Having been unable to locate a suitable brick wall in which to bang his head upon, realizing that he was no longer in the concrete jungle of the big city, Trader returned to his previous task set by Applejack to retrieve an order from the local hardware store.
It didn't take him very long to locate the shop, a large sign of a hammer being hung on the front like a trophy. It was filled with a large manner of things. With tools, basic supplies for building and repairing and the biggest assortment of paints one could ever hope for. An old, gruff looking, grizzly-maned stallion watched the counter, his rough exterior was all to contradictory to the kindhearted codger he was.
Gaining a gracious welcome as he entered the store, it took no time at all for him to acquire the order that he was looking for. It was a small box of bolts, the exact ones needed for in the repairs for the cart that Big Macintosh was still repairing. Tucking it away safely inside of his saddlebag, the pegasus thanked the stallion before taking his leave. With his job completed, he set off to return to the farm, to deliver the bolts and see what else was needed of him.
Trotting through the town, Trader's mind began to wander. His thoughts turned to Applejack's friends, seemingly nice ponies, even if Pinkie Pie was a strange one. Though he did wish his first impression wasn't just him making a fool of himself. He wasn't even sure what had brought it on exactly, considering himself more articulate than that. Though, he fathomed it was just with the many new changes his life had taken, moving back to his old home, with his old friend no doubt. It wasn't something he was particularly used to.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, the stallion felt his legs suddenly freeze in place, paralyzed and leaving him unable to move. The sudden state never elicited a moment of panic for him as his mind was too far gone already, his nostrils twitching rapidly as an overpowering scent wafted through his senses.
An intoxicating aroma of cakes, cookies and other baked goods took almost full control of his thoughts. Like a trained dog following a treat dangled in front of it, his head turned toward the source, seeing a building unlike any he had ever seen before. It looked like a gingerbread house, complete with frosting and candies as decorative additions. The giant confection looked as though it had been baked rather than constructed.
As he stared into the delectable structure, the pegasus was forced to recall an old story his mother had once told him. It was about two foals who went into the Everfree forest and found a house just like the one he was looking at now. It ended with the foals being eaten by a monster of a pony, with the moral being to stay away from the forest, like many Ponyville stories that held similar premises. But Trader was no foal, and such notions were abandoned long ago. Now, he found himself magically drawn to the building.
With his legs no longer able to move, the stallion's wings unfurled and began to flap lightly. Trader trailed through the air, his fluttering wings only lifting him off the ground to where his hooves lightly brushed against the dirt. It would have been a comical sight if anypony was around to see, especially as his tongue lolled out of his mouth and began to slobber incessantly. But his own appearance was ignored by the pegasus as the delicious smells pulled him into the front door of the building, were the creators of the aroma would surly be.
Trader realized immediately when he entered the structure that he was in a bakery. The large, spacial front room, perfect for waiting customers was the first giveaway. The counter at the far end of the room, filled with mouth watering cakes and candies, was the second and more obvious one. Immediately upon entering the fine establishment, the pegasus was greeted by a mare and stallion who came into the room from the adjoining kitchen, their welcoming smiles beaming brightly at their latest customer.
“I thought I heard somepony come in,” the mare said as she noticed the young stallion. Her eyes soon became fixated on him, looking him over quickly before she brought her hoof to her mouth to surpress a laugh. “You must be new to Ponyville, ponies get used to the smell after they've been around it long enough.”
Trader noticed what she was meaning as he noticed his lips were nearly dripping with saliva. Quickly wiping his mouth, the pegasus kept his gaze to the floor in embarrassment. “Yeah,” he replied, “you could say that.” Unable to get the thought of a delicious treat out of his mind, approaching the counter was the only choice he had.
“Well then,” the stallion behind the counter said cheerfully, “welcome to Sugarcube Corner. And since you're new here, you can call us Mr. and Mrs. Cake if you'd like.” Mrs. Cake nodded her head in agreement, waiting expectantly for the newcomer to decide on something. “Now, what would you like?”
Despite how simple the question was, it proved quite difficult for the young stallion to think clearly. Though he had gotten control over his legs, wings and tongue, the continuous smells of the bakery were overbearing, making it difficult to think on a specific treat when so many were forced into his senses. But, just as he thought he could never make up his mind, an old memory caught his attention. It was from long ago, before he had left the simple town, bringing a happy smile to his face.
“Do you have any choco-apple caramels?” he asked, looking at couple eagerly. Mr. and Mrs. Cake exchanged glances, almost looking surprised by the request, but their lips soon parted into excited grins.
“It's been a long time since anypony has wanted that,” Mr. Cake said in a matter-of-fact tone. “But, if you can wait, we can whip up a batch in no time at all.” Not even waiting for him to answer, the two bakers turned away from their pegasus customer and headed back into the kitchen with a noticeable skip in their steps.
Trader was then left alone, with nopony else in the store, not a single customer. His assumption to his own solitude was quickly proven wrong however, as he heard an excited squeal coming not too far from him. Turning toward it, he was surprised to see a simple play area where two small foals were playing. A baby pegasus and unicorn both played happily in the confines of their pen. They didn't pay him any mind, either not having noticed the visitor or not caring to notice.
Simply watching the foals play didn't last very long, as the loud crash of the front doors bursting open filled the room. There wasn't even time to face toward the creator of the noise as Trader found his world consumed by a speeding pink flash. It darted around him, knocking the pegasus to the ground and sending his world spinning upside down before it rushed into the kitchen.
As the stallion began to pick himself up, feeling disoriented and confused, the pink flash came again, knocking him back over with and speeding up the stairs at the far left of the building. Worried as to what might happen, there was a hesitation in Trader's movements as he slowly picked himself back up, looking around the bakery at all angles just in case something were to happen again.
Just as he was beginning to question what had just happened, the soft creak of the kitchen doors opening sounded off, Trader looked to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake coming through, carrying a large tray of chocolaty treats.
“See? That took no time at all, dearie,” Mrs. Cake said with pride, setting the tray down on the counter. She and her husband both eyed the pegasus with eagerness, as if they were waiting for something. Trader soon caught on that they were expecting him to try their creation for himself, unable to help but lick his lips in anticipation.
They were small, apple-shaped pieces of chocolate, barely bigger than a coin. Though the chocolate itself looked tasty enough, the inside was also filled with a special kind of caramel. Apple cider was used with the caramel filling, mixed in with it to give it a defined apple taste upon eating, like biting into a chocolate covered caramel apple that had a little too much chocolate and not enough apple. It was a strange treat that not everypony would say was their favorite, it being an acquired taste. But Trader was one such pony who had gained the taste for it, wasting no time to pick up one of them and toss it into his mouth.
“Mmmm,” Trader moaned in satisfaction. His audible sound and the pleased smile on his face were all the two baking ponies needed to know that they had a happy customer.
“Glad you like it,” Mr. Cake remarked. Taking a paper bag from behind the counter, the older stallion tipped the tray over it, allowing the chocolate candies to fall inside. The pegasus took the bag and tucked it safely away in his own saddlebag, removing several bits as well and depositing them onto the counter.
Just then, the sound of stamping hooves filled the room and Pinkie Pie came galloping down the stairs. “Mr. Cake, do you have the-” she began saying, her voice stopping mid-sentence as her gaze landed on Trader. With her eyes widening, the pink pony gasped in surprise and suddenly bolted out of the front door in a flash of pink, leaving the three ponies to stare off where she used to be.
A soft chuckle broke through the long silence that was created from the strange moment, due to Mrs. Cake's inability to hide her coming chortle. “Oh, don't mind Pinkie Pie,” she said, brushing off the strange behavior like a normal occurrence. “She lives in the room on the third floor and helps us around the shop whenever we need it.”
“I met her not too long ago, actually,” Trader murmured, having trouble imagining what it would be like to have such an excitable mare working for you. The thought made his gaze drift toward the filly and colt still playing, making him think that they probably needed the help. “You know, it seems a bit strange to have a daycare along with a bakery.”
Mr. and Mrs. Cake both began to laugh at the statement, making the pegasus raise his brow questioningly at what he had done. “Oh no, no, no. We're not a daycare, dearie,” Mrs. Cake explained. “They're ours.” She pointed to each of them as she said their names. “That's Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake.”
Trader looked back at the two foals, staring at the horn on the filly's head and the wings on the colt's back. A frown formed on his face as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume, I just- since you're both earth ponies...”
The couple nodded their heads in understanding. “Don't worry,” Mr. Cake reassured. “You wouldn't be the first to make the mistake.” He gave his wife a knowing look as he laughed lightly alongside her, as though finding amusement in a joke that the pegasus didn't understand.
Chuckling uneasily, Trader looked down at the floor as he swung his forehoof back and forth lightly. “Well, I think I should have seen it sooner than most actually... My parents were both earth ponies too.” As to be expected the two Cakes looked at the pegasus with a mild surprise. “Heh, yeah, I actually thought I was adopted for a lot of my foalhood. Until I was able to understand genetics and all that. I think it's my dad's side that has the pegasi in it.” An amused huff left him as he looked at the young colt, his tiny wings fluttering lightly but not hard enough to actually lift him. “I'd suggest making good friends with a pegasus though. Just in case your son takes advantage of the fact that you can't follow him into the clouds.”
Sharing thanks between the three ponies, Trader managed to escape the alluring scents of Sugarcube Corner and gallop as far away from the enticing establishment as he could. With his sights set on Sweet Apple Acres, he continued to run as he was sure his return was expected. Though, even with his focus placed on reaching his destination, the pegasus' locked gaze wandered ever so slightly as he realized how deserted Ponyville seemed to become.
It wasn't completely empty, several ponies still going about their day, it was a stark difference compared to the hustle and bustle the town had on the day of his arrival. Figuring he had came to Ponyville on a busy day, he left it at that and pushed the thought away as he returned his full attention on getting back to the farm.
In no time, the speeding stallion was out of the town and was surrounded by oceans of apple orchards. As he entered the farm itself, Trader's eyes scanned the area in search of Big Mac, needing to make his delivery to him. The stallion's red coat made it easy to spot him in the colors of browns and greens that surrounded him, standing off at the far edge of the land, just outside one of the fields.
Approaching him, Trader could see what the big stallion was working on. A cart was turned over, exposing the metalwork just underneath it. One of the axles were missing from the cart itself, lying next to it on the ground. The shiny metal on it made it look much newer than the one that was still connected, making the pegasus suspect that the axle must have broken, causing the need for the repair.
Taking the box of bolts from his bag, Trader gave them to the stallion who nodded his head in thanks. With the right part having arrived, Big Mac could put the new axle onto the cart, use the bolts to lock it in place, and put the wheels back on to finish the job.
The pegasus could see the work that still needed to be done. “Do you need help, Bic Mac?” he offered. “I can go and get my own tools and-”
Big Mac shook his head at the request, lifting his hoof up to point off toward the barn. “Applejack needs help,” he said simply before getting back to his own work.
“Alright,” Trader nodded, taking it as a hint that the stallion didn't need any assistance.
Heading for the barn, he wondered what Applejack would need help with, figuring that if it was a big job he would have been told about it beforehand. Shrugging it off, he noticed that the barn doors were shut, being strange as they were normally open at all hours. He payed it no mind however, raising his hoof to push against the door and open it himself. But just as his hoof was about to touch the wood, the doors suddenly opened on their own. Before the surprised stallion could make another move, multiple hooves reached out and pulled him inside.
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices shouted in unison. A bright light flashed, engulfing the room as dozens and dozens of ponies jumped out of their hiding places. Their faces were bright and filled with mirth, looking at their guest happily.
Many of the ponies were soon losing their gleeful expressions as the noticed that their surprise caused a different reaction than what they had expected. Rather than be surprised then joyful, Trader was on the ground, his hooves covering his face as he trembled in fear. Applejack quickly broke through the crowd of ponies and placed a hoof on his shoulder, startling the stallion further and bringing his head up with a yelp of fearful panic.
“Trader, Trader,” she said, trying to get through to the pegasus. “It's alright, it's just a surprise party.”
Blinking several times as he calmed down, Trader looked around cautiously, noticing the many ponies filling the barn, as well as the colorful balloons, streamers and confetti that had been strung about carelessly. “A... a party?” he questioned.
“Yeah, a party,” Applejack nodded, “for you.”
The stallion's white face began to turn red as he felt the gazes of every pony in the room on him. “Oh... I thought you were some... someone else.”
The many silent gazes in the room soon shifted toward a pink mare who was jumping up and down happy, giggling uncontrollably as she jumped toward the downed pegasus and consoling mare.
“Wow, Tradie, you were a lot more surprised than I had thought,” Pinkie Pie laughed.
Trader could only manage to stare at the mare in confusion. “But I said I didn't want- I mean, I couldn't have a party because I-”
“Because you weren't new to Ponyville, I know,” the bouncing pony finished. “But then it hit me! You couldn't have a Welcome to Ponyville party, but you could have a Welcome Back to Ponyville party!” Sure enough, hanging among the rafters of the barn, there was a large banner with those exact words on it.