//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - The Truth Comes Out // Story: Orphans // by Autum Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter 8 The Truth Comes Out _____________________________________________________________________ Pinkie sat down on the couch, patting down to indicate for the twins to sit as well. They did so, both looking worried about their mother’s expression, to which she couldn’t help but feel warmed by. I may as well enjoy this warm feeling, she thought gloomily as the two sat on either side of her. After they learn the truth they’ll probably hate me more than Rarity does getting dirty. She gave an inward chuckle at that, short lived as it was. Once the twins were seated comfortably, she opened the album. Inside it were pictures of the twins when they were little foals. Each picture depicted them sometimes with Mrs. Cake, sometimes with Mr. Cake, some herself and the each of them at different times in different pairing ups and some where they were all together. Pinkie sniffled. It had been so long ago now. Pumpkin put a hoof on hers, a concerned look on her face. “Mommy, don’t do this if it makes you sad,” she said, looking up at her with all the innocence of a little filly. “I don’t want you sad. It makes me sad, too.” “Same here,” Pounded hugged her side, buring his muzzle into her fur. Pinkie sniffled again and wrapped her wings around them. “No,” she whispered, taking in a deep breath. “I need to do this. I owe it to you both.” They were slightly confused by this, but she brought their attention back to the book and the photos held within. “These are your parents, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake,” she said, her voice squeaking a little as she said “parents”. They looked to the photos, then back to her, sad looks on their faces. “You’re...?” Pumpkin sniffled, her eyes watering. “You’re not our mommy?” Pinkie continued to smile, but started to sob. “I didn’t give birth to you, my little cakes,” she pointed to Mrs. Cake in a picture where said mare was smiling at the camera whilst she stood over a stove, Pound and Pumpkin when they were still little foals holding onto her back. “That honor, the one who brought you two wonderful ponies into this world, goes to her.” Pumpkin looked at the photo, then buried her muzzle into Pinkie’s wings. They remained silent for a while. It was Pumpkin who decided to break it. “What...? What happened to them?” she whisper, her voice muffled from within Pinkie’s embrace. Pinkie sighed. “I've already told you, Pumpkin. That part of my tall tale is true.” “But... why can’t we remember them as our mommy and daddy?” Pound asked, looking up at Pinkie, frowning. “I remember them as ponies, but not as our mommy and daddy.” Pinkie sighed. “That’s my fault, my little Poundy.” For the first time, Pound did not flinch or scowl at his nickname and just looked up at Pinkie with confusion. Pumpkin looked up to, confusion on her face as well, an eyebrow raised. “I don’t understand. How’s it your fault, Mommy?” Pinkie’s heart ached. She still called her “mommy”, even after she told them the Cakes had been their birth parents. But she also knew there was no way she’d ever hear that again once she said the horrible answer to the question posed to her by the filly unicorn. Tears slid down her face. “A week after your parents funeral, I was completely distraught. You both kept asking where they were and why they hadn’t come back.” “We could ask those kinda questions back then?” Pound’s curiosity temporarily outweighed everything else. Pinkie should her head. “You kept asking “Mommy?” and “Daddy?”. It hurt so much every time because the only way I could answer without breaking down in front of you was by saying you’d joined them one day.” “You mean...?” Pumpkin’s eyes were wide. Pinkie nodded. “I could only answer by telling you, without telling you, that you’d see them again when you died—” she choked and started sobbing again. There was silence, only broken by Pinkie’s sobs. “So... why don’t we remember this?” Pound asked, receiving a glare from his sister in return. "I still remember a few things from when we were foals. How come I can't remember them? I even remember that day, now I think of it. You sat down when we called you "Mommy", looking horrified. I didn't understand why. I though somepony had been mean to you or something." Pinkie managed to gain control of her sobbing, bringing them down to sniffles. “A week after the funeral, I was at my breaking point. If you’d asked me again, I don’t think I would’ve been able to coup and I’d have broken my Pinkie Promise to your parents about taking care of you.” The twins giggled, despite themselves, thinking of their mother’s funny own type of promise, so special nopony had ever broken one in their living memory. Pinkie took a deep breath. “Well, as I was taking your bottles up for your mid-morning feed, Discord appeared in the living room.” “You mean Uncle Discord?” Pound raised an eyebrow. “That strange looking guy who runs Maniactic Meddling Joke Shop? Auntie Fluttershy’s husband?” She nodded. “The very same. Anyway, he asked me what he could do to make me feel better.” “What did you tell him?” Pumpkin looked slightly nervous about what the answer might be. An ashamed look passed over Pinkie’s face. “I told him I didn’t want you to ask me where your parents were and he... he...” she shook her head to tell them not to interrupt and let her finish. “He... altered your memories.” There was silence, both young ponies staring, eyes wide with horror. “I-I... I didn’t know he’d... make you think— I’M SO SORRY!” she burst into another fit of sobs, her shoulders jerking as they racked her body. “You mean... the only reason we think you’re our mommy... is because Discord made us think it?” Pumpkin asked, her voice quivering. Pinkie continued to sob, but nodded. “I-I asked hi-him t-to beca-cause I-I c-c-coudln’t be-bear you a-asking m-me a-anym-more. P-please, d-don’t hate me!” Pound and Pumpkin looked at each other and nodded. “Mommy, it’s okay,” Pumpkin said as she and her brother held onto the pink mare. “We’re so sorry we did that to you. We’re sorry we made you so sad you did that to us.” Pinkie’s sobbing lessened a little as she looked from one small pony to the other. “Y-you... d-don’t ha-hate me for it?” she choked, her face drenched in her tears. Both Pegasus and unicorn held on even tighter. “I don’t care that you didn’a give birth to us,” Pumpkin said into her pink fur. “I don’t care that you asked Discord to alter our memories. You’re still my mommy and I love you.” “Me too,” Pound sniffled, breaking his cool facade Rainbow Dash had taught him and blabbering like the small colt his was. “You’ve been our mommy all this time. I love you!” Pinkie sobbed, but now with a huge smile on her face as she pulled her children into a tight embrace. “I love you both so much too!” They stayed that way for a long time. Pinkie wasn’t sure how long she held her children close to her, but when she looked out the window, she could see the sun was almost done setting. She smiled. She’d let them sleep in her bed tonight. Celestia knows they’d all feel better being together tonight. Pinkie could not believe how happy she was. She had been so afraid the twins would hate her when they learned the truth. She’d been certain they’d never want to look at her again and go live in the Ponyville orphanage to be adopted by some other ponies. But they didn’t. The still loved her, maybe even more so now than they ever had. She was a mother with two loving children and she had her mentors to thank for it and her friends and Sweetie Belle too. “I promise,” she whispered as she gentling stroked their manes as they all cuddled together, “I’ll tell you everything about the Cakes. Everything about your real mommy and daddy.” “But you are our read mommy, Mommy,” Pumpkin murmured into Pinkie’s fur. “You raised us. We love you.” Pinkie couldn’t tell them how happy it made her to hear that, so she just nuzzled her unicorn daughter and quietly said, “And I love you too, my pretty Pumpkin... my powerful Pound,” she added, feeling a small thump on the side of her Pound was hugging. Pumpkin suddenly pulled a little away, looking up, her eyes sparkling. “Does this mean Twilight will be our third mommy?” Pinkie almost joked on her own breath. "Hey, yeah!" Pound exclaimed, looking up at the shocked pink mare. "We've already go a daddy and two mommies. Will Twilight be our third mommy?" Pinkie sputtered, not sure what to say. “Wh-what? Pumpkin— Pound— how did you—?” Pumpkin winked and Pound chuckled. “We may be little, but we know you love her too, Mommy,” she said, giggling. Pinkie was dumbstruck. She’d only meant to tell them the truth about their origons, but it had suddenly turned to them catching her red-hoofed about marrying Twilight. How had this happened so quickly? Then, she smiled. Of course. Their my children. They take after the mommy who raised them. Her smile turned sly. “Okay, you little trouble makers,” she said, her voice filling with mock anger, which she noticed them pick up on instantly, “you’re gonna pay for that.” “Run!” Pumpkin cried in fake fear, her face betraying how she really felt. “It’s the Tickle Monster!” Her horn glowed and she teleported away. Pound leaped out of his mother’s wing’s grasp and tried to fly away, but, unlike his sister, failed to escape. “Got you!” Pinkie cried, pouncing on her prey, pinning him to the floor with her hooves and started tickling under his upper limbs and blowing raspberries onto his stomach! “S-s-sister!” he cried through his laughter, tears streaming down his face. “Save me!” Pinkie was about to blow another raspberry, when something bowled into her head, knocking her over. Within seconds, she was pinned down by the unicorn filly’s magic and Pound started tickling her underside with his hooves. “No!” Pinkie laughed, struggling to break free of her prey, now turned predators. “St-st-stop! AHHHHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAH!” “Say “uncle”!” both twins shouted, their faces gleaming with joy. “Say “uncle”, Mommy Tickle Monster!” For several minutes Pinkie tried to fight back, but it was no use. They had her pinned. “A-alright! Al -ahahhaha- right! I give, I give! Uncle, uncle!” Pinkie screamed. The magical hold on her broke, Pound stopped tickling her and they all fell on the floor in a heap, giggling. After a while, when her fits of giggles had finally stopped, Pinkie noticed everything had gone quiet. She rolled onto her belly and saw both twins had fallen asleep, big smiles on their faces. She stood up and looked outside. It was just starting to get dark. “I think we’ll all head in early tonight, what you think, guys?” she asked, looking to the sleeping foals. They said nothing, just continued to sleep, content. Pinkie’s smile softened. Her horned glowed, as did the twins and she levitated them to her room. There she pulled the covers from her bed and got in, lowering the sleeping ponies in with her. Upon touching the bed, they both sought the warmth of their mother and snuggled into her. A few tears of happiness came to Pinkie eyes as she pulled the blanket over the three of them, turned out the lights with her magic and went to sleep, her children beside her, knowing things could only be better from now on.