scootaloo was out… He chuckled and gathered up his clothes and went into the bathroom. A slow smile crossed her face as an idea came to her. "Want me to join you in there?"

"I doubt we'd actually get clean, Dashie," Ace remarked with a laugh. "Plus, you know how quickly Scootaloo gets impatient."

"Yeah…"

"Reminds me of you sometimes."

"Oh, shut up!"

She could hear him chuckling as the shower came on. She rolled her eyes and sat up herself, glancing out the window. She had never been a fan of big cities, as there wasn't a lot of room for flying. And unless you lived high up, it was difficult to see the sky. She sighed. Although she had her wings, there wasn't a lot of desire to fly in a place like this. The sky over a city was hardly as clear as it would be over a small town. Maybe if she went high enough, it wouldn't be so bothersome. Her train of thought went on for some time before she heard the shower shut off and the bathroom door open. "That was a quick shower."

"That's cause you weren't in there with me," Ace retorted, earning a chuckle from the girl at the window. She turned and froze on the spot, a gasp escaping her lips. Ace's smile gave way to a frown. "…what?"

"Your… your hair…?"

Ace frowned and went into the bathroom to look at his reflection. His hair was now snow white, much like his sister's. Instead of being confused or surprised, he simply laughed. "Aw, man. I totally forgot."

"Forgot…? Forgot what?" Rainbow came over to him to stand beside him.

"This is my natural hair color," Ace explained. "I dyed it because having white hair and red eyes used to scare people away. Guess after all this time not reapplying it, it washed out."

"White hair, huh…?" She reached up to run her fingers through it. "I… kinda like it."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I don't think its creepy at all. And if anyone says otherwise, I'll give them a piece of my mind."

That got a chuckle from her boyfriend, and he pulled her to him. He kissed her gently. "Thanks, Dashie."

"I'm always on your side, Ace."

He smiled back at her before glancing at the clock. "I should be getting dressed. Scoots will probably be running back in here in a minute."

"Yeah, I kinda need to use the bathroom anyway." She shoved him out. "So get going!"

"Jeez, I'm going, I'm going." He sounded upset, but was grinning the whole time. Rainbow watched him get dressed, and once he was finished she smiled.

"Have fun."

"Catch up with you later?"

She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a passionate kiss. When she finally let go, his grin was even bigger. "You know it."

Ace picked up his bag and went to the door. "Love ya, babe!"

He left, Rainbow smiling softly as he did so. "Love you too."

She turned back to the mirror, taking a moment to brush her rainbow colored hair out of her face. She loved how close Ace and Scootaloo were getting, and after the adoption they had grown even closer. To be honest, she did miss having the girl following her every move, but not that respect and admiration Scootaloo had for her had become something more akin to love for a sister or a… mother. Rainbow frowned. She wasn't completely sure if she was ready for that yet, but if she was marrying Ace, it was inevitable. Although she'd never reconsider the marriage. Never. So maybe Momma Dash wasn't such a bad thing to look forward to? She chuckled and picked up the rainbow colored bag sitting on the bathroom counter. "I guess I better get going myself."

-x-

"Um… Rarity?" Sherry managed to speak up finally, her shock and confusion finally giving way so that she could finally say something. Rarity had come into the room she and her family shared, and now was going all out with dressing her up. "Is all of this… necessary?"

"Of course it's necessary, dear!" Rarity said with a wide smile. "You have to look your best in a competition like this!"

"But… I'd hate to get this all dirty…" Sherry looked down at the bright pink dress Rarity was dressing her up in. It was ankle length number that flowed slightly along the hem. She wished she wasn't going to go cook in it.

"Worry not, darling."

Tyr chuckled softly, seated on a bed nearby and gently stroking Luna's hair as she lay in his lap. Chrys was behind him, arms draped over his shoulders. "You can't keep yourself from doing stuff like this, can you Rarity?"

"I spare no expense for fashion," Rarity said defensively.

"Such a strange compulsion," Chrys said. "I see no reason in superfluous accessories."

"They add to the ensemble," the fashionista said, pinning Sherry's hair away from her face with an opal hairpin. Rarity smiled softly. "And plus… this is really the only way I can help."

"Rarity…" Luna murmured softly.

"I don't know, sometimes I simply feel like I'm not doing enough for my friends. So when I can do something, I do it."

"Believe me," Tyr said with a soft chuckle. "You've helped out a lot."

Rarity smiled. "Thank you, darling. Now, let me finish this, Sherry."

Sherry smiled. "Okay."

"Sherry!" Scootaloo's voice came from the hallway. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what, darling?" Rarity asked, confused.

"Sherry and her friends wished to see the city before the second stage," Chrys remarked, releasing Tyr. "Ace and I agreed to go with them."

"Oh, that's right. I remember Sweetie Bell asking to go with them."

"She didn't ask you?" Tyr asked, a bit surprised.

Rarity chuckled. "She did, but I have a bit of business to attend to."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Business? You have clients here?"

There was a sparkle in the seamstress's eyes. "Not yet. Why do you think I brought all those bags?"

Tyr rolled his eyes. He could do nothing but respect the aggressive business sense that Rarity had, although at times it could be a little off putting. But in the end, Tyr owed Rarity quite a bit. Half of the clothes he wore now where made by her, after all. "Sherry, go on. We don't want Scootaloo to try breaking down the door."

Sherry giggled. "Yeah, she might at least try."

Chrys and Sherry went over to the door, opening it to find Ace and Scootaloo standing there. Everyone paused at seeing Ace's new hair color. "Well… that's unexpected," Luna murmured.

"Yeah, this is my natural hair color," Ace said. "I got it from my mom."

"Oh my," Rarity murmured. "You look… quite dashing, Ace."

Ace blinked. "…Really? You're not creeped out or anything?"

"It may be because we met your sister," Tyr pointed out, "But it really isn't that creepy."

"Oh, it goes so well with Rainbow Dash!" Rarity said suddenly.

Chrys frowned. "I fail to see how you figure that, Rarity."

"Think about it. Pure white light is a combination of all colors, is it not?" Rarity looked extremely excited. "Oh… this inspires me! I. Must. CREATE!"

She dashed out of the room, almost knocking over Ace in the process. They all sat in silence for a moment. "I believe she is a perfect match for Pinkie Pie," Chrys said suddenly.

Tyr frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Because both she and Pinkie make no sense." The others laughed at that. Chrys and Sherry joined the two in the hall way and they moved to get the last members of their group. Sherry and Scootaloo ran ahead a little bit, laughing and talking as they went. Chrys glanced over at her erstwhile companion, seeing that his gaze was focused on the violet haired young girl.

"So you finally broke away from Rainbow Dash?" Chrys asked suddenly, getting Ace's attention. Her comment got a chuckle from the white-haired knight.

"Well, had to sometime. I have an eager daughter who won't slow down." Ace grinned. "What, you keeping tabs on us?"

"I haven't required as much affection from my Master due to all the couples in the building," Chrys replied honestly. "And you and Rainbow Dash… you two are quite in love, no?"

Ace chuckled. "Yeah, we are. I love her to death. And now we have Scootaloo…"

"Well, I wish you well."

That made Ace pause. He glanced over at the Changeling, a small frown on his face. She wasn't looking at him, instead her viridian eyes were focused on Sherry. A smile was growing on her as she watched the two girls interact. Ace spoke up. "You've changed, Chrys."

"What?" Chrys turned to him, a frown crossing her face. "What do you mean?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, but… you've changed a lot from the Queen who tried to take over Equestria. You're a lot gentler than when we first met, and to be honest… it's kinda cool hanging out with you."

Chrys stared at him with pure shock on her face. "…You… you don't mind being around me?"

"Not at all." He grinned and pulled her into a one armed hug. "I like you, Chrys. Sure, you're awkward sometimes, but I was too when I first started making friends."

Chrys didn't immediately know how to react. Ace was friendly, and she couldn't complain about his personality. And… besides Tyr, Luna and Sherry, Ace was one of the first people to truly call her a friend. And he didn't hesitate to show it either. "So… you really do think I'm a friend?"

"Yeah, I do. That bother you?"

"Not at all. What does bother me…" She gently pushed him off. "It will be some time before I accept physical affection from anyone but my Master."

Ace blinked, and then chuckled. "My bad. Sorry."

"It's quite alright. I find that Equestrians on the whole are an affectionate race."

They made it down to the lobby, finding Sherry and Scootaloo meeting up with Applebloom and Sweetie Bell. The four girls turned to them expectantly. "Can we go now?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"It's only a couple a hours until Sherry has to go," Applebloom agreed.

"So where are we going, girls?" Ace asked, kneeling down to be on their level. "You got to remember, only Tyr is really familiar with this place."

"Not true," Chrys said softly. "I know my way around."

"You do?" Scootaloo asked, surprised.

"I used to… live here," Chrys continued, looking out the window. Ace wanted to ask why she sounded so upset about it, but decided against it.

"Then Chrys can show us around!" Sweetie Bell said.

Chrys had suddenly become distant and cold, and Ace frowned. "…Let's get going girls."

With a chorus of agreement, they left the hotel. As their first time in a human city, the four young girls stopped to look at everything, excitement pouring off of them. Ace was amused to watch them, but the quietness of his companion was beginning to throw him off. While the girls were admiring a set of dresses in a window, he moved over beside Chrys. "You alright?"

"No, I am not," Chrys said harshly. Ace was a bit taken aback by the sharp tone she now had. Her demeanor had soured ever since they left the hotel, and there was no indication why. He decided to ask.

"What's eating at you?"

"Nothing whatsoever."

"You're a worse liar than Applejack. Tell me what's up."

Chrys fixed him with a dark gaze. "You really want to know?"

"I'm your friend, aren't I?" Ace gave her a small smile. Chrys kept her gaze hard for a moment before finally relenting and turning away.

"Will you think less of me if I tell you?"

"If it's in the past, it's in the past. I just want to know what's wrong."

"Hey, can we go in and look?" Sweetie Bell asked, coming over to them.

"Bleh!" Scootaloo made a face. "I don't wanna go look at dresses!"

"They have other kinds of clothes in there," Sherry pointed out.

"Ugh, fine."

Ace chuckled. "Alright girls, but don't expect me to buy anything."

"Yay!" The girls cheered and rushed into the store. Chrys and Ace followed, but stopped in a secluded part of the store.

"So," Ace said, leaning against the wall. "Talk to me."

"I was on my own after the Merge," Chrys said after a long moment. "None of my fellow Changelings survived, and I was left to survive on my own. I had to find any means to survive… even some that I am now ashamed of. Many of those things I wish I had never done."

"…I won't ask what you did," Ace said, getting a confused glance from Chrys. "Not saying I'm not curious, but you obviously want to leave it in the past. So that's where we'll keep it. In the past. We all have things we regret, Chrys. It's how we move on from it that changes things."

Chrys's eyes narrowed, but it was more from contemplation than irritation. "You… you are speaking from experience."

Ace nodded. "We all have things in our past that we regret. But…" He glanced over at the four girls. They were laughing at Sweetie Bell, who was imitating Rarity in an over the top flashy dress. Ace dropped his voice to a low whisper, introspective. "We experience it so that they don't have to."

"I… suppose you're right. Then I should brighten up, should I not?" She smiled softly.

"Yeah, that's better. Don't want the girls to worry." He smiled. "Let's go make sure those girls aren't getting in trouble."

Chrys nodded and followed him into the store. Surprisingly, the girls had managed to keep themselves out of any kind of trouble, and were instead playing around trying out clothes. Ace noticed the Changeling beside him was doing her best to seem at least somewhat happy. Well, that was the best he could truly ask for, he figured. Chrys was naturally cynical, and only time and friendship could change that. At least now she was taking the first steps.

After two hours of wandering the city and browsing the various shops, it was time for Sherry to get back to the competition hall. The little group entered the building to find a number of cooking stations all along the main floor with little name cards at each one. Always the curious one, Scootaloo went over to one. "Hey, this one has your name on it," She said, pointing at the card. The other girls came over and confirmed it; Sherry's name was written on the card.

"I guess you have to do all your baking and whatnot here," Ace said thoughtfully. "All sorts of stuff here, too."

"It's like a mini kitchen!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"Uh huh…" Sherry murmured, looking at the station. Chrys glanced over at the pink haired girl. Sherry was again messing with the cube with a distant look on her face. She was worried.

"Come here," Chrys said suddenly, pulling Sherry away.

"Huh…? Hey, Chrys…!"

She stopped a short distance away and knelt in front of Sherry. "Why are you nervous?"

Sherry looked away. "I… maybe I shouldn't be here… All these other people are like, trained bakers…"

"Stop that," Chrys said harshly. "I will not stand here and let you doubt yourself."

"C-Chrys…?"

"I have watched you for some time now, Sherry. You are very good at what you do, and you love what you do. All you need to do is be yourself." She gave her a small smile. To be perfectly honest, she didn't know why she had suddenly gotten upset. Regardless, she felt the need to reassure the young girl. "Just do your best."

Sherry stared at her for a long moment. "I… right. Thank you, Chrys. You're… you're the best sister a girl could ask for."

The girl hugged the Changeling then, squeezing her tightly before going back over to her friends. She missed the extremely dumbfounded look on Chrys's face as she walked away. It wasn't until Tyr and Luna came up beside her that she finally snapped out of her shock. "You alright, Chrys?" Tyr asked, a little concerned.

"I… I believe I am alright, Master." Chrys straightened up. "I was simply giving Sherry some words of encouragement."

"That's kind of you," Luna pointed out, a smile on her face.

"Yes, well, let us go to the viewing area, shall we?" Chrys walked past them briskly, trying to keep her face as impassive as possible. It was a lot more difficult than she believed. Tyr and Luna followed after. They found the rest of their friends waiting in the viewing area, which was bleacher like seats along the walls.

"It's time for the second stage, ladies and gentlemen," An announcer came up to the front of the crowd carrying a microphone. "Each of our top ten finalists will prepare a dish using the ingredients provided. The top three will move on to the next round. They will have several hours to make whatever they want. That time starts… now!"

-x-

"Third place!" Sweetie Bell exclaimed. They were back in the hotel lobby, with an understandably excited group of kids. "I can't believe it, you're going to the next round!"

"She was awesome down there!" Pinkie exclaimed. "She was almost like a machine! You're not a machine, are you Sherry? Cause that would be even more awesome! A baking machine that's not a oven, or a—"

"That's enough, Pinkie dear," Rarity said. "I'm pretty sure Sherry herself is a bit overwhelmed by this herself!"

"I'm just… Surprised, is all," Sherry murmured. "I didn't think I'd get this far…"

"Now all that's left to do is go for the win!" Rainbow said, grinning widely.

"I still believe that as long as Sherry does her best, it will be alright," Luna said. "We don't need to pressure her into winning or anything like that."

Tyr glanced over at his daughter. She was smiling up at him. "Thanks for believing in me, dad."

"I told you, I'm always going to be here for you," He replied, leaning down to kiss her hair. The affectionate gesture got a giggle out of her.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be really cool if she won?" Scootaloo had picked up on the same idea as Rainbow Dash, and her excitement was just as great. "I mean, she'd get all that money, AND be super famous!"

"It would be really really super-duper-licious awesome!" Pinkie squealed.

"Pinkie, are those even words?" Twilight asked. Pinkie simply giggled.

"They are in my dictionary!"

Scootaloo and Applebloom snickered at that. Sweetie Bell shot them a dirty look, which only caused them to laugh louder. Sherry found herself smiling as well, until a sound caught her attention.

~Help~

She froze. It was the same voice as the last time, just as faint and soft as last time. She looked around slowly, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Yet again, no one had acted like they had heard the voice. Only Sherry had heard it. A shiver ran down her spine. Suddenly, a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. It was Fluttershy, a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright, Sherry?" She asked, the concern apparent in her voice.

"She looks like she saw a ghost," Flash pointed out.

"Are you okay, darling?" Rarity asked.

Applejack spoke up. "I reckon she's just tired. It's been a long day for her, hadn't it?"

"You tired, Sherry?" Tyr asked softly, looking into his daughter's eyes. She nodded slowly.

"Y-yeah… I guess the shock of today caught up to me, huh?" She chuckled weakly. "I'll just… head on up to our room and rest."

"Alright love. Sleep tight."

Sherry got up and headed to the elevator. She didn't want anyone to be worried about her, but this was the second time she had heard this voice in as many days. It was making her worry, and that was not something she needed right now. As she climbed into the elevator, she noticed a young girl and a couple boys already in there. She didn't know why, but the girl seemed familiar. "Um… excuse me," She murmured, sliding into the elevator.

The doors closed. The elevator had started moving before someone else spoke. It was the girl, a tall, skinny brunette with fierce gold eyes. "…You're that Equestrian girl, aren't you?"

Sherry looked over at her. All of the occupants of the elevator were looking at her now. "Um… have we met?"

"I'm Jeanine," The girl said. "I came in fifth place today."

That explained why Sherry recognized her. The field for the competition had been cut from ten to five today, with the top five moving on to the semi-finals. After that, the top two would go on to the final round. She frowned a bit at that revelation. "Oh, I remember now. Did you… did you want something?"

"Just wondering how I lost to an Equestrian."

The words were spoken with such vehemence that Sherry froze in surprise. "Uh… what?"

"You may have placed higher than me today, Equestrian, but you won't tomorrow." Jeanine smirked. "I saw those tarts you made. You really think you're going to win with stuff like that?"

"I was… just doing my best," Sherry said defensively. "I've made those tarts a dozen times before and people liked them."

"The judges aren't looking for things that people will like, they're looking for stuff that will wow them. Remember what Uriel made?"

"That big cake with all the trimmings and stuff? It did look impressive…"

"He's going to win for sure," The girl said confidently. "But… I would rather I was the person coming in second."

The boys crowded closer, and suddenly the elevator felt way too small. Sherry backed into a corner, feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. However, it was short lived, relief flowing through her as the elevator doors slid open. "Oh, my, is there no room?" Celestia asked, frowning.

"I was just getting off," Sherry said hurriedly, getting out of the elevator and walking past the princess of the sun. She was surprised to see Chrys standing behind her, a barely disguised look of amusement on her face. "Chrys? How did you—"

"Go get some rest, Sherry," Chrys said with a mischievous smile. "I was on my way back down."

Celestia and Chrys got onto the elevator alongside Jeanine and her boys, the doors closing just as the girl in question realized the situation she was in.

-x-

"That's it, participants!" The announcer declared. "Step away from your plates!"

Sherry let out a deep breath and backed away. In front of her were four identical plates with slices of vanilla cream cake, topped with strawberries and glazed with oranges. She felt good about the cake, despite it being a recipe she had looked up the night before instead of her own creation. She glanced over to see Uriel putting just a couple finishing touches on a chocolate mousse. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought that Pinkie Pie was probably drooling at the mouth due to all the tasty treats. The boy, however, did not look as excited as Sherry was. He was looking at his creation like he had no pride in it, no joy.

"We will not have our usual panel of judges come out to judge today's creations," the announcer said. "Unfortunately, one of our judges could not make it today, so we have a substitute filling in for him. She is a certified professional baker, and a sweet savant. I'd like to introduce you all to Passion Bellatrix Striate!"

"Passion?" Sherry murmured, dumbfounded. Sure enough, the red and white haired girl came bouncing out alongside the other two judges, a bright smile on her face. They took seats at the judge's table.

"Oh, hi Sherry!" Passion said cheerily.

"How is this girl going to be a fair judge?" A boy behind Sherry asked.

"Bring yours up here," One of the other judges said. The boy picked up his plates of hot chocolate pudding and set one in front of Passion. The girl took a spoon and quickly took a small sip.

"Well? Best pudding you've ever tasted, huh?" The boy smiled triumphantly.

"This is done all wrong," Passion said, frowning. Her usual cheerful demeanor was gone, and her voice had taken a serious tone to it. "I see what you were going for, but the texture is all wrong. It's rough to the tongue, and the chocolate you used is way too heavy for this sort of thing. It's too thick, and weighs down on you."

The boy was dumbfounded. "What…? But you… you only took one taste…"

"You don't just walk up to a Striate with any kind of chocolate," Passion said with a smirk. "It better be the highest quality or don't bring it at all."

The other participants came forward, only to have their creations picked apart primarily by Passion. Jeanine seemed a bit more upset than the rest, getting more vocal until Passion told her that complaining never made anyone a better baker. She shut her mouth and wandered back to her station. "Well, at least I'm sure I did better than you," She murmured, passing by Sherry. The pink haired girl swallowed heavily. Uriel was called next, and Passion looked surprised upon eating his baked treat.

"Oh, this is really good!" Passion said excitedly. "Although… It just feels like something is missing. Can't put my finger on it, but it's something."

"What is missing?" The boy spoke up then, his voice quiet.

"I… I dunno." Passion shrugged. "I just feel something is missing."

"If you can't tell me what it is, it can't be important." Uriel said that, and turned on his heel to walk back to his place. Passion was left with a dumbfounded look on her face. She recovered quickly.

"Come on up, Sherry!" Passion said, motioning her over. With no other choice, Sherry took her cake up to the table. Passion eyed it with a smile. "Not chocolate?"

"I didn't know you'd be here, or that you liked it…"

"It's fine, silly! I'm just teasing!" Passion eagerly took a bite of cake. Sherry watched in a nervous silence as the girl chewed, and chewed, and chewed… and then swallowed. Sherry felt a chill roll down her spine as Passion frowned up at her. "You… used a recipe, didn't you?"

"I… found one that I wanted to do last night…"

"Oh." Passion sounded disappointed. "I had heard you liked to invent things on the fly. I was hoping you'd do that today. What happened?"

Sherry frowned and glanced behind her. Jeanine had a smug smirk on her face. "I just… I don't know."

"Well, you're lucky you've still got practical knowledge. Otherwise, I'd have to eliminate you." The matter-of-factness she spoke with froze Sherry with fear. She swallowed hard. The realization that such a simple mistake like not sticking to her usual way of cooking could have caused her to get kicked out of the competition frightened her.

The other judges nodded. "Uriel clearly has the grasp of wrote baking much better than you. Although he was professionally trained, you do have potential."

"You make it sound like you've made a decision on who's going to the final," Passion joked.

"I believe we do, mainly in part of your enlightening observations," The other judge said, nodding. "It seems to me that only Uriel and Sherry are worthy enough to move on to the last round."

There were a few startled gasps. Even Sherry found herself dumbfounded, as she had expected to be kicked out. But no, instead she was going on to the final? Wild cheering erupted from her friends and family behind her as they all celebrated her accomplishment. She turned back to look at Uriel, whose neutral expression had never wavered. However, now he was looking at her. Looking at her with an almost undisguisable look of frustration. She was in the way. His way. She faltered a bit, and then stared back with determination. She had come too far to lose now. Especially to someone who didn't even look like he enjoyed baking! The cube around her neck glowed softly, as if it approved.

"Well, I suppose we don't need to wait much longer!" The announcer suddenly said. All eyes went to him. "I've just received word that the final stage has been completed! And I say, what a better time to settle this final match than right now!?"

Sherry was stunned. Sure, she did want to finish the competition, but so soon? She barely had a chance to contemplate it when Uriel spoke. "…That's fine."

"Then it's fine with me too," Sherry said after a moment of thought.

"Each of you need to have a team of three others to help you," The announcer said. "You will be making a masterpiece, after all."

"That is no problem at all!" Uriel's parents suddenly appeared. Three white-clad men in chef's outfits arrayed themselves behind the young man. "Our dear Uriel will have none but the best!"

Sherry frowned. "Well… I'll just get my friends… where's Sweetie Bell?"

"Rarity went an dragged her off to do something or other," Applebloom said as she and Scootaloo came down.

"Are you sure you want us?" Scootaloo asked, a bit unsure. "I know Applebloom learned how to make stuff from her sis, but I'm not exactly a good cook myself…"

Sherry giggled. "You just have to follow my lead, and do what I tell you. You should be good at that because of Ace and Dash, right?"

"Yeah… hey!"

The girls giggled at that. As she recovered from her own joke, a shadow fell over them. Sherry looked up to find Chrys standing over her. "I would like to help, in her absence," Chrys said softly.

"Yeah, she should help!" Applebloom agreed. "She's like really tall!"

Chrys frowned. "I never really thought that hard about my height…"

"You're only shorter than dad," Sherry pointed out.

"I do believe Fluttershy is close to my height as well?"

The Announcer cleared his throat. "Well, if you have found your assistants, please follow me to the next hall."

The Announcer and the judges headed out, followed closely by Uriel and his team, plus his parents. Sherry and everyone else followed soon after. The next hall was set up with two large areas with large tables, giant ovens, and square feet of preparation space. It was any baker's dream kitchen. "Whoa…!" Pinkie breathed. "This. Is. AWESOME!"

"Try not to cause a scene, Pinkie," Twilight warned. "We don't want to get kicked out or anything like that."

"But this is so cool! We don't have ovens like that at SCC!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Uh… begging your pardon?"

"Sugar Cube Corner," Tyr said without missing a beat. "Sherry refers to it like that on occasion."

"Leave it to the Pink team," Rainbow said with a shake of her head.

"Hah! Pink team!" Pinkie giggled. "Sherry will love that!"

"Please quiet down," Twilight said. "They're getting ready to start."

"Each of the finalists will have several hours to work on this last masterpiece," the announcer was saying. "Once time expires, they will have their work examined one last time. You are allowed to use any ingredient you see, in as much quantities as you would like. The only restrictions are you are not allowed to use magic of any kind."

"Fair," Chrys murmured.

"Last but not least, you will need to impress the panel. Good luck! And your time starts… NOW!"

The two teams sprang into action, Uriel giving his three cooks quick and concise orders from off a written recipe. On the other side, Sherry took a moment to gather her thoughts. She had no idea what to make, and every second standing there thinking was a second that could have been spent preparing. Her friends stood before her, waiting expectantly. "What do we make?" Applebloom asked.

"I… I know. We can make a tier cake."

"A tear cake?" Scootaloo frowned. "Why would we make a crying cake?"

"No dummy," Applebloom snapped. "A tier cake. Like, multiple levels and stuff?"

"Oh… that makes more sense."

"We should get started soon," Chrys murmured. "It seems that boy has already begun."

Sherry glanced over to see Uriel already setting a number of pans aside for his chefs to start prepping to cook. Whatever he was planning to make, it was going to be elaborate. And take a lot of chocolate. "L-let's not fall behind!"

Her teammates agreed, and they all went off to begin their work. The prep stage hardly took much time, and the first layer of the cake was readied without incident. But as time wore on, they were forced into proximity, and that's where the issues began to rise.

"Hey, watch it!" Scootaloo snapped, barely avoiding Applebloom. The pan she carried that would make up the second layer of their cake tipped slightly as she adjusted her path.

"Watch it yer self," the farm-girl snapped back, scowling. "Y'all are the one that needs to watch where the heck she's goin!"

"Yeah, and I'm not the one—" Scootaloo didn't get much further than that, as she walked right into Chrys's back. The Changeling had been in the middle of preparing a bowl of batter, and the bump from behind caused her to stumble forward, pushing the bowl off onto the floor. It spilled. Off balance, the pan of batter slid out of Scootaloo's hands, smacked into the side of a counter, and spun to the floor, scattering the contents against the counter in question and onto the floor. Sherry, turning to see what had happened, slipped in the growing puddle of cake batter and fell, reaching out for the only thing close to her—Applebloom. In one glorious moment, everything had gone wrong. If you had asked a bystander what they had witnessed, they would have told you they saw three young girls getting messy because of one slip up. If you had asked Pinkie Pie, she would have told you it was poetry in motion.

And the funniest thing she had seen all day.

"How in the world did you manage this?" Chrys asked, completely confused. The three batter-covered girls on the floor simply looked at each other. They sat in silence for a long time before Applebloom and Scootaloo broke out in grins.

"Tree sap," They both said, and fell out laughing.

"W-what?" Sherry looked dumbfounded. Everything had just fallen apart, and now they were laughing? It seemed Chrys could feel her confusion as well, a frown creasing her face.

"Why on earth are you two laughing?"

"It's just, too weird!" Scootaloo said between laughs.

"Yeah," Applebloom agreed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Back home, all the stuff we used to do to try and get our Cutie Marks usually ended up with us covered in tree sap and all sticky."

"Guess we can't get away from it even if we already got our marks," Scootaloo chuckled.

Applebloom turned to Sherry. She looked apologetic. "Sorry if we screwed up your chance to win, Sherry. We didn't mean ta."

"It's alright," Sherry said, shaking her head. She smiled. "We at least tried. That's what matters, right?"

"Hey!" Sweetie Bell came running over, some cloth folded in her arms. "Don't tell me its over!"

"Not exactly. There's about half of the time left…" Chrys said, frown deepening. She sighed, and let her gaze soften. "Well, in a sense. We have… sabotaged ourselves, it would seem."

Sweetie Bell raised an eyebrow at the girls. "…Tree sap?"

"You know it!" Scootaloo grinned.

"Well, I kinda wish I had gotten this to you earlier, but… here." Sweetie Bell held out the folded cloth. "I had Rarity help me make it."

"I don't think a towel is gonna help all that much," Applebloom pointed out.

"It's not a towel, it's a—

"An apron," Sherry said, unfolding it. It was a plain white, but it was the front of it that caught her attention. Arrayed all over the front were the Cutie Marks of all of her friends, from the CMC to Twilight and her friends. Emblazoned in the center, however, where the Marks of her father and Luna, plus a green emerald shape that must have stood in for Chrysalis. They were concentrated on the right side of it, where they would be over her heart. "Sweetie… this is…"

"I had the idea to make you something so you'd remember us all while you baked," Sweetie Bell said, smiling. "That no matter how alone you felt, we were all with you!"

"Sweetie Bell, this is… wonderful. It means so much to me that you would do this…" Sherry suddenly froze, the cube around her neck glowing with its violet light. "That's it!"

"Huh? What's it?"

"As your sister would say, I-DE-A!" Sherry grinned. She jumped to her feet, quickly tying the apron around her. "Ever heard of the saying 'greater than the sum of its parts'?"

"I think I heard Twilight saying that once…" Applebloom said.

"I have an idea," Sherry said. "We're not out of this yet."

"What do you propose we do?" Chrys asked, genuinely interested. The sudden surge of emotion from Sherry was startling to be sure, but she felt… different. As if she was getting into her element. The Changeling couldn't help herself from smiling. "Our previous efforts are on the floor."

"We still have a bit of the batter left, don't we?"

Applebloom jumped up and went over to where she had been. "Yeah, we do. None of mine got spilt."

"Okay. This is gonna sound pretty crazy, but I need you all to follow my instructions to the letter."

"Got it!"

"You got it, Boss!" Scootaloo chimed in.

"Just say the word," Chrys said.

She motioned them all together and began whispering to them in hushed tones. "You sure about that?" Scootaloo asked when she was finished. "I mean… it sounds risky."

"Afraid of a little danger, Scoots?" Applebloom taunted.

"Nuh uh! I'm like Rainbow Dash—my middle name is Danger!"

Chrys frowned. "I could have sworn Rainbow Dash's middle name as Gertrude, or something like that."

The sound of Ace laughing hysterically was only drowned out by the girl in question crying out. "Oh, thanks a LOT, Chrysalis!"

"Let's just get going," Scootaloo grumbled.

Revitalized, Sherry's group moved quickly. Uriel and his group had already begun assembling their seven layer cake, each layer made of a different flavor of chocolate. But that didn't deter Sherry. With the Rubrik glowing the whole way, she poured every last bit of herself into her creation, and when she was finished she was left with—

"…Muffins?" Even Chrys had to stare down at the fruits of their labor. A single tray of muffins sat between the four of them.

"It's all we could really make in time," Applebloom pointed out.

"Well, we tried," Scootaloo sighed. She glanced over at Sherry. "You gonna be okay?"

"I… I did my best," Sherry said after a long moment of thought. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Chrys smiling down at her.

"That is all any of us wanted, little… sister." Chrys's smile grew as Sherry's eyes widened in shock.

"Chrys, you…!"

"And that's time!" The announcer cut off whatever Sherry was about to say. "Participants, please come forward." Uriel and Sherry came forward, the latter still trying to get most of the batter out of her hair. "Now, we did say you would be judged, but we have a special judge that will be doing this last examination. She is the owner of The Sweet Scene, the bakery the winning recipe will be premiered in. Let me introduce Isabel Ariana Striate!"

The applause was strange compared to the graceful entrance of the silver haired beauty. She smiled down at Sherry as she came forward. "My, you certainly got dirty," She said, laughing softly.

"Occupational hazard," Sherry replied smoothly, getting another laugh from the older woman.

"I do understand. I like a good mess every now and then." She smiled. "Now, both of you, do please remember that whichever recipe I choose I more than likely will be personally making. So I will not be choosing anything I myself would not want to eat or make."

"Understood," Uriel murmured. Sherry simply nodded.

"Well, let me not take too long. I believe I will start with young Uriah's first." Isabel moved over to the tall, seven layer cake, a little gleam of wonder in her eyes. "Now, this is quite impressive… I don't even know where to start. I only saw a cake larger than this during Chocapocalypse."

"Choca… what?" Sherry murmured. Isabel glanced over at her and laughed nervously.

"Let's just say… It wasn't the best of days." Isabel turned back to the massive cake. One of the cooks on Uriel's team came over and swiftly cut a slice out of each layer and set them onto a plate. "Thank you."

As Isabel slowly began to taste each slice of cake a small smile began to grow on her face. "Is it to your liking, miss?" The cook that had cut the cake for her spoke up.

"It is, although I have reason to believe you were catering to my sister when you made this." Isabel giggled daintily as the cook tried to stammer out a reply. "Oh no, its fine. I won't judge any differently for that. I love chocolate myself, anyway. It's a familial thing." She lowered the plate. "However… I suppose I can't just stand here enjoying myself. I have to actually judge, don't I?"

The silver haired woman looked thoughtful for a moment. "For all intents and purposes, this cake is perfect. Taste, texture, everything. In a practical sense, it is perfect. But still… it is missing something."

Uriel spoke up, his voice calm, yet cold. "If you can't tell me—"

"I would appreciate you not giving automatic replies," Isabel said smoothly, cutting him off. To his credit, the boy seemed taken aback by the quick response. His parents, however, rose up to defend him.

"You don't have any right to talk to our son in such a way!" His mother protested, only to be silenced by a red-eyed glare from Isabel.

"I know what is missing from your son's creations, Miss. Your son has no love for this. He lacks the desire to create, and innovate with his baking. He doesn't put himself into what he makes, just the ingredients."

"And what about the girl?" Uriel's father said. "All she made was muffins!"

Isabel didn't reply, instead simply going over to Sherry's tray of muffins. She picked one up, tore it in half, and took a bite. Her eyes widened in shock. "Hah!" Uriel's mother sounded triumphant. "Look at her face! It must taste terrible!"

"Hey, you stop that!" Pinkie jumped up from her seat, unable to stay quiet any longer. "That's my little friend down there, and she's the best baker I know! So you just stop being a meany pants and thinking your son is so much better than anyone else!"

"Meany…Why, I never…!"

"She has a point," Tyr said, eyes narrowed. "That's my daughter you're badmouthing, and I don't appreciate that."

"Please, everyone," Isabel spoke up finally. She had finished Sherry's muffin and was smiling fondly at the girl. "…I believe I have come to a decision. I'd like for the families of these two children to come down, please."

Uriel's parents came down, looking as proud as ever. Tyr rose to go to his daughter, only pausing to motion for Luna to come too. "What? But I am not…" Luna began.

"Don't be shy about it, M-mom," Sherry murmured, smiling nervously. "Just come on down."

Luna's eyes widened. She blushed ever so slightly. "…Very well." She got up and, with Tyr's support, made her way down to the main floor. They went over to stand beside Sherry and Chrys.

Isabel stood between the two groups. "Seems your family is as varied as mine," Isabel said with a chuckle. Sherry blushed.

"I'm… I'm adopted," She replied softly.

Isabel nodded, giving her a knowing smile. "I understand. But they love you, correct?"

"Of course we do," Luna said. Tyr and Chrys nodded in agreement.

"Can we hurry this up?" Uriel's father snapped.

"…Of course," Isabel said coldly. She thought for a moment, and motioned to Chrys. "Come here, please."

"Me…?" Chrys frowned, but obeyed. She went over to Isabel and leaned in so the silver-haired woman could whisper something into her ear. The expression on Chrys's face changed to shock, and then in an instant turned into one of resignation. She straightened up and walked back over to her family.

"What… what did she say?" Luna asked. Chrys didn't answer right away, instead glancing at Sherry with a truly remorseful look.

"She said… she told me that she apologizes…"

Sherry buried her face into her father's chest. She had wanted to win, but had thought it wouldn't be that bad if she lost. But now, knowing that she had lost… it hurt more than she thought. "…Sorry dad," She murmured.

"It's okay, sweetie. All I wanted was for you to do your best." Tyr hugged her tightly.

"I haven't finished!" Chrys complained, getting all of their attention once more. "She wanted to apologize… to them."

She pointed at Uriel's family, who stared at her in shock. "W-what?"

"She picked Sherry's entry, not his!" Chrys grinned. "She said it was the best thing she's eaten in years!"

Isabel came over, a small smile on her face. "I apologize for messing with you like that. I get it from my dad. I couldn't resist."

"I… I really…" Sherry was shocked. "I…"

"She won!" Scootaloo cried, leaping onto her friend. Sweetie Bell and Applebloom joined in as well, and then the four girls were laughing, cheering, and in Sherry's case, crying. Uriel's parents were incensed.

"How can you let this girl win? Our Uriel is clearly the better baker!"

"Not as I see it," Isabel said. "You can never be the best at something unless you truly enjoy it. Your son simply follows instructions. Sherry invents and creates. She has a creativity I haven't seen in someone since…" She trailed off. "Well, suffice it to say, she put her heart and soul into what she made. Your son has practicality, but no heart."

"But… she…!"

"On top of that," Isabel smirked, seeing the rest of Sherry's friends come streaming down to congratulate her, "She has quite the family supporting her."

As the mini celebratory party began, Tyr and Luna found themselves being embraced by Sherry again. The girl had somehow managed to get just the two of them in her arms, and was holding them pretty tightly. "Sherry?" Luna murmured softly.

"I… I wanted to thank you both. For believing in me." She held them a little tighter.

"You know we're always here for you, love," Tyr said, rubbing her hair fondly.

"And… um… Luna?"

Luna looked down at her. "Yes, Sherry?"

"Um… is it alright if I… um…"

Luna and Tyr shared a look. They both knew what Sherry wanted to ask. They gently pushed her out to arms-length. Luna smiled widely. "You are free to call me whatever you wish, Sherry. I would believe the time we have spent together allows for that much at least."

"Okay. Thanks… Mom."

The midnight princess pulled the girl into tight hug. "You are quite welcome… my daughter."

"Isn't that so sweet?" Fluttershy said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I reckon so," Applejack agreed with a chuckle.

"I guess, if you're into that sort of mushy stuff," Rainbow said with a snort.

"Yeah, mushy stuff," Scootaloo agreed, mimicking Rainbow. Ace simply rolled his eyes and pulled the two into a hug. "H-Hey!"

"Ace, what gives?"

"Oh, shut up and enjoy it," Ace said with a grin.

Rainbow blushed softly. "…Whatever."

"Nice to see everything turn out so well," Twilight said. She and Flash stood off to the side, arm in arm.

"Odd, isn't it?" Flash chuckled. "I half expected to be shot or at something while we were down here."

"I guess crises don't have to follow us wherever we go, huh?"

"I suppose not, Twi."

-x-

"I'm going to hazard a guess and say you're done in here?" Mercy said, walking into the room. Jehu was seated on a couch, lounging as he watched TV. Her husband looked up at her with a small smile on his face. It was infectious, and she found herself smiling as well.

"Yeah, I was just hanging out. You finished too? No trouble, right?"

Mercy sat down on the couch and snuggled up beside her husband. "Dear, we've been doing this for years. You think this is difficult?"

Jehu grinned. He put his arm around Mercy and kissed her forehead. "Nah. I know you can handle it."

"Mm."

"…So, who do you think won?"

"Sherry did, hands down."

"You sound confident."

"Because that girl has a gift," Mercy told him, wincing slightly as Jehu's hands brushed her cat ears. They twitched as he began gently massaging them. "Ooh, that feels good."

"I know," Jehu told her with a chuckle. "You think it's because of the Rubrik?"

"It only enhanced what was already there." If it bothered the raven-haired woman that Jehu was jumping around in conversations, she didn't show it. To be perfectly frank, Jehu had a tendency to do that with her anyway, so it was something she had grown used to.

"Fair point."

"So… what do we do now?" Mercy asked.

"We go get the girls and head home," Jehu shrugged. "No point in hanging around here. We've done what we meant to do. We gave them a rather uneventful week."

A noise from behind caught Mercy's attention. She glanced behind the couch. The eviscerated bodies of over a dozen Scarecrow members were scattered about the spacious apartment living room, with a couple live members chained to the ceiling. Several others were covered in what looked to be snake bites. "What… what are you freaks?" One of the survivors demanded in a shaky voice.

"Freaks, huh… That's one I haven't heard in a while." Jehu grinned up at the man, his violet eyes glowing with eldritch power, and his fangs prominent. "We're a nightmare you can't wake up from."

Mercy's green eyes were just as bright as she lovingly cuddled up to her husband. "And the evening is young, is it not?"

She sighed pleasurably as Jehu's fangs pierced her skin and he began to drink. It was only a momentary pleasure, and he drew back, licking the red from his lips. She almost seemed disappointed when he stopped. Jehu smiled darkly, his violet eyes tinged with red and a savage glee seemed to fill him. "I concur, my dearest. You all don't mind keeping us company for a little longer, do you?"

That's how I like my vampires.

For all of you who thought something bad was going to happen to Sherry... Gotcha! Bwahahahaha!

Anyways, my scheming to tug at your heartstrings aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a favorite, a comment, or a complaint, and the Library will 'try' to address them all.

Bibliothecam accipit omnia.

The Library Accepts all. (Latin makes everything sound like, 20% cooler.)

Auf Wiedersehen!