A Foundation Crumbles
/x/x/x/
After a perfectly average shift of working the counter at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was enjoying the fruits of her labor. Now, these fruits aren’t fruit in the literal sense, like an apple. They’re figurative fruits. It would be literal if she was eating apples, but no, she was eating cupcakes. Vanilla flavored, and vanilla comes from a bean, which is sort of like a fruit, but still. Cupcakes are not fruits. That would be ridiculous.
Anyways, husband and wife Carrot and Cup Cake- formerly Cup O’flour before she got married- were descending the staircase into the main room. They were to take their shift, the evening, while Pinkie watched the twins Pumpkin and Pound. It was part of the daily routine, and the pink pony quite liked this arrangement.
Every day, she woke up to get them out of bed. She would set up the shop with Carrot while Cup Cake fed the babies their breakfast. She would then get the next four hours to do whatever she wanted with them: play in their room or take them for a walk around town in their stroller, it depended on the weather.
After the four hours, it was her job to then watch the counter for the lunch rush. Cup and Carrot had started baking first thing in the morning, so there was plenty of fresh merchandise to sell. The cupcakes often sold out, so Pinkie would have to bake more as the day went on. However, she would ‘accidentally’ overestimate how much she needed, and wound up with extra.
She was currently enjoying those extras.
“Cutting down the day’s waste, Pinkie Pie?”
“You know it, Mister Cake. Wouldn’t wanna throw away these delicious delicacies!” she said, before finishing one off.
“You turned the ovens off, right?”
“Um, duh!” She chomped down on another. There were two left, not including the one she just mutilated with her mouth. “I’m not gonna let this place get blown up.”
“Alright then.”
Pinkie took the two leftovers and presented them to her employers. “Want some?”
“Sorry Pinkie,” he said. “I’m watching my figure.” He glanced over at his wife, then gazed longingly upon the frosted dessert. “But... I’m sure the babies will eat them.”
“Speaking of the kids,” Cup Cake said, unaware of her husband’s mouthwateringly intense desire to break his diet. “They’re upstairs waiting for you.”
Pinkie gasped, and dashed back up the stairs. Carrot watched as she did, then bowed his head and headed into the kitchen. After a minute, Cup Cake sighed, rolled her eyes, and said “One.”
The oven was turned on and the pantry was opened less than three seconds later.
/x/x/x/
After Pinkie and the Cakes swapped jobs, she usually stayed inside, except on the most gorgeous sunny days. Luckily for her, the weather patrol were saving up clouds for a six-hour downpour the next day, so there wouldn’t be a cloud in the sky for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
On sunny days like that, Pinkie would strap on the dual saddlebag Snugli and walk Pumpkin and Pound around Ponyville. It was during this time she would go about town- and sometimes out of town- to see her closer friends, and let the babies socialize with the various ponies around Ponyville.
After gathering emergency supplies- diapers and baby powder, toys, a bag of flour- Pinkie put the twins into their Snugli, and headed back downstairs. She bid Mrs Cake a temporary farewell, and stepped out the door. She had three hours before their bedtime, and she planned on packing as much fun into those three hours as she could.
After the three hours, she would put the twins to bed, and have the rest of the day free of responsibility. Of course, since their birth, she would be headed to bed soon after, as they’ve proven to be quite a handful these past few months. Even with all the extra cupcakes after lunch, Pinkie found herself drained of stamina at the end of the day.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
/x/x/x/
It took ten minutes for Cup Cake to wonder what the hay was taking Carrot so long to prepare just one cupcake. She got up from the counter and trotted into the kitchen. There, she found her husband and... almost every ingredient in the whole pantry out and spread around the room.
“Honeybun, which one do I like more? Chocolate cream, or creme de chocolat?”
At no response, Carrot Cake looked up at his wife. He mouth was agape, and she was looking all around at what he figured she would call a mess.
“What is this mess!?”
‘Called it’ he said mentally.
“I’m making my cupcake. And, since this is going to be a rare occurrence, I want this one to be special. To be perfect, and unique. A cupcake that I’ll remember as I go without all the sugar and fat that this place has to offer. I want to remember this one, so it will deter me from attempting to cheat this diet for the next few weeks.
Because, if I have one that’s so expertly crafted, then why would I settle for an ordinary gallop-of-the-mill baked good when I know it’s in my power to make one that’s so much better? This cupcake, if I make it perfectly, will be satisfying enough to carry me through these pounds. Does that make sense to you?”
He awaited a response. Eventually, one did come. While it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, he knew it would probably be said anyways.
“Carrot, you’re insane.” she walked up to him. “But, that’s why I married you.” she kissed him.
“What about my charm, and good looks?”
She raised her eyebrows, tilted her head, and smirked at him.
“And your sense of humor.” the front doorbell ringed, and she started to walk out of the kitchen. “When you’re done, please put everything away.”
“You got it.” he replied, turning his focus back to his work. “Do I want to marble the red velvet with the yellow, or the angel food... ”
/x/x/x/
First on Pinkie Pie’s list of fun things to do required a daredevil pegasus. Rainbow Dash had wanted to take the twins up into the clouds for quite some time now. She was always asking the Cakes if she could fly Pound and Pumpkin, but it was only until yesterday that they’d finally said yes.
It took a minute figuring out how to adjust the Snugli to fit a pegasus, but it eventually did. The next hurdle was Rainbow Dash trying to take off without being dangerously reckless. Eventually, she did find a way. However, that way involved asking several ponies to borrow their house.
Lyra couldn’t because it would have bothered Bonbon. Roseluck wouldn’t allow it, as her garden was on the roof. Berry Punch didn’t answer the door- probably drunk. The fourth house they knocked on was Vinyl Scratch, who didn’t have a problem with it. When Rainbow Dash climbed on the roof, it was thumping rhythmically, for some odd reason.
After gently taking off- which felt quite strange to the pegasus who normally just shot off like a bullet- she climbed slowly into the clouds. Pinkie Pie wasn’t going to miss out on all the fun, so she went to find her Pinkiecopter, and followed Dash into the sky.
They flew for a good twenty minutes, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. Carrot Top had requested a watering sometime soon, since there would be no more water until late in the afternoon tomorrow. They landed, and Pinkie Pie took the kids and Snugli back. After sharing farewells, Rainbow Dash shot off in Carrot Top’s house’s direction.
Pinkie noticed there were some similarities between Carrot Top and Carrot Cake. Same color mane, same color coat, same first name. But when she asked, it turns out that it’s just a fluke. Carrot Top’s real name is Golden Harvest, and ‘Carrot Top’ is just a nickname, like Colgate: her real name was Romana Minuette. Plus, Carrot Top’s coat was closer to cream-colored than yellow, and the hair color was a fluke. The two had no relation.
After reflecting on that, she noticed the babies reaching up at something. She looked up, and saw the apple tree. Pinkie looked around, and saw that she had landed in Sweet Apple Acres. That worked out quite well, as it was the next place Pinkie was headed.
Much to the twins’ chagrin, Pinkie reminded them of the fact that they didn’t have enough teeth to chew an apple. But, she put a smile back on their faces when she reminded them that they could have applesauce. They cheered: Applejack made the best applesauce in Ponyville.
Applejack was more than happy to comply. While she made it, Granny Smith- the oldest resident in Ponyville- talked to the two youngest residents. Not much conversation went on. Applebloom played with the future members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Big Macintosh just watched these interactions, too shy to ask to hold them. Luckily for him, Pinkie could sense it, and she offered.
A few minutes later, Applejack was finished, and she had a small jar of the sauce. Pinkie gave the babies their snack before she started to head out the door. But... something unexpected happened.
Her back leg twitched. Then, her ear twitched. Her eyebrows shot up, and she quickly turned her head around to look at her tail. If it twitched, that meant... No, it couldn’t be THAT, she distinctly remembered turning the oven off. If her tail didn’t twitch, it just meant that something would break. Pinkie stared intently for thirty seconds. Nothing happened, so she relaxed.
But then, her tail DID twitch.
She bolted out the door and full-out galloped to Ponyville.
/x/x/x/
Who takes forty five minutes to make a cupcake?
“I’m finished!”
Cup Cake looked over at the kitchen, returned her gaze to the front door, then walked into the kitchen.
Inside, Carrot Cake proudly admired his handiwork. “Look, Sugarplum!” he stepped aside, presenting the cupcake tin with one space filled with cupcake batter. “I marbled yellow cake with some angel food that, get this, has little rainbow-colored candies in it that, when baked, become crispy.”
“That’s... interesting.”
“And look at the spread of toppings I have set up here! For the icing, I’ve prepared a chocolate ganache with some of that pear liqueur we had hiding in the back of the pantry. And to put on top of that, I made some pumpkin-flavored graham bits, and for garnish, I have a white chocolate-dipped cherry!”
She looked at him as if he were crazy. “Dear, that’s an awful lot of flavors.”
He looked down at the batter and topping. She did have a point.
“Well...” his face fell. “You’re right. You think I got a bit carried away?”
She trotted next to him. The aromas hit her like a kick in the face. “A little.”
He sighed, and shrugged. “Oh well. Might as well enjoy it as best as I can.” he walked over to one of the ovens. “Well, I might still like it. I don’t hate any of the flavors by themselves, so I can eat it piece by piece.” his optimism carried him as he opened the oven. “Of course, that kind of defeats the purpose of the cupcake as a whole.”
He walked back over to his workspace, and grabbed the cupcake tin- well, muffin tin being used for cupcakes- and walked back over to the oven. After sliding the tin into the oven, he reached up to the temperature dial. He sniffed the air.
“Do you smell something?”
He turned the dial, and then he realized what it was he smelled.
Gas.
The pilot light clicked on.
/x/x/x/
Maybe last time was a fluke.
Pinkie Sense is hard to understand sometimes.
Maybe it was a different order last time?
No... the memory was clear as day. This day was incredibly clear, not a cloud in the sky, so it would make sense that the clearness was directly comparable from today’s day to the memory. Back leg, ear, tail meant an explosion of some sort. It happened on the day that Princess Celestia said they had to all start writing friendship letters, when Rainbow Dash did her Sonic Rainnuke on Applejack’s old broken-down barn.
Since Rainbow Dash was doing something for Carrot Top, it couldn’t be that. If Rainbow Dash was out of the issue, that meant that leg-ear-tail would either apply to a barn being destroyed, or an explosion. Since Applejack said nothing about dismantling any barns... it left one choice remaining.
Why this information was all being clearly organized in Pinkie’s mind, the simple fact of whether she left the oven on or not slipped out of her recollection every time she tried to remember. On one hoof, she had her forelegs full with the cupcakes, On the other hoof, her mouth was free to click it off, and she distinctly remembered doing so.
Maybe it wouldn’t happen to Sugarcube Corner, but to somepony else’s house. Why was she running only for Sugarcube Corner then? If things are all right there, then there’s still the possibility that another house would explode.
Maybe, Zecora would have an accident out in the Everfree Forest making a potion or something? Or, one of Twilight’s experiments could go wrong. Or maybe Spike would send or receive a letter? Wait, no, then the twitch series would happen on a twice-daily basis...
She could see Sugarcube Corner now, after finally entering the town. It was still there. Pinkie scanned the horizon- no smoke anywhere.
Maybe it was a fluke after all?
She slowed down. Maybe last time WAS for a different reason, and it was just something small. Like, maybe a certain kind of animal had a baby last time, and that animal just had a baby a few minutes ago? Or, maybe Peewee became ashes last time it happened, and he did again just now?
Pinkie stopped. She didn’t even know what triggered the twitches last time. A thousand different things happen within a mile every second, it could be anything. In fact, when the Sonic Rainnuke happened, the mailmare Derpy was distracted mid-flight, and she flew right into a wall. Maybe that happened just now?
She breathed a sigh of relief. Surely it wouldn’t take THIS long for-
The kitchen wall blew outwards, followed by fire, which dissipated into thick black smoke. All the windows in the whole house blew out, and the roof slanted slightly. After a few seconds, the walls cracked, then collapsed. The hole in the wall was closed up by the roof debris.
Back leg, ears, tail. An explosion levels a building.
She galloped to the wreckage.
/x/x/x/
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I just don't see how they say tragic and sad can't together. I think they can do so easily if you make it work. Now sad and comedy or slice of life and adventure those make sense because they are opposites but not tragic and sad.
The authors notes are really cool though.
I like where this is going so far and I wonder if Pinkie Pie is going to feel guilty because she believes she didn't turn the oven off and that's what caused the expolsion.
1924651 Punctuation mistakes?
-commits Seppukku- 
I'll hunt them down and destroy them!
[EDIT: the only error I found was using the word 'Why' instead of 'While'... can you please tell me what I messed up on so I can avoid the mistake in the future?]
1926948 Maybe Tragic is like Sad, but on steroids?
There'll always be that nagging doubt at the back of her mind that it was her fault.
1930038 It's pretty much I Let Gwen Stacy Die with the Cakes serving as the Gwen Stacy for Pinkie Pie.
1931479 There's... something that happens in chapter 2 that keeps it from being that.
1936539 Because of capitalization, or because I spelled it wrong? And I too have OCD, which makes me capitalize words that are important and practically freak out when I see that people don't capitalize things like Is and song titles in their iTunes libraries, or when people say 'itunes'. I also don't like spelling errors, and I want to know the right way to spell Seppukku, because both ways are errors on this site's spellcheck.
"Anyways, husband and wife Carrot and Cup Cake- formerly Cup O’flour before she got married- were descending the staircase into the main room."
Anyways, husband and wife Carrot and Cup Cake, formerly Cup O’flour before she got married, were descending the staircase into the main room.
I didn't want to drown people in commas, plus since it was cutting to a different topic, I felt a comma was not enough.
They were to take their shift in the evening while Pinkie watched the twins, Pumpkin and Pound.
Will this fix it?
"Alright then." vs "Alright, then."
But there's no natural pause in the tone he used, I don't mentally hear a comma.
"as they’ve proven to be quite a handful these past few months." vs "as they had proven to be quite a handful in previous months."
So this is an issue between 'have' and 'had'. I used 'have' because it was a present issue that was still subsisting today, and not something that happened in the past and stopped. If they weren't a handful anymore, I would have used 'had', but they still are, so I used 'have'.
"Called it" should have a comma proceeding it, and I just feel it should also be italicized, however, this is not necessary.
OMFG Google Docs screwed me over. I had it in italics on the Gdocs, but my idiot web clipboard doesn't copy formatting! And I just forgot to reinsert it. But trust me, it WAS in italics.
Thank you for pointing out the lack of ending punctuation, I honestly missed that.
"After gently taking off- which felt quite strange to the pegasus who normally just shot off like a bullet- she climbed slowly into the clouds.
Almost every time, you use :dash:es instead of commas."
Well, again, drowning in commas.
"Also, I kind of think the Carrot Top/Carrot Cake paragraph was slightly unnecessary, it adds nothing to the storyline."
Yeah, it was a tiny bit out of place, but I put it in because I didn't want people to be like 'Carrot Top? She's totally going to be a main character, that's a stupid reason to include someone, they're totally not related GRAAH!!!' and rage quit.
"They cheered: Applejack made the best applesauce in Ponyville."
They're two independent clauses, that's why I used a colon.
1945086 So it wasn't Pinkie Pie's fault?
If so I have a feeling she's not going to believe it, she's going to keep thinking "I didn't turn off the oven and that's what caused them to die."
1945387 Who says the explosion is what killed them? Well, both of them, anyway. Something happens in Chapter 2 that subverts Gwen Stacy syndrome.
1998059 Hm so the explosion is a cover for something much more serious, but what could anypony have against the Cakes that could warrant that?
Liked it. More chapters please.
2005117 Thank you; more chapters will be here eventually. I just really suck at putting my thoughts on paper.