The Story (REWRITTEN AGAIN)
PINKIE PIE GETS A CREDIT CARD
By GeodesicDragon
With the close of the morning came the arrival of a grey pegasus at Sugarcube Corner. She entered the confectionery at a slow pace, her wings sagging by her sides and a faraway look on her face. As she approached the counter, she took off the bag she carried on her back and dropped it next to a vacant table, claiming a place for her to sit and rest her aching body. The stallion behind the counter smiled and nodded.
"Hello, Ditzy!" Carrot greeted. "I can see that you've had a rough morning, so let me get you your usual. Two chocolate muffins and a smoothie, right?"
Ditzy nodded, and Carrot disappeared into the kitchen to fetch her order. She trotted over to the seat she had reserved and eased herself into it, letting out a contented sigh. Picking the bag up from the floor, she removed a wad of envelopes from it and put them on the table.
"These are for you," she said, upon seeing Carrot approaching with a tray perched on his back. The aroma of the muffins wafted into Ditzy's nostrils, eliciting another pleased sigh from her.
Carrot placed the tray on the table and picked up the envelopes as Ditzy fished around in her bag for some bits with which to pay him. After taking his payment, Carrot walked back to the counter, reading through the envelopes as he did so.
"Bill, bill, junk, bill..." he muttered, before one particular envelope caught his attention. It was addressed to Pinkie Pie, and the logo of the Bank of Ponyville featured prominently in the corner. Carrot felt the envelope nervously, making out a flat, rectangular object.
"What is it, dear?" Cup Cake asked of her husband, who was frozen in place, clutching the envelope with his jaw hanging open as one eye twitched erratically. His wife looked at him quizzically, before glancing at the envelope. Upon seeing the logo, her face took on a look similar to that of her husband.
"Please tell me they had the sense to turn her down!" She half-shouted. "The last thing anypony needs is Pinkie Pie with one of these at her disposal."
At the mention of her name, the pony in question appeared at the kitchen door, her mane, coat and tail covered in patches of flour, sugar and icing. A smile was on her lips and her eyes shone brightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but saw the envelope in Carrot's hoof.
Pinkie let out a gasp and propelled herself through the air, landing in front of the Cakes with practised grace. She grabbed the envelope from Carrot, despite the iron grip he kept on it, and tore it open with her teeth. Unfolding the letter, her eyes darted across the page as she scanned the words, before she hung her head.
"Bad news, dearie?" Cup Cake asked gently, as relief slowly began to wash over her. "Not to worry, I'm sure you'll get it next time."
"It is bad news..." Pinkie replied, bringing her head up to look at the Cakes. "... because my credit limit is only ten thousand bits."
Cup and Carrot's jaws hung open in shock as the smile reappeared on Pinkie's face. From the paper, she pulled a small plastic rectangle, which she proceeded to hold above her head as if it was a treasure she had recovered from a dank dungeon.
The Cakes looked on, dumbstruck, before Pinkie grabbed them both in a tight hug, her smile having transformed into a huge grin.
"Thanks again for letting me get a credit card on your account, Mr and Mrs Cake!" she said, as she continued to squeeze them. "I'm going to use it to make my friends super-duper-happy! Maybe I'll go to Canterlot and get them some gifts, because everypony knows that's where all the good ones are found."
Pinkie released her grip on the Cakes, who took in several gulps of precious oxygen, before she rushed out of the bakery and towards the train station, ignoring the fact she was still covered in flour and the remains of baked goods.
As far as everypony in Ponyville was concerned, it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. As far as Pinkie herself was concerned, she was on a mission; a mission that would result in happy smiles on all her friends faces.
This was a mission of friendship.
***
Five mares sat around a table in Sugarcube Corner. The clock on the wall was the only sound that could be heard and each tick seemed to echo around the room.
Eager to break the silence, Twilight cleared her throat.
"Does anypony know why Pinkie Pie called us all here?" she asked. The others shrugged or shook their heads.
"I'm not really sure," Rarity replied, "but Pinkie not being here certainly doesn't help to explain things."
As if on cue, Pinkie suddenly appeared in the middle of the room with a large white box at her side, which was wrapped in an ornate pink silk bow.
"Hey, girls!" she chirped, "I'm so glad you're all here."
"What's this all about, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow. "...And what's with the box?"
"What, this?" Pinkie replied, patting it with a hoof. "It's a box. Which is full of gifts for all of my friends, since you're the bestest best friends I've ever had, ever! And since I love to see you all smile, each of your gifts is super special."
Pinkie undid the bow and opened the box, before she jumped inside it and emerged with her hooves full of boxes of various sizes, each of which was tied with a bow just like that on the master box — which disappeared into thin air as soon as she climbed out of it.
The others knew better than to question this, so they watched as Pinkie looked at the tags on each box, giving them to the appropriate friend. Each one of them shook their box eagerly, with the exception of Fluttershy, who noticed that her box had several holes poked into the sides of it. She raised a hoof timidly.
"Um, Pinkie?" she asked. "Could I open mine first? I see that it has holes in it, which tells me there is a creature inside. The idea of them being cooped up inside a box is just too much for me."
Pinkie nodded and Fluttershy gently removed the bow and slowly took off the lid. She cast a gaze inside the box — which was returned by a large eagle. The bird poked its head outside and stretched its wings before taking off and flying around the bakery, eventually landing on Fluttershy's head.
"An eagle?" Fluttershy said. "But I already have one... not that I don't appreciate this one, of course. It's really kind of you to get him for me, Pinkie."
"It's a 'she', actually," Pinkie replied. "Now the eagle you've got already can have a friend! And who knows? Maybe you'll get a lot of baby eagles next year!"
She grinned.
"A female eagle?!" Fluttershy squealed. "But how did you get one? I tried all the pet shops in Ponyville, and they told me to go to Canterlot, but the prices there are really expensive and—"
"It's no problem at all!" Pinkie said, holding up a hoof. "As I said, I love to see you all smile. And nothing makes you smile than seeing that all the critters are happy!"
Fluttershy nodded and gently scratched the eagle's chin with a hoof. The bird squawked happily and rubbed her head against her new caretaker, who let out a gleeful giggle. The two sat in contented silence as Pinkie turned to Twilight.
Twilight noticed Pinkie looking at her intently. She picked up her box and opened it. Her eyes widened upon seeing the book inside, which lay nestled between several sheets of tissue paper. She delicately removed the tome from its resting place and cast a glance over it, her hooves running over the slightly battered cover. Upon reading the title, Twilight shrieked with glee.
"A first edition copy of Starswirl the Bearded's biography, written by Clover the Clever?!" Twilight put the book down and bounded around the bakery. Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh at Twilight's antics, while Pinkie Pie's grin threatened to consume her face.
"I saw it in a bookshop in Canterlot after I got Fluttershy's eagle," Pinkie said. "I knew you'd like it, especially because it's signed."
Twilight stopped bounding and shot back to the table. She picked the book up and carefully opened it. Sure enough, on the first page, Clover's signature graced one corner, the letters flowing into each other with practised grace.
Twilight put the book down and sighed. She walked over to Pinkie and hugged her, tears of joy in her eyes. As she released her friend from the hug, Twilight took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to say.
"I'm sorry Pinkie, but I can't accept this," she said woefully.
Pinkie looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head furiously. She pointed at the book on the table forcefully.
"I don't mind, Twilight," she replied. "I want you to have it. I wouldn't have got it for you otherwise! Now you get back on over there and enjoy your gift, you silly filly!"
Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by dull coughing. Noticing the others shaking their heads and making cutting motions to their throats, she sighed and nodded, turning back towards the table.
"Me next!" Cried Rainbow Dash. She opened her box roughly, tearing off the wrapping paper and bow, throwing them into a pile on the floor. Removing the lid, Dash's eyes were filled with the sight of powder blue fabric. She raised an eyebrow sceptically before taking the object out of the box. Her face fell slightly.
"Oh boy, it's... another replica Wonderbolts uniform," she said sarcastically. "Hooray, another one for me to add to my ever-growing collection. Thanks, Pinkie... I guess."
Pinkie's smile faded slightly at her friend's indifference. She trotted over to Dash and pointed at the neck of the uniform. Taking the hint, Dash looked at where Pinkie was pointing. A label caught her attention, and she looked closer at it. As she did so, her eyes widened in shock, and a squeal broke from her lips.
"This was Spitfire's uniform?!" she shouted, "I'm actually holding a real Wonderbolts uniform, which belonged to Spitfire? I can't believe it! Pinkie, this is awesome! How did you get this?!"
"Charity auction," Pinkie replied. Dash raised an eyebrow at the simple explanation, but casually shrugged it off and began fawning over the uniform, caressing it in various places while letting out the occasional fangirl squeal of approval. Content that her friend was happy, Pinkie looked towards Rarity.
Paying heed to Pinkie's gaze upon her, Rarity began to unwrap her present with ladylike precision, using her magic to gently remove the paper and untie the bow, before placing both to one side. She lifted the lid of the box, and her face was bathed in a red glow.
Reaching into the box, Rarity felt something hard, yet its surface was smooth. Grasping the object firmly, she lifted it out. She soon found herself looking at a fire ruby which was clearly twice the size of the one Spike had given her.
Letting out an unladylike squeal of glee, she shot from her seat and enveloped Pinkie in a tight hug, which was returned with just as much vigour. Breaking away after a moment, Rarity coughed gently, a small blush on her cheeks.
"I love it, darling," she said. "I remember seeing this gem in the window of a store in Canterlot, but it was rather pricey. However did you afford it?"
Pinkie tapped her nose with a hoof and winked. Rarity returned the gesture with a nod, and sat back down to admire her gift, her mind already filling with ideas of what she could use it for. Pinkie turned to Applejack and grinned, nodding her head towards the unwrapped box on the table in front of them.
Applejack opened the gift in the same way Rainbow Dash had opened hers. Another pile of paper and ribbon soon landed on the floor as Applejack opened her gift. Inside lay a single sheet of paper, bearing the golden seal of the Bank of Ponyville. Removing the paper, Applejack cast her eyes over it.
Soon, they were full of tears. The others saw this and looked at their friend with concern. Wiping her eyes, Applejack sniffled and looked towards Pinkie, who wore a look of worry. Placing the paper on the table, Applejack got up from the table and walked over to Pinkie, before scooping her up in a strong hug.
"Thank ya, Pinkie," she said, the tears flowing freely. "This means a lot ta me and mah family. Though Ah have ta ask... why did ya do this? And more to tha point, how did ya do it?"
Pinkie released herself from Applejack's grip and smiled. Rainbow Dash, her curiosity piqued, looked at the box containing the farm mare's gift. Inside was the deed to Sweet Apple Acres — with the Apples listed as the owners, rather than the tenants.
"Why did I do it? Because you're my friend, AJ!" Pinkie said. "As for how... well, that's for me to know, and for you to never find out. EVER. You should all know by now that I'll do anything to make my friends smile, smile, smile!"
As Pinkie finished talking, she saw that her friends all had smiles on each of their faces. Each of them beamed from ear to ear. And soon, they had Pinkie trapped in the middle of a group hug.
Waving goodbye that night, Pinkie closed up the bakery and climbed upstairs to her bedroom. Slipping between the covers, she sighed contentedly before sleep took her. Her dreams that night were full of fun and laughter, and throughout the night, the smile never left her face.
***
Ditzy rushed into Sugarcube Corner, grateful to be somewhere warm. Shaking the early morning dew from her frozen wings, she trotted over to Carrot, who was behind the counter sipping from a steaming cup of coffee. Seeing Ditzy approach, he prepared a fresh cup and passed it to her. She graciously accepted the offer and passed over a few bits in return, along with a letter.
"Thank you, Carrot," Ditzy said. "I really needed this. The winter months are always the worst for doing my rounds. By the way, that letter looks important... at least, if the thickness of it is anything to go by."
Carrot nodded and put down his coffee, picking up the letter. For the second time that week, the logo of the Bank of Ponyville caught his eye and he tore the envelope open. He removed the contents and unfurled them — only to gasp in horror as the parchment within unrolled itself and fell to the floor.
Carrot's eye twitched uncontrollably as he looked over his bill. He took a deep breath, and bellowed as loud as he could. His fury caused dust to fall from the rafters as a frightened Ditzy dove for cover beneath her table.
"PINKIE PIE!" he roared. "YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"
