It was an older house, nestled in between two other buildings that stood tall and proud in the middle of Manehatten. It had taken a long time to afford it, but with Pinkie getting that job at the bakery in the middle of the city, there was no way she was going to complain. It provided her easy access to work with just a walk of a mile, and it was super cute besides! It looked a little out of place, and there had been plans to try and tear it down to replace it with something newer, but Pinkie Pie thought it had a lot of character, and there wasn’t any complaint coming from her about it! So, she had taken the key to the place from the real estate agent, bounced up to the front door, and opened it for the first time all on her own!
It opened with the same creak that she remembered when she had come to look at it the first time. She’d brought Applejack to give her a rundown on what would need to be repaired when she finally moved in, and although it seemed like a lot, she was more than happy to make the effort! A big job in a big city making big orders of big cupcakes that would give big smiles to ponies all around the city? She was all for it!
She pranced on inside the house, took a deep whiff of the air—then burst into a coughing fit. There was dust everywhere! That was the first thing that would need to go! The house hadn’t been cleaned for years! Decades maybe! She’d be putting a lot of bugs out of a home, but they could find someplace else! They were small enough that buying a home wasn’t a necessity!
She slapped her first suitcase down on the floor, clicked it open with a flourish, then whipped a full-sized broom out of it. She gave it a quick spin in a hoof, kicked her left rear hoof out behind her and posed, then began sweeping.
She opened up the windows as she raced through the house, one room at a time. Dust billowed out of the windows and off into the street, accompanied by the balls of cobweb, piles of lint, and the occasional leaf that somehow sneaked inside. When she was done, she wiped sweat off her brow, fixed the cowlick that always hung in front of her face, then brought her suitcase upstairs to unpack. She pulled the sheets off the furniture that had been left behind by the previous owner, looking over the old but quaint furniture.
A lot of it looked out of place to her. She was used to fun-looking stuff. With springs that bounced and cushions that tried to devour you, but this stuff was old and looked like it woke up on the wrong side of the bed. If she had to put an emotion to furniture; this furniture was grumpy. The buttons on the back even looked like they were scowling.
“Cheer up, grumpy old thing!” she said, trying to squish the cushion into a smile. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough spare cushion to squish, and it just made it look like it was furrowing its brow. “Gee, tough crowd.”
She tossed her suitcase onto the bed, leaping on after it, then bounced, making the thing creak ominously. She flopped down to test it for sleeping, tossing and turning on the huge four-poster thing.
“Hmmm… three out of five stars. Needs more bounce, blanket, and maybe some patterns on these gloomy curtains. Who puts curtains on a bed, anyway?”
She bounded out of the room and examined the rest of the house. Looking inside nooks and crannies, testing out cupboards and shelves. Looking for whatever else had been left behind in the building.
It was during this search she found the pullstring dangling from the ceiling. The realtor had shown it to her before, explaining that the string was used to access the attic. It would pull down into a set of stairs she could take to get up there.
It hadn’t meant much to her at the time, but Pinkie grinned a wide grin and yanked. The stairs descended from the ceiling, and she giggled and pranced in a small circle.
“Ohhh, that’s so much fun! I need to have friends over so I can show them this! This is amazing!” Pinkie crowed.
She hopped up the steps, bounding up them on all fours, shaking dust from the ceiling, until she entered the attic. It wasn’t too dark. The sun was still setting, and it shone enough light into the attic window to let her see what was all around. She saw boxes, old furniture, and more boxes.
Her mane frizzed up in excitement as she clapped her hooves together. “There’s going to be so much cool stuff in here! It’s like a treasure trove of old memories and toys!”
She walked through them, passing by unlabeled box after box, until she came to some that were piled high, covering what looked like a bright red chest underneath them.
“Ooooo, what’s this thing?” she said as she pulled the boxes off of it.
When it was revealed, she saw written on top of it, a name in bright silver letters, curved and whorled to look as fancy as possible: Provie.
“Provie? Is that a pony’s name? It’s an okay name, because it starts with a ‘P’, like Pinkie!”
Pinkie pulled on the lid. It didn’t open immediately, so she checked it for a latch she might have missed but couldn’t find one. Confused, she pushed the boxes surrounding it away, then circled it, thinking she might have been trying to open the wrong side. Much to her further confusion, there was still no latch, but the hinges were on the opposite side she had been trying to open, so she went back to the front.
She leaned down in front of it and peered at the crack on the lid. “Helloooooo? What’s in there that’s so secret, huh? Auntie Pinkie won’t scare you, I promise!” She rapped at the side of the chest. She put her ear to it, tapping along as she moved down the front of the chest.
It sounded like it was full of something, but when she went to pull at the top again, it still didn’t budge. She banged, poked, and prodded, but couldn’t get it to even move. She finally sat down next to it and huffed.
“Come ooooon! Please open? I can’t handle secrets very well!”she pleaded. “I don’t wanna break you to get insiiiiide!” She knocked on the lid.
She was surprised when a knock came back from inside the chest!
Pinkie smiled wide. “Hello! My name’s Pinkie Pie, are you Provie? Is the chest named Provie? Are you inside the chest and named Provie? It’s not exactly obvious, and I don’t want to offend either one of you!”
A voice came from inside the chest. “Hello? Is somepony there? It’s been ever so lonely for so very long, yes it has.”
“Helloooooo! My name is Pinkie Pie! Have you lived here long? How do I get you out? Can you breathe in there? Are you Provie?”
There was a rattling sound from inside the chest. “I am Provie, yes I am. I do not need to breath, so it has been fine, yes it has. You can help me from this box by knocking twice on the lid, and saying: ‘Provie, come out, come out, please do!’ And I will jump right out of the box, yes I shall!”
Pinkie giggled and rolled off the top of the box. She knocked at the top twice, and leaned back, pretending to be solemn. “Provie, come out, come out, please do!” She giggled at the end and looked at the top expectantly.
“Ready or not, here I come! Yes indeed!” The top burst open, and a pony was flung up and out, flopping onto the side of the chest, it’s skinny limbs splayed all over.
Pinkie shrieked in surprise, but it quickly changed to laughter as she realized it was just a puppet. It had its hair in pigtails, with two little bows at the end of each one. It was wearing a simple black dress, and its limbs, while skinny, were segmented in places to allow movement. The puppet’s eyes could close, and one was halfway closed. Its mouth could move, and was gaping open where it had landed, its head hanging off the side of the chest.
“Hello there, Provie! That was quite a surprise! Like a welcoming party in a box!” Pinkie picked up the puppet from where it lay, holding her head up and looking her over. She appeared to be made of wood. “You’re not looking bad, Provie.”
The doll didn’t move, but spoke just the same. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie, very much. I was kept in that chest for just that purpose, yes indeed! To keep me clean and tidy no matter what may come, yes, of course!”
“That makes good sense! You wouldn’t want to get wet or messy, would you?”
“No, I would not, no indeed.”
“Well, we can’t leave you up here where things are messy and nasty. Let’s take you downstairs and you can help me unpack!”
“I would like that. Yes, I would!”
“Then come on, Provie! We’re gonna be roomies from here on out!”
Pinkie tossed Provie onto her back. The puppet landed and sprawled out across her back, bouncing and rattling as Pinkie hopped back down the stairs to the house proper.
“Oh! The house has changed! Yes, it has! I do not remember so much of it, no, I don’t!”
“Well, I don’t know much of it either, so we’ll get used to it together. Do you like baked goods?”
“I do not know. No, I don’t. I do not think I have ever eaten anything. I have not.”
“Ohhh, yeah! Cause you’re a puppet! Well, at least you might be able to smell ‘em! Let’s christen this house with a bit of cooking!”
Pinkie bounded downstairs to the kitchen, pulling open the box she had left there. It was filled with cooking utensils, pots, pans, and some ingredients. Not as many as she was used to using, but enough for now. She’d collect more as time went on and she figured out how the bakery here worked. She pulled out enough for her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and began mixing.
Provie stayed on Pinkie’s back as she zipped around the kitchen. “You’re very good at this, Pinkie Pie! Yes, you are!”
Pinkie giggled. “I have been working at this my whole life! Ever since I got my cutie mark. That’s a story I should tell you sometime.”
“I should like that. Yes, I should. But tell me what you are making, if you please.”
“I’m making cookies! I love cookies. These ones will be chocolate chip!”
“Chocolate chip cookies? I think I have heard of those. Yes, I think so.”
“Do you like them?”
“I cannot eat them, no I can’t, but I know ponies like them. Yes, they do.”
“They really do! Trust me.”
“I do trust you, Pinkie Pie. Yes, I do! Do you trust me?”
Pinkie turned her head to look at Provie’s head, leaning on her back. “What do you mean, Provie?”
“Do you trust me, Pinkie Pie?”
“Well, if we’re going to be roomies, then yes, I trust you!”
“That is good to know. Yes, it is. Enjoy making your cookies, Pinkie Pie.”
“I always do!”
Provie went silent while Pinkie baked. Pinkie Pie hummed to herself and made comments on the dough as she mixed it all up. She ate some of it raw and offered some to Provie, but Provie said nothing the entire time while Pinkie was working. She seemed to have reached a point where she saw no reason to comment, and Pinkie was left to her own devices. The cookies baked, and Pinkie unpacked until they were done, Provie resting on her back the whole time.
Pinkie baked perfect cookies, of course, eating a few, then making herself a proper supper. She put them away when the cookies were cool and prepared herself for bed on her new four-poster. She cleaned off the old bedding, dusting it and flipping the mattress, and set up her own blankets on it until she could get the old ones cleaned. She put Provie on the bedside table, propping her up against the wall, and crawled into bed before turning out the lights. It was only a single sleep until her first day at the new bakery tomorrow! She was excited and ready to get some rest!
“Pinkie Pie, why have you put me here, may I ask?”
“Hm? Provie? I thought you’d gotten tired.”
“Pinkie Pie, why have you left me out here on the dresser?”
“Huh? Because you’re a puppet.”
“I am cold out here. I feel lonely and scared. I surely do.”
“What? You’re a puppet. Puppets can’t get cold. Not to mention, what are you scared of? There’s nopony here but us.”
“Pinkie Pie, may I sleep with you?”
Pinkie Pie blinked, confused. It was late, and she had to be up early to head to the bakery. Provie’s requests weren’t terrible, but they were very strange. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.” She scooted out of the bed and pulled Provie off the dresser. The puppet’s limbs clacked as they hung beneath her, and did again when Pinkie put her in bed. She pulled the covers up to Provie’s chin and patted her.
“Pinkie Pie, may I have a kiss goodnight?”
Pinkie sighed but pecked Provie on the forehead. “Sleep well, Provie.”
“Thank you Pinkie Pie. I wish you a good night’s rest as well. I surely do.”
Pinkie Pie turned over and put her back to Provie. “Good night.”
Pinkie Pie awoke with the crack of dawn and a distant rooster’s call. She was out of bed and preparing herself for the day when Provie piped up.
“Where are you off to Pinkie Pie?”
“I have work today, Provie. I’m working at the bakery!”
“Where ponies buy the cookies that you bake that they all love so very much?”
“Yes, exactly! It’s a lovely job, and I’m lucky to have it!
“Can I come to work with you?”
“Sorry, Provie. I don’t think they would appreciate me bringing a puppet to work with me.”
“You’re leaving me here all alone all day?”
“I have to, Provie. But don’t worry, no monsters are going to get you. I promise!”
“You can promise such a thing?”
“Mmhmm! If any monsters come for you, you can just giggle at them and they’ll disappear, like poof!” she waved her hooves in the air. “Just giggle at the ghosties!”
“Giggling will make monsters go away?”
“Yep! Granny Pie said so!”
Provie let out a quiet giggle. It sounded far away, like she was distant from the place her apparent body was located. The laughter echoed slightly, with a tinny and eerie quality, as though she were contained inside a room. Pinkie Pie didn’t react to it.
“Feel better?”
“I do indeed, Pinkie Pie. I thank you for the advice. Yes, I do!”
“Great! I’ll see you when I get home, Provie!”
“Fare thee well, Pinkie Pie. Yes, please do.”
Pinkie Pie left, leaving Provie all alone in her house while she was gone. She traveled to work, finding the bakery easily enough and fitting right in. She laughed with co-workers, helped them out, and made friends easily. It wasn’t long at all before she was loved by everypony there, not only for her personality, but also for her baking. It was hectic, and much busier than Ponyville had ever been, but it was rewarding! Seeing so many smiling faces as they picked up their order made her happy beyond her wildest dreams, and the stream of ponies never seemed to stop during her entire shift!
She baked and baked, creating cakes, donuts, crullers, eclairs, cream puffs, cream pies, apples pies, pies of all kinds, and fritters. She was exhausted when it came time for her to head home, but the day was an incredibly success. Everypony was happy with her work.
She returned home tired, and smelling of sugar and other sweet things. She crawled up to the bath, showered, and returned to her room to flop on the bed.
“How was your day, Pinkie Pie? Yes, do tell!”
Pinkie Pie sighed and smiled. Her mane was not as bouncy as usual, but it still retained its amazing puffiness. “It was great, Provie. Great, but tiring.”
“If you are done work now, will you spend time with me? I should very much like that. Yes, I should.”
“I’m real tired, Provie.”
“It need not be for very long. I have simply missed you and wish to spend time together. Yes, I do.”
Pinkie sighed but pulled herself off the bed and picked Provie up. She held her up in front of herself and gave her a tired smile. “What would you like to do, Provie?”
“Do you know how to dance, Pinkie Pie? I should very much like to dance. Yes, I should.”
“Ohh, Provie. My legs hurt from rushing about all day.”
“Oh, please, Pinkie Pie. I’ll make some music for you. Yes, I shall.”
Provie’s mouth fell open, and soft music began to play, seeming to issue from her open jaw. Despite her exhaustion, Pinkie Pie began to dance, swinging Provie about with a smile on her face, eager to please.
“Just for a short while, Provie. This is fun, but I really need to rest before work tomorrow.”
“It is fun, is it not? It will always be fun if you’re here with me. Yes, it shall.”
Pinkie Pie giggled and shuffled slowly about the room, holding Provie in her forehooves as she balanced on the back ones. They danced about the room for a short time, until the song Provie was playing ended, then Pinkie Pie slumped.
“Okay, that was fun. I should really get some sleep, Provie.”
“As you wish, Pinkie Pie. I shall watch you while you sleep. Yes, I shall.”
Pinkie Pie smiled and placed Provie on one side of the bed while she crawled into the other side. She pulled the blankets up and kissed Provie on the cheek. “Night, Provie.”
“Good night, Pinkie Pie.”
As Pinkie slept, Provie’s jaw dropped and soft music began to play again.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsaufVKyOxc)
Pinkie Pie’s breathing fell into an even rhythm and Provie kept her soft music playing. Pinkie Pie was none the wiser, but her forehooves reaches out, tugged by something invisible. She grabbed Provie and pulled her closer, inch by inch, until she had the puppet held in her hooves.
“You shall get some sleep, and we shall have fun as well. Yes, we shall do both,” Provie said.
The blanket was pulled up off Pinkie Pie, and she shifted—still with her eyes closed—out of the bed. She stood up, limbs jerking a moment as she seemed to get her balance, then she she held Provie up and out in front of her, and the two of them began dancing again to Provie’s music.
“Yes! This is most fun! Yes, it is!”
The music rose in tempo and volume as Pinkie Pie danced about the bedroom, hooves clopping on the floor, raising tiny clouds of dust that she hadn’t quite been able to get rid of. Provie laughed, giggling and raising the tempo again, making Pinkie Pie dance faster.
Finally, as Pinkie Pie danced, Provie’s limp head lifted up of its own accord. Her limbs flopped about, dangling left and right as Pinkie Pie Moved, but her head came up to look Pinkie Pie in the face. Her drooping jaw, issuing forth music, gained in volume as Pinkie danced. She looked at Pinkie, swinging her head back and forth in time with the music, until her forehooves and hinds began twitching along with the rest of her.
“Yes! Yes this is fun! This is such fun!” she laughed. Her limbs bounced with the steps Pinkie took, until finally she pulled away, carrying herself to the edge of Pinkie’s grip.
Provie moved away, holding onto Pinkie’s hooves with her own as they swung throughout the room, they moved from the door of the bedroom to the window, Pinkie snoozing through it all. Her eyes moved under her eyelids, and her mane remained slightly limp, but she didn’t awaken.
Provie pulled her toward the door to the bedroom, and it opened on its own, swinging to let them out into a grand ballroom, filled with nothing but shadows. As they danced, the music issuing from Provie’s mouth started coming from one corner, a light illuminating an orchestra that played while they swept to and fro. Provie’s puppet limbs dragged Pinkie Pie about, the invisible strings carrying Pinkie holding her limbs up during her restless slumber. Provie carried them from one side of the empty ballroom to the other, and when she returned them to the center, shadows gathered underneath their hooves and exploded outward into an entire group of dancers, pairing up to follow along with the music as they went. Faceless ponies filled the ballroom from side to side, all while Provie laughed in delight.
“Yes! It has been so long since I had a partner! Yes, it has! Pinkie Pie, you are a delight! Such fun! Such enthusiasm! Yes! Dance with me until the dawn, Pinkie Pie! Yes, you shall!”
Pinkie’s face drooped into a frown, and she wiggled her ears, as though she were trying to wake up from an unpleasant dream, but Provie did not notice. Or if she did, she didn’t care. She carried Pinkie from left to right, moving past other pairs of shadow ponies, bowing to each in turn with a smile on her face, dancing until the night passed away and dawn came.
When light came, she danced with Pinkie back out a door that appeared nearby, carrying her back into her room. She laid her pink partner into bed and pulled up the covers, placing herself nearby just in time for her alarm to wake her up.
Pinkie awoke feeling exhausted. Her muscles were sore and her hind hooves felt like she’d bounced ten miles or more. While she did feel like she had gotten a good amount of sleep, her body was tired. She dragged herself out of bed prepared for her day, legs aching all the while. As she ascended the steps to the shower, she had to resort to crawling to climb up the seemingly endless set of steps that led upstairs. As she came back down, she held tightly to the railing to prevent a fall, her legs were shaking so bad.
She returned to her room after breakfast and bathing, and Provie piped up. “How are you feeling this morning, Pinkie Pie? You look tired. Yes, you do.”
“I am tired, Provie. I feel like I partied all night and forgot my most important rule: Plan parties properly, but take time when tired!” She laughed. It sounded tired.
“That’s no good, Pinkie Pie. Not, it isn’t. You should stay here with me today. Yes, you should.”
Pinkie shook her head. “I can’t do that, Provie, it’s only my second day at my new job. I’m not sick, just tired. I’ll be able to handle it.” She put on her uniform and slapped a smile on her face despite herself. “It’s all about making ponies happy, after all!”
“It would make me happy if I could go with you Pinkie Pie. Yes, it would.”
Pinkie sighed. “I can’t take you with me, Provie. They wouldn’t appreciate me carrying you around all day.”
“I will stay in your saddlebags, wherever you put them. Do not leave me behind Pinkie Pie. Please, do not.”
Pinkie Pie put a hoof to her face and rubbed. “I’m sorry, Provie. I really can’t. I’ll be home tonight, and we can dance more, okay?”
Provie was silent a moment. “Okay. I will wait, Pinkie Pie. Yes, I will.”
Pinkie Pie nodded to Provie and turned to leave. She stopped, then went back to the bed and picked Provie up and placed her at the window. “There. So you can see when I’m coming home.”
“Oh! Thank you so much, Pinkie Pie! Yes, ever so much!”
“Not a problem Provie.” She kissed the puppet on her wooden forehead and stumbled out the door to work.
Work was hard for Pinkie. She was physically exhausted, and had trouble lifting some of the heavier things. She worked hard, but her performance was lacking, and everyone could tell. Not everypony that came left with as big a smile as she hoped, and it was making her feel down.
Her mind kept wandering to Provie as well. She knew the puppet would be right where she left her when she came home, but she couldn’t help but feel like if Provie could make expressions, she would have been sad when Pinkie left. She resolved she would try to think of a way to bring her to work tomorrow, so she didn’t have to be alone.
Pinkie was pulled out of her reverie when one of her legs buckled from exhaustion, and she almost dropped a cake she was holding. She caught it, but the frosting shifted, ruining the work she had spent on it.
“Ohhh, rats!” Pinkie said, stamping a hoof.
Her manager heard her and came over to check up on her. “Pinkie Pie, are you feeling alright?”
“Oh! Manager Sprinkles! Yes, I’m… I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile.
“You’re clearly not fine, Pinkie Pie. You’re exhausted.”
“No, no no! I’m perfect! Hunky-dory!”
“Pinkie Pie, I know how it is when moving to a new place. Sometimes the air doesn’t agree with somepony, or they just get a little homesick. If you’re ill, you can say so and I’ll let you go home. I’m not in the business of working somepony until they drop.”
“The day is almost over. I can manage. My legs are just really tired. I guess a big bakery is different from Sugarcube Corner.”
“Alright then, but I’m assigning you only the front counter. You can bake when you’re not so tired. I don’t want you dropping anything.”
Pinkie smiled and nodded. She trotted over to the front counter and spent the rest of the day just taking bits and selling sweets. It was easy, and only required her to stand. When the day ended, she was even more tired than she had been before, and she dragged herself home. When she could see her house in the distance, she waved up at the window she knew Provie was sitting in. Thinking about the puppet made her smile. She was just really happy she wouldn’t be alone at home.
She kicked open the door and stumbled inside. “Provie, I’m home!”
Provie’s voice seemed to resonate in her head, not coming from the place she had left her. “Welcome home, Pinkie Pie! Yes, indeed! Was your day good?”
“I’m exhausted, but yes, it was good. My manager was very understanding.”
“That is lovely to hear. Yes, it is. Can we dance, Pinkie Pie?”
“Let me bathe first, Provie, then we can dance.” The idea of dancing was exhausting, but Provie needed happiness as much as anypony else, and Pinkie wanted to please her.
“Of course, Pinkie Pie! I shall wait! Yes, I shall!”
Pinkie Pie bathed and got herself some supper, carrying Provie around the house with her. When she was done eating, Provie piped up again.
“Are you ready Pinkie?”
“Yes, Provie, I think I am. I am tired, however, so please forgive me if I’m not as bouncy as I could be.”
“Do not worry, Pinkie Pie. I shall take care of it. Yes, I shall.”
And so she did. Pinkie felt her limbs lighten as something began to pull on them. She stepped forward without intending to, and she pulled Provie off her back. She started to swing back and forth in time to a song she couldn’t hear, all without trying to do so herself.
“Provie, what’s going on?” Pinkie said, alarmed.
“We’re dancing, Pinkie Pie. You said you would. Yes, you did,” Provie answered.
Pinkie swung through a delicate spin, carrying Provie around in a cirle. “I thought I would be the one dancing!”
“But you were tired, so I am taking the burden off you. Yes, I am. Is that not acceptable?”
Pinkie thought a moment, reminding herself that Provie hadn’t meant any harm before, and she’d had plenty of opportunities. “I… guess not. It’s just not really me dancing if you’re making me do it.”
“That is true. Yes, it is. When you are rested will you dance with me yourself again?”
“Yeah. Of course, Provie.”
“I can help you rest, if you would like. Yes, I can.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can dance with me and still rest all through the night if you let me help you. Yes, you can.”
“You’re scaring me a little, Provie.”
“Do not worry Pinkie Pie. I have just wanted a friend for so long. Yes, I have. I do not wish to alarm you. No, I do not.” Provie took them around the circumference of the room, making Pinkie swing Provie to and fro to the time of music Pinkie couldn’t hear. “Please let me help you, Pinkie Pie. Please do. I want to dance all night with a lovely friend such as yourself. Yes, I do.”
Pinkie couldn’t hold back her fright. “Provie, no! Please stop! I don’t want this! This isn’t fun for me!”
Provie stopped suddenly, and Pinkie’s limbs were released from whatever had grabbed them. She felt very heavy all of a sudden, and she stumbled. She dropped Provie to the ground, and fell down next to her, unable to keep her balance on her hind hooves.
“Owwwww. Warn me when you let go like that, Provie. Are you okay?”
“I am fine, Pinkie Pie.”
“Come on, Provie. Can’t we just sit and read a nice book? Or bake something? That’s a lot less intense than dancing.”
Provie didn’t answer. Pinkie knew enough about friends to know when one was sulking, and Provie was certainly sulking. She also knew that leaving her alone would only make the sulking worse, so Pinkie Pie picked her up and brought her along while she unpacked more of her things.
She had the goal of unpacking at least one box a day until she was properly settled in her new home. She had more coming, but there were only two more boxes left before she was all done. She pulled out a bunch of books and put them on a shelf, and unpacked a picture of her family and set it on her nightstand.
Provie finally spoke up. “Who are those ponies, Pinkie Pie?”
“That’s my family!” Pinkie knew nopony could resist asking about such things. Curiosity always got the better of them. “That’s Ma, that’s Pa, and those are my three sisters, Maud, Limestone, and Marble!”
“They look like very nice ponies. Yes, they do.”
“That’s because they are very nice ponies! Yes, they are!” Pinkie Pie giggled as she copied Provie’s strange speech.
Provie went silent again and didn’t respond. Pinkie took the opportunity to make her offer on tomorrow. “How would you like to come to work with me tomorrow, Provie? I can’t promise you’ll have much fun, but I can leave you in my saddlebags while I work. You can see all the ponies going about in the bakery.”
“I would like that very much! Yes, I would!”
“Then let’s sleep on it, and we’ll go have so much fun tomorrow, okay?”
“Yes! Yes of course, Pinkie Pie! Yes, we shall!”
Pinkie Pie laughed, put Provie in the bed next to her, then kissed her on the forehead. “Night, Provie.” She leaned over and kissed the photo of her family afterward. “Night, you guys.”
Pinkie Pie drifted off to sleep, leaving Provie alone to watch over her while she slumbered.
In the morning, Pinkie Pie felt much better than she had yesterday. Her muscles no longer screamed at her, and she felt lighter than ever! She fairly well bounced along with Provie on her back! She was up, freshened, and ready to go earlier than ever as well! She packed Provie in some saddlebags, along with her lunch, put on her uniform, and was out the door soon after the sun came up!
She arrived at work to a few strange looks from her co-workers when she hung Provie from a hook, staring out of her saddlebags at the break room, but nopony really said anything except the manager, Sprinkles.
“Pinkie Pie, I don’t mean to be rude, but what is that?” She pointed at Provie, staring with her slack-jawed, googly-eyed face out across the break room.
Pinkie Pie followed her hoof and giggled. “Oh! That’s just Provie!”
“Provie? Is that a name?”
Pinkie nodded vigorously. “I found her in my attic! She was lonely at home, so I thought she might like to come watch me work.”
Manager Sprinkles shrugged. “Weird, but I’ve heard enough about you to accept that as the truth. It’s a little disconcerting to look at, but harmless enough. Don’t let it distract you from your work, okay?”
Pinkie saluted. “Yes, ma’am!” and raced to begin preparations for the day.
Pinkie Pie zipped about the kitchens, creating delightful confections as she was wont to do. She was feeling far more energized than yesterday and felt so light on her hooves she practically flew about as she worked. She bounded from station to station, mixing dough and icing cookies, placing them on sheets, pulling items from the ovens, sliding them over counters, dropping powders, salt, sugar, flour, vanilla, and whatever else in their rightful places without missing a beat.
When it finally came time for a break, Pinkie was perky and peppy, all smiles when she went back into the break room to sit down for lunch. She walked up to Provie and her saddlebags, hanging on the wall and pulled out her lunch.
“May I sit with you, Pinkie Pie? I have seen glimpses of you working with the others. Yes, I have. You are quicker and much faster than the rest. How are your hooves?”
Pinkie Pie smiled and pulled Provie out of her bag and sat her limp in a chair next to her. She bit into her sandwich and chewed noisily. “My hooves feel great, Provie! Much better than yesterday. I guess I just needed to get used to working in such a busy place!”
“Ohhh, no that is not it at all, Pinkie Pie. I am helping you. Yes, I am!”
Pinkie took a slow bite of her sandwich. “What? How?”
“I am helping you take the weight off your hooves. You feel much lighter than before, do you not?”
“Oh! Is that you?”
“Yes, it is!”
“Well, that’s very helpful, Provie. Yes, it is!” Pinkie laughed.
There were hoofsteps behind her and Pinkie Pie heard a voice. “Pinkie Pie? Who are you talking to?”
Pinkie turned to look and saw one of her co-workers. Her name was Gumball, if she remembered correctly, and Pinkie Pie usually did. “Hello, Gumball! I’m talking to Provie, here!”
“Provie?” Her eyes flicked to the puppet in a chair next to her. “The… doll?”
Pinkie nodded emphatically. “Yep! This is Provie. Provie, this is Gumball!”
“Is Provie even a name? I guess a puppet could be called that. Really not a pony name, though, is it?” Gumball said.
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t matter, because that’s her name, and it’s a good name. Yes, it is!” Pinkie giggled again as she copied Provie’s manner of speech. “Provie, would you like to say hello to Gumball?”
Gumball stood there a moment awkwardly during the silence that followed. Pinkie Pie laughed, then looked at Gumball. “Oh, don’t mind her. Gumball is a great name. It’s like you don’t know what you’re going to get. You could be sweet, sour, filled with sugar, and taste like anything! But you can always count on you being fun!” Pinkie looked back at Provie and shook her head. “No, I like Provie as well. I just have no idea what it means!”
“I’ll… leave you to talk with Provie alone, Pinkie,” Gumball said, giving her a confused look.
“Okey dokey lokey! I’ll see you in the kitchen in a little bit, Gumball!”
“Yeah… sure.”
“I do not like her, Pinkie Pie. She didn’t like my name, and she seems a little too friendly. Yes, too friendly,” Provie said.
“Aw, c’mon. She’s not that bad. She just doesn’t know you like I do. She’s trying to make friends!”
“I do not want to be her friend. No, I do not.”
“Not everypony has to be friends with everypony else. I had to learn that.”
“Then I choose to only be friends with you, Pinkie Pie. Yes, I do.”
Pinkie laughed and chomped down the rest of her sandwich. “That’s fine, Provie. But I think you may change your mind later, so don’t be mean to anypony, okay?”
Provie didn’t answer, so Pinkie just patted her on the head and put her back in the saddlebags. Pinkie stepped away to go back to the kitchens and had to stop for a moment. She felt a little lightheaded, but it quickly passed. She bounced back into the kitchen with a final wave at Provie, and work began again in earnest.
Once again Pinkie felt light on her hooves and reminded herself to thank Provie for her help when the day was over. She zipped throughout the kitchen, washing, cleaning, working, cooking, and didn’t have any problems. There was one point where she was icing a cake and turned away for a moment. Somepony else bumped the table she had placed the cake on and she managed to catch it. The pony who had done it went pale at seeing Pinkie catch it, and she tried to reassure him it was fine.
Things got a little weird when she caught a mixing bowl before it could fall to the floor, and she thought she had been a little too far away to catch it. Nopony commented on it, but she figured that was because nopony had seen her do it. She was really proud of her catch, but she let it go.
The day was a little odd, but Pinkie felt happy with her work completed so easily and smoothly. The day had just been smooth and easy, just the way she liked it. Ponies went home happy with their treats and smiles, and Pinkie went home with her own with Provie on her back.
Nopony wanted to talk to her, and they barely wished her goodbye, but that wasn’t going to dampen her spirits, no sirree! She was Pinkie Pie, and even if she couldn’t be their friend, she would be a good coworker, no matter what!
“Your day was good, Pinkie Pie?”
“It was, Provie. Thank you for your help.”
“You are welcome Pinkie Pie. Yes, you are.”
“So what did you think of my work, Provie?”
“I thought it was very interesting, Pinkie Pie. Yes, I did.”
“Can you smell things? I love the smell of the bakery while we work. It’s sweet, and pleasant. Just like a good friend!”
“I cannot smell things. No, I cannot. But I am sure it smells just lovely.”
“It does. It really does.” Pinkie bounced up the steps to her house and opened the door. She slipped inside, placed Provie on a chair and went upstairs to shower and prepare herself to make supper.
Provie waited patiently for her to come back down, pick her up, and the two of them went into the kitchen while Pinkie made dinner and ate. Provie was silent for much of it until Pinkie spoke up.
“So, would you like to dance tonight, Provie?”
“Oh, no, Pinkie Pie. I thank you for the offer, but I have something else on my mind. Yes, I do. Being at work with you was enough to keep me happy. I am just glad I was able to be of some assistance to you in your busy, busy work.”
“Well, I feel energetic and peppy even after a whole day’s work! You did an excellent job, whatever you did, Provie. Thank you!”
“I could do more, you know. Yes, I could.”
“Well, that might be fun. Like what?”
“I will show you tomorrow, if that is alright with you.”
“Ooooo, a surprise? I love surprises! I think I can wait!” Pinkie pulled herself under the covers of her bed and giggled. She was silent for only ten seconds before she asked again. “What is it?”
“I will show you tomorrow, Pinkie Pie. Yes, I will.”
“Okay, okay. I can wait.”
There was silence again, then Pinkie spoke up. “Can I get just a little hint?”
“You will understand tomorrow, maybe. Sleep now, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie tried, and sure enough, she fell asleep. When she woke, the day started well. She was cleaned up and ready before she even realized it, dressed in her outfit for work. She again felt loose and peppy and felt like her bounding took her larger distances than they ever had. She got a lot of looks in the street as she bounced to the bakery, leaping so high she felt she could even clear an entire pony!
As a matter of fact, she thought she might try it! She was giddy and felt so light on her hooves, so she bounced toward a pony in her path and gave an extra hard push off the ground! She sailed over their head, limbs flailing in the air from the force of the jump and was surprised to feel herself floating! She slowly came back down to the ground, hooves lightly touching down. She laughed aloud, giggling and snorting, and continued on her way to the bakery, ponies staring at her as she left.
“Did you see that jump, Provie?! Was that you that helped me clear that pony? That was amazing! I jumped so high!”
“Yes, Pinkie Pie. It was me. Yes, it was.”
“How are you doing that?”
“Strings, Pinkie Pie. A lot of strings.”
“Well that’s super cool!”
“Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie whirled her head around to look. “Hello, manager Sprinkles! It is a lovely morning, isn’t it?”
Manager Sprinkles flinched as Pinkie turned around. The rest of the ponies in the bakery were all huddled in a corner, not coming any closer. “Uh… Pinkie? You look… different this morning, are you okay?”
“Never better! Never better! Lovely as always! Happy to help!” she said as she snorted and laughed. She turned her body around to face her manager’s direction, and the ponies in the bakery all cringed and pushed out the door behind them.
“Uh, Pinkie Pie, can I ask you to go home today? Your… choice of attire this morning is unsettling to a lot of your coworkers. I’m afraid I can’t allow it at work.”
Pinkie’s mane drooped at that request. “What? What’s wrong? Am I wearing the uniform wrong? Is it Provie? I can cover her head. Is it my bubblegum shampoo? Do I smell bad?”
“Pinkie, no, it’s—” Manager Sprinkles moved her hoof around her face. “—your face and legs. Everypony finds it, well, creepy. We get that you like your puppet, but you can’t come wearing makeup like that to work, okay? You can wash it off, or you can go home.”
Pinkie patted herself on the face. “Makeup? I didn’t put any on.” Her head twirled around to face backwards and her jaw unhinged in alarm to look at Provie. Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke. “Provie, did you put makeup on me while I wasn’t looking?”
The crowd, including Manager Sprinkles all flinched as she did that. “Pinkie Pie, please! I had heard you liked a good prank, but this is going too far! You’re frightening everypony! Please go home! I will talk to you about this later!”
Pinkie’s mane drooped further and she picked up her bag. Her hooves rattled as she wobbled her way home. Ponies gave her more looks as she walked, and she knew why, now. She didn’t get it, though. She wasn’t wearing any makeup!
When she got home, she took off her uniform and moped up to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, and still didn’t understand what Manager Sprinkles was referring to. What makeup? She didn’t have any on! She spun her head around fully backward to look at Provie sitting on the toilet behind her.
“What was she talking about, Provie? What’s wrong?”
“I do not know, Pinkie Pie. I could not tell you what they are afraid of. You look like your beautiful, lovely self. Yes, you do.”
“That’s what I thought. My peppy perky pinkie pony self,” she said as she pushed her mane upward.
“Would you care to dance, Pinkie Pie?”
“I think I would like that. You’ve always been there to help me, Provie. You gave me company in this lonely old house just as I was getting settled in, and you were willing to help me with my work.” She picked Provie up off the bed and swung her around. “I just wish I knew what I had done wrong. I don’t have any makeup on.”
“No, you do not. I must confess that was me.”
“You? What did you do?”
Provie’s haunting music began playing again, and Pinkie Pie found herself in a dark room, with walls on all sides covered in long, heavy drapes. The room was longer than it was wide, and the ceiling was covered in a dark, fabric-looking sort of material. There were no windows, and the room seemed to be suffused with a dim, but visible, light all throughout.
“I wanted to spend all my time with you, but your coworkers were keeping you away from me.”
Pinkie Pie tried to pull her hooves away, but found she had no control over them. They swung Provie back and forth, spinning her about. As she watched, Provie began moving, lifting her head up to finally stare at Pinkie Pie, even as her own eyes lost the ability to move.
Provie’s mouth dropped open in what Pinkie could only assume was meant to be a smile. “We will never have to be apart, now. We’re safe here, and we can dance together, here in my box. Safe. Just us two.”
Pinkie wanted to scream, but wasn’t allowed.
The music played on.
The End.
