Author's Note

Here's chapter two, everyone. I hope you all enjoy it and remember to follow my editor NineTailBeastBall for helping me out with this and all of my other anthro waifu stories. Thanks for your patience and support, more chapters to come and remember to brony on.

Love is a Herd of Emotions

Even though Mrs. Cake was forced to reject your affection for her, that didn’t mean she stopped treating you with care. She was still nice to hang around with. And even though you had no chance of having her, you didn’t allow it to affect your every day lifestyle. Although, it didn’t stop Pinkie, Frosty or even Mr. Cake from feeling concerned about you. And they’d always insist that if something was bothering you, you could always come and talk to them.

Despite their persistence, you refused to tell them about your rejection from Mrs. Cake, especially not to her husband. Besides, all that was on your mind right now was getting in some more sleep after the wedding had come to an end so late yesterday. Even though you usually settled for one drink, the celebration was a huge exception and you ended up having a little too many shots of apple cider and it was tough to keep your eyes open.

Then suddenly, as you were working while trying to keep yourself from passing out, Mr. Cake approached you and tapped you on the shoulder. You looked at him with curiosity.

“Something I can help you with, Mr. Cake?” you asked with a yawn.

“I guess you could say that. I have something I want to tell you. Would it be alright if we talk somewhere more private?” Carrot asked. You yawned once again before you replied.

“Sure, but what is it, did I do something wrong?” you asked. The yellow stallion took a seat on the bed and eased any worries you had with a pleasant smile.

“No, no, you’re not in trouble. Just follow me and I’ll tell you what it is, man-to-stallion,” he assured, patting you on the back. You stopped what you were doing and followed him outside and headed to the back of Sugarcube Corner where no one was around.

“So, what’d you want to talk to me about,” you asked before letting out another yawn.

“Well, I didn’t want to tell you earlier since it might’ve made you feel worse, but now’s a good time to say it: I overheard what happened when my wife rejected your feelings towards her,” Carrot explained. You felt ashamed when he said that and tried to turn away, but he stopped you with a pat on the shoulder. ‘Hey, come on, don’t feel so down.”

“How come? Aren’t you supposed to be mad at me for having a crush on your wife?” you asked, not knowing if you should be ashamed of yourself or not since the stallion was now trying to comfort you.

“Only when others try to force themselves onto her, but you’re not like that. You’re probably the most dependable guy I’ve ever come across next to Frosty. Cup Cake says a lot of great things about you and I even found out that she likes you a little bit too. Now, I want you to be extremely honest with me: Do you love my wife?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, of course I do. I told her I could travel all across Equestria and beyond and not find a single other mare who’s even comes close to being just like her. Sadly... I have to face the reality... she’s got you: a devoted husband and father who loves and cares about his family and friends,” you sighed.

“I see... well then, maybe I can help you out with your little situation. Perhaps a true anecdote to help you out. You see, here in Equestria, there existed this law that’s called herding: the practice of multiple mares getting together with one or two stallions in order to keep from going extinct. In fact, a few years ago, one such human was actually included in a marriage with the Princess of Love over at the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance. To this day, she is happily married to her two loving husbands: Shining Armor, her pony husband, and Blade, her human husband.” Carrot explained.

You could definitely see what this explanation was implying and silent joy was slowly building up inside you. You even thought you might start crying very soon.

“A-Are you sure that’s even possible? I mean... what if... she doesn’t want this?” you asked, having a few doubts. By this point, you were looking at this opportunity from two sides. On the bright side, you can finally be with the mare you loved so much. You could even have the chance to have kids of your own. On the other hand, she might not want to go along with it otherwise she might feel like she’s betrayed Carrot Cake.

“Don’t say such nonsense, I’ve seen the way she would glance at you while you work and vice versa and I can tell you two like each other a lot. Probably even more than that,” he said with a smirk that made your face heat up. Frankly, you never thought the day would come where he’d say such a thing. “Listen, how about I talk this over with Cup and you should get yourself some rest. You look like you’re gonna faint after all that cider you drank.” You shook your head, much to your employer’s confusion.

“With all due respect, I’d like to be the one to tell her,” you said. “The fact that you’re being generous enough to share your wife with me is proof that you trust me enough to actually care for her if she agrees to it.” With that, you got out of bed despite how tired you were as there was something far more important than sleep right now.

Deciding to make the moment private, Carrot didn’t follow you back to the room he shared with his wife. Opening the door, it seems Mrs. Cake didn’t hear you come in, as she was near her nightstand taking off the necklace she wore to the wedding. Your heart was racing as you walked over and surprised her by hugging her from behind.

“Oh my!” she yelped as she turned around. “Oh it’s just you dearie, please don’t scare me like that,” she said, settling down before placing a hand over her heart upon learning who was hugging her. “Did you want to talk to me, or were you just trying to surprise me?”

“I’ve already surprised you, so I think I’ll settle with talking to you. There’s something I want to tell you. Something that Mr. Cake told me... in private, if you don’t mind,” you said.

“Um... I’m listening,” she said, unsure where this was going.

You then brought Mrs. Cake outside the shop and explained to her everything that her husband told you in specific detailed. Everything from the eavesdropping on your conversation to the part where he would gladly share her with you. Mrs. Cake was taken aback from this news. You also explained how you would only do it if she was willing to go through with it and you would understand if she chose not to.

“I... I see. As glad as I am to know that Carrot understands, I have to think it over. I can’t make any decisions until I’ve thought everything through. I’ll let you know if I want to do this or not. And one more thing...” Mrs. Cake said before she wraps her arms around you in a soft, loving, tender hug. “Thank you for telling me.” And after that, she planted her lips on your cheek and headed back inside.

Things continued to get better when you went to sleep last night, as it was there were no nightmares about your past. Princess Luna even came to you in the middle of your dream to let you know how happy she was that you and Carrot worked something out. You tried to be modest and told her it was thanks to her that you were able to sort things out, but Luna insisted that you were able to find out the answer on your own.

Once morning came, everything seemed normal, except for when Mrs. Cake came out of her room with bags under her eyes, yawning constantly. Concerned, you went to to the mare and held her hand.

“Mrs. Cake, are you okay?” you asked. Even though she was tired with bags under her eyes, you still found her beautiful, especially when she smiled.

“Yes dearie, it’s just... I was up all night and didn’t get a wink of sleep. I think I might have to take a little nap after breakfast. So, if you don’t mind, would you help Carrot at the front desk, filling out the orders?” Looking at her tired eyes, you could tell she felt like she was taking advantage of you. You let her know you had no problem filling in for her by kissing her on the forehead.

“It’s no trouble at all. I’ve got the front desk under control. Go get yourself some rest,” you said. You noticed that before she went back to her bedroom, a slight blush had appeared on Mrs. Cake’s cheeks.

You didn’t comment on her blushing and proceeded to get started on your shift at the front desk. Mr. Cake raised an eyebrow, obviously wondering why you were here instead of his wife and you decided to fill him in before he asked.

“Your wife was feeling very tired today, so she asked me to take her place. Unfortunately, telling her you had no problems starting a herd with me had a bigger impact than I thought,” you said.

“I guess that makes sense. Well, I guess we’d better get started on breakfast, then. Do you know how to cook other things besides sweets?” Carrot asked.

“Yeah, I’m able to cook regular food, so breakfast shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” you said as you headed down into the kitchen and prepared to cook.

It came as no surprise to everyone that the breakfast you prepared for them was scrumptious. For breakfast, you made a little something that both the Pie and the Cake twins absolutely loved: French toast with powdered sugar, bowls of oatmeal with butter on top and some cups of orange juice, milk, and water to wash it all down. You had made sure to save some for Mrs. Cake when she wakes up later and warned Pinkie not to eat any of it.

“Okie dokie lokie,” she said hopping over to the fridge to take out some ingredients in advance and placed them on the kitchen counter. You felt a little disappointed that you wouldn’t be doing much cooking today, but you willingly accepted your temporary job at the front desk for Mrs. Cake’s sake.

“Do you think she’ll say yes?” you asked Carrot, deciding to have a small conversation before Sugarcube Corner got its first customer of the day. Your boss smiled, knowing what you meant.

“Patience, my friend. Patience,” he said. “Good things always comes to those who wait. Get too pushy and it’ll backfire on you.”

“Oh, you mean like how the bronies who are constantly asking the author for stories for certain characters from the show?” Pinkie asked, popping out of nowhere. You and Carrot stared at her with both confusion and annoyance and the pink mare disappeared with an embarrassed smile.

“I don’t even want to know,” you said, shaking your head.

After that unexpected interruption from Pinkie, you and Mr. Cake filled in the order for the many customers that stopped by Sugarcube Corner not long after your conversation ended. The latest order was two boxes, one with cinnamon rolls and the other with jelly-filled donuts. Both are to be picked up at the register.

“Thank you for coming to Sugarcube Corner. Feel free to order here again,” you said to the mare who had ordered the cinnamon rolls and donuts. Paying you the bits, she left the bakery while happily licking her lips.

“You know, for your first time, you seem to be just as good at working the front desk as you are at baking,” Carrot Cake praised and patted you on the shoulder.

“Well yeah, I can’t let the possibility of your wife objecting to this herd thing interfere with the business, otherwise, we wouldn’t be getting anywhere. You know what I mean?” you replied, rubbing the back of your head. Carrot nodded with an expression which told you he was impressed that you were taking his advice about being patient.

Speaking of Mrs. Cake, the fact that she still hasn’t come down yet, gave you the idea that she was still sound asleep. This worried you, as she didn’t even come down for breakfast, meaning she hasn’t eaten all day. Since no one else was coming in right now, you took the chance to go to the kitchen and prepare something. Your affection for the married mare just seemed to have no end to it.

Since it was almost lunchtime, you decided make her a submarine hay sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes and a large cup of water. Once you finished, you brought her lunch tray up to her room and knocked on the door. It wasn’t until you knocked for the third time that she finally answered you.

“Come in...” Mrs. Cake’s tired voice said. You opened the door and walked up to the beautifully, slightly plump mare with the tray in hand.

“Hi Mrs. Cake. I guess you were extremely tired and had to miss breakfast, so I put together some lunch just for you,” you said, placing the tray of lunch on her lap. Just from looking at the food, Mrs. Cake wasn’t able to keep her stomach from growling when it’s been demanding nourishment all day.

“You’re such a doll, thank you,” she said and took a bite off her hay sandwich. She made sure to eat above the tray so crumbs wouldn’t end up on the clean bed sheets.

“You’re very welcome,” you told her as you put your worries to rest. “You’ll be happy to know your husband is impressed by how well I’m helping him with the orders. I would’ve brought your food up sooner, but I could see you needed your rest.”

“Thank you, deary. If you have any leftover breakfast, just leave it in the fridge, I’ll go ahead and eat it tomorrow morning. Now, you go on back downstairs, I’ll let you know when you can get back into the kitchen,” Mrs. Cake said, but you were tempted to stay a little longer.

“Before I go, I just want to talk to you about something. It’s nothing too serious, I just wanted to know if... you were upset by the fact that I kissed your forehead,” you said. “To be honest, I just did it to be nice and see to it that you wouldn’t overexert yourself.”

“There’s no need to worry, you were just being nice and looking out for me. And I appreciate how you’ve taken very good care of me. Though, the kiss made me feel a little... embarrassed. To be honest, that was how Carrot used to tease me back when we first started dating. He’d always make me blush and squeal like a crazed fanmare,” she admitted and you shared a good laugh afterwards. “After we got married, he would spoil me rotten and now it looks like I’ve gotten a teensy bit pudgy in certain parts.”

“You? Come on, you look wonderful. If you ask me, Mr. Cake is lucky to have you. Besides, now he’s got more of his lovely mare to love and appreciate. I’m sure your kids will think so, too when they get older,” you said, complimenting her.

“Oh come now, dearie, you’re making me blush,” she giggled, covering her gorgeous face as it started to change color.

“You shouldn’t feel embarrassed, what I said was true,” you assured. “Anyways, enjoy your lunch, I’m gonna go back downstairs to help out Mr. Cake more. It’s always nice to get a chance to talk to you.” You took the now empty tray and got off of the bed, hoping that no new customers came in while you were talking to Mrs. Cake. Once you were outside the bedroom, you turned and gave the mare one last look before you closed door.

To your good fortune, as you came back downstairs, you saw that a customer had just walked in, so you didn’t miss anything. You approached the front desk next to Mr. Cake and addressed the customer.

“Hello there, welcome to Sugarcube Corner, how may we help you today?” you asked politely and kept your smile nice and pleasant as you awaited his decision.

While Mrs. Cake still looked tired when you came up to bring her lunch, when she finally came down for dinner, she was nice and refreshed. So refreshed in fact, that she had no problem volunteering to be the one to prepare the food. You all sat at the kitchen table, watching the light blue mare humming as she fixed up some cooked and seasoned fish for you and Frosty and some garden salad and carrot dogs for everyone else.

“Well, let’s not sit here with empty stomachs,” Mrs. Cake said cheerfully after she finished setting the plates down.

“Alright! Thanks for the dinner, Mrs. Cake. It looks delicious,” Frosty said as he dug into his fish.

“Mom, can to tell me why the guys have fish on their plates?” Pound Cake asked innocently.

“Well, you see dearie, humans aren’t able to sustain nourishment on fruits and vegetables alone, so Mayor Mare and the princesses passed a law where humans can eat meat in Equestria,” Mrs. Cake explained.

“But doesn’t it seem harsh to the fishies?” Pumpkin asked just as innocently as her brother.

“Perhaps, but it’s part of our human nature, kids,” you said. “We are omnivores, after all. Meaning, we can both meats and veggies. But we don’t eat every single meat that exists, otherwise Frosty and I would get sick.” You were careful to choose your words in a way someone Pound and Pumpkin’s age would understand.

“I think I get it now,” Pumpkin said and she and Pound didn’t question your eating habits any further, letting you both eat in peace. Mrs. Cake has cooked fish for you before, but this one feels a lot better, like it was well-cooked and seasoned like it were treated as a 5 star dish. Looking away from your food after taking your first bite, you glanced at Mrs. Cake who smiled, knowing you were surprised by the fish’s impressive flavor.

“I can tell you like it, dearie,” she giggled. “Consider it as my way of thanking you for filling in for me today.” Looking at that lovely, smiling face, you once again were tempted to be modest.

“Yes, it’s most certainly delicious,” you nodded before finally giving in to your instincts. “But it really was no trouble at all. I could see you weren’t feeling well, so I just did what I had to.”

Pinkie stared at you and back at Mrs. Cake a few times before she gasped with wide, bright, sparkling eyes. “Ooh! Ooh! Mrs. Cake, do you li-” Before the hyperactive mare could say anything uncalled for, Frosty placed his hand over his wife’s mouth.

“Hun, remember what happened the last time a joke like that was cracked?” he whispered. You were so grateful that Frosty interfered, as you were pretty sure what Pinkie about to ask. Mrs. Cake probably still hasn’t come to a decision about forming a herd in order to be with you and besides, it’s best not to bring the subject up while the kids are at the table.

“What was Pinkie gonna say, mom?” Pound Cake asked and another bright blush formed on his mother’s face.

“Oh, i-it was nothing, sweetheart. Just another one of Pinkie’s usual jokes, that’s all,” Mrs. Cake said, trying to cover it up. The twins nodded and just went back to eating, as neither of them were the type who would suspect their own mother of having a crush on someone other than their father. Though if things worked out between you and Mrs. Cake, you’d have no choice but to explain the situation to Pound and Pumpkin.

You definitely went for seconds on the fish after your plate was cleaned off. And any food that would’ve been saved for tomorrow was once again eaten by Pinkie Pie, but all that did was make you laugh. Now it was time for some dessert, Pinkie’s and her kids’ favorite part. Tonight’s treat was brownies with powdered sugar. There was more than enough for everyone and you were down to your third one, but Pinkie has eaten double what you were eating.

“Delicious brownies, Mrs. Cake,” you said, going for your fourth and final brownie.

“It’s always a pleasure giving my family and friends something sweet to bite on after a nice and nutritious dinner. You wouldn’t believe the struggle I had to put up with when I tried to feed my children their greens when they were starting to get bigger,” she said, squeezing the bridge between her eyes as stressful memories came back to her.

“And she had threatened to send her kids to their rooms with no dessert if they didn’t eat all their veggies. That’s what I call a true dedicated mother, I’ll tell you that,” Frosty added.

“Imagine how tough it might be when they become teenagers,” Pinkie said.

“Oh heavens to Celestia, please don’t even bring that subject up! I don’t even want to even think about what would happen. My precious little ginger snaps as teenagers, what more could stress out a mother,” Mrs. Cake said.

“Easy there my little sugar plum, that’s not gonna happen until a few more years pass,” Mr. Cake said, massaging his wife’s shoulders. Mrs. Cake giggled and leaned into her husband’s chest, which made Pound make these barfing sounds.

“Blech! That’s gross, mom!” Pound whined, but his sister thought otherwise.

“Ah, quit complaining. I think it’s sweet,” Pumpkin said, leading her debating brother to blow a raspberry at her.

“Mommy, daddy, will we ever be married one day?” Lemon Pie asked.

“Ew, I don’t want to get married! When I grow up, I am gonna live by myself!” Pecan Pie argued, just as opposed to the concept as Pound was. Amused, Pinkie pulled both of her kids into her lap.

“Well, Lemon, if you’re lucky, there just might be a special somepony for you once you become a full-grown mare,” she said, making her daughter jump with joy. Pecan even began to make these cute bouncy noises her mother always makes when she’s hopping around. Like mother, like daughter.

You of course weren’t going to waste the time you had before going to sleep on arguing and you and the other adults got the Pie and Cake twins to stop bickering. After everyone was finally full, it was now time to clean up and get ready for bed with the kids being the first ones to be sent to their bedrooms.

Since you weren’t ready to call it a night just yet, you decided to just lay on your bed reading a magazine featuring Equestria’s greatest pop star, Songbird Serenade and the man who happened to be both her partner and lover, Baritone. It’s hard to believe that the singing sensation was already 7 months pregnant. The bigger surprise was finding out that they’re going to have daughter.

Reading the big news made you wonder about your own future with Mrs. Cake. Of course, if she agreed to her husband’s proposition, you weren’t going to rush things and immediately try to make her pregnant. You’re well aware that real relationships take time to adapt and you weren’t going to back out on that. Such reckless actions would only ruin the bond you’ve worked so hard to build. You were just about ready to sleep as you closed the magazine, but you heard a knock on the door before you could turn the lamp off.

“Yes, come in,” you said. The door opened up and in walks the ever beautiful Mrs. Cake. She too looked ready to call it a night, as she had already changed into a silky purple robe with bright purple trims and her cutie mark was stitched onto the left-hand side of the chest area. It’s amazing how it managed to hold her incredible bust.

“I know it’s late dearie, so I’ll try to make this quick...” she softly said as she sat next to you on the bed. “...I’ve given it a lot of thought and... I’ve decided to take you up on the offer of including you into my marriage. You’re so sweet to the kids, you help out around the shop without question and you covered for me and everyone else if one of us was either too sick or too tired to work. You’ve made me feel like I’m falling in love all over again,” she confessed.

You were simply overjoyed. It’s finally happened, the mare who you fell for, but thought would be impossible to be with, has decided to include you into the family. A huge stone had not only fallen off your heart, you felt your heart sky-rocketing off into the stars. You wanted to embrace the mare, but you were practically frozen because of how happy you were.

“I forgot to tell you, but... I’m actually 42 years old. Are you sure you still want to be with me when you can find a younger and prettier mare?” You were a little surprised to learn the age gap between you two, but you had news for Mrs. Cake. It was something you learned from Edgeworth when he told you about his history with Johanna.

“So... you’re 16 years older than me, huh? Well, I only have this to say, Mrs. Cake...” you said, finally snapping out of your trance and bringing her into a hug. “Age is a question of mind over matter: if you don’t mind, it don’t matter. You’re still young and beautiful in my eyes and I wouldn’t change that for anything. Besides, I know of the two men who married the royal sisters of Equestria, despite them being thousands of years older.”

“Cup...” she whispered, but you didn’t quite catch it and gestured for her to repeat herself. “Mrs. Cake was Carrot’s mother, dearie. If you’re going to be my new lover, you might as well call me by my real name, Cup Cake,” she explained. Making a mental note of what to call her from now on, you asked the question that’s been on your mind for quite some time.

“Cup Cake... I was wondering now that you’ve accepted my feelings... could we... you know... share a kiss?”

“Oh dearie... you don’t have to ask me anymore...” Cup whispered after scooting herself closer to you. Feeling her soft hands touch your cheek ever so gently, the two of you leaned closer until your lips connected. Fireworks seemed to be going off in your head, as a kiss on the forehead or the cheek couldn’t compare to the real thing. Getting more into the passionate moment, you began to stroke her mane, relishing the sweet taste of her lips. By the time your lips separated, you felt like you’ve died and come back to life yet again.

“I have no doubt you’ll continue to take care of me...” Cup panted, still touching your cheek. “And I know the kids will see how well a step-father you’ll be to them...”

“This will be a big thing to announce to everypony tomorrow, so we might as well prepare ourselves for our brand new life together,” you replied before capturing her lips once more. Surely becoming Cup Cake’s new lover and forming a herd with her might take some time for Pound and Pumpkin to get used to, but as you held onto the mare you were kissing, you were already convinced you made the right decision.