Volume 1 - Chapter 4 - Rookie - Late Night Poofy-Pink Drive-By
I don't know what to do. I look at Pinkie and she is as confused and shocked as me.
Once we told this man that Mr. Cake was not present, he asked for a glass of water. I tried not to give him one but Pinkie decided to do it anyways... and I didn't do anything to stop it though. My bad.
He is now holding the glass while sitting in a chair he grabbed from one of our tables. I look at Pinkie's face and I know that she wants to do something quickly but doesn't know what or where to start. The man has been also observing the entrance for almost five minutes. He is not looking at anything else. Me, on the other side, I look at the clock. The nerves... I can't even describe the tension I'm feeling right now.
Who is this guy? What is he hiding? Why does he want to see Mr. Cake?
And most importantly, does Mr. Cake actually know him?
I'm afraid I won't get out of this store at 9... and I expect not to end up as a hostage in West Seaddle with this. My aunt will get really mad at me for not being at home while I'm here, trying to figure out, along with Pinkie Pie, how to get rid of this guy. Was he waiting for Mr. Cake yesterday? Somebody has to break the ice. I will not let the nerves kill me. I look at Pinkie's hair and part of it it's poofy, the other one is smooth. I don't know how that haircut works. I'm getting dizzy and thirsty.
I also grab a glass cup from under the cashier and desperately want to look for the dispenser. "Do you want water?" I suddenly hear. It's him.
He's talking to me, and I look at his green bloodshot eyes. Looks like he hasn't slept for weeks. I try to say yes, but my fully-working brain lets another thing go out of my mouth: "I saw you yesterday..." I'm about to choke on my own words. Pinkie fastly turns her head to look at me and I open my mouth again while he raises an eyebrow. "I saw you when I came out of the store. You were waiting on that corner." I point at the left side of the store. "Were you waiting for Mr. Cake to come out?"
He raises a hand while forcing a smile. "Firstly, I'm sorry if I'm being... intimidating. Don't be afraid." He drinks the water. "I'm still here because I'm thirsty... and so, you observed me yesterday? In my..." he chuckles. "... natural habitat?"
"Why were you waiting right there?" Pinkie now looks at him in silence while I point at him with a finger. I don't know how I'm doing this, I have no idea... maybe I'm talking to him because I have nothing to lose? "Do you know that the place where you sat yesterday can't be seen from where this cashier stands? From where we, me and my friend, are? Were you hiding from us?"
He gets surprised at what I say. "Woah... I didn't expect a private detective to come in." Pinkie smiles at that but I don't.
"Will you answer them?" Pinkie is surprised by me. Even I didn't expect this part of me to come out. Is this my behaviour after reading too many detective stories, after all?
His smile disappears and he leaves the glass on the table, crossing his arms and frowning. "I'm unlucky, you know?" He shakes his head. "I planned everything and waited for the right moment to catch that man alone, red-handed, in the middle of the night, but turns out the only moment I thought that was perfect for doing what I had to do... it's the one where he isn't in the cage." I didn't understand a single word of what he said, but once I open my mouth to ask him what he meant, he stands up. "Let me tell you a story." He takes a breath. "The only thing I knew about your boss before getting here is that he lived in Canterlot and had a store with Corner on its name. I watched every single place that used that word in Canterlot until I found the good one. Then, I began to watch, to hear, to sit on the corners of this store to learn about your routine. The store's general working schedule."
He has been spying on us. "Why?" asks Pinkie Pie, putting a hand over her jaw. "You were spying on us? Why... why would you do something like that?"
He clenches his fists and smiles. "I asked myself the same thing. I'm not interested in you, your schedule, this guy's wife, your clients, I don't care about you, about them... but there is a problem." He lies next to the entrance door, looking at us. "Your boss Cake thinks I am an idiot, a dork, a fool... when I'm actually the opposite of that."
His cold sight stops in me. I, trying to be stable, ask: "Why would Mr. Cake think that about you?" It's strange.
The man claps his hands once and laughs for a second. Then, while doing that, he points at himself. "Firstly, let me present myself. I think you're not getting what I'm telling you because you really don't know your boss... and his second face." Pinkie and I look at each other... a second face? A dark side? "A pretty stupid facet." He kisses his bracelet. "My name is Caballeron. You don't have to tell me your names, I don't care about them. What I need you to do is to listen to me."
"Which Mr. Cake's dark side are you talking about?" suddenly asks Pinkie before touching her mouth. She trembles while blinking non-stop until she whispers: "Please, don't tell us he has an affair." Is she taking this seriously? Or am I the only one? I look at her. An affair? Cheating on Mrs. Cake? That may be possible but... why would he? Would he, at first?
Caballeron laughs while hiding his smile with his hands. "I don't even know how he is married to a woman. It's one of the most foolish cowards I've ever seen in my game. He makes me sick."
There's a word he said that called my attention. "Your game?"
He nods and starts walking around the entrance. He's hiding the door from us. "That's what I wanted to tell you before your cupcake friend interrupted me. I like so many stupid things about life but there's one I enjoy, where I spend every minute of my life without looking at the exit... gambling." No... Oh no. "I'm a gambler. I live, eat and sleep in casinos. Nobody beats me at anything."
So, that's why he looks like he hasn't slept for years. This guy may be an alcoholic gambler 24/7... and that doesn't make me happy. I'm afraid I'll have to extend my arrival time at home to 2 or 3 AM. "So you gamble," I reply. If he mentioned that... it may mean something else which surprises me a lot. "And what does Mr. Cake have to do with that? Does he also gamble?"
"MR. CAKE WHAT?" Both me and Caballeron jumped in shock after hearing that shout. Pinkie is now astonished and open-mouthed while putting her hands inside her poofy hair. "He really..." she looks at a surprised Caballeron. He didn't expect her to be so shocked. I'm used to her reactions. "He really goes to the roulette and sits on those slot machines and does things like that?"
"Relax," I tell her. I try to find out the truth. "Does he really gamble? Is that the dark side of his you were talking about?"
He sighs and looks at me while touching the door handle. "He doesn't gamble, he tries to... and fails." He smiles as if he remembered something. "That guy doesn't even know how slot machines work. He is just a washed-up necktie that sees himself as an expert by playing pathetic rounds of poker."
"MR. CAKE PLAYS POKER?"
"PIN--!" Oh no. I almost said Pinkie Pie. I don't want to say her name in front of this guy, just in case... luckily, once she heard my voice she understands me and shuts up by covering her mouth.
"Your friend is quite awake, detective," he jokingly says. He has a tag for me now but I don't care. "As I said... your boss tries to gamble, tries to play poker like a normal man, but he can't do it... He sees himself as the king of the world because of one single jack in his hands, it's painfully pathetic... and do you know what is worse than that? What is more grievous than he looking at himself in a mirror?"
He's being pretty rude to Mr. Cake. It's almost insulting him with slurs. "What? Mr. Cake playing blackjack?" curiously asks Pinkie Pie, calmed down.
Caballeron laughs and leaves the door. He is approaching us. "He confronted me. He thought it was a good idea to play against an actual poker player, a gambler." He stops right in front of the cashier. Pinkie Pie takes her hands out of the box and I get nearer the kitchen door. I never liked where this was going but right now this conversation is turning into something more confusing. "Unfortunately, your boss has something else in the gallery, an extremely bad combination: an ego that puts him in a place where he is not, thinking of himself as the best poker player in Equestria, and a really sad sense of competitiveness, trying to be the toughest around. He began to tell me that the winner of our match would get out with a big number in his hands."
Huh... so that's the problem with this. Money... and Mr. Cake is a talkative man. "How much did he bet?" I ask him and say the first big number that came out of my head. "$500?"
He shakes his head while touching the cashier. "He went further," replies while smiling. "He told me a story. He said what I know about him... that he lived in Canterlot and had a store with Corner on its name." Oh, so that's how he knows that... Pinkie grabs my arm. Tell me Mr. Cake did not do what I'm thinking. I haven't eaten almost anything in all day and my stomach wants to eject everything it has inside now. "He also said he had a pretty nice number on its profits per month." Both Pinkie Pie and I are extremely uncomfortable right now. I don't even want to know what Mr. Cake told him. "I still remember the number, it was a nice one... and then he said," Caballeron can't even say that while holding a straight face. Looks like he is about to burst into laughter. "He said the winner would have the store's income in its pockets for a whole year... and just for the winner."
... No. This can't be true.
This has to be a freaking joke, a really bad one. The profits? That means... my salary? Pinkie's salary? The money Mrs. Cake needs to buy flour and all of her ingredients? I put my hands over my face and sit on the floor, against the kitchen door. I honestly can't believe that Mr. Cake told him that. Pinkie, logically affected by this, almost passes out but holds herself after putting her hands over the cashier. She is also covering her throat. Caballeron is now far from us and grabs his glass of water. "I won the game and he ran away. It was one of the easiest poker rounds I have ever played in my life... and once, I played against an old friend's 8-year-old niece. She was a better poker player than your boss." I still haven't taken my hands over my face. I don't want to laugh and cry... maybe I'll do both at the same time. "I'm really sorry, but right now I don't have too many pennies in my pockets, and if there's something I take seriously in my rockstar life is gambling... especially betting. I want Mr. Cornflake to give me my reward."
Seconds of silence where I can't hear anything. I slowly take a hand off me and I can barely see Pinkie looking at the roof while lying on the cashier stand. Her voice is trembling. "That's shocking," she says. "I never expected him to do... that," I see that her legs are shaking. "But I wanna ask you a question, sir. You won't... harm Mr. Cake because of this, don't you?"
That question gave me goosebumps and I fastly stand up to look at the man. Is he really going to do it? He's standing in front of the door and giving us his back. We cannot see his face. He takes the last sip of his glass of water and turns around, shaking his head. "I don't want to be rude or cruel to anybody, I'm not a mobster. I didn't come out of a gangster movie. I truly want my reward but I won't cross the limits to earn it." He leaves the glass on a table. "You know something, girl? I waited the perfect night to have him here alone because I thought about his wife, and I know she wouldn't like to hear what he said." He laughs. "I don't want to be the main cause of a divorce, I want to talk to your boss. One night, the two of us alone right here, standing between the cashier, talking." His response leaves us shocked. Pinkie slowly gets far from the cashier to grab the empty glass but stops when Caballeron raises a finger. "However, if your boss dares to attack me..." now he looks at me. "I'll talk in peace, I will be calm... but if he is not relaxed and tries to attack me or provoke me, I'll defend myself... and I know how to do it."
That was a warning, but Pinkie still has a confused spark on her face. "Provoke?" she asks, about to hold the glass. Caballeron looks at her. "You mean... provoke you with what?"
I close my eyes trying to guess what Pinkie Pie was thinking about when she asked that. What is that question? I get afraid when Caballeron squints his eyes at her. "I mean, provocation. What can provoke me and make me angry, girl? Well..." he nods his head, thinking. "Mistreatment, unbearable behavior... Stupid questions, for instance."
Stupid questions. Was that a warning for her? Pinkie closes her fist and grabs the glass with the other hand. "Yes. I... I understood," she says while looking at me. I don't look at her back, I'm observing the man.
He waves his hand at me and doesn't look at Pinkie. He is heading to the exit. "Good night."
Once he touches the handle to come out of the store, we hear a shout: "Hey!" I look at Pinkie to see if she shouted, but then I understand that it actually came from outside. Just a second later, I look at two figures crossing the street, coming out of the dark, and approaching the door.
They are familiar.
The taller one is a man. He has light green skin and orange short hair. He's wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket while having sunglasses hiding his eyes and a toothpick in his mouth. Everything is getting connected, this is like a mixture. Are all of my thoughts coming across each other? He looks exactly like Thorax and the other, shorter one is just like his friend Ember, wearing the exact same clothes as him, but with no sunglasses and toothpick but a small black beret on her head. Caballeron looks at Pinkie and me and opens the door. Thorax enters first, snorting and closing his fists. He scratches one of his shoulders while Ember blinds us two with her intimidating sight. She has dark red eyes that look like two suns. Then, the tall man points at Caballeron. "What are you doing here, man?" he rudely asks while taking his toothpick out of his mouth. Pinkie looks at me, confused. I don't understand what's going on and, from what I see, Caballeron either.
The gambler squints his eyes one more time and raises his shoulders. "Who in the hell are you?" he asks. The look-alike Ember (she may be the one but I'm not sure) sits down in the chair that Caballeron grabbed from a table and looks around.
The look-alike Thorax palms his chest twice and puts the toothpick again in his mouth. "I'm a guy that wanders, messes around Canterlot's cold, dirty streets..." he nods his head, looking at us. Pinkie is about to get in the kitchen. "... I've been observing you for a long time, mister. We, my partner sitting on that chair..." he points at Ember, who is still not saying anything. "... and I, have heard your unique plan to obtain what you desire the most."
Caballeron slowly puts his hips against a table while looking at the mysterious man (who looks like Thorax... he may be Thorax). He's angry and I'm... I don't know what to say. Is this really a dream? Shall I pinch myself to wake up? "Which plan are you talking about?" his voice is getting ruder.
The man points at Ember and then at himself while doing some kind of grin that reminds me of a rockabilly star. Is he trying to act like a movie star? I turn around to look at Pinkie who can't stop observing him. "I agree with what you tried to do with the boss... we've heard it all, amigo. My friend and I agree with your plan, talking to the man in private, a solas, trying to look for a deal that can help both of you but..." he slowly turns his head again to look at both Pinkie and me. I felt observed by him, and I suddenly remember the same feeling I had that night when Thorax looked at me. One of my arms starts shaking again... come on, not now. "Was it necessary to intimidate these two innocent women that had nothing to do with your problem?" Pinkie raises an eyebrow while putting a hand over her jaw while I'm trying to cover my ears. This is getting... uncomfortable again. "That is not something we liked. That is stupid and disrespectful... besides," he shakes his head while crossing his arms. "Gambling is bad for your health, friend." His voice changed into a softer tone. "You know it's a dangerous game to play."
Caballeron suddenly raises one of his hands. "And do you know what is also stupid and disrespectful, friend? Your acting, your wanna-be rebellious teenager attitude which is making me want to vomit and then laugh at your face." Ember lets a laugh out of her mouth, something that Thorax doesn't like. He looks at her with anger. "Besides, you want to look tough with those sunglasses, your leather jacket, and that foolish toothpick in your mouth but you look like a freshman in a prom dance. Who are you two to tell me what I have to do with my life?"
Ember is still chuckling in silence because of what Caballeron said and she is observing us. Thorax also looks at us, then at Ember, while still chewing his toothpick and preparing himself to say something... however, Pinkie appears: "Actually gambling is pretty bad for your mental health." She raises a finger. "Isn't it an addicti--?"
Shut up, not now. I put my hand over one of her shoulders and she looks at me. I give her a nervous smile. "Don't say anything." She covers her mouth again.
The mysterious Thorax raises his thumb and nods his head. "I agree with the cute lady."
... What?
No, no. No.
My pupils shrink and then I am the one that covers my forehead while Pinkie gets her hand off her face, showing a big bright smile of surprise. Her jaw drops. Ember is in shock, looking at her friend, and Caballeron starts laughing. The man that called me cute is the only one that didn't react to what he said. He is still looking at the gambler with a straight face and a serious tone... something that makes the player laugh. "What the fuck did you just say?" he says.
"Me and my friend have the authority, the power to tell you anything." The funny side of Caballeron disappears when he hears that. He stops laughing. I'm still in shock from what I've just heard and Pinkie, despite hiding her reaction, is chuckling on her inside because of that.
The gambler shakes his head. "And why in the hell do you suddenly feel superior to me, you brat?"
The toothpick man doesn't say anything and approaches his ear. I hear a whisper. Everybody hears that little soft voice getting in Caballeron's ear but no one knows what he's actually saying except for the gambler, whose face drastically changes. Ember squints her eyes and stands up, surprised. Thorax gets far from Caballeron, smiling at him.
The player is not laughing anymore, and shakes his head, heading to the door. "You little orange-haired fuck," I hear from his mouth, then he turns his head to look at Pinkie. "I'll come back tomorrow for your boss."
He opens the door and leaves the store, crossing the street and getting lost in the night. Thorax has a big smile, but Ember does not have the same face. She's serious and actually annoyed by something. "What did you tell him, Thorax?" she rudely says.
She said the name... it is confirmed. What I thought is actually confirmed. They are definitely Thorax and Ember. The boys I saw yesterday. That means... I am the cute lady he was talking about yesterday night? Is it me? Is it... actually me?
Thorax doesn't say anything while Ember crosses her arms. He slowly takes off his sunglasses and the toothpick out of his mouth, and turns around, playing with his hair and revealing his purple eyes. I think he winks an eye at Pinkie. "Hey, uh..." his smile is big and he's chuckling. "Did you like my acting?" Ember facepalms. "I'm telling you... I watched many gangster movies to inspire myself and make this excellent character, facet... persona of mine." He's literally shaking. "I never give an opinion about my chores, but I think that was beautiful. When I said a solas, that sounded so juicy, comprehensive..."
Pinkie starts clapping with a smile. "I think that was great! I absolutely got into your acting," Thorax's face is now shining after hearing those words. "I believed everything you did... you are really talented! And I really thank you for your help!"
She is still clapping while smiling. I don't do anything. I just look at the cashier. Ember is looking at him, angrily. "Thorax," she says.
"Who are you?" Pinkie suddenly asks. "I never heard of you, you really have a talent for this! I think Canterlot Drama would die to get an actor like you with such charisma."
Ember and I get surprised at what she said. The red-eyed girl even raises her eyebrows. Thorax blushes, I can see it. "I really appreciate what you said, it..." his eyes shine. "... totally fulfills me. I'm more than a who or a what, girl, I consider myself... an artist." Both of them are now sharing the same creepy smile while Ember and I look at each other for a second. Her red eyes are really intimidating.
Um, well... what did he just say? He considers himself as an... I look that his friend is not happy. I can notice that. She turns her back and Pinkie points at Thorax... she's going back to her normal behavior again. "Wait, wait!" she says. "I wanted to ask you something else! Did you really say my friend right here was--?" NO, PINKIE, NO.
"THO-RAX!" Ember's shout shuts Pinkie up... and thank the lord she did because she was about to ask something related to me. Please, no. No. I don't want to hear that phrase in my head again... no...
"I agree with the cute lady."
Argh! Thorax looks at his friend who is not OK and raises a hand to her. "Wait a minute, Ember," he puts a hand in one of his pockets... and then he looks at me. "I want to tell you something first... she is the lady I saw yesterday in the window."
... Shit.
My face feels like burning flames right now and Pinkie's shocked look at me only embarrasses me even more. I don't have any words to say... this means I can confirm the theory where I affirm that I was the cute lady right now? "Thorax, you stupid asshole," she says while pointing at me. "Firstly, I don't care. Secondly, you're neither a superhero nor a secret agent. You're making her uncomfortable."
Thorax's smile vanishes. "Wa-wait..." I need to say something. Two words, at least. "Uh..."
"Please, don't get into this." Her red eyes shut me up and her face seems to be relaxed now. "You wanna hear my quick opinion? Yes, you are a pretty girl! Don't say anything else." Then she points at Pinkie. "You neither," and catches Thorax by grabbing him from his white t-shirt. "And you're going to tell me what did you tell that guy to make him walk away so quickly."
Thorax rolls his eyes with that childish look of I know I screwed it. I had it when I was a child. "Well, that may be complicated to explain, Ember."
She snorts at him. "You didn't say what I'm thinking, did you?"
"Wait," interrupts Pinkie. "You're gonna tear up his t-shi---"
"I'm afraid we'll have to talk about my characters on another day!" he says while smiling at us. Ember sighs and now he is looking at me, but can barely make eye contact. I can't believe I am now taking the role of the damsel. This is unbelievable. "Um... uh, and I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, it's just, uh..." he fastly shakes his head. "I'll promise I---"
Ember covers his mouth with one of her hands and scares us with her blazing sight. "Listen," she says. "You never saw us walking in here, you closed this store at the right time, the precise moment and you won't tell anybody what happened, alright?"
I get between Pinkie and her. She doesn't change her face. Thorax is still smiling from behind her hand and I can see that he has now an orange card under one of his hands. "Who are you two?" I fastly ask. "Where is the other guy? The big guy?" I almost forgot about him... and now that I think about it, it surprises me that he is not here!
She raises a finger and taps my nose with it. "You will forget about us." She fastly walks away, carrying Thorax with her other arm and opening the door to leave while Thorax waves a hand to us both. I want to stop them but I can barely move due to how confused I am right now... Pinkie has also her arm attached to mine.
They leave the store and walk away. Both of us look at how they get lost in the dark and pass by the windows.
I look at the clock.
We stay frozen for a whole minute, looking at nothing.
I have too many things to think about right now, note them one by one.
WHAT THE HELL HAS JUST HAPPENED?
"What was that thing of the window he was talking about?" Pinkie is looking at me. I only shake my head.
I don't want to talk about it. "I have no idea. I have... no idea, Pinkie."
I can hear her snorting while scratching her poofy hair. "Um, OK, uh... well, I-I honestly can't believe that Mr. Cake plays poker. Did you expect that?" Pinkie shakes his head. "I'm flabbergasted."
I finally move when I get out of the cashier stand and I approach the door. I look at the clock again. My eyes are now itching because I think I haven't blinked for two minutes.
What the fuck has just happened? And what in the hell did I do for two people to tell me I am pretty? "I also think the same, Wallflower," she is observing me again while I'm standing in the middle. "You are pretty!"
... Fuck me. I facepalm. "Seriously?"
"I mean, that guy Thorax likes you or at least likes the concept of you. I can imagine the story..." she begins to mumble. "Extroverted guy with an introverted girl."
"PINKIE!" I shout. I'm about to explode and my body starts shaking as if I were frozen. "Pinkie... don't you realize what we have just experienced?"
She nods her head in silence. "Wild night, isn't it?" she is still nodding. "Well, if we take out the Caballeron and Mr. Cake thing, we had a great time! We met two new friends, an artist and a short angry lady with red eyes, and people told you that you are cute!"
"But I..." I'm about to vomit. "Don't you understand she told us to forget about them?" I raise my shoulders. "Why? Why would we have to forget about them both? What are they? Ghosts?"
"Maybe it's a new avant-garde way of socializing."
"Come on, Pinkie Pie!" I pathetically stomp the floor with one of my dirty shoes. "They are hiding something! Why would they run away? Why would she get mad at him because of something he said? What did he tell Caballeron, in the first place? Did you hear him?"
"No," she denies by shaking her head. "I didn't hear him but..."
"What did he tell him? He literally called him orange-haired fuck and walked away. What would make him react in that---" I stop talking when I look that there is something on the floor, right next to the stand. I almost stepped on it.
It's an orange card. I slowly grab it and find out it has green text on it:
COOL TICKET!
STUNTMAN
96-33622-XX
96, Canterlot district. It's the town's phone prefix... It's a phone number. "Did he indirectly give you his credit card?" Pinkie takes a look at it. "What is it?"
Shall I call this number? I left my phone, the keys, and the plastic cap under the cashier. "Nothing," I just say. I don't want to talk about it. "A pathetic game card."
"Game card?" Pinkie raises an eyebrow. "For video games?"
"I don't know, it's just a card..." I need to breathe. I'm tired, dizzy and I'm feeling terribly nauseatic. I think about calling that phone number but my imagination and my thoughts about me handling the phone are making me nervous. I want to rest, to relax. I can't go home walking on foot, I will pass out while stopping on the first corner. "Pinkie... I'm feeling like shit. I'm afraid I'll have to take the ride on the Pinkiemobile."
Pinkie's smile is back, although it's not so big this time. She sighs and nods: "Sure."
I look at the clock for the last time and I get out. It's almost 10.
The night is cold and that calms me down a bit, the chill makes me feel less nervous and doesn't let me imagine I am an atomic bomb. I can easily identify the Pinkiemobile: a small purple vintage car on the opposite sidewalk. What a surprise, I never focused on the car but now that I see it, there can't exist any other person who can drive that vehicle that is not Pinkie Pie.
She turned off the lights and is now locking the doors. She's the only employee that has the entrance keys. "Isn't it beautiful? It's my boy. I found it at a very reasonable price." She is smiling at me, illuminated by a yellow streetlight. The street is empty, we are the only ones there.
My hands are filled with objects: the cap, my keys, my cellphone, and the orange card. I have to admit my aunt was right: I need a pocket where I can keep all of these things. What a lazy attitude from me. "It is Pinkie. I like it." I cross the street, and she's following me from behind. "I want to tell you only one thing."
"What is it?"
"I don't want to talk too much about what... has just happened. I need to relax, seriously."
She fastly opens the car with her key and we both get in. "I understand, Wallflower... but I'm really shocked about Mr. Cake," she says, shaking her head and lying on the wheel. I close the door, the seat is cozy. Nice car. "I knew he was competitive, he really likes to be challenging while playing board games, I know that side of him since I was a freshman but..." it hurts a bit to see Pinkie like that because... yeah, I also never thought Mr. Cake doing something like this, but I hardly think about him while being out of my job... Pinkie does not think the same. She even dared to say once that the Cakes were definitely their fatherly figures and I will never forget that. What about her parents?... Well, I can't say too much about fatherly figures, myself. "I never expected him to play with the income like that. If Mrs. Cake finds out..." Her eyes are shining like she is about to cry.
"That would be a slaughter." I shake my head. "She has to know, though. She also controls the store."
"I know," she nods. "I'm afraid I'll have to tell her, this is really serious. This is..." I can see a tear about to come out of her eye. "I..."
"I told you, Pinkie... we can't talk about this right now." I take a breath while lying in the car seat and I'm feeling in heaven. "We have to wait until tomorrow morning. Mrs. Cake must know this... he put Sugarcube Corner and our salaries in a card game." She cleans her eyes with her hands. "Let's talk about something else."
"Like what?" She stays blank for a second until she nudges my arm with her fist. "Oh, I know. Do you have any news about Coco?"
... Oh. Coco Pommel. I completely forgot about her. I almost erased her from my memory due to these recent events. Mrs. Cake said she wouldn't work today and thank God she didn't, I would never want her to be part of this circus. "No," I tell her. "Mrs. Cake told us she wouldn't be here today... she may come back tomorrow."
Pinkie stays frozen for two or three seconds until she fastly nods her head: "Yeah, you're right. You're right..." she turns on the car and she asks the question I didn't want to hear: "So... where are we going?"
It's the price I have to pay. I can't walk on foot, I'm feeling like a statue and she will help with that... but I need to tell her where I live. "If I tell you," I say. "Would you promise me to not tell anybody?"
She raises an eyebrow while holding the wheel. "Sure, why?"
I close my eyes, getting ready. "I live in Canterlot Plaza."
"What?" she drops her jaw. "Isn't Canterlot Plaza that big building where rich people with plastic surgeries live?"
I laugh. I honestly didn't expect that, but it's true. "Yes. I live with my aunt... well, my wealthy aunt."
"Holy molly," she steps on the clutch. "What does your aunt do for a living?" ... I can't tell her she's Photo Finish. Her mind would explode... she has many things to process. "You never told me about your family." It's a hard story, Pinkie.
"Uh, she's an accountant... um, a pretty good one." Not bad. That lie was nice. "And I... you know, don't like to talk about my family so much. I just... don't. Sorry."
She turns to the left and I expect from her something like "Oh, but your family this, your family that..." but she doesn't say anything, and that is confusing me. "It's OK," she says. "I also don't like to talk about my family."
I thought that was a lie at first but then I realized she had a point. I know nothing about her family because she never mentioned anything about them, and I've already said she actually considered the Cakes as her actual parents. "Wow," I say. "That... surprises me. I thought you were going to disagree with me."
She chuckles. "No, everybody has their families and all of them... are different." She is driving slower. "I don't talk too much about my parents because they are a bit... hard-headed."
"You mean conservative?"
"We could say that but... they were pretty isolated from everything." She has a serious face while looking at the street. "My parents are miners, you know? They work with rocks, their whole lives are about rocks... and I don't like rocks. They are colorless, hard, monotonous, petrous... you understand?" I only nod my head in silence. "My parents wanted me to continue their legacy... but I didn't want to end up working as something I didn't like to do. I loved colors, pastry, fun... I didn't want to do that, I wanted to get out of there. That was my dream."
She's talking about dreams. I'm feeling emotional again. "Your dream?"
"Yes, one day I told them that I didn't want to do that... I didn't want to waste my time with rocks, and their reaction was pretty quick, I still remember it." She makes a small smile and looks at me for a second, she is driving a little bit faster, turning on the same corners over and over. I don't care about that... I just want to listen to her. "They dumped me, left me alone... and I moved to Canterlot where I met Mr. and Mrs. Cake, they helped me with lots of things... and you know the story."
I cover my mouth with my hands in silence. I imagined her being left behind by her parents and I almost had a heart attack... and sometimes I say I'm not sympathetic at all. What a joke, I'm discovering myself. "And do you still have any kind of contact with them?"
She shakes her head while turning on that corner again. "No, but I usually talk to my sister Maud, who moved to another town far from them a while ago. I go to her house every summer to give her the best rocks I can find around here in Canterlot. She really likes rocks."
"Woah..." I stutter and she gets out of the loop, getting on the road again. "I never expected that story from you, Pinkie. You are always happy and funny and you try to make everybody laugh."
"Yeah, because I like to do it. I enjoy that." She smiles at me. "And you know what?" she puts a finger over her mouth. "I asked you about Coco because I thought you had known something about her today... I told myself Well, if Wallflower likes Coco a lot, then she may have news about her so I---"
"What in the world are you talking about?" That escalated quickly. We went from crying to pure embarrassment. She didn't say that. She did not say that. I feel my face burning again and I look at my face in the rearview mirror. I'm blushing.
She chuckles. "Quick response means hidden truth."
"I... I-I don't like Coco."
"Well," she is still smiling. Come on. "The blush on your cheeks doesn't say the same for me."
We have to maintain the ship, captain! "That doesn't mean I like her... I do like her as a friend, but not in the way you believe."
"You're literally exposing yourself, Wallflower Blushie Blush!" she shouts while laughing. My face feels even hotter. "I never saw you speaking to someone in the way you do with Coco. You may not see it but when I look at you two talking, having a normal conversation... you feel so passionate about it, Wallflower Blush."
"But I'm not passionate while talking about her because I'm in love, Pinkie..." I have to be honest here. "... I'm passionate because... Do you know why? Because every time I see her, I see hope. I see a calm, easy-going, kind person who's always trying to help others, and has dreams, and a purpose. I feel that and I..." I repeat myself that I have to be honest here. Brutally honest. "... and I feel this is unfair Pinkie. Not for me, but for her... she is engaged to that guy who does not deserve her at all. He's greedy, she's a flower, a rainbow! He's a classist, selfish guy! Tell me if I'm wrong, Pinkie Pie!"
She is not smiling but shakes her head. "I recognize that guy is... special, not in a good way, but not in a bad way either, Wallflower. We don't know him at all, the only thing we know about him is what we saw that day at the Corner, and he may be a different guy apart from that. Coco is in love with him, Coco likes him... why wouldn't he be a good man?"
I calm myself down while breathing. She may be right but I still feel things about that guy, Blue, that I despise. "Maybe," I only say and she turns to a corner I know. It's the sidewalk where Thorax, Ember, and Thunderhooves were discussing last night. Where he saw me... and no one is there today. It's empty. "Maybe he is."
"You see? We don't know." The car stops right at the entrance door. The big white building still has some lights on, but I can see my aunt's apartment does not have any... that might be good news, I may still have arrived on time. I didn't tell her anything... and she didn't call me so, that means she hasn't arrived yet? "So this is it?"
I nod my head and I open the door with my pinky finger. "Damn," I whisper. I have too many things on my hands.
"Don't you want a bag or something for your phone and your keys? I think I--"
"I do have one, Pinkie, thanks." I get out of the car. "I simply forgot it at home." I look around... there's no one else, no triad, just the car and me. "Thank you, Pinkie. Thank you."
"Wait," she says while holding the wheel. "Do you have my phone number? I... I think I don't have yours."
I don't. "Yes, I think I do have it, um..." I'm about to faint on the ground... I just want to get into my bed. "If you don't, I'll give it to you next morning... right now I'm feeling really bad, Pinkie, you know... OK?"
She nods with her normal smile and waves her hand. "Bye, Wallflower."
"Bye." I close the door and she leaves with the horn roaring once. I look at the car fading out in the distance, turning to the left in a corner far from me.
I look at the entrance door and focus on the apartment again. It doesn't have any lights on.
Listening to Pinkie talking about dreams made me drain my brain and refill it with just one thought. A phrase that I've been repeating myself since I got out of the car.
"I need to get out of this shit."