It was a bright and shinny day in Ponyville, like most day were in that quiet pony town. The former mayor was a gloomy and grumpy unicorn who always ordered the pegasi to keep the clouds gathered over the houses but the newly chosen mare was a care-free spirit who enjoyed spending her afternoons reading in the park so she insisted in having clear and sunny days; and Carrot Cake couldn’t agree more. He happily smiled as he moved the sing at the door to read OPEN and gave a last wipe at the front door, smiling at his own reflection. He opened the door of Sugarcube Corner, welcoming another day of happy customers, and was met by a floating paper with cake stains, inches of his face.
ASSITANT WANTED FOR BAKERY. ROOM INCLUDED. EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.
Before he could finish reading the paper he had written just the day before, it came down to reveal the smiling and joyful face of a pony.
“Good morning. I´m your new assistant!”
Carrot Cake was speechless as the pony barged in and began to circle around the store.
“Lovely store, nice, comfy, plenty of chairs and that smell on the air….what is it? Blueberry? No, it´s the other thing that ends in berry! Strawberry, that’s ‘what it is! I love strawberries, in fact, I love all berries specially Nigel. And you know what other fruit I love? Kumquat. I love kumquat. It’s such a silly word. I would live in a kumquat farm just to say that word over and over again, kumquat kumquat kumquat…”
Carrot Cake had to put a stop at the pony constant blabbering before he went crazy.
“Excuse me, who are you?”
“I´m the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor, don’t know why. I also call myself the Doctor and also I don’t know why. I once went by Timeturner but that was a copyright matter…”
Carrot Cake had to stop the pony before he started again.
“I assume you want to see my credentials. Here there are.” And the stallion magically levitated a scroll in front of his face.
“Credentials by…Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?” he asked in shock.
“Yes, that Cadenza. Lovely child and her wedding was gorgeous! No wait, that didn’t happened yet! Scratch that! Love the bow tie by the way, a nice touch. Know…”
“Honey?” they both turned over to catch the sight of Cup Cake descending the stairs. Despite the time they have met each other, she was still able to leave Carrot Cake speechless. The Doctor was similarly stunned looking at the slim and young mare that came next to him. “Hi, I´m…”
As a true gentlecolt, the Doctor removed his top hat and kissed the hoof of the mare. “Mrs. Cake I presume…”
“Oh my…”
Visibly irritated, Carrot Cake grabbed the top hat with his mouth. “Four fath.”
“What? Oh yes, thank you!” the Doctor rushed to cover his head, seemingly embarrassed.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name Mr.…”
“He is the Doctor.” Carrot Cake says with some sarcasm. “And he is here for the room.”
“Yes, my room! I get a room with the job right?”
“Well, we need an assistant since the store is brand new and we have an extra room upstairs…” Cup Cake began to explain but the Doctor was already rushing upstairs.
Once he opened the door he began to prance around like a little colt again.
“We know is not very big but hoped you feel comfortable. Do you like it?”
“Like it? I don’t like it!” the Doctor stared at Cup Cake with mad eyes causing her husband to place a protective arm around her. “I love it! I simply love it! It has a bed and curtains and a stool, I love stools! I had a stool once so I can put my feet down when reading, back when I had feet of course…”
The cakes looked worried at each other, wondering what was wrong with this pony but he then jumped in front of them.
“Ah I just love it here! Look at you two! A couple of newly-weds, opening a bakery right in the middle of their home-town, ready to start a family…” the Doctor began to rub their cheeks which was….uncomfortable. “So, when do we begin?”
*****
The next couple of days went by in a breeze. Sure the Doctor had his own set of quirks. He was funny, chatty and easily distracted; but he was also a fast learner and a hard worker. Even his crazier ideas seemed to work, when the Doctor suggested putting cherries into a chimichanga Carrot Cake thought the pony was crazy but he had to admit the result was delicious. While the cakes enjoyed the result the Doctor spend the afternoon trying to figure out a name for his new recipe.
With his assistance, Sugarcube Corner quickly grew from a small business into a focal point in town, all the villagers coming to grab a bite of the Cakes traditional cuisine or the Doctor crazy experiments.
One afternoon the door opened and two figures with apples on their flanks entered. Three figures if counting the little foal in the basket.
“Well, hello there Granny Smith. Glad to see you again! And here´s little Macintosh oops sorry is Big Macintosh now! Everything all right, son?”
The little red colt nodded along as he say “Eeeeyup!”
“Still a colt of few words?”
“He got that from his father.” Granny Smith said as he rubbed the colt mane. Carrot Cake had to bit his tongue to avoid mentioning the resemblance the little pony had to Apple patriarch, knowing the wound will still be fresh. “Can ah have one of them tasty cupcakes of yer miss? Ah have the entire Apple clan roaming around mah kitchen making a ruckus!”
“Fracas, Granny.” Carrot Cake corrected her.
At that moment Cup Cake came out of the kitchen. “Oh Granny Smith, so good to see you!”
The old mare poked Cup Cake with her big eye. “Something is wrong, Granny?”
“Ah said yah look a little flully…ah give it a few weeks before yah start building the crib!”
“What? No no no, we´re still too young for babies!” the Cakes answered in unison, looking embarrassed at the little colt who was unfazed by all this kind of talk. He was an Apple after all.
“Ah blasted mittens! I need to learn how to use this horn!” the sudden curse from the kitchen gave them the perfect opportunity to change the subject.
“Doctor, please come in! Granny Smith, this is our new assistant, the Doctor.”
“Well hello Anniiiiiiiiiyyyy Granny Smith! Everypony heard it, I say Granny not Annie!”
The awkward smile of the Doctor didn’t fool anypony but if the elderly mare was supposed to have any reaction upon eharing her given name that didn’t happen. Instead she reminded Carrot Cake for her order and once he finish wrapped it, she handle it to Big Macintosh who carried it on his back and rocked the little yellow foal a little since she was waking up.
“Ah better take this little pipsqueak home before she starts making a ruckus!”
“Fracas” both Cakes corrected her.
“Good afternoon, Carrot Cup and yah too, kind Doctor.”
“Yes! Good afternoon Annie, Granny, Smith!” once the mare was out the Doctor returned to the kitchen, murmuring along. “That old lady is a vixen. I can’t believe she recognized after all this years! I can´t let my guard down when around her…”
Cup Cake looked at her husband asking for explanation and just when he was about to admit defeat, the door opened again. Both Cakes were surprised since the bell didn’t ring.
Three ponies, one two tall stallions and one young mare were standing next the counter.
“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, how can we serve you?” Cup Cake was a professional pony.
“We want cake.” One of the stallions roared.
The mare punched him, hard and took the word. “We need a wedding cake.”
“Sure, we can have one done in a hop, skip and a jump! When is the happy occasion?” Carrot Cake asked.
“Tomorrow.” The other stallion growled.
“That´s a…a tiny bit too soon.” Cup Cake apologized.
Again the mare kicked her companion. “We can wait. The flavor do not matter. Just make it tall and tasty and with plenty of love.”
“All of our desserts are made with the most love and care, miss!” Carrot Cake assured her while given a little nuzzle at his wife.
“Good.” The mysterious mare said and the tree of them left the store.
“Creepy…” carrot Cake and his wife agreed, despite not liking her husband manners.
Neither of them noticed the Doctor peeking through the kitchen door.
*****
“Well, that´s it for tonight! I´ll be going to my room! Good night everypony!”
“Wait Doctor! Sit down, have a cup of tea with us!”
The Doctor stopped mid-track and turned over to see Cup Cake happily smiling and inviting him to join her and Carrot Cake on a table.
“…who can refuse a cup of tea?”
When he sit down, Cup Cake pointed at his hat. “And take that goofy hat.”
“But I like my hat! It makes me feel like a professional chef!” he complained while pointing at the chef hat.
“You know, that hat is for the main chef in the kitchen so that means it´s MY hat.” Carrot Cake corrected him.
“Well, let´s see who it looked in you! Mmhh, nah it still looks better on me!”
“He´s right on that, honey.”
Carrot Caked pouted and took the hat, giving it back to the Doctor who happily placed it back on his head.
“I don’t know why you´re always wearing a hat. It looks dumb in you.”
“I don’t like people looking at my horn. I’m still not used to that.”
“Umh Doctor, you´re an unicorn. I don’t think anypony pays any attention to your horn.” Cup Cake said.
“Yes but still it feels weird. At first I thought I could hide it with my mane but it’s just too long and hard and…straight. I need to cover it up.”
The Doctor didn’t want to keep that line of thought and frankly neither did the Cakes.
“So tell me, what brought you younglings to move back into Ponyville and start a business?”
“Well, we are natives from Ponyville as you figure it out somehow…”Carrot Cake began. “And after we got married in Fillydelphia we began to talk about coming back to our town and opened a bakery. We both love making sweets after all, it´s in our Cutie Marks!”
“Lucky you, is easy to find couple when they have so much in common.” The Doctor said.
“Oh Doctor, I´m sure there´s a pony just like you somewhere!” Cup Cake said,
“I doubt there are many ponies with hourglass in their flanks.” But as he said that he looked up, like wondering.
“You just have to keep looking, Doctor. I spent weeks, moving from bakery to bakery, not knowing that the mare of my dreams was from my very hometown.” Carrot Cake while reaching for his wife.
♪ We were two cakes in the same table
♫ Waiting for the right customer
The Cakes hold hooves and looked dreamy, lost in their own musical and sappy world. The Doctor didn’t mind at all.
“That´s nice. Two ponies finding love, moving in to a nice quaint town, perfect to make friends, raise children…”
“Oh no no no! We´re still too young for children!” they both began to ramble.
“I had a family once. And then I lost it. And had another one and lost it too. I´m always loosing those that are close to me…always.”
The sudden mood change let the Cakes speechless, looking at the stallion who seemed too young to worry about those matters.
“Well, I´m off to bed! Night.”
“Good night, Doctor.”
That night, the Cakes heard the Doctor open the window and sang a tune to the Mare in the Moon.
♪ Night has come, the stars are gone
Silence befell
Turn around, look me now
I run towards you, again
♪ Wait for me, don’t run away
I´m the one always in the move
The curtains fells and moon wept
As we embrace.
****
It took the Cakes five days to complete their wedding cake but their result was frankly astounding. A colossal tower of marzipan and meringue.
“Well fancy that!”
“Thank you Doctor, this our greatest creation yet! Oh I think we could win even the national Dessert Competition!” Cup Cake said.
“I doubt it honey, that Gustave Le Grande wins every year. I hate that pompous griffin!” Carrot Cake said.
“You should worry more about hungry ponies than arrogant griffins. They are all arrogant I should know, I met the Griffin King.” The Doctor said.
“You met the Griffin King? How is he?” Carrot Cake asked.
“Lovely fellow. He threw me to a dungeon.”
“Oh my, that´s awful!” Cup Cake said,
“Well, I sort of kidnapped his daughter.”
“Sort of?”
“The idea was hers, long story and we have customers now.”
“Customers? The bell didn’t…” but Carrot Cake complains were ignored as the Doctor came out of the kitchen to greet the same customers from the other day.
“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!”
“Is our order ready?” the mare asked in that strange tone of hers.
The Doctor gestured and the Cakes brought along the giant cake. While the stallions eye went wide the mare was more subtle. She approached the cake, licking her lips.
“This…was made with so much loveeee…” why did she stress the “e” like that?
“We always made our desserts with love but this one is special…” Carrot Cake said,
“Oh and why is that?” the Doctor asked, not breaking eye contact with the two stallions.
“This is the cake we made for our wedding reception.” Cup Cake said,
“How lovely and there´s nothing better than a wedding right…Chrysalis?”
At hearing this name the mare hissed like a snake, her eyes glow a menacing green.
Quick as a pegasus, the Doctor lighted his horn and shut all the doors and curtains of the store. The only light was the strange green glow of the three customers ‘eyes.
“You…” the mare hissed,
“Let´s drop the disguises, shall we…my Queen?” and the Doctor pull out his sonic screwdriver, holding it with his mouth like he was used too and pointed it at the mare. Both she and the two stallions hissed again as their bodies began to burn in a green flame.
“What is happening?” Cup Cake asked, holding his wife close.
“Fhes a fanglenin!”
“What?”
The Doctor spit the sonic screwdriver; pick it up with his magic. “Sorry, I´m still new to this. Like I was saying, she´s a changeling. The changeling Queen to be precise.”
The weakened and holed mare was still hissing like a snake, her insect wings buzzing furiously. The Cakes looked frightened at her.
“I know, doesn´t look too impressive, right? She is still small and weak, freshly escaped form the gates of Tartarus. How long has it been? A few weeks? Months?”
“You insolent fool!”
“Spare me the evil overlord quotes. Who set you free?”
The other two changeling, mute bodyguards, moved next to their Queen to protect her.
“Answer me, who set you free? The Gates of Tartarus won’t open just like that. What force could open them? Answer me!”
“Oh know I remember you! The Doctor!” the name sounded dirty coming from the lips of the Queen. “The pony who is always trotting around. What makes you so afraid you have to always be running?”
The Doctor didn’t answer so the Queen took the chance to order her servants to attack him. While the Doctor dogged the vicious fangs, the Queen moved to the cake, ready to grab a huge bite. She did get her cake but it was thrown right into her face. The Doctor ducked as two more cakes hit the changelings and sent them to the floor. He looked over and found the Cakes holding several small with their hooves.
“You are throwing them cakes?”
“We´re assaulting them with cakes!” Cup Cake responded.
“Fantastic!”
“You idiots! Stop those two!” and as the changeling jumped over the counter, the Queen tried to grab another bite.
“No you won’t!” the Doctor jumped over her and they both rolled to the kitchen.
“You won’t stop me! Once I have regained my strength, I will take over Canterlot!”
“Yes, I know. I will be there. Not my best performance I admit. All I did was run around like a clown. Granted, I have lost my TARDIS at the time and Derpy was not around but still you think that I should had a bigger role in a season fin-AAAAAARRRGHH!”
The Doctor made the fatal mistaken of forgetting he had a horn now, and unicorns know very well that touching horns was an act reserved exclusive for married couples and on their privacy. The Queen vicious and devouring magic attempted to destroy the mind of the Doctor who jumped back, hurt and with a terrible headache. The Queen took that moment to feast upon the various pastries in the bakery.
“Delicious! They DO made their pastries with love! But I need more, much more!” the Queen destroyed the back door with her magic and call for her servants who were getting a severe beating from the Cakes. They managed to tip them over and came next to their Queen.
“Wait!” the Doctor attempted to stop her before she took flight, stretching a hoof on her direction.
“We will meet again, Doctor.” And the Queen was gone with her servants.
The Doctor collapsed to the ground, his head aching with raw magic.
****
“So…we dont have to worry about that Changeling anymore?” Carrot Cake asked.
The Doctor finished placing the last round of muffins, looking at them with longing eyes. “No, she was just on her way back to her hive, deep in the mountains behind the Everfree Forest but first she needed to regain her strength.”
“And she chose us because of our love?” Cup Cake asked.
“You are the town newly-weds couple. You can taste the love you two have in the air!” and he licked the air. “Ugh, thank Celestia is not Hearts and Hooves day! Last time there was a changeling and a love potion it ended with well a changeling.”
“And you know all this…” Carrot Cake began, afraid to finish the question.
“A pink mare told me the story. Lovely child, always with a smile on her face and a song ready to go. She runs this place like a professional, will run it, scratch that.” and he placed the muffins in the counter.
“So…I guess this is the goodbye, Doctor?” Cup Cake asked.
They both knew this strange stallion that came to their lives was about to go. He didn’t even need to say it, it was obvious. He put the chef hat on the table and levitated his top hat back to his head. “Yes…it was nice meeting you two.”
The Cakes escorted the Doctor to the door.
“Oh, I almost forgot! I bought you a little present!” and he gave Carrot Cake a cake shaped hat.
Carrot smiled as he put it on his head.
“There, looking like a professional now!”
“Goodbye Doctor.”
The Doctor smiled once again and he disappeared behind a street corner. The Cakes heard a strange howling sound and felt like the air was charged with electricity but they decided to ignore that and went back to the kitchen. After a few minutes, a hoof hit on the door and curious, they opened it for this customer who asked for permission.
Standing in front of the store, surrounded by a luggage composed mostly of balloons and fireworks was a little pink pony, barely out of fillyhood. She smiled with shining teeth and greeted the Cakes,.
“HI! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie but you can call me Pinkie Pie, everypony in town does that well they don’t because I just moved in today well I still haven’t moved because first you have to take me as your assistant!” and she pull out the same paper the Doctor held that day. It was the SAME paper, same cake stain in the corner. “Sorry I´m a bit messy! I was cooking some frost cupcakes! Do you like cupcakes? Those are my favorites! Or maybe muffins or maybe apple pies or maybe…”
“Pinkie...” Cup Cake interrupted her. “Why don’t you come in?”
“Okie-dokie-lokie!”
As Carrot Cake grabbed the child luggage, Cup Cake guided her to the kitchen. “Would you like some chimichanga with cherries?
“Uuuh! That sounds tasty! How do you call them, chimicherry or cherrychanga? Or maybe chimicherrychanga?!”
