When The Past Is A Present (You'd Like To Return)

Pinkie shivered as she drew her flimsy cloak around her for warmth. She had mistimed her trip. She had been caught in the middle of a snowstorm on her way to Ponyville, and the pegasi had outdone themselves this time. The storm blew around her in a vicious frenzy, clawing at her fur with freezing wind. Her mane and tail had become tangled in the ferocious gale. Pinkie stumbled in the snow, falling to one hoof. She could barely see a foot in front of her. Everything was just white.

Blindly stumbling, she realized she had to be in town by now. Her stomach ached. She was used to physical labor, but she had never known how hungry a pony got after who knows how long of walking without food. She grimaced and kept walking, until a curious smell filled her senses.

Sweet... The air smelled sweet. It didn’t smell like blood, per say, but it smelled like cupcakes. She could differentiate the icing and the lovely baked fluffy batter, perfectly moist. Her stomach grumbled at the enticing smell. She began following it, trying to find where the smell was coming from.

She never saw the sign. That is, until she ran into it.

Pinkie gasped as she fell back into the snow, her cloak coming undone and allowing the cold to seep into her bones, chilling her to the core. She glanced up at the sign, teeth chattering. “S-sugarcube… Corner??” What a ridiculous name. At least separate the Sugar and the Cube.

She glanced around, squinting. She managed to make out a door. Standing weakly and shivering, she trotted quickly to the door, falling against it. Because of the added weight, the door opened inward faster than Diane could catch herself. With another small gasp, Pinkie fell into the bakery.

Warmth flooded over Pinkie as an orange stallion quickly shut the door. “O-Oh, sorry miss. Didn’t think anypony would bother trying to walk through that storm!” With a small laugh, the stallion walked over to her. Pinkie took him in, taking note of his baking outfit and such. She sniffed and her stomach growled. The man’s smile dropped as he realized how hungry – and thin – the mare before him was. “Oh, here. Why don’t we take you to the kitchen and you can grab something to eat?” He lightly leaned down to take her hoof.

Pinkie flinched back from the hoof, the orange stallion reminding her of another orange stallion in her life whose hoof had been rather dangerous to be around. She shook her head and tried to stand on her own, shaking. The stallion took his hoof back, growing more concerned with each passing moment. “I-I can walk on my own…” She smiled softly, trying to make the stallion more comfortable. The stallion merely stared at what Pinkie thought was a smile.

“Uh, alright Miss. If you say so.” The stallion led her to the kitchen. As Pinkie walked in, her eyes widened. Sweets, chocolates, baked goods – All that and more lay on the counter. “Take as much as you want, Miss. I should go tell my wife you’re here.” The stallion smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Pinka… Uh, P-Please, call me Pinkie. Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie decided quickly to use her rather childish nickname as a sort of alias.

“Alright, Pinkie.” The man trotted out to find his wife.

Pinkie gazed around at the different treats. She cautiously picked one up and nibbled on it. In a burst, her mane poofed up, somehow untangling. This was… This pastry was better than anything she had ever made herself. She munched it down quickly, her stomach grumbling as it sensed food. She ate a few other snacks, hungry as – she rolled her eyes at the pun – a horse. Her eyes spotted a cupcake on the table. I wonder… She bit the edge of it. Her eyes widened in surprise. It was sweet and tasty and full of flavor… and not one drop of blood. She knew the taste well, and this was not it. And yet… And yet, the taste of this cupcake was amazing. She savored each bite.

“Oh, hello there dear.” Pinkie jumped and flinched as a blue mare walked up behind her. She backed away from the mare on instinct, seeing not a cake baker, but her mother in that blue tinted fur. “It’s alright, dear. You’re safe here.” Pinkie felt somewhat calmed by those words. This couple may remind her of her parents, but Pinkie felt warm with these ponies. They smiled a lot, and their voices were as soft as the cakes they made.

“Um,” Pinkie said hesitantly, “M-may I ask where I am?.. I-I’ve traveled a long way…”

The stallion smiled. “Why, you’re in Ponyville. Our shop, Sugarcube Corner, to be exact.”

Pinkie couldn’t help but smile a tiny bit. “I came from down past the Everfree Forest. The old rock farm on Trotting Way.”

The mare’s eyes widened. “You’ve come all that way? Oh dear, no wonder you look so hungry. There’s nothing between here and there except that forest and rocks.”

Pinkie nodded. “I feel much better after eating your sweets. Please, let me repay you.” She reached into her bag to try and find the bits she had stolen from her mother and father’s stash.

The two ponies shook their heads in unison. “No need to pay,” the man said. “We’re a firm believer that those in need never have to pay.” Pinkies smile grew as she nodded, letting all thoughts of paying fade from her mind. The man looked at her questioningly. “Do you need a place to stay? There’s no inns around here…”

Pinkie nodded. “I was just planning on staying outside, but a home would be a nice change.”

The mare smiled brightly. “We have a room upstairs that we never use. We could easily make it into a room for you to stay in while you get back up on your hooves.”

Pinkie nodded. “Thank you very much, M’am.” She glanced around once, thinking. “I may also need a job… I’m pretty good at making cupcakes and other treats. I haven’t made any in a long time, though, and none like these.”

Both ponies smiled and the man nodded. “Oh yes, we could always use some help. We could give you 10 bits a day.”

Pinkie smiled her brightest yet. That was the most money she would have had in a long time. Still… She felt bad taking this couples money. She really didn’t need much money… “I couldn’t ask for that much. Why don’t I work for my room? Instead of money? That way, you all get a profit.”

Both ponies were surprised, but nodded. “We can’t really force you to accept our money, now, can we,” the mare said, laughing. “Well, welcome to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie. We’re the Cakes.”

Pinkie thought a moment and determined they themselves were not IN the cakes, and that it must be their names. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cake.”

Mr. Cake smiled and glanced at his wife. “Well, honey, why don’t you get started on the evening delivery, and I’ll show Pinkie her room.” Mrs. Cake nodded and walked to the storage area where they kept the special ingredients. “Come with me, Pinkie.” Together, Pinkie and Mr. Cake trotted upstairs. Pinkie memorized the route quickly, taking a mental tour. She saw the Cakes bedroom, which was rather large. Keeping track of where the bathrooms where and all the spare rooms – there seemed to be a lot -, Pinkie smiled as she entered hers. “Here you are, Pinkie. Hope you like it.”

Pinkie smiled and nodded. The room was nice, decorated similarly to the rest of the bakery. She thought for a minute and could imagine herself in a sort of friendly inn. Quite the imagination she had. “Thank you very much, Mr. Cake. I really like th-“ Suddenly, an alligator flew through the window.

Mr. Cake neighed in fright and Pinkie jumped. She had absolutely no idea what had just happened. She quickly trotted over to the broken glass. She would help fix it later, she supposed. She glanced at the alligator… He… just sort of blinked. Then he yawned and Pinkie realized he had no teeth. “How… random.”

Mr. Cake took some deep breaths. “Y-yes, how random.”

Pinkie leaned up close to the little alligator, getting a small gasp of worry from Mr. Cake. “You know,” she said with a tiny smile on her face, “he’s… actually kinda cute!” She picked him up, giggling a bit. “Aren’t yah, you little fella?” Pinkie nuzzled the little alligator lightly, giggling. She felt somehow giddy after eating all those sweets. Guess they use more sugar in place of the blood.

“Well, if you like him, why don’t you keep the er… ‘little fella’?”

Pinkie beamed, realizing she now had a pet. Oh, she had always wanted a pet as a filly! “Oh yes! I’ll keep him! Hmm…” She giggled. “I’ll name him Gummy. Cause he has no teeth.” She smiled and glanced in the mirror that stood in the room. Her eyes widened slightly at her reflection.

A pair of bubbly blue eyes stared back at her, along with a reptilian pair of purple eyes. Her mane was poofy as it had been when she was a child, most likely from the ferocious wind that blasted around the bakery now. She was extremely thin, but not too horribly bad. She was holding the alligator as a child would a stuffed animal, clutching it to her chest. She felt at home, and she looked like she was home. She saw Mr. Cake behind her, smiling softly at her reflection.

Smiling. That was what she had yet to grasp. She was smiling. She, Pinkamena Diane Pie… No… She, Pinkie Pie, was smiling.

And it felt wonderful.