Pinkie's Promise

Chapters

Prologue - The Situation with the Cakes
1 - Pinkie's Patisserie
2 - Opening Day
3 - Business as usual
Epilogue - Tying up the loose ends
4 - Sisterly Advice

Prologue - The Situation with the Cakes

I woke up in the loft above Sugarcube Corner and bounced over to the mirror as I adjusted my mane and tail, not that they ever needed to be adjusted. Today was a big day and I knew it, I had to be extra super-duper-scooper presentable when the Equestrian Better Business Bureau representative came in. I knew that if I messed this up, it would ruin Sugarcube Corner forever.

Oh great, why did I have to start thinking about that now? I thought to myself as sweat started to form on my brow. As I wiped it off, I allowed my smile to return to my face. “Don’t get yourself all worked up, Pinkie. You did this before and now you’ll do it again! No biggie!”

“But what if you don’t?” my reflection said back to me as I stared into the mirror, “What if you mess this up, like you almost did last time?” it said as it reminded me of the last time the representative visited the Corner. I remember how I slipped on my own two hoofsies, flinging cupcakes everywhere as I tried to catch them. He wasn’t impressed, and the frosting from the cupcake that smeared all over his suit didn’t help matters either.

“Is this what you consider good helpers now-a-days, Mrs. Cake?” I said in falsetto as I imitated the representative’s voice, “It’s a wonder this business is still open, let alone as popular as it is! If I had half a mind, I would shut this hoof-in-mouth business down!” I said with a giggle as I recalled how silly he sounded. Even Mr. and Mrs. Cake couldn’t take him seriously, and he was vital to their business’ survival!

Needless to say, they managed to smooth it over - after they paid a hefty fine of course - and business continued as usual.

So, why was it that I still felt guilty about it?

“Pinkie! Could you be a dear and bring down more paper towels?” Mrs. Cake called from the landing in an urgent, yet gentle tone. I knew what that meant: he was on his way.

“Yupparoonie! How many? One, two, or the entire army?” I asked, which caused a giggle to pass Mrs. Cake’s lips. I loved her laugh, it eased my mind whenever I heard it. Too bad she didn't laugh nearly as much as she used to.

“The entire army, Pinkie… and thanks, I needed that, you have no idea,” she said as I grabbed the entire package of paper towels and hopped down the stairs.

The day passed by slowly, the customers came and left, and I was bored out of my mind. Just before I declared that the situation needed to be pinkieriffic, like I normally would have, the door opened. In trotted a peach-colored earth pony with his mane in a coif. He also wore a two-piece suit, no doubt something he considered to be appropriate for the situation.

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Pinkie…” he said as he punctuated my name with a groan. His face curled into a scowl, something that I thought wasn’t possible for the average pony to accomplish. “Let me be perfectly clear. If that precarious pink party pony gets even a drop of frosting on this suit… it’ll be reflected in your property taxes next month! Are we clear Mr. and Mrs. Cake?”

“O-oh yes! Crystal, sir!” Mrs. Cake stammered out as she rushed into the kitchen, followed by Mr. Cake as he galloped after his wife. I stood there as I watched the scene unfold and wondered if he really meant what he said.

I quickly discovered that it definitely wasn’t a joke.

“MY SUIT!” bellowed the representative as I slipped on a wet patch on the floor and splattered a complete tray of cupcakes onto his suit. The Cakes heard the outburst and galloped into the main seating area of the bakery as they noticed that I was next to the representative and that he was covered in frosting and cake crumbs.

When I noticed them, their mouths were agape in shock and horror. I probably could’ve guessed why, too. This wasn’t the first time I had ruined this for them and it more than likely wouldn’t be the last either.

“You… you… menace! Look at what you did to my suit! I'm going to raise your taxes so high, that you'll have no choice but to default on them!” he said irately as Mrs. Cake quickly trotted over.

“N-no, please! This is our livelihood! Don’t do this to us! I-it was an accident… wasn’t it, dear?” she asked and stared at me as if waiting for a response. Luckily, since this seemed to be a common occurrence, I knew how to handle the situation presented to me.

“Yes sir… it was all my fault…” As usual… I thought to myself. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“...Tell you what. You caught me in a charitable mood… I’ll just charge you a hefty fine and be on my way. Sound good?” he asked as the Cakes nodded furiously. He pulled out a paper, wrote down a number on it, and slapped it on the table, “You know the drill, Mrs. Cake. You have a month to pay it or I’m foreclosing this bakery. Got it?” he said as he turned around and trotted out the door, all the while mumbling something about the rising cost of dry cleaning services or something.

When Mr. Cake read the fine, his mouth hung open wide, and I noticed the color drain from his face, “S-so many… zeros. How’re we going to pay this in a month?” he asked in a concerned tone of voice as Mrs. Cake saw it and nearly fainted. I trotted over and read the fine as well. “Wait, wait, wait… fifty thousand bits? That’s super-duper uncool! It’s almost like he wants us to default or something!”

“W-we can’t run the bakery when we’re slapped with this infraction… and there’s no way we can pay it up-front either…” I knew Mrs. Cake was right, which made me really worried for her. The next big holiday was Heartswarming, and that was quite a ways away.

“Okley-dokily!” I said in a determined tone of voice as I stomped a hoof against the floor of the bakery. “Don’t you worry, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I’ll open my own bakery and make the money that you both need to pay off this debt!” I said as I bounced upstairs to gather my things I required to open the bakery itself as I bounced back down the staircase and headed for the door.

“Oh, n-no Pinkie… we wouldn’t dare ask you for help. It’s our problem, and we should ta-” Mr. Cake was interrupted by my hoof as I squashed it against his muzzle. He tried to protest, but he knew it was fruitless and fell silent as I began to speak again.

“No. I got you two into this mess. Now, I need to step up to the plate and fix it. I’ll raise you the money, I promise. No... I Pinkie Promise!” I said as I recited, and began to go through the learned motions of the Pinkie Promise. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” I said, which elicited a smile from the Cakes as they bid me well-wishes.

After I said goodbye to the cakes, I bounced out of the front door and stopped. “Huh. Now… where’s a pony gotta go to open a business around here?” I asked myself as I stood outside. As I glanced around, I saw a vacant building across the street that was being renovated by worker ponies. After I bounced over and asked one of the nice ponies that worked on the building, I was directed to city hall and made my way over.

“I hope the mayor is in right now! I got lots and lots of super-duper-scooper important things to do!” I said as I made my way to town hall to speak with the mayor.

I’ve known Mayor Mare for quite some time now. She was the gentle, if not overworked and very stressed, mare that helped us set up Sugarcube Corner back when I agreed to work with the Cakes, and they stated that they would need to expand to accommodate me. She said that if I ever needed anything, I would be able to come and speak with her.

Now I figured it was time to take her up on her generous offer that was still open for me. Or at least… that’s what I hoped. If not, I feared that I might have needed to resort to more drastic measures.

I hoped that wasn’t the case.

1 - Pinkie's Patisserie

I arrived at Town Hall at around midday as I entered the lobby. As I approached the desk, the secretary looked up at me. “Hello, and welcome to Town Hall. Do you have an appointment?” I noticed that her voice was rather dull and drab, almost as if she wore a button that said ‘I really wish I wasn’t here right now.’

“No time for that! I’m Pinkie Pie and I need an audience with the Mayor! Something’s come up and I need to talk to her right away!” I said as I noticed the urgency in my voice seemed to have rolled off of the mare’s back as she turned to a planner that resided on her desk.

“Have a seat… the mayor will be with you shortly…” There’s that drab voice again which made me wonder why she held this job if she didn’t enjoy it. I decided to push it to the back of my mind for now… my main concern was to get help for the Cakes and by Celestia that was what I was here for! I nodded to the receptionist and took a seat as I awaited my turn eagerly. I could only sit still for so long, so I got up and bounced about the room. I nearly resigned myself to the boredom that was the waiting room when a voice piped up to break the silence.

“Ms… Pie? The Mayor will see you now. Right this way, please.” I squeed and bounced down the hallway toward the office of Mayor Mare. Before her assistant introduced me, I already bounced into the room and skidded as I stopped in front of her desk. The abrupt stop caused Mayor Mare pause as she upturned the pile on her desk due to being surprised.

“What, huh, who? What’s the crisis? Is Equestria under attack again? Do I need to sign for an…” When Mayor Mare saw me, she instantly relaxed and sighed heavily. Slowly, she situated the papers back on the desk one by one before she spoke again, “...investigative team from Canterlot? Oh-- it’s only you Pinkie. To what do I owe this honor?” I noticed that, even though she didn’t mean to, she attempted to dismiss me with her eyes. I knew that wasn’t what she meant so I waited until she addressed me again to speak.

“Hiya Mayor! Do you remember that favor you owe me? Huh? Do ya, do ya?” I asked as I bounced in place on the seat. The mayor groaned as she sighed and ran a foreleg along her face. “Well, I’m here to see if that offer is still open! You see, Sugarcube Corner has fallen on dire straits and…”

“... you have an idea of a way to help save it. Yes, I know… and yes, I did know what you were going to say thank you very much. Mostly because of this letter right here…” the Mayor said as she pulled out an official-looking document which I recognized instantly.

“Wait a minute… that’s the form that the inspector gave the Cakes when I, albeit accidentally, caused them to fail the inspection!” I blurted out. I noticed that the Mayor looked generally disinterested with my usual shenanigans, but she played along as she sighed and knitted her eyebrows. “That’s what I came here for! I wanted to talk about opening my own bakery to help pay off the Cake’s debt!”

“I had a feeling you would say that… given how close you are to the Cakes and all…” the mayor said as she rummaged through the pile of papers that resided on her desk. Eventually, she gripped one in her mouth and laid it down in front of me. “All you have to do is sign here, initial here, and print your name here… and pay the startup fee of two hundred bits and--”

“Woah, woah, woah…” I said as I interrupted the mayor during her speech, “It costs two hundred bits to own a startup?” I asked, clearly confused and befuddled. “Last year it was one hundred bits!”

“Well, that’s how thing work around here, Ms. Pie. I’m sorry, but that’s the rules. To own a business, you must pay a founding fee to own the property and the rights to sell goods in your establishment as well as sign all of the prerequisite forms.”

“You don’t get it! I only have a few weeks to make the money I need and it’s a time sensitive issue that I...-”

“Look. Who’s the mayor of this town...hmm?”

“...Y-you are…”

“Right. Who makes the rules and regulations that everypony must follow?”

“Y-you do…”

“Right! So, now, with this in mind… I must ask you for two hundred bits for the proprietary founder’s fee to rightfully own the land and the right to own and operate a business in town. I’m sure that a measly two hundred bits is a fair price to pay to own the rights to such a thing… isn’t it?”

“B-but I… I mean it’s… what I’m trying to say is…” I ran the situation over and over in my head more times then I needed to. No matter what the outcome, I knew she was right. After all, she was the mayor for a reason, wasn’t she? I scooped out the two hundred required bits from my bit bag as I piled them on the table. “There’s your two hundred bits! You’re not making this easy, you know! Here I am trying to be a super-duper-scooper best friend and you’re trying to get in my way of doing that!”

This was not going to be as easy as I first thought.

Mayor Mare slid papers across the desk, then I signed them all. After a few minutes of the Mayor doing some paperwork, she slid a deed across the table that served as my notice of ownership.

Later that day, I visited the plot of land I owned. Worker ponies already laid the groundwork for my bakery, but they were unsure how to proceed. I hopped up to the planning table as a fleeting end of a conversation reached my ears.

“Okay, now how’re we gonna build this? The boss didn’t give us any blueprints... so, how’re we going to do this?” I noticed the other workers facehooved and groaned loudly.

“Hiya! What’cha talking about?” I asked as I placed down a blue sheet of rolled up paper on the table. None of the ponies looked over at me when one of them spoke.

“Building a new bakery right across from an old one under threat of foreclosure.” He said as he pointed at Sugarcube Corner.

“Okey dokie loki! Here are the plans!” I said as I unfurled the paper in front of me to reveal an open air bakery with a long wooden counter and a semi-circular floor plan. The ponies looked at each other and nodded.

“Seems simple enough. Leave it to us!” they announced as orders were barked and movement began. After I watched them work for a time, I bid them farewell as I left them to their work. I bounced away and back toward Ponyville as I looked for the Cakes.

As I arrived back at Sugarcube Corner, I bounced in and located the Cakes, who were seated behind the counter. “Hiya! So I have some good news and bad news for you. The good news is the fact that I talked with the mayor and she allowed me to build a bakery on this empty plot of land across from the Corner!” I bounced in excitement as I recounted the day’s events to the Cakes. “Bad news is that they’re only just building it now and it’s going to set me back and now I’m going to be behind schedule without even factoring in buying the ingredients and I might have to resort to drastic measures to--” My speech was cut short by Mrs. Cake’s hoof that effectively squashed my muzzle. It took me several minutes, but I deciphered the reason why my words weren’t being heard.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, Pinkie dear. We’ll be glad to assist you in getting you started…”

“Yeah, especially since our inventory will spoil before we can use it anyway… you’d be basically doing us a favor by taking it, Pinkie.” said Mr. Cake as he trotted into the kitchen and retrieved the excess supplies.

I bounced in place when I heard this news, my usual grin plastered onto my face. “Ohmigosh! Thank you thank you thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me I’ll be able to get to work super-duper quickly now!” I rambled off to the Cakes, who smiled back and hugged me as they gave me well wishes before I departed.

The sun streaked lower in the sky as I returned to my plot of land across the way. When I arrived, the worker ponies had just returned from a break as they finished laying the outline for the bakery. When they noticed me, the work seemed to double in pace almost as if I just chided them for being too slow or something equally as ridiculous.

Also, why was I reminded of Sugarcube Corner from the state of the floorplans? It definitely wasn’t the fact that they were using Sugarcube Corner for inspiration… was it?

“Hiya! How’s it going guys?” I asked as I approached the planning table. The foreman stood there as he barked orders into a megaphone at the ponies that worked on the construction. He seemed to zone me out at first before he lowered his megaphone and turned his attention to me.

“Oh! Greetings Pinkie Pie! We just got done with the exterior of the bakery. How’s she looking? Isn’t she a beauty?”

“Well… I wouldn’t exactly use the term beauty, but she does look awfully familiar… !” I said and hoped that the subtle hint was enough for him. He didn’t get it at first, but a second look at the bakery and Sugarcube Corner clued him in on what I meant.

The foreman raised his megaphone again and shouted into it, “Hey fellas! You ain’t following the floorplans! You’re just building a copy of Sugarcube Corner! It needs to be flatter and more circular! Also much deeper width-wise!”

The collected worker ponies facehooved as they tore down half of the building and flattened it out until the base extended into a wide circle. Afterwards, the worker ponies built a separated room that served as the kitchen and storage area.

“Much better! Yupparoonie! Thanks friend!” I said as I patted the foreman on the back with a foreleg. “However, isn’t it just about quitting time? It’s gonna be dark soon!” I mentioned as I pointed to the golden glow around the sun.

The foreman didn’t need to be told twice as he raised his megaphone and shouted into it. “Alright boys! Pack it in! Sun’s setting and we didn’t bring any light sources!” When I heard this, I bade them farewell and returned to Sugarcube Corner. I hopped inside and made my way to the stairs and ascended them. The Cakes already closed up for the night but I was still able to enter thanks in part to the key I was given.

After I brushed my teeth and bathed, I hopped out of the bathroom and flopped down onto my bed. I needed as much rest as I could afford for the trials that laid ahead of me.

Tomorrow started my quest to save Sugarcube Corner.

2 - Opening Day

I lay on my back on my bed as I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes bloodshot. I was rudely awoken in the middle of the night, and so I was up the rest of the night because I tried to catch some sleep. I tried everything; bear traps around my room, net traps on the windows and door, I even held a butterfly net in one of my hoofsies as I scanned the room. ‘Olly olly minotauren-free!’ I recalled myself calling out as I searched the room to no avail. Sleep was just not to be found that night, so I resigned myself to my defeat.

Now… it was Monday morning, six-thirty to be precise, and my lack of sleep left me skeptical if I was even going to succeed. Nevertheless, I rolled out of bed and made my way down the stairs. As I hopped out the front door, the Cakes were still asleep. A part of my brain really wished I could be them right now.

However, no such luck was to be had on this day.

I bounced across the way to my bakery that was having the finishing touches applied by the worker ponies assigned to my build. “Hiya fellas! How’s it going over here?” I asked in an optimistic tone. The worker ponies seemed to ignore me as they moved the final pieces of furniture inside.

“Okie dokie loki! It’s coming along! How close are we to being done?” I asked, slightly louder this time. This time, the collected worker ponies appeared to have heard me because one of them stopped as he turned to face me.

“Oh! Just in time Pinkie Pie! We’re just putting in the last pieces of furniture now!” he said as I squeed in delight. I couldn’t wait any longer so I bounced into the main seating area and rebounded off of the walls to get a close look at the finished product. Eventually, I skidded to a halt in front of the worker ponies with my characteristic grin plastered on my face.

“Ohmigosh! It’s super-duper splenderific!” I said enthusiastically, “This is everything I wished for and more!” I exclaimed as I bounced in place. One of the worker ponies ruffled my mane before they all left, which caused it to bounce back into place much like a depressed spring.

After the worker ponies left, I started preparing the inside of the bakery for customers. I started blowing up balloons, curling streamers and placing trays of cupcakes on the tables. I even placed a standing blackboard to welcome my customers inside. I repainted the floorboards and put up wallpaper with bouncing cupcakes on it. After putting out some displays with cupcakes, cookies, and cakes I went into the backroom to check on my supplies.

A crowd formed outside of the doors as I double-checked my inventory one last time as I bounced on a trampoline to assist myself in doing so. “Okley-dokily! Let’s see here! Sugar? Check. Flour? Checkaroonie! Sprrrrinkles? Checkie check check!” I said as I flipped off of the trampoline and landed on my hoofsies. Afterwards, I opened the bakery for business.

No sooner than I did, a small crowd washed into the bakery like a tidal wave which I rode all the way to the counter. When I got to the counter, I slid across it with my hoofsies extended and a joyful expression on my face. I wasn’t paying attention however and face-planted onto the floor. After I peeled my face from the floor like a wad of chewing gum, I got to work immediately.

“Okie dokie! Who ordered the baker’s dozen of marble and strawberry frosted cupcakes?” I asked as several ponies trotted up to take from the small pile of ten bakers dozen cupcakes I had lined up. Whenever it seemed like I was making headway, more orders came in. I could barely handle all of the orders being given to me. Eventually, the crowd began to thin out, “Alright… looks like that’s the last of the orders…” I said as I paused to catch my breath. It was nearly noon when the crowds finally dispersed, leaving me feeling exhausted and physically drained. The rest of the morning was slow with single orders for cakes and cookies being called in intermittently.

When early afternoon came around, I remembered something that made me feel uneasy. I would be getting a visit from the Equestrian Better Business Bureau eventually, and I had a sneaking suspicion as to who would be visiting me. Sure enough, the phone rang as I bounced over to it and picked up the receiver in a hoof. “Hiya! You reached Pinkie’s Patisserie! This is Pinkie!” I said in my usually cheerful voice as a familiar voice came over the other end.

“Hello, this is the Equestrian Better Business Bureau and… oh great! Out of all of the ponies to open a business, why did it have to be you?”

I knew that voice anywhere. It was that big meany pants that gave that sizable fine to the Cakes.

“What do you want? Let me guess, you’re coming over here to inspect my business? Well, isn’t there literally anyone else besides you, mister big meany-pants?” I asked as I mixed a bowl of batter on the counter. In my throttled state, I mixed the bowl a bit too fast which caused batter to get all over the counter.

“Well, this ‘big meany-pants’, as you so coquicially put it, is one of only three certified inspectors. One is in Canterlot, and the other is on vacation. So, guess who you get stuck with?”

I knew the answer to that question but I didn’t have to like it.

“Fine… when are you coming to inspect my business?”

“I have an opening in a few hours. See you then... you pink menace.”

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll be here… and I’ll be ready for you!” I said as I slammed the receiver down on the connector. My mood was ruined for the rest of the day, however I forced a smile as I took orders for many different kinds of baked goods.

I wasn’t going to let his visit ruin me.

At least, that’s what I said at first.

As the day went on, I became more and more frantic about the representative coming to visit later. As I ran the possible events of the inspection over and over in my head, sweat formed on my brow that caused some of the hairs in my mane to stand on end. The more I thought about it, the worse it became. Eventually, parts of my mane took on a consistency similar to that of a cotton ball. I was super-duper tense and my customers couldn’t help but notice.

“Hey, uh, Pinkie? You alright over there? You… uh, you don’t look like your normal, bubbly self...”

“Huh? Oh…” I said as I looked into a glass display cover and noticed I was a hot mess. “Don’t worry, friend! I’m super-duper! Never better!” I said as I forced a grin onto my face while I screamed internally.

“Oh, uh, okay. Well, have a good day then...“

As they left, I paced the floor as my mind raced a mile a minute.

“What if he does shutter my business?” I said to nopony in particular as I started getting orders wrong due to the stress. One customer ordered a triple layer vanilla cake with chocolate pudding and buttercream icing. I ended up making a double layer chocolate cake with vanilla pudding and whipped cream icing. Needless to say, they were not happy with the cake and I had to redo it. That didn’t help put my mind at ease, either.

“I… I won’t have any other options left to help save the corner…!” I said as I paced the floor, waiting for the cake to finish baking. Eventually, I slapped myself across the face and brought myself together. “No, I won’t let that happen! I have to pass that inspection! Even if I have to force myself to be super-duper nice and friendly to that… that big meany-pants!”

As I was deep in self-reflection, the smell of smoke snapped me from my revelry. “Hmm… that smell is super-duper sour! I think it’s coming from the kitchen!” I said as I swooshed into the kitchen and gasped dramatically in realization. I noticed that I left one of the cakes in the oven too long and the top layer looked to be burnt. I quickly turned off the oven and slid it out.

“Oh no… it’s ruined! I don’t have time to make another one. Oh no, no, no, no, no! This isn’t happening!” I said as I paced back and forth. “Ooh! Maybe I do have time!” I said as I pieced together what remained of the batter before taking the half-burnt cake from the tin. I washed out the tin, dried it, and poured the rest of the batter inside of it. Thankfully, the amount inside was just enough as I popped it into the oven.

A soft chime announced the arrival of the customer whose cake I inadvertently ruined as I swooshed out into the main seating area to greet him. “Hiya! Sorry, there’s gonna be a teensy-weensy, itsy-bitsy delay on that cake you ordered…” I said as I tapped a hoof on the counter nervously.

“Um, okay? What happened to tー”

I quickly squashed my hoof against his muzzle, which cut him off mid-sentence. “Don’t worry about it! I have it handled.”

“But--” they tried to say before they saw my expression and quickly decided not to protest. Eventually, I heard the timer go off in the back. “Okie dokie loki! There it is! I’ll be right back! You don’t go anywhere, okie dokie?” I said as I swooshed into the back, prepared their cake, and swooshed back out to deliver it to them. Fortunately, they weren’t too upset about the wait and after some light conversation they paid me and left.

A few hours later, business quieted down again as a small hoof-full of ponies came and left with a few still lingering in the patisserie. Just as I was about to head into the back to start making a new batch of cupcakes, the door opened with a soft chime. When I swooshed out to see who it was, I noticed it was that representative. The one that levied that fine on the cakes and got me into this mess in the first place.

Okay Pinkie...calm down. All you gotta do is get through this inspection without messing anything up, making any mess, or getting him angry! Simple, right?

I swallowed hard. This was not going to be as easy as I thought it was going to be.

“Hello… Pinkie.” He said in a not-so-friendly tone of voice. “You know why I’m here… so, let’s see how long it takes before you screw it all up, hm?” he asked in that know-it-all tone of voice that I loathed.

He knew exactly how to push my buttons and I didn’t like it one bit.

“Okie dokie loki! However, I think you’ll find that I came prepared this time!” I said as I disappeared into the back. The next time I appeared was behind him on his left side holding a tray of cupcakes. “Cupcake?” I asked as he waved me away. Redoubling my efforts, I appeared on his right side this time. “They’re marble!” I said in sing song as he swatted me away this time.

When he inhaled, I stuck my head out from his mouth holding a single cookie. “Okie dokie! I see you don’t like cupcakes. How about a cookie?” I asked as he glared at me with disdain.

“Ms. Pie. I’m only here to do my job. No more, no less. Treat me as if I was just a normal customer andー”

“But, but, but! I am treating you like a normal customer!” I said as he gave me an unamused glare. However, he sighed and trotted inside, heading to a barstool and proceeded to sit upon it. I swooshed behind the counter to head into the kitchen. The door opened again and I swooshed back out to take the orders of the ponies that came in.

“Okie dokie! So that’s one double layer pinky donut cake with molten chocolate filling and carnival sprinkles?” I asked as the pony nodded their confirmation, “Alrighty! That’ll be forty bits!” I said as I swooshed into the back to begin preparing the cake. In-between preparing the cake, I swooshed in and out of the kitchen carrying full trays of cupcakes for several ponies sitting at various tables inside of the patisserie. I even went out of my way to avoid the representative altogether to ensure that nothing got on his suit or distracted me from my work.

A few more hours pass and not a single drop had been spilled nor a single cupcake dropped or beverage wasted. The representative rose to his hooves and heaved a sigh. “I’ve seen enough. Even though it pains me to say this… you pass the inspection… Pinkie.”

I could sense the ire in his voice, much like someone who just took a punch to the gut yet could not retaliate or do anything about it. I bounced around the room feeling terrific hearing this news.

“Ohmigosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I said as I hugged him tightly. He looked at me with a snort, but said nothing as he shook me off and readjusted his suit. I rubbed the back of my head in an uncomfortable manner before he cleared his throat.

“Right. I’ll be doing regular inspections of your business… Pinkie. I’ll be coming every month to inspect your patisserie and ensure it is up to code. Until next time…” I heard him mumble something under his breath but I was too ecstatic to care.

I passed the inspection and that’s all I cared about at the moment.

After the representative left, the sun began to hang low in the sky. The rest of the ponies inside finished up their orders and paid me before they left for the day. As I closed up the bakery, I took out a jar beneath the counter and started counting the bits inside.

“...one hundred forty-seven, one hundred forty-eight, one hundred forty-nine… one hundred and fifty.” When I realized that was the entirety of the bits inside the jar, I felt disappointed with myself. I was the premiere party pony in Ponyville… yet my business wasn’t as profitable as it should have been.

“Okay… now how to fix this…” I mumbled to myself as I tapped a hoofsie against my chin. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! I know! Maybe I’m not doing enough promotion for my business! Maybe I need to go all out and place signs and flyers around town! Yupparoonie, that sounds like a great idea! Tomorrow, I’ll start promoting my business more! For now, though…” I said as I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, “...I think that getting some sleep is in order. Yupparoonie!”

I swooshed around the patisserie as I cleaned what I could in the kitchen and seating areas, skating along the floor on a pair of scrub brushes to clean the floors and speed-shine the tables at the exact same time to cut down on my work. Eventually I felt the place was clean enough so I gathered my cleaning supplies and locked up for the night.

Returning to the Corner, the Cakes were still up preparing for bed as I hopped into the bakery. “So… how was opening day, Pinkie?” Mr. Cake asked as he trotted towards the stairs. “Pretty hectic, I hope? After all, you are Ponyville’s premiere party pony… everypony knows who you are…” he said in a defeated tone of voice as he ascends the stairs.

“Yupparoonie! Today was fine… but I feel that I need to be doing more! I’m going to start promoting my business more tomorrow!” I said as Mrs. Cake yawned and waved a hoof idly.

“That’s good dear.” Mrs. Cake said as she yawned into her hoof. “However, me and my husband were talking while you were out and we feel that now it’s time for you to be pulling a bit more of your weight around here…” she said as she trotted to the stairs, “We could really use some help cleaning up around the place now that we have the opportunity to.”

“But, but, but! I don’t have time to clean! Where am I going to fit that in to my already hectic schedule?” I asked as I followed her upstairs, “I have a business to maintain and advertising to do and don’t forget I have to take stock and ensure that everything is in working order andー”

Mrs. Cake pressed a hoof against my muzzle which cut me off mid-sentence. “Pinkie, dear, remind me… whose roof do you live under?”

“Y-yours?” I asked muffledly as Mrs. Cake realized her hoof was still there and lowered it.

“Right… and do you know why we let you live under our roof?”

“Because I… work here?” I ask as Mrs. Cake smiled at me and gently nodded her head.

“Right again, Pinkie dear. Now, with that in mind… I’m sure that a little extra responsibility won’t kill you, now will it?” she asks as I open my mouth to protest but merely sigh as I slump my shoulders dejectedly.

“But.. o-okie dokie, Mrs. Cake. I suppose I can find the time to help you two out and run my business. How hard could it be?” I asked as Mrs. Cake smiled and patted my head.

“Good answer. Now… let’s talk about this more in the morning, okay? We were up early this morning andー”

“Okie dokie, sounds good Mrs. Cake!” I said as I bounced into my room and flopped onto my bed. I was too worn out to do much of anything else tonight so I just let sleep claim me.

Tomorrow was going to be just as big, or possibly even bigger, then today.

3 - Business as usual

The next morning came quicker then I thought it would. I hopped out of bed and bounced into the bathroom to take my cotton candy bath. Bouncing downstairs, I almost made it out the front door when Mrs. Cake stopped me.

“Remember our little discussion from last night, Pinkie dear?” Mrs. Cake asked as she held out a broom for me.

“Okie dokie! Let’s get cleaning!” I announced cheerfully as I danced across the floor. I mopped the floor, dusted and wiped the tables, and polished the counter all in one fell swoop. Even with my experience in multitasking, it took nearly the entire morning to finish cleaning Sugarcube Corner.

“Okie dokie Mrs. Cake! All finished!” I said as I swooped by and gave Mrs. Cake a hug. “I'll be back later!” I exclaimed as I bounced out of the front door, humming a merry tune to myself. Mrs. Cake waved as I left, closing the door behind me.

“Alrighty tightie! Time to start advertising!” I said as I bounced into Ponyville square. Being late morning, right before lunch to be precise, I knew precisely where my destination was; the Ponyville Post Office to make some copies. As I entered, Derpy was sitting behind the counter and waved to me. As I got closer, she reared up onto her hind legs and rested her forehooves on the counter.

“Hiya Derps! I’m here to make some flyers for my new business!” I said cheerfully as I bounced in place. “They need to be super-duper flashy, pink, and ooh, ooh, ooh! Filled with confetti and lots and lots of balloons!” I announced in my normally cheerful demeanor. Derpy’s eyebrows scrunched together tightly as the mare’s eyes drifted along the outlines of her eye-sockets of their own volition.

“Uhm, well, when would you need them done by, Pinkie? I’m the only one working in the office this morning and there’s a lot of backorder mail I need delivered. Besides, I-”

“Alrighty tightie! Maybe late afternoon, friend?” I asked as I reached over and squashed Derpy’s cheeks between my hooves.

“Awight, Pwinkie. I should have them weady by then,” Derpy said as she tried, yet only half-succeeded, to make actual words between the tight hold I had on her cheeks. Hearing this, I squeed and released Derpy’s cheeks as I happily bounced around the interior of the post office.

“Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I said cheerfully as Derpy reached below the counter to grab something with her mouth. She lifted it up onto the counter and slid it across with a hoof.

“Since you’re here, I have a letter for you Pinkie,” Derpy said as I skidded to a halt in front of the counter and looked down at it before looking up at Derpy.

“Oh, you’re good!” I said in a slightly distant tone as I gazed off into the distance with wide eyes. Before Derpy could say anything, I snatched the letter up and opened the envelope. Seeing the contents, I gasped loudly and started bouncing around the room again.

“Mail order, mail order, mail order, mail order!” I chanted ecstatically as I bounded from corner to corner, coming to a stop to actually read the letter:

“ Hi Pinkie!
So ah hear that y’all opened a bakery in town? Good on ya! Now, forgive me for being so nosy-like, but could I place an order with ya? Ah’d like six dozen of your special apple butter cupcakes. Got the Apple family comin’ over for a visit and we don’t have time ta make anything ourselves. I’ll pay ya top bits for ‘em like usual!

Thank ya kindly,
Applejack.”

“Woo! She wants my special apple butter cupcakes? Hmm… I don’t know if I have any apple butter for the recipe. Oooh! I know! I’ll just go and pay Applejack a visit! I’ll quickly go in there, ask her for some apple butter, and be on my way! What could go wrong?” I asked to nopony in particular as Derpy glanced from side to side awkwardly. “Later Derps! I gots a pony to visit!” I announced in sing song as I bounced out the front door leaving a very confused mailmare behind.

“Phew. Is that the last tree in this here field, Big Mac?” Applejack asked as growing sweat was wiped from her brow.

“Eeyup…”

Applejack and Big Mac stood on top of a hill next to a wagon overlooking a field of apple trees. The wagon next to them was filled to the brim with barrels containing apples. Big Mac stuck his head inside of the stirrup and proceeded to tow the wagon back to the farmstead, albeit with a little difficulty.

“Wagon’s pretty heavy today, ain’t it Big Mac?”

“Ee… yup!” Big Mac said in a strained tone of voice as he pulled the wagon along. Eventually the wagon returned to the farm as Big Mac stepped out of the stirrup and reared up to grab a basket. What he wasn’t prepared for was a certain pink mare bursting forth from one of the buckets and disrupting the pile of apples inside.

“Eey-y-yup!” Big Mac exclaimed as he jumped backwards, flailed his hooves, and landed on his back. Quick to recover, Big Mac scrambled back up and dusted himself off as he plucked the stalk of wheat from the ground with his mouth. Applejack quickly galloped over when she heard Big Mac yell.

“Tarnation, Big Mac! What’s with all of this screaming and hollering?” Applejack asked before she noticed Pinkie. “Ah, that would explain a few things. Hi there, Pinkie, what brings ya to the Apple Family Farm?”

“Hiya AJ! I’m here to pick up some of your world famous apple butter! I’m not sure if I have any back at the bakery, since the Cakes gave me whatever inventory they had left to spare.”

“Well, shoot… now why did they do that Pinkie? You and I both know that the Corner is one of the busiest places in town, right?” Applejack asked as she paused before continuing, “Now why in the world would they go and do that for?”

“It’s a long story AJ, and I’ll tell you the details another time…” I said as I gently booped Applejack’s nose. “... however, what I can tell you now is that I’m helping them through a tough time in their lives. Now, where’s your apple butter, friend?” I asked as Applejack’s forehead tightly knitted together.

“Now Pinkie, ah’m not one to go snooping around in other ponies’ business and what not, but, ah’d like it a hell of a lot if you could tell me what was going on here,” Applejack stated as she paused for a moment before she started to continue. That was, until I thrust my hoof onto her mouth to prevent that.

“Uh, uh, uh! I said another time, friend! I’m just here for your apple butter. If you understand, blink once for yes and twice for no,” I shot back as Applejack blinked her eyes once. When I saw this, I removed my hoof as Applejack sighed deeply.

“Fine, ah’m not going to ask you right now. But, Pinkie?” Applejack asked as I gave an innocent smile.

“Yes, Applejack?” I asked sweetly.

“Promise me ya’ll tell me the next time ah ask?” Applejack asked as I nodded my head rapidly, which caused it to become nothing but a pink blur for several seconds before my head snapped back to attention.

“I Pinkie Promise, Applejack! Cross my heart, hope to f-mmph,” I started to recite the learned verse of the Pinkie Promise before it was Applejack’s turn to shove a hoof onto my mouth.

“Save it, Pinkie. You an’ I both know that I know the words to the Pinkie Promise. After all, ah’ve done my fair share of breaking ‘em, if you recall,” Applejack said as I slowly nodded my head. Applejack removed her hoof as she waved me onward into the farmstead. “Alright, come on in and ah’ll get you that apple butter you’re wanting so badly.”

After I made the trek back from Apple Family Farms, I returned to the post office. Inside, Derpy recently finished up a stack of about one hundred fliers. She handed me one to inspect, which I did closely.

“Yupparoonie! These looks great Derps, thank you so much!” I said as I chucked the pile over my left wither. Derpy looked at me with that familiar goofy smile as I turned to leave.

“Um, Pinkie, there’s just one more thing. About the cost of the flyers…” Derpy began, which made me freeze in my tracks. “It’s going to come out to a hundred and fifty bits,” Derpy said as I turned around and hopped back into the post office. I took out my bit bag and looked inside and turned it over to allow a puff of smoke to filter out.

“Whoopsie! I forgot the bits back at the bakery! Give me just one moment, okay Derps?” I asked as I swooshed out of the post office and arrived at my bakery. After I unlocked the door, I bounced inside and emptied the jar of bits from under the counter. I arrived back at the post office about as quickly as I left and set the one hundred and fifty bits on the counter. Derpy simply blinked as she took the bits.

“Um, alright, that’ll cover it. Thanks Pinkie… have a good day,” Derpy said as I smiled and bounced out. Derpy fixed her mane and turned to the next pony in line.

“Well, break time!” Derpy said as she slowly disappeared behind the counter, leaving a ‘Be back soon’ sign hung on the counter much to the dismay of the other ponies standing in line.

Meanwhile, I hopped around town handing out fliers. Every time I appeared from behind a pony or came across one, I produced a few fliers and started handing them out, “One for you! Oh, and one for you! Can’t forget you!” I said as I bounced all over town. “Tell all your friends! Open now! Come on over!” I exclaimed as I launched confetti into the air for emphasis.

After I made my rounds and handed out as many of the fliers as I could, I arrived back at my bakery and started working on Applejack’s order. A few ponies came and left during that time, with a big rush nearing late afternoon. Unbeknownst to me, a pair of ponies across the way in the now-closed Sugarcube Corner looked over at my bakery and exchanged worried glances.

“Well… looks like her business is doing good,” Mrs. Cake said as she rested a hoof on the window pane and softly sighed as she slowly turned away.

“Honey? You know that Pinkie is doing this for our benefit, right?” Mr. Cake asked as he trotted after his wife. “You know she’ll come right back and everything will be right as rain, right? She always does.”

“... That’s not what I’m worried about honey,” Mrs. Cake said glumly. “I’m just worried that the success will start going to her head. Look at how successful she is,” she said as the line of ponies attempting to get in stretched out of the bakery and onto the sidewalk. “That used to be us, you know? What if…” Mrs. Cake started to say as Mr. Cake rested a foreleg on her shoulder.

“That’s preposterous, honey! You know as well as I do that Pinkie loves working for us! If it makes you feel any better, we’ll wait up tonight and talk to her about it okay?”

“... Alright honey. I just hope you’re right,” Mrs. Cake said as she sat down at a table in the sitting area.

Meanwhile, back in Pinkie’s bakery…

“Hmm..business is starting to pick up, but… I need to start doing more!” I exclaimed tersely as I set up a few party cannons around the bakery. The next ponies to enter the bakery got a face full of confetti as I bounced up to them. “Surprise!” I said cheerfully as the mares giggled and trotted into the bakery.

“You’re always so much fun to be around Pinkie... that’s why we love coming here,” one of the mares said as she sat down at the counter. “So, how’s the business?”

“Yeah… and why aren’t you working over at the Corner? Aren’t you the Cakes’ best baker?” the other mare asked as she glanced over at Pinkie.

That last sentence hit hard, and I knew she was right. However, that didn’t deter me from the promise I made. “Yupparoonie! I’m here trying to help them through a rough spot in their lives! I gotta raise money to help them reopen the Corner!” I stated as the mares tilted their heads.

“Reopen the Corner? Why? Did they close down?” one asked as the other turned to her friend and prodded her with a hoof.

“You living under a rock or something? They’re being threatened with foreclosure. Equestrian law strictly forbids the operation of a business with outstanding violations,” she said as the other simply nodded.

“Alrighty! What’ll you have?” I ask as the two glanced at each other.

“Surprise us,” one of them said. I nodded and swooshed into the back to check on the cupcakes. I came back out with a box containing a cake inside and set it upon the counter.

“Okie dokie loki! One Pinkie Surprise cake!” I announced mirthfully as the two looked inside to see a double layer rainbow iced cake. The two appeared to be amused as they paid me and left for the evening. As the rush died down, I cleaned up the lobby area as I waited for the cupcakes to finish. Right before closing time, Applejack and Big Mac trotted into the bakery just as I finished up cleaning.

“Howdy there, Pinkie! Is our order ready?” Applejack asked, “Figured we’d swoop by at the end of yer day to give ya as much time as you needed to finish ‘em!”

“Yupparoonie! Just made the last batch now!” I exclaimed in response as I darted into the back, coming out with six boxes of apple butter cupcakes. Applejack balanced three on the bridge of her nose as Big Mac did the same. Setting a bag with five hundred bits in it upon the counter, Big Mac and Applejack left the bakery with their treasures. Growing sweat was wiped from my brow as I double counted the bits and deposited them into the jar before it was placed in a safe place.

With that out of the way, I finally closed the bakery and made my way back to Sugarcube Corner.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I’m back!” I said in sing-song as I bounced into the Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked up at me and patted a chair that sat beside them. I raised an eyebrow but obliged as I bounced over and plopped into the chair.

“Pinkie, honey… I’m glad that your business is doing well now,” Mrs. Cake said. “How many bits have you made so far?” she asked as Mr. Cake manages to smile. However, I knew something was wrong; the Cakes were so supportive up until this point, yet I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it.

“Just about a thousand bits. Why? What’s wrong Mrs. Cake?” I asked as she looked up at me and rubbed her forelegs together.

“Well, Pinkie, it’s just… seeing how successful you are now, we’re - well, mostly I’m - concerned if you’ll ever want to come back to work with us now,” Mrs. Cake said in a downtrodden tone of voice.

I wanted to say something to reassure them, but I knew that just words weren’t going to cut it. It was just then that I decided to convey my point in song as I rose from my seat:

“You don’t have to worry,

so please don’t keep that frown.

Everything will be fine

as long as Pinkie is arou~nd!

I may not be with you now,

but I will never leave.

These words are just a promise that

you’ll simply have to belie~ve!

Because I'll only be gone a while, while, while,

yes I will, yes I will!

And I am thinking about you all the while,

yes I am!

Soon you’ll be nothing but smiles, smiles, smiles

from this helpful deed of mine!

I take a moment to bounce around the room while I hummed to hold my place in the song, giving Mr. and Mrs. Cake a hug before I continue, which seems to ease a bit of their nervous tension.

I know you are concerned,

but I am here to say.

I only want to save the Corner,

and brighten up your da~y!

If it matters that much to you,

you can come over one day.

I won’t mind the company,

and you’ll see everything is oka~y!

Because I'll only be gone a while, while, while,

yes I will, yes I will!

And I am thinking about you all the while,

yes I am!

Soon you’ll be nothing but smiles, smiles, smiles

from this helpful deed of mine!

From this helpful deed of mine!

From this helpful deed of mine…”

As I finished my song I could tell that I helped put their minds at ease, at least a little bit anyway. Mrs. Cake rose to her hooves and wrapped her forelegs around my neck in a hug. Mr. Cake followed suit as the two smiled at me.

“Thank you, dear, I needed to hear that,” Mrs. Cake said as she turned to her husband who was already moving to do the same.

“I’m glad to hear that you still think of us, Pinkie. It really comforts us to know that you still care,” Mr. Cake said as he attempted to stifle a yawn but failed. “But for right now, I think I should be heading to bed. It’s way past my bedtime,” he said as Mrs. Cake stood up to follow her husband.

“Yeah, I should be heading off to bed as well. Goodnight, dear,” Mrs. Cake said as she trotted to the stairs and started to climb up them.

“Alrightie! Nighty night!” I exclaimed exuberantly as I bounced to the stairs and ascended them as well. When I got to the top of the stairs, I took a bath and bounced right into the bed as I yawned and closed my eyes.

For awhile, I tried my hardest to sleep, but sleep did not come. My mind still raced from what Mrs. Cake said earlier, keeping me from sleeping. I tossed, turned, flopped onto my tummy, flopped onto my back, and I even tried laying on my sides.

“Nupe! It’s no use! I’m just not able to sleep!” I said exasperatedly as I sprawled out on my back and thought about what Mrs. Cake said to me. Eventually, I felt sleep tug at my mind to which I relented with a huge yawn. “Eh, I’ll figure it out in the morning…” I decided as I snuggled under the covers again. “I just hope that Mr. and Mrs. Cake realize that I’m doing this for their benefit…” I mumbled as sleep finally overtook me.

Epilogue - Tying up the loose ends

Morning came just like it always did.

This morning wasn’t like any of the other mornings. I was still in bed as I looked over at the clock on my nightstand and read the time: seven-thirty am. Usually I would be out of bed by now and going about routine. This morning however, I didn’t feel like doing any of that. I reclined on my back in bed as I went over a plan I formulated in secret for who knows how long. “Okay, so I need to move some room in the front… readjust the seating area… make the kitchen bigger…”

“Pinkie dear! Are you up?” Mrs. Cake’s voice filtered in from downstairs and gave me pause as I looked over to my bedroom door to the loft. “My husband and I have come to a decision… and we figured that you should be there to hear it. It was your idea in the first place, after all.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll be right the~re!” I replied in sing song as I rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After a quick freshening up I bounced down the stairs and into the seating area of the Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were seated at the same table that they were last night. Upon closer inspection it looked like they never left that table since last night if the bags under their eyes were any indication. “Are you two okay? It looks like neither of you slept a wink last night!”

“No, Pinkie… me and honeybuns decided to power through it last night,” Mr. Cake said as he tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, “We were talking and… well, I have to admit that we’re a little skeptical about this abrupt change.”

“We knew the Corner as… well… the Corner for as long as we’ve owned it. A shared living space with a business below it. It never bothered us before and we always seemed to make ends meet…,” Mrs. Cake began unable to meet my eyes no matter how hard I tried. Before she could continue, Mr. Cake started speaking.

“... however, now we’re being forced between a rock and a hard place,” he said as he wrung his hooves together nervously, “I never thought we’d be coerced into changing the corner… but things change and… well, we’re just afraid it won’t be for the better, Pinkie. We know how much this means to you... bu-,”Mr. Cake stopped speaking when I pressed my hoof to his mouth yet his face clearly conveyed worry and self-doubt. Not if I had a say in it… which I usually did.

“You worry too much, Mr Cake! You saw my business, right?” I asked as he simply nodded his head. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mrs. Cake do the same, “So… what do you have to worry about? I bet that once they hear that the Corner is reopening the crowd will only increase!” That seemed to lighten the mood a bit as Mrs. Cake finally looked up at me with a hopeful expression, “Besides! You said it yourself Mr. Cake! That crowd is just about the same as the one we were dealing with on a normal basis! I never changed the recipes… merely the location…,” I said the last part in an exaggeratedly conspiratorial whisper with side-hoof included which got a brief smile from both of them, “So, what do you say?”

The Cakes both glanced at each other. A slight nod that was nearly imperceptible to any eyes other than Pinkie’s was exchanged as Mr. Cake looked over at me, “Alright Pinkie… we’re on board.”

That was all the reassurance I needed, “Okie dokie loki! You open my patisserie. I’ll go and handle the paperwork!” Before they could argue I was already out the door and headed to see Mayor Mare.

As we parted ways I wasted no time in arriving at Town Hall. I didn’t even stop to do my normal conversing with my regulars. I was on a mission and time was of the essence! The secretary must’ve known I was coming for she was already informing Mayor Mare that I arrived. I thought she just secretly wanted to be rid of me but before I could question it I was called in to Mayor Mare’s office. Everytime I go in it never seems like her pile of paperwork gets any smaller.

“Ah, greetings Pinkie… good to see you again. How can I help you?” She asked as I bounced over to a chair and hopped onto it. “I assume this is about the Corner, yes?”

“Yep yep! I came here on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Cake to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy,” I began. Before Mayor Mare could respond I quickly added on, “However! I am also here to refile the deed for the Corner for residential instead of retail… think you could lend me a helping hoof, Mayor?” I asked as Mayor Mare raised an eyebrow at that yet the sound of a drawer opening could be heard. A few moments later she procured a bankruptcy form and a title change form for me to sign. After I filled out the forms and slid them back, Mayor Mare inspected them and deemed them to be satisfactory. After she procured a residency deed for me she picked up the phone and called the Equestrian Better Business Bureau to relay the information. After a heated discussion she hangs up the phone.

“Good news Pinkie. The Bureau accepted your request for the chapter 11. However, they said that you would need to repay the debts before you could convert the property,” she began and held up a hoof when I went to interject, “The good news however is that you will have at least four months to pay them off as per the rules and regulations…,” I released a breath I wasn’t aware I was holding, “... and they will be willing to extend if necessary.”

Relief washed over me like a wave. I happily signed and notarized the residency deed, paid the legal fees, and left Mayor Mare’s office to return to my patisserie. When I arrived the line was out the door and down the sidewalk already which meant I had to push my way inside. “Excuse me, pardon me… whoops, didn’t mean to do that…,” A cry of indignation could be heard as I brushed past somepony, “... well, I did say excuse me…!” Eventually I reappeared behind the counter as my head peeked over it, “Psst… Mr. Cake! I have something important to tell you in the kitchen. Your wife is already waiting for you… come on!” I said in a hoarse whisper as I dragged Mr. Cake into the kitchen.

“Alright Pinkie… what is it that you have to tell us.” Mr. Cake asked as I told them about what happened at Mayor Mare’s office from the filing to the title change and what happened after. Relief washed over their faces and I could immediately recognize the mood change in the room, “That’s the best thing we heard since this entire debacle began Pinkie. Thank you so much for helping us…,” he said as he turned to head back to the counter, “Gotta get back to work, customers won’t help themselves you know!”

“And we should get back to baking, Pinkie dear. It’ll be just like old times won’t it?” Mrs. Cake asked as flour started being kicked up from her kneading of a lump of dough on the counter.

“Yuparooni! Just like old times…” I said as I helped Mrs. Cake with the dough. From that point on I knew things were going to turn out just right.

In-between the crowded moments I helped the Cakes move over everything from the bottom floor of the old Sugarcube Corner. What remained of the tables and chairs the decorations and even what appliances in the kitchen that I could move. The rest of it was handled by worker ponies employed by a renovation company. With the difficult part behind them now it returned to business as usual. Mrs. Cake took the orders, I made the orders, and Mr. Cake handled the finances.

At closing time me and the Cakes cleaned up and went across the street to the old Sugarcube Corner to start all over again tomorrow like nothing had even happened, the worst of it over but not forgotten.

Author's Note

Hopefully that was worth the long waits between chapters. Let me know what you think, this was an ending that I felt wasn't perfect, but I am still satisfied with the outcome. Hope you enjoyed! :pinkiehappy:

4 - Sisterly Advice

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. I had it finished but delays kept on popping up. Long story short, I finally managed to push this out which is going to be the penultimate chapter. Don't worry, I won't take as long to release the final part as I did with this one. Hope you enjoy!

4 - Sisterly Advice

”Time’s up, Mr. and Ms. Cake. You failed to pay me back in time, so you know what that means…”

“N-no please! We'll get the money! I swear… !”

“I’m afraid I cannot give you anymore chances. I’'ll have to ask you to hand over your d-”

“Not so fast!”

Pinkie burst through the door holding a jar filled with fifty thousand bits. The representative took it, counted it, and sighed. He took the jar into his hooves and made for the door, grumbling something about how they wouldn’t be so fortunate next time. The Cakes grab Pinkie and toss her into the air chanting her name.

“Pinkie! Pinkie! Pinkie!”

I was in the middle of a wonderful dream when I was awoken to the soft voice of Mrs. Cake while she was shaking me awake. “Pinkie! Pinkie!”

“Mm… five more minutes…” I tried to say but it just came out as a yawn and incoherent mumbles. Eventually, Mrs. Cake pulled the covers off of me which roused me from my sleep. Celestia hasn’t raised the sun yet so I looked at the clock to discover it was three in the morning.

“Okie dokie! We can talk now but couldn’t it have waited until the sun came up?” I asked with a tired yawn but Mrs. Cake was having none of it.

“It’s urgent Pinkie dear… it’s about the future of Sugarcube Corner.” I knew where this was going and I didn't like it one bit. Sliding out of bed, I made my way downstairs with another tired yawn. Mrs. Cake already set up a few chairs around one of the few tables that remained in the main seating area. It took my brain a minute to catch on, but when it finally clicked I couldn’t help but gasp.

“What happened down here Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” I asked as Mrs. Cake patted a seat next to her.

“Take a seat Pinkie dear…,” She said as I galloped up to a chair and hefted it into my hooves.

“Alrighty tightie! Where do you want me to take it?” I asked in a bubbly tone of voice as Mrs. Cake facehooved.

“Nono, dear… I mean, sit down next to me.” When she said that, I let out a nervous laugh and simply sat down in the chair as Mrs. Cake cleared her throat. “Now… I’m sure you noticed the new… layout of the place by now, yes?” She asks as I nodded my head vehemently to show I understood, “Well… you see Pinkie… you remember what we said before you started this personal mission of yours?”

“... That you… won’t be able to pay it upfront…?” I offered tentatively as Mrs. Cake stared directly into my eyes.

“... Yes, that. I’m afraid that I wasn’t being entirely truthful with you, Pinkie dear,” Mrs. Cake said as she averted her gaze and started to explain, “You see, when we said that… we forgot that taxes were due this month. In our haste to set aside any and all of our remaining finances to help you… we forgot that we still had taxes to pay on our personal property…”

“Okay… ?” I said with a raised eyebrow, “... What does that have to do with what we were talking about before?”

“W-well, you see… when our first bill came, we didn’t think it would have been that big of a deal. I mean, since we didn’t use nearly as much electricity or water that we did the last month… it would’ve been manageable, right?”

“So… what happened?” I asked while completely engrossed in Mrs. Cake’s story.

A pregnant pause hung in the air for several moments before Mrs. Cake took a deep breath and continued, “... We were wrong. Oh by Celestia… we were so wrong. We didn’t take into account that they were averaging the use of our utilities...” Mrs. Cake said as she voice started to become more frantic.

“It’s okay Mrs. Cake… I’m here. What happened next?” I gently pressed however it took Mrs. Cake a full minute to calm herself down enough to continue speaking.

“Mr. Cake said that we would have to sell some stuff in order to make ends meet… but I told him that we couldn’t do that for how would anypony be able to sit down and enjoy our treats…,” She said as her voice began to hitch. “I said we would be able to put it off for a week and still be able to use the water and turn on the lights but no bits have been coming in and… and…,” Mrs Cake said before burying her face in her hooves, “Oh… I’m not fooling anypony! We’re going to lose the Corner! We’re going to lose the Corner…,” Mrs. Cake wailed as she noticeably deflated and slumped her shoulders with tears running down her cheeks, “All of our hard work for nothing… I knew I should’ve been the one to hand out the cupcakes…” Mrs. Cake mumbled the last portion of her sentence as tears threatened to stain her fur and the exposed wooden paneling of the floor.

“It’s okay… just let it all out...” I said as I pulled her over to me and wrapped my forelegs around her in a hug while I rubbed a foreleg along her back. Mrs. Cake simply cried into my shoulder as Mr. Cake came downstairs when he heard the ruckus. He wanted to speak but the sight of my foreleg pressed against my lips told him that he shouldn’t intervene.

The room was dead quiet with the exception of her crying.

Several minutes later Mrs. Cake lifted her head from my shoulder, “Thank you Pinkie… I feel a little better now,” Mrs. Cake said as a strained smile found its way onto her face.

“Yup yup! My pleasure Mrs. Cake!” I said as I subtly waved Mr. Cake over to the table, "Don't you worry any longer Mrs. Cake! How about you two come on over to the patisserie and spend some time over there? I wouldn't mind company and I'm super-duper-scooper sure that you could find something to do! What do you say?" I asked as the Cakes looked at each other and exchanged knowing glances.

"That sounds good to us, Pinkie dear," Mrs Cake said as Mr. Cake nods, "We just need to do a few things and we'll be right over." Hearing this, I smiled and bounced over to the door.

"Okie dokie loki! I'll see you in a few hours!" I exclaimed giddily as I made my way over to my patisserie to prepare for the day.

It was business as usual today as I swooped in and out of the kitchen. As midday neared and the crowd thinned out, Mr. and Mrs. Cake came in through the front door. In their hooves they carried only the essentials for baking and nothing more.

"Pinkie dear? We're here…," Mrs. Cake said as she entered the kitchen followed by Mr. Cake.

"We came Pinkie... like you suggested." Mr. Cake chimed in as he extended a foreleg to me that held the baking implements he carried with him, “I also came prepared! We didn’t want to come over empty hooved so I brought some pots, a bowl or two, and out trusty mixer!” He said as Mrs Cake sighed.

“This is nice of you, Pinkie dear… and we do appreciate it… yes we do, but…,” Mrs. Cake said grimly, “... but we still have to find a way to save the corner Pinkie. Time is running out… I hope you do realize that.” Mrs. Cake said in an urgent yet calm voice as she looked over at her husband.

“What honeybuns is trying to say here is that we see a lot of progress on your end… yet none of that progress seems to be going in our direction. So… do you think you could try and help us out? Maybe a smidge?” Mr. Cake asked as I rubbed my chin with a hoofsie in thought. Soon thoughts started bouncing around in my head like me when I had too much sugar before I turned and looked straight ahead with a vacant expression.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh! I just got a great idea~!” I said in sing song as I bounced in place. Before Mr. and Mrs. Cake could ask I shoved a hoof into their mouths, “Nuh uh! It’s a surprise~! I’ll let you know exactly what it is exactly when I need to say it!” I said as I pranced in place clearly ecstatic about the idea I just had. The Cakes exchanged worried looks before they looked back at Pinkie.

“Um… w-well then… alright Pinkie dear. We trust your judgment.” Mrs. Cake said as she set down the bowls, pots, and the mixer on the counter. Mr. Cake peeked out into the main seating area to see a few ponies sitting around before the bell rang to signal a new customer.

“Ooh! I’ll get it!” I said as I swooshed out into the main seating area to take care of the new ponies arriving. “Okie dokie! So that’s one dozen of my banana muffins?” I asked one of the ponies before they nodded. I returned to the back with a smile on my face. “Alright! Let’s get baking!” I announced exuberantly and my forearms splayed for dramatic effect.

The Cakes nodded and the best bakers in Ponyville were reunited once again… if only for one day. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were too busy helping Pinkie that they seemed to forget their worries and just enjoyed the act of baking again. Watching them like this I was too ashamed to admit that I did not actually have an idea like I claimed to have. At one point I decided to rectify that problem by visiting the one pony that I knew could help me out.

“Excuse me Mr. and Mrs. Cake… I have to step out for a little while! I assume you’ll be able to take care of things back here while I do?” I asked as I twiddled my forehooves together.

“Yes of course, Pinkie dear… this is simply too much fun for us to simply want to stop!” Mrs. Cake replied cheerfully as her husband simply hummed in response while mixing up the batter in a bowl in front of him.

“Alrighty! I’ll be back in a flash!” I said as I darted out of the kitchen and made my way to the edge of town.

“I just hope she’s at home right now!”

At this time Maud Pie was just returning from Ghastly Gorge pulling a wagon that contained dug up rocks to add to her collection. She set down the wagon outside a small gem cave on the outskirts of Ponyville to which she furnished with a few basic amenities. She sat down in her rock chair to relax after the long walk from the Gorge. Unfortunately for her, that period of relaxation would be short lived.

"Maud!" I said as I skidded to a stop next to the table. Maud just stared at me with her usual blank expression as I continued, "Boy am I glad to see you! I got in way over my head and now I need some help and I don't know who to turn to…," I said as I paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "... and I was hoping you were here becaus-" I suddenly found myself unable to speak as Maud shoved her hoof onto my mouth.

"Calm down Pinkie…," Maud intoned in her usual monotone voice, "Now when I remove my hoof you are going to explain to me what’s going on… and at a pace I can follow. Okay?" Maud asked as I simply nodded which prompted her to remove her hoof. “Good. Now… what happened?”

“Well, you see Maud… I kind of made an itsy bitsy teeny weeny promise to the Cakes and I’m kinda... a little over my head,” I remarked in an awkward tone of voice while Maud sat there and listened to me, “Long story short I kinda… maybe… sorta… got the Cakes in trouble with the Equestrian Better Business Bureau and kind of had a teensy fine levied onto their business.” I blurted out as Maud remained silent waiting for me to finish.

I could never tell what Maud was thinking when I talked to her… her facial expression was always the same, which made reading her basically impossible. Ever since I was a little filly I could always count on Maud to give good advice. Her neutral stance really helped to sell that image to me when I was younger and she never turned down my requests for help unless she was super-duper busy or just didn’t know the answer. Right now, I was really hopeful that neither of those two scenarios were true.

“So I opened my own business across from the corner in order to help drum up some bits to help them but… it’s not going too well on their end and…”

“Well, your first mistake was opening the business across from Sugarcube Corner,” Maud interrupted with her normal dry tone. Before she continued, her expression changed ever so slightly to one that was more displeased than angry, “Why you thought that was a good idea is beyond me. However… sometimes the simplest answers are the most complex… like a river rock floating downstream. It doesn’t know its destination, but at the same time it also doesn’t care where the current takes it. It’s just floating along without a care in the world until something steps in its path. It might take the extra time to decide if it wants to move along, but it does so at its own pace. Do you see what I’m getting at here, Pinkie?”

“So… I should think long and hard about my current situation but don’t rush into things because I don’t have to make a decision immediately?” I asked as the corners of Maud’s mouth upturned slightly in what appeared to be one of her many attempts at a smile. I just wish she was a little more liberal with her emotions but I know that I can’t force everypony to be happy all the time… even if I really did enjoy seeing everypony happy.

“Good… I’m glad to hear that you were following along Pinkie. Just remember… even the heaviest rock can be made to budge. It just takes time and effort… but the reward usually pays off.” She explained as she lowered her ear to Boulder who was sitting on the table, “Boulder says that you should follow your gut instincts and everything should fall into place from there.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Maud carried that rock wherever she went and at first I thought it was just silly for her to name and be talking to a rock. However, when I discovered that Maud saw it as more than just a rock I began to understand why she was so emotionally attached to it. At this point I rushed over to give my sister a big hug. Maud didn’t complain or try to break away; I secretly think she really likes my hugs but doesn’t want to admit it. “Thank you so much, Maud! You’re the best older sister that a pony could ask for!” I said gleefully as Maud wrapped a single leg around my barrel and squeezed as lightly as she could. Even though Maud was squeezing lightly it still felt like somepony punched me in the gut and forcibly expelled the air from my lungs.

“Now go Pinkie… and remember: Channel your inner river rock and everything will fall into place.” Nodding I bade Maud farewell and made the return trip to Ponyville to see how the Cakes were doing in my patisserie.

By the time I returned to Ponyville it was already early afternoon. The streets were alive with ponies heading to and from the various locals in town. I stopped and waved to the ones who waved at me but I didn’t stop to talk long knowing my destination was predetermined. Arriving at the patisserie, the line out the door stretched down the sidewalk with eager ponies that were somehow still able to wait for their turn. When I made my way inside I saw the Cakes really adapting to their new location; it was practically business as usual.

‘Should I tell them now? Nah… not yet. There’s still some things that I have to do first!’ I thought as I bounced behind the counter and into the kitchen. Inside, Mrs. Cake was busy baking their classic treats they were so well-known for. “Hiya Mrs. Cake! I have something to tell you and Mr. Cake later, okie dokie?” I asked as Mrs. Cake looked over at me, smiled and nodded, then went back to doing what she was doing previously. After telling Mr. Cake the same thing I told his wife, the rest of the day flew by. Nearing closing time, the Cakes turned to me as I cleaned up.

“Should we wait for you outside Pinkie dear? Or should we head back to the Corner?” Mrs. Cake asked as she started cleaning up the counter of crumbs and loose sprinkles.

“I think we should head back to the Corner, honeybuns. I’m sure Pinkie would like to tell us when she’s finished so she doesn’t have to multitask.” Mr. Cake said, to which I nodded. Thankfully, Mr. Cake seemed to be the voice of reason and I could not have been happier. I started to clean the sitting area as Mr. and Mrs. Cake left for Sugarcube Corner.

In a few minutes, the entire situation was about to be turned on its head. Whether it was for our benefit or not was uncertain. I locked the door and made for Sugarcube Corner ever hopeful that my news goes over as well as I intend it to. Otherwise, I will be out of options.

By Celestia, I really hope that doesn’t happen.

I slowly pushed open the door to find the Cakes sitting at one of the few tables remaining in the Corner. Taking a deep breath I strode inside and stopped in front of the table with the most serious look I could muster before sitting down and smiling at the Cakes.

“Okie dokie loki! Are you two ready for what I want to say? Don’t stand up because you’ll just want to sit right back down again after I say this because it’s a doozy-woozy of an idea!” The Cakes both leaned forward in their seats slightly as if everything was riding on what I was about to say. I took a deep breath, then began to reveal my plan for the future of the Corner. “So! I’ve been thinking about this whole situation. You know that big ol’ meany pants inspector? The one that I kinda… well, you know the whole situation so I won’t bother with that part.”

“Yes, we know dear. What is your idea? I simply must know!” Mrs. Cake said with barely contained enthusiasm as Mr. Cake crossed his forelegs on the table and quietly listened.

“Well, I was thinking that ma~ybe we could possibly… merge my patisserie and the bottom floor of the Corner together?” When I said that I noticed the Cakes giving each other unsure glances as I rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously, “...W-was it something I said?”

“Nono, Pinkie… we were just… unsure if you wanted to work with us again. You’re doing rather well for yourself… so much so that you could just let us up and disappear and… and everything would be just fine for you.” Mrs. Cake choked back tears and thankfully Mr. Cake was on the ball to pick up the slack.

“What honeybuns is trying to say here is that… well… we were watching your business yesterday and it seems like you were really drawing a crowd. A crowd that… we would normally be drawing in.” Mr. Cake paused to rub his forelegs together in a sheepish motion before he continued, “So, when we saw that, we figured that we were… no longer needed. We would just get in your way… just be deadweight now. Honeybuns and I aren’t exactly getting any… younger you see… and maybe this is just our cue to retire. It might be for the best, seeing how your patisserie is doing as well as, if not better than, ours has ever been. Maybe it’s time to…”

“Aw horseapples, Mr. Cake!” I exclaimed with a stomp of a forehoof, derailing Mr. Cake’s train of thought. This caught both of the Cakes off guard, if both of them reeling back in their seats were any indication of this, and their attention was fully upon me once again. “I would never tell you two to retire! You two are the best bakers in Equestria! I only got this good because I learned under you both! I would never trade this situation for anything and you both know it. I know you do, don’t even try to deny it! Besides, if we change the Corner into a living space instead of a bakery he won’t be able to collect the debt that you owe him! All you have to do is file for bankruptcy and refile for a residency deed! So… what do you think?”

The Cakes looked at each other as a pregnant pause hung in the air. Fortunately, it didn’t drag out for too long as the Cakes began conversing between each other before turning to Pinkie. “Do you think we could talk about this and tell you in the morning, dear? This is… a lot to process at once and we don’t want to make any hasty decisions…” Mrs. Cake mentions as Mr. Cake simply nods.

“Honeybuns is right, Pinkie. This is a big decision we have to make. We’ll be basically giving up a cornerstone that was a big part of our lives for the entirety of our time here in Ponyville. Do you think we could sleep on it, discuss it a bit more, then tell you in the morning?”

“Hmm… that sounds reasonable to me!” I exclaimed as I pronked around the room, “Well, then we should get some sleep huh? Ideas aren’t going to form themselves now are they?” I asked cheekily as the Cakes simply rolled their eyes amusedly. “Nighty night Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” I said as I climbed the stairs to head off to bed. The last thing I remember is seeing the Cakes conversing among themselves.

I silently hoped that I did the right thing and that the Cakes will realize that what I am doing is for their own benefit.