Mark

by xCRAZYxFACEx

Ch.2: Gingerbread House

Mark

Chapter 2: Gingerbread House

Ponyville, for all intents and purposes, looked deserted. All doors were shut, windows and blinds were closed, and some ponies had even found the time to nailboard their houses in order to ward off intruders. Mark shook his head at the sight. I’m not a dangerous pony . . . well, not too dangerous anyways. There’s really no reason for these ponies to freak out so quickly over a strange looking pony. Is this town superstitious, or has something like this happened before?

Mark looked up at the pink pony still bouncing in front of him and drew in a breath, preparing to ask her a question.

“No, the town’s not superstitious. Everyone’s just a teensy-weensy bit hyperactive, and maybe a bit stressed out. We’ve had a cockatrice terrorize the ponies living near the forest, parasprites eat the town, even an Ursa Minor who rampaged through the streets! Oh, and one time, Nightmare Moon interrupted the Summer Sun Celebration and threatened to plunge Equestria into darkness!” Pinkie finished up her spiel with a happy grin, unaware that she had managed to shock Mark into complete silence.

What!?!? THIS is where Nightmare Moon made her appearance two years ago? And all those other incidents!? My Celestia, Ponyville is more dangerous than I thought! What if. . . wait, how did Pinkie know what I was going to ask?

Mark looked up from the ground he had absentmindedly been staring at and looked at the pink mare, who was grinning at him in an almost painfully cheery way.

“Because I look at what the author writes and then surprise all my friends with what I know! It never gets old!” She giggled. “Of course, I only look when I’m not doing anything really complex, like while we were heading to Sugarcube Corner!”

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. So can you hear me....er, read what I’m saying right now?

Pinkie’s grin slowly slid off her face as she looked at Mark, who seemed to be frowning at her. After a few seconds, she realized what he was trying to do and began thinking, her eyes drifting off up and to the right. After a few more seconds, her eyes found his again.

“Yup! But like I said, only when I’m not doing anything.” She cringed slightly at the look Mark was giving her. “You’re not. . . mad, or anything. . . right?” Pinkie did her best to look apologetic while under the red pony’s withering gaze.

After a tense moment, Mark dropped his stare and sighed heavily. “No, Pinkie, I’m not mad. It’s just . . . unsettling. Would you mind not doing it to me, at least when I’m around?”

Pinkie face immediately began to beam again. “Sure thing! Sorry, I just thought with your talent you might understand it a bit better than most. Usually, they chalk it up to ‘It’s just Pinkie’, but I wouldn’t DARE to tell them what’s actually going on!”

Mark was suddenly reminded of the first thing Pinkie had said to him. It’s not nice to read other people’s thoughts. He was still confused how she knew so much about him.

“So, Pinkie, you know what my ‘special talent’ is?”

“Yup! I know you can read other ponies’ thoughts a bit, instantly know who they are and what they do, know pretty much everything about them given enough time!”

Mark paled slightly. So she knows. “And... that doesn’t bother you in the slightest?”

Pinkie cocked her head toward the red pony. “Of course not! Everypony has a special talent, and yours just happens to be knowing every little detail about somepony’s life without them knowing it!” A thought popped into Pinkie’s head, and her face reflected her state of contemplation. “Of course, I can understand why some ponies would be upset about that. But then again, I know you have a good heart! Besides, hating somepony because of their cutie mark is just ridiculous!”

With her reassurances complete, Pinkie spun around and started to saunter off to Sugarcube Corner again. Mark stood still, unsure what to think of his new found friend. He still had one question to ask.

“Uh, so Pinkie...” he started.

The next thing he knew, Pinkie was standing right in front of him, her face mere inches from his.

“Yesssssssssss?”

Mark immediately shuffled back a few steps before continuing.

“So, your friends know about some of the things you can do, but not the specifics?”

She nodded vigorously, her frilly pink mane bouncing around her head chaotically.

“Then, do you have experience with ponies becoming suspicious of you?”

She nodded with even more vigor.

“Yeah! I remember this one time when Twilight tried to discover the mystery behind my Pinkie Sense!” Pinkie Pie was becoming more and more excited as she recalled one of her more exciting - and entertaining - days. Mark looked dumbly at her, mouthing ‘Pinkie . . . .Sense?’

Pinkie continued on, not noticing her companion’s confusion. “It was SOOOOO funny! I read what the authors had written weeks in advance, so I decided to have some fun with what they had planned out for me! I changed the story so Twilight would be constantly checking my every move, and then be surprised by whatever my Pinkie Sense detected!”

Mark struggled to follow the bubbly mare’s line of reasoning. Authors? What in blazes is she talking about....

Pinkie continued on, gaining steam as she retold the outrageous tale. “I would have apologized, but then Twilight would have been even MORE suspicious of me! Anyways, I also changed it so we would visit Froggy Bottom Bog and find a giant hydra! I always wanted to see one, but I didn’t know they could be that big! And the best part about the whole thing,” Pinkie drew in a breath, “was when Twilight burst into flames after learning my ‘doozy’ was her simply accepting my Pinkie Sense!”

With her story concluded, Pinkie burst out into laughter and collapsed on the ground, her body shaking with amusement.

Mark stood silently. He had stopped listening a while back, and his mind had gone into a very temporary coma as his brain tried to comprehend the mere possibility that his life - and maybe all of Equestria - was preordained, created by all-powerful authors. His brain clocked into overtime, figurative steam pumping furiously as it tried to accomplish the hopeless task. It soon began to collapse from exertion, and failed miserably.

Mark, free from the burden of overthinking his existence, suddenly came to. The first thing he saw was Pinkie rolling on the ground, laughing raucously.

He was nothing if not confused.

As Pinkie’s laughter abated, she noticed the pony standing above her, looking like he had put his mind in a blender and set it to frappe. Which, in all likelihood, had just happened. She sighed.

“Alright, mister ‘I-can’t-understand-a-simple-prank’, it’s time to go home.”

The pink mare got onto her hooves and trotted behind Mark and began to push his rump towards Sugarcube Corner.

----------

As it were, Mark was curious again.

“Why is the bakery made of gingerbread?”

Pinkie groaned, and her voice revealed the apathy with which she regarded the irksome question.

“The bakery isn’t made of gingerbread, silly. The Cakes designed it that way so customers would immediately know that it’s a bakery. Or, at the very least, be surprised enough to come inside.” With her explanation complete, Pinkie beckoned for her companion to follow her inside.

Once inside, Pinkie told Mark he could put his cloak on the rack that stood next to the door. As he proceeded to do so, she called out in a cheery voice, “Mr. and Mrs. Cake, I’m BAAAAaaack! And I brought someone for you to meet!” She turned to the weary pony standing behind her and said, “I’m going to introduce you to the Cakes and tell them you’ll be staying with us for a while!”

Mark, for his part, simply waited patiently. He couldn’t help but feel nervous about the coming encounter. Will they accept me? Will they agree to let me stay? This won’t get Pinkie in trouble, will it? His mind soon went clear as the blue mare and yellow stallion entered the room, their cutie marks clearly visible to him. Carrot Cake and Cup Cake. Owners of Sugarcube Corner, landlord for Pinkie Pie. Baking is their passion, their life. They are very nice, patient - explains how they can keep up with Pinkie Pie. They regard Pinkie as a daughter of sorts, but they have two children. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, who - He shook his head. He had to clear his mind.

Pinkie seized the initiative. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake, this is Mark. He’ll be staying with us for a while, if you don’t mind. And don’t worry, I’ll have him help around the bakery!” She was absolutely beaming, in an obvious attempt to persuade her landlords to let him stay.

The Cakes returned the smile; he, awkwardly and with little enthusiasm; she, with warmth and genuine appreciation. She spoke up first, breaking the ice as best she could.

“Oh, hello Mark. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure it won’t be a problem accommodating you. After all, it’s the first time Pinkie’s brought home a boyfriend!”

Mark returned the smile, and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I’ll be sure to help as best I -” He paused, suddenly comprehending what she had just said. “Wait, boyfriend?”

Mrs. Cake beamed. “Of course! Pinkie has only ever had friends visit, and never a stallion! Oh, I hope you two are happy!”

Mark felt his stomach drop and his face turn bright red from embarrassment. He found it extremely difficult to not stammer. “But I... I’m not... she’s... WHAT?” His voice raised slightly as the Cakes looked on with some measure of confusion.

Pinkie, who had been containing her giggles, suddenly burst out laughing. The look on Mark’s face was just hilarious!

“Hahahaha! Oh, Mrs. Cake! We’re not dating! Hehehehehe! I just met him, he’s new here! Oh, my. . . hehe!” She paused as she took a deep breath, calming herself down. “He’s just a friend, not matter how handsome he is.” Pinkie winked at him. Mark gulped, too embarrassed to say anything.

“He really only needs a place to stay. He’s a traveler, and he’ll be gone in a few weeks anyways.” Pinkie finished explaining her companion’s situation.

Mrs. Cake blushed slightly, the red glow easily showing on her blue face. She turned to Mark. “Oh, dear. I’m terribly sorry about that. I just made an assumption.” She looked down, collecting her thoughts. After a moment, she looked up again, her blush fading. “You’re more than welcome to stay here, so long as you help Pinkie as she works. Any friend of hers is a friend of ours.”

Pinkie was grinning at the good news, and Mark was weakly smiling. Despite the awkwardness, he was glad things were going well.

Mr. Cake, his expression filled with mirth, took the momentary lull in the conversation to throw in his own two bits. “I’m glad Pinkie made another friend. And don’t worry, you staying here won’t cause any trouble. Do you have anything that needs to be taken upstairs?”

The dull red pony glanced at his pack and quickly answered, “No. Everything I own is in this bag. Thank you for the offer, though.”

Pinkie hastily grabbed Mark’s tail with her mouth and dragged him up the stairs, muttering a sentence that sounded a bit like, “Come on! I’ll show you your room, it’ll be right across the hall from mine!”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake watched as Mark was pulled away by the energetic pink blur known as Pinkie. The yellow stallion whispered to his wife, “I hope they don’t do anything rash.” Mrs. Cake blushed furiously and glared at her husband. “Carrot Cake! You know they are only friends! Honestly, saying something like that right after we put him through the grinder!”

Carrot Cake simply looked at her and said, “You embarrassed him, not me. Besides,” he continued, flicking his tail at her as he walked toward the kitchen, “You remember what happened at prom all those years ago.”

Mrs. Cake blushed even harder. “Wait just a minute, mister!”

----------

A few hours had passed since Pinkie had shown Mark his room. It was lightly furnished, with a small table, two chairs, paintings that depicted mouth-watering desserts, and - most importantly - a large, comfy bed. He felt like he could cry from sheer joy. As the sun slowly began to descend past the horizon, the burgundy pony couldn’t help but feel anticipation. A bed! A real bed! Not some old mattress laid atop some two by fours, but an honest to Celestia bed! I. Am. In. Heaven.

Mark sighed as he let himself plop onto the bed. He rolled onto one side, enjoying the feeling of the soft cloth on his fur. He would have fallen asleep then and there, had there not been a knock at the door.

Mark looked at the door, and sighed. Better go answer it. He stood up and walked to the door and opened it. “Yes?”

To his confusion, there was no one standing in front of him. He looked to his left and to his right, still seeing nothing. He shrugged, and turned around to crawl back into bed. At that moment, he felt something quite heavy drop onto his back. He instantly turned his head and saw a pink pony straddling his back. What the...

“Yeehaw! Ride ‘em, cowpony!”

Mark, not knowing what else to do, started to run. More than anything he felt panic and confusion, and it showed through his voice as he yelled, “Pinkie Pie, what are you doing!?”

Pinkie Pie, being Pinkie Pie, shouted gleefully “I’m having some fun! Come on, you can buck harder than that! Try and throw me off! Actually, wai - WHOA!!” By that point, Mark had done several laps around his small room and was eager to get the rambunctious pony off of his back. To that end, he threw his weight so that Pinkie Pie would be forced to fly over his head and onto the bed - which she did, and landed with a small ‘oof!’ She looked up at Mark and chuckled.

“You should try bucking some apples at Applejack’s farm - I’m sure you’d be a natural at it!”

Mark looked at her inquisitively. She quickly realized that he didn’t know who Applejack was. She laughed it off, saying, “Applejack’s a friend of mine, and I was just joking.” Pinkie got off of the bed, and continued to talk.

“Anyways, the reason I dropped by was to say goodnight. I’m going to be getting you up super-duper early tomorrow, so I’m telling you to get a good night’s rest!”

Mark raised an eyebrow and snarkily replied, “So, do ponies in this town always say ‘goodnight’ by riding each other like workhorses?”

Pinkie gasped, seemingly offended. “Of course not! I was just having some fun, silly!” She paused, and brought her hoof up to her chin. “You know, you really need to learn to chill out.”

It took all of Mark’s willpower to try and not say what came to his mind that instant. Alas, it wasn’t enough. I hope this doesn’t bite me in the rear later...

“Says the pink blur that’s perpetually bouncing off the walls in a sugar high,” Mark deadpanned.

Judging by the pink mare’s glare, Mark knew he had made a mistake. He was about to verbally back up, when he was cut off by a giggle.

Pinkie, who had dropped her intense glare, was now giggling at what Mark had said. She started to fully laugh, surprising the red pony standing in front of her. Her laugh finished its crescendo, then started to fall again. She soon was reduced to chortling, and then stopped with an intermittent giggle. Mark didn’t know what to say, or whether to apologize for his rude comment. He didn’t have to, as she began to speak.

“Man, the last time someone made me the butt of a joke was. . . gee, I don’t know. Rainbow Dash has pranked me a few times, though, and those were all hilarious!” Pinkie Pie was grinning cheerfully.

Mark smiled carefully, unsure of himself. Wait, she isn’t mad? “So Pinkie, you’re not mad about what I said?”

She immediately replied, “Nope! Only a meanie-pants bully would say something like that and mean it, and I know you’re not a meanie-pants! And even if you were, I would just ignore it and take it in stride! Giggle at the ghostly, my Granny Pie always used to say!”

Mark nodded slowly, being careful so that he didn’t provoke the pink menace in front of him from launching into another story. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t upset you. I was just making a joke. Anyways, Pinkie, I really should be going to sleep. See you tomorrow?” Oh please, oh please say...

“Eeyup! See you later, Marky!” With that, Pinkie turned around and trotted out the door, closing it behind her.

He sighed. At least she’s gone. Only so much crazy one can take in a single day. I really hope things go well with her tomorrow, without any fuss or trouble. Alright; time for a well-deserved rest. With that, Mark plopped onto his bed dozed off.

----------

Unbeknownst to him, Pinkie had frozen right outside his door, hearing his thoughts. As he fell asleep, she lowered her gaze. Her mane seemed to deflate slightly, and a grimace came over her face. She walked slowly into her bedroom. She picked up her pet alligator, Gummy, and brought him over to her bed. She maneuvered herself into her blankets and held Gummy close to her chest. She sighed.

“Oh, Gummy... what am I gonna do?”

Comments

[xCRAZYxFACEx]

Sad Pinkie is sad.

[EnderPon]

I love this idea, very original, intriguing all the way. Have a Pinkie. Yes, Pinkie, I picked you.

[xCRAZYxFACEx]

1027322 Muahaha! I now own . . . a chicken! And a new chapter, you say? Well, I never wish to dissapoint...

1027439 Spike is quite fancy. Thank you, sir. He shall only dine on the finest gems, rest assured.

1030034 Oh, hey Pinkie! Yeah, sorry about what's going in the story. You know what's coming...

Anyways, thanks for the comments, guys!