An Unfixable Leak


“What the… WHO’S DROOLING ALL OVER THE FLOOR AGAIN?!” an irritated baker called out within Sugarcube Corner. Mrs. Cake lifted her hoof to inspect the sticky substance more closely, while the earth pony mare set the plate she was carrying down to observe the shop's floor. 


The messy liquid formed a trail on the wooden floorboards throughout most of the place, the trail seemingly ending in a large pool right in front of the cash register.


The line of ponies also looked down to where the motherly baker was gazing, their reactions audible with sounds of surprise, confusion and other comments, which broke the silence that had followed Mrs. Cake’s exclamation of anger. 


Most of the ponies hadn’t been able to look down at the floor, given how packed the place was during the morning rush hour. Therefore, many simply assumed that they’d been stepping in syrup and other crumbs that hadn’t been fully cleaned up from the previous day's holiday chaos.


“Pinkie Pie! Get out here and clean up this mess!” The work day had only just started, and the blue earth pony wasn’t in the mood for any surprise inconveniences before her husband had even returned with her morning coffee.


Outside the shop's doors, a shadowy figure could be seen flying off with a bag filled with sweets and other products from the shop. The unknown figure had a massive blush on their snout from the embarrassing scene they’d left behind after having paid. Reflecting on it, the fleeing Pegasus remembered that among the other customers, Spike, Cheerilee, Tornado Bolt, and Apple Bloom were present amidst the many faces they had seen.


“That’s the third time this week this has happened,” Pinkie commented to nopony specific, while she mopped the floor and cleaned up any leftover crumbs she could find. While the previous two instances seemed mild, this time the mysterious culprit hadn’t just left small drops but a thick trail of the substance all over their humble shop and home.


“I mean, at least we know they like your products,” Apple Bloom reassured the pink baker, standing at the front of the line and right in the middle of the large pool Pinkie was trying to mop up. Though sticky, they could at least tell that the pony had good hygiene, with the trail leaving a slightly fresher and down to earth scent behind. However, this freshness wasn’t the type Cheerilee or Spike would associate with. To them, it had a more primal nature, with Spike recalling the scent of Shining when he visited, and Cheerilee thinking about how her husband, Big Mac, smelled, though both would agree with the yellow mares point, as both stallions were rather clean and hygienic in nature.