Orphans

by Autum Breeze


Chapter 1 - New Responsibility

Orphans

Chapter 1

New Responsibility

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Mr. Cake helped his wife finish sealing the wrapping that was protecting the five-layer chocolate-strawberry swirl cake, with night-blue frosting and sliver edible baubles that were in different star patterns all along the cake that they had spent four hours carefully crafting to perfection.

The cake was to be served at a party being hosted by Princess Luna. She had even invited the bakers to stay for the party as a thank you for putting so much time and effort into creating the cosmic confectionary concoction, even booking them a first class carriage on the train to Canterlot.

Once it was wrapped up tight, his wife helped him carry and load it into the wagon outside that they were using to transport the royal dessert.

After the cake was securely fastened into the wagon, they went back into their home/business and went into the living room, where Pinkie Pie was playing Pinkie’s peek-a-boo, which involved the twins putting their hooves over their eyes, then trying to find where Pinkie had disappeared to within the room when they removed them.

They clapped and laughed as Pinkie burst out from within a small bottle on the shelf above the fireplace shouting, “Here I am!”

Mr. Cake cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the pink pony as his children.

“Well, Pinkie, we’d better be heading off,” he said, removing his hat and apron, as did his wife. “We should be back at around nine tomorrow morning. Are you sure you don’t need anything before we leave?”

“Noooo problem, Mr. Cake!” Pinkie exclaimed loudly, waving a hoof, a huge grin on her face. “I’ll hold the fort while you’re gone. Wait. You don’t have a fort. I’ll hold the bakery til you’re back. Though, how would I hold it. I'm no where near strong enough for that. Maybe I could get Big Mac to help, since he was pulling Berry Punch’s house last Hearts and Hooves Day—”

“That’s okay, Pinkie dear,” Mrs. Cake cut her off, a slightly nervous smile on her face after hearing Pinkie suggesting that she literally hold the bakery with Big Macintosh’s help. “Just have a fun night looking after the twins.”

“You betcha, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie’s smile extended beyond the lines of her face. “We’re gonna have the funnest night ever, right guys?”

The two foals laughed, clapping their hooves excitedly.

“You two just have loads of fun and Luna’s party and enjoy that amazing cake you made,” Pinkie smiled, then got her cute Pinkie Pout. “Wish I could have some.”

Mr. Cake chuckled. “Maybe, if there’s any left, we’ll bring it home with us,” he said, making Pinkie’s pout return to her overly enthusiastic smile.

“Okay,” she chirped. “Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” both Cakes said, going through the motions of their apprentice’s own funny promise, making the twins giggle at how silly their parents look.

With that, they went outside, Mr. Cake hooked himself onto the wagon and they headed off towards the train station, the sound of Pinkie calling “Say hi to Twilight for me” following then, making them chuckle.


_____________________________________________________________________

Cup Cake fidgeted in her seat as the train rattled down the track, heading for Canterlot.

Her husband sighed, shaking his head. “Stop worrying, honey-bun. We’ve left Pinkie to foalsit before and thing’s have always turned out okay.” He paused. “Well, aside from that time she tried to bake caramel-apple soufflé with ketchup and white chocolate chips and hot sauce, without realizing she’d put baking soda into it inside of the chocolate.”

The married couple shared a giggle as they remembered the sight of Pinkie standing in a fluffy field of caramel and ketchup pastry when they’d returned home.

“I guess,” Cup Cake sighed, forcing herself to stop fidgeting. “I just can’t help worrying, though. I know we can trust Pinkie— I trust her with my life, but I still worry that she’ll do something wrong. Does that make me a bad pony?”

Carrot Cake wrapped a foreleg around her shoulder, grinning. “If you weren’t our foals’ mother, I’d say yes.”

She nudged him in the ribs, smiling at the “oomf” she got in response. “Cheeky.”

_____________________________________________________________________

The train engineer wiped the sweat from his brow and gave a huge sigh.

Just another half hour, he thought to himself. Another half hour and my shift end and I can go to sleep. Celestia, I haven’t wanted to sleep this badly since I was a colt.

He noticed an annoying squeaking sound.

Her frowned, picking a wrench up in his mouth and banged on the furnace a few times.

The noise stopped.

This train really needs fixing up, he thought, shaking his head. By Celestia, when I get to the station, I’m gonna tell the manager this thing needs tuning up before she heads out again.

The squeaking sound returned.

His frown deepening, he picked the wrench he’d just put down up again and banged several times on the furnace, expecting the previous reaction that always happened.

The noise instead grew louder and the dials moved into the red.

Realizing what was about to happen, he ran out of the front and bolted into the passenger carriage screaming, “EVERYPONY, GET OFF THE TR—”

He was cut off as the engine exploded, fire enveloping him in front of all presently in the carriage.

As the torrent of flames surged towards them, both Cakes looked at each other and said, “I love you,” before being surrounded by the flames themselves.

Their last thought was a shared one.

Pinkie, take good care of the kids.

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Pinkie Pie looked worriedly at the clock on the wall.

It said it was already 11:30 the next day and the Cakes were still not back yet.

She’d put the twins down for their morning nap a few minutes ago and now had nothing to do but wait for the Cakes return.
She shook her head, chuckling.

They were probably running late because they’d had so much fun at the party they’d slept in and had to catch a late train back.

Any second now they’d come through the front door, embarrassed about something they’d done at the party they’d always say she wasn’t quite ready to hear.

At that moment a knock sounded on the door.

For a second, Pinkie wondered why the Cakes would knock, asking permission to enter their own home, when she realized it was somepony else.

She got up, walked to the door and opened it.

Derpy Hooves was standing there, holding out an envelope in her left forehoof.

“Morning, Derpy,” Pinkie cheered, then frowned. “Wait. I thought you didn’t have any shifts today.”

The grey mare shook her head. “I don’t. But I found this lying outside the front door. It’s addressed to you.”

Pinkie’s eyes sparkled. “Oooh, is it that new recipe book I ordered for Japaneighse pastries? I’ve been waiting soooooooooooo long for that. I placed the order, like, five moons ago.”

Derpy shook her head. “I don’t think it’s your recipe book,” the wall-eyed mare chuckled. “Anyway, bye, Pinkie. I have to hurry and pick up Dinky. She slept over at Sweetie Belle’s last night.”

With that, the grey mare trotted off and Pinkie closed the door, her eyes on the envelope in her hoof.

She opened it and noticed there were wet circles on the parchment, as if whoever had been writing this had been crying.

She started reading.


Pinkie,

I wish I didn’t have to write this. Sweet Celestia, how I wish I didn’t have to write this, but you need to know—


Pinkie paused. She didn’t like the sound of this. Why had whoever wrote this wished they didn’t have to?

She kept reading.


—last night, a train heading for Canterlot suffered a severe engine failure and the train exploded.

Several bodies were recovered from the wreckage and I was called to identify two of the bodies.

I was horrified, thinking it might have been you or one of the others and almost refused to go.

But when I was told it was dire the identities of the two bodies were confirmed for the sake of two foals, I went.


Here it became harder to read because of all the tear-marks on the paper, but Pinkie could still read the words as clearly as if they were being spoken to her.


I went and identified the bodies. Pinkie, they were Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

Until further notice, the most likely indefinitely, you have been placed in charge of the care of Pound and Pumpkin Cake as you were the closet to the Cakes and their most trusted friend.

I am so, so sorry this happened, Pinkie, and will try to get back to Ponyville as soon as possible.


Twilight.


Pinkie’s hair had deflated when she read Mr. and Mrs. Cake's names.

She just stared at the letter for several minutes, as if by staring, it could somehow tell her what she’d read wasn’t true and Mr. and Mrs. Cake would come through the front door, telling Pinkie everything was fine.

But it didn’t. Nothing happened.

She sat there for Celestia knows how long, still as a statue, the only sound the ticking of the clock.

Eventually, Pinkie started sobbing.

It started small, then built its way up to a degree that her whole body was shaking, tears streaming down her muzzle and spilling onto the floor, quickly making two small puddles.

They were gone. The two most important ponies in her life, who’d been in her life as far back as she could remember since she left her family rock farm and come to Ponyville, they were gone.

She’d never see their smiling faces again.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, crying like she never had before, when she heard the sound of wails coming from the twins’ room.

She gasped. How could she possibly explain this to the twins? how could she tell them that their mother and father were gone?

She slumped. How could she do it? Her whole world had been ripped out from underneath her. She wasn’t in any state to comfort two foals.

No, Pinkie, she said to herself, shaking her head, her expression firming. You need to be strong now. You’re all those little angels have left. You can’t let yourself full into the dumpie-wumpies when they need you.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, then tried to make her hair look as poofy as it normally was, so the twins wouldn’t think something was wrong.

Once she was certain she looked more like her usually self, she walked upstairs to the twins’ room, put a huge smile on her face and walked in saying, “Hey, guys! What’s goin’ on?”

The small unicorn and Pegasus both stopped crying and smiled, cooing as they saw their favourite pink pony.

She walked over to their crib and they both made motions indicating that they wanted hugs.

Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Pound and Pumpkin, pulling them into a tight embrace.

Don’t worry, my little ponies, she promised in her head. I’ll look after you and do everything I can to make your lives super duper happy.

Both foals put their hooves gently to her face and she gasped as she realized she’d started crying again.

The twins gave her curious looks, not understanding why Pinkie was crying when she was smiling.

She held them a little bit tighter, unable to stop her tears, no matter how hard she tried.