The Legend of Mare-Do-Well

by JD2K

Chapter 5

The Legend of Mare-Do-Well
Chapter 5: The Juggling Act
by JD2K

Pinkie's last dreams were about dancing in a land made entirely of baked goods. The rich smell of cakes, cookies and muffins were everywhere, and she had to employ a lot of willpower to prevent herself from eating it all in one bite. She then laid eyes on the biggest muffin she ever saw and her willpower burst as she pounced on it like a hungry manticore. The second she bit it was when she woke up and realized she was biting a pillow.

Spitting it out along with several feathers, she sniffs the air and feels the aroma of muffins hasn't left her since the dream. She looks at the foot of her bed and sees a tray with two freshly-made muffins there. Her pupils dilate with delight as she lunged forward and scarfed down the muffins with due speed. Upon wiping the crumbs from her mouth, she realized there was only one way those muffins were there. After taking a soothing soak in the tub and combing her mane before poofing back up, she headed downstairs.

Sugarcube Corner had plenty of customers already at this time. She was fortunate some of the police officers currently ordering some confectionaries were not at the party last night, and even then they would never hold it against her. However, the real treat for her was right behind the counter, where she saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake hard at work. The baker couple worked in tandem as they moved from the kitchen to make and carried both the recently baked orders and handed them out to their waiting customers. They stopped, however, when they noticed the bright smile of Pinkie as she hopped down the stairs and gave them a great hug.

"Pinkie Pie! It's good to see you again, dearie. Oh, we were so worried when you left for Veneighce without telling us! I know you didn't want to worry us, but let us know if there's anything we can do, please?" the stout blue mare said with a smile.

"You bet, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie replied with glee. She then looked around and saw Bundt wasn't around. "Where's Bundt Cake? I want to thank her for cleaning up yesterday! Oooh! And why is she here? If I knew she was coming, I'd have planned a party!"

"Oh, Bundt has been helping us for the last 2 or so weeks running our new 24-hour work day. We work during the mornings and afternoons, while she takes all the night shift," Mr. Cake explained as he lifted and balanced a tray of muffins on his head.

Pinkie Pie looked alarmed. "Wait a sec. You mean Bundt works all night? All by herself?!"

"Thee doeth indeeth. Withouth ooo heath, we hath tho teath her all thee proper tethnithes thee hath tauth you (She does indeed. Without you here, we had to teach her all the the proper tecniques we have taught you)," Mrs. Cake said while carrying a coffeepot in her teeth to serve the police ponies. "And well, you have been having these strange absences as of late so we figure we could have her as a secondary apprentice," she adds as she sets the pot down.

"Oh yeah, my...<gulp>... absences." Pinkie replied with nervousness.

Mr. Cake rubbed a hoof against his chin and added, "Bundt is sleeping in our room at the moment since we thought it unjust to have her sleep in yours during your time off. Now that you’re here, we want to tell you that since we want her to stay permanently as the night-shift baker, it would be best to have her share your room with you and have yourself a roommate upstairs."

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and nodded with agreement until her eyes shot open wide and her pupils shrunk. Sweat started to pour out of her forehead and her teeth gnashed together in worry.

A roommate?! Upstairs?! Oh no. Nononononono! This is bad. No, this beyond bad, this is worse! No worse than worse! It's a super-horrific mane-raising worsest of worsests!!! How can I defend Ponyville with someone in my room? "Hi Bundt! Say can you look the other way while I get dressed as Mare-Do-Well? Gotta go fight crime!" No, this is not good! Like the time I ate that cornbread! And those leftover crepes! And the pineapple upside-down cake! And the baked bads! Gotta think, Pinkie. Thinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthinkthi-

Her tail stands up on end with an imaginary ding.

I got it!

"Aw, she doesn't need to stay anymore now that Pinkie Pie is here! I can take care of the night shift, easy-peasy!" she finally said with a grin only for it to turn nervous as she tried to figure out where did that thought come from.

"Pinkie, are you sure about that, dear?" Mrs. Cake questioned her. "I mean you are our apprentice and the number one party-planner in all Ponyville. It just doesn't seem fair you should take the night shift."

"Oh, pshaw, Mrs. Cake! Don’t worry about it! This will be a piece of cake. Or pie. Or pizza, even!" Pinkie answered with a lick of her lips. "Mmmm, yummy!!"

"Well, we are not the types to say 'no', Pinkie. But sure, you can take the night shift starting tonight," Mr. Cake replied with a smile, only for it to fade as he rubbed his hoof against his chin once more. "We still need someone for the day shift since it would be bad of you to be working all night. Guess we still need Bundt for that..."

Pinkie whirled her head around to see him and snapped, "NO!" She then gasps, clears her throat and says, "I-I mean, don't worry. I'll take both shifts! Day shift and night shift! I got tons of energy to burn! I'm Pinkie Pie!"

The two Cakes looked at each other and then back to Pinkie with worried frowns. Pinkie responded by giving them the biggest eyes she could muster and quivering her lips as she places her forehooves together in pleading formation. Sighing and then smiling, they nodded.

"Very well, Pinkie. You've convinced us. We'll tell Bundt that she can go back to Martingdale today and you take over her shift from now on," Mr. Cake replied.

Pinkie finally let out a content sigh. She was that close to having her cover blown. It wouldn't be a problem. She can balance parties, baking, being the 24-hour server and Mare-Do-Well crime-fighting with no worries! However, first things first she had to locate Gummy and talk with Twilight about the new police department and how it came about.

"If I can have just a teeny-tiny little favor if that's ok," she told them, "Do you know where Gummy is? I miss him so much! And um, can I go and have a little visit to the Library? I want to thank Twilight for being such a wonderful super friend to me for telling you where I was!"

Mr. Cake arched his brow. "Didn't you tell Fluttershy to come pick Gummy up and have him stay over at her cottage while you were gone?"

"I did?" Pinkie asked incredulously only to dissolve it to a quick smile. "Oh yeah, I did! Silly Pinkie! All that fun in Veneighce and you forgot you told Fluttershy to take care of Gummy! I'll go to her now and then to Twilight's!" She ended with a nervous laugh which worried her employers.

"Don't be late, dearie! We want to prepare you for the night shift when you get back!" Mrs. Cake says as she and her husband leave her to take care of the customers.

Pinkie nodded until she walked out of Sugarcube Corner and ran off to Fluttershy's cottage. When she left, Mrs. Cake wondered aloud to her mate, “All this for just a few extra bits. I imagine she’s probably saving up for a dowry.” They both looked at each other and laughed while shaking their heads.

****************************

"Ugh, all these books are in disarray!" Twilight Sparkle moans aloud as mountains of books were everywhere in the library except the shelves. "We've never let it get this bad before! Never!"

Spike shook his head as he picked up a stack of books placed next to the front door. "Well, if you could only remember to put them on the shelves after you're done with 'em instead of leaving them on the floor after you study, things would be much easier!" he answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Well, don't worry. I intend to have a good day eventually dedicated solely for inventory and reshelving the books in their proper order," she replied as she tapped a half-written scroll she has on her lectern. "I've been practicing a new spell I learned to manipulate hundreds of small items that will be very useful for when that happens."

Spike nodded in response. "Hopefully it can be done before my birthday. It's coming real soon and have I got a great gift for myse- YEOW!!!"

Without a moment to react, Spike was thrown up in the air by the impact of the front door opening without warning as all the books he was carrying went flying in all directions. Twilight gasped as she immediately used her purplish-red magic aura to stop and set the books down as well as placing a pillow on the spot Spike would land. Looking up, the purple unicorn saw the impatient form of Pinkie Pie stand there with her pet Gummy hanging on to her tail.

Twilight smiled in joy finally seeing her friend up and about since her recovery period at Zecora's hut. "Pinkie! You're back! Oh, I'm so glad to see you and-"

Pinkie immediately interrupted, "Hi Twilight! Hi Spike! Wow, it’s been over 3 weeks! Three whole weeks! That’s like nearly 21 days! Nearly a month! So much stuff to see and do! I heard I missed Shoeshine’s birthday and Mr. Breezy’s anniversary and Rivets’ retirement party from the construction company, and I really really ought to make it up to all of them! Oooo! I know maybe I can have all 3 parties at once in the same room and the cake would read ‘Happy Birthanniveretirement, All You Three!’! It would be so much fun! Not as much fun as that super-spectacular house-warming party I did for all those nice ponies working in the police station! Hotshot can still drink his weight in sarsaparilla but he has yet to beat me! And boy, did Cloudkicker look so cute with that uniform on! Hee hee hee. <snort> Oh, and I met all sorts of wonderful new ponies too! Lieutenant Buckler from Fillydelphia, Sergeant Trot Fuzz from Trottingham, Officers Smokey and Bear-Down from Cloudsdale, and… Ooh! Ooh! Deputy Tinstar from Appleloosa told me Braeburn and Little Strongheart are really opening relations with the Appleloosans and the Buffalo! Can you believe it? <GASP> That reminds me, Twilight, since when does Ponyville even have a police department?!"

With that, the excitement turned to seriousness. "Oh, them..." Twilight responded as she closed the door and puts an iron deadbolt on it with her aura. Pinkie was aghast at this. Since when did Twilight have a deadbolt on her door? Come to think of it, she finally remembered Carousel Boutique having a deadbolt, Sugarcube Corner having a set of hooks to hold a lowering bar over the entrance and even Fluttershy's cottage, with all its locks and deadbolts, had twice as many as before. Just happened during the 3 weeks she was gone?

"I'm sure you recall the trip to Canterlot I took before your time off to heal from the stirge attack. Princess Celestia wanted to see me with utmost importance as I was the only link to Ponyville she had but also because she confides in me as her personal student. What I'm about to tell you I've only told the other girls as they are the Elements of Harmony. Spike also knows since he was there when the Princess summoned us." Twilight explained.

Spike then got up from his pillow with a gasp. "Oh no! Nononono! Please don't let them get me, Twilight!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs and dove under Twilight's bed, shivering in fear. Pinkie got even more worried.

Twilight sighed as she then levitated a scroll she summoned from a hidden crevasse underneath a bookcase near her bed. She unfurled it in front of Pinkie Pie's eyes as the earth pony darted all around to read everything.

The unicorn resumed, "Apparently she received word from a hidden informant she deployed some time ago that the Griffon Syndicate was going to make leeway into expanding their operations here in Ponyville."

Pinkie Pie looked up as she arched her brow while trying to remember something. She finally gasped as she does. "Wait a sec! Those two stallions that broke into the Spa mentioned something about one of them meeting the boss of the Griffon Syndicate! Who are they, Twilight?"

Twilight looked hesistantly upstairs as her bed shook even more due to Spike's increasing alarm but continued. "The Griffon Syndicate is a powerful and dangerous group whose goal is achieving total rule over Equestria through their various crimes and illegal endeavours. They are also the largest producers and distributors of botagens in all of Equestria and the surrounding lands."

Pinkie stopped cold at the mere word of botagens. Her father at the rock farm warned her about the dangers of botagens. Extremely deadly plants which cause severe harm to ponies who eat or absorb the essences of them. The least a botagen can do is severely sicken a pony. The worst? Death. Celestia announced that the penalties pertaining to botagens, from cultivating them to selling them to even using them accidentally, are severe and swift. To have her use her own Royal Canterlot Voice and looking extremely menacing with the flames of the sun at her back as she made the decree showed she was not lying. Botagens are not be trifled with.

This however, did not stop certain individuals from partaking of them as they believed using botagens in small dozes gave a feeling of power and euphoria on one hoof and an ego trip in one-upping authority and the Princesses on the other. Hence, why someponies turned to growing, selling and distributing botagens as a source of quick income. Some botagens are made in their natural state, but there are some blends of botagens created by unscrupulous alchemists who decided to increase the emotional and strength-enhancing effects of natural botagens without the toxins involved. This hadn't stopped certain ponies who chose to take more of these blends than prescribed and ending up sickened for life or, worse, "put to pasture" as the term is used.

"Which botagens do they cultivate, Twilight?" Pinkie asked with sterness.

Twilight looks to the side as she thinks with her eyes closed. "From the report I read on their activities, almost all the big ones. Locoweed, glowcap mushrooms, saplloons, bronco horsetails, Pox Pollen and, Night's Embrace, the absolute worst of the lot where just the smell of it will sicken the hardiest stallion and kill the rest. It’s the only botagen where long incarceration periods is the immediate punishment."

She kept talking as her eyes remain closed. "Pinkie, these aren't your run-of-the-mill lawbreakers. They are a fearsome, merciless, unscrupulous organization who will commit robbery, blackmail, assault and even the forbidden crime of murder to reach their goals of total conquest. They don't care who their victims are: Peasants, innocents, old stallions and mares, young colts and fillies, and even little foals. Nopony is safe from them."

Twilight opened her eyes and gasped seeing Pinkie's new demeanor. Her face was scowling and she growled as her snout blasted out loud snorts. The last time she sported such a look was after her momentary stop to drink some last minute chocolate milk after they used the Elements of Harmony on Discord, but this anger was far more pronounced. Even the enchanted Rainbow Dash before Twilight worked her magic on her didn’t show such levels of hatred. The unicorn was stunned seeing Pinkie's comical demeanor change so suddenly but chalked it up to hearing about a group dedicated to hurt others for profit. If anything, these were the type of ponies Pinkie would never forgive.

She went on, "Princess Celestia's informant warned her and Princess Luna that the Syndicate wanted nothing more than to overthrow their rule and place themselves as the sole governing force in Equestria, but to do that in Canterlot which is overrun with Royal Guards would be a mission doomed to failure. Instead, they will move in to the closest area nearby to plan their strategies on how to overthrow them. The only closest population near Canterlot is here: Ponyville. She therefore ordered a police department to be built here under the excuse to give Ponyville its own law enforcement in case Canterlot was too far away to call upon. Nopony knows the truth except the Princesses, Spike, the other girls, myself, and now you."

At once, the pink pony's rage began to dissipate as she sighed with sorrow. "So that's why we have police now. Yesterday I felt excited to be able to work alongside them as Mare-Do-Well, but now knowing the real threat, I don't know if I will be of any help..."

"Pinkie..." Twilight said as she walked over to her friend. "You are a special pony. I told you that before when you chose to stay as Mare-Do-Well. You have more guts and spirit than anypony else I know. You won't hinder them. In fact you can go beyond them. Celestia may have ordered them to obey the laws, but you can go where the law can't enter. You can go beyond it. You can bring more ponies to justice that what the police can. They are a force, but you are you. Mare-Do-Well is a hero and she will stay a hero to all of us."

With those words of encouragement Pinkie's sad frown slowly turned to a small smile, then a larger one, then a grin and then a pure display of Joy that made her hug Twilight. "Yeah, you're right! I'm a super mare! I can go over, above, beyond and even hitchike a few miles the boundaries of where the police can go! Griffon Syndicate or no Griffon Syndicate, all evil badponies will learn not to mess with the Mare." She then pauses only to blink once. "Do-Well!"

Twilight chuckled under her breath as her friend giggled happily. "So how is Bundt? I'm glad the Cakes brought her over to help with the night shift as they are open all day and all night now," the unicorn inquired.

The giggle left Pinkie's mouth as she gave a solemn yet guilty smile. "Um, about that, Twilight. You see..."

Pinkie then explained everything that happened that morning. Twilight listened to every word with her mouth hung open and finally facehoofed with an annoyed grunt. "Pinkie Pie, how could you do this?! You can't work in Sugar Cube all day and night, plan parties and still be Mare-Do-Well! You're not just biting off more than you chew, you're going to choke on it and not even the Haymlich Maneuver would save you!"

Pinkie Pie responded with a giggle-snort. "Oh, you silly filly! I'm Pinkie Pie. I got energy to burn and spare! I even got everything all planned out. I work tonight, take breaks for Mare-Do-Well if my Pinkie Sense activates, return, work until Mr. and Mrs. Cake wake up, take a 3 hour nap then get back to baking and serving, lather, rinse, hang to dry and repeat! I know what I'm talking about!"

"The problem is if your brain knows what your mouth is saying..." the purple unicorn muttered under her breath. She then protested, "But can't you explain to the Cakes that maybe Bundt could sleep elsewhere that isn't your room? I mean, what would happen if something came and blew the top off Sugar Cube Corner? You'd lose your room, your secret chamber and everything else! Can't you reason with the Cakes?"

"Twilight, can't you see? The Cakes are more than my bosses! They're, like, my second family after my first family!" Pinkie exclaimed as she stood close to Twilight seeing her eye to eye so that only a few inches separated their eyeballs from touching. "I owe them a lot for taking me in! I just can't tell them 'Nope!' and think everything will be honky-dory! They are getting suspicious about my disappearances and if they find out I'm Mare-Do-Well..."

She moves to the side as she whimpered in fear. "...I will no longer be their apprentice! And if I'm no longer the apprentice, they'll make me move out! And where will I go?!"

Twilight gave her a comforting smile and says, "Don't worry about that Pinkie. Me and the girls would probably give you..."

Her voice stopped as images began to pop into her mind. She herself tossing and turning in bed as she drilled her pillows into her ears using her magic as Pinkie held a dance party in the Library. Rarity's mane starting to curl in many places and eyes twitch nervously as Pinkie plays messy and raucous games with Sweetie Belle inside Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy running around ragged keeping all her animals in her cottage under control as Pinkie hopped everywhere trying to play with them all. Rainbow Dash becoming increasingly annoyed as she flew Pinkie up and down from her cloud abode to bring up and down many different errands the pink pony decided to do at inopportune times. Applejack and the rest of her family watching in horror as Pinkie used all of Sweet Apple Acres as a raucous concert zone while the attendants decimated the landscape. All those thought clouds immediately burst and Twilight looked at Pinkie with a sheepish grin.

"I-I-I mean, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake are pretty reasonable ponies. Just sit down and talk to them. They will understand. Eh heh heh..." she said with a nervous chuckle as she tried to keep those crazy thoughts she had a few moments ago out of her head.

Pinkie groaned angrily. "You don't get it! None of you get it. Not you!"

She pointed up at the bed. "Not him!"

She then pointed at Gummy, busy chasing his own tail. "Not even him!"

She finally pointed at the wooden unicorn bust on the table. "And certainly not that!"

Lowering her tail so Gummy can latch on again, she trotted off in a huff. Blinking for a few seconds, Twilight wondered why she had that outburst.

Is her job, both of them, really that important to her?

Spike finally peeked out from under the bed. "A-a-are you going to talk more about that mean nasty syndicate?"

The unicorn sighed, "No Spike. I'm more worried about Pinkie. I hope she'll be all right..."

****************************

"I say, that was quite a sticky wicket we all were in over that fanciful soiree yesterday, wouldn't you agree?" Sergeant Trot Fuzz mused as he twirled the end of his moustache.

"Right, Sarge. I can't believe Halberd docked us 20% of our bits this month for it! If it wasn't Pinkie Pie responsible for the party and that we really had lots of fun, I'd be steamed!" a brownish gold-hued earth pony officer with 3 whistles as his mark answered.

"Quite," the Trottinghamite offered back. "I do agree I had a jolly good time and I do hope I get invited to one of those shindigs she prepares once I am off-duty, eh, Constable Gold Whistler?"

"I believe we use the term 'Officer' in Ponyville, Sergeant," Gold Whistler corrected. He then spied Sugarcube Corner to his left and licked his lips. "Since we're in the sector, why don't we go grab a donut and a scone for you from Bundt Cake? We can't patrol on an empty stomach!"

Trot Fuzz smiled and nodded. "You read me mind, 'Officer'. Let us sally forth, then!"

Gold Whistler and his immediate superior entered the bakery, sat down at a table and were just about to greet Bundt Cake when a pink form popped from the side, causing them to rear back in surprise.

"Hi-eeeeee! Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! Again, hee hee!" Pinkie Pie greeted with her usual pep as she wore a small side cap and an apron with an image of the gingerbread house bakery and its name in fanciful writing.

"Pinkie?" Gold Whistler asked incredulously, only to clear his throat and change his tone. "I mean, Miss Pie, where are the whereabouts of Miss Bundt Cake? We ask for service of the establishment."

Pinkie giggled once more as he pinched his cheek. "Awww, aren't you cute trying to act all big and tough, Goldie!"

The beleaguered officer tried his hardest not to blush but it was too late as Trot Fuzz chuckled. "'Goldie', is it? I say, there appears to be some hidden skeletons in the closet with you that I have yet to hear about!" the Sergeant said.

Pinkie stopped pinching Gold Whistler's cheek as she turned to face Trot Fuzz. "Oh yeah! Like one time,when he was a little coltsy, he had such a special talent that nopony else had!"

Gold Whistler began to grow nervous. "Uh, Pinkie, I don't think the Sarge needs to know that."

Trot Fuzz, however, had none of that. "You don't say, Miss Pinkie! Do carry on!"

"Why, he even decided to enter the school talent contest and show everyone that talent! First, he decided to whistle the Equestrian Anthem and everyone stomped their hooves loudly in cheer at the rendition! That's why he has those whistle cutie marks!"

The officer's forehead dripped with sweat. "Y-y-you know, Pinkie, why don't you find Bundt Cake so she can take our order?"

"Is that all? Why I see nothing amiss with that and no reason for you to be a Nervous Nellie, says I." the Trottinghamite responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Gold Whistler breathed a sigh of relief hoping that got the Sergeant from prying further.

"But that was the first act! His second one was the best!" Pinkie added which renewed both Trot Fuzz's eager attention and Gold Whistler's sweat drops.

"He went up to the microphone..."

"Don't do it, Pinkie..."

"...cleared his throat..."

"I'm begging you, Pinkie. Don't say it!"

"...opened his mouth..."

"Pinkie Pie, stop for Celestia's sake!!"

"...he belched out the entire anthem again! Every single last note and lyric! It was so much fun!!!"

Gold Whistler let out a long wailful "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!" as Trot Fuzz laughed long and loudly. The earth pony hung his head down as his face became beet red. His superior wiped a tear from his eye as his laughter ceased.

"I do enjoy a smashing anecdote like that. Really, I do." Trot Fuzz said as he regained composure. "Now then, all fun aside, is young Miss Bundt Cake available? We need her to take an order. She knows our usual."

"Two honey-glazed donuts with extra syrup, a tomato-basil scone with butter, coffee with a dash of cream and two sugar cubes, and chamomille tea with a spoonful of honey and a lime twist! Coming right up!" Pinkie said as she zoomed off to the kitchen as both Trot Fuzz and Gold Whistler stood there with mouths open wide, only for the pink pony to return with a tray holding their order in her mouth.

Setting the tray down in front of them, she smiled and said, "Here's your order! Leave a nice tip for your super awesome server, 'k?" With that, she zoomed off to take the next orders.

Pinkie was lucky tonight was quite slow, what with being the end of the weekend and ponies getting ready to work tomorrow. The only stable customers she had seen were the assortment of police ponies who by now were less sour in mood due to knowing she is not solely responsible of their reduced pay. Either way, Pinkie found chatting with the officers interesting, but when it was her turn to talk, most officers regret listening to one of her usual spiels, which can last up to an hour or more.

All of a sudden, Pinkie had a brief body spasm as though her back had a jolt of electricity run through it. She turned to her side and frowned slightly. Before any police officer could ask her what happened, she turned to everyone and said with a smile, "Um, I need to go to...the little fillies' room. I'll be back soon, so if you finish, please leave your bits and tips on the table. Bye-bye!" With that, she zoomed up the stairs.

Before the officers present could wonder about Pinkie's sudden departure, each and every shoulder receiver came to life, filling Sugarcube Corner with the noise of static.

"Attention all units! Attention all units!" the police dispatcher announced through their receivers. "All available units converge to Sector 1-4-3-Alpha. Hostage situation in progress. Send all available units. Repeat, send all available units! Over and out!"

With this announcement, all the officers got up, placed their bits on the tables and stampeded out toward the source of the disturbance. A shadowy form then made her way downstairs without making a single sound. A single dark blue-bandaged forehoof softly closed the front door, locked it tight, and put up a "CLOSED" sign for all to see. Nodding once with a flip of her cape, Mare-Do-Well was finally ready. It was time for action.

****************************

"And then Mare-Do-Well thwooped down from the roof, landed right on that nathty thtallion that grabbed me and knocked him out! Thhe'th a true thupermare!" Twist announced with glee the next morning as she, Snails and the Cutie Mark Crusaders passed in front of Sugarcube Corner on their way to school.

"Wow-ee! That sure is some story, Twist! Imagine, Mare-Do-Well savin' yer life!" Apple Bloom added with wonder.

"Uh, well, she's not really that super if she's responsible for me eating brussels sprouts until next season..." Snails moaned.

"Aw, you brought that on yourself and Snips too! I can't believe you still thought there was treasure hidden in the O'Neighram house after she saved both of you before!" Scootaloo shot back.

"Yeah that's... um, not right!" Sweetie Belle added. "You should know Mare-Do-Well is a great hero pony for everypony!"

"Did I <yawn> hear someone talk about... Mare-Do-Well?" a voice above them said with a hint of sleepiness.The four fillies and the young colt looked up and saw Pinkie Pie in her server uniform there. However, her cap was slightly askew on her head, her mane was slightly messy and the apron was wrinkled. Her eyes didn't fare any better as they began to have slight bags underneath them.

"Howdy, Pinkie. Gosh, why are ya awake so early?" asked the bow-wearing earth filly.

"Awake early? Nuh-uh... I'm just finishing the night shift. Just waiting for Mr. and Mrs. <yawn> Cake to wake up and then take a three-hour nap so I could get back to work in the day shift and night shift again," Pinkie said with a slight smile.

"You mean you're working all day and all night?! That's awesome!" the pegasus filly complimented.

"But, ithn't it bad to thtay awake all night?" the red curly-maned filly asked. "Getting enough thleep is very important. That'th what my dad told me."

"Don't worry your little heads off, girls. I'm perfectly...<yawwwwwwwwwn> fine..." Pinkie managed to utter before she nodded off to sleep standing up. The school ponies looked at each other in confusion and decided to leave her be.

"Hey Pinkie!" a voice called out to no avail as the pink earth pony remained sleeping on her feet.

"Pinkie!!" the voice called louder. Still she didn't wake up.

"PIIIIINKIIIIIIIIIIE PIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!!!!!!!!!" the voice yelled causing the pink filly to jump in the air as her eyes opened wide in shock.

"Aaaaah!!! The three types are igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic, Papa!" she immediately said as she stood to attention.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Pinkie shook her head a few times and looked to her side to see Rainbow Dash stand there. The cyan pegasus was tapping one of her hind hooves impatiently.

"So you're finally back, huh? Heard the latest stuff you did from Hotshot on my way here. You did an awesome job saving Twist and her folks!" she complimented.

Pinkie yawned and smacked her lips together. "Oh hi, Dashie. Heh heh, thanks a bunch! So why are you here?"

"The Mayor ordered the weather team to gather some clouds from the west for a scheduled shower this afternoon, so I figured I'd get my daily fix and get some coffee. Thought I'd see Bundt Cake, but I find you here! What happened to her?"

Pinkie explained just like she did with Twilight, and just like the unicorn reacted, Rainbow also facehoofed.

"You... you dummy! You just can't be the server for both shifts, plan parties and be Mare-Do-Well at the same time!" she snapped at her. "I know you've done some pretty dumb stuff in the past, but this takes the cake!"

"Huh? What? Someone's taking a cake? Where to? Is there a party? Let me get the cannon..." Pinkie mumbled as she looks around her surroundings with her eyes glazed over approaching another sleep cycle.

Rainbow Dash lets off an annoyed grunt. "Just serve me some coffee so I can get to work, ok?"

"Okey...do...key......" Before Pinkie could walk towards the perking coffee pot, she falls asleep once more on her feet. By now, the pegasus has had enough of her.

"PINKIE!!!" she snaps furiously at her.

"LOKEY!" the pony finally said with a start as she approached the coffee pot. Carefully taking it in her teeth, she wobbled it a tad before she dropped it back on the table. Letting off a slightly miffed grumble, Pinkie grabs the pot in her teeth and pours the coffee in the cup nearby. However, she poured too much and the cup overflowed and tipped over its contents just inches from Dash's left forehoof.

The multi-color maned pegasus looks warily at this and finally says with a nervous stammer. "Y-y-ya know, I don't really feel like drinking coffee at this sec. I'll just come back later when the Cakes arrive. See ya, Pink!" With that, she zoomed off and never looked back.

Pinkie Pie notices the spill she caused and lets out a forlorn sigh. Finding a rag nearby, she lets it drop on the floor as it soaks the brown liquid. She places her hoof down on the wet rag, only to shoot back in pain over how hot the spill is. Growling, she drops more rags to absorb the heat and starts scrubbing the coffee with more force. She was so focused on the spill that she didn't hear the door open.

"Pinkie Pie!" a sweet voice called out.

The pony turned around and snapped, "WHAT?!" She then gasped as she realized she just sniped Mrs. Cake whose eyes were open in surprise. Her husband was behind her equally as flabbergasted.

"Oh no! Mrs. Cake, I'm so sorry, I, um, oh..." Pinkie fumbled around for words until she looked down in worry.

"Relax, dearie. I can tell you've had a rough night and morning." the robust mare replied as she placed her snout over Pinkie's back in a comfort hug. "Just get some sleep right now and come back when you feel better."

"No! I can't sleep! How will you handle all the baking? You always need me around to help you! I can't go to sleep yet!" she protested.

Mr. Cake shook his head and answered, "Nothing doing, Pinkie. Go grab some sleep right now. Go on! We'll take it from here."

Pinkie bit her lip as she eyes them with their warm smiles and then upstairs to her waiting bed. She finally replied solemnly, "All right..."

With that, she stumbled upstairs, catching a glimpse as they finished cleaning up her coffee spill before heading into the kitchen. She didn't even make it to her bed when she finally slumped down and took a well-deserved nap.

With a loud snort, Pinkie Pie shot back up and saw the sun at a different position in the sky. Looking up at her clock, she noticed she slept for 3 hours on the mark; exactly the amount she wanted. Nevertheless, her subconscious demanded more sleep as her body felt weak for the first time in her spunky life. Shaking her head a few times, she realized it was either this or having Bundt as a roommate and kissing her days as Mare-Do-Well good-bye forever.

Her resolve reinforced, she went to her bath and turnedthe cold water at full blast before jumping in. Ponyville wasn't ready for one of the loudest shrieks everheard that it even reached Canterlot with its decibel level.

Suddenly, several police ponies burst in through the bathroom door and Pinkie screamed with less magnitude as she covered herself up with a towel. "Haven't you ponies heard of privacy?!" she said very annoyed.

Most of the male officers quickly moved away while blushing, allowing one of the fillies forward as she said, "We're sorry, Miss Pinkie, but we heard that super loud scream and..."

"And you're all spying on me! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take my bath now!", she snapped as she pushed them outside the bathroom and slammed the door on them. The officers could only mutter as they all headed back downstairs to resume eating and drinking their orders.

After finishing her cold-water bubble bath, Pinkie faced the mirror and saw her straight mane looking back.

Ok, now. Get poofy! You got a big day ahead of you!

She smiled as her mane and tail became its usual poofy selves and she smiled from ear to ear. However her eyelids began to close and the frizzled mane slowly reverted back to the straight-type as the smile vanished from her lips.

You brought this upon yourself, you know.

Pinkie gasped. Did her reflection actually talk back to her?

"Oh, I know! I was such a stupid silly filly! Why did I even agree to take two shifts?!"

The reflection rolled her eyes. Um, let me see. One: You didn't want Bundt Cake to learn you're Mare-Do-Well. B: It would make it even harder for you to plan entrances and exits if she's here during the day shifts. Finally, number Z: I'm just one of your starting hallucinations from not sleeping enough. That little Twist is a smart cookie after all.

"But we can't dunk her in milk! She'd get wet, not soft!" Pinkie giggled only to turn dour again.

Anyways, Miss Pie, you made your bed, now sleep in it!

"Bed... sleep...so want to sleep..." Her eyelids became heavy once more as she started to doze off. One loud snort and she was again alert and seeing her reflection back to normal. Channeling all her inner joy, her mane and tail again went puffy and she was ready. She placed the cap and apron back on and headed downstairs for another work shift.

****************************

"I dunno, Shady..." an orange unicorn muttered as she held a candelabra with her magic, trying to keep some illumination steady as the indigo earth pony wearing a balaclava worked the dial on the old wall safe hidden behind a simple painting of Rarity and her family at a younger age with her as a filly and Sweetie Belle as a newborn foal.

"I mean, Ponyville's got its own cop department now. You really think this is a good idea?"

"Shut it, Citrus Squeeze! Just keep the light on me and I'll have this old thing open in no time!" he snapped back with a soft voice as he kept his ear against the side of the safe, listening to the clicks inside.

The curvy-spike maned unicorn looked uneasy at her sides while maintaining the candelabra up high. She finally heard a chuckle from her partner as the safe opened up.

"Score!" he whispered with enthusiasm as he beckoned her to move the candles closer as he nosed through the various objects inside. "Now to find that Sun Star that prissy unicorn must keep in here..."

"Shady, hurry up! I got a really bad feeling!" Citrus Squeeze pleaded.

"Gimme a sec!" Shady talked back only for him to let out a soft whoop of joy as he saw a circular orange gemstone with multiple spikes growing naturally from it, making it look like a small sun. "Here it is! We're gonna be rich!"

"Swell!" the orange unicorn smiled in response only for it to shrink away. "Now can we get out of here?"

Shady shrugged as he grabbed the Sun Star and dumped it into his saddlebag. "Ok, you cryfoal, let's get out of here!" He slowly walked to the entrance as Citrus closed the safe door, replaced the painting and put the candelabra back on the table where she found it.

The two have been staking out Carousel Boutique for weeks seeing all the different jewels the fashion designer kept around and were surprised to see a rare Sun Star among her wares. That jewel was worth exactly a hundred pounds of pure Night's Embrace and would sell for even more among the Manehatten and Canterlot elite. It was only a matter of time before they were going to pull off the heist.

Earlier that evening, they found the unicorn locked all her doors tightly making them impossible to breach and her windows were magically reinforced with glass that would never shatter from the outside. Their solution came from climbing to the second floor of the carousel structure and entering through one of the windows up there that wasn't reinforced.

When they finally got inside, however, they didn't expect the proprietor to have a cat around the premises, which pounced on them with a screech. Citrus Squeeze used her magic to grab the ferocious feline, throw her into a closet filled with fabrics that softened her landing, and closed it behind her. Even with all the angry yowling and scratching, the door held on and the designer was still asleep.

It took some work to find the wall safe hidden behind a painting and they went to work. Finding the safe's combination, stealing the Sun Star and quickly making their exit through the doors they now unlocked to escape were the easiest part of their job.

After eyeing nopony around, they quickly broke off into a sprint as they left Carousel Boutique far behind. The way became problematic, however, as Shady and Citrus Squeeze saw several officers milling about the empty marketplace area near the bakery.

"What do we do now? We can't just go through them! They'll catch us!" Citrus whimpered as she scooted back in fear.

The indigo colt snarled under his breath and chided, "Stop acting like a foal! If they patrol the ground, then we'll take the high road! There!" He spots a haycart which he gets up on and maneuvers up to the rooftops. Citrus lets off a soft cry before doing the same and joined Shady up top as they resumed their run.

Before they could go any further, a figure leaped out of the shadows and landed in front of them. They screeched to a halt as they realized they were standing in front of the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, light blue eyes shining with a frown.

Citrus shrieked as she was consumed by fear at the sight of her. "It's HER! We're finished, Shady! Finished! Just give her that Sun Star and let's run before she catches us!"

"Will you shut up?!" Shady shouted at his companion. "Supermare or not, she's still a pony! She won't beat us! You want the Sun Star, Mare-Do-Well? Then come and get it!"

Shady then bumped Citrus hard, causing her to move towards the plank-like extension in front of the house's roof and promptly fell down. She clamped on to the end of the plank with her front hooves before she could fall completely but knew she would not hold out long. Should she let go, the drop to the ground was going to be hard and she might be seriously injured. The cowardly Shady then smirked as he ran off.

Mare-Do-Well was faced with a choice. Go after the thief who more than likely has something of value in his bag but leave the unicorn to fall and receive some nasty injuries, or rescue the accomplice but allow the craven earth pony to get away. She looked in the direction Shady was fleeing and then down to where Citrus Squeeze squealed and whimpered as she began to lose her grip on the roof's edge.

The vigilante realized what she had to do and walked to the front of the facade where the unicorn was hanging by the plank. Turning herself around, she placed her cape near Citrus's head where she was grabbing on the roof. Mare-Do-Well motioned her to grab the cape. Citrus whimpered and shook her head in fear. The heroine stomped her front hoof once in anger as she scowled even harder. Citrus closed her eyes for a few seconds until she opened her mouth and clamped down on the cape and let go of the roof. All her weight was soon transferred to holding onto the long dark-blue cloth and Mare-Do-Well felt the tremedous force pulling back on her cape. Holding all that weight by her cape caused her slight strangulation, but her spirit willing to save the accomplice was strong.

To her luck, this cape was far stronger than the one she had before. Rarity told her the other evening that she reinforced the cloth of both the bodysuit and the cape with a secret blend of liquids made from Everfree plants Zecora recommended to further strengthen the fabric and prevent it from tearing as easily as it did after the stirge attack and the O'Neighram house falling on her. Therefore, Citrus's bite did little to tear her cape as Mare-Do-Well began to slowly walk up to the back of the roof, pulling the frightened unicorn away from the empty air and back on the solid area. Her neck was a tad sore from the weight she had to pull, but she at least rescued the unicorn.

"Oh thank you, Mare-Do-Well. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't care if they toss me in jail! I'd rather serve my time and be a good pony of the community after this!" she wept as she hugged Mare-Do-Well's hoof. She then wiped the tears away and said, "I'll go turn myself in but you must catch Shady! He must pay!"

Mare-Do-Well didn't say a word as Citrus found a safe way down the roof and went straight to the nearest officers. They began to talk and the police ponies looked in direction of Carousel Boutique. Then quickly had her lie down as they snapped on the restraints on her and they led her away to the station jail. Nodding in relief as she kept her word, the vigilante knew she had a lot of ground to cover and catch the poltroon pony thief. As she kept running from rooftop to rooftop, she felt her energy starting to give out as her eyesight became blurry.

It's been four days since the moment she chose to take the dual shifts and it's taken its toll on her. She found it harder and harder to stay focused and found herself speaking non sequiturs, noticed her lack of coordination and balance as she dropped more and more baked good trays than before, and realized it was difficult now to remember all the parties she had to plan. She shuddered as she recalled earlier that day when she prepared a house with balloons, games, streamers and a charming cake for a filly's birthday party only to later learn she was actually hosting a foal shower. Imagine her chagrin, being dressed up as a clown among all the grown-up mares with one expecting a future newborn. To fix up the snafu came out of her own pocket and that made her even more surly than usual, and the fact a spineless pony like Shady sacrificed his own accomplice to get away was the last straw.

She fast approached another gap between rooftops and was ready to jump it only for her eyes to instead register it double. Shaking her head and narrowing her gaze closer, she tried to refocus the two landing spots on the rooftops until they were one again. She took a grand leap and instead of landing right on the next roof, she missed it by a few inches and managed to grab on with her hooves. Now she was in the exact same predicament Citrus Squeeze was in earlier. Luckily for her, a hay bale was placed beneath her, allowing her to let go and land with a soft thud in the hay.

Picking herself up, she silenlty cursed herself for allowing Shady to get away. Now all she hoped was for the incarcerated accomplice to confess and point the police to where they were hiding out. She was done fighting for justice for that evening. It was time to head back to serving at Sugarcube Corner. She hoped she would not mess up another order again or things would get bad for her.

****************************

Rarity bawled her eyes out as she, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Fluttershy made their way to Sugarcube Corner that evening to see how Pinkie was doing. As always, Rainbow Dash flew overhead at a slow steady space to keep up with their walking speed. A whole week had passed since she was robbed and her rare Sun Star, a once-in-a-lifetime treasure she found buried while hunting for gems a year before Twilight arrived in Ponyville, was stolen. To make matters worse, all her wonderful fabrics and cloth she had stored away in a particular closet were scratched up beyond proper use after the thieves locked Opalescence inside and she tore them all up in her fury to get out. Rarity hasn't stopped crying since.

"And that Sun Star was so rare! I was so tempted to make a dress for the Gala with it as the centerpiece but I knew it would end up getting stolen! And...and...and...WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" she cried out.

Applejack rolled her eyes at this. "We heard ya already, Rarity! Lan'sakes, the police are doin' everythin' they can to find it so quit cryin' like a spoiled showmare!"

Rainbow Dash added in a huff, "Well if a certain pony vigilante we all know about would be getting a good night sleep instead of working herself crazy, she'd have taught that thief a thing or two!"

Twilight looked up with a cross look. "Rainbow, stop it! It's not completely Pinkie's fault! She just worries if Bundt Cake was still around, she thinks she'll share upstairs with her and she won't be able to become Mare-Do-Well anymore!"

The orange farmpony turned to face her. "Nothin' doin', sugarcube! This is all Pinkie's doin'! Ah heard it all from Dash and we both agree Pinkie shoulda talked with the Cakes about all this and got proper help! Ah'll admit Ah was being a stubborn mule when Ah didn' accept any help from anypony that applebuck season a while back, but all Pinkie needs to do is have a long talk an' all her problems are over!"

All the ponies then began to argue amongst themselves with Twilight trying to act as Pinkie's advocate while Applejack, Dash and Rarity went on the offensive over her failure to act. The bickering continued until Fluttershy broke the silence with a concerned gasp.

"Oh my goodness! What is... happening there?"

The rest of the friends stopped arguing as they all looked with incredulous eyes at the sheer amount of ponies crowding Sugarcube Corner. Many of them were shouting, but all of them were angry. The five friends rushed over to Sugarcube Corner to see what was the matter.

"You silly pony! You forgot my little Summer Breeze's birthday!"

"I ordered a strawberry shortcake! Not a cranberry shortcake! STRAW-BERRY!"

"You nearly spilled my coffee on my hooves! What kind of service do they got here anyway?!"

"I told you! It was his tenth anniversary party, not the eleventh! The TENTH!"

"Why is there pink hair all over my cupcakes?! I demand to see the owners right now!"

"This bread is all burnt! What kind of heating oven you got in there? A volcano?!"

"We rented this bakery for my filly's cuteceañera! Why was there a birthday party here already?!"

The chorus of complaints just kept coming and it was hard for the girls to call out for Pinkie Pie amidst the mob. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew overhead and eventually found her in direction of the crowd's gaze in a corner of the bakery.

Upon nudging their way close, the three non-pegasi Elements were in shock over their pink friend's appearance. Pinkie Pie was an absolute fashion disaster as her face was covered in white makeup, a large red clown nose was on her snout and lips were covered in bright cherry-red lipstick. Her frizzy mane and tail were more ragged and messy-looking as though Rainbow Dash administered a Rain-blow Dry on her at full speed. Her outfit was a compelte mess with the server's cap scrunched up on top of her head and the apron was dirty and splotched with various kinds of stains.

Her behavior was even more chaotic than her apperance. Sitting down on her haunches, her blue eyes swirled around their sockets and she ran her hoof up and down her outstretched lips blowing and making strange noises and her body trembled all over as the shouts kept on coming.

Finally, she left off a shriek that put the one after jumping in the cold water to shame as everypony stopped talking. Pinkie began to giggle crazily as nervous tics exploded throughout her face and body as her eyes darted around looking for something.

"We. Need. A. PARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she zoomed off like a rocket, knocking part of the mob out of her way as she found her Party Cannon nearby. Her mad giggles didn't stop as she jammed the button continously setting off shots of party favors projectiles from the barrel. The screams of complaints turned to screams of fright as the mob began to stampede out of the bakery, leaving it devoid of life. Everyone was gone, that is, except the rest of the girls.

"Pinkie Pie! What are you doing? Stop this right now!" Twilight pleaded.

"Oh, Twilight! So nice to see you!" Pinkie exclaimed with an enormous grin. "Did you come to the party? But I didn't send out any invitations! Oh, does that mean you have a Twilight Sense now? Whoo-hoo! Now you will never complain about how my Pinkie Sense works ever again! Not that it ever fails me. This is so cool! Now we can write about each of our combos and keep a list of them for our future reference. I mean, you're the librarian after all! I love books! Well, not as much as you do but you get the idea and I really love to read books on parties and jokes and all kinds of food-"

"Stop this right now, Pinkie! Yer going plumb crazy!" Applejack retorted.

"Plums? I don't have plums! However I do have some prunes Mr. Cake was saving to make juice from! Yummy prunes! He said they're good for the digestive system! Oooh, maybe if we plant some prune seeds, plum trees will grow. I bet it will be a great seller for clearing out the digestive system like Mr. Cake says! Why, you can rename it to Sweet Apple Plum Acres! Sounds so much super-duper awesome fun!" Pinkie burst out in crazed glee.

Applejack muttered as she grabbed the edges of her hat and pulled down in anger over how crazier Pinkie has become.

Pinkie then looked around and gasped, "Nopony is here! Is nopony going to my party?! Well, if they won't come to the party..." She then giggled with a low tone that made everyone shiver. "...then the party...will go to THEM!!!" She then retrieved a bugle from who-knows-where, sounded a charge to battle, and wheeled the cannon out of Sugarcube Corner as she whooped and hollered maniacally. The other ponies looked at each other and realized somepony would end up being hurt in Pinkie's insane state of mind. They quickly rushed out to stop her.

The scene before them could only be described as being worse when Discord was set loose. Every single building along the way Pinkie must have journeyed was blasted and decorated with streamers, balloons, and severely spooked-out ponies holding party horns and party hats on their shocked faces. The girls never saw Pinkie go out of control like this and if she wasn't stopped, all Ponyville would be turned upside-down.

Eventually they found the source of the biggest chaos in the middle of the town square as Pinkie shot out ready-made cream pies from her cannon as she hummed a silly tune to herself, filling in a mad giggle at every break. Pretty soon the entire area was surrounded by piles of cream pies ready to be eaten.

"Pinkie Pie, stop this now!" Twilight commanded. "Stop making those pies and come here before you get hurt!"

"Twilight, I'm surprised at you!" Pinkie Pie chided. "Why are you always such a stick in the mud? Don't you know the ponies of Ponyville need to unwind from their tight schedules and learned to have fun?! Let's party and eat some pie!" She then grabbed a cream pie from the large pile nearby and munched on it. However, she didn't notice some spilled cream on the ground nearby and she slipped on it, causing her to fall face down on the pie she was currently eating. She then lifted her cream-covered face and mane for all to see. This was enough to make Rainbow Dash lose her composure.

"Bwa ha ha ha ha!!! Pinkie Pie, you are so random!" she chortled. The pink pony however didn't see anything funny.

"So, Rainbow Dash, you throw the first strike by hitting me with a pie!" she said with mock seriousness. "Of course you know, this means WAR!"

"Huh? No no! Wait! Pinkie, I didn't mean to...I mean... Hold on a sec!" the cyan pegasus protested as Pinkie grabbed a pie and tossed it right at her. Rainbow was quick to dodge the pie, but the throwing arc quickly made the flying confectionary land right on Rarity's face.

The other Elements looked in abject horror as the designer unicorn's face was covered by the pie tin which then fell to the ground with a clang. Cream and filling were everywhere and her facial features were unrecognizeable. Suddenly, two ferocious eyes opened as they went red with rage. "Oh...." she seethed.

"It. Is. ON!!"

Using her magic, she lifted 5 pies from the pile beside her and launched them right at Pinkie Pie. The maniacal party pony got on her hind legs and did a few ballet spins and pirouettes as she weaved around the thrown pies which instead struck several bystanders nearby. These ponies decided to join the fracas as they picked up pies with their teeth and magic and began to toss them at Pinkie. These baked goods, however, also missed their mark as Pinkie dodged them with ease and eventually hit even more innocents. The war had begun. Ponies everywhere began to converge in the square, grabbing pies and tossing them everywhere.

"Oh dear! Oh my! Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed. She then flew everywhere as she tried to convince everyone to stop. "Please... I mean, it's not nice... This is really not good for you... Um, think of all the wasted cream and filling... oh dear... we could use these pies to feed everypony...and I...um..."

Her speech was cut short as she had one fresh pie land on her head. She then gasped in horror seeing her pink mane covered in sticky, hard-to-clean cream and looked in direction of the one who threw it. Rainbow Dash had several pies around her that she was simply throwing everywhere no matter who or what was her targets. All she cared for was creaming as many ponies as possible.

Fluttershy's worried gaze turned to a scowl and she gritted her teeth. "You MEANIE!!" she shouted as she dove into the pile and began to throw pies everywhere as well.

Throughout all this, Twilight pleaded for everyone to stop but she soon got covered under a mountain of cream and pie tins. Applejack simply got into the spirit of things and began to buck whole stacks of pies launching them everywhere and hitting even the most skyward pegasi. Rarity was still using her magic to toss loads of pies toward Pinkie, who was still devoid of any damage as the pie war raged on.

Eventually, about a dozen shrill police whistles blasted through the air, silencing the shouts and stopping the pie throwing in their tracks. Every single last officer of the Ponyville Police Department with Captain Halberd, Lieutenant Buckler and the Mayor herself in front of the group arrived to end the disturbance. The mob stopped what they were doing and slowly stepped back. Everypony that is, except Pinkie who was still shouting and hollering in her addled state.

"Aw come on! The party will never stop! Here, have some pie!" she shouted as she grabbed one pie and tossed it right on the face of Captain Halberd with a loud splat.

Silence.

Nopony dared move or even react as the tin slid off and Halberd's pie-covered face shook in rage. Using his green magic aura, he grabbed a set of hoofcuff chains and managed to snap them with precision on the mad dancing pony, causing Pinkie Pie to lose balance and strike her head on the ground. That was more than enough to knock her out and silence her for good. The police commander then gave an angry glare to Lt. Buckler as he walked away with his two subordinates in tow as they tried to wipe off the cream and filling from his face and horn.

Every former pie fighter could only look on without making a noise as Buckler and other officers dragging a jail cart approached the downed form of Pinkie Pie. The lieutenant sighed sadly and said, "Pinkamena Diane Pie, I place you under arrest for public disturbance and assaulting a commanding officer of the Ponyville Police Department..."

She then turned around as the two officers managed to place Pinkie's comatose body on the jail cart and wheeled her away to jail. Twilight managed to get out from under the pile of cream and pie tins as she saw them drag her friend away. The rest of the Elements of Harmony soon huddled close to her as they realized they didn't make things any better by getting caught up in the moment of chaos themselves. They could do nothing but hang their heads low in shame.

****************************

The morose, straight-maned, darkened-hued pink pony shook as she laid down on the cold bench of her jail cell. She had been sleeping for five straight days and finally regaining all the lost energy she had before her hectic work schedule. When she finally woke up, all she could remember before she woke up to the chilly metallic jail bench was finally losing control and instigating one of the craziest pie fights Ponyville had ever born witness to. Never in her life had she felt so ashamed of her actions than at that moment.

She sighed sadly to herself. This was it. She had crossed the point of no return. She was bound to stay locked up for many years for she knew she pasted the primary police's presiding pony on the puss with a pie. By the time she gets out, if she gets out, she would never be welcomed again in Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes would have more than likely tossed her stuff out from upstairs now as she no longer would work there. But, she was positive enough to deduce Twilight would have more than likely kept her belongings safe for her while Gummy would be in the dependable hands of Fluttershy.

Even then it was all over for her. Nopony would want her face around in Ponyville ever again. Everypony hated her and despised her for what she did to their lives and their homes. She was an outcast. A branded filly destined to be ostracized. And in a town as close-knit as Ponyville, she was better off being put to pasture. All this because of her fear of Mare-Do-Well's identity being found out. If it wasn't for that, Bundt Cake would have stayed and been the night server like she was for the 3 weeks she was absent.

Mare-Do-Well. A foolish notion. It should have just remained a light-hearted prank to knock sense into Rainbow Dash's swell-headedness and nothing more. What has she done that was for the good of the ponies? Sure, she rescued Twist but she was immediately chewed out by Captain Halberd who warned her that he wouldn't tolerate vigilantes under his jurisdiction. Then there's the fact of the thief who got away with Rarity's precious Sun Star because she decided to rescue a unicorn who didn't even know where the hideout is because he kept her out of the loop. She was a mockery of justice. She was careless, useless and worthless. The second she ever got free, she'd go straight to Sugarcube Corner, find the Mare-Do-Well outfit and throw it in the trash and forget her foolish crusade.

She was so drowned in her misery that she didn't hear the door open and an officer step inside until she spoke to her. "Miss Pie, you have been pardoned for your crime by our Royal Majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria. You are free to go. Come right this way."

Pinkamena tries to move her numb legs and heard the tinkling sound of chains. That's when she realized she was still wearing the hoofcuff chains. These chains allow a pony the ability to walk, but not to run or gallop as they have been tied in such manner that any forward movement beyond a shuffle would cause a pony to trip and fall. This also means pegasi would be unable to fly correctly without the momentum given by their extended legs even if the wings aren't bound. Nevertheless, the feeling soon returned to her legs and managed to slide down from the frosty bench and shuffled out the cell door and climbed the stairs leading up to the police station's main floor one step at a time.

Upon reaching the top, she kept her head down as she shambled across the area, hearing voices of the officers at their desks, reports being written, suspects being interrogated and victims filing their complaints. She didn't care about anything one single bit. She finally reached the station's vestibule and saw the officer removing the hoofcuff chains allowing her to walk freely again.

Pinkamena looked up and saw the face of Twilight Sparkle smiling radiantly to see her friend once more. The unicorn then approached her with a hug but Pinkamena stood motionless. She was ashamed for her actions and that would take a long time to heal.

"Pinkie, I'm so glad you're ok. Thank Celestia my actions were for naught," the purple unicorn said to her darkened coat friend who remained silent. She then led her outside the police station and off into the starry night.

As they walked, Twilight looked at Pinkamena who still walked with her head hung low. Biting her lip, she finally spoke, "You may be wondering how I managed to get you out of there..." Silence.

She continued, "Actually you have to thank the Princess. After you got taken away, I sent a letter immediately to her to help find a way to release you. She finally replied an hour later with both the reply and an official Royal Pardon, claiming that due to your service for the safety of Equestria, as well as knowing about your schedule after I explained it to her in my letter, you were granted a full pardon as the crime wasn't too offensive. We would have released you out that day but Captain Halberd raised such a ruckus because a Royal Pardon wouldn't excuse a lawbreaker like her who nearly placed Ponyville in a full-fledged riot. Honestly? I thought he was still sore about being hit with a pie. I mean, where's the harm in that? Heh heh..." Pinkamena stayed quiet.

Clearing her throat, Twilight resumed, "So we had to take your case all the way to the Lunar Court, presided by Princess Luna herself. After a few days of deliberation, Luna decreed that the Pardon was binding and valid since you are the Element of Laughter and being among the Elements of Harmony responsible for saving Equestria from both Discord's reign of chaos and her dark side's eternal night. It really helped that she used her Royal Canterlot Voice for this decree that blew even that stuffedshirt's cap off. She further warned that if you were not freed, she'd personally demote him to, get this, an Officer for insubordination to a royal command! You should have seen the look on his face!"

Pinkamena didn't even lift her head at these news. The purple unicorn sighed. "I'm really sorry for what happened, Pinkie. I really am. Isn't there anything you wish to do right now?"

"My things... before I leave..." she finally uttered in a voice that was quite raspy at since she had not spoken a word during her entire incarceration.

"Your things? Why, they are at Sugarcube Corner, of course! And leave why are you-" Twilight began before Pinkamena shot her head up and looked at her with anger.

"What?! You mean my things are still up there in my old room?! Why didn't you take them out? Don't you know that the Cakes probably fired me over what I did?! How could you do this to me, Twilight Sparkle?!" she spoke in agitation.

Twilight raised her brow in confusion. Then she gave a slow nod as the realization finally set in. "Oh, I get it. You think everypony hates you for what you did and plan on leaving us. Just where do you plan to go?" she asked.

"Home. Papa must need an extra hoof to till the rocks... There's nothing left for me here. I guess I should just go back to my old job and stay miserable for the rest of my life..." she answered sadly.

"Pinkie, please... You mustn't. You shouldn't! What about..." Twilight stopped and looked everywhere making sure nopony was eavesdropping. She lowered her head and whispered to her friend's ear. "What about Mare-Do-Well?"

At this, Pinkamena exploded as she stared at Twilight with rage-burning eyes. "WHAT ABOUT HER?! She's the reason I did what I did and I paid for it with my job and my dignity! I can't believe what an idiot I was to change my happy life for that worthless nag! Being hope? Hah! That joke is so pathetically feeble, I can't even laugh at it! I just want to go away and forget all about her and Ponyville! Now, take me back to Sugarcube and collect my stuff so I can close this chapter of my life. For. EVER!"

With that, she picked up her pace and galloped towards her old workplace. Twilight's eyes turned serious and worried that Pinkie was to make yet another mistake. She quickly broke off into a sprint and went after her.

Twilight was able to catch and wrestle Pinkamena down when they finally reached the entrance to Sugarcube Corner which, for once since the new schedule was implemented, was closed and no lights inside. Pinkie managed to get out of Twilight's grasp and stormed inside as she ran upstairs in the blinding darkness.

Twilight frantically called out as she ran behind her, "Pinkie, stop it! You don't understand! You're not..."

Pinkamena snapped back. "Zip it, Professor Four-Eyes! Now where is my lantern? Why is it so dark?!"

At that, a bright flash of light blinded Pinkamena causing her to shut her eyes. Rubbing them to get rid of the initial blindness, she opened them up and gasped in horror. There, sitting on her bed were Mr. and Mrs. Cake looking sad at her. Beside the bed was the ponyquin with her Mare-Do-Well costume still in its place. Nearby were her other four friends also looking sad which were then joined by Twilight Sparkle.

"Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake? Girls?! I...<gasp> oh no..." Her rage turned to fear as she then jumped on the ponyquin to knock it down and prevent the Cakes from seeing it. A moot point since her employers clearly saw it for who knows how long before she arrived.

"Please... Just lemme explain... I... I..." Pinkamena began. Only for the Cakes to get off the bed and walked over to her.

"Pinkie, are you really... Mare-Do-Well?" the robust matron asked.

The straight-maned earth pony gritted her teeth as a whimper formed on her mouth, until she finally couldn't take it anymore as her tears started to flow. "Yes! Yes! I am Mare-Do-Well! I'm so sorry I kept this secret from you! I was stupid to keep it hidden from you all and I'm sorry I caused you both so much pain and anguish with my absences and odd behavior! I'm so so so so sorry!!" she blurted out amidst weeping.

As she cried, she felt the hooves of her kindly employers hugging her. "Now, now Pinkie. Why should you apologize to us? Heck, we are downright proud of you!" Mr. Cake said warmly. "Imagine. Ponyville's heroic mare who has saved many grateful citizens, patched up a dam, and Celestia knows what else is nothing but our beloved apprentice and all-around wonderful employee!"

"Uh, actually Ah was the one who stopped that there carriage from fallin' off the cliff an' Twahlight was the one who patched up the dam. But yeah, everythin' else was pure Pinkie Pie!" Applejack commented which made the other girls nod in agreement.

Pinkamena sniffled her tears and asked, "So... you aren't ashamed of me? And I'm sorry about Bundt Cake, I was worried if you had her stay with me, she'd..."

"Pinkie, don't worry. After you were sent to jail, the first thing your friends did was tell us everything. We then discovered that secret room you had your costume placed in, and that's how we finally realized after thinking over how your absences happened at the same time Mare-Do-Well did something that you and her were one and the same," Mrs. Cake explained.

"So they told you didn't they?" Pinkamena commented as she gave her friends a cold eye. The five ponies laughed nervously as four moved aside to signal out Twilight as the one responsible for ratting her out.

"Well, um, you didn't really Pinkie swear me to tell anyone else, didn't you? Heh heh heh.." she said nervously.

The pink pony smiled wickedly as she chuckled once in mock anger. "oh, I'll get you for this one, Sparkle. Count on it." This made everypony laugh except Twilight as she gulped and sweated nervously.

"Pinkie. We have decided to help you in your 'alternate job'. You are now allowed to leave whenever you wish to go into action. Don't worry if ponies start suspecting, we'll handle the excuses now," Mr. Cake explained.

"You can still work as our apprentice baker and daytime server. Bundt Cake will again take the night shift, but we will now give her a room to sleep in and not stay up here. If you told us all this earlier, we would have never done it in the first place!" added Mrs. Cake.

Twilight finally spoke up as she walked to Pinkamena. "You see, Pinkie? If you did what I tried to tell-"

"And don't forget me!" interrupted Rainbow Dash as she and the others likewise approached her.

The purple unicorn chuckled once. "Well, as all of us tried to tell you, you could have saved yourself a lot of worry and grief if you just simply talked things over. See? Keeping it hidden under the fears of losing everything you hold dear will only compound those worries until they explode. You can never keep your problems hidden. You have to talk and reach agreements so that everyone ends up winning in the end. That's what friendships are all about."

With that everypony in the room hugged Pinkamena tightly. The pony looked down once again as she started to shiver. They turned to face her wondering if she was able going to be ok. A return to her original bright pink coat along with her mane and tail poofing back into place with a big grin on her face was the reply as Pinkie Pie hugged them all.

"Oh thank you, girls! Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I'm so sorry for being so worried about all this. I promise I'll never keep secrets from you all ever again! This removes a ton of weight off my back and I feel oodles and noodles better!" she cried happily.

The hug kept on going until Pinkie shot up in the air in a spasm as electricity arched down her spine. She then faced the window with a stern gaze. Everypony wondered what was wrong with her until she turned to face them.

"It's time to go to work," she said with a smile and a glint in her eye.

"Good luck, Pinkie. We'll be rooting for you!" Mr. Cake said as he got up along with his wife.

"Don't forget to lock up when you leave, ok?" Mrs. Cake added as Pinkie got quickly dressed in her outfit and cape.

"Don't worry. We'll do it for her as we leave as well," Twilight responded as they all walked downstairs and headed for the door.

Pinkie sighed happily. The juggling act was finally over. Now she was refocused and ready to fight. By the extra tingle she felt on her spine that moment, she grinned fiercely knowing what was happening. The strong gaze didn't leave her face as she slipped the mask on and placed her hat on her head.

Back on the street, the seven ponies watched Mare-Do-Well leap out Pinkie's window and went jumping from rooftop to rooftop to her target. Twilight saw the Cakes look at the slowly fading form of their heroic employee and caught them shedding a single tear. They were never any more prouder than this very moment.

****************************

Shady grumbled angrily as he tried to unlock this new safe. Without an expendable accomplice like Citrus Squeeze, it was harder for him to see the dial's numbers so he had to work it even more slowly than usual to not go past the clicks before turning the mechanism. He finally managed to open the safe and was ready to grab a blue diamond necklace the Mayor kept hidden in there when the door slammed on him and nearly chopped off part of his hoof.

Looking back, he saw the angry-gazing form of Mare-Do-Well. Shady grumbled angrily. "So it's you again! This time I'm ready for you! Die, nag!" he then whipped out a knife from his saddlebag and clenched it with his teeth before rushing at her.

Mare-Do-Well stood ready as the balaclava-clad pony swung his knife at her. She dodged the first blow just fine followed by the followed three blows. Obviously, he was a complete novice at using that weapon and the vigilante decided to end this fight quickly and easily. With the next swing as his head turned sideways, she quickly swung a front hoof up at his unprotected jaw to land a quick jab causing him to lose the knife. She quickly followed the strike, by jumping up in the air using his body as a stepstool and landed right on his back that caused him to buckle under and fall. She ended the fight by landing her rump over his head with tremendous force, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Getting off from him, she quickly made her way to where the Mayor was sleeping and pounded on the door enough times to get the sleeping official to wake her up. Hearing her panicked hoofbeats approaching, she quickly jumped out the nearby window to escape.

She stood there on a rooftop overlooking the Mayor's residence as lights started to turn on, followed by several officers along with a jail cart arriving. The officers went in and came out seconds later with Shady in custody, placed his unconscious body on the cart and took him to jail. No doubt he'd soon confess and Rarity's Sun Star would be hopefully returned to her. Her last mistake finally has been corrected.

With a whip of her cape, she went on towards her next point of interest that evening.

****************************

Dear Princess Celestia:

How are you? This is me, Pinkie Pie! Or rather, my words Spike is writing in this scroll to you! These days, I learned a really super-neat lesson about Friendship. Sometimes, mean old worries can get the better of you, making you think crazy silly-dilly thoughts and causing you to do a bunch of a lot of things that could all have taken a detour to No-Town by a road called 'Understanding' if you just talk things over. But is the road really called 'Understanding' or 'By-Way # 5'? I always forget that!

Um, what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't jump to crazy conclusions about things just because the mean ol' worry monsters look and sound scary, sometimes talking and explaining things is the best way to scare those bad monsters away and you don't even need a night light! Twilight and the rest of my friends showed me just how super-duper fabulous this lesson is and that I should always keep it locked up in my heart, dig a hole, drop the key and forget all about where I buried it! And that's the truth!

Also, a hundred million billion trillion zillion thanks for helping me out when I was in jail. I will never ever break the law ever again if it means lying in that windigo-cold empty cell!

Your faithful funny subject,

Pinkie Pie

The Legend of Mare-Do-Well trots along.

To Be Continued

Comments

[JD2K]

First half of Chapter 5 is up. We explain more about a group previously mentioned in Chapter 1 amd we learn Pinkie about to make a humdinger of a choice. Hint:

Feedback always welcome!

This is gonna get interesting. Still loving the story, especially this cliffhanger, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I doubt Pinkie will go crazy like she did in "Party Of One", but she's still getting in way over her head.
And she needs to work on her logic. She thinks that if she reveals to the Cakes that she's Mare-Do-Well, they'll kick her out and fire her? She thinks that'll happen if they learn that she is the superhero that has stopped several crimes and likely saved lives? If the Cakes didn't like Mare-Do-Well or something then I'd understand, but REALLY?
Aside from that little issue, I am very much enjoying the story! Have some Spike Staches so you may provide us with moar!

[JD2K]

Thank you for the kind words, but I noticed I may have rushed in some parts and did some typos. Not to worry, they will be fixed in the second part when I delete Chapter 5a to fully integrate both halves of "A Juggling Act". This is as close to the "slice-of-life" formula of the series itself as I'll get for the first time.

Just stick around and I hope to have it all done by Christmas. I hope...

[Happy Bronie]

75089 I got to say something about this, I truly believe that you should not delete this chapter it really is showing how Pinkie is over "chewing" things and how this could have bad effects in the future so please don't delete this chapter it really is a awsome two parter.

75218 I think he meant he's going to combine Chapter 5a with the second, currently unwritten half.

[JD2K]

75244

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeex-actly!

[Taygon55]

I think even Bruce Wayne wouldn't be able to handle that. But anyways I really like this and cant wait to see not only Pinky but Mare-Do-Well evolve as she has to fight other, and eventually stronger, enemies. Another thing that I'm hoping to see is other vigilantes (maybe from the mane 6) pop up. But that might not happen for a long time, if at all.
Hope to see more soon!

[Happy Bronie]

75244 OH my bad, now I feel a little

[JD2K]

Chapter 5 is finally finished. It's a mite long but worth it!

Enjoy and please send feedback!

Referring to Pinkie as Pinkamena always creeps me out for some reason.
But awesome full chapter! I can seriously see this as an actual comic. Now, in the regular tradition of brony fans...

MOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!

[Happy Bronie]

Yaaaay! I'm soo glad that Pinkie got those mean worries solved.

[Alchemystudent]

This was well done, brinign forth images of what Peter Parker has to go through. However, I would be lying if I said that was my only reason for loving it. I also loved it because it really goes into depth of what a party planner like Pinkie has to go through and shows the different parties that she has to plan for.