Deflated

by ambaharmony

Golden Opportunity

Throughout the following week, Pinkie Pie excelled in the healing process. A few days after her visit with Twilight Sparkle, she was told she could remove the bandages for good. Thanks to the doctor's magic, her skin had repaired at an accelerated rate, yet unfortunately nothing could be done about the scarring. Pinkie tossed the old wrappings in the trash and scrambled to Twilight's house, begging her to use her incredible magical prowess to remove the scars. After some persuasion she put every remedial spell she knew, including a few she had looked up on the spot, to the test. As predicted, nothing seemed to make the slightest difference. Twilight once again tried to assure Pinkie that the stories weren't true, despite her own doubt and curiosity.

Neither Twilight nor the doctors possessed the power to relieve Pinkie of her harrowing thoughts. The nightmares grew more horrible and nerve-wracking with each coming slumber. No matter how frightening the dreams got, Pinkie made sure to face each day with a smile and unbeatable confidence, even if they didn't exactly represent what she felt on the inside.

In attempt to cleanse herself of the ugly feelings clogging her mind, she developed a habit of taking long, solitary walks around Ponyville each day. The afternoon before she was expected to return to her position at Sugar Cube Corner, she took a detour that put her en route to pass Carousel Boutique.

"Pinkie Pie! Is that you down there? Do you have a moment?"

Pinkie's ears perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. "Of course! Anything for you, Rarity!"

A few moments later Pinkie found herself sitting at Rarity's kitchen table, trying her best not to slurp the cup of tea she was given. The interior was surprisingly disheveled for the fussy unicorn's standards.

"Is everything okay, girl? This place is a disaster. There's stuff lying around everywhere!"

Rarity took an elegant sip of her tea. "Oh I know, it's simply horrid! But I've been so busy planning the finer details of Fluttershy's birthday party that I haven't had time to tidy up. That was why I called you inside, actually. Now that you're feeling a bit better I thought you'd enjoy helping out!"

Fluttershy's birthday! In the mayhem of the past few weeks she had completely forgotten that it was coming up. Usually the responsibility of planning such an important event would fall mostly on her shoulders, but her condition had shifted that weight to her friends.

"Don't worry dear, even after that little break I'm sure you can still do this," Rarity continued. "You're definitely the best pony for the job."

Was she? Over the past week the seeds of negativity planted by Twilight's findings had begun to sprout. Pinkie hesitated for a moment, searching for the best way to break it to Rarity that parties were no longer her forte.

"Pinkie? Are you alright? Well, I suppose I understand if there's no way you possibly could. I'm positive you're busy and all, and that horrible injury can't be helping," Rarity said, her curious eyes flitting down to catch a glimpse of the scars.

"Oh no, that's not it. I just--" she began, but the words caught in her throat. It hadn't been proved yet that her partying skills were no longer present, and perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to show everyone that nothing had changed! Pinkie grinned, more genuinely than she had in days. "Actually, Rarity, I'd be positively pleased as pink punch to help out. Leave it all to me!"

"That's great to hear, darling! I won't let you take all of the responsibility, though. You still need to take it a bit easy! I can certainly help out with the decorations and such, seeing as I have a sixth sense for fabulosity," Rarity boasted. "How about I stop by after your shift tomorrow and we can discuss the details?"

Pinkie Pie faced the next day with elation, despite previous fears surrounding her return to the kitchen at Sugar Cube Corner. At 10am sharp, she resumed her place behind the front counter. Even with her fresh attitude, she was a bit jittery as thoughts of how everything could go wrong still continued to bombard her. Pinkie considered baking treats as a vital segment of the party planning process.

The first portion of her day only involved assisting customers who came to pick up orders that had previously been prepared by the Cakes. The transactions went over rather well, but that was the easy part. Pinkie's heart pounded heavily each time somepony came through the door, worrying that they would place a new order that would require her to bake something herself.

Around noon, the moment she was fearing arrived. A reserved looking pony, whom she remembered as Noteworthy, made his way to the counter and requested a baker's dozen of simple cupcakes with mint green frosting.

"Most certainly, sir! Come back around 4pm this afternoon to pick it up," Pinkie said, bringing forth the deceitful smile she had learned to fabricate so well.

Mrs. Cake took over Pinkie's post at the counter as she trotted anxiously to the kitchen. Okay, Pinkie, she thought, it's just cupcakes. No big deal. Easy cupcakes like this are a walk in the park! Just take it one step at a time.

She was able to easily locate the required bowls, measuring cups, and other equipment, thanks to the effort she had put into organizing Sugar Cube Corner's kitchen before the attack in the forest. For a moment she grieved for life before that fateful day, for a time where her life felt stable and she had the time and energy to eagerly sort baking supplies, but a quick shake of the head refocused herself on the cupcakes she had to prepare.

With the oven preheated and decorative paper linings placed in the cups of the cupcake tin, Pinkie talked herself through the process she knew by heart.

First step: creaming the butter and sugar. Half cup butter, three-fourths cup of sugar. Let's get to it! ...Good, now beat in two eggs, one at a time! Just like that. Perfect! And now... I think...

What comes next?

Pinkie's heart began to sink.

Oh, that's right, the flour. But how much? And what's after that again?

She felt dazed and stupid, silently cursing herself a thousand times for the inability to remember the instructions she had effortlessly repeated for years. The last time she had needed a written recipe for cupcakes had been years ago, when she was just a little filly learning to bake in her grandmother's kitchen. Minutes passed as Pinkie wracked her brain for the next step, but it seemed to be missing for good. Feeling a crushing sense of defeat, she lagged to the bookshelf in the corner to fetch a recipe book.

Ahhh, that's what it was. Two cups flour, and then one cup milk. It was a minor setback, girl. Just a little slip-up. You've still got this!

Pinkie's positive affirmations did not hold up for very long as her movements seemed to get clumsier, no matter how hard she tried to be careful and precise. The batter was thick and lumpy. Pouring it into the cups proved to be a difficult task. It slopped over a few of the paper linings, leaving the tin dotted in batter.

With the timer set to about eighteen minutes, Pinkie slumped against the counter to wait, anxious to see how her hard work would turn out. At the five minute mark, Mr. Cake checked in to make sure she was doing alright with her first day back on the job. Pinkie assured him that all was well. Around ten minutes in, Pinkie let her attention drop a bit and her mind wandered, presenting too many questions for her to possibly focus on at once.

How true is Twilight's book? Is there any more information about this condition? Are there any other modern day ponies who were faced with this same problem? If so, where are they now? And how would I possibly find them? Can this be reversed? What am I supposed to do in the meantime? If my destiny is no longer about parties, what will it be now?

She pondered her life on the rock farm. How bleak and dreary and depressing it was. Every day was enveloped in a certain immovable sadness that never relented. Everypony else in her family seemed tolerable of it. Why? Perhaps they were tired of fighting and accepted defeat?

Not me, Pinkie thought. I'm not like them. Not at all.

She relived her very first party. She remembered the warm excitement she felt brewing inside her as she had hung streamers and inflated balloons and painstakingly replicated her grandmother's delectable strawberry cake. The smiles she had brought to her family's faces were like the sun breaking through gloomy clouds. Oh, how they had enjoyed the snacks, and party games, and the smell of something burning...

Pinkie snapped back to real life the instant she realized that smell was not a part of her memory and in fact her pastry masterpieces turning into charred, inedible lumps.

"Nooo!" Pinkie cried as she yanked the tin out of the oven. Black smoke filled the room and she tried her best to direct it out the open window. As she gazed at her ruined cupcakes, hot tears threatened to spill over onto her face.

After convincing Mr. and Mrs. Cake that she was indeed still fit to be working and had merely been distracted, Pinkie whipped up a second batch of cupcakes that were satisfactory, but not the impeccable treats she knew she was capable of. Mr. Cake took over baking duty for the rest of the day.

---

"I-- I just can't do it anymore!" Pinkie sobbed, burying her face into Rarity's mane and letting the tears fall freely. "You should have seen those cupcakes, they were so horrible! I'm never gonna bake anything ever again. I'll never throw a party ever again either!"

Rarity nuzzled her friend lovingly. "Now now, darling, no more tears. I know drama, and I reckon you're being just a tad unreasonable here, you know? I'm sure they weren't that bad."

"Yes they were! They were so burned, not even the birds would peck at them, Rarity!"

Her face scrunched in disgust. "Ooh my, those do sound a bit unpleasant. But you know what? That was your first time baking since the awful incident. You simply need more time to warm up to baking again! I saw Noteworthy as he left the shop, and boy, did he look thrilled to have authentic Pinkie Pie cupcakes! Now, you must assist me in planning Fluttershy's party. Those were just cupcakes. You haven't even tried the other elements of party planning yet! I promise nothing about you has changed. It wouldn't be the same without you, dear."

Pinkie looked up at Rarity through watery eyes. "Do you really think I can still do this?"

"Of course, Pinkie. You simply haven't had a chance to prove yourself yet! That chance is here right now. What do you say?"

Pinkie wiped the tears from her face and stood feebly, though she felt herself becoming stronger every second from the comfort and courage she found in the presence of her friends. Once again, it was the kind words and friendship of another pony that had saved her from a dark descent.

"I'm ready to try. Where do we start?"

Comments

[Crimson Dawn]

After the most recent episode this story becomes even more interesting as the show seems to make it clear that the ponies treat their marks as manifestations of destiny (even if it may not be true).

[uhhh]

Wow, I feel really sorry for Pinkie.

When I read stories, I often picture myself in the characters' situations. Here, it makes me wonder what I'd need a cutie mark for. Do we not choose what we want to do with our lives? If a symbol on my body represented that then it wouldn't be a problem, at all, but the big thing is that cutie marks appear to have more precedence than that. You may never change what you want to do with your life, but the thought that you wouldn't be able to, anyway is devastating.

I had the same feeling when I watched the season finale. Twilight is now an alicorn. She is not a unicorn, anymore. She will never go back. Ever. Twilight will be an alicorn princess for the rest of her life(and a life that may last for hundreds of years, at that). Even now when I think about it, it still seems hypnotically fake, like the foretelling rumor still in it's infancy.

But that's really unrelated.

Back to the story: You did a great job at putting Pinkie's distress into perspective. I can really feel her sense of pain and suffering which is why I feel so sorry for her. It's so out-of-character for her, too, which adds even more contrast. I am very interested in new chapters and hopefully something good happens to her.

[SuperPinkBrony12]

See Twilight you should've kept your big mouth shut and everything would've been fine.

[Princess_Cadence]

I love it. Please write more!

[Luxina]

More violence pleasepinkiesmile

[BloodLustShade]

Oh CMON. I've been reading fics all day, and each one was super good, but written years and years ago and discontinued.

It's so upsetting.