-Pinkie’s Cupcake Palace said to close by year’s end.-

After a long struggle to stay in business after the devastating tragedy that took place there many years ago, Pinkie’s Cupcake Palace has announced that it will be closing its doors by year’s end.

Despite a year-long search for a buyer, other businesses seem unwilling to be associated with the company.

Equestria's █████ had the following to say about the tragedy.

“Our ██████ will never be forgotten. In the hearts of ponies and all Equestrians alike, our ██████ will live on." -████████ ████████

It was another quiet and lonely day on the farm.

Applejack awoke to the sound of something hitting her front door. She groggily rubbed her eyes with her hooves and shakily got out of bed. She made her way downstairs to the front door, opening it to see the local Mailmare flying away. Looking down, she noticed the newspaper that was left for her by her hooves. She picked it up and returned inside, shutting the door behind her.

After making her way to the dinning room, sitting down and clutching the daily newspaper, she began to read. But before she had a chance, her ear twitched causing her to bring her attention to the direction of the sound.

She peered out the window and noticed two fillies off in the distance playfully chasing each other around, the chaser swiftly catching up behind, attempting to grab at the running filly’s tail. As she watched from afar, it began to remind her of something. Something that she held very dear and close to her heart.

Family.

She fondly remembers the days when she and her little sister would play games, when she and her brother would buck apple trees together, or when she and her grandmother would relax in the living room and chat about their daily lives.

But that was the past.

Now she was all on her own. No family to look after, or even a pet to keep her company. It was a struggle to keep the farm operating on her own, she lost the motivation and strength to work, and had just barely enough money to keep a roof over her head.

She couldn’t rely solely on the farm anymore, she needed to do something about it.

She snapped out of her gaze and brought her attention back to her newspaper, scanning through it to see what jobs they had to offer. There weren't too many to choose from unsurprisingly, as Ponyville wasn't exactly known for being an extremely populated area.

That, and the fact none of the available jobs really peaked her interests wasn't helping. That was until one of the listings caught her attention.

HELP WANTED!
Pinkie’s Cupcake Palace

Old family entertainment center looking for a security guard to work the night shift from 12 AM to 6 AM.
Monitor provided security cameras to ensure safety of the property, equipment, and attractions.
Not responsible for injuries/accidents.
120 bits a week. (and 50 cents)

Below it was an address and phone number. But she didn't need to read the address to know where it was, she knew it all too well.

She had a history with that place. That place, whenever its name was even brought up, would immediately turn her away.

The tragedy that took place there long ago made her want to have nothing to do with the establishment.

But yet, somehow, she felt enticed by it. She needed some way to support the old roof over her head. Surprisingly, none of the other jobs were paying as well as this, and only having to simply watch some screens for a few hours wasn't asking much at all.

She sat there, staring at the newspaper in her hooves while deep in thought. After a bit more pondering and sitting around, she let out a sigh of defeat and stood up from her chair, making her way to the phone.

Grasping the phone in her hoof, still unsure if she was making the right decision, she dialed the number; reluctantly waiting for a response. After a few moments of waiting, the phone's ringing was replaced by a deep and unfamiliar voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey there, I was readin' the newspaper this morning and I saw your job listing for a night guard. I was callin' to see if-" Applejack began but was abruptly cut off.

"Ah, that's right, the night guard position. I was wondering when someone would finally call us."

Applejack gave a soft and nervous chuckle at that.

"The paper says that you need a guard to monitor the cameras 'round the place to ensure the safety of the property, equipment, and attractions," Applejack read off the newspaper that was still in the grasp of her other hoof. "Is that all I gotta do?"

"Well, the paper doesn't tell you that you need to do anything else now, does it?"

"Uhm..." She was taken a bit back by his remark.

"Nah, I'm just messing with ya. No, that's all you need to do."

"O-oh, alright," she responded, albeit a little embarrassed now. "Well, that sounds fine and dandy to me. So, when do you suppose is a good time for an interview?"

The stallion on the other end goes silent for a brief moment.

...

Then scoffs.

"Heh, you don't need to worry about all of that. You're hired."

Applejack's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?"

"That's right, you'll be starting tomorrow night. Just be sure to meet me at the front of the establishment tomorrow before the clock strikes midnight, and I'll give you the keys to the place so you can get started."

"T-tomorrow? Are you sure? I mean, I can do that but-" Applejack started but was once again cut off.

"Don't sweat it, I know you'll do just fine. See you then."

...

The call ended, being followed by silence. Applejack stood there, still holding the phone and newspaper in her hooves, with a puzzled look plastered on her face.

Tomorrow is another day.

Author's Note

This is something that I've had lodged in the back of my head for months now, and I'm finally managing to do it. Sort of.

Yeah, don't expect consistent updates or chapters. I've got many other things going on, plus this is my first story so I'm still kind of setting the ground here.