Floor 59
April 14 – Year 2
Pinkie Pie skipped along the road as it wound through the hills. She was getting muddy, which both Rarity and Diemond would not be happy about. Especially since she was purposely jumping into the chocolate puddles when they came along.
Several rocks rolled in front of her, coming off the hilltop. They were of varying size and color. She stopped to chat with them.
"Good Morning VRPP," the biggest one, Papa Rock, greeted her. He had no mouth since rocks didn't have mouths. Rocks having mouths would be silly. "The rock candy harvest is in, but the Taffy King wants it for himself. Will you help us?"
"Sure!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "I love you guys. And I keep my licorice sword sharp and ready. But you guys seriously need to figure out a better way to protect yourselves. One day, I won't be here to help out."
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"What is that?" Papa rock asked, as concerned as a rock could be.
"Oh that beeping? It's just my morning alarm. I can get up later.” Pinkie Pie drew her licorice sword while striking a valiant pose. “Time to vanquish my old nemesis, the Taffy King!"
"You can save us later. You have to save yourself and your friends first."
"Awe! But-"
"Not buts! Go! Real life needs you VRPP!"
Pinkie Pie opened her eyes with a sigh. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Now she had to be AFCK. And AFCK was boring. Pinkie Pie reminded herself that AFCK was outside Pinkie Pie and she was still Pinkie Pie inside. She finally rolled out of bed and sat down at her desk. She finished last night’s cupcake, which was sitting on her desk where she had nursed it last night.
After that, she popped her cooking outfit on. Then she skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, passing Knightstar and Bladescape in the guild hall on the way. She grabbed her apron off its hook in the kitchen and tied it on. AFCK grabbed the bowl of dressing flour off of the counter and tossed a handful in air, sprinkling it all over herself. She continued until she was happy with her final layer. Once she was fully dressed, she began to make porridge.
While that cooked, she pulled out a knife and tapped it on different fruits so that they were nicely sliced up. Cutting fruit in SAO was boring. She couldn't make fruit art or fruit opera.
Pinkie Pie hummed as she grabbed baking flour, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and something that mimicked the taste of vanilla. Real scones required more ingredients to make, but SAO scones didn't. After a quick stir, she was putting them in the oven. They wouldn't take long to bake.
Pinkie Pie grabbed the cut fruit and skipped it to the dining room. When she got back, she checked the scones. They hadn't baked at all.
She laughed out loud to herself. "Oh Pinkie Pie, you're so silly. The oven has to be turned on to work. When will you ever learn?"
The giant pot of porridge was done cooking, so Pinkie Pie lowered the heat and periodically stirred it to keep it hot while the scones baked. In between, she juggled the jam-jars over to the dining room. Her best was 7 jars in the air. She put Dash's favorite jam in front of her usual seat.
Pinkie Pie sat on the kitchen counter and chomped down on some fruit and a cupcake for breakfast while the scones baked. She didn't always eat with them, particularly if she was behind and needed to make lunch. Either way, she always snuck what treats she could that were not approved breakfast foods.
It wasn't much longer before the scones were all baked. Pinkie Pie let them cool while she brought the porridge to the table. She loaded up two trays of scones and transported them to the dining room. Dash was there, and so were Twilight and Sunset. Dash was always first to gobble up as much food as she could get away with before she had to wait for seconds.
Astro arrived with Rarity in tow. Rarity was annoyed and had been yelling. Fluttershy had snuck in with Colorra. Kiefer and Lessa came in together, as usual, and Jolton was right behind them. AJ was last, which was no surprise.
Pinkie Pie grabbed the empty dishes she could and took them to the kitchen. After a few taps, they were clean and dry. It took nothing for her to pack them lunch and some snacks for the day. She packed an extra cupcake for Kirito. She changed into her armor and axe in the kitchen and met the others, ready for the day.
And the day meant a hike out to the labyrinth on Floor 59 and fighting some baddies so they could fight the final baddy and conquer the floating castle. Then she could finally have real sweets again. Real sugar. The thought of real sugar once again made her drool.
Pinkie Pie found walking in SAO boring. So she bounced as she thought about jello. And ice cream. Neither of which existed in SAO. Yet. They were on her list to find out how to make them. She had learned to make cheesecake, and cupcakes, sprinkles, but not the kind that exploded like confetti, and so many other treats. She was confident she would figure out how to make the others treats.
Pinkie Pie was in a party with Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Lessa. The catacombs didn’t scare Pinkie Pie. But she did stop bouncing and focused on the task at hand. As they went through them, she still couldn’t find any cats or combs. Not even any pictures of cats. Or pictures of combs.
When the skeletons appeared, their shields didn’t have any cats on them and they didn’t have combs, let alone hair. Still, they were baddies and the baddies had to die. Pinkie Pie skipped into battle, hopping out of the way of any attacks, unleashing Geode Splitter on the shadows and skeletons. Whenever she could, she put her Martial Arts Skill to use punching the skeletons. Not every attack was as powerful as her “Rock Candy Smash.”
After the battle, once they'd entered the safe zone, Pinkie Pie distributed their lunches. She sat down and ate her own. It was gone quickly and she pulled out her fife. She fiddled around with it. But not like a fiddle. It was a fife after all. She was still trying to learn to play “Awesome As I Want To Be.” Being the Rainbooms' drummer did not help her remember how any of them played the song. She usually just banged away, losing track of the rest of them.
Her knee wobbled and Pinkie Pie knew someone was coming. She looked down the way and saw Kirito coming. He was dressed all in black like he was supposed to be. He wasn’t called “The Black Swordsman” because he wore white. Or pink. Or chartreuse. Or any other color, really.
Pinkie Pie put away her fife and bounced up. She pulled Kirito’s bag out of her menu. Kirito was almost done eating his normal, plain food.
“Cupcake!” Pinkie Pie offered with a big grin. “I know you want one. A certifiably delicious Wondercolt Cupcake! You know you want it.” She wiggled her eyebrows to entice him.
“Sure,” Kirito shrugged. “I’ve heard good things about these.” Kirito took a bite. “And now I know why. Klein wasn’t kidding when he said they melted in your mouth. Well, I have to get going.”
“Have a good day!” Pinkie Pie grinned as she waved goodbye.
It was definitely a good day for her. The legendary Kirito ate one of her cupcakes. That was one of the things Pinkie Pie had on her list of things to do before the game was beaten. Whenever someone enjoyed her treats, be it in VR, I.R.L., or Equestria, it made Pinkie Pie feel so good that she thought she might explode.
After more fighting and then finally running into Fuurinkazan, Pinkie Pie skipped into HQ and straight to the kitchen. She popped her cooking outfit on, and then the apron, and then the perfect amount of dressing flour, and only then she was finally ready to cook.
For starters, she had to bake more cupcakes. While those baked, she got a stew going, along with two meat pies, and a noodle dish. Then it was back to preparing food for the next day, for all of them. Fuurinkazan probably only wanted to clear the Labyrinth with them to eat her food. But, they appreciated her food, and Pinkie Pie loved that.
“Need any help?” Joltron asked, coming into the kitchen.
“Yes!” Pinkie Pie laughed. “Take these rolls and this butter to the table. I'll have more ready in ten minutes.”
Pinkie Pie pulled the cupcakes out of the oven to cool. She put another batch in. She would whip the icing up after dinner.
With dinner cooked, Joltron and Astro helped Pinkie Pie move everything over to the table. It was eaten quickly. The Wondercolts were not very vocal about their thanks anymore, but their enjoyment still lifted Pinkie Pie’s spirits. She knew the game was tough on them, and they didn't have a Sugarland mind to escape to like she did. She liked being a constant in their life. They forgot to thank her because she was reliable at provided them good, well balanced meals. And that was what they needed. Their focus should be on the game, not thanking her for what she did.
Joltron helped wash the dishes while Pinkie Pie continued to make food for the next day. While she waited for more things to bake, Pinkie Pie began to once again work on playing "Awesome as I Want to Be." She still had a long way to go.
Once everything was done, Pinkie Pie hung up her apron and headed to take a bath before going up to her room. She had baked, which meant flour. She had to get the flour off somehow, and that meant a quick bath.
Dried off and in her sleepwear, Pinkie Pie opened her menu. She popped out six cupcakes and set them in a neat row on her desk. She began to eat one as she thought of everything she was missing back home. She continued to eat and think. Both about real life, virtual life, and pony life.
Pinkie Pie knew she was missing school. She knew getting out of the hospital bed when she woke up to that reality wasn't going to be easy. She was very aware that all three of her were getting old with each day they spent in here. Each day she spent in here made AFCK older and stronger, but it made Real World Pinkie Pie older and weaker. What her being stuck in here was doing to her pony self was something Pinkie Pie hated to think about. All she could come up with was horrible things.
She loved Aincrad. It was an amazing place, if she factored out the absence of real sugar. If it wasn't a death game, it would be one of the best things in the world. But it was a death game. And that changed everything.
Pinkie Pie set the last bite of the cupcakes down. She had just remembered why she got up each day. Food was fun, but friends were funtastic. And her funtastic friends needed her awesome axe alongside them to beat this game. That was the best thing about this game: She got to fight alongside her friends. Without them, it would be boring. Owning her own bakery or kitchen would be fun, because that meant more players could enjoy her food, but it never would be the same fun as swinging her axe beside Bladescape's sword or Diemond's shield. Or really, any of the Wondercolts.
Pinkie Pie flopped onto her bed. She rolled the covers up over her body. After a quick yawn, Pinkie Pie slipped into dreams.
“Ready?” Pinkie Pie asked Papa Rock as she drew her licorice sword. “Cause I think it is time for me to once again meet my arch enemy, the Taffy King. FOR THE CANDY ROCKS AND THEIR FAMILIES!”
Bladescape (SS): Lvl 79 – Two-Handed Sword – Search – Weapon Defense – Leather Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Sprint – Acrobatics – Blade Throwing – Extended Weight Carry
Knightstar (TS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Equipment Appraisal – Parry – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Search – Armor Pierce
Thunderborne (RBD): Lvl 72 – Rapier – Sprint – Acrobatics – Armor Pierce – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Leather Armor – Weapon Defense – Extended Weight Carry – Search
Backbreaker (AJ): Lvl 75 – Heavy Shield – One-Handed War Hammer – Extended Weight Carry – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Fishing – Search – Martial Arts – Acrobatics
AFCK(PP): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Axe – Parry – Cooking – Weapon Defense – Martial Arts – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Thrown Weapon – Musical Instrument
Diemond (R): Lvl 72 – Heavy Shield – Mace – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Heavy Metal Armor – Tailoring – Light Metal Armor Forging – Heavy Metal Armor Forging – Jewelry Making – Extended Weight Carry
Doombunny (FS): Lvl 69 – One-Handed Dagger – First Aid – Hide – Search – Listening – Battle Regeneration – Fighting Spirit – Familiar Communication (Colorra) – Drug Mixing – Reveal
Astro (PS): Lvl 72 – Two-Handed Spear - Purchase Negotiation – Armor Pierce – Acrobatics – First Aid – Light Metal Armor – Battle Regeneration – Weapon Defense – Parry – Extended Wight Carry
Kiefer: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Curved Blade – Parry – Weapon Defense – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Light Metal Armor – Slash Weapon Forging – Katana – Martial Arts
Lessa: Lvl 69 – One-Handed Sword – Shield – Light Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Equipment Repair – Metal Equipment Repairing – Armor Pierce – Search
Joltron: Lvl 73 – One handed Axe – Heavy Shield – Heavy Metal Armor – First Aid – Battle Regeneration – Metal Refining – Blunt Weapon Forging – One Handed Weapon Creation – Two Handed Weapon Creation – Extended Weight Carry
This makes me think that Pinkie is a constant. Equestrian Pinkie and Human Pinkie are one and the same.
Well here, AFCK does seem to be pretty sane right? Or at least as sane as Pony Pinky is.
Even Pinkie has a hard time remaining optimistic and sane in this situation. The way she refers to her pony counterparts makes me wonder if this has any direct effect on her in some way.
10219035
Good. That was a good part of what I wanted to show. It is Pinkie Pie. She isn't sane the way most people are. She has a unique, and sometimes very deep, way of viewing the world. Yes, she will sleep when you play a lullaby in a battle, but she also is quite together and focused. She knows what is at stake.
Yaaaa she got speinklez
She seems sane, right? Or as sane as Pinkie can be.
10219109
Yes! That was one of the points of this chapter for her. She is sane.
10219035
That is not a high bar
10219020
So, my friend has a theory. She reads the story on Archive of Our Own.
So um, just wanted to state my friend's theory since they are very similar.
Well our pink girl handling this situation quite okay comparing with the others at leats.
Fluttershy had snuck in with Colorra. - Wow, AFCK actually noticed Doombunny, I'm not sure if that's impressive, scarry, or par for the course.
I'm glad to see that Pinkie is focusing more on making her friends happy and supporting them rather than going completely insane... Though it was sad that she was being so brutally honest with herself regarding the condition of her IRL body.
10219292
Fluttershy sneaks without trying to! Doombunny is worse with her Skills. Accidentally of course. lol
10219298
Fair enough, in regards to mechanics, does come across as a heavy exposition dump though.
Maces are great weapons for shield users, one handed, can thrust or overhead swing, and the blunt force in most games translated to higher damage versus 'armored' opponents which are the main foes a tank would be pitted against. And I suppose considering the way Rarity often uses her geode for barriers she would fall more into a 'protector' role.
The names are tolerable, but I'm more curious if the distinction between 'real self/virtual self' identity is going to become a plot point in a later arc similar to how 'Kirito/Kazuto' was something of a distinction later in the series.
10219337
Real Self vs Virtual Self does get kicked around later. It is starting to with the chapters I am currently releasing. And it will increase. However, it can only go so far in the series. Kazuto/Kirito pretty much happens after they are free. There won't be a lot of chapters devoted to things after they are free. But, for published chapters, Episode 27 - Conventional Diemond, plays with Rarity vs Diemond, and the realization of the differences.
Pinkie being aware in a way most others don't seem to that they're still themselves, down to recognizing their true names and not their monikers, speaks volumes on how she's likely the one dealing best with this all. The others have no idea of it though.
I'm confused on why it's all three of her?
I'm sorry, Pinkie, but these aren't the catandcombs.
10219426
I don't know if she's the one dealing with it best. She knows it, but that's a double-edged sword if there ever was one; you can try to deal with it – first step to solving is recognizing and all that – but it'll chew away at her all the harder for it. The others are either in denial or pushing it away to the back of their minds because really, what can you do but fight harder?
10220171
True. She might be the one to recover faster on the aftermath though, considering that's at least one step further than the others.
10219515
Well, there is Human Pinkie and Pony Pinkie. Two distinct beings, but since they are the same, how different are they? She doesn't understand dimensional differences in that statement. What is happening to her must effect the other her. And she herself is split into her body and her mind. Both are getting older. But each day, her body gets weaker, and her mind in SAO is getting stronger. But will end, and the split of herself will be brought back to one, be it in death or freedom. AFCK is virtual Pinkie Pie, and real Pinkie Pie is laying in a bed. It is actually a deep understanding of their reality, with the caveat of not knowing how it is effecting Pony Pinkie Pie.
10220162
At least someone commented about this. I was so happy about that play on words. I don't do word play and Pinkie Pie gets word play confused for real.
10220527
Oh. That's surprisingly more deep then I was expecting
10220783
She is surprisingly deep at times, and I just transferred that into the story.
10220533
Sorry if my feedback comes across as rude BTW. It's just this chapter landed in the worst possible way for me: Boring.
Also I may have been a tad off balance from insomnia at the time, such happens.
10221941
You are fine. Hindsight is 20/20 and I knew I needed to fix some things in the early chapters. I wasn't as developed as I am now. I need to hear those comments so that I can go back and fix them. I am already prepping for a rewrite. I will be expanding on the early stuff and working out some of the early binds that I have.
10220527
pinkie is misunderstood. i never saw her as dumb or scatterbrained (not entirely) she's the type of genius that gives an answer 5 steps ahead of what everyone else is keeping track of. kinda like math class once for me in school- gave a sudoku number placement. teacher was confused till i pointed it out. then said we hadn't reached it yet cause we hadn't confirmed it yet. >.> notice how she's always capable of playing so many instruments, or singular or multiple? or all the other things that take talent? there is also the parasprite thing. told them the anwer to the whole problem straight up, but nobody listened or thought she was being loopy again
providing
Pinkie, the real rock of the team
Is the flour really necessary?
How am I not surprised on the third one.