//------------------------------// // The Assistant: Pinkie Promise // Story: The Assistant // by gamemaster36 //------------------------------// New chapter!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D ............................. *crickets* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The smell of hours old pastries fill my nose as I enter the bakery. The bell that hangs just above the door gave a small ring as the door opened and another as it gently breezed shut. Mrs. Cake sat behind the glass display counter that was now nearly empty. Sweets never seemed to stay long here. “Hello Assistant!” Mrs. Cake said, greeting me with a smile. “Anything you need before we close shop?” I was hesitant to answer. I was looking around the shop to see if anything was different. The table’s décor was all put away for the day and the floor was all swept clean. I must have looked like I have never seen a bakery before. Mr. Cake came out from the kitchen area with cleaning supplies and began wiping the counter. “Uh… no.” Mrs. Cake stood up, still smiling. She trotted around to the front of the counter display with a towel and started to wipe the glass. “Then how can we help ya?” She began wiping the front top of the counter along with her husband. “I need to know where Pinkie is. Is she here?” Mr. Cake stopped wiping the counter and looked up at me. He seemed a little more tired than he usually is around closing time. “She should be up in her room.” He said in a very tired tone. “She’s been *yawn* pretty pre-occupied today. I had to do most of the baking.” He lifted the towel up and put it somewhere behind the counter. He then came back up with a clean towel and started wiping the back of the counter. “Okay… I’ll be back to help clean if you need it!” Both of them nodded as I walked past them to the stairs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I reach the stairs to Pinkie’s room. As I begin up, there seemed to be an odd stench that drifted down the small flight of stairs. It almost smelled like…. chocolate? “Pinkie!?” I call up the stairs. There is no response. I rush up a couple of the steps to peak through the guard railing. What I see, I did not expect. Even from someone as random as Pinkie. Right in the middle of the room was a giant tent. It was about nine feet tall and spread almost all around the room, except where the stairs started. It was a gloomy white plastic that was not transparent. The smell of chocolate was stronger, as well as a scent of plastic. I run up the final steps to see the rest of it. There was a large gash that was about four feet in the plastic. It was small enough for a pony to fit through, and more importantly, a small PINK pony. I walk over and bat at the plastic. “Hey Pinkie! Are you in there!?” “………” There was a long silence before I heard a little rustling from the back. “…… Pinkie?” I listened more closely, putting my right ear in the direction of the noise. As I listened, I heard what sounded like smothered mumbling. “Pinkie. I can hear you.” “…………” Still no response from the tent. “Alright Pinkie. Since you want to play like that, I’m coming in!” I swallow a little as duck down to enter the tent, unsure of what is about to come. This pony sure does know how to make someone tense, even someone like me. I reach into the hole and, with a small swing; I open the flap and climb in. I was met with something I never expected…. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Oh drat! Why couldn’t you just wait!?” Pinkie was head to hoof in what looked like lab gear. Goggles over her eyes, as well as a vent mask and hair net. A long white coat that went all the way to her hide, with a small hole for her tail to stick out. She was leaning over some sort of tray that was spread with a sort of chocolate batter. The entire tent was full of machines that all looked way too complicated for me to know off the bat what they were. Most machines had loads of buttons and nobs on them, and a couple only had a door that was very stove like, but without any sort of knob to change the temperature. After I was done looking around, I looked at Pinkie. She was now looking straight at my eyes. She did not have her normal look of absolute joy from seeing a friend. Instead, it was very questioning and stern. “What is going on here!?” She didn’t say a word. She just stared at me with a very stern glare. She looked at me as if I just broke one of her Pinkie Promises. With an understanding look, I backed out of the tent, ducking through the four foot slit. “Uh…. I’m sorry I burst in, but I really need to talk to you!” She didn’t speak. I can only assume she resumed whatever she was doing with that batter. Patiently, I waited until she either came out, or talked back. Finally, she responded. “Just a sec!” As she said that, a large *BANG* came from within the tent, followed by another, and another, and another. Finally, the bangs stopped, and hoofsteps began to run around the tent. A large metallic sound began to start up as Pinkie came to a halt. Then, a bell dinged and I heard her run across the tent again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The noise began to die down after a couple of minutes, and finally, Pinkie emerged from the tent. She only poked her head out and moved her goggles and mask away from her mouth and eyes. “What do ya need Assistant!?” She seemed to be back in a chipper mood. All this nonsense almost made me forget why I came here. “Uh…. OH! Have you seen Twilight at all today!? Or within the last hour or so!?” She placed her hoof under her chin. She scratched a little as she thought. “Uh, no. Not today. Oh! But I did see her about 29 hours, 16 minutes, and 34 seconds ago!” She looked up at me with a wide toothy smile. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if she is joking or being as serious as she can be. Knowing her, it’s both. “Alright. The important thing is you know who Twilight is!” She started to grow a little confused. “Why wouldn’t I know who Twilight was? SHE IS ONE OF MY BESTEST-ONE-OF-A-KIND-AMAZING-SUPER-FUN-PONY-BFF-ALWAYS-FRIENDS!” She bounced up after every word she said. Sometimes I think she has too much sugar, yet I love her for her always positive attitude. “Okay, listen. I need you to come with me to the library! Maybe you can help me fix a problem!” She looked a little nervous after I said that. “But I am busy back here! Can somepony else do it!?” She stomped her hoofs in protest against it. “Come on Pinkie! Twilight needs your help! This is not serious!” She backed her head into her tent. She sniffed a couple times before sticking her head back out. “But I am so close to a perfect experiment! If this is a success, I might be able to make some money for the bakery renovations!” I was caught off guard by what she said. For as long as I’ve known Pinkie, her being able to sit still long enough to actually conduct an experiment is very, very strange. “……. Why are you doing this up here in your room?” She looked down at the ground sheepishly. “……. It’s a surprise for Mr. and Mrs. Cake……” She looked back up at me with puppy eyes. Almost sure of what she was going to say, I spoke first. “Fine! I won’t tell anyone that you’re doing this!” “PINKIE PROMISE!?” “Yes. Pinkie Promise!” I say as I mime crossing my heart. “OH, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!” She jumped up to give me a quick hug from the slit in the tent. “Now give me one second and I will head over to Twilight’s with you!” She said backing into the tent and ducking away somewhere in it. “Alright! Just tell me when you’re ready!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Almost five minutes pass without a word from me or Pinkie. I stood outside the tent; waiting with my arms crossed and foot tapping. Waiting in silence while standing up always makes me nervous. I decided to break the silence. “How much longer Pinkie?” “………..” She didn’t respond. “Pinkie, I said how long?” “………” “Pinkie?” “………”