The kitchen of Sugarcube Corner smelled delightful. Cookies and cupcakes were baking in the ovens as the bakery prepared for the after school rush of young children and their parents. Pinkie Pie watched as Mr. and Mrs. Cake went through the steps of the recipes. She was operating the register, as she normally did, while the proprietors created their confections. There was no rush to their movements, no sense of urgency. The twins were still napping, any dishes not in use had been washed, and Pinkie had swept the floor five times.
Today had been a slow business day. Most of the morning stock was still on the selves, and Pinkie’s experimental cupcakes of cinnamon with liquorish had gone untouched. She bounced on her feet as she glanced at the clock. It was three now, meaning the fastest students should be arriving in the next two minutes.
Two minutes was more than enough time to do something, instead of being bored. Pinkie bounced over to Mrs. Cake, standing close enough to mingle her pink hair with Mrs. Cake’s more vibrant hue. “Whatcha makin’?” she asked, seemingly unable to stop her bouncing even while standing next to the other mare.
“Chocolate Chip. They go the fastest, you know,” she said. Moving a half step away from Pinkie, she picked up the batter and began pouring it onto a cookie sheet, a few flecks landing on skin the color of a snail’s shell. “Kids’ll be here soon, deary, so why don’tcha make sure we aren’t missing one?”
Changing her expression from casual happiness to one of militant determination, Pinkie gave a curt nod. “Yes, Mrs. Cake, ma’am.” With a salute, she marched the few steps back to the register.
Thirty boring seconds later, the bell above the door of the shop chimed. Three girls ran to the counter, putting their hands on the counter as they eagerly looked at Pinkie, who offered them a wide smile. “Hey, girls.”
“Hey, Pinkie,” Apple Bloom said, her grin growing wider. “Do you have those pink cupcakes still?”
“Oh, and I want some cookies,” Scootaloo said, “and a milkshake.”
Sweetie nodded. “I want a pink cupcake, too!”
Pinkie scrunched her mouth up. “Well, see girls, I can’t do that. I was told by Applejack not to give you girls anything, since you’re all having a sleepover at Sweet Apple Acres tonight.”
As one, the girls lowered their heads, pouting. “Aww, but Pinkie, we always get treats before the weekend.”
“I’m sorry, girls. I Pinkie Promised.” Pinkie placed a contemplative hand on her chin. “I wonder if Applejack made Bon Bon promise, too?”
Three pairs of eyebrows shot into the air as the trio looked at each other before running out of the bakery. Pinkie smiled as they rushed past the next boy walking through the door. His dark blue hair swept back from his forehead. “Heya, Rumble, what can I get for you?”
“Oh, I’d just like a chocolate cupcake, please,” he said. Pinkie zipped off to get it, returning just as he was putting his bit on the counter.
“Na, that’s okay, I’ll get this one for you,” she said, pushing both items toward him.
With an excited grin and a rushed thank you, he ran out the door, leaving Pinkie to contend with the herd of children coming through the doors. Nearly twenty minutes later, with the last kid handed a cinnamon roll, Pinkie sighed. School rushes never lasted long, and the kids were a joy to talk to. They were always so excited to get some sweet treat and rush to the park to play.
After an eternity of five minutes standing at the register with no one coming through the doors, Pinkie decided to clean up the lobby area. The school kids always seemed to leave a mess of crumbs, icing, and dirt all over the tables and floor. Grabbing a rag, Pinkie began wiping down the first table she came to. She hummed to herself, adding in a dance move here and a flourish there, until the cleaning was forgotten and she was dancing to the song she was singing.
It wasn’t until she heard Mr. Cake clear his throat and speak that she stopped. “Can I help you, Thunderlane?”
Pinkie whipped around, seeing Thunderlane grinning at her. His eyes sparkled, she realized, and he was biting his lip as he shook his head. “No, thank you, Mr. Cake. I actually just wanted to talk to Pinkie for a moment.”
Thunderlane didn’t see the way Mr. Cake raised his eyebrows and looked a little unhappy at that statement. Pinkie glanced from Mr. Cake to Thunderlane until the orange haired man sighed, running a freckled hand over his freckled face. “You’re free to go, Pinkie. We’ll probably close up early, anyway.”
Pinkie wasn’t sure if she was more excited or nervous. Nervoucited might have been a good enough word for other things that made her feel this way, but it didn’t do the depth of the what she was feeling justice. Her eyes raked over Thunderlane. His light blue stripped hair was fixed into the usual fauxhawk, his easy words betrayed by his coal colored skin rippling as he moved his arms to fold over his chest. He breathed in deeply and took a step forward, causing Pinkie’s eyes to jump back to his face. “I thought maybe you’d like to go on a picnic with me? A-and Rumble?”
A reflexively large grin came as Pinkie nodded. “I’d like that a lot.” She bounced on the balls of her feet as she took a deep breath. “Oh, I could totally get a few cupcakes, and a blanket, and we could go to the park, and—“
“I have all of that,” Thunderlane interrupted. “Rumble is standing guard for us. Come on.” He led the way to the door, his shoulders falling slightly as he pushed it open. “Ladies first,” he said, taking the moment to meet Pinkie’s eyes directly with a smile.
The sunlight brought out the pinker tint of her white skin, akin to the faded pink of a ballerina slipper.