Our Inner Ponies 2: A Race Against Time

I felt a little more relaxed as Twilight, Spike, and I stepped inside the sweet smelling bakery. I smiled as the familiar sightings filled my vision, but that was also a bad thing for me since I felt a leftover growl inside of me about to leap out. I sucked in my stomach and sighed in relief when it vanished. I never thought I'd say/think this, but being Pinkie was exhausting and hard!

"This place never gets old," I announced to Twilight, who returned my sunniness with a small smile.

"Well, this is where you live Pinkie," she pointed out. Duh, I thought, feeling stupid.

I was just glad I was in the cozy bakery so I could summon my energy back from running from that freaky wind. Crap. I wish I hadn't thought of that! I'd have to tell Rainbow, Rarity, and Zaria about what happened. Ugh! Double crap! I forgot all about them! I hoped they were doing well with Fluttershy.

"Well hello there Twilight," a man's voice greeted cheerily. "Feeling any better?"

"Better than ever Mr. Cake. Thanks," Twilight answered. Geez! How many ponies knew about this whole "put under medical care thing," anyway? Did Celestia tell everyone, or did Pinkie? Whoever did, they sure did a wonderful job since everyone kept stopping to ask Twilight how she was feeling.

"I see you're up as well, Pinkie Pie," Mr. Cake continued, staring at me. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm just fine Mr. Cake!" I told him. "I was out for a little walk when I bumped into Twilight and Spike." Mr Cake nodded.

"Well that's good. Nevertheless, what brings you here to Sugarcube Corner, Twilight?" He went on.

"Oh, well there's some sort of monster inside Pinkie," Spike began, "and she needs somethin' sweet to conquer it." I can't even explain the look I gave this dragon. I felt my ears burning in embarrassment.

"Please stop talking before I glue your mouth shut with super glue," I growled through gritted teeth, my eye twitching a bit. Spike just shrugged.

"Now don't you worry, Pinkie," Mr. Cake replied, totally oblivious to my threat. "That's the main reason here in Sugarcube Corner: to fulfill our customers' hunger." iHop reference much? I thought sickly, forcing a thin smile.

I watched as the stallion headed into the kitchen, whistling happily. Then I felt something suddenly nudge my shoulder.

"Pinkie, look!" Twilight hissed, pointing a hoof toward a nearby table.

I looked in her direction and let out a happy yet dry squeak. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were sitting behind a light pink table that was piled with different pastries. And in the middle of the two ponies was none other than Fluttershy! My face dropped suddenly. Triple crap! I thought. It's Zaria's former inner pony. I hope she's doing alright. I made my way over to the three mares with Twilight and Spike.

"Hey girls!" Twilight chirped. The three ponies looked up and smiled.

"Hey Twilight," Rainbow said. She smiled wider when she looked at me.

"Cool. You found Pinkie," she added.

"Actually, she found me," Twilight explained.

"Well that's a relief," Rarity replied. "We were going to visit you after Fluttershy tagged along with us, but we couldn't find you anywhere!" She said "anywhere" really dramatic. That's Rarity for you. Then I realized someone was missing.

"Hey, where's Z...er, Applejack?" I questioned. "Wasn't she with you girls when you visited Fluttershy?" Rainbow and Rarity gazed at each other nervously.

"Oh, well we ran into Applebloom and she said she needed Applejack's help on the farm for a few hours," Fluttershy explained.

"And she agreed?" I practically screeched. Fluttershy nodded.

"They don't call her the Element of Honesty for nothing," Twilight joked.

Pssh. More like the Element of Doing Things Without a Certain Pony's Permission! Sometimes I wondered why we were friends. She drove me crazy when she couldn't get her way and tried to conquer it, but I knew that past that we were still BFFLs. And another thing: I didn't wanna turn crazy again and hurt her like I did being Twilight two years ago. I was gonna enjoy myself this time. No stress, no drama, no arguments!

"Good for AJ!" I said happily with a high-pitched laugh. "If she wants to work, she can work until she's exhausted to the bone. I won't mind at all."

"Uh, you sure about that Pinkie?" Rainbow asked, giving me a look. Dang, they were better at these names then me! I could've sworn she was about to call me Maya and stop in the middle of it by saying I mean Pinkie!

"Of course Dashie!" I responded, smiling at Pinkie's little nickname for Rainbow. "It wouldn't be good for a pony like me to get stressed anyways." I gave the two ponies and Spike a quick look before I smiled again.

"Anyways, what'cha got there?" I asked, pointing to a plateful of treats. "It looks really good."

"Strawberry cupcakes," Fluttershy answered. I just blinked and my face froze. Strawberry cupcakes? Couldn't it have been strawberry...muffins or something?! I didn't wanna think of that sick and twisted fan fiction—mostly because I didn't know if it would also affect the real Pinkie's mind—so I just grinned. I had a feeling I'd be faking smiles left and right.

"Sounds very...interesting," I replied, telling the truth. I've never tasted strawberry-flavored cupcakes before. With whipped cream on the top, it would've tasted awesome.

"Well of course they're good," Fluttershy continued. "After all, you made them."

"Ew! From who?!" I blurted out, feeling like I'd throw up. Oh crap. Now everyone, including ponies who were outside for cryin' out loud, were looking at me strangely.

"Uh, what're you talking about?" Rainbow asked me. My eyes widened.

"You would ask me that, wouldn't you?" I breathed, taking a step back. Then I started giggling like crazy. Please! The thought of Pinkie actually...HA!

"Um, is she alright?" I heard Fluttershy whisper to Rarity.

"Oh, she's just being Pinkie. She's just hungry," Twilight reasoned. As a result, I heard my stomach growl loudly. I grinned nervously.

"Uh, I'm gonna go check on Gummy," I stated quickly, scurrying over to a staircase. I put my left hoof on one of the carpeted steps and felt my tail twitch furiously. A second later, a little green blob pounced on my nose. I gazed crosseyed at the animal and sighed.

"Well, looks like Gummy found you," Spike teased. I rolled my eyes and trudged up the stairs.

I nearly jumped when I saw Pinkie's bedroom. It was just like the animators created it; except smaller. Her fluffy bed was there, so was her light wooden dresser. Her mirror was also there, and so were a few windows. That was it? It was nice, but I expected just a teeny weeny bit more furniture and decorations. I did notice something was stuffed in a corner hidden under a yellow lid. It was settled on a small table that was clothed in a silky table cloth. I looked down at Gummy, who was now gnawing on my leg. Thank God he didn't have any teeth.

"What the heck is that?" I asked him. He blinked one eye and then another at me.

Of course he didn't know what this "thing" was. He was an alligator, for Pete's sake! I slowly made my way over to the table and took the lid off with my teeth. My eyes widened when I saw what the treat was. A big, three layer chocolate cake. It was topped with three strawberries and a sprinkle of sugar. Should I be confused or delighted? I thought. Well, I (or in this case Pinkie) was really hungry, but I couldn't just—

"Pinkie, is everything okay up there?" Asked a voice. A female voice. A Rainbow Dash voice! I could hear hooves thumping up the stairs, followed by another. Oh God. I was in big trouble now! Well, not with Rainbow, but who was that other pony? Twilight? Maybe Fluttershy? I was soon encountered by Rainbow (of course) and Rarity. Thank God!

"Oh, that's a relief!" I exclaimed, smiling. "I have to tell you girls something. Oh, and can you let Spike know this, too?"

"Sure, what happened?" Rainbow asked calmly. So I told them what had happened earlier; the wind, the frozen fillies, my hooves, tail, and mane tingling...all that good stuff. My hopes got kinda crushed when they both gave me doubtful looks. I'm guessing when I said "And my hooves started tingling, too!" they thought I was being the actual Pinkie.

"Are you sure this wasn't one of your Pinkie Senses?" Rainbow questioned slyly. I nodded.

"Of course it wasn't. And you make it sound like I'm Pinkie Pie or something," I replied. Rarity gave me a look.

"Darling, you are Pinkie Pie," she pointed out. Oh, I thought, my face burning once again.

"But I'm telling you the truth, though!" I said. "I wouldn't lie at a time like this, would I?"

"True, but you are known to, how do I put this...exaggerate," Dash explained. "And sometimes it's hard to believe stories from you. No offense, Maya. You are in Pinkie, after all." Unbelievable! They thought I was lying?! Oh, what nerve!

"You know what? I should throw this cake at you and watch you melt in agony!" I screamed. Rainbow's eyes widened and she backed away from me.

"Now now, let's not get violent," Rarity spoke up. "How about we all go see if we can find Zaria. It won't be too hard." I watched as the two ponies made their way downstairs. I could feel my heart fall. I always got sad like this when no one believed me. But I understood why believing me would take a long time.

"Well, gotta go see how Zaria's doing," I muttered to myself. I was about to leave when I looked back at the cake. I grinned deviously and sidled towards it. A quick snack won't hurt, right? I thought.

"Pinkie, hurry up!" Rainbow called impatiently. "Or we'll leave without you!"

"Coming!" I yelled back. "But before that, I'm gonna have a little—" My tongue suddenly leapt out and snatched the whole cake inside my mouth. My eyes widened when it hit the center of my belly. Then I broke into a fit of laughter. Scared laughter, that is. I didn't want to scream or pass out, so I substituted it with laughter. I slowly made my way toward the stairs, kissing Gummy's head when I passed him.

"Here I come!" I announced.