Pinkie Pie looked hungry for answers despite her joyful smile. Sugar knew there was nothing to be done and simply chose to accept her fate. “Is there anything you want to ask me now?” she asked Pinkie.
“That depends.” Pinkie Pie looked at everypony else and said, “We are done with talking about Crystal Fayre stuff now, right?”
Spike rubbed his chin with a claw. “I believe so.” He gestured his rubbing claw to Raspberry, “We will fill you in on what to do next when it comes to everypony meeting up at the castle.”
“But I can still prepare,” Raspberry said. “I can look for recipes that are made for the fayre.”
The dragon grinned, “Maybe you can bring some samples for us to try when the time comes.”
“I’ll get right to it, then! Thank you all for choosing me to partake in setting up the Crystal Fayre.” She looked down at Spike and bowed, “Enjoy your stay at the Empire.”
“Will do.”
As Raspberry made her leave, Rarity gave Spike a firm hug. “Aren’t you being the mature dragon today.”
“Hehe… well, when you write out plans for Twilight for so many years, some things just rub off on you.”
Sugar wanted to continue watching the flustered hero, but a body of pink stepped forward. “Alright Sugar, are you ready?” Pinkie Pie asked ominously.
“For a flurry of questions…?”
Before Pinkie Pie could get out a single word, the kitchen door flung open. Raspberry stared at the hasty mare with a firm expression. “Please don’t fluster my employee. I am glad for what you have done for my home, but I don’t want Sugar to break so early in the morning.”
“Y-Yes, Mam!” Pinkie saluted.
Sugar caught a glimpse of her boss’ eyes and quickly looked away from them. Even when Raspberry wasn’t upset with her, the thestral couldn’t help but feel frightened by the Chocolate Palace’s Empress when she expressed her displeasure.
When Raspberry exited the scene again, Pinkie Pie leaned in toward Sugar and whispered, “She reminds me of my boss, Mrs. Cake.”
Both of Sugar’s fluffy ears twitched. “You work at a bakery?”
“Yup!” Pinkie beamed. “That is why I’ve been dying to try your Mineral Milk Cookie! I am always interested in how other bakers make unique treats. Which reminds me…” The earth pony looked at the counter, and Sugar followed her eyes. The bits that Pinkie Pie slammed onto the counter earlier gleamed at Sugar. “Will this cover the cost for one of your cookies?”
“Let’s see…” Sugar began counting the shiny coins, “One, two, three, four-”
The kitchen door flung open again. “Everything is on the house for our guests, Sugar Crush!”
Raspberry’s sudden voice startled Sugar. “Y-yes, Mam!”
“Sweet!” Pinkie beamed and instantly began scanning the display case. “This may take a while…”
“Please,” Sugar said, almost begging, “Take as much time as you-”
“One of everything on display, please!”
“...need.” That was awfully quick… Sugar looked at Rarity and Spike, “Would you two like anything?”
“I think Pinkie Pie has us covered if we want anything,” Spike chuckled.
Rarity shook her head, “It’s a little too early for me to have sweets, so you and Pinkie can eat all you like. Just don’t get yourself a stomach ache.”
Pinkie Pie waved a dismissive hoof, “Psh! As if I can get a stomach ache from eating too many sweets!”
“She’s right, you know,” Spike said to Rarity. “But I’ll be careful. Wouldn’t want me to go out of commission already.” Sugar went to work and began stacking every single item on display onto several large plates. As she was working, Spike said, “I’d like a Mineral Milk Cookie myself.”
“You got it.”
When Sugar got to grabbing two of her signature cookies, she got a small plate for them both. If they were placed among the rest of the piles of sugary treats, the Mineral Milk Cookies would blend in as a regular chocolate chip cookie.
Pinkie Pie looked through the glass, and Sugar saw her look up and down the display case. “How come there is only one available item on these shelves other than the Mineral Milk Cookies?” she asked.
“Because those are my own personal shelves,” Sugar answered. “I haven’t come up with anything unique to compare to my Mineral Milk Cookie.” Sugar placed the plate of cookies with the other dishes, and then grabbed two glasses and filled them with milk.
“I see,” Pinkie hummed. “You must really take your baking to a whole new level!”
“I guess you can say that. Though I’m not sure what to put on there next.”
“Maybe we can sweet talk another time, you and I. I could even give you a few trade secrets of mine.”
The offer didn’t seem to be a terrible idea to Sugar. So long as Pinkie didn’t pressure her about personal matters, the thestral didn’t see the harm in spending time with the joyful mare.
“Maybe we can another time,” Sugar nodded.
“Alriiiiiight!” Pinkie Pie cheered with a clenched hoof. There was a strange air to Pinkie as Sugar began to somehow enjoy the pink mare's bubbly attitude. It was so positive, even when she was scolded by Rarity and Raspberry. And Sugar couldn’t help but smile.
Sugar placed the cups of milk on the counter and began counting everything. Let’s see… got all the cookies, cupcakes, muffins, pastries, milk… Looks like I’ve got everything. “Here we are! Everything the Chocolate Palace has to offer is ready to enjoy!”
“There is something missing…” Pinkie Pie mumbled.
“There is?” Sugar recounted everything, making sure not a single item was skipped. However, the amount she counted before covered everything. “What am I missing?”
“My hug, of course!”
Rarity winced at her friend, “Honestly, Pinkie, you just met her!”
The thestral laughed, “She is referring to my Hug n’ Sweet deal.” Sugar pointed to the chalkboard, “It’s something I do. Think of it as a business tactic as well as something nice and comforting.”
“Hmm…” Rarity looked at the board and scratched her chin. “That’s actually very smart!”
“I know!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Now I know where to go if I need a hug from somepony and crave a sweet tooth.” She beamed at Sugar, “Now come here and let’s make each other’s day great!”
Sugar felt slightly overwhelmed by Pinkie Pie’s yearning for a hug. But then she recalled the day Mineral Water entered the Chocolate Palace, and how she practically chased him out the doors when insisting on giving him a hug. Perhaps the world was getting back at Sugar. And Sugar figured maybe she herself needed a hug. Even though her date with Mineral was the best thing that has happened to her that day, the stress of keeping him and Saradiamond apart was getting to the thestral.
Maybe she did need a hug from somepony.
Sugar slowly approached Pinkie Pie, her instincts prepared for the most extreme. Like a magnet, Pinkie clung to Sugar and gave a firm squeeze. The thestral didn’t grip as hard, but it was enough to keep the mares close together.
Then Pinkie Pie whispered into Sugar's ear, “Thank you. I’ve been having a bad week, but this helped.” Before Sugar could properly reply to Pinkie Pie, she broke off and snagged a plate. “Yoink!” She bounced away to a table near the door and started to chow down on.
“Hey!” Spike shouted. “Save some for me!” Sugar picked up a second plate of sweets and made sure the dragon saw them. “Oh… right… We ordered everything on the menu.” Spike grabbed the plate, thanked Sugar, and sat at Pinkie Pie’s table.
“Do you want your free hug too, Spike?” Sugar asked.
“I wouldn’t mind,” he smiled. “But how about after I’m done eating.”
“Alright.” With haste, Sugar brought the remaining plates and two cups of milk over to the hungry guests. She pointed at the plate with two items, “These are the Mineral Milk Cookies. Don’t get them mixed up with the other cookies.”
“Will do!” Pinkie said.
When Sugar looked at Rarity, who stood in front of the pastry section, the unicorn took two steps forward. “You can probably guess I am going to start asking you questions.”
A sharp tooth poked Sugar’s tongue as she bit down a little. “Well, Spike did say you three came here because of me.” She swayed back and forth, “It does mean a lot to me that I just so happened to bring three of Equestria’s hero’s to the Chocolate Palace.”
“You’d be very surprised about just who you inspire, darling,” Rarity said. “And your interview did just that to me.”
Sugar blinked a few times at Rarity. Her heart thumped heavily against her chest. “I… inspired you?”
“But of course! It reminds me how I help inspire those around me, and how I, myself, rely on being inspired.” Rarity looked to Spike and asked, “Might I see the magazine, please?”
The hungry dragon held out his claw with the issue in his clutches. A light-blue veil captured it, and the roll of paper flew over to Rarity. When Rarity looked back at Sugar, she waved a hoof at the thestral. “Darling, you’re blushing!” A gray wing fanned over Sugar’s red face, and her heartbeat raced even quicker. “Oh no! I didn’t mean to embarrass you!”
“No, no, it’s not that,” Sugar said, her voice bouncing off her leathery appendage. “I just thought that my interview would only advertise my cookie, not inspire somepony. Then again, I do tend to inspire those I know.”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked. Sugar felt it was safe to lower her wing, thinking the blush in her cheeks were gone. Rarity fanned through the article before stopping on a particular page. Her eyes moved back and forth, looking for something. “Your interview didn’t mention anything about you inspiring anypony.”
Sugar shrugged, “It’s been a while since I had the interview with Morganite, so I can’t remember exactly what I told her. But perhaps she didn't want to include it because I was the main focus of the interview.”
Rarity rotated the magazine to reveal the picture of Sugar and Mineral and pointed to it. “Is he the pony you inspired?”
The thestral swayed back and forth, and the blush returned in full force. “You could say that.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Again!”
“Geeze, Rarity,” Pinkie Pie inputted, “you are embarrassing her more than I did! You better be careful, or you might have a bad time with Ms. Raspberry.”
Before Raspberry had the chance to barge into the front of the store, Sugar shook her head. “It’s fine, really. It’s just…” Lovestruck as ever, the thestral let out a sigh. “This morning, Mineral, that pony in the painting next to me, he…”
“What?” Rarity leaned forward, her ears pointed at the speaker. “Tell me!”
“And I thought I was excited this morning…” Pinkie whispered to Spike, but Sugar was able to hear her.
Even though Rarity’s energy was a bit much, Sugar was immune from nervous flattery. “He asked me on a date.”
“Oh!” Rarity chirped. “I feel like I’m a part of a love story!” She began fanning herself with her large yellow hat. “You didn’t have to tell me such a personal detail.”
“I figured you might ask if he and I were together in any way,” Sugar sang as she continued to sway. “Besides, I just can’t stop thinking about him. Might as well let somepony know.”
Rarity batted a hoof at Sugar. “At least I can heavily assume Pinkie’s friendship problem hunch doesn’t involve you.”
“I don’t know about that,” Pinkie Pie said. “Sugar does know one pony I have a hunch for. So she is still a valuable resource.” She picked up a Mineral Milk Cookie, broke it in two, and looked at Sugar. “I need to ask you a simple question about the Vamponies: do you know Nebula? In the interview, Steadfast said Nebula wasn’t on the team anymore because of ‘personal reasons’. Maybe you might know why she isn’t on the team.” Slowly, Pinkie Pie dipped her cookie into the white milk, dying it into a blue color.
All color, including her blush, drained from Sugar’s face, while Pinkie admired the Mineral Milk Cookie’s gimmick. Even when Saradiamond or Mineral Water wasn’t present, Nebula subject matter always poisoned Sugar’s heart. Her ears fell back, and Pinkie Pie noticed the gesture.
Sugar shook her head, “I don’t know her.”
“But you know something about Nebula,” Pinkie said.
The pressure was too much for Sugar Crush. “Stop while you are ahead!” she shouted. Sugar’s eyes widened when she heard her voice echo off the walls. However, the shock value she created left a very upset impression on Pinkie Pie, so Sugar continued her yelling. “Just- stop asking me about the Vamponies! You are trudging on very shaky ground that doesn’t belong to you!”
Rarity stamped her hoof down. “She is right! Sugar may be the reason why we are here, but this does not mean we are here to interrogate her!”
Guilt ran through Sugar as she knew exactly what game she was playing. She was doing everything in her power to prevent any information entering Pinkie Pie’s, Rarity’s, and Spike’s head.
“I just… asked a question…” Pinkie Pie squeaked.
“And you- you pursued by saying that I know something about Nebula! All you need to know is that she is off the team for personal reasons! Leave it at that!” Sugar’s eyes began to water, but not because she was angry with Pinkie Pie, but because she was angry with herself.
Spike stepped in to become the ambassador. “Now ladies, let’s try and defuse the situation,” he said with his two claws held in front of him. “We don’t want two friendship problems here.”
Then an amazing spectacle happened, something more stunning than Sugar’s unique cookies could ever be. The curls in Pinkie Pie’s mane began to lose their strength and straighten out. “Maybe I’m the pony who is the one causing the friendship problem by not being patient…” Pinkie Pie moved much slower as she stood from her chair. “I’ll be outside away from ponies who I might ask questions to.”
Spike did what he could to stop her from leaving, but Pinkie gently pushed him aside. The bell to the door dinged only once when she left the shop.
What have I done… Sugar asked herself.