It's Just Babysitting, Baby
How Exactly do I Tell Her?
The bakery of Sugarcube Corner was alight with the golden-orange glow of the afternoon February sun. The bakery was unusually empty, as all of the ponies in Ponyville were out making dinner reservations at fancy restaurants like Saola, Open-Roof Cafe and The Lakeside View; but this morning there were a few customers, mostly stallions getting their loved ones a special cake. For Pinkie Pie, the emptiness of the place allowed her to practice a few new jokes or tricks; while Mr and Mrs Cake prepared to go out to their own dinner reservations. Cup Cake popped her plump blue head out of the kitchen and asked, "Pinkie? Could you do us a favour and babysit the twins for tonight?"
Pinkie sat up from balancing on her tail and smiled at the mare. Ever since Pinkie came to Ponyville Cup Cake had been like a second mother to her, and she always respected Cup Cake for that; she was superbly supportive when the Cakes revealed that they were having a baby, and helped prepare the baby room. "You can count on me, Mrs Cake! Although, is it okay if I can bring one of my friends over?"
"Why of course Pinkie. Just the one though, right?" Mrs Cake replied, smiling sweetly
"Yup! Her name is Starlight Glimmer, and although she used to be an evil magician hellbent on making ponies equal, she's now all good." Pinkie explained quickly, and followed up with an adorable squee.
Mrs Cake had gotten used to Pinkie's fast talking, so she simply nodded and replied, "Oh. Well then yes she can come over, as long as you two are actually watching the twins and not fooling around."
It was this last comment that made Pinkie's usually bubblegum cheeks to flush bright scarlet. "Uhhhh... Me and Starlight aren't that close, Mrs Cake..." she mumbled shyly, as if she was impersonating Fluttershy. Mrs Cake was very aware that Pinkie was a homosexual, but she had said nothing of it. Instead she would always be supportive of Pinkie's quests to find a special somepony.
"Right. Well I hope that someday you are both in that place. After all, it does seem that you care about her a lot." Mrs Cake answered as she rested a hoof on the pink pony's shoulder. It was almost as if Pinkie was the sister she always wished for, instead of the daughter she always thought Pinkie to be like.
It was at this point that Carrot Cake poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Sweetie-pie, we should get going if we're to make our reservations."
Mrs Cake raised her head and got up as Mr Cake put Pound and Pumpkin Cake beside their Aunt Pinkie as the two left the house; leaving the love-confused party pony all alone with the twins, who were playing with the other's hooves. "Right then you two," Pinkie said forlornly, "Let's get you guys some dinner."
After the twins' "dinner", which was really just a pile of mush that they had to eat; Pinkie got the disinfectant and a towel to clean the mess of mush that splayed across both twins' highchairs when a knock was heard at the door. Accompanying the knock was the characteristic purple mane with the mint-green stripe running through the ponytail. Pinkie saw the mane and bounded to the door to greet Starlight Glimmer. "Hey Starlight!" Pinkie grinned as she let her friend into the bakery house.
As she entered the bakery, Starlight's depression formed a looming aura around her head. Even a pony like Pinkie could be dragged down to a sad smile and heavy eyes. Starlight had been to yet another errand in Canterlot and once again ponies had glared at her. She thought that Sunburst would be there as well, but the unicorn was kept far too busy to attend, so Starlight was left forlorn
Starlight wandered into the dining area and sighed, "Pinkie, don't you just hate Hearts and Hooves Day? The fact that no pony wants to be with you? The sheer loneliness of this day?"
"I just don't let it bother me that much. I mean, I'm a party pony, not a playpony." Pinkie replied as she got her friend some of the leftover Heart cupcakes and sat them in front of the unicorn. Starlight looked at her friend with a curious look, why was Pinkie not a playpony? She certainly had the form and body for it. And her face is definitely one anypony would be happy to wake up beside the next morning. Starlight tried to shake these thoughts out of her head as she looked at the heart cupcakes. Pinkie meanwhile had gone upstairs to bring the twins downstairs for Starlight to see the bundles of joy and terror.
When Starlight saw them her face lit up with a joyous glow that made her look adorable. It was at this point Pinkie was glad her already pink cheeks could disguise her blushing as she sat Pound in Starlight's hooves. "Isn't he gorgeous? Mr and Mrs Cake are so lucky to have birthed such beauties," Starlight smiled as Pound tried to boop her nose, "Are they allowed one of these cupcakes?"
"Only the one. If they get too much sugar they turn into monsters." Pinkie joked. Starlight nodded as she levitated the cupcake to Pound, who cutely nummed on the food that was a quarter of his size. "I'm surprised you came here Starlight. There's actually something I want to ask you."
Starlight looked at the party pony in her gorgeous blue eyes, her own teal eyes blinking in confusion. "Yeah Pinkie? What is it?" she asked softly, holding Pound in her arms.
Pinkie choked on her words at first, trying to muscle up enough courage to throw the words out. Eventually she shyly asked, "Will you be my special somepony Starlight?" The supreme suddenness of it all shocked Starlight and fittingly added a bright red blush to her lavender cheeks.
"P-Pinkie, I didn't know you felt this way about me. Of course I'll be your marefriend. You mean a lot to me." Starlight replied after an awkward minute of silence, putting Pound with Pumpkin and hugging the normally bouncy mare softly, her eyes lighting up with tears of joy. "I always thought Sunburst was the one, but who knew that the one for me was in front of me this whole time?" she continued.
Pinkie returned the hug shyly, at first taking Starlight's affection to be feigned. But as Starlight cried, she kissed the mare's cheek and smiled as she was now finally with the one she loved. Now the two hours of babysitting was also going to be two hours of sharing affectionately cute talk.
