"So this is the place?" I ask Pinkie. For the past ten minutes we've been wandering around the town getting to know more of the locals and places in Ponyville, soon we arrived at what could only be described as a massive cake shaped store. It would make sense for your bakery to look like a cake or something, but really what's wrong with a sign or something?
"It sure is," Pinkie chimed. Before I could get a closer look at the outer walls to see if they were truly made of icing and batter, Pinkie grabs me by the neck and drags me inside. The interior of the store is, well, really rustic to say the least. Cakes are on display in windows and boxes, a few tables lie in the open and a counter with what looks like Henry VIII's mid-morning snack sits between the store and the kitchen. Pinkie goes into the kitchen and I follow, leaning against the wall to hide myself but still just see around the corner. Even though most of my view is obstructed by a wedding cake I see Pinkie walk over to another pony. The other pony must be the owner of the shop. The owner is currently trying to make something but I have no idea what it is.
"Hi Mrs. Cake," Pinkie said.
"Hello Pinkie," the other pony replies.
"Okay, so the other pony is Mrs. Cake," I think, "Right, try and look your best. She is in charge here."
I attempt to flatten my mane a little and straighten myself up, I even give the Element of Chaos a quick polish on a table cloth. The table cloth disintegrates and forms small piles of ashes on the floor and table. I blow them away before going back to eavesdropping. I've missed a bit of the conversation but I don't think it was important.
"So are you ready for today's order?" Mrs. Cake asks Pinkie.
"What order?"
"Didn't you remember the order we got from Canterlot?" Mrs.Cake said, "We have to make over a hundred cupcakes for Princess Luna's Birthday."
"Oh no I forgot all about that!" Pinkie exclaimed. I see her pace back and forth shaking her head. I then see Mrs. Cake put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder.
"Is there something wrong? You never forget a party."
"Me and my friends have been a little busy with something," Pinkie said.
"I hope you can forget about it for now," Mrs. Cake said. Pinkie looked at the pile of utensils and ingredients on the table and sighed.
"How long do we have until the deadline?"
"Only a few days, we need all the help we can get."
Pinkie went from looking disappointed to glad in an instant. She almost jumped and ran over to where I was hiding. I wasn't ready for her to take hold of me by the neck and drag me in the kitchen in front of a confused Mrs. Cake.
"You wanted help, well I have the perfect pony right here," Pinkie said.
"Uh, yes. Hi," I stop and clear my throat. Pinkie has a grip like a vice, which is weird because she has no fingers.
"Can I ask who this is, Pinkie?" Mrs. Cake says as she walks over to me.
"This is Scott Websly, he came to Ponyville only a week ago and he tells me that he's great at baking."
Baking? I never said such a thing but I keep quiet thinking that this could be my ticket to the Princess with the elements. Now all I have to figure out is how I'm going to be able to infiltrate the party when it happens. I'll make it up as I go along.
"When was the last time you make something?" Mrs. Cake asked me. She obviously is a little stressed with this upcoming party. I haven't made anything for at least three years and the very last thing I made was haggis. It did not end well afterwards. I just go with the best excuse I could think of.
"I don't know, I mean, I can't remember much after I was in the ER for the past week."
"That's what I was busy with, and why you have a missing cake," Pinkie said.
"She gave me a get well cake," I say, trying to back her up.
"That's very nice of you Pinkie but can you tell me when you need cakes for something like that?" Mrs. Cake said.
"Sure, I'll tell you from now on."
"Now onto the job at hand," I say, "What would you have me do?"
Pinkie directs me over to a table and shows me how to bake cupcakes. It's a simple and easy to understand task but I know how this will end: I'm going to be left alone and a bunch of cakes are going to be ruined as a result.
"So do you know what you are doing?" Pinkie asks me for the tenth time.
"Just let me try," I say but I'm thinking, "God help me."
"Okey Dokey," Pinkie chirps, "Remember how many you have to do and what I told you and everything will be easy."
"If only it was," I think.
By now any normal person would have set fire to the building or created mutant bread yeast that has a hunger for flesh but for some reason, none of this happens. I have successfully made at least twenty cupcakes in the course of an hour. This impresses Mrs. Cake but I get ready to run when she decides to eat one, first rule of baking: just because it looks good doesn't mean it is. Mrs. Cake selects one and chews on it happily.
"I'm amazed Scott," she said, "I've never had anything so scrumptious."
Oh my God she's been consumed by Mary Poppins. I look over at Pinkie and see her jaw has dropped.
"But you said my stuff was good."
"I don't mean any offence Pinkie but I've gotten used to your baking," Mrs. Cake said. She was trying to comfort Pinkie but I could see that it wasn't working, Pinkie sulks but once Mrs. Cake turns around she gives me a nasty looking glance. I might have just lost my new best friend. I back up and then walk into someone behind me.
"Sorry," I grunt.
"It's okay, you didn't see me," the pony replies. I know that it's a pony.
"Hi Mr. Cake," Pinkie says, she's perked up a little but I can still see the hatred in her eyes. I turn around and let Mr. Cake pass me, he's got two small foal on his back. I cock my head to one side when I see that one is a unicorn and the other is a pegasus. Mr. Cake doesn't look like either and I didn't see a horn or wings on his wife. The two kids jump off his back and slowly advance towards me, both of them examining me. I stand my ground and let them walk over to me. The pegasus flies up and hovers at my eye level.
"Hi," I said. The pegasus lands, goes over to his sibling and they both walk in opposite directions around me.
"Don't mind them, they're always like this with other ponies they don't know," Mr. Cake says.
"Hey Pound and Pumpkin," Pinkie says diving between the two.
"Which one is which?" I ask. Pinkie picks them up.
"This is Pound Cake," she says nodding to the pegasus, then she nods to the unicorn, "And this is Pumpkin Cake."
The tone of her voice is disturbing and the kids can sense it because they try and escape her grip.
"Honey, you have to come and try our first batch." Mrs. Cake says to Mr. Cake. Mr. Cake trots over to my cupcakes, plucks one out of the pile and eats it. His expression changes from indifferent to stunned to satisfaction.
"I'm amazed," Mr. Cake said, "Who made these?"
"I did," I say. Pinkie growls slightly. Pound and Pumpkin Cake escape Pinkie's grasp and go over to the table where they sit by their parents and wait to get one of my cakes.
"These are amazing," Mr. Cake said to me.
"I have no idea how I did it," I reply.
"Well I'll say that you have a talent with baking."
Pound and Pumpkin Cake each receive a cupcake and happily chow down on them.
"Is baking you're special talent?" Mrs. Cake asks me.
"No, if it was I'd have a different Mark."
I turn to the side and show them my pentagram Cutie Mark, they both look at it and shrug. Pound and Pumpkin finish their cakes and look to Pinkie, then me and back again. Mr. Cake leans down between the two foals.
"Scott there made them, go thank him."
Pound and Pumpkin jump up, run over to me and hug my forelegs. I stand there and look at them, they're both smiling and I'm not one for admitting that something was cute, but these two were probably the most adorable pair I have ever seen. I pick them up and hug them.
"You're welcome," I say. I see Pinkie out of the corner of my vision and notice that she's really annoyed, she grabs a sack of flour and holds it over her head.
"So if that's how you want to play it," she says, "Hey Pound and Pumpkin, watch this!"
Pinkie drops the entire bag of flour over herself and ends up coated in the stuff. The twins don't even acknowledge that Pinkie has dumped flour over herself, they're too distracted with trying to get another one of my cupcakes.
"No, no more, we have to save these for the party," Mr. Cake says to the twins. They huff and slump down on the floor.
"I'll try and sneak you a few when they aren't looking," I whisper to the kids. They giggle and trot over to their parents. I turn back to Pinkie who is still standing in the same flour covered pose.
"Why?" I ask. Pinkie snorts.
"Pinkie, would you mind clearing that up?" Mrs. Cake asks. Pinkie goes to find a broom, leaving a trail of white hoof prints on the floor. I watch her go and then I turn back to the Cakes.
"So what brought you to Ponyville?" Mr. Cake asks.
"I don't really remember," I say, "What I do know is that I was injured and I was revived at the hospital. I have no clue where I came from or what I was doing."
"Do you have a place to stay at least?" Mrs. Cake asks.
"No, Pinkie brought me here to see if I could stay and recover, on the ground that I'd work for you guys."
"Well I don't want to waste good talent," Mr. Cake said, "You can stay here until you can find a place to live."
"I don't think that I'll be here for long," I say.
"Which room can we give him?" Mrs. Cake said.
"We have the spare room down in the basement," Mr. Cake replies. A room in a basement, not the first time I've had to sleep underground.
"So where is my room?" I ask.
Mr. Cake shows me to a door which leads to a basement storeroom, I follow him through the maze of boxes and sacks of flour until we reach a door. He opens it and flicks on a light.
"I do apologize about the dust," Mr. Cake said, "We haven't used the basement room for a long time."
"No matter," I say, "I can clean this place up."
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Mr Cake asks me.
"No, I work better alone anyway."
"Okay, see you later, Scott."
Mr. Cake shuts the door and leaves me alone. I look around my room, it's pretty basic. A bed, one table and a chair, a dusty mirror hangs on the wall. The room isn't in great condition but it'll do me for a while. I sit on the bed and try and work out a plan of how I'm going to be able to get to the Elements. So far all I know is that a Princess Luna is having a birthday party and that the cupcakes I made were for the party. Maybe if I make a bunch of cakes and if they're all really good, then I might be able to go to this party and work out where the Elements are. For now all I do is look through the Element of Chaos to see if there's anything hidden in it. I look over to the mirror and see a message written on it;
Meet me at the Monolith. I have a gift for you. Discord.