It's ten fifty-five, and you're overwhelmingly hungry.
Lunchtime at eleven o’clock was just around the corner, and you knew you were ready to go take your hour-long lunch break today. You felt it in your hooves, yearning for the moment to gallop out of the workplace once the clock reached the top of the hour. You felt it in your stomach, growling at you because you made the dumb decision to skip breakfast this morning. You insisted your cup of coffee would suit you until this time. However, you also knew that was a lie, and now your starvation fueled the intense stare down you had on the clock.
It’s ten fifty-eight, and you had your desk cleared of all the paperwork previously stacked on top of it. You never liked to leave your office at the Ponyville Chronicle dirty and messy, with stacks of newspapers as high as your ceiling. Since you’ve done almost nothing for the past hour, besides starve yourself, you let your hunger control the desire to clean up your workspace and make it appear spotless from the carpet to the top of the cabinets. You ensured your area was ready to be left behind once the clock showed that it was…
...Eleven o’clock.
Taking your saddle bag and throwing it over your back, you were gone, out, and nowhere to be found within your office anymore. It seemed like you just disappeared in a puff of smoke that cartoonishly proclaimed “Poof!” That’s how fast you left your workspace and wound up outside of the small building you work at. You admitted to yourself that the conveniency of the exit being right next to your office door was pleasant, and accommodating for a quick getaway from your workplace!
It’s eleven o’clock, and your stomach absolutely craved for something good to eat. However, you had a hard decision to make. Where do you want to go?
It didn’t take more than a second to think of a place since you knew how little time you had. You decided on a restaurant that had take-out food services and not some place where you had to sit down. All you wanted was some bread to eat. Thus, there was only one wonderful place in Ponyville which would suit the appetite you desperately craved.
Located near the outer edge of the city was the Ponyville Cafe, your favorite place to stop by, say hello to Savoir Fare, purchase some of his famous wheat croissants, and then leave before the lunch rush. You hated waiting and knew how fast the whole building fills up once other ponies around the town arrived. Astonishingly, the line for lunch was typically out the building by the time any other pony arrived around eleven thirty.
Looking at your watch, you saw the time was a single minute pass eleven. You had exactly twenty-nine minutes to take a five-minute walk over to the cafe. You certainly knew the line wasn’t long at this moment and that your queue time might be limited to just one or two ponies in front of you. You could get in, wait a moment, order your stuff, and then get out in no less than ten minutes after you stepped your hoof into the restaurant.
Only if everything went your way.
Of course, it doesn’t! As soon as you got to the cafe at around eleven thirteen, you found the place to be overran by Mrs. Cheerilee and her students! They were out on a field trip that day and needed a place to rest and eat before continuing about their own business. The entire group of rowdy fillies and colts covered every inch of space the Cafe had. To have them be served food while you kept them happy was a thought you couldn’t comprehend. In your mind, how the teacher and servers did that were their own mysteries.
You shook your head, realizing you had to answer your own question once more.
Where do you want to go now?
You sighed. You knew your dining options were narrowed down to one horrifying place in Ponyville. The restaurant was called Sugar Cube Corner, and you instantly knew who was going to be there. You knew who worked behind the counter all the time at that place. The clerk always wore a big smile on her face as she treated her customers like they were the most amazing, spectacular, one-of-a-kind ponies that ever walked into their shop.
Her terrifying name was Pinkie Pie.
Some say her enthusiasm was contagious, however it was a deterrence for you. No pony should be that excited about others. It came off as creepy to you, as if she was possessed by some spirit of laughter and happiness. There's a rumor about her that states if she was to lose her mind to her insanity, then you would be baked into her next batch of sweets. With that on your mind, you couldn’t help yourself to avoid that place when she’s around.
You don’t actually hate her at all, but prefer to stay away from the bubbling joy she radiates. It’s too much excitement for an equine like you. In fact, it makes you wish she had a dial on that exuberant glee she expresses. If the pink pony did have one, then maybe it would make her personality seem a lot more bearable to you. You always were the type of pony who likes things to be a lot quieter around you.
You stood there for a moment, contemplating on whether or not the risk of visiting that place was worth the award of getting something good to eat. However, your empty stomach controlled your decision making at that moment and it overruled what your brain had to say about her. You knew she cooked up some amazing sweets at the Sugar Cube Corner, and you couldn’t bear to go another hour without food. Rolling your eyes, you let your hoofs go as they took you across the town and over towards the bakery shop.
The time was eleven twenty-nine, and you stood outside the doors to her establishment. You could see a few other ponies around the building, enjoying the delicacies which the bakery was famous for. From the donuts and cupcakes to the apple pies and cinnamon rolls, you knew this place could provide something delicious for you to eat for the next half-hour. You just had to get in there, order something quickly, pray the powers above that Pinkie Pie wasn’t as annoying as she usually was, take your food, and then get out!
You prepared yourself for her, for the oncoming wave of excitement and cheer the pink pony overwhelms you with. You took in a few deep breaths, telling yourself that this will only last about five minutes and then you’ll never see her again for the rest of the day. You knew you could handle five minutes of her nonsense. Upon your last exhale, you put a forehoof on one of the cafe doors and pushed it aside.
Taking a few steps into the shop, your eyes immediately gaze towards the front counter. There she was, standing there and tending to the display below the table. Pinkie had just placed another tray of strawberry cream pies away when the front door bell rang. Looking up, she saw you, and her eyes went wide along with her smile. You knew what was about to come as you closed your eyes. You raised a forehoof and braced yourself for the happiness that's about to be blasted your away.
Any second now…
…
Huh?
You froze for a moment and wondered where the hyperactive pony was. Opening one of your eyes, you jumped back at the moment you saw her standing in front of you. How the heck did she get there that fast? Wasn’t she just right behind the counter? you thought.
“Hi there Mr. Pen Name!” she cheered. “Long time, no see! I’m surprised you came back here after the last time we met!”
You let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeahhhh, you were-”
“Hyper-excited beyond belief?” she asked.
You nodded your head, swearing she hit the nail on top of the head when it came to how you thought.
“I know,” she sighed, “I tend to be that way when I get all excited over seeing new customers that I sometimes forget to even check myself before others. Sooooooo, I’m so, so sorry about that… and the confetti that got all in your mane.”
You let out a stern huff. You didn’t like being messed with in the first place, so your first trip to her store wasn’t something you were ever going to forget. In short, after stepping into the shop for the first time, you were greeted by Pinkie Pie singing her famous welcome song before a party cannon shot streamers and confetti into the air. It landed all over your horn, mane, and coat. After you left the Sugar Cube Corner, it took you an hour to wash off all of the-
“Hey Mr. Narrator,” the pink pony said to something you had no idea about. It wasn’t directed at you, so you raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. Wait... Who is she talking to now? You said to yourself.
Yes?
“Can we please get a move on with this story? I have another batch of those lemon swirl cheesecakes sitting in the oven and the pony you are controlling only has about another twenty minutes before he needs to get back to work.” she demanded, standing there with a confident-
“Please? I’m sorry to do this to you Mr. Narrator, but we don’t have the time.” Pinkie pleaded, crossing her forehooves.
Fine.
“Yippee!” she cheered, bouncing in place.
…….
Anyways.
Pinkie Pie looked back at you with a smile worn across her face. “I’m sorry about that Mr. Name, but he usually loves to take his time with details and emotional descriptions that usually are done for either filer or entertainment purposes within his narratives.
She rolled her eyes. “Soooo, I need to tell him to hurry things up a bit so I could get you out of her faster.”
“Uh-huh...” were the words that rolled off your tongue. You had no idea about what she's talking about. This only left you with questions you had ask her later. In the meantime, you could pretty much verify that she might be mentally crazy. At the same time, you also rolled with their actions since you had nineteen minutes left to order, get your food, and be back at work.
“So...” Pinkie Pie tilted her head towards the side, “What would you like to order?”
You shook your head, trying to keep yourself within a realm of sanity before those questions made you think about insane topics. “Umm… Do you have those wheat croissants for sale?”
“Like the ones they sell over at the Ponyville Cafe?” she asked, walking over toward the front counter.
“Yeah… Like those,” you said, looking down at the display and seeing the assortments of desserts she had.
“Surreeee doooo!” Pinkie uttered. “In fact, they are same ones since I’m the one who makes their bread for the cafe to sell!”
“Wait… what?!” You poked your head back up to her.
“Yeah,” the pink pony grinned, “That’s my cooking they sell over there.”
“So, I’ve been eating your croissants over there this entire time?” you asked, not believing the fact at all.
Pinkie Pie nodded her head with pride. “Yes siree! Their mine.”
“Well…” you had to admit, “They’re good. I’m surprised that they came from you.”
“A lot of ponies are!” she cheered, opening a cabinet and pulling out a tray of baked breads. “They think I just cook dessert treats while the Cakes handle some of the bread orders, but nope! I’m the one who also takes care of the croissants over there as well!”
You scratched your chin. “Really now?”
“Yeah! You can say that I’m well rounded!” she giggled, searching for the fresh tray of croissants she prepared this morning.
You, in the meantime, facehoofed at the pun while let out a long groan. It was a ridiculous joke, but something you couldn’t resist laughing at. You chuckled underneath the cover of your forehoof.
Pinkie Pie turned her head back to you and giggled along with your laughter. It was always like her to share a joke with a customer every once in awhile. To her, jokes, laughter, and smiles were like chicken soup to her kind soul. It makes her heart shine and her smile widen when she gets a good reaction from another pony.
You and she stood there and laughed for a moment. Pinkie then looked up at the wall clock and saw that the time was eleven forty-five. “Oh my! You only have about fifteen minutes left, and I don’t want to talk you down to death!”
Shutting down her chuckles in an instant, the pink pony took out a pen and paper. “So, how many of those croissants do you want?”
“Two.”
“Four Bits.”
Using your magic, you pulled out a few coins from your saddle bag and levitated them toward the counter. Setting them down on the table, the pink pony used her mane to scoop them up right after the cash register rang. Sliding the drawer back, you watched Pinkie Pie gather your snack in a blink of an eye. In one moment, she was behind the register, and then in the next moment, she was in front of the table with a sealed white bag.
“There you go Mr. Name! Two croissants packed up and ready to be taken out! Thank you!” she exclaimed.
“Thank you,” you said back to her with a little bow of your head.
“Have a wonderful day!” she cheered, smiling once more.
You turned around and made your way to the exit. “Same with you!”
“Oh wait!”
You stopped in the middle of her stop and stared back at her. "Yes?"
“I forgot to do something!” she said. The pink pony bounced over the counter and came up to hug you close.
Pinkie Pie didn’t have to embrace you like that, but the fact that she did was something you thought was nice of her since you liked hugs. How she knew that was a mystery to you, but you admit that a lot of things about her are a mystery to you. Therefore, you just dropped that thought on the spot as your enjoyed the warmth of her hug.
You held onto each other for a little while longer until she broke off and escorted you out the door. She told you to come back anytime you wish for some more of her baked goods. You said, with certainty, that you would since you now weren’t so afraid of Pinkie anymore. Outside of that joy and happiness she expressed, you found out that she did have a soft and gentle side that you preferred. She isn’t as bad as the mare your mind made her out to be.
It’s just Pinkie Pie after all.
