What Have We Got Ourselves Into?
“Not Donut Joe’s again!” I groaned and pushed Shiny away from the shop as the smell of coffee and buttery pastries escaped through the open door. The lilac furred stallion’s ears wilted as he gazed up at me with his deep violet eyes.
“But, his eclair’s are the best Chryssy,” he whined and tried to turn back around.
I grabbed hold of his lavender tail with one wing and pulled him back again. “First, it’s Soaring Song right now,” I hissed, looked around, and hoped nopony had overheard. I breathed a sigh of relief at the empty street and fluffed out my butter yellow wings. “Second, we always go here. Can’t we try somewhere new? Please?”
Shiny sighed as I pulled him further from the door and looked around. “Fine, but I can walk on my own.” I nodded and released his tail as he followed me down the cobbled path.
After a few twists, turns, and a quick detour around some Solar guards, I picked up the faint scent of something sweet from up ahead. Shiny and I followed the scent to an adorable little sweet shop with the words Sunridge Sweets emblazoned overtop. “Well, you wanted something sweet. How about here?” I asked as I pointed a hoof at the shop. “Perhaps they will have something even more tantalizing than your precious Eclairs.”
“Sure,” he sighed and followed me toward the door, though I could see him lick his lips as the buttery aroma drew near.
I pushed open the door to see a quaint little shop with tables scattered around, even a few short ones to allow the younger crowd their own tables. It was rather slow at the moment, a few ponies near the back with a plate of cookies between them the only other customers.
Shiny raced toward the counter and pressed his hooves against the glass as he stared down at what they had to offer. Ah, my sweet love, I would think he loves his sweets more than me!
I joined him and licked my lips at the display. While Joe’s was for sure famous for its donuts, Sunridge surely specialized in cupcakes. There were enough varieties to even give Pinkie Pie a run for her bits.
“May I help you?” a handsome earth pony stallion asked. He stood behind the counter with a pad of paper held in one hoof and a smile on his face.
“Oh it all looks so good,” Shiny moaned and practically drooled on the display.
“That looks good to me,” I said and pointed at a croissant, the label of which said it had strawberries and cream cheese inside. “I’ll take two.”
“Three of them for me,” Shiny said. “That will do for now.”
The stallion chuckled and wrote down the order. “We do get that reaction a lot. I’ll have those right out. Why not find a place to sit?”
“Thanks,” I said and pulled Shiny away from the display and to a nearby table. “Happy to try something new, are we?” I teased and brushed a lock of my long teal mane behind my ear.
“Oh yeah,” he nodded as a cute blush arose on his cheeks. “Sorry about−“
“All is forgiven,” I giggled and booped him on the muzzle.
While we awaited our order, the ponies in the corner finished their cookies and left, leaving us alone. I perked my ears up as I heard a giggle, and a moment later a bright, curly-haired earth pony mare trotted out with our croissants carried on a tray upon her back. She hadn’t been the one to giggle though, that belonged to the cutest little foal I had yet seen who sat sprawled against her head and neck.
The small colt was dark red with a mane that looked like a swirl of cream cheese. His bright eyes were a little lighter shade of purple than Shiny’s own, and he had the biggest smile on his face as they reached our table.
“Hello dears,” the mare beamed and set the tray of goodies on the table. “Welcome to Sunridge Sweets! I’m Sunbeam, and this is Red Velvet.”
“He sure is,” Shiny Whistle chuckled and waved to the little colt. “He almost looks good enough to eat.”
Sunbeam laughed. “We sure do have to make certain to keep him off the tables, for fear someone would mistake him for a delicious treat!”
Red giggled and rolled over on his mother’s back, his bright eyes watched us carefully. He sure is adorable! I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and could almost swear the ambient love coming from the colt even tasted of his name.
“Well, I’ll let you get to your treats,” Sunbeam said and trotted back behind the counter as Red kept his gaze on us as long as he could.
“He reminds me of my sister at his age,” Shiny sighed as he watched Red.
We both jumped as the shop doors burst open and a soft pink furred mare dashed inside. “Mom! Dad! We got trouble!” she yelled. The mare and stallion running the place trotted out into the main room toward her.
“What’s wrong dear?” Sunbeam asked and put a comforting hoof around her. Red still sat on her back and gave the pink mare a bright grin.
“The city council is holding a rally to ban butter in sweets, again,” she groaned.
“How many times must we remind them,” the stallion sighed and shook his head. “Everything in moderation…”
“We better go remind them again,” Sunbeam said softly. Behind her Red had turned his gaze away from the pink mare. His eyes almost sparkled as they took in a huge tray of cupcakes that had been set atop the counter.
“What about the shop? Should we close?” the pink mare asked.
Shiny raised a hoof to interrupt as the colt leaned closer to the tray but none of them noticed.
“It’s slow today, I think we’ll be fine for a few−” there was a loud crash as Red slipped from his mother’s back onto the floor and the tray clattered against the tile beside him.
I raised a hoof to my muzzle to stifle a laugh as I looked down at the surprised expression on the little colt’s face. He was covered head to hooves in gooey white and pink frosting and cupcakes. It didn’t seem to faze him for long, as he took one of the cupcakes stuck to his foreleg and put it in his mouth.
“Sweet Celestia, Red!” Sunbeam scolded as she looked down at the frosting caked colt. “Well, I guess I’ll stay to clean up,” she sighed and moved to pick up her son.
“We need both of you,” the pink mare groaned, but I could see a smile on her face as she looked down at the colt. “I’ll give Red a bath when we get home.”
“It will be impossible to get that frosting out of his fur by then,” her father replied.
Oh for Celestia’s sake! “We can clean him up!” I yelled, then blushed when they all turned to look at me. “I mean, well, if this is that important? How hard can cleaning up one foal be?”
“Of course it is important!” Shiny yelled. “Butter is part of what makes sweets so delicious!” he turned to look at the three ponies and becaked colt. “Go save our sweets! We’ll be okay.”
“Well… we don’t exactly know you…” Sunbeam murmured, though I could tell at Shiny’s words she itched to get out there and help.
“I Pinkie Promise everything will be okay,” Shiny said as he stood and held a hoof to his chest. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” he finished with his hoof to one eye.
“Well… okay,” Sunbeam said hesitantly. She looked to her husband and daughter, both of whom looked equally nervous.
“Go ahead,” I urged. “Nopony ever breaks a Pinkie Promise after all, right?” Sure I didn’t blame them for their hesitancy, but Shiny and I had nothing better to do. Plus, perhaps I could even sneak a few sips of ambient love from the colt. He was already producing a lot of it while he gazed up at his family and clapped his hooves as cupcake splattered even further on the floor.
“She’s right,” the pink mare nodded before she trotted over to the colt. “You be good now, Red, okay? We’ll be back soon. Don’t give the nice ponies any trouble.”
Red giggled and blew a raspberry at her, then placed a frosting covered hoof to each of her cheeks, stuck out his tongue, and nodded. With that, the three made a hasty retreat out the door.
I trotted over and looked down at Red, who had started to roll in the mess. It was at that moment I realized they had forgotten to show us to the bathtub. “Well, let’s get started, shall we?” I said and smiled down at him. “Want to show me where the tub is eh?”
Red shook his head and grabbed onto his hind hooves with his fore, stuck one into his mouth and sucked on it.
“Why don’t you two find the tub, and I’ll clean up in here?” Shiny said, looked back at our treats on the table, and licked his lips. “I’ll join you when done.”
“You do that,” I laughed. “Make sure to clean up the cupcakes too though.” He nodded and grabbed one of the croissants, bit into it, and moaned in delight.
“Now, let’s find that tub, shall we?” I grinned and picked Red up with my wing. I walked behind the counter, followed the path, and looked up to see a stairway leading above the shop. “Is the tub up there?” I cooed, to which Red just gurgled and wiggled in my grip.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I laughed and trotted up the stairs. The second door I checked opened into a bathroom, and I let out a little sigh of relief to see a bathtub in the corner. “Okay, let’s get you cleaned up.” I used my free wing to twist on the water and watched as it slowly filled up the tub.
While we waited, I looked down at Red covered in cupcake and yelped as he wrapped his sticky hooves around me in a hug. When he pulled away my belly fur stuck out and had turned as blue as the frosting. Looks like I’ll need a bath too.
When the tub was around a third full, I held Red over it as he wiggled and tried to get out of my grip, not so happy with me anymore. “I’m sorry, buddy, but you are filthy,” I said as I plopped him down in the water. He gazed up at me with those bright purple eyes, puckered his lips, and let out a soft whine. “Nope, sorry, I promised we’d get you clean,” I said, dunked a sponge into the water and began to scrub at the mess.
Red wiggled against the sponge, his forehooves held up as he tried to fight it away. On a lucky hit, he knocked it from my hoof and it smacked me right in the face. He rolled onto his back and laughed as I peeled the sponge from my face. “Oh, very funny,” I snorted, rubbed my muzzle, and glared down at him. That just made him laugh all the more.
“Am I that funny, eh?” I smiled slyly at him and before he could move tickled my hooves along his belly. He howled in laughter as he rolled side to side in the tub and tried to avoid my hooves.
I released him from my tickling hooves and watched as he laid there with a huge smile on his face, slowly catching his breath. Who ever said bathing a foal was hard? I grabbed the sponge once more, rinsed it off, and resumed my scrubbing.
The little colt sat there and endured it, but for only a brief moment before he wiggled away again. “Come on, calm down,” I urged as he moved to the side and tried to climb out of the tub. “No-no, you still have frosting in your ears!” I giggled and brought the sponge up to said ears.
“No, no!” he parroted in the most adorable little voice and splashed his hooves in the water as he backed away from me. As the warm water hit me I jumped a little in surprise, and then jumped back as a barrage of water followed. Red stuck out his tongue at me and continued splashing in the water. By the time I got him under control again, I was just as drenched as him.
“Okay, a quick change of water and we can finish you up now, huh cutiepie?” I crooned and booped him on the nose as I picked him up out of the water. He squirmed out of my grip and climbed up onto my back, hugged onto one of my wings, then watched as the dirty water was sucked down the drain.
“Done?” he asked and crawled up my neck to rest on top of my head. I cringed a little as what mess was still on him rubbed onto me as well.
“Not yet,” I shook my head and turned to fill the tub once more.
Red let out a whine and grabbed hold of my fuzzy ears as the water slowly filled the tub once more. He is just so adorable! I smiled up at him and rubbed a hoof down his back. If we hadn’t promised to take care of him, I would totally bring him back to the hive with us. A colt as sweet as Red would become a favorite of everyling.
“Here we go,” I crooned as the tub reached a third full once more. With a hoof I pulled him off my head and plopped him back in the water. “Now just a little more.” I grabbed the sponge up once more in my wings and held the little colt down as I cleaned behind his ears.
As I started to grip wet fur instead of frosting, Red squirmed even worse than before. He scooted further and further back in the tub, and with each scoot my grip on him lessened. With one last pull, he slipped from my grasp and splashed over to the far side of the tub.
“Oh Red!” I growled and reached a hoof forward to get him. It was as I reached that I felt my hooves slip beneath me. I scrambled to stay on them but it was too late. My wings sprung out as I tried to regain my balance, but that only aided in my tumble head over hooves into the tub. A great splash covered both Red and me as I tried to right myself.
Red grinned up at me from his corner of the tub and sucked on one of his forehooves. He cocked his head to the side as I reached a hoof up to swipe my mane away from my eyes and scowled down at the water. Bathing a foal shouldn’t be this… this… wet!
I looked up when I heard hooves on the stairs outside, and my cheeks blushed crimson as Shiny stepped into the bathroom. He took one look at me, then looked to Red in the corner. At his look, Red wiggled back over to me and wrapped his hooves around one of mine in a hug, as if to say sorry.
“Looks like I missed a lot of fun,” Shiny teased as he wrapped his pale purple magic around me and lifted me out of the tub, then offered me a dry towel.
“Fun? Fun?” I yelled and wrapped the towel around me. “That colt is slicker than an eel!”
“That’s foals for you Chryssy, my dear,” Shiny chuckled as he levitated Red out of the tub too and dried him off with a towel. “I’m guessing it has been awhile since you gave one a bath?”
I nodded and scrunched up my muzzle. “Mischievous little devils,” I grumbled.
“Sowwry,” Red mumbled, and I turned to look at him. Once again his muzzle was scrunched up as he gave me big, puppy-dog eyes. How could I stay mad at a face like that?
“Come here,” I sighed and picked him up once more. “You’re a good colt, Red, a little naughty sometimes, but a good colt.” He grinned at my words. “Stay this cute and I might just need to come back for you when you get older,” I warned and booped him on the muzzle.
“Shall we head back down? His parents should be back soon,” Shiny said.
I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” At least one good thing came of this ‘fun’. I wasn’t hungry anymore.
Author's Note
Here we are in a bright new year, with a fresh, cavity inducing story for you all! I hope you all enjoy! Comment, critique, and/or like if you enjoyed. Give a big hug to my guest editor Eagle Paladin, for stepping in to help out, and to Alyssasketchd for her BRILLIANT and BEAUTIFUL artwork for the cover!
