"You're home rather early dearie, things went good I suppose?" Mrs. Cake presents a welcoming smile towards the clown costumed Pinkie.
"Of course Mrs. Cake, everything was great!" Pinkie smiles back with exchanged enthusiasm. She wants nothing but to go upstairs and lie down.
"That's great to hear sweetie." Mrs. Cake reinforces.
Pinkie Pie hurries upstairs before anymore words are brought on by her caring boss, she doesn't want to blow Mrs. Cake off, far from it, she just needs some time alone; some Pinkie time. Pinkie closes the door to the bathroom, a sigh of exhaustion leaves her parched lungs. A reflection stands between herself and the mirror as she sees that face every mare and stallion has seen before, one of happiness and joy, hidden by the makeup she oh so tried to impress him with.
Part of her pink face shows as the white clown paint has found its way rubbing off the sides of her cheeks and forehead. "I hope nobody saw me like this." She pouts as her once exciting costume looks a mess from wrinkles in the fabric, to the white makeup that has run down onto her cloth.
The faucet turns on as water splashes it's contents on the sides of the sink. Pinkie cups the clear liquid and douses her face to remove the rest of the makeup that is stationed on it. She looks back up, clearing her eyes with her hooves to get a better look at herself. Her mane is frizzled and partly down, her face is clear, apart from tiny specks of makeup that have not been touched by the cold water. "I'll worry about that later." She proclaims, she's in no mood to take a shower tonight, even if she's a little sweaty from tonight's short venture.
She turns the water off and grabs a hand towel to wipe off her soaked face. Once again she looks to the mirror, her mane becoming straightened from all the water that had fallen on it. "Pinkamena Dianne Pie, that's who I am, that's who I aim to be." She tells herself as if any soul is listening, but it's good they aren't. She reassures herself of the pony she is, the pony, others see her as.
She's never been one for emotional dramas, that Oscar goes to Rarity, but she finds it hard to keep acting like nothing's wrong all the time; it's not like she can't pretend, she's done it countless of times, for others sake, but the element of laughter, has feelings too.
-------*-------
In her room she throws her dirty costume into her bin, she's startled for a quick second as she sees a white piece of paper fall out of the cloth and slowly down onto her floor, she'd forgotten that was in there. "Spooky ghosts who's faces can send even the heartiest of ponies into fright, jack-o-lanterns crafted so marvelously with delight, skeletons, goblins galore. Oh do I know nightmare night can offer so much more." She reads it in a soft tone.
It's the poem she wrote for him.
She places it under her bed. "It was a good attempt, huh Pinkie? Too bad I wasn't able to tell him how I feel." She talks to herself, yet once again, no creature is listening. She shimmies under her soft covers, the warmth gravitating nicely to her coat like the finest linen Equestria can offer.
Pinkie Pie lays in her bed, looking up blankly at her pink and vibrant ceiling; she shuffles around in her mind feelings that confuse and overwhelm her soul. Trapped by the constant intrusions that she wish would give her solace, just a bit of relaxation, but to no avail. "Why do I have to feel this way? Why do I have to be this way? No pony has ever given me a chance, so why should I expect he'd be any different?" Like an endless loop, her mind fixates on emotions she feels so deeply about; emotions, he'll never see.
November 1st
"All done Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie shouts from across the room.
"Wonderful dear." Her boss speaks back.
Pinkie begins for the door, humming delightfully as she does so. "I'll be back later Mrs. Cake!"
"Where are you off to this time Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake wonders.
"I'm off to help Applejack with her farm buiss', ya know stuff like that."
Mrs. Cake chuckles. "Still as playful as ever I see." She says back. "Ok dear well be safe, and remember to be back around 6:00, the inspector from Canterlot is coming down to check out the place."
"Will do Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie turns around from her boss, pulling the knob as the bell chimes elegantly with the door peering open to reveal the sunlight beyond.
"Oh Pinkie, one more thing." Pinkie Pie stops in her tracks and quickly looks back at her boss, curious to what she has to say. "Me and Mr. Cake are planning to take the next couple days off; we were actually thinking about visiting Manehatten again, but, oh I don't know Pinkie, it wouldn't be right to leave the shop to you without any help. We wouldn't be gone for only a week but I still-"
"Leave it up to me!" Pinkie grins with her eyes closed, she knows Mr. and Mrs. Cake are tired after working for months without even a little time off, it would be only right to let them have a little fun.
"Are you sure? I'd feel really bad if something happened while I was gone and-"
"No worries at all Mrs. Cake! Besides, how many days have you let me skip out?" Pinkie winks playfully, she's trying her best to have her boss not feel bad.
"If you're ok with it..." Mrs. Cake sounds off unsure.
"It would be my pleasure!" Pinkie reinforces her confidence once more.
"Oh thank you Pinkie. We really appreciate it." Mrs. Cake delicately tones.
Pinkie confidingly nods and once again heads for her orange friends farm.
-------*-------
"One, two, aaand, done!" The oven opens with a stroke of carefulness as the orange mare takes precautions taking her newly crafted pie out of its confines. "MmmmMmmm! Just how granny likes it!" She takes a whiff of the aroma coming from her sweet delight and smiles at a job well done. "Now I just gotta finish that cider and I'll be don-"
*Knock* *Knock*
"Now who could that be?" Applejack sets the apple pie down safely before heading towards her door. "This better not be that old stallion again." She huffs to herself as she's reminded of the past couple days prior.
"I swear if this is-" She opens the door swiftly, startling Pinkie as her hoof is about to come down with another pound. "I told you, you ain't getting my services for free!" She raises her voice with a frustrated manor; her eyes are closed as her posture looks tense. Applejack opens her eyes at the sound of silence echoing back towards her. "Oh... uh. Hey Pinkie." She blinks a couple times, a small ounce of embarrassment heating through her body.
"Applejack?" Pinkie looks up at Applejack, her head hunched down a bit from the startling fright.
"Sorry Pinkie I thought you were, uh.... some pony else." She says softly to her poofy maned friend, trying to reconcile the hostility she showed.
"Services?..." Pinkie nudges her head up, a little closer to Applejack's level.
"Come again?" Applejack answers back.
"What services AJ?" Pinkie asks, head tilted to the side.
Applejack looks at Pinkie with confusion, the two crossing the same suspicious glance at each other. Applejack think's for a second, taking account the brief outburst of words she unrightfully shouted at Pinkie. "Oh, it ain't nothin' to worry about." Applejack confesses.
"What is it Applejack?" Pinkie asks her friend, now curious more then ever of what Applejack was talking about. What started out as Pinkie coming to her friend for advice, has somehow landed her in a completely different state of mind.
"It's just an unruly costumer, really, it ain't anythin' to fuss about." Applejack tries to convince her friend, Pinkie tilts her head more with a suspicious frown, something tells Applejack that Pinkie is expecting more to the story then just that.. "J-Just business and such... Pinkie, what'd you come here for?" Applejack exhausts her words, a slight annoyance trickling from her tone.
"Oh!" Pinkie pops back up as if her quest of coming to Applejack's house was course corrected. "Wait... what did I come here for?" Pinkie rubs her chin, thoughts and ideas of all sort spring into her head.
"....I.... really can't tell you Pinkie." Applejack slowly repositions herself, the same curious glare Pinkie had to Applejack, now redirected back. "Why don't ya'll come in, if there's somethin' you gotta tell me or not, it's never bad havin' some company over."
"You don't mind?" Pinkie asks.
"Of course not sugarcube, I'm just letting on the finishing touches to that pie I made, we can go ahead and chat some after that."
"You mean... that pie?" Pinkie looks aside from her orange friend, peering in to the wood encrusted floors that the apple family's house is delicately designed with.
Applejack looks towards Pinkie's direction. "Ah no, Winona!" Applejack shews the dog away, all that remains is an empty pan with apple crumbs laced on the sides.
-------*-------
"There we go, all done!" Pinkie says with enthusiasm, holding the newly baked pie in her oven mitted hooves.
"Finally." Applejack lets out with a relived sigh.
"Sorry again for distracting you AJ, who'd have known your dog was so into apples?" Pinkie says with a cheer and a light-hearted sentiment.
"Yeah, I guess I should've figured she'd misbehave behind my back. Oh well, at least we got it all taken care of." Applejack reaches her hooves to retrieve the food Pinkie helped her make, being careful to not get burnt from the hot pie in the process.
"Mmmmm, that does smell delicious AJ!" Pinkie's mouth waters at the thought of eating the sugary dessert.
"Well don't get too excited girl, remember this is made as a celebration for all the hard work we as a family put into making this farm as good as it can be." Applejack tells Pinkie with humble pride, proud of the accomplishments and to be apart of such a hard working family.
"I know, I know, you guys deserve it more then me anyhow." Pinkie inquires with a wholesome point of view, smiling warmly at her friend.
"Awww shucks Pinkie, it ain't like that!" Applejack waves a hoof warmly back at her pink friend. "I'll tell ya what, I'll make another batch some other time, just for me, you, and the girls to enjoy."
"What for?" Pinkie asks softly.
"For bein' great friends of course! Ya'll deserve it too for bein' just who you are."
"And who are we AJ?" Pinkie asks, still curious to her friends words.
"The best friends a girl like me could possibly have, ya'll are family to me too ya know." Applejack smiles at Pinkie, showing gratitude and appreciation for Pinkie's kind, albeit, wacky, self.
"Aw AJ!"
"W-Woah, hey now!" Pinkie lunges towards her orange friend, scooping her up greatly with her two front hooves. After a few seconds Pinkie lets go with the same excited attachment; Applejack chuckles graciously to herself and Pinkie. "Do you remember now what you came here for in the first place?" Applejack says, changing topic.
Pinkie thinks long and hard again. "Nope!" She says, carefree. "Oh wait, actually...." Pinkie looks up to the celling, her eyes fixed on the real world whilst her mind remembers her intentions for coming over.
"Ah, there you are Pinkie!" A voice calls from behind. Applejack is first to look towards the direction of the voice, before Pinkie realizes the call out of her name and does the same.
"Anon?" Applejack's voice reaches back.
"Nonie!?" Pinkie's voice gasps with surprise.
"I finished work early and was trying to find you. Mrs. Cake actually didn't run away this time when I entered your place to ask where you were, I think she's finally coming around." Anon says, pleased with himself.
"Oh, well sorry I wasn't around, I was working with Applejack to bake this super-duper delicious cake!" Pinkie smiles with her eyes closed as she points to the apple pie her and Applejack worked on; she acts like a filly showing off a grand accomplishment.
"It's a pie, Pinkie." Applejack corrects her.
"I thought I smelled something good, it's nice to see you too AJ!" Anon waves a hand happily at the orange earth mare.
"Same to you Anon." Applejack waves back humbly.
"You guys aren't busy, are you? If so I can always come by your place later or tomorrow Pinks." Anon states, not wanting to interfere with his friends at such a short notice.
"Oh uh." Pinkie looks back to Applejack who shakes her head with confirmation. "Not at all Nonie! What did you need me for?" She asks with blatant enthusiasm, her nerves hidden through her positive attitude.
"O-Oh uh right, uhm." Anon gets caught off guard by Pinkie's response and voice sounding so confident, even though he was the one who sought her out to begin with. Pinkie and Applejack look with intrigue at Anon's scattered restlessness. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out for the day, I-I mean I got off work early so I thought 'what the heck?' You know?"
"Huh? O-Oh." Pinkie's mind processes the information for a second, she isn't used to Anon asking her to hang out, especially so out of the blue, and under the weird, unexpected circumstances she's in right now, she's at more of a loss then would be per-usual.
Anon looks anxiously at the two earth mares, he isn't used to asking Pinkie to hang out, as Anon only recalls a couple times he's been forthcoming with these questions, he typically leaves it up to Pinkie just because of how frequent he's used to being asked by her and from all that Rose told him yesterday, he's unsure if this is even the right, or at the very least, not a totally bizarre thing to ask. "Here." Anon reaches in his pocket, showing two tickets approved for a small carnival. "I thought it'd be fun."
"Where is this even at?" Pinkie asks, not recognizing the location marked on bottom left side of the flimsily materialized ticket.
"Just a bit off town, don't worry, it's not that long of a walk."
"How'd you even come about this place Nonie?"
"Happenstance I guess." Anon looks to the side, not wanting to explain any further.
"Hmm." Pinkie eyes Anon up and down suspiciously.
"So?" Anon reaffirms his question, looking to his pink friend with an impatient expression.
The room feels tense as Anon stands there, waiting for any answer from Pinkie, she thinks with a hoof on her chin, Anon and Applejack exchange glances as they both just wait awkwardly. "Pinkie look if you don't want to then-"
"Okay!" Pinkie unknowingly interrupts Anon, smiling and committing her tone with cheer.
"'Okay'?" Anon retorts back, not entirely sure of the response given.
"I mean, yeah, I'll go!" She adds, still smiling with the same comforting appearance.
"Great! Now it should be open until twelve o'clock tonight so if you need to get ready I can wait until your done-"
"Wait, wait, hold on a sec." Pinkie butts in, a slightly confused look on her face.
"What's up?" Anon inquires.
"You only have two tickets?" Pinkie squints as she looks once more to the pieces of paper in Anon's hand.
"Yeah? Is there something wrong Pinkie?"
Pinkie's mind thinks again, though to Anon, it's anyone's guess what's going through her head. "....So, no pony- or anyone else is going?" She comments to him with a mysterious demeanor.
"Oh no, I should've known Rose had no idea what she was talking about; Pinkie doesn't just want it to be the two of us!" Anon's thoughts go wild as he frustratingly thinks about his and Rose's conversation. "Should I lie and just say 'I didn't know'? No, that wouldn't be right..."
Anon sighs to himself, preparing hesitantly to respond. "Alright Pinkie, I'll tell you the truth." Her fluffy ears twitch and perk up, awaiting her human friend's chalked up response. "I actually could only get two tickets." Pinkie looks with the same static expression. "Now I know how you feel, and honestly, I feel the same; it sucks it can only be the two of us, so I thought about it and, if you want, you and AJ can go instead." Anon eases up at his explanation, expecting Pinkie to accept his words at face value and generally be more comfortable with the thought of her and Applejack going instead.
Pinkie Pie looks to the side to find Applejack no longer standing with her. Wherever she went off to, she probably did it more so to give Anon and Pinkie some time to talk. She looks back at Anon with a smaller, more, insecure smile; her eyelids looking more relaxed and down. "It would.... suck?" Pinkie's voice softens.
"What was that Pinkie?" Anon gets closer to his friend, her lower pitch making it harder to hear.
"I mean you really think it would suck?... Just me and you?" Pinkie keeps the same tone, a lot less vibrancy coming from her usual jumpy self.
Anon's taken aback by Pinkie Pie's less then enthusiastic response to proposing the tickets go to her and Applejack; alongside her more saddened tone all of a sudden.
"U-Uh I mean...." Anon's throat gets chocked up, losing the words needed to respond to Pinkie.
"It's ok." Pinkie smiles a little brighter once more. "I know I can be a bit over the top sometimes so I understand why if it would be a little embarrassing going with a mare like... me." She looks at Anon up and down, showing only a saddened joy from her bubbly posture.
"Pinkie I-"
"I think I changed my mind anyhow Nonie, there's stuff I gotta do at Sugarcube, or maybe there isn't... I-I don't know, I...." Pinkie's stare from Anon becomes hindered by her last word, she looks down from his gaze, as if she's ashamed about something. "...I'll talk to you later, o-ok?" Pinkie steals one more glance at her human friend, and trots slowly out of the Apple families residence, leaving only the human who thought he was doing everything right, to ponder what all just happened.