Lost and Blind
---
Chapter 4: The Cakes
---
For the second time, that day Pinkie’s cart trundled through Ponyville.
The ponies around them were staring again, but Pinkie could understand why. They were probably worried about Jonathan who was once more riding in the back of the cart. Those bandages around his head didn’t exactly scream ‘I’m perfectly fine.’
Or maybe they were concerned about the cart. Pinkie had seen several fancy town carts being pulled, and her rock-hauling cart did look pretty homely in comparison.
“So… Pinkie,” Said Cup Cake, who had accompanied her as they made their way across town, “How is the family?”
Pinkie felt she should be paying more attention to Jonathan, but the chance for some actual conversation was just too enticing. “Oh fine, Ma and Pa are doing fine and Maud’s off getting her rock-torate. But Limestone and Marble are just the same as ever.”
Cup Cake smiled for the first time since they had left the hospital, “Ah, that’s good to hear. I’m afraid there’s little to tell. Nothing’s changed for me and Carrot since our last letter. Wake up early to make the donuts and we don’t go to bed until everything’s ready to start again in the morning. It’s all very routine.”
“Sounds nice.” Pinkie glanced back at Jonathan, “Um, I know you said I could have the room in the attic, but I need to ask if Jonathan could maybe stay with me until I can find which train goes to Coal-bumpus.”
“Columbus.” Jonathan grumbled from the cart.
The hew-min’s destination, whichever it was called, did not ring any bells with Cup Cake. She had some experience with the Equestrian rail system, having ridden them in her youth and had personally delivered some orders to cities as distant as Canterlot. Yet in all her years she hadn’t encountered a settlement with such a name.
“Are you from Equestria, by chance?” Cup Cake asked.
Jonathan shook his head, and quietly muttered “Ridiculous name...” under his breath.
“Perhaps you’re from the Gryphon lands, or the Minotaur kingdom? Someplace further?” Cup Cake asked, quietly hoping he’d say yes to one of them.
She was disappointed when he shook his head again. For reasons the baker-mare couldn’t fathom, he seemed frustrated by such a simple question.
“Further perhaps?” Cup Cake probed, “Mt. Everhoof, The Crystal mountains, Rainbow Falls, the Sparkling Sea, anything sounding familiar?”
Jonathan frowned and once again shook his head.
“... is your home underground?” Cup Cake asked, regretfully bringing to mind those Diamond Dogs.
“No, please just stop.” Jonathan asked, a touch of hostility in his tone.
Cup Cake’s mouth snapped shut, and her ears folded back to mirror Pinkie’s apprehensive concern. She hadn’t meant to touch a tender spot, but she clearly had. A nervous glance around her reminded her they were still in the streets and drawing the eye of everypony.
“I um, don’t suppose it could hurt for him to stay a day or two.” Cup Cake offered, hoping to make up for upsetting Jonathan, “But I’m not sure where he’ll sleep.”
“Aw, that’s no problem.” Pinkie said, “I know where he can sleep.”
Cup Cake raised an eyebrow at that statement. Pinkie hadn’t even stepped one hoof in Sugar Cube Corner and yet she acted like housing the blind creature twice her size would be simple.
“And… how did you come to that conclusion, dearie?” Cup Cake asked.
Pinkie’s answer was like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Easy, he can sleep in my bed!”
A few whispers around them had Cup Cake glance around at the ponies watching them. While some had been trying to look like they weren’t eavesdropping or staring, now it was clear the rumor mills were going to have a field day with Pinkie before she’d even settled in.
Even Jonathan raised his head at that pronouncement. Whether he seemed comfortable with it or not, Cup Cake couldn’t quite say due to the amount of gauze on his face. It wasn’t easy to read his face to start with.
“You don’t really mean that, do you Pinkie?” Cup Cake said, hoping to spare the filly some embarrassment in the future.
“Nah,” Pinkie said nonchalantly, “I had to share a bed with all three of my sisters for a long time, I’m sure this will be pretty much the same.”
Cup Cake shook her head. The filly was pure as sugar and just as sweet, but so blissfully naive. She would have to keep an eye on Pinkie for Cloudy’s sake. The creature she was bringing into her home may be blind, but aside from his name, she knew almost nothing about him.
“We’ll… discuss this later.” Cup Cake said, noticing familiar street signs, “It’s just down this way, almost there.”
Pinkie turned and followed her cousin, and just a block away was Sugar Cube Corner. It couldn’t be anything else. The first thing Pinkie had to get over was the size of the building. Back home the biggest thing was the rock barn, and this was nearly as big. But while the rock barn was large, it didn't look like a giant pastry. The sides of the bakery were light wood with a decorative molding of darker wood, and pink shutters. The short, stone steps to the bakery entrance were painted a similar color as the shutters. But it was the roof that had really impressed Pinkie. The large shingles were textured and colored to look like large chunks of chocolate, with swirls of molded frosting. Peppermint sticks and gumdrops further decorated the building, but what made Pinkie's mouth open in awe was the tower-like structure atop the faux-chocolate roof. It was two extra floors, sitting like a candle atop a slice of cake while in the shape of two cupcakes stacked atop each other.
It was so beautiful that Pinkie had to wipe a tear from her eye.
Cup Cake was tickled by Pinkie’s admiration for her bakery. The majesty of it had worn off for her over the years, and she was regularly more fixated on the actual work that kept the place running, but Pinkie’s sense of wonder did seem to rekindle that old enthusiasm.
“It’s… beautiful.” Pinkie whispered in joy.
“Before you ask, your room is the top floor there, the big cupcake.” Cup Cake said, eager to see how the younger mare would handle that.
In the cart, Jonathan simply looked confused.
Pinkie however stopped the cart. An entire floor to herself? She had never had a room to herself in all her life. The only room Pinkie had been alone in was the bathroom. This was like being given the keys to Canterlot castle to the pink mare.
Pink flowers were blooming in a small garden near the storefront entrance, and it was here Pinkie unhitched herself. She could already smell the odor of freshly baked bread wafting through the open window, as well as the siren scent of refined sugar and vanilla.
She had to get into that kitchen and was bouncing up and down as she watched Jonathan slowly climb out of the cart.
“Pinkie, why don’t you take Janathin up to your room, maybe start a bath for him and start unloading your cart. I… need to have a talk with my husband.”
“Alright! Wait,” Pinkie paused, “Where’s the bathroom?”
“Oh, you have your own on the top floor.” Cup Cake said offhandedly as she trotted up to the door and went inside.
Pinkie just stood there with her mouth hung open, she couldn’t believe what she heard.
“My… my own bathroom...” Pinkie wheezed, barely able to contain her joy.
The family’s homestead had just one bathroom, and a decrepit outhouse far out in the rock fields that nopony used unless there was no other choice. There was always somepony in the bathroom. Despite her parent’s insistence that the bathroom be kept spotless, it was always half-filthy from six ponies constantly using it.
The very concept that Pinkie now had her own bathroom was almost as shocking as the idea of having her own room.
She quickly stepped close to Jonathan, pawing at him with her hoof to let him know she was there. He limply set his hand on her withers and began to numbly follow her up to the door…
---
“Honey, I’m back.” Cup Cake announced as she entered the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner.
The kitchen was a large room as expected from a bakery. Beige walls with dark stained wood formed nice contrasts and had been cut or shaped by magic into decorative shapes along the walls. Dark blue tile floors allowed for easy cleanup, since the married couple worked with a lot of powders and liquids, carpet, even rugs were quite out of the question.
Cup Cakes’ husband, a honey-yellow stallion of a build that some charitably called ‘lanky,’ stood at the large island counter in the center of the kitchen. He turned his head only for a moment to acknowledge his wife, his attention however was needed on twisting pretzels to prep them for frying.
“Welcome back, how badly is the poor thing hurt?” Carrot Cake asked.
“Actually, she’s not hurt at all. Turns out the note was a little misleading and was helping a, er, stallion to the hospital.” Said Cup Cake.
Carrot Cake let out a relieved snort, “Well, that’s some good news. It also means it’s not that clumsy Rainbow mare again.”
“Not this time. The note Derpy gave us was just a little rushed and didn’t tell the full story.” Cup Cake said, walking around to begin heating the oil. “Also, there’s also been a slight change in Pinkie’s living arrangement that I need to discuss with you.”
This got Carrot Top’s full attention as he stopped twisting pretzels, “Did something else happen?”
"It’s about the uh, ‘stallion’ Pinkie helped to the hospital..." Said Cup Cake.
“You keep saying ‘stallion’ strangely.” Carrot Top pointed out.
Cup Cake chewed on her lip, how was she going to explain this when she barely understood it herself?
“I’ll get to that,” Cup Cake said, “I better explain. Pinkie apparently met this fellow along the road from the farm. He’s apparently lost his way and his sight. Pinkie had rushed him to the hospital, that was the emergency.”
“Well, it’s terrible some colt’s lost his eyesight but I won’t lie. I feel relieved that Pinkie hadn’t hurt herself.” Said Carrot Cake.
Cup Cake continued, “I arrived just after they went into the optometrist, and got to hear the doctor explain to Pinkie that the poor thing’s eyes are completely shot with no hope of recovery. He’s also apparently a long way from home from what I understand.”
Carrot Cake gave a sympathetic sigh, “Hm, that’s a shame.”
“Poor dear isn’t taking it well, he’s completely shut down.” Cup Cake rubbed the back of her head, “Pinkie’s taken quite a liking to him as I said, and she’s keen on letting him stay here for a few days.”
With a groan Carrot Top ceased his pretzel-making and turned to frown his displeasure at his wife, “Please you didn’t...”
Cup Cake rolled her eyes, “I’d never go behind your back and agree to that without discussing it with you first, which is what we’re doing right now, Carrot.”
Much of Carrot Cake’s bluster died with that knowledge, “Thank you, honey, I know she means well but this is a bakery, not a flophouse for down-on-their-luck stallions.”
“No, but considering his condition he shouldn’t be a bother.” Cup Cake said, “It should only take a day or two to find which direction he hails from and get him on his way.”
“Sounds like your mind’s already made up.” Carrot Cake huffed.
The portly mare softly touched her husband’s side, “The only other option is to throw a blind, traumatized young colt out into the street. And I know that’s something neither of us could do.”
Carrot Cake gave a defeated sigh, “I suppose you’re right. So what’s the colt’s name?”
“Janathin.” Said Cup Cake, “And before you say it’s a strange name for a pony, he’s something called a hew-min.”
“He doesn’t breathe fire or something does he?” Carrot Cake asked.
“No, at least I don’t think so. Frankly dear I doubt he could hurt anything. He may be tall, but he’s spindly and frail-looking. Add in the fact he needs somepony to lead him around, I doubt there’s any danger.”
The lanky stallion reached out for another piece of dough to twist, “Alright, fine. So where is this hew-min?”
“He went upstairs, Pinkie’s running a bath for him.” Cup Cake said, a smile starting to return now that she and her husband were once again on the same page.
“I’d like to see this erm,” Carrot Cake seemed to falter with his phrasing, “Well, he’s not a pony but I’d like to meet him.”
“We’ll all get to meet each other over lunch, dear.” Cup Cake said, leaving to start a quick meal for four.
Carrot Cake simply shook his head.
Today had started out so simple...
---
To be continued…
---