Business as Usual
By RarityRoyale
Summary: When the Cakes are called out of town to deal with a family emergency, Pinkie Pie takes it upon herself to manage the bakery over Spring Cheer weekend. But running a business and throwing a party over the busiest time of the year is no piece of cake, and when Pinkie asks the Crusaders to get involved, it seems that her plans will flop like a bad soufflé.
Word Count: ~8000
~0~0~0~0~
Stupendous. That was the only word that Pinkie could think of to describe it. It was a funny word, and it fascinated her. "Stupendous," the magenta maned mare said to herself, carefully sweeping up the last of the crumbs on the counter. She repeats it again, using different pitched voices, emphasising different sounds. She plays with her word. "Stupendous. Stu-pendous. Stu-pen-dous. Stupend-ous. Stu-"
"Um. What's stupendous?"
Rainbow Dash stood awkwardly in the doorway of Sugarcube Corner, wondering what her cheerful friend was doing. Of course, it was Pinkie Pie, so Dash couldn't say that she was all too surprised. She must have caught her while she was having one of her weird moments…
Pinkie abandoned the cleaning rag and trotted towards the speedy pegasus, almost bouncing, as was her normal way of walking. "Oh hey, Dash!" She greeted. "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing exciting, I just came to pick up an order." The cyan mare looked around, taking in the full view of Ponyville's famous bakery. It looked… awesome. Everything was spotless, without a crumb or a smudge visible on any surface. A rainbow of frosted cupcakes lined every glass case in the room, each sweet treat looking as flawless and mouth-watering as the Apple family's famous cider. Every table and chair was aligned perfectly, the tablecloths were freshly washed and folded neatly, and every fork and spoon had been scrubbed so clean that they appeared to shine. It was hard to believe that such a hyperactive and carefree pony had cleaned up so well. "I gotta say Pinkie, you've done a great job!"
The party pony smiled her trademark friendly beam. "Thanks! I've been working really hard this weekend, because the place has to be absolutely perfect for Spring Cheer Day! You won't believe all the work I've done! I got up before the sun rose this morning to help Mrs Cake bake some cookies, and then I had to wrap all the chocolate eggs in foil for the Cheer Egg hunt!"
"Pinkie…"
"And then after that I polished all of the tables and all of the display cases, so that everypony who comes in will see just how amazingly delicious everything is! And then maybe they'll buy some and…"
"Pinkie…"
"…and the delicious treats will put a huge smile on their face! And then they will be happy, which will make me super happy! I can't wait for Spring Cheer Day; can you believe that it's only three sleeps away? Three! And then they'll be heaps of chocolate, and heaps of flowers, and…"
"Pinkie!"
The pink mare paused and smiled sheepishly at the impatient pegasus. "Ahh… what was that order for again?"
Dash snorted. "It's a Spring Cheer cake I bought for my parents. I'm going home to Cloudsdale tomorrow night to spend the weekend with my family. It's sort of a tradition."
"Awesome, Dash." Pinkie trotted into the bakery's walk-in refrigerator, where all of the finished orders were kept. "I didn't think that you were the type who really followed tradition."
Rainbow giggled, feeling a tiny bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry I have to miss out on your Spring Cheer party, though."
Pinkie returned to the counter, carrying a large rectangular box on her back. "Aww, it's okay," she said, ringing up the order on the cash register. "Family comes first. We'll save you some cake, okay?"
The pegasus laughed and reached into her saddlebag for her wallet. "Thanks Pinkie. Now how much will this cake set me back?"
The pink pony placed the box on her friend's back with a grin. "That will be six bits," she declared. "And you get a free cupcake!"
After placing the correct amount on the countertop with her mouth, the pale blue mare gave a wave of thanks as she headed out of Sugarcube Corner. In the doorway, she suddenly stopped, as if she had just had a sudden thought.
"You know, Pinkie," Dash said, appearing to be thinking hard. "For somepony as crazy as you, you sure do a good job here. You could probably run the bakery alone, if you wanted to!" And with that, the speedy pegasus left the quaint café and stepped into the street.
The apprentice baker returned to her task. She still had to arrange the window displays and tidy up the storeroom before Mrs Cake got back from her shopping in an hour or two. Everything had to be amazing! Marvellous! Stupendous!
Pinkie Pie loved her job. She couldn't imagine working anywhere else except for a bakery or sweet shop, seeing the delighted smiles of customers after purchasing their sweet treats, or being in the kitchen whipping up a tasty batch of cupcakes. Living and working with the Cakes had provided her with a heap of great opportunities, and her job meant that she was in the perfect position to throw parties every weekend! It was perfect, and Pinkie had decided long ago that, when she eventually owned her own business, it would be the happiest store in the world.
"Pinkie's Pies, that's what I'll call it!" she declared, even though there was nopony else in the room. "The official slogan will be Stupendously scrumptious sugary sweets to make you salivate!
It was perfect. She could see it now, ponies lining up for miles outside Pinkie's Pies, all of them dying to sample just a bite of her chocolate crunch cookies or her raspberry and coconut muffins. It will be a piece of cake, literally! she thought, piping the words 'Happy Spring Cheer Day!' on a large vanilla cream cake. Making these cakes is such a cinch, how hard could running a business be?
~0~0~0~0~
She didn't need her Pinkie Sense to tell her that something was definitely not right.
She had never woken up in the middle of the night before. The digital alarm clock on her dresser told her that it was 1.57 am. Her limbs feeling heavy, the pink pony slowly rose out of bed and put a tentative hoof down, the floorboards creaking ever so slightly. Being careful not to make a sound, she shuffled bit-by-bit across the bedroom. Light was shining underneath the door, obviously coming from the hallway. Pressing her hooves against the cool, smooth doorframe, Pinkie turned her head sideways and held her ear against the door.
"I… I'm so sorry, dear," came a quiet, low, voice. "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask me."
Pinkie frowned. It sounded like Mr Cake speaking, but his usual goofy demeanour was nowhere to be found. Something serious must have happened. She held her breath, and, fearing the worst, pressed her ear as hard as she could, as if it would help her eavesdrop better.
"Thank you, honey," Mrs Cake replied. Her voice sounded tired and shaky, as if she had been crying. She sighed before asking, "How are we going to get there?"
"If we leave early tomorrow morning, we can get to Coltsburg by noon."
"We'll have to close the store… and on one of the busiest weekends of the year, too…"
"Shh, dear, that doesn't matter…"
Pinkie froze. What had happened? Swallowing her fears, she turned the doorknob and stepped into the hall. "Excuse me," she asked in a voice barely above a whisper, "is something wrong?"
Carrot and Cup Cake were sitting on their bed, easily seen by Pinkie as the bedroom door was open. Carrot was holding his wife in his hooves; her head was buried deep in her own. Both looked very tired, and very sad.
Mrs Cake sighed. "No," she said sadly, staring at the floor. "We just received a phone call from the hospital in Coltsburg. My mother was born with a weak heart, so she's always been of rather poor health. Over the last few years, her condition has deteriorated quickly and she's become progressively worse. The hospital told us that she was rushed in a short while ago because of a massive heart attack. They don't think that her body can handle much more, so they want us to come visit her… in case…"
Pinkie felt her eyes warm up and blur with tears, frozen in the doorway of her room. "Mrs Cake, I'm so sorry…" she started, but the blue mare cut her off.
"Thank you, Pinkie, but it's okay. Sorry for waking you up so late. Carrot and I are going to leave very early tomorrow, so don't get up if you hear us."
Carrot rubbed his wife's hair sympathetically. "We'll be taking Pumpkin and Pound with us, so you'll be alone tomorrow."
Pinkie stepped forward, unsure if she should intrude on the couple any more than she already had. But she knew she had to do something, because when somepony you care about is suffering, you have to do something about it. And the Cake family were almost like a real family to her. "There must be something I can do to help, Cup Cake," she offered. "Why don't you try and get some rest? You have a big journey ahead of you tomorrow; you're going to need it. I can pack your things for you. It's the least I can do."
Cup Cake smiled weakly and shook her head. "No, thank you, Pinkie; it's not something you need to deal with. Please, go back to bed and-"
Pinkie shook her head. "No, I insist," she said firmly, planting a hoof on Cup Cake's shoulder. "Now, get into bed, both of you. You have a lot to deal with, and you need your sleep."
"Pinkie, please, we appreciate your kindness, but-"
Ignoring the Cake's protests, Pinkie bit down on the corner of the couple's blue blanket, dragging the sheet upwards in an attempt to tuck them in. Cup Cake sighed and lay back on the pillow, knowing that trying to convince their stubborn shop assistant to go back to sleep was a wasted effort. After ensuring that her two bosses were comfortably tucked in, Pinkie Pie fluffed their pillows and turned out the light.
"Sleep tight, Cup Cake and Carrot Cake," she whispered.
"Pinkie?" Mrs Cake mumbled, as the curly-maned earth pony tiptoed out of the room.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Smiling to herself, the pink mare softly closed the bedroom door.
She crept down the stairs towards the bakery, taking care to remain silent as not to wake up the Cake's twin foals, Pound and Pumpkin. Fumbling around in the dark for the light switch, Pinkie made a mental list of things she would need to pack for the couple's journey. Cupcakes, cookies and all sorts of sweet treats, for a start. Pinkie wasn't naïve enough to believe that sugar would make the situation any better, but from her experience, dessert could always help cheer somepony up, even if just for a little while.
There would also have to be the essentials, of course, like coats and money and a get well soon card for Mrs Cake's mother. Pinkie realised with a start that there would be so much she would have to organise, and that she had no idea where to begin. She briefly considered calling her friend Twilight Sparkle for help, before remembering that it was after two in the morning. No, she was alone in this, and while she certainly would be able to manage it, she knew that she would only be able to make complete arrangements for her bosses' departure and manage to get a sufficient amount of sleep if she gritted her teeth and did it.
Looking around the quaint eatery, Pinkie felt disappointed. All of her hard work cleaning and preparing for Spring Cheer Day would amount to nothing, not to mention all of the ponies who would have to find someplace else to buy their Spring Cheer goodies, as Mr and Mrs Cake would not be returning from Coltsburg until Monday or Tuesday, at the absolute earliest. It was a selfish thought, and Pinkie felt bad about it, especially as the circumstances under which Sugarcube Corner would close were grim. It was a right shame, all of those cakes going to waste. She'd spent so long making them…
You know, Pinkie, for somepony as crazy as you, you sure do a good job here. You could probably run the bakery alone, if you wanted to!
Remembering her conversation with Rainbow Dash earlier in the day, the young mare's brain began to tick. Maybe Dash had been onto something when she had said that.
It couldn't be too hard to keep the bakery open for just one weekend, could it? Sure, Spring Cheer weekend was one of the busier times of the year, but she could manage. If they didn't open, the poor Cakes could lose a lot of business, and they had enough to deal with already! The pink mare had hundreds of hours experience at Sugarcube Corner, both in the kitchen and behind the counter. She knew how to whip up perfect cookies, the kind where the chocolate chips hold their shape until they just seem to burst in your mouth, in less than fifteen minutes. She knew how to deal with all sorts of customers, even difficult ones who complain about everything and demand free food. Her friendly demeanour put everypony at ease, making her the perfect pony to interact with the customers and her service record was flawless. She knew how to own Sugarcube Corner!
Pinkie glanced back towards the staircase. She couldn't possibly just barge in on Mr and Mrs Cake now and wake them up, asking if she could take over the café's responsibility while they were away. And even if she were to ask them, they would only protest. As much as she cared about upholding Sugarcube Corner's reputation as Ponyville's premier eatery, she wasn't exactly known for her money or time management skills.
Come to think of it, Pinkie knew next to nothing about the way the café was run, finance wise, and realised that she wasn't even certain of exactly how much money she made from working there. Mrs Cake gave her a pay envelope every fortnight, but the cheerful pony had never bothered counting how much was in it. What was the point of living if you were going to spend all your time collecting up money, greedily hoarding every bit, never sharing any of it with friends or the less fortunate? Pinkie really disliked stingy ponies, and much preferred to spend her time on a picnic in the hills with her friends, or jumping through muddy puddles after a rainstorm. Life was too short to worry about money.
Pinkie weighed up her options. She could simply finish arranging the peanut brittle and lemon slice in the tupperware she was packing for her bosses' travel, and return to bed. She could allow the number one restaurant in Ponyville –and, in her opinion, the world- to close, and remain closed until the Cake family returned from Coltsburg, however long that may be. And when they did return, there was a possibility that Mrs Cake's mother would have passed away. Pinkie shuddered at that thought, and prayed that this wouldn't happen –nopony deserved to have their own mother taken away from them! - But it was an all too likely possibility.
If the worst were to happen, the bakery would be closed for even longer. Hundreds of ponies would miss out on their Spring Cheer cakes, slices, biscuits, chocolates… and Sugarcube Corner could lose a lot of money, Pinkie knew that much. It would be a miserable cherry on top of a dismal cake, and everypony would come out a loser.
On the other hoof, Pinkie Pie could take charge. She could open up the bakery tomorrow morning like usual, sell more food than she had ever sold before and keep the restaurant in pristine condition, enlisting the help of her friends if necessary. She would thoroughly impress the entire town with her business management skills, and the Cake's would be proud of her, after they returned and learnt about her heroic actions. It took Pinkie about half a millisecond to make up her mind as to what she was going to do.
Satisfied with the belongings she had arranged for the Cake's long trip tomorrow, Pinkie turned off the light and quietly snuck back into her bedroom. It wasn't until seeing her bed, blanket tossed backwards over the bed, her pillow sideways, all looking so warm and inviting, that Pinkie realised just how late it was. Yawning and rubbing her tired eyes, the young earth pony welcomed the comfort of her bed, and took no time at all to drift into rewarding sleep. She had a very big day in store for tomorrow…
~0~0~0~0~
She didn't need her Pinkie sense to tell her that something was definitely not right.
Everything looked the same as it would have on any normal morning. The sun shining through her thin orange curtains tinted her bedroom a rather pretty shade of gold, one of Pinkie's favourite things about her room. Pictures of the ponies she loved the most lined the pale pink walls, a colour that she had chosen herself when Mrs Cake asked her if she would like to redecorate her bedroom. There was a photo of Pinkie playing with Pound Cake and Pumpkin cake on the floor of Sugarcube Corner. The young twins and their babysitter were building a castle out of multi-coloured building bricks, a gift from Rarity to the foals when they were born. All three young ponies pictured were wearing equally goofy grins, and just looking at that photo filled Pinkie up with warmth that felt like a hug.
Everything was exactly as she had left it when she went to sleep. So what felt so unusual?
After staring at various objects in her room, puzzled, for ten minutes, Pinkie violently yanked herself out of bed and landed into the middle of her room, in a pose that looked as if she was going to karate chop somepony.
Of course! Today was the day that she was going to take control of Sugarcube Corner!
She jerkily span around and looked at her bedside clock. It was 9.15. Pinkie yelped and dashed towards the restaurant downstairs, they were supposed to open at 10!
"Get it together, Pinkie!" she said to herself. "This is no time for sleeping in! Augh!"
In her hurry to start setting up for the day, the energetic mare tripped over the top step, falling haphazardly to the bottom.
Giggling at her clumsiness, Pinkie pulled herself off the floor and made a beeline for the kitchen, wondering what Mrs Cake usually did before opening time. Determined, the party pony gazed around the room before eyeing a piece of note paper that had been taped to the fridge. She trotted over to read what it said.
Pinkie,
Thank you very much for comforting Cup Cake last night, as well as for organising an absolutely marvellous selection of treats for us to take to Coltsburg –the twins in particular really appreciate it! We left very early this morning by taxi, apologies if we woke you up. Please tell everypony who stops by Sugarcube Corner that we apologise for having to close, and that we wish them a happy and safe Spring Cheer Day. That goes for you too, Pinkie. Have a fantastic Spring Cheer weekend, and don't gorge yourself on too many sweets! (Who am I kidding? I know that you will anyway!)
-Carrot Cake
Pinkie smiled as she read her boss's letter. The best thing about Mr and Mrs Cake was that they were both so very selfless. Even though they could quite possibly have a family crisis on their hooves, they were still worrying about everypony else. Pinkie felt grateful to know such a kind family, as both her employers and her friends.
Deciding that she had enough time, she retreated to the bathroom to clean her teeth and freshen up. Presentation was important, she decided, when trying to sell things, and nopony likes bad breath. What do Mr and Mrs Cake do, when they are setting up shop in the morning? she wondered, running a brush through her wild pink mane. Although Pinkie had worked the morning shift of the café several times before, she had never seen the preparations that went on before opening. Usually, she would help out by piping thick, sweet, frosting swirls on freshly-baked cupcakes, or she would wash the trays, spoons and mixing bowls used in this, making sure that not a single spot or crumb remained, and that the dishes sparkled.
Feeling refreshed and awakened, the apprentice returned to the kitchen. There was still quite a while until opening time, and she had nothing to do. Dozens of glorious goodies filled every shelf, and there were plenty of others in the refrigerator, so no need to do any baking. Both the kitchen and the restaurant were shining so brightly it almost hurt her eyes, so cleaning would be unnecessary also. She sat down at a table and leaned her face against a hoof.
Her eyes settled on the nearest display of brownies. Pinkie's mouth watered, and she suddenly remembered that she had not eaten any breakfast. Thick cut with rich chocolate sauce oozing out of them, the brownies were certainly tempting. But she couldn't eat those, they were for the customers!
Seven brownies later, she heard the sound of impatient knocking. Stuffing the last chunk of chocolate in her mouth, the partying mare looked up at the clock. Five minutes past ten! She turned towards the door, staring at the confused mare who was knocking like a deer in the headlights, with chipmunk cheeks and chocolate crumbs all around her face. Suddenly remembering that she was in charge, Pinkie leapt up and opened the door.
"Uhm. Sorry," she mumbled, her mouth still full of brownie. She swallowed, her throat feeling dry and her face turning even pinker than it already was. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, Petunia! How can I help you?" She tried to sound confident. What an embarrassing start to the most important day of her working life!
The customer smiled awkwardly, shifting on her hooves. "Uh, good morning, Pinkie. Where's Mrs Cake today?"
Pinkie smiled nervously. "Mr and Mrs Cake had, uhm, an urgent family situation. So I'm in charge of the bakery for the weekend!"
"Really?" Petunia sounded intrigued. "That's real nice of them, to trust you like that."
Pinkie internally panicked. "Yes! Yes, it is great of them! Now, what can I get for you today?" She hoped that it wasn't brownies.
Petunia gestured towards one of the many glass cases surrounding the counter and asked for two pieces of cinnamon apple slice. Pinkie calmed down. Two pieces of slice, an easy order, right? Today was going to be a blast!
"That will be four bits, Petunia!" Pinkie said, beaming. Petunia gave her a five-bit note from her purse. Passing her customer the paper box, labelled with Sugarcube Corner's logo, that contained the tasty slices, Pinkie pressed a button on the cash register, opening the cash drawer with a click.
"I'll just get you your change, Pet…" The young baker trailed off, staring into the register. Empty. She frowned. Where was all the money? Did Mr Cake empty the register at the end of each day?
"Something the matter, Pinkie?" Petunia asked, shuffling her weight between her legs impatiently. Pinkie grinned. "Nope, it's all good! I just forgot to, ah, get the money. From the, uh… office! That's where it probably is!" The magenta mare skipped off into the tiny workspace at the very back of the building, behind the kitchen and the storeroom. She slammed the door closed behind her, leaving behind one very confused customer.
Pinkie slapped a hoof against her forehead. "Where the hay has all the money gone?" she asked, to nopony in particular. She considered the tiny office, so small and cramped that it was impossible to imagine anypony working in it. It's got to be here somewhere, right? Where else would it be?
Feeling bad for invading the Cake's privacy as so, Pinkie opened the top drawer in the decrepit desk that was probably older than she was. There was some product receipts and the bills for water and electricity –she didn't look at those, it wasn't any of her business- and some stamps, but not much else. Trying the second drawer, Pinkie didn't find anything either.
She wondered what Petunia was thinking right now. That she was insane, probably, but that didn't faze Pinkie. Most of the town knew her as 'that crazy pink pony', and she had long accepted that, perhaps even being a little proud of her title. What she was really worrying about was that Petunia thought of her –and by extension, the Cake family- as unprofessional and unorganised.
"I'll only be a second!" She yelled back towards the counter, changing her attention to a small filing cabinet in the corner. Maybe there was a moneybox in there? She tugged on the handle, which didn't budge an inch. Pinkie groaned exasperatedly. "Locked?" she complained. "I need a key to get in here! Gah!"
There was no time to go searching for a key, there was a customer in the store. Glaring at the filing cabinet as if it was somehow its fault, Pinkie stomped out of the office, through the kitchen, past a thoroughly baffled Petunia and into her bedroom. She opened her wardrobe, and rummaged through the various food wrappers and party supplies until she found her piggy bank, neatly stowed away in the corner to protect it from damage, unlike everything else which was just thrown in messily. Taking out a small handful of coins, she rushed back into the café, where a now dissatisfied Petunia was sitting lazily at a table, leaning on her face with boredom.
"So sorry, Petunia," Pinkie babbled, pushing a coin across the table top. "I'll give you a cupcake, on us."
Petunia, relieved that she could finally leave and get on with her day, pocketed her change. "It's okay Pinkie, really. Have a nice day." She left the store quickly, not wanting to get caught up in any more weirdness.
Pinkie crumpled in a heap. Her first customer of the day, and she had botched it! How was she supposed to know that no money is kept in the register overnight? She almost burst into tears on the floor of the restaurant, but stopped herself. There was no time for feeling sorry for herself, there was work to be done. But she couldn't do it alone. She needed assistance. She needed organisation. She needed structure and management.
She needed Twilight Sparkle.
Her friend arrived almost instantly after Pinkie hung up the phone, demanding to know what had happened, and if anypony was hurt. The baker's assistant reassured her that she was fine, and that she needed some help with running the restaurant.
Twilight's eyes lit up at being informed that her assistance was required, exactly as Pinkie had expected them too. To the party pony's relief, Twilight did not ask any questions about just why she held the responsibility of managing the bakery, for Pinkie knew that she would be on the receiving end of a long, boring lecture if the unicorn knew the truth. Instead, she began to chatter excitably about micro-management and regulation and peak productivity levels and all sorts of terms that mean nothing to Pinkie.
"With Spring Cheer Day on Sunday, demand will be through the roof! By implementing these strategies, Sugarcube Corner could boost its average earnings by 3% in one weekend! Wouldn't that be great?"
"What? Oh… yeah!" Sometimes, it was just easier to pretend that the lavender mare made sense. "Twi, that sounds really… interesting, but there's one teeny-tiny problem I need your help with first."
Twilight closed the book she had brought with her, a guide book that said something about building a better business in just seven days. If Pinkie had to guess, she would estimate that it had about a billion pages.
"Sure Pinkie, what's the matter?"
"I, uh… don't know where the change is kept. Could you do, like, a searching spell or something and help me find it?"
The unicorn frowned. "Well, why don't you ask Mrs Cake? Where is she, anyway?"
Pinkie held up her forelegs, defensively. "You know, on second thoughts, it's not really too big a deal, heh… Say, I was thinking, we could, uh…" She remembered back to her experience with Petunia earlier. "Oh, that's it! We'll give out cupcakes instead of coins! It'll make everypony super happy, because who doesn't like cupcakes? Nopony, that's who!"
Twilight tilted her head to the side with a slightly amused look on her face. "Okay… Pinkie, whatever you'd prefer… but are you sure that's the right thing to do?"
Pinkie nodded profusely, a too-big smile plastered to her sweaty face.
She kept her fake smile while she served the next customer to enter, who thankfully paid using exact cash. Twilight turned back to her reading material, skimming through the lengthy paragraphs with ease, mumbling to herself as she read.
Luckily for Pinkie, there were no more minor disasters for the rest of the day. The few times that somepony would require change for their purchase, the earth pony would simply take a bit or two out of her piggy bank, kept underneath the counter, and out of sight from the customers. Twilight went back to the library in the early afternoon, saying that she really had to catch up on her studying, although not, of course, until she had shared a delightful lunch of apple juice and jam scones with her friend. The gifted young mare promised that she would return early tomorrow to start implementing her business strategies.
Pinkie tidied up the kitchen and went to bed, for running the bakery all day, alone, had drained her. The feeling of sleepiness somewhat alarmed her, as the party pony was practically famous for never running out of energy. Collapsing into her bed, she made one of her famous Pinkie Promises to herself.
Tomorrow I can do this –tomorrow I will own this bakery! Pinkie Pie style!
~0~0~0~0~
Pinkie yelped and threw her pillow at the sparkling flash of purple light that had woken her up.
"Who's there? What do you want? Do you want cupcakes? I can give you cupcakes!"
The intruder giggled and shook her mane. "Relax, Pinkie, it's me, Twilight."
Pinkie stared at Twilight, then at her clock, and then back to Twilight. "Uh, I appreciate you coming here this early, but we don't open until ten."
Twilight trotted over to the window and opened the curtains, letting the early morning sunlight into the room. "I know, but I was so excited to be helping you that I just had to come over. You have no idea how surprised I was that Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, wanted some help in putting some organisation into her life!" Using her unicorn magic, the studious mare pulled a scroll out of her book bag, holding it above her head. "I've drawn up a plan that will show you how to effectively manage your day while still having time to throw those awesome parties of yours." She levitated the scroll across the room, placing it in Pinkie's lap.
"Twi, not to burst your bubble or anything, but I only asked you to help me run the bakery for a few days."
Twilight looked downtrodden. "Oh."
"But I need lots of your help!" Pinkie said quickly, not wanting to upset her friend. "Since I'm alone this weekend, your skills will definitely go far!"
Twilight frowned "Wait, you're on your own here? Where are Mr and Mrs Cake?"
Pinkie slapped her hooves over her mouth. Crud, now she'd stepped in it.
"They, ah… well, you see Twilight, there was an… incident on Thursday night. Mrs Cake received a phone call from a hospital in Coltsburg telling her that her mother was very ill. They left early yesterday morning to go see her."
Twilight gasped. "Oh my gosh, how awful!"
"Yeah. And because they're going to be away for all of Spring Cheer weekend, which is one of the busiest times of the year, they… asked me to manage Sugarcube Corner. I thought it would be easy, but…"
The unicorn nodded. "I see."
Pinkie was surprised. Why wasn't Twilight going into all-out lecture mode? The pink pony was so sure that she would get chastised for her lack of organisation and business knowledge.
"So what is it exactly you're having trouble with?" Twilight asked. "You've had plenty of experience working, and the customers love you."
Pinkie explained the incident with Petunia and the cash register. "So yeah, that was pretty embarrassing. And I still don't know where the change is kept!"
"The Cake's didn't tell you?"
Pinkie swallowed. Why was she lying to Twilight? "They must have forgotten, in their rush to get going and all."
"Okay. Well, tomorrow is Spring Cheer Day, so you'll be very busy, right? Everypony wanting to buy cakes and chocolates and all. And you still have your party, too! Gosh, Pinkie, How are you going to manage?"
Truthfully, the earth pony hadn't thought a whole lot about her upcoming Spring Cheer party, as she was more worried about how Sugarcube Corner would fare under her management. The realisation stabbed her in the chest –she hadn't organised anything for her Spring Cheer party, expected to be the biggest and best in Ponyville! Pinkie was no stranger to throwing last minute get-togethers, but this wasn't just any old party. It was Spring Cheer –the celebration of spring, new life, the flowers and the sunshine, chocolate eggs and sweet treats. Although the pink mare adored every holiday, Spring Cheer day was definitely a contender for her favourite.
She wondered what she would do about the situation while working the counter, the café filling with hungry customers during the mid-morning rush. Twilight stayed out of sight in the kitchen, her snout buried in a thick, leather bound book entitled From Azalea to Zinnia – A Practical Guide to Wildflowers and their Medicinal Uses. She sure isn't doing a lot of helping, Pinkie observed. Whatever. There was no way Twilight would be able to cope in a bakery. She could barely make toast without burning it.
"Morning, Pinkie Pie!"
The baking apprentice turned to face three young fillies standing at the front of the line, barely able to see over the top of the counter. "Morning, guys," she greeted. "What'cha been doing?"
Apple Bloom grinned. "Cutie mark crusading. We helped Big Macintosh mow the lawn this morning to see if we could get some lawn mowing cutie marks, but that didn't work."
"After lunch, we're going to the lake to earn our cutie marks in swimming!" Sweetie Belle added.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders champion swimmers, yay!" The three school children bumped their hooves together.
Pinkie tried to stifle giggles. Those girls would never learn that you can't force a cutie mark to appear. Still, they had fun together, and their determination was rather cute. "Sounds like awesome fun! So what can I get you today?"
Apple Bloom scrutinised the cakes in the display case. "I'll take… a strawberry cream puff, please."
"Chocolate donut for me, Pinkie," Scootaloo requested.
"And I'd like a piece of carrot cake!"
Scootaloo pulled a face. "Eww, Sweetie Belle, why are you ordering vegetables?"
"Carrot cake is not a vegetable! It's a cake that happens to contain vegetables." The unicorn filly looked at her friend smugly.
"Yeah, ignore these two," Apple Bloom told Pinkie. "Here's our money. Thanks again!" She took the treats from the pink mare and left, dragging her bickering friends out with her. Pinkie laughed.
"Donuts are full of sugar anyway!" she heard Sweetie yell.
"Stop arguing! We're not gonna have time to go swimming if you two keep holding us up!"
Suddenly, Pinkie had a brainwave. "Twilight!" she called into the kitchen. "I need you to come in here and serve the rest of these customers, okay? Bye!"
The unicorn looked up from her magic book. "Wait, what? Pinkie, what-"
She watched in dismay as the earth pony dashed madly out the front door, leaving her alone. "Wait, Pinkie! I've never served a customer in my life! What do I do?"
Realising the pink mare was gone, at least temporarily, Twilight trotted to the counter apathetically. "Hi, um, welcome to Sugarcube Corner. What can I get you today?"
"Oh, hi, Twilight," the mint green unicorn said. "I didn't know you worked here."
Neither did I, Twilight thought. "I'm just, ah, taking over for a bit while Pinkie runs an errand. How can I help you?
Heartstrings tapped her chin. "I'd like to get some chocolate eggs, to give to Bon-Bon tomorrow. You sell Spring Cheer eggs, right?"
Twilight nodded. "I'm positive there's some chocolate eggs here. Let me have a look." She went into the back storeroom. Eggs… eggs… Oh! They'll be in the fridge, of course! She opened to cold, heavy door of Sugarcube Corner's giant, walk-in refrigerator and entered, closing the door behind her. She looked up and down the shelves, finding various sorts of milk, cream, butter and normal eggs, but no chocolate. Giving up, she trotted back to the door.
"Damn it, Pinkie" she muttered. "Just leave for no reason, after all the help I gave… oh, no."
The door wouldn't open. She tried unlatching it with her magic, and then forcing it open with her hooves.
"Crap. Pinkie? Pinkie! Pinkie!"
~0~0~0~0~
"Girls, girls!" Pinkie called, rapidly catching up the Cutie Mark Crusaders further up the path than her. The three fillies stopped and turned around.
"Oh, hi again, Pinkie," Apple Bloom said, wondering why the party pony was following them. "Is something wrong?"
"No," the mare replied happily, "but I've just had the most fun and exciting idea ever!"
"Will it take long?" Scootaloo asked. "Cause we really need to go earn our swimming cutie marks…"
"You girls are going to help me throw a party!"
The fillies exchanged a confused look. "Ah, that sounds real great and all, Pinkie, but…"
Pinkie cut the young earth pony off. "You could earn you party planner cutie marks…" She raised a hoof. "Cutie Mark Crusaders party planners?"
The three girls giggled and raised their hoofs to bump Pinkie's. "Cutie Mark Crusaders party planners, yay!"
"So, why are we planning a party with you anyway?" Sweetie Belle wondered aloud.
"Glad you asked," Pinkie said, placing her front hooves around the Crusaders to draw them into a huddle. "Tomorrow is Spring Cheer, right?"
"Yeah," the three fillies mumbled.
"Well, what is it you like the most about Spring Cheer!"
"Ooh!" Scootaloo cried, waving her hoof around as if she was in class. "Chocolate eggs from the Spring Bunny!"
"Having a special picnic with my family on the hill!" Apple Bloom said.
"The parade that they put on every year in the town square!" added Sweetie Belle.
Pinkie clapped her hooves. "Great! So basically, the best think about Spring Cheer is the awesome food, the awesome decorations, and spending time with your awesome friends?"
The fillies nodded at each other. "Yeah, that's right!"
"And what better way to incorporate those three things then to have a party?"
"Umm… none, I guess…"
"Right!" Pinkie cried, getting more and more excited by the second. "So that's why I'm putting you three in charge of throwing the best Spring Cheer party ever!"
The fillies were awestruck. "Awesome," Scootaloo breathed, imagining her idol, Rainbow Dash, coming to her party. "So, uh, how do we go about planning this party?"
Pinkie grinned. "That's the best bit! I don't know! You three can do it however you want! You can have it either at Sugarcube Corner or the library, but the rest is completely up to you! I have to get back to the bakery now! Bye!" The pink pony left as quickly as she had come.
Apple Bloom stared incredulously at the dust clouds Pinkie had left when she scooted away. "What in the hay was that all about?"
Scootaloo shrugged. "I'm not too sure, but it sounds awesome! We get to throw a party!"
"What kinda party should we have?"
Sweetie Belle jumped up and down. "I know, we can ask Rarity to give us some material for decorations! You should make them, Apple Bloom, since you did so good with our clubhouse."
The earth pony grinned. "Thanks, Sweetie Belle. What about food?"
"Pinkie will have plenty at the bakery, right? And there's always plenty of apples your sister would be able to give us, right?"
"We still need something more, guys!" Scootaloo complained. "Something cool. Something wow! Something Rainbow Dash would do!"
Apple Bloom tilted her head sideways. "Like what?"
Scootaloo smiled wickedly. "I have the perfect idea." She whispered her plan into Apple Bloom, and then Sweetie Belle's ear.
The other two fillies nodded. "Right," The pegasus confirmed, determined. "Let's go have a par-tay!"
~0~0~0~0~
"I'm back, Twi!" Pinkie called, galloping through the door of Sugarcube Corner. Huh, all the customers have gone, she noted. Twilight must have done an extra good job at serving them. Figures, with her being so clever and all. She started wiping down all of the benches and countertops –hygiene is very important, when dealing with other pony's food, and Pinkie would feel terrible if somepony fell ill due to her products.
Several hours later, Pinkie Pie heard frantic knocking. She opened the front door of Sugarcube Corner to see Scootaloo, holding a large envelope in her mouth.
"Oh hey, Scoots, come to invite me to your party?"
The filly spat the invitation to the ground. "You betcha! You'll never believe what Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and I came up with! It's gonna be so cool!"
Pinkie's eyes lit up at the prospect of a guessing game. "Is it a chocolate fountain? No, how about an ice sculpture? A caramel-filled swimming pool?
Scootaloo giggled. "Nope, nope and nope. You'll have to wait and see! It's the grand finale!"
Pinkie picked the invitation off the floor. "Well, I'm sure it will be amazing. I can't wait to find out!"
The orange pegasus sprinted off, waving to Pinkie as she went. "Gotta deliver the rest of these invitations. Seeya soon!
~0~0~0~0~
Pinkie dashed through the door of the Ponyville Library, kicking herself mentally for arriving so late.
"Sorry!" she called to Apple Bloom, who was dishing out punch to a long line of ponies. The filly smiled at her and shook her head to let the pink mare know it was okay.
Pinkie spotted Applejack and Rarity conversing quietly in a corner, and jumped across the room to talk to them.
"Hi guys!" she yelled, landing with a thud in between them.
"Gah! Oh, it's you, Pinkie," Rarity said, startled by her friend's sudden appearance.
"Good to see ya," Applejack greeted. "The fillies seem excited to be hosting their own party. Apple Bloom wouldn't stop talkin' all evenin' about how excited she was to be gettin' a party plannin' cutie mark."
Rarity nodded. "Oh, you have no idea. Sweetie Belle took some of my finest cloths without even asking and turned it into a tablecloth." She stabbed a hoof towards the food and drinks table. Sure enough, some of the fashion pony's best dressmaking material had been used as a decoration.
Pinkie giggled. "Oh, lighten up Rarity, they're just being kids."
"I should hope so. Why, that beautiful, top-quality silk cost me a fortune!"
The fillies had done an excellent job, surprising even Pinkie. They had all of the party bases covered –music, food, atmosphere, and for a while the pink pony wondered if any of them really would get party planning cutie marks.
"Attention, everypony!" Scootaloo yelled over the thumping music and loud chatter. She pulled a heavy book off the nearest shelf and, struggling to hold it over her head, let it drop to the floor with a loud bang. Now having everypony's attention, she climbed up onto a high table.
"Thank you everypony for coming tonight!" she cried. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and myself had an awesome time planning this, and we're glad you've enjoyed our party!"
A cheer and a round of applause went around the room.
"A special thank you goes to Pinkie Pie, for convincing us to give parties a go. Cutie Mark Crusaders party planners, yay!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders party planners, yay!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom echoed.
"And now, the moment you have been waiting for, the grande finale!" The filly wasn't sure how to say 'grande finale', pronouncing it instead as 'grand-ee finna-lee'. Everypony clapped and cheered anyway, nopony bothering to correct her.
"Apple Bloom, release the FIREWORKS!"
Applejack and Rarity's mouths fell open. "Did… did she say… fireworks?" The unicorn whimpered.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle clambered up onto the makeshift stage, carrying a paper bag full of small rockets. "We got these from my uncle," Scootaloo explained to the crowd of ponies. "We used to set these off every year on Hearth's Warming Eve, and it's awesome!"
"We have'ta stop them!" Applejack said, nudging Rarity. "They'll blow the place up!"
Sweetie Belle pulled a rocket out of the paper bag and placed it on the table. While Apple Bloom lit the fuse with a candle she had pulled off the food table, Scootaloo decided to calm down the masses. "Don't worry, everypony, it's perfectly safe!"
"Are you sure this is really safe?" Sweetie Belle whispered to Apple Bloom. "I don't think you're supposed to use fireworks inside a library.
Apple Bloom shrugged. "If party planning isn't our thing, we might get pyrotechnic cutie marks."
"Apple Bloom, I forbid you to light that thing!" Applejack yelled from the back of the crowd. "Get down from there right…"
Zoom!
Apple Bloom yelped and ducked under the table as the tiny rocket whizzed around the room. Mass commotion broke out and the firework crashed headfirst into a window, leaving a trail of light behind it. The spark from the rocket brushed against the curtains, and the next thing Pinkie knew, Twilight's library was on fire.
Applejack gasped and galloped to the food table, using all of her strength to buck the large punch bowl into the blaze. The collision made a loud sizzle, but put out the fire. The smoke cleared to show around thirty dazed ponies staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Well," Scootaloo said, breaking the silence. "I think that this marks the end of our party planning career.
~0~0~0~0~
After everything had been cleaned up and the room had been straightened out, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity and the Crusaders collapsed on the wooden floor of the library, exhausted.
"Thank heavens nopony got hurt," Rarity said, breathing heavily. She glared at her sister. "What were you thinking, setting off fireworks indoors? For goodness sake, Sweetie Belle, you're intelligent enough to know why that's a bad idea."
"We didn't mean for anything to happen, we swear!" Apple Bloom protested.
"We know ya didn't mean it, but ya nearly burnt the library right down! Imagine what Twilight would say if she saw what you three did to her house tonight! She would die of shock!"
Pinkie looked around the room. "Hey, where is Twilight, anyway?"
Applejack shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe she went to see her family, like Dash did?"
Meanwhile, inside the refrigerator of a certain local bakery, a unicorn mare was reading the label on a carton of milk.
"C-c-curse you, Pinkie P-pie…" she muttered, teeth chattering. "When I g-get let out of here I'll telep-p-p-ort you to the moon…"