//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 - Spending Time In A bakery // Story: Nomad's Requiem // by Shadowflash //------------------------------// Nomad’s Requiem Chapter 3 - Spending Time In A Bakery Written by Shadowflash Edited by: Eldorado Gunsmith Narlepoax III Pre-read by: Ghoswriter95 RainbowBob MisterMissusMaster This damn pony never shuts up. For the past five minutes, we’d been walking in circles and she’d been explaining her life’s story! I had been paying attention, though. I do like to keep information stored in the back of my mind. Most of the information was about herself growing up on a rock farm, or something. Who farms rocks, like, seriously? The rest was based on her friends—Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity. They all met each other locally; Twilight Sparkle was apparently a new addition to their “group”. About three years ago. “So, that explains all my friends and myself! Oh, oh, want to hear about where I work?!” Pinkie yelled cheerfully. “Sure. Why the heck not?” I groaned. “Well, I work over at Sugarcube Corner! Best bakery in town! They make plenty of cakes, candy, pastries, sweets, you name it! The bakery is just over there! Look, look!” I looked over to see Pinkie pointing over at a gingerbread looking house. It was covered in what appeared to be icing, assorted candy and cupcakes. A small sign pointed towards the entrance stating “Sugarcube Corner.” Boy, this house stood out more than an imp in the middle of winter. Also, aren’t sweets the generalization of candy, pastries and cakes anyways? Whatever, no point in arguing over semantics. “Lovely,” I sighed, rubbing my bald head of sweat. “I know, right?! We need to go there for cupcakes sometime an–” “Pinkie, please... Be quiet. You’re giving me a damn headache!” I made my voice just a tad louder, hoping it’d go through to her. “What?! You’re crazy!” She giggled. Woohoo, didn’t go through. Stupid, stupid, women. “No, I ju ” “C’mon! You can help me bake cupcakes!” She excitedly grabbed my arm. I shook my head furiously. “To the divine beings of the universe, hell no. You said you’d help me–” “If I could throw you a party!” Pinkie Pie bounced all around me like a toddler playing with a toy airplane. “Uhg, but a party doesn’t involve me baking!” I’m seriously getting pissed off by this damn party freak. “Well, no, but I can’t throw a party without treats! So, c’mon and help me bake!” Somehow, she was floating in front of my face. Her eyes just staring at me. “If I help you bake for this stupid party, will you please help me?” I’m probably going to regret that. “Of course!” Pinkie then fell to the ground. “C’mon!” She yelled, grabbing my entire body and thrusting me into the gingerbread house bakery. To say the least, the bakery was filled with sweets. Didn’t see that one coming, didja? The walls were a shade of yellow that made me want to vomit, and the floor was a sick green colour. If I were designing this place, I would at least know how to use a colour palette. It’s not that difficult! Also, there was a sign that displayed the words “Sugarcube Corner,” which was hanging in front of the doorway. Why was that there? Did people need to see two signs to definitely confirm this as Sugarcube Corner? On to other details... In front of me sat glass cases holding a variety of sweets and such, along with a cash register on top. Besides that, really, there was a back doorway that lead to what I could see anyways a kitchen and a staircase. All of this was located behind a counter. “This is Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie announced. Gee, never would’ve guessed! “Awesome. Let’s get baking, then,” I started to walk towards the kitchen with feigned excitement, only to be stopped. “Wait! I gotta make sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake know you’re here!” She then darted off and up the stairs. “Who?” I stood there, befuddled. Those names are stupid, by the way. Named after a baked good? So, I waited a few moments before I saw Pinkie jump down the staircase, followed by two others. One was yellow stallion with an orange mane and short tail, while the other was an odd blue mare with a hot pink mane and tail. I assume they were the “Cakes”. “This is No-Mo!” Pinkie announced to them. “Uhg, please don’t call me that!” I raised my voice a tad, then looked to the two others. They appeared to be shaking. “Is something wrong?” I asked simply. “Uh ... Nothing. You’re just... Quite big,” the stallion, who I assumed was Mr. Cake, spoke with a shaky voice. “Fear, huh?” They nodded to my question. Good. They should fear me. I am powerful, I am mighty, and I am zealot! I will conquer all! Kidding. I’m not that stupid. “Well, don’t be. I’m just here to help Pinkie, so she can help me in return. I’ll be out of your hai–er... Manes in no time.” “Well, if you say what you mean...” The stallion cleared his throat. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. Are you new in Ponyville?” “Nope. I’ve lived here for over thirty years. I’m more of a hermit and stay in a small shack, living the life of a recluse.” The stallion’s eyes filled with dumbfounded confusion. “I’m kidding. I just find the question a bit stupid. Anyways, yes. I just stumbled on through. Kind of lost, but, Pinkie said she’ll help out if I help her bake.” Let’s hope she does... I thought to myself. “Oh, really?” Mr. Cake looked over at Pinkie, who nodded. “Yuppers! No-Mo here is going to help out! I just wanted to let you two know he’s here and that he’ll be baking for a bit!” Both the Cakes raised a brow, then Mrs. Cake looked at me. “Do you have any experience with baking at all?” I nodded. “Indeed I do. I’ve trained a bit in the culinary arts, so that, when I’m in the wild, I can cook things without killing myself.” Didn’t expect me to be a cook, huh? Everyone’s full of surprises. “Well, in that case, I’ll let you two get baking. I’ll be keeping an eye on the both of you... Just in case you burn something.” Mr. Cake stated. Me? Burn something? I feel insulted!... Well, not really. “C’mon, No-Mo! Let’s get baking!” Pinkie then darted off into the kitchen. “Uhg...!” Damn pony, stop calling me that! I entered the kitchen and I could see Pinkie bolting around, frantically looking for ingredients. I saw her place them, one by one, on the table in the center of the room. Extracts, flour, eggs, a few bowls, milk, water, soda, juice, and other assortments of random crap. “So, I’m guessing we should start cooking. I’d rather do it now than wait,” I announced calmly to the mare. “Yup, yup!” Pinkie still had that damn smile on her face. She’s just doing this to spite me. I watched as Pinkie started to open the bag of flour and put it in a measuring cup. She then began to crack some eggs and pour milk in a separate cup. At the same time. I could see some physicist rolling in hi Nope, not touching that one with a forty foot pole. “What are we making? Cakes? Cupcakes? What?” I asked. “Both! No party is complete without a couple cakes and cupcakes!” She was mixing eggs and smiling at me. “Alright. What do you want me to do? Stand and watch, or what?” I crossed my arms and gave her a placid look. Well, it felt placid, anyways. “Well, could you grab a cake pan up in that cupboard.” She motioned to a set of cupboards on the adjacent wall. “And pour the milk in it?” She hummed something softly as she set the eggs on the table, cracking a few more into yet another bowl. “Sure, sure.” Anything to get you to leave me alone. I walked over to the cupboard, opened it up and found a cake pan sitting on the second shelf. I pulled it out and placed it on the table. Grabbing the milk, I poured it into the pan and then watched as Pinkie pushed the bowl of mixed eggs to me. “Pour that in, too!” She smiled brightly. For some reason, she’s being extremely calm. “Alright.” I poured the mixed eggs into the pan and watched as the creamy substances mixed together to make a... Cream colour. “So, Pinkie, considering I’m bored and I have to help out with this stuff, is there anything you want to talk about?” I asked as I continued to mix ingredients together. “Well... When’s your birthday?” Well, that’s unexpected. Might as well answer. “My birthday is...” When the hell is my birthday? “Uh...” “Do you seriously not know your own birthday?!” I heard her gasp as my gaze was aimed at the ceiling, trying to figure it out. “No, no, I know it...” I looked down at the pan, pouring the flour in and then I walked over to a stirring machine sitting under the cupboards. “You really don’t know, do you?” Pinkie giggled. “Alright, alright, I don’t know my own birthday. Forgive me for being seven thousand years old and losing track. It’s not like I celebrated it, anyways.” That was the truth, it was a meaningless day, really. “How can you not remember your own birthday? That’s the most important time of the year!” She half-yelled at me and I just rolled my eyes. “I simply don’t care about it. After I left my home, I just didn’t keep up with it. Why do you ask, anyways?” I said as I finished mixing the ingredients, taking a break to just talk with this annoying mare. “Well, I want to know more about you!” The pink pony smiled brightly and I could only raise a brow. “That’s a first. No one really bothers to try and get to know me. I’m quite shocked,” I said politely. No, seriously, I didn’t mean that sarcastically this time. I promise. “Wow, really? How does anypony go through life without people wanting to know them?” She exclaimed with a look of bewilderment. “Well, No-Mo, what do you like to do? Hobbies and stuff!” Hrmph. Hobbies, eh? “Well, I enjoy a little bit of adventuring. I’ve trekked through many planes and what-not and can’t help but enjoy the things I've learned. Other than that, all I ever cared about doing was watching other adventurers play a game I created.” Along with having them kill each other for prizes. “Ooooo! A game? What kind of game? Hide and seek? Pin the horn on the unicorn?” Pinkie made some childlike suggestions and I just shook my head. “No, Pinkie. This game was a bit... Different. More-so where these adventurers have objectives and have to work in large teams to complete them and dominate the other team,” I decided to take a seat and so did she. I find it funny that she’s genuinely interested. “Oh, oh, capture the flag?” she asked excitedly. “Sort of,” She couldn't see it, but, I was kind of smiling. Don’t know why, I hate her guts and the designs of this world are awful, but I think letting off some of my knowledge of something fun to someone else makes me a tad happier. Besides, I have too much on my mind. Like strudels and grogers. “But, let me explain how it works. Just in brief and then you can question it after,” I cleared my throat for a moment before starting my explanation. “There are two teams: red and blue. Each team may have a minimum of five members and a maximum of five hundred.” Her eyes widened at what I assumed was the large number of players. I continued, though. “In the beginning of the game, these players fight each other for control of territory. This territory is used to push the team back to where their primary objective is: a Soul Avatar.” “Ooo, what’s that?” A smile crossed her face and I just rolled my eyes and continued. “Well, it’s a giant monster that each team has. The primary objective is to eliminate it to gain points. The team that eliminates the other team’s avatar the most wins,” I stretched my arms for a moment having felt a bit of discomfort. “In order to weaken it, however, you need to dominate the land, as I said before. The most crucial piece of land is the ‘Obelisk’.” “And why’s that?” “Well, the Obelisk allows the dominating team to weaken the avatar through the collection of ‘soul gems’ these gems are found by eliminating the various creatures around the ‘arena’, if you want to call it that,” I answered. “Wait, so, these players fight creatures to get the creatures’ souls...?” I could see a look of worry in Pinkie’s eyes as she asked this. These ponies must be too innocent. “Yes. They kill vile creatures that the world could do without anyways. So, don’t worry about moral conscience. Same thing goes with players however, through the power of magic, these players don’t die fully. They just come back in a minute or two of waiting in the afterlife,” I tried to lighten up the killing aspect of this. I may be a bit cynical and sarcastic, but I’m far from ruining someone’s life entirely... Excluding Xavier. He can die for all I care. “Well, that sounds fun! So, you ran all this for what purpose?” Her frown and worry changed to a bright smile. A bit of a relief. “Well, I do it because I enjoy watching the adventurers fight over the stupidest of things. I offer prizes with various rewards for the winning team, but it’s just so trivial to me,” I chuckled a bit at the thought of a man hugging a baby impling. “I’m not much to attach myself to things, so, whatever floats their boat.” “So, you don’t remember your birthday and you told me some of your hobbies and an awesome game... But, where do you come from, anyways?” Her eyes filled with what looked like glitter. She should fix that. “I came from a place called Gielinor, but, if you’re asking for where I was born, I’m not exactly certain about that either. I faintly remember what the plane of existence was called Hospitis was its name and where it is. I don’t go there often because my race is long gone,” I sighed deeply, hoping she wouldn’t ask. “What do you mean ‘gone’?” And so she did! “Killed off, died, conquered. Whatever works for you. They’re basically dead, they’re scattered or they’re enslaved entirely. I only survived because I decided I wasn’t going to stay for tyranny and left on my own. I was young when it happened and I prefer not to talk about it right now,” I had hoped to end the conversation there, standing up and doing my duties to prepare the cake. “Why don’t you want to talk about it, No-Mo?” She asked, myself looking back at her as I started to slid a cake tin into the oven. “I just don’t. Dwelling on the past never does good for anyone. Sure, my family may have been killed, but I’m here, aren’t I? I should be happy for that,” I hissed slightly at the mention of my personal emotions Happiness sickens me. “So you don’t care about your own family?” The mare gasped in what looked like surprise. Not that surprising. “I did. When I was young. Things have changed... I have changed. Whether it was for good, evil or both. Let’s drop it here. We have work to do,” I spoke solemnly. The conversation died after that. Uhg, I can’t wait to leave this place. Last thing I need is emotional anguish.