Sugar Cube Corner typically had the aroma of whatever baked good Pinkie or the Cakes were working on. This time there wasn't any particularly strong scent, just the vague scent of sugar and sweets, like it was waiting for somepony to start baking.
"Ah, Pinkie and Lonely!" Mrs. Cake greeted them as they entered, "Perfect timing!" She said as she set down the filly she was holding.
"Yes, we must be going now." Mr. Cake confirmed, ruffling the mane on top of Pound Cake's head.
Lovely smiled at the sight, she wasn't one for foal sitting but she did think they were adorable, "Where are you guys heading?" She asked.
"Oh, uh…" Mr. Cake looked to her.
Mrs. Cake quickly cut in, "I'm sorry dear, we don't have time to chat right now, the train leaves in a few minutes." She spoke, ushering her husband to the door, "Good bye!" She called with a smile.
"Bye!!" Pinkie chirped.
"Bye..." Lonely tried to sound cheerful but was distracted by the obvious weirdness that just occurred, once the couple had gone she spoke again, "So where were they going?"
"I dunno." Pinkie said cheerfully as she started getting out ingredients.
"Huh." Lonely pondered, "I wonder why they were acting like that." She trotted over to the foals who had started entertaining themselves with a stuffed animal.
"Oh I do know that." Pinkie said, "They both are planning to do some type of surprise romantic thing for each other, they don’t get to do that much with twins and the baking and all. So, I actually don't know where they'll end up being that they both have different plans!" She giggled.
Lonely laughed a little as well, "Wow, that's cute." She said.
"Mm-hmm" Pinkie hummed in agreement as she started getting out the ingredients for whatever order she needed done.
Soon enough the bakery was filled with the scent of vanilla and chocolate as Pinkie baked a marbled cake. It was rather strange that Pinkie seemed more indecisive than normal. "The order wasn't very specific." Was her excuse, “So hmm..” she hummed as Lonely felt herself being levitated off the ground.
She quickly turned her attention from Pinkie to Pumpkin as she realized that the filly was the reason Lonely no longer felt the floor beneath her hooves.
"Red velvet or chocolate?"
“Uh..” Lonely spoke, twisting around to try and defend herself from the ginger filly who was also mid air thanks to her magic, “You know ponies better,” the mare stated, “Just do whatever they’d prefer.”
“I’ve never baked for this pony before.” Pinkie huffed, “And I would do what I’d prefer, but I’ve heard sometimes my tastes are a little unconventional.” She snickered.
“Well, I can’t deny that.” Lonely laughed. The levitation holding her was suddenly cut off as Pound slammed into his sister. Lonely rushed to catch both of them, unable to balance herself in the process, she crashed onto the floor. In her grasp was the two foals, now giggling at her tumble.
“Lonely?”
“Chocolate.” Lonely huffed, now dreading her task of watching over the foals.
Pinkie actually ended up asking plenty of things from Lonely. "Two tiers or three?" "Sprinkles or no sprinkles?" "Pink and green or purple and green? Or pink, green and purple?!"
Pumpkin teleported, Pound flew, Lonely tried to keep up with them but instead returned to the ground defeated, panting after a long disastrous chase.
"How do you entertain them?" She gasped, begging for advice from Pinkie, "They aren't interested in any toy or game I come up with!"
Pinkie giggled, "Those two are always so full of energy! You just gotta match their level!"
"Match their energy level?" Lonely asked, "I don't think that possible, not for me at least."
Lonely covered her face in her hooves for a moment, a moment she instantly regretted. The small amount of relaxation it gave had brought her memories back to the castle, and her stupid confession. She quickly stood to attempt to wrangle the foals once again, until a loud thud came muffled from outside. Both her and Pinkie flinched, the twins stopped tugging on a toy they weren’t willing to share with each other. They all turned toward the door, curious to the source of the sound.
“I’m practically finished.” Pinkie broke the silence, she glanced at the clock before turning back to Lonely, “Let’s go and check out what in Equestria that was!” She walked over and scooped up the foals, following Lonely to the door.
Lonely pushed the door open to see a pony lying on the ground, her wagon’s wheel having broken and caused all her apples to tumble onto the ground, “Applejack?” Lonely called out.
“Oh uh.” The farm pony stood and brushed some dirt off her chest, “Sorry ‘bout the racket, my wheel just..” She glanced at it, “Gave way.” she said, “This wagon here is pretty old, so ah can’t say ah’m surprised.”
Applejack locked eyes with Pinkie and then Lonely. Pinkie quickly turned to Lonely, “I think she might be a bit resilient to asking for help,” she snickered.
“Oh! I can help,” she looked to the pink pony beside her, “If you can handle the twins on your own.”
“Sure can!” Pinkie replied, “I just gotta do a few finishing touches on the cake and then we can play a game!” She smiled, causing the two foals to squeal excitedly.
“Well then,” Lonely said, “I guess I’m off.” She stepped toward Applejack.
“Mm-hmm! See ya later!” Pinkie turned and brought the kids back into the building.
Lonely trotted over to the wheel, it looked completely shattered, “Wow,” Her eyebrows furrowed, “This must’ve been really old.”
“Eeyup.” Applejack replied, undoing the harness off herself. “I thought she would make it a few more trips, but I guess she thought otherwise.”
Lonely levitated a few bigger pieces and tried to adhere them with her magic, but it wasn’t sturdy. After a moment her crude wheel fell apart once again, “I’m sorry...”
“Oh nah, it’s fine, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled and then sighed, beginning to gather the fallen apples, “..Ah.. normally wouldn’t ask this but it’d be an awful lot of work to get a new cart from the farm just to get the apples and then bring ‘em back so... Would you mind helping a bit more?”
“Not at all!” she spoke, “I could levitate the corner with the messed up wheel as you pull it? And I can get the apples for you.” She turned to levitate her friend’s spilled cargo off the ground.
“That’ll work! Thanks.” Applejack smiled, she slid herself back into the harness and fiddled with the buckle for a moment.
Lonely set the apples in the cart and quickly grabbed the wheel-less corner in her magic grasp. She didn’t have the strongest levitation but she could do this much without much of a problem. She nodded at Applejack and the earth pony started toward the barn, Lonely trotting just behind her, keeping an eye on the cart.