Friends and Fairy Tales

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter 5: A Creative Chocolatier…

Derpy Hooves was looking forward towards her breakfast. As far as she knew, she has about half-an-hour before she has to report to her job of delivering the mail. However, in her pouch, she has enough bits from her last paycheck to pick up something to eat this morning, and for the afternoon. She was headed towards Sugar Cube Corner to get her meals.

Sure, the local bakery does have some good muffins, although she personally prefers to make them herself. However, she had woken up later then she intended, but at least she got her daughter up and ready for school. Still, she had some money on her, and she needed something to eat before she headed to work.

But as she rounded a corner, she was surprised to find that there was a crowd around the gingerbread building. Not that the crowd itself was unusual, even she knew that this was home of the local (if not questionably sane) party mare that she sometimes held parties at the bakery. However, Derpy has never seen a crowd this early before.

As she approached, she heard, “Morning Derpy,” she turned to find a mare with an orange mane.

“Hey Carrot,” she said as she landed. “What’s going on?”

Carrot Top lifted a half-eaten muffin, in a color that the gray Pegasus had never seen before. It was light green with a wide range of chips in every color. “You have got to try this, it’s… it’s incredible.”

“What is it?”

“Pinkie made it this morning,” Carrot said between bites, “Although, I think she’s gone a little off her rocker, but who cares when we’re eating this.”

Now Derpy was confused, “Why’s that?”

“It’s,” her friend took another bite, “It’s really hard to explain. You need to go in and see for yourself.”

Raising an eyebrow, the mailmare entered the shop, and the first thing she noticed was the smell. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but somehow, among the recognizable smells of cakes, cookies and muffins, the air had a sweeter, richer smell, only she can’t figure out what it was.

The next thing she noticed was that the bakery was just as crowded inside as it was outside. However, what really drew her attention was at the cash register where she found Pinkie with a black top hat, a plum colored tail-coat of velvet, a vest of bottle green, and a smile as she juggled the muffins and bits in her hooves.

As she got in line, she noted that the contents behind the glass counter where baked goods and candies of every shape, size, texture, colors, and smells sat together side by side. With tubs of ice cream that sat in the open, but haven’t shown any signs of melting.

“Hello, greetings, welcome, and how do you do,” a voice from behind the counter said, making Derpy realized that it was her turn. “What will it be today ma’am? I’ve just got everything pulled out and invented some new stuff for your taste buds. So what would you like?”

This caught her off guard, “Pinkie, it’s me, Derpy… Derpy Hooves?”

The mare tilted her head to the side, after a moment of thinking, she burst out laughing. “Oh! I’m really sorry. No wonder why you look familiar, you must be one of the ladies from my other memories, silly me! The one that comes in here for muffins, give me a second,” as the mare in pink dove under the counter she added, “It’s rather funny of all the things that’s been coming to me this morning. Like yesterday, I didn’t have a clue how to make a cupcake, but now I know two-hundred-and twenty-six ways of doing one, isn’t that funny! Ah, here it is!”

She popped out from behind the counter with one of the muffins that Carrot Top was eating, “By the way, my name isn’t Pinkie Pie, its Willy Wonka, and here you go, have a taste.”

Derpy took hold of the muffin and eyed it with suspicion, “Well, I don’t know.”

“Come on, just start out with a nibble,” Mr. Wonka hopped in place. “I promise that it’ll be worth it.”

She had one eye on this strange muffin and the other on the pink pony, “Well… maybe just a little bite won’t hurt.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Derpy tore a tiny piece of the top and pop it in her mouth, “Is that… orange dreamsical?”

“Take another,” Mr. Wonka urged on.

She did, “Mash potatoes?” another bite, “red velvet?” and another, “grilled cheese?” She stopped, “What kind of muffin is this?”

“I just invented it this morning,” the pink mare explained, “I call it the Million Flavored Muffin. Each time you take a bite, it will change flavor so that you will never taste the same thing twice.”

Derpy took another bite, sweet potato with brown sugar. “This is incredible! How much can I get for a dozen?”

Mr. Wonka grinned, “I knew you like it. Let’s see… how about… six bits?” As the mailmare hoofed over the amount over, he added, “You know, I would have made so much more, but that kitchen has such a limited amount of ingredients, I feel like I’m starting all over again. It’s quite refreshing in a way, liberating, like old times.”

“Old times?”

“Oh yes,” the pink mare opened a box and started to load the special muffins in it. “Years upon years ago I started out simple. Where it was just me and a tiny shop where I did everything. From the cooking to the finances, it was once run by me. I guess it’s rather funny how far you go when you put some imagination in what you love. Here you go ma’am,” after folding the lid over, he gave Derpy the box, “come again soon,” adding with a smile.

Derpy accepted the box, but not leaving without giving the mare a strange look.

Not too long after the mailmare had left the shop, the door swung open to a frazzled Alicorn and a baby dragon. When they entered, Mr. and Mrs. Cake followed suit.

“Salutations, good morning, how’d you do,” Mr. Wonka said as Twilight and Spike came in. “How can I-“

“Pinkie,” the Princess of Friendship interrupted, “Are you alright?”

The pink pony gave her a confused look, “Pardon me, but do I know you?”

“It’s me, Twilight Sparkle, as in your friend.”

“And Spike,” the little Drake added, “the Cakes said that you were acting a bit weirder than usual.”

Willy blinked, “Twilight and Spike… Hold on!” with eyes shot wide, he pointed, “You must be the one of the ladies and the little fella from my other memories.”

The alicorn turned a paler shade of purple, while Spike asked, “Other… memories?”

“I know it sounds strange, even I’m a little stumped like solving a complicated riddle, by the way, would either of you like to taste test something? I’ve got with me some bubble balloons, ice cream that will never melt, squares that look round, and many more that I’ve just made myself-”

“You see Princess,” Mrs. Cake said, “This is exactly what we were talking about. She’s just not making any sense than usual.”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight spoke up, “something’s not right here. What did you mean by other memories?”

“Ah,” Mr. Wonka put a hoof to his chin, “It’s rather difficult to explain, but to put it in the simplest of terms, I know that yesterday, I didn’t know that ponies could talk. Why I was just showing some five children and their parents around my factory the other day, then the next thing I know, I wake up here. Ha-ha, isn’t that funny? Why, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t know a thing about making anything other than chocolate and candy; know suddenly I’m open to all sorts of recipes for cakes, brownies and cookies that I never knew before… Why are you looking at me like that?”

On the faces of the two, Willy only saw worry, “But… you’re still Pinkie Pie, aren’t you?” Spike asked.

He snorted, “My dear, I know that I’m certainly not. Oh! I don’t think I’ve introduced myself have I? Hullo, I’m Willy Wonka, Chocolatier extraordinaire, a pleasure to meet you my dear.” The pink pony ended with a smile. “So then, are we going to talk all day or would you like to have something? Maybe I could interest you in-”

“Hey! Give that back!” a voice cried out from outside. Both Twilight and Spike looked at the windows in which they saw something multicolor flying out of view. “Thief! Come back here!”

Curiosity and concern drew them out of the shop in which they found a very upset Derpy Hooves in the air. Twilight took flight herself and went up to her, “What happened.”

“Rainbow stolen my mail pouch!” the gray pegasus said bitterly, “She just came out of nowhere and took my pouch with my breakfast, lunch and my bits with her!”

The princess was taken by surprise at this. Rainbow stolen a mail pouch? It doesn’t sound like her at… Then a thought came to her, “Wait, where did she go?”

“She went that way,” a stallion on the ground pointed towards the direction of town hall.

Horn flaring, she lifted the baby dragon onto her back, “We’ll have to come back to Pinkie later, for now we need to catch up with Rainbow Dash. I think she had one of the books.” Twilight flew away from Sugar Cube Corner, towards the direction of town hall. After asking several ponies around where they last saw Rainbow, they helped pointed the way until the last pointed towards the Everfree Forest.

“Oh joy,” Spike sighed, “This is going to take-” a loud belch was heard, followed by the green flame overhead.

Twilight quickly caught the falling scroll with her magic, “Huh? This is Luna’s seal. Why would she be writing to me?” After she broke the blue wax seal, she unrolled it; the mare read aloud, “‘Princess Twilight, your presence is required in Canterlot. Prince Blueblood has disappeared and Celestia… has gone mad.’” The alicorn paled a bit. “‘Please come at once as soon as you receive this letter. I’ll have Cadence and Shining be sent for as well for I’ll need all the help I can get. Signed Princess Luna.’”

“Oh great,” Spike said, “now what?”

The Princess of Friendship thought for a moment, “You do know your way to Zecora’s home, do you?”

“Yeah? Why?”

Twilight landed just outside of the forest, “I hate to do this, but by the looks of it, I don’t have much of a choice. Spike, while I’m gone, go find Zecora to locate where Rainbow Dash is, and round up the rest of our friends if they are behaving differently. I have to go to Canterlot immediately to find out what’s going on with Blueblood and Celestia.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Spike, we need to take some priorities here. For now, I need you to go to Zecora’s first so she could help you track where Rainbow Dash has gone off to. Bring everypony that’s acting differently to our new home to keep them there until I get back. I know I can trust you in doing this task, can’t I?”

The dragon looked between her and the Everfree, “Twilight, I’ve caused this, and I’m going to help you fix it.”

Twilight gave her assistant a hug, “Be safe,” she said before she flew off towards the direction of the train station. Meanwhile, Spike ran into the forest, determinate but still filled with worry.

“I hope Celestia is okay,” he said to himself, “and I really hope that nopony else is affected, least of all Rarity.” The baby dragon followed the memorized trail, passing by trees and over jagged rocks until he started to spot the colorful Zeberacain masks as he neared the shamare’s home.

Comments

[CrackedInkWell]

7160446 If you read the book or seen the play, you know what happens to her. But since I'm rewriting this thing, I think we'll get back to that soon.