Hey, guys! So I got Nya's Journey chapter 12 up yesterday. Now I'm working on Confusion For a Companion. It's a looong chapter. Therefore, the next chapter of True Grit will probably be late.

Elven Princess guilt-tripped me earlier, wishing I'd update TG for her birthday. Unfortunately, I don't have anything even close to ready, and my beta definitely doesn't need me dumping a chapter on her so suddenly. So instead of updating that, I decided to post a little drabble I've been keeping to myself for a while.

This maybe counts as StoneByrd's prize for winning my all-dialogue contest. But only if she approves. If this doesn't fit her specifications (I'm 90 percent sure it didn't), then I'll need to come up with something else. (Also, special thanks to Kira Vulpes for betaing again!)

The Cake Calamity

Cole wanted cake.

Zane, who usually made cake every Saturday, was out visiting his father in New Ninjago City. That left Cole, Jay, Lloyd, and Kai alone and without their precious dessert.

But Cole was so hungry for cake! He could just taste it now: fluffy, moist, chocolate with vanilla icing. Sugary and divine.

"Why don't you stop moping and make it yourself?" asked Kai from his seat across the table from Cole, who was pushing crumbs around his dinner plate.

"Yeah!" Jay leaped to his feet and ran into the kitchen. Returning a moment later with a recipe book, he flipped it open. "Right here, Cole. See?"

There it was, in all its glory. What a beautiful picture. Cole licked his lips.

"Let's do this," he said.

In the kitchen, Cole started giving orders. "Lloyd, Kai, you're in charge of the frosting. Jay and I will make the cake."

Kai shrugged. "Sounds good."

They got down to business. Jay gathered the ingredients they needed. Cole tasted each before adding it to the bowl.

"Extra sugar," he said, licking the granules from his fingers. "You can never have too much sugar in a cake."

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Kai struggled to get the cream cheese chunks out of the frosting.

"Just stir harder," Kai said, smirking. "Come on, Green Ninja. You aren't about to be beaten by a cup of cream cheese, are you?"

Lloyd's brow wrinkled in concentration. "Never!" he said. "Ninja never quit!"

Cole squinted at the recipe. "Baking soda," he said.

"Here you go." Jay set the jar by Cole's hand.

"Thanks." Cole dipped his tasting spoon into the jar and lifted it to his lips.

"Yuck!" He spluttered, quickly filling his mouth with sugar. "How's a cake supposed to taste good with that stuff in it?"

Finally, it was time to mix the ingredients.

"I have an idea. Wait right there, Cole," Jay said, darting from the room.

"It's done!" Lloyd said, breathing a sigh of relief. "We melted the chunks out with our fire."

"Smart idea," Cole said.

"I'm back!" Jay returned with a contraption tucked under his arm. He set it on the table. "I've been waiting for a chance to show this off."

It was a funny looking thing, to be sure, with gears and wires sticking out every which way. Five whisks of varying sizes protruded from the bottom.

"Why do I get the feeling that we should be running as fast as we can?" Kai asked.

Jay ignored him. "It's my Mega-Mixer," he said proudly. "It'll mix this cake faster than any regular old mixer."

"Okay," Cole said. "Fast is good. Show us how it works."

"No sweat," Jay said. "Just stick it in the bowl, like so. Then push this button, and-"

Cake batter flew in all directions, propelled by the speed of the Mega-Mixer's whisks. Everyone but Jay—who held the machine—ducked under the table.

"Turn it off, Jay!" Cole shouted over the noise.

Jay did, a confused look on his face. "Huh. Too much power, I guess. Or maybe I need to make a special bowl with a lid so that-"

"AAHHH!"

All eyes turned to Kai, whose hair was sticky with batter. "Jay, what did you do?" he cried as he rubbed his scalp, only smearing it further. "My hair!"

"Whoops," Jay said, smiling impishly. He shoved the Mega-Mixer out of sight.

Cole examined the mess, frowning. Counters, floor, cupboards…all were splattered and gooey.

"We have a problem," he said, looking into the mixing bowl. "There isn't enough batter left to make a cake."

"That's all right," Lloyd said. He hopped around a puddle of batter and opened a cabinet. He waved a cupcake tin above his head. "We can make a couple cupcakes instead. Oh…but we're out of paper liners."

"That's all right," Cole said, scooping out some batter. "We'll just pour it right into the tins."

At last, the cupcakes were in the oven. The four Ninja stepped back with a sigh of relief.

"I say we did a good job for first-time bakers, wouldn't you?" Jay asked.

"Oh, sure," Kai grumbled, going to the sink to wash his hair. "That was fantastic."

Despite the mess, Cole was happy. Proud, too. They had proven once again that, as a team, they could conquer anything.

Even cake.

I feel I made them a little too silly... Ah, well. I hope you enjoyed! Happy birthday to ElvenPrincess, and (very belated) congratulations to StoneByrd! And DetermineArtist, you are not forgotten! My schedule is a little packed right now, but once I've got NJ done (one more chapter) I'll have time to work on your AWESOME request.

May the force be with you, Fly you high, Vanya sulie, and all those other fandom-related farewells. I will see you next week with one update or another.