After Death

Pinkie Pie sat upright in her bed, staring off into space. She couldn't have seen who she thought she did. Could she? No, that's absurd. It's impossible.. even for her, Pinkie thought. She pushed the blankets off of her, and slid out of her bed groggily. She trotted downstairs to the kitchen and started rummaging around the cabinets and fridge for something to satisfy her hunger. After a moments search, she found her prize, Super Sugary Sugar Flakes, her favorite cereal. Just the sight of one of her favorite foods was enough to make a huge smile break across her face. It caused a sensation that she hadn't truly felt in a while; happiness. The feeling made her smile widen even more. She just stood there in the kitchen, smiling like a lunatic.

She broke free of her trance after a few moments, and got out a bowl and a spoon. Pinkie opened the box of Super Sugary Sugar Flakes and poured a heaping helping into her bowl. "Hmmmm... this needs something..." the cheery mare thought out loud, tapping her chin with her hoof. "Oh oh oh oh! I know!" the pink mare opened a cabinet and twenty or more bags of sugar came tumbling down onto her. She poked her upper body out, holding a bag of sugar in each fore hoof. "MORE SUGAR!"

The ecstatic pink mare bounced over to the counter where her bowl of cereal was. She opened one of the two bags of sugar she was holding and dumped the whole bag into the bowl. She opened the other bag and dumped its entire contents in as well. "Now that's PERFECT!" Pinkie Pie said brightly. She opened a drawer close to the sink and grabbed a spoon. She kicked the drawer closed with her back hoof. She held the spoon in her right hoof and began scooping her cereal onto it and shoving it into her mouth, although all she really got was pile upon pile of sugar.

Mr. Cake walked in and saw Pinkie Pie and her overflowing bowl of sugar. He chuckled. "You always had the same thing for breakfast. It was your favorite thing to eat in the morning, Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie looked up from her cereal. "Yea I know!" she said. "CanyoubelieveIhadtogowithoutthisforlikeEVER?" the pink mare said quickly, the words jumbling over each other.

Mr. Cake blinked, trying to process what the ecstatic pink mare just said. "Well, that must have been tough. At least you can have it every morning now." he added with a smile. "Good to see that you're acting like yourself again."

Pinkie Pie stuffed a spoon full of cereal in her mouth. "I know right?" She said, her words somehow filtering perfectly through the cereal in her mouth.

Mr. Cake chuckled. "Well, it's just about time to open up shop." He said, looking at the clock hanging on the wall above the doorway that led to the front room of the sweets shop.

Pinkie Pie smiled brightly. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!! Can I please please PLEEEAAASE help?!"

"I don't know, Pinkie..."

"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?" Pinkie said, suddenly kneeling before him, making big puppy-dog eyes in his face pleadingly. When he shook his head, she responded with "I pinkie-promise that I'll be extra EXTRA good!" She did the motions as she recited her special unbreakable promise. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupca-" Pinkie Pie froze. She shook herself, refusing to let the tears win and pour out of her eyes. A picture of the hurt look on Dashie's face flashed in her mind. I'll... I'll need to change that... She thought for a moment. Maybe to muffin? "- stick a MUFFIN in my eye." She finished.

She noticed that Mr. Cake's eyes had gone wide when she slipped on her words. "Erm... I don't think that's a good idea, Pinkie..."

Pinkie Pie had snapped back into her usual self. "Why not?" She said, pouting a bit.

"We both know why..."

The pink mare didn't need to stop and think about what he meant. "... Oh..."

"I'm sorry Pinkie Pie, it just wouldn't be a good thing for the business. Everypony would leave if they saw you here. Especially since everything happened on this residence..." Mr. Cake said.

"No no, i-it's ok. I had just kinda sorta hoped that I could get back to what I love love LOVED to do... but it's ok, never mind. I'll just, uhhh... go upstairs and read or something to pass the time."

"Ok," Mr. Cake began. When Pinkie Pie started to walk towards the stairs, he stopped her. "Wait, Pinkie."

She turned to face him just as she reached the foot of the staircase. "Yea?"

"Just because you can't go out there into the public dining area doesn't mean you can't help us bake the treats." He said with a smile.

Pinkie Pie's eyes brightened. "Really!?"

"Yes really. Now go wake up Mrs. Cake so we can get the day started, ok?"

"Okie dokie lokie!!" Pinkie Pie jumped up the stairs. She bounced down the hallway to Mr. and Mrs. Cake's room was. Pinkie stopped bouncing and tip-hoofed her way past the twins' room, and resumed bouncing after she had passed. Pinkie Pie reached their room and opened the door slowly, and it made a creaking sound as it opened. She stopped the door, not wanting the twins to hear it, seeing as though the two bedrooms were right next to each other. Pinkie Pie produced a random can of oil from the depths of her mane and quickly and quietly oiled the door's hinges. She slid the oil can back into her mane, and fully opened the bedroom door. Pinkie trotted into the room and towards the Cake's bed. She shook Mrs. Cake until she woke up. "Morning, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie said brightly to the tired mare.

Mrs. Cake yawned and rubbed her eyes. She blinked a couple times and looked up at Pinkie Pie. "Oh, hello Pinkie! Is it time to open up shop?"

"Yes in deedy doodle!" The pink mare said happily.

"Ok." Mrs. Cake replied, rubbing her eyes and blinking some more. Mrs. Cake pushed the covers off of her and slid out of the bed. "Let's go."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie said and led the way out of the bedroom. Mrs. Cake shut the door behind them, and trotted behind Pinkie as she bounced and tip-hoofed down the hall and down the staircase.

They both walked out into the dining area - well, Mrs. Cake walked, Pinkie Pie was still hopping around with glee like her usual self. Mr. Cake was in the room already, having just washed the dishes that had been in the sink prior to that moment. "Alrighty then, everypony ready for the day to begin?" He asked the two mares.

"Yes in deedy doodle!" Pinkie Pie said, full of excitement as Mrs. Cake nodded next to her.

Mr. Cake grinned at Pinkie Pie. "That's what's been missing from this town."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie asked.

"The excitement and joy you always brought wherever you went." Mr. Cake's grin grew into a smile as he turned the sign on the front door from 'CLOSED' to 'OPEN.'