Chapter 3
In a moment you found yourself walking down the hallway. Actually it was more like you trying to keep up as Pinkie Pie held your arm and bounded ahead in a bouncy walk, pulling you along like a small puppy. You barely had time to get a sense of the place around you, not that there was much uniqueness to the hallway with a sea of doors. Besides the fast pace that Pinkie Pie was traveling, your mind was spinning with questions left unanswered. Just when you thought you were on the right path to helping to unravel the events of the day, and most importantly the night, before, another question appeared. You began to worry about the fate of your car, the lifeline of much of your daily routine. Where was the car if not at the apartment complex where Pinkie lived? Did something bad happen to it? How did you get here if not by your car?
“Hey, the elevator’s ready,” Pinkie said as the distinctive ring from the elevator snapped you out of your thoughts. You quickly stepped in, standing right next to Pinkie Pie who was a complete opposite of your fretting self, acting very calm and in fact happy. Strangely, there appeared to be a sense of slyness on the pink girl’s face, almost like she was planning something.
“So if my car isn’t here, where is it?” you asked the girl next to you.
“It’s safe if that’s what you’re asking,” Pinkie said with a giggle, “Relax, all will be revealed by the end of today. You trust me, right?”
You wanted to say no and go back to your life before meeting her when all things made sense but staring at that beautiful body and her bright blue eyes made you lose all sense of reality. It was as if you mind was telling you, “Relax, something good will happen.”
“I trust you,” you said with a smile.
“Great, consider this your day out!” she said as the door opened to the lobby of the apartment building, “and here we are! Now, to my car!”
As you followed her outside, your mind suddenly flashed to a memory once lost but now as clear as the moment it happened. You remembered it was dark and you were walking towards the entrance of the apartment complex, your arm around Pinkie Pie. Beyond that though, there was nothing else that you could glean from it.
“So what do you think?” Pinkie Pie said.
“About what?”
“My ride silly! You know, despite looking like you had a good night sleep you still are acting really strange. Are you sure you’re ok?”
You looked past her concerned face to see the pink girl’s car. It was what you imagined it to be, some convertible with a bubblegum pink color. Instead it was a cheery light blue coup that aside from the streamers attached to the radio antenna and the air freshener attached to the rear view mirror in the shape of a cake looked fairly normal.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine; just have some things on my mind. Wait, were you watching me as I sleep?”
“Well duh, I slept right by you! You know, your nose makes a cute little whistling sound when you sleep. Anyway, let’s get going!”
In the blink of an eye you were seated in her car driving towards some unknown location. It wasn’t that you felt like the girl sitting next to you was someone to worry about, even though she did seem to be spontaneous. But the awkwardness still hovered in your mind as you passed by familiar buildings and houses. The familiar and the unknown blended together in that drive as you struggled to determine your place in the chain of events spanning from yesterday to now. You knew you had a big part to play in it, but like an actor in stage who forgot his lines you were waiting for the moment when you’d know.
You thoughts were suddenly shattered by a pop tune suddenly blaring through the speakers of the car as Pinkie Pie turned on the radio.
“Oooo! This is one of my favorite songs! Come on, sing it with me.”
“Um…I’m not really a good singer.”
“You don’t have to be a good singer to enjoy it,” she said, “Plus it’s a great way to clear your mind, and it looks to me like you got as much on your mind as several sacks of flour! I’m not going to judge you or anything like that, so what’s the risk?”
There was no use in arguing with the pink girl seated next to you. There was no malice in what she said or scheming, just an honest outlook on the world around her. In reality it felt refreshing to hear such an opinion. So as the song built into its chorus you began singing and that was when something magical happened. Rather than your voice completely drowning Pinkie Pie out, it seemed to fit completely with her tune like two birds flying together. You weren’t focused much on your voice or really the melody coming from the radio but the beautiful voice of the girl next to you. It wasn’t a voice like an opera singer but a genuine voice fueled by passion in the song and not caring about who heard it. Your singing with Pinkie Pie felt freeing to you, a way to let go of the worries of the moment and just relax and hope that all will be revealed in time. As the song faded away to a commercial, you sat there with a smile on your face.
“That was great wasn’t it?” Pinkie said.
“Yeah, it was,” you said, “I feel actually better.”
“See, what did I tell you? Singing always helps me get ready for the day and helps me to relax. Well, so does baking and going to parties, and dancing, but you get the message. Hey, you’re actually a good singer!”
“Really?”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”
“Err… what does that mean?”
“It’s just something I made up; it means that you can trust me. It also means we’re here!”
“Where?” you asked as you felt the car turn to the right and into a parking spot.
“Our first spot on our magical mystery tour! Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Do you remember this place?”
You reached into the recesses of your mind, trying to bring up a memory of this place. Then like a door being opened up you got a glimpse of another moment in your mind. Like a movie playing back you remembered pulling into the parking lot, admiring the small size of the bakery before you. You hoped that the place was as good as what you’re co-workers spoken about. They mentioned that the staff was very friendly and the cakes were good, and that was the only thing you needed to know. You remembered stepping inside the shop, desperately trying to ignore the sweet aromas of baked goods around you as you approached the counter. At first it looked like no one was there but then she popped up next to you, the same girl now sitting beside you, with a smile on her face and a cookie in hand asking you to try it.
“I remember now,” You finally replied, “I came here to get a cake made up for my parents’ anniversary and that’s when I met you by the counter. At first I thought you were a customer, but then you said you worked here at the bakery.”
“Oh I’m so glad that your memory is coming back! This was the first place that we met. So now that you remember that, let’s go inside. There’s something I want you to see!”
Grabbing your hand again she pulled you across the parking lot, closer to what you hoped would be one step towards understanding the truth about how you met her and if what happened last night was “it.”