It's been three days without the Cakes. So far, nothing bad has happened, which I'm glad of. I can't bear the thought of what would happen if something did. They'd be so disappointed. I'm determined not to let that happen.
As of now, I'm wiping down the counters and tables. It's been another long, yet satisfying day, here in SugarCube Corner. Since it's Sunday night, the Cakes having been gone since early Friday morning, I decide to go out. I don't want to go out out, but just get away from SugarCube Corner. It can get a bit boring sometimes, to be honest.
I finish cleaning and put the rag I was using in the sink. It slowly sinks under the water and bubbles, vanishing. I turn away, grabbing the keys from the small hook by the kitchen door. I let them hang on the front of my mane, the little hook at the end easily holding the ring of keys. I trot towards the front door and emerge from the establishment, then swing around to lock the door. There's the familiar click of the lock turning and I smile. Shoving the keys into the fluffiest part of my mane, as not to lose them, I hop off.
The night is still, peaceful, not a wind blowing or storm brewing. The pegasi have really made this a great night. It's warm and just a smidge humid, but that was to be expected at this time of year. It was the beginning of spring, the Summer Sun Celebration just around the corner, on the first day of summer.
I close my eyes in content as I hop through the town, heading for the outskirts of Ponyville. There's a little pond that's just on the edge of the town. It's where I put up my swing, so I can leap into the water. It's super fun, especially when I have a friend with me. One time I took Derpy out there with me and we had a contest to see who could jump the highest from the swing and into the water. Of course, she won, being a pegasus and all, but I still had a great time.
As I near the pond, I slow into a trot, taking a break from my bouncing. The dirt trail is worn beneath my pink hooves, and I can see all the different hoof steps from passing ponies. I see a few paw prints and think of Applejack's dog, Winona. I know they occasionally come up this way, as I've seen AJ walking her.
Soon enough, I'm at the small body of fresh water. Instead of just jumping in, I decide to lay down in a cozy spot of still warm sand. I curl my limbs under me and lay my head on my fore hooves. It's so relaxing here; even Ponyville is loud by comparison. As I drift in and out of a dream-like state, I hear the soft sounds of crickets and frogs chirping. I smile, my eyes still shut.
I snap out of my nap as I'm splashed with water. I'm barely wet, just my face has a few droplets scattered over the fur. I lick up a drop that's clinging to my nose, threatening to fall off. I lift my head up, flicking my ears.
Not sure whether to be angry or happy at my nap being disturbed, though it's probably the latter, I search the surrounding area. My sky blue eyes scan the proximity. I don't see anything, so I shrug and assume it was a frog escaping into the water. I carefully rest my chin back down on my hooves, eyes closing once again. I suck in a deep breath through my nose and slowly release it, nostrils flaring.
Splish
There's a disturbance in the water next to me. My eyes snap open, my head remaining on my hooves. I glance around, then settle my gaze onto the water right beside me. I roll onto my side and carefully watch the area. A few moments later, a few bubbles rise to the surface of the water, popping upon hitting the air.
My nose twitches as I lean my head in closer, neck stretching out. At its arrival, I'm greeted with a splash of water at my face. I slam my eyes shut as I'm hit. Water drips down my face, and I open my eyes, furiously blinking them. Scrunching my snout, I shuffle my body around so my flanks are sticking in the air, and plunge my head underwater. Within a moment, I lift my face out of the water. Though, it's hardly my face as there's now something clamped onto it. I blink open my eyes, shocked. I look, cross-eyed, at the thing on my face.
Two slitted purple eyes blink dully back at me. I gasp in surprise. Biting onto my face is the cutest thing I've ever seen; a baby alligator, about the size of my head. It looks about eight months old.
I sit up onto my haunches, reaching my front hooves up. I gently pull the small reptile off my face and hold it up at eye level. I don't say anything for a few moments, and the two of us just sit staring at each other for a bit.
"Aw! Hello, little guy," I coo, giving the gator baby a big grin. He blinks back in reply. "Yes, I like you, too." He flicks his tail. "Really? Of course you can come home with me!" I suddenly stop. "Uh oh, what if Mr. and Mrs. Cake don't let me keep you?" I frown, holding the baby gator to my chest. His scales press into the soft fur on my chest, the water dripping off him soaking into my skin, but I keep him there. "No, the Cakes are nice ponies. I'm sure they'll let you stay." I hold the alligator in front of me again. "You really want to come home with me? As a pet?" He stares. "I'm so glad you want to! We'll be the best of friends!" I give him a hug. "Oh, you want a name?" I yank him away from my face. He replies by slipping from my hooves and biting onto my mane, then my arm. I feel his wet gums attempting to bite into me and I giggle.
"That's it, I'll call you Gummy!" I cheer, plucking him from my arm and holding him above my head.
He flicks his tail and gives me what seems to be a smile. At least, the best an alligator could do for one.
"Alright, Gummy, why don't you and I go back to my place!" I let him jump up onto my mane. "Well, I mean, it's not really my place, but it's where I live. . ." I trail off as we head down the quickly darkening path, the sun going down in the sky. The light reflects off the few clouds far across the horizon, turning them pink, orange, and red. I admire them from where we are, a giant smile present on my face.
"You know, Gummy, I think we're gonna make a great team."
I'm bouncing on my hooves, eagerly awaiting the return of my employers, the Cakes. Other ponies are giving me weird glances, but I ignore them as I wait. I feel like I haven't seen the Cakes in forever and I really want to see them again. Well, that and ask if I can keep Gummy. For the last four days, he's been lounging in the bath and randomly following me around, or even biting onto my mane. I think he's adorable, but if the Cakes don't think so, then. . . I guess I'll have to let him go.
But so far, I don't think he'll be any trouble to keep around. He's quiet, neat, and potty trained. He also really loves being with me, I can tell. Though he can't utter a word, or any kind of comprehensible sound, I can understand him perfectly. And besides, I've already named him. Number one rule: you can't release an already named alligator back into the wild. Don't let anypony tell you otherwise.
The screeching of the train stopping pulls me from my thoughts and I rock back and forth on my hooves. The doors slowly open and ponies of all shapes and sizes flood out onto the boarding platform. I scan the crowd, searching for my employers.
I soon spot them exiting the train. I want to jump right over to them and question them about how their trip was, but I gracefully restrain myself (Rarity taught me that), and remain still. They seem to spot me and make their ways over to me.
"Hello, Pinkie Pie," Mrs. Cake greets me, her husband following with their few bags of luggage.
"Hi Mrs. Cake! Hi Mr. Cake!" I yell loudly, back into my hyperactive mood once again.
"H-hello, Pinkie Pie," Mr. Cake stammers, taken aback at my greeting.
"Can I take your bags for you?" I ask as I'm already grabbing the suitcases from his back.
"Why thank you, Pinkie." He looks flustered, as is the typical appearance for the shy earth pony.
"Now, dear, why don't you just simmer down a bit. You're going to give my husband a panic attack like that," Mrs. Cake jokes, nudging him in the ribs. He just blushes and smiles sheepishly at his wife before following me, as I'm already at the edge of the platform, eager to get back to SugarCube Corner.
"Sorry, Mrs. Cake! I'm just so glad you're back!" I explain, though I'm only giving half the truth.
"Well, I'm certainly glad we're back. Las Pegasus is a very big place. Ponyville is more my style." She smiles at me as we start towards the sweet shop.
"Yep, I remember you telling me that on my first day here," I say, trotting along. When we finally make it back to SugarCube Corner, I take the Cakes' things up to their room and set them on the floor. I quickly make my way back downstairs.
"Wow, it certainly looks as though you took good care of this place while we were gone," Mr. Cake admires, seeing the mopped floors and wiped down tables.
"Yessiree, I made sure everything was kept in order! Not a penny out of place!" I salute at them.
"We're grateful for that, Pinkie Pie. Maybe we should take vacations more often. Seems as though we're set," Mrs. Cake laughs.
When she's done talking, and nopony else interrupts, I decide I should tell them about Gummy. I scuff my hoof gently on the floor before speaking.
"Um, if you don't mind, could I ask you guys something?" I ask.
The Cakes look at me. "What is it, dear?" Mrs. Cake questions.
"Well, while you were away, I went out to the pond that's just outside of Ponyville, and I, well. . . I found something."
My employers blink at me.
"I'll be right back." I smile sheepishly at them before flying up the steps in a pink blur. I see Gummy lying on the bed, snoozing, and pick him up. He wakes and snorts wearily.
"Sorry, Gummy, but I have to show you to them so they can decide if I can keep you," I apologize to the baby gator. He blinks and latches onto my tail. I quickly go back downstairs where the Cakes are waiting in confusion.
"Alright, well, here's what I found," I say, turning sideways and bending downwards so my flanks and tail are in the air. Gummy blankly hung there.
"Oh my!" Mrs. Cake yelps, eyes widening, "what is that?"
"It's an alligator! His name is Gummy." I flick my tail a bit, jostling the gator. "I found him at the pond."
"Uh. . . Pinkie Pie, what do you intend to do with that thing?" Mr. Cake asks, raising an eyebrow.
I frown. "Well, if, if it was okay with you guys, I wanted to keep him." Gummy releases his wet grip on my tail and falls to the floor, scuttling around my body to stand in front of me.
The Cakes stare at the little reptile currently rubbing against me like a kitten.
"Pinkie. . ." Mrs. Cake says softly.
I let my head drop. "I knew you wouldn't like him. . ." I watch idly as Gummy rolls onto his back and wiggles against the floorboards, eager for a belly rub. I oblige, though the usual cheer of the motion is gone.
"Is he potty trained?" Mr. Cake asks suddenly. Mrs. Cake looks at her husband in alarm. "I mean, he doesn't even have teeth, and he doesn't exactly look like he could harm anypony."
"Yes, he is potty trained!" I say, nodding my head vigorously, my mane whipping up and down. I grin as wide as I can.
"Then I see no harm in it."
"Carrot? You really think having an alligator in here will be fine?" his wife asks, doubt clear in her voice.
"I don't see why not."
"But what if the customers see it?"
"I can make sure he doesn't get out! He listens to me," I pitch in, waving a hoof.
Mrs. Cake eyes the little gator. She grimaces and then finally sighs. "Well, I guess you can keep him."
I jump in joy around Gummy. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I stop and give the Cakes a huge hug. "You guys are the best bosses ever!"
I'm happy. I just threw an awesome birthday party for Lyra. It was amazing, and she said she loved it so much. I'm glad she did. I'm cleaning up after the party at SugerCube Corner.
"Pinkie Pie. . ." the softest of voices calls, the words having a recognizable lilt of happiness on them. I spin around. There's nothing there.
"Pinkie Pie. . ." it calls again. Something about the tone draws me in, and I immediately start searching for the melodic voice.
"Pinkie Pie. . ." whispers the entity, the volume slightly louder this time. Now I recognize the voice fully.
"Surprise?" I say into thin air, still following the source. There was no reply. It sounded like it came from upstairs; up in my room. I hypnotically pad up the steps, my eyes straight forward. When I reach the door, something in me says not to open it. But my wanting to see Surprise overpowers it, and I bring my hoof up to the knob. I slowly turn it, and when I step inside, I find it's not my room any longer. It's just blackness.
Pitch blackness.
"Pinkie Pie. . ." Surprise says again, back down to the quiet beginning volume.
"Where are you?" I ask. I look back towards my door, but to my surprise, there's nothing there. Just more darkness. Turning my attention back to what's ahead, I begin walking. There's not even a floor, I notice, and I seem to be walking on thin air.
"Stop."
I do as I'm told.
"Good, now, turn around."
The little voice is back, my instincts desperately telling me not to turn around, but once again, I ignore it. I swivel around and see nothing. I'm confused; I thought Surprise would be here.
Run! Run, you fool! yells the little voice.
"Splendid," Surprise's voice purrs. "Now, stay right there. Don't turn 'round. Just stay."
Turn around. Turn around.
This time, I do as the voice says. And I immediately regret the decision. What I see is not Surprise.
A decaying pony carcass stares back at me, right in my face. I'm hit with a strong stench of death and I recoil.
"I told you not to turn around!" the carcass screams in a raspy voice, no longer the caring, gentle voice of the pegasus I'd known for most of my life. I scream and rear on my hind legs, flailing my front hooves in the air before yanking myself around and taking off. But as soon as I do, I hear the thing's steps, chasing after me.
"Are you scared of a little surprise?" it hisses.
"You're not Surprise!" I yell.
"Oh, yes," it whispers, voice dropping dangerously low. It appears right in front of me. I now notice that the carcass is white and the few bits of straggly mane barely clinging to the partially showing skull is a faded yellow. The two broken and battered wings that are outstretched at its sides are hardly covered, the skin pulled and the few feathers broken. A single purple balloon remains on its right flank, the others already having decomposed. "I am!"
In a flash, the dead pegasus springs at me, and I see nothing but black.
"No!"
I wake up in bed with a start, clinging to the pink sheets pulled up to my chin. I'm trembling, eyes wide. The moon's light shines down on me, flooding the room with pale light. I see the Mare in the Moon staring down on me.
I feel a nudging in my side and look over to see Gummy, who is looking worriedly at me with those large violet eyes of his. I pick him up and lay him down on my chest as I lie there in my bed, gently stroking his scaly head.
I can't get the image of the dead pony out of my head. There's just one question in my mind:
Was it really Surprise?