Chapter Sixty-Seven: Pep Talk With Pinkie Pie

Getting up, Smokey took great care not to wake Fluttershy as he laid her back down on the couch and padded into the kitchen to pace the floor. Hands locked behind his back, his eyes scanned the cabinets, his mind wandering. Maybe after baking something would leave him tired enough to get some sleep, as long as he didn't make too much noise.

That's it! He would make cupcakes for each of his friends… even if most of them thought he was dangerous… Another pang filled his chest as he opened one of the cabinet doors to retrieve several boxes of red velvet cake mix.

A short while passed as Smokey rummaged through Fluttershy's kitchen. While he did so, a creaking came from the floorboards upstairs that trailed down the hall and staircase as someone descended.

The figure of a pink pony could be seen through the dim lighting as she tiptoed past Fluttershy, expressing surprise as she entered the kitchen.

"Smokey?" Pinkie Pie blearily addressed, clearly not expecting him to still be up… and certainly not with cake mix along with the additional ingredients and baking utensils.

Smokey's ear frills perked and flared. Setting down a large mixing bowl and whisk, he stood up right and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Hello, Miss Pinkie Pie. What are you doing up so late?"

"I was thirsty," she replied, her usual high energy not present and appearing abnormally subdued. Even her mane seemed flatter, though it retained its curls and had not gone completely straight. "And I came down for a glass of water."

She fixed her gaze upon the boxes of cake mix on the counter.

"Are you… baking a cake…?"

"I am actually going to make cupcakes for everypony." Smokey surveyed the amount of cake mix, making sure he had enough, before turning to Pinkie Pie. "Would you… like to help me?"

A smile dawned upon the mare's facial features and she nodded, bouncing over to assist the draconic being.

"Sure," she answered, her curls rising ever so slightly. She immediately raided the cabinets for cupcake pans and wrappers.

"Be as quiet as you can," he instructed the equine, pulling open a drawer for a spatula and a set of measuring spoons.

"Don't worry about that," she reassured, setting the pans down beside the bowl and mix and the wrappers on the other side. "I sometimes make cakes and cookies and brownies in the dead of night while the Cakes are sleeping to help prepare for the morning rush."

"And you manage to do that without waking anypony?" he inquired, even though he already knew the answer. Eyes surveying instructions on one of the boxes, he and Pinkie Pie got to work mixing the first batch together. "So… how long have you been working for the Cakes?"

"I've been working as an apprentice baker for the Cakes for years. I've learned so much from them-I even ran the shop by myself while the two of them were out on business!"

"That's nice. They must trust you very much with their store." A tiny pained smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he worked on breaking up the remaining clumps with the whisk. "And with their children."

"Yeah… The Cakes trusted me with a lot lately. I'm proud working at Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake even told me they consider me like a daughter to them." The pink mare paused her task of placing wrappers into one of the pans and lifted a hoof to brush away a tear that formed in her eye. With a warm smile, she turned back to Smokey. "I love them like my Mom and Dad. They're REALLY nice ponies."

The winged reptilian exhaled a depressed sigh.

"It's… too bad I will never watch my darling Chenoa grow up… Or hear her call me 'dada' for the first time. Tomorrow, I will be dead."

Pinkie Pie was silent for a long moment as she averted her eyes, then resumed her task. Setting in the last cupcake wrapper, she moved to his side and reached to rest her hoof on his arm.

"Smokey…" she started with a deep frown and gave him a quick hug. "Don't say things like that. You… you should try to be positive! I mean… at least… you'll be in a far better place. Without things like hunger or sadness or sickness… That's gotta be something, right?"

"I suppose so… And… I will at least see you all there someday, but…" He gave pause, clutching onto the whisk's handle until his knuckles paled. "It feels like far too long of a wait… How am I going to last that long until I get to hold Fluttershy or Chenoa or my animals again?"

The equine let him go and placed her hoof on his arm again.

"You're not even going to notice we're gone," she replied, her smile steadily returning. "That's what my Granny Pie always told me. You'll be having so much fun in paradise that the time will seem like a blur! I'm sure the afterlife will keep you busy until you and Flutters and Chenoa and the critters are united again."

"I… just want to be with them… That's all I want… I do not care if the rest of the world hates me…" Smokey turned his eyes to the direction of Fluttershy's sleeping form. "Being with her… With Chenoa… With the animals and the rest of you… That is paradise."

The frown reappeared on Pinkie Pie's visage and she went to the next pan.

"… It's too bad things had to work out this way," she said, her mane going flat again, but not to its straight length. "Fluttershy was very lucky to have you."

"I believe I'm the one who was lucky," stated the dragon as he carefully poured controlled portions of batter into each of the paper chambers. "How is Miss Fluttershy lucky?"

Pinkie Pie smiled again.

"Really? You have to ask? You're really nice to her, Smokey. The few times Fluttershy's been over to drop off and pick up Chenoa she gushes about you. Smokey this, Smokey that, Smokey's so gracious, Smokey's so wonderful." She giggled. "I'm beginning to suspect she likes you."

Smokey paused, clawed hand clasping another box of cake mix. Picking it up to open it, he cast his wide-eyed stare to Pinkie Pie.

"Likes me? I… don't know about that."

It seemed quite obvious she held him in high regard. If she didn't, she wouldn't have engaged in such intimate cuddles, or allowed him to kiss her all over her face.

"I wouldn't know for sure." She shrugged. "She talked a lot about you the last couple of days looking all googley-eyed."

The curly-maned mare opened the preheated oven to slide the full pan inside.

"That doesn't mean she likes me in that manner. She could just see me as a dear friend."

Despite what Pinkie Pie told him, he just couldn't grasp the possibility that the best friend he ever had possessed feelings for him outside of friendship.

"Maybe not."

Pinkie Pie sighed, plopping down in front of the oven to stare at it for a few quiet moments. She supposed it didn't matter, but she wasn't sure of what else to say. She had hoped her insight would bring a smile to his face, and felt upset that her attempt failed.

Then again, she surmised it would be difficult for most individuals to face death with a smile on their face…

Throwing ingredients into the same bowl and stirring, Smokey's eyes trailed back to Fluttershy. Emitting a forlorn sigh, he felt his chest clench painfully.

"It's going to be so hard to let her, Chenoa, and the others go…"

The mare was back at his side, patting his arm with her hoof.

"Don't worry about it. Ol' Auntie Pinkie will make sure nothing bad happens to Fluttershy, or to Chenoa. She's got all of us she can rely on."

The reptile removed his eyes from the pegasus to rest them on the pink pony beside him. Forcing a smile, he nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you, Miss Pinkie. Fluttershy and Chenoa… and the animals… they mean so much to me…"

"I know," she said, sympathy heavy in her tonality. "I know they do. I won't let you down, Smokey. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

He let out a hallow laugh, retaining his foraged smile. Ceasing his act of stirring, he reached to pat the pink mare on the head.

"I know you won't let me down. I trust you completely."

Grinning, Pinkie Pie sprang to her feet.

"Well, then! What are we just standing around for? We've got cupcakes to bake, and the sun will be rising in a few hours! We want this to be a surprise, don't we?"

Smokey nodded, providing a legitimate smile this time.

"Yes, let us get baking."

Scooping the second batch of batter into another cupcake pan, he brought it and placed it down onto one half of the stove top so it would be ready to go straight into the oven once the first batch was done. Once they were done, he pulled out the pan and set it down on a wire rack Pinkie Pie fished out to cool.

"How many are we making?" she asked.

"Seven dozen," the draconic creature relayed, snagging a third box and positioned himself back in front of the mixing bowl. "One dozen for each of you."

"Seven dozen?" Pinkie Pie stared incredulously at the remaining boxes of cake mix. "I didn't think Fluttershy had so much…"

"That is because I gave her some of my money to buy it." While it was true he had been wanting to make cupcakes for all of his friends, it upset him that this would be the only opportunity to do so. "I wish I had time to make all these recipes I collected over the years for you all to try."

"You ARE an amazing chef!" she complimented. "Remember when we bust down your door? The lunch you made after we helped fix your place up was one of the best meals I've had in a long time!"

She paused as a thought popped into her mind.

"If Rarity were awake, she'd say something like 'Darling, the world will weep at the loss of your culinary talents'," she said, emulating the alabaster unicorn down to a near-flawless imitation.

Smokey couldn't help but laugh. The sudden imagery of Fluttershy sleeping on the couch cut his laughter short. Stepping away from the counter, he leaned out of the kitchen to check on her. The yellow mare stirred and mumbled "I don't cook that well, Rarity…", but otherwise remained silent.

Pinkie Pie let out a soft giggle.

"… Fluttershy still sleeping?"

Ear frills expanding, Smokey indulged in Fluttershy's angelic voice. Nodding his answer, he directed himself back into the kitchen.

"Yes, she is still sleeping."

"Good. Fluttershy can be a light sleeper. I'd hate for her to-" She was cut off by a yawn. "Wake up now."

Catching Pinkie Pie's yawn, he turned to her with a concerned frown.

"Miss Pinkie, if you are tired, you don't have to continue assisting me."

"I am feeling sleepy. I just meant to get some water…" Leaning in, she nuzzled against his side. "I'm sorry, Smokey. Now that I'm up, I don't want to go back to bed…"

Smiling a little bit, he twisted his mid-section to hug the mare.

"You will all forget about me one day…"

"No!" Pinkie Pie pouted, pulling out of the dragon's embrace to shoot him a hard stare. "I could never forget any of my friends! Never ever!"

"Miss Pinkie, please keep it down," he shushed her then checked on Fluttershy a second time. Relieved that the pink equine's amplified voice didn't wake her, he returned to the kitchen. "You will forget me eventually. I'm not… that special."

"No!" she repeated, though keeping her voice fairly quiet, jumping onto the counter to reach his eye level. "You ARE special! You saved Fluttershy's life! You've been a friend to her in ways none of us ever could! You've made Fluttershy smile and sing like I've never seen her do before… How can you say you're not special?"

Smokey widened his eyes at this revelation. Did he really do all of that to Fluttershy.

"I… I did? You have never seen Miss Fluttershy do any of that?"

"Not how I've seen her do it in the past couple of days! Ever since the two of you decided you were going on that date, Flutters has been dancing on air!"

"Really?" The dragon's eyes twinkled, only to frown with his ear frills drooping at the sides of his head. "It's too bad we'll never go on that date…"

Pinkie Pie breathed a melancholic sigh.

"… Yeah."

There was another silence between them that was soon broken by a sniffle and a choke from the mare. Bending over, Smokey wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

"I… it'll be all right, Miss Pinkie…"

Pinkie Pie sniffled again and returned the hug.

"I know… I don't like seeing the friends I love leave. Even if we'll see each other again. I never liked goodbyes."

The word love echoed within the dragon's brain, and it continued to do so when he turned his head back to Fluttershy. He knew he had developed feelings for her, but… love? It was such a powerful word. Had he really fallen for her? He didn't have much time to ponder this as a gentle ping from the oven alerted him that the batch was ready to be taken out.

After Pinkie Pie removed the second batch from the oven and a third was put in, Smokey got to work mixing the fourth. Did he really love Fluttershy? It made sense to him. Just the thought of her sent his heart aflutter. Her hugs mad him feel warm and comfortable, as if he belonged in the hold of her forelegs. Her eyes… Oh, her eyes… They pulled him into a transfixion and evoked a yearning desire-the desire to nuzzle her, hold her and never let go…

He didn't want to let her, Chenoa, or his friends go, but he had to…

Still feeling drowsy, the mare was unusually quiet as she watched Smokey, unable to think of anything else. What else WAS there to say?

"Thank you for your help, Miss Pinkie," Smokey said after a tense silence. "Um… It's been a blessing to have met you."

A smile tipped the mare's lips.

"It's been a real pleasure, Smokey," she responded with a strange calm, sounding almost sedate. Accepting. "I hope that… wherever you end up, you brighten up the lives-or, afterlives, of those there."

"I… I will certainly try… I… hope they'll like my cooking." Imagining himself in a heavenly atmosphere, surrounded by bountiful ingredients, cooking and serving meals for the departed seemed to make the dragon feel slightly better. "But… I'm not going through those gates in the sky alone. I will wait at the entrance for you all."

Pinkie Pie reverted back to her saddened expression. Getting a glass like she originally intended, she filled it with water. Downing it quickly, she set the glass in the sink and slipped her forelegs around his waist in one last hug. Whispering an apology and a "goodnight", she slunk away and exited the kitchen, looking as if she were trying not to cry again.

"Goodnight, Miss Pinkie," Smokey said, feeling a little cold after the embrace was broken. Once the pony was out of his sight, he got back to work.