Chapter 1 - Sugar Cube Cornered
Author's Note
This is a new story started on a whim. It's based on a few ideas I had with a friend, trying to explain just how and why Pinkie Pie works.
I have a framework for the story so far, but I'll be updating tags as I go, just in case it changes direction a bit.
Anyway, hope you enjoy it!
Takes place after season 7 and The Movie
Chapter 1 - Sugar Cube Cornered
Sugar Cube Corner was busy at this time of day. The weekend afternoons brought so many ponies that even Pinkie Pie struggled to keep a smile on her face. A line of customers trailed to the door, snaking around the store so that nopony was left out in the winter cold.
"Okay thank you! Have a super-de-duper day!" Pinkie grinned toothily and waved as Lyra trotted out with a box of cupcakes balanced on her flank. "Next please!" Pinkie's voice struck somewhere between joviality and agony, a slight screech in the overtones. Another customer stepped forward. Pinkie smiled as sincerely as she could, her cheeks burning and aching from the effort.
"Hmmm yeah could I get... Uh... Hmmm..." The dark grey pegasus put a front hoof to his lips as he browsed the glass display case under the counter. "One of... Uhhhh..."
Oh come on, Thunderlane. You always pick the buttercream chocolate.
"Yeah I'd like the uh..." He trailed off again, tapping on the glass as he pondered the abundance of beautifully decorated morsels. Pinkie felt her eyelid twitch. Try as she might, she couldn't look away from the impatient ponies behind him, the line growing ever longer.
Hurry it up, please!
Thunderlane scratched behind his ear as his eyes drank in the brightly lit confectionery in front of him. "Yeah can I get one of the chocolate buttercream-" The cupcake was already on the countertop.
"Anything else? No? Three bits please! Thank you!" Pinkie yelled across the register. Before Thunderlane knew it, his bits were in the drawer as it slid closed. He didn't even remember handing them over. Then he was in the street with chocolate frosting on his chin.
"Next!" He heard from the doorway.
Pinkie darted from point to point, expertly serving the patrons exactly what they wanted, trying her best to bust the queue without the help of Mrs Cake. Confused, Thunderlane peeked through the entrance to the store and watched the cotton candy blur. The line began to move, ponies pouring out one by one, surprised looks on every face. He saw them all leaving with their orders made to the letter, even some obscure or modified orders he was sure he hadn't seen on display. One last pony trotted out with a grin, munching an almond croissant, then Sugarcube Corner was empty.
"Next!" Pinkie shouted, her back to the door as she furiously stirred a batch of cake batter. Slowing to a halt, she looked over her shoulder. "Oh." The pink pony heaved a sigh of relief before wiping sweat from her brow. She didn't see Thunderlane stepping across the threshold as she returned to her preparation.
He watched for a moment, cautiously approaching on light hooves. Pinkie was talking quietly to herself; he couldn't hear what she said, but she was definitely murmuring. "Pinkie Pie?" He broke the silence. Pinkie hit the ceiling. Thunderlane gasped as the earth pony did her best impression of discarded gum, slowly peeling from the rafters before slumping back to the floor.
"Thunderlane, you scared me!" she squeaked.
"I am so, so sorry, Pinkie! Are you okay?" He closed the distance to the counter, peering over it at the prone Pinkie, his wings raised for balance. Pinkie used her own hoof to pry herself off the floor, her body morphing drastically. Thunderlane felt a twinge of discomfort in his stomach. She started to giggle, adrenaline still riding high from the intensity of her work.
"I'm doing super fine!" The laughter in her voice wasn't her usual high pitched titter. There was something underneath that made the stallion's skin crawl. "Anyway, can I help you, Laney?" He hated that nickname. "Another cupcake?" A chocolate buttercream treat appeared on the counter top again. He must have blinked and missed her moving it.
"Uh, no... no I'm okay, thank you." The cupcake stayed in place. He watched intently. Pinkie grinned, her eyes occasionally darting to the side as the tension mounted. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Me? Of course, I'm always doing great!" Pinkie finally gave in and picked up the cupcake, putting it back on the display. "How about you, Laney-Waney?" Thunderlane cringed.
"I'm... fine." He lied through his teeth. He still couldn't place what had happened between him making his order and landing on the street. Pinkie continued stirring the batter.
"Okie dokie lokie, seeya later!" The conversation was over, without a doubt. Thunderlane, still confused, walked out to the snowy street, taking just a moment to glance back at her. His misty breath clouded his vision for just a second, then she was gone.
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Fluttershy's cottage was quiet at this time of year; most of her animals were hibernating, some had migrated south towards The Badlands. It was now that it was best to go about the less glamorous side of animal care: maintenance.
Fluttershy, with the help of Applejack and Twilight, had spent the morning inspecting the various nooks and crannies of Sweet Feathers Animal Sanctuary. Applejack was helping to patch up any damage, while Twilight took to studying the plant life that survived during the winter months. "I don't think you've got much to worry about here, Fluttershy." she said, closely inspecting a patch of sprouting greenery. "All of the species introduced this year are not poisonous in any way, at least according to my field guide."
"Oh that's such a relief." Fluttershy replied with a smile. She was wrapped up warm in a huge turquoise knitted scarf with matching hat and earmuffs, a Hearthswarming gift from Rarity. "I was so worried that I'd be dealing with poor, sick creatures all Spring." She ruffled her feathers, stretching out a rear leg.
"All done over here, sugarcube." Applejack called out. Behind her, she pulled a cart full of wooden planks, tools, nails and screws. "Guess the animals really do treat this place with a mite o' respect." She took a sip from a water flask, adjusting her hat in the process. "It's all just wear and tear, really." Fluttershy nodded.
"Thank you so much, both of you." The pegasus beamed brightly, cheeks rosy red from the cold. "Let's get inside for some lunch then, girls." she suggested, turning towards her cottage. "I think we've earned it." Applejack and Twilight agreed, trotting along behind her. The fresh snow was crisp underfoot.
It wasn't long before they arrived back at the house. The stream that ran by it was frozen solid, the ice clear like glass. The three friends rounded the corner, heading for the front door so they could clean their hooves on the mat.
"Hey girls." It was Pinkie Pie. She smiled at them, a balloon-pattern scarf around her neck.
"Hi Pinkie! How are you?" Twilight asked, trotting up to stand in front of her.
"Yeah, Pinkie, we ain't seen you for a few days. Everything okay?" Applejack added.
"Oh, uh yeah, yeah I'm okay." Pinkie smiled at them. Applejack took another step forward.
"You sure, Pinkie?" She cocked her head, picking up on the uncertainty in her voice. "Somethin' up?"
"It's nothing, really. Just kind of a stressful morning at work. I'm okay though!" Pinkie put up her smiling facade again.
"I see..." Applejack wasn't convinced.
"Would you like to stay for lunch? We were just about to eat." Fluttershy offered, reaching out to open the door. "I've got plenty."
Pinkie thought for a little longer than she needed to. "Yeah, I'd love to." she replied, passing through the door.
Soon, Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight were sitting in the living room waiting for Fluttershy to come back with sandwiches and tea. They sat in silence, Applejack's discomfort growing with every second. She looked to Pinkie Pie, who would occasionally smile back when she noticed. Twilight was pretending to read her field guide on poisonous plants, stealing a glance at AJ once in a while. Applejack took a breath to speak when Fluttershy returned.
"Okay, girls. I've got some cucumber sandwiches, and some with shredded carrot. I did want to get dandelions, but they're hard to find this time of year." She set the plate down on a small table in front of her friends. Also on the tray was a teapot, four teacups and a stack of saucers. Fluttershy set about pouring the tea for them.
"So, you had a stressful mornin', Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked, reaching for a tiny triangular snack from the plate.
"Hm? Oh-" Pinkie seemed to snap back to reality. "- yeah, it was kind of stressful. You know how it is; everypony wants cake at the weekend." Her smile was as half-hearted as ever, her eyes scanning along the ground.
"You never normally get that stressed while serving a lot of customers though. In fact, I'd say you usually thrive on it." Twilight observed, closing her book. "Did someone cause trouble?"
A thought of Thunderlane popped in to Pinkie's mind. "Oh, no. No trouble." He was just asking how she was, after all.
"Then why are y'lookin' like you ran out of confetti, Pinkie? If ya don't mind me askin'." AJ sat up straight, trying to put on her friendliest face.
"I... don't know." Pinkie sighed, pouting for just a second. Fluttershy set a cup and saucer down next to her, then headed back to get one each for Twilight and Applejack. "I guess I'm just feeling... weird?"
"Weird?" Fluttershy asked, fetching her own tea and sitting down next to Pinkie on the couch. "How so?"
"I dunno, just, I'm normally so super happy to give people delicious cakes and stuff." Pinkie played with the overhanging magenta frizz in front of her face. "But today I just kinda wanted everypony to go away."
"Go away?" Twilight asked, sounding concerned. "But as an extrovert, you love being around so many ponies, right?" Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. Twilight shrugged in reply, shuffling her wings uncomfortably.
"Listen, sugarcube: everypony has good days and bad days. I guess today was just one o' yer bad days, hm?" The question hung there for a moment, Pinkie rolling it around in her head. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second.
"I guess so." She sighed again. "I hate bad days." She sunk in to the cushions, looking sad.
"We all do." Twilight said, reaching over to put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "But they don't last forever. You'll be right as rain tomorrow, you'll see. And with your friends around, we can help take your mind off it." Pinkie glanced up at her.
"Aw, you guys," she smiled weakly at all of them, "thank you."
"We could all go for a nice walk later, if you want?" Fluttershy suggested. "The sky is such a clear blue and the snow is so pretty."
"Plus, I know a patch where we might find some winter berries." Twilight added, flipping to one of the neon markers in her book. "Sloes, blackberries, redcurrants... Imagine what sort of delicious things you could make with those." Pinkie perked up at the mention. As much as she hated the stress of retail, she always had time to bake new sweets.
"I have been wanting to add some fruity things to our winter range." She sat up again. "Yeah, let's go for a walk."
A loud gurgling rumble split the room. Twilight was blushing bright red.
"After somethin' to eat." Applejack said with a smirk. Twilight chuckled nervously, giving way to a warm flood of laughter that filled the air.
