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// Morning/Pinkie 1 
// Story: The Day the Darkness Died 
// by lunabrony 
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Oatmeal. Pinkie thought it was a very unusual breakfast choice indeed. It wasn't that she hated it, she found it very difficult to hate things. But she certainly wasn't about to go out of her way to eat it. And here Applejack actually wanted to eat some.

Pinkie gasped at the very idea as soon as it was suggested. "Oatmeal? Are you crazy?!"

Applejack just shook her head. "Y'all never did tell me why y'hate oatmeal, come tah think of it."

"Oh, that's easy!" Pinkie explained. "It all started when I was just a little filly. I- oh!" Her eyes locked onto a butterfly whom had been woken up by the warm morning air, and immediately proceeded to chase after it. Applejack's voice called after her, but her mind was completely elsewhere. Pinkie bounced along the path, following the insect for a good quarter mile until she tired of it. She'd never catch the butterfly anyway, they were simply too unpredictable. Pinkie yawned and turned around, setting course for the bakery. She still had work to do on the Apple Farm, but maybe she could squeeze in some sweets.

When she arrived at the bakery, Mrs. Cake waved to her. "Oh, good, you're back, Pinkie! Macintosh just called, something came up at the farm and you've been relieved of chores for the day. Which means we can get an early start on those cupcakes!" She said delightedly. "Would you be a dear and start the first batch? I don't know what you do to them, but yours are always spectacular."

"Macintosh called? Huh, he must be a chatterbox today." At the mention of cupcakes, Pinkie, of course, sprang into the air with anticipation. "Oh boy! I'll get right on it!" She dove into the kitchen, and began singing her own musical concoction to pass the time. "All you gotta do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix..."

Mrs. Cake coughed. She'd heard the song a hundred times before. Everypony had. "Pinkie, dear, perhaps we could do without the singing this morning? Or at the very least a new song?"

The party pony was unphased, and already had a large vat of batter going. She worked unnaturally fast, nopony had been able to explain it, but then again, nopony complained about her efficiency either. "Alright." She said calmly, pouring the batter into tins.

Mrs. Cake smiled with relief. "Thank you, dear." Her ears perked up. "Oh, that'd be the phone. Be right back." 

Before she could move, however, Mr. Cake's voice called from the other room. "I got it!"

Pinkie went back to her baking, and soon had batter filled tins in the oven. She heard annoyed voices from the other room. "Pound Cake, no, give daddy the phone. No. Pound, GIVE, it, thank you! Hello? Oh, hello Rarity."

Pinkie's mind drifted as she watched the lumpy batter slowly rise in their beds. She never could keep her mind on one thing for very long, especially when confectioneries were involved. Her nose and hooves pressed up against the fireproof pane, drool dripping from her lips. "Cupcakes..." She whispered, in a world of her own.

"....ie? Pinkie!" Mr. Cakes voice snapped her back to reality.

"Yes?" The mare called.

"Rarity would you like to come to the Boutique immediately. It sounded urgent."

"Oki Doki Loki!" She called, and sprang into an action. She pulled down a jar from the shelf, plainly marked "FOAL POWDER." The party pony threw a hoof-full of it into the fireplace, and jumped into the flames with an announcement of "Carousel Boutique!"

A moment later, mere seconds after having gotten the phone call, Pinkie slid in through the door. "HI RARITY!" She announced. Rarity jumped several feet in the air. "But... how did you... I JUST called..."

Pinkie snorted, she had her secrets. "I know! Sorry I'm late! I used the chimney!"

The next hour or so was a blur of activity, in which Pinkie was introduced to the Changeling inhabiting the Boutique, who unsurprisingly was already dressed in the frilliest gown Pinkie had ever seen.

"Well duh, if nopony is watching him, how do we know he's there?"  Pinkie finished her logical response to Rarity's comparably very silly question.

Rarity facehooved. "Never mind, dear. Would you kindly help me carry this brute to Twilight's library? Normally I'd just drag it, but this is a very fine fabric and it absolutely MUST not touch the ground. I think that's our most appropriate option right now, Twilight always knows what to do in these situations. Pinkie nodded again. "Oki Doki Loki!" She balanced the Changeling on her back, whose movement was still restricted by the dress it was wearing, and the two set out towards the Library. Although the Changeling was not tied up, it did not give up much of a fight upon being taken elsewhere. 

It took almost half an hour to make the ten minute walk, as Pinkie's distractable nature kept interfering. By the time Rarity pushed open the door to the Library, they were surprised to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash already present, with two more Changelings tied up with ropes.

"You too, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Indeed." Came Rarity's reply.

"So what do we do now?" asked Pinkie.

"Now, we play th' waitin' game." Applejack responded. This sounded like a fantastic idea to Pinkie.

"Oh! Oh! I like games!" She exclaimed.

All three of her friends just smiled and shook their heads. "What?" Pinkie asked.

Rarity smiled. "Nothing, darling, just keep on being yourself."

"Why wouldn't I be myself? Who else would I be? Oh! Let me be Trixie!" She puffed herself up, taking on a very serious face. "The Great and Powerful Pinkie demands balloons! Bring Pinkie balloons, so Pinkie can show you all how much better she is than you!"

Rainbow Dash cracked up with laughter, soon followed by the others.