“...That’ll be four bits!”

The pink pony deposited her customer’s payment into the drawer before proffering the sweets.

“Have a nice day!”

A smile ran across her face, stretching from cheek to cheek. With a determined huff, she returned to the kitchen to continue her daily chores.

Pinkie had been working the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner for quite some time now. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember how long she had been working there.

No matter. She had work to do. The tarts she had prepared needed to be put in the oven. Making sure not to burn herself, she grabbed the tray of pastries from her prep station and placed it into the oven where they would grow and become the yummy, delectable treats she knew and loved.

Throwing the apron over her withers, she resumed her place at the prep station. Flour had caked onto the table from all the pastries she had made in the day. Grabbing a cloth, she wiped it down until it shined. Her hard work was evident by the discoloring of her apron from all the frosting and flour. Her mane was always unkempt and her hooves usually hurt by the end of the day, but this didn’t stop Pinkie. To see the smiles her treats brought to her customers’ faces was more than enough to keep the mare going.

Pinkie looked down upon her reflection. With a relieved sigh, she began making funny faces in the reflection of the metal table, giggling at her own face. She continued to make funny faces until something caught her attention. The bell on the front door rang throughout the building, signalling a new customer. Without hesitation, Pinkie rushed to the front.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” A strange creature stood before her, standing only on two legs. “Oh, hey Nonny! What can I do for ya?”

He was sporting his usual suit and tie. However, a disheartened look set across his face.

“Hey Pinkie. I placed an order with the Cakes a few days ago for a chocolate cake. Would it happen to be done? I’ll need candles as well.” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. It couldn’t be today, could it? With a quick glance she looked at the calendar on the wall. Sure enough, it had been a year already.

“I’ll have to go check in the back.” The mare’s mind began to fill with questions. “Are you throwing a party?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well, are you gonna eat it with some friends?”

“No.”

“You’re not going to eat it all by yourself, are you? I mean, remember that pie eating contest? You couldn’t even keep up with me or Soarin. It probably isn’t best to eat it all alo—”

“Pinkie, can you just get me my cake?” he snapped, clearly frustrated by the sudden barrage of questions. The mare’s ears tilted back, making it aware she knew this was a touchy subject.

“O-Okay.” Without hesitation, Pinkie trotted into the kitchen, her mind buzzing with the same question.

What is this cake’s purpose?

As the mare swung the freezer door open, the chocolate cake stood prominently at the front. It had Mr. Cake’s signature frosting flowers littered on top of it. Pinkie wistfully boxed the baked good, making sure to tie the bow with care. As she entered the storefront, Anon impatiently tapped his fingers against the counter.

“Is it ready?”

Pinkie nodded, making sure to tenderly place the package on the counter along with a box of candles. “Uh huh. That’ll be ten bits, please.”

Anon placed the currency on the counter, grabbing the cake in the process. “See ya later, Pinkie.” And with that, he was gone.

The front door’s bell rang, but the sound just echoed in the pony’s ears, its purpose lost as she pondered the reason behind the cake. Nopony would ever buy a cake without a reason. Whether it be a birthday, a graduation, or even a sixth day relationship celebration, a cake always has a purpose. Anon wasn’t one to keep things like that hidden. And it ravaged Pinkie’s mind. It almost felt as if her brain was thinking so hard it was burning.

Wait, burning?

“The tarts!” Pinkie screeched as she made way for the kitchen.

As the sun began to set, Pinkie hung up her apron and let out a relieved sigh. Sure, working at Sugarcube Corner was fun, but that didn’t change the fact that it was work. She watched as the Cakes finished cleaning the kitchen, her thoughts still focused on Anon’s cake.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” the mare uttered. “Did Anon give you a reason why he needed that cake?”

The couple exchanged confused looks.

“Now that you mention it, no, he didn’t,” answered Mr. Cake.

“We did happen to see him at the toy story earlier when we went with Pound and Pumpkin.”

“Yes, he walked out with a toy train and he had it wrapped.”

Pinkie’s confusion only grew from the information.

“Is it okay if I leave a little earlier?”

“Sure thing, Pinkie,” Mr. Cake replied. “You did an excellent job, as always. Feel free—”

Before he could even finish his statement, the mare was already galloping out the door. The night lanterns were starting to light up along the brick pathways as the night’s dark sky took over. Pinkie, despite being in somewhat of a hurry, made sure to wave to all her friends along the way. She even took a moment to talk to Twilight.

“Hiya Twilight!”

“Hey Pinkie. How was your day?”

“It was super duper as always! Say, you haven’t happen to see Anon at all, have you?”

“I saw him leave Sugarcube Corner and go home earlier, but I haven’t seen him since.” A worried expression crosses Twilight’s face. “It’s strange, he’s usually at the library by noon to learn more about Equestria’s history.” All Twilight saw next was a pink blur as her friend galloped down the road. Twilight dismissed it as nothing but “Pinkie being Pinkie” and went on to light the lanterns outside her library.

Before long, Pinkie stood outside Anon’s house. No lights were on out front; only a very dim light could be seen from one of the windows. She stood before the front door, unsure how to approach this situation. Unfortunately, Pinkie wasn’t one for planning too much and decided to wing it. Her hoof touched the door, attempting to knock on, only to find it swing open with ease. Darkness filled the hallway, leading to a faint light on the other end.

Pinkie had never been to Anon’s house before. Every time anypony tried to get invited, he shot down the request. The only bad thing was that she couldn’t find a light switch to look around the place. With careful steps, she proceeded to the light at the end of the pathway, bumping into furniture along the way. It looked like a kitchen.

Inside sat Anonymous, alone at the table. The cake he had bought sat on top. six candles covered the top, already halfway melted. A small gift was wrapped beside it, crinkled to Tartarus and back. Pinkie approached carefully, not wanting to startle the man. As she drew closer, she noticed his eyes. They were not the usual, cheerful eyes she saw as he came in each morning for a fresh tart or when he arrived to a party plastered out of his mind. His eyes seemed almost… dead.

“Anon?” the mare whispered.

His view did not leave the cake. His body didn’t so much as twitch. “Oh. Hey, Pinkie.”

“Umm… Your door was open and I was… worried…”

“Hmm.”

"Anon?"

“Yeah?”

“It’s not your birthday, is it? I’m pretty sure it was three months ago. If humans have a second birthday, you don’t need to celebrate alone. We can have a nice party for you at Su—”

Pinkie’s words was cut off by the quiet sobs coming from her friend. Tears rolled down his cheek as a stark smile surfaced on his face.

“No, Pinkie, it isn’t my birthday. Humans don’t have a second birthday. It’s... “

The tears began to roll down harder, his sobs quickly becoming wails. Pinkie moved closer, still unsure about what could be upsetting him.

“Anon, it’s okay. You can tell me what’s wrong.”

Pinkie stood beside him, consumed by silence as he wiped the tears off his face. She had never seen Anon like this. He was usually so happy and cheerful. What could cause him such grief?

“It’s my son’s birthday.”

Pinkie tilted her head like a confused dog.

“Your son?” She looked around the room as if the person would just appear. “Where is he?”

Tears welled up his eyes again. “Back in my world with my wife who probably equally misses me!”

Anon buried his head in his hand and resumed his howls of sorrow. The mare immediately realized her mistake and quickly wrapped her hooves around the man, trying her best to embrace him in a hug. To her dismay, there was no prevail. Through his groaning, he continued.

“He turns six years old today,” he mumbled with a half smile. “I wonder what he got for his birthday? Before I was brought here against my will, he was only six months old. I never got to see his first steps, I never heard his first word. There’s so much I’ve missed and I can never get it back.”

“But you can always go back, right? You may have missed those moments, but there will always be more!” Pinkie boasted, a sign of hope in her voice.

Anon removed his face from his hands and wrapped his arms around the mare.

“No,” he whispered. “I’ve been going to the library every day for the past five and a half years, trying to find a way. I’ve stayed up for nights, but there’s just no way back. I’m stuck here forever.” He buried his head into Pinkie’s shoulder, crying even more profusely.

Pinkie would never had guessed. Anon was usually so happy-go-lucky. She never would have known the pain he had been hiding for years. It choked her up, thinking about never being able to go home and see your family. Her hair lost its poofiness upon feeling this pain, leaving her to cry upon his shoulder as well. The two stayed there, not uttering a word, until the candles had burned in to a pile of wax and the darkness consumed the room.

Author's Notes:

I wrote this a little over a year ago. I added some fluff to make it look nice, but it still feels forced. Unfortunately, I'm doing this to get my mojo back so I can continue writing. I'm sorry.