Carrot Cake tapped his hooves nervously on the table, a hard gulp straining the bow tie around his neck. His eyes were glued to the front door, only flicking away when someone entered, someone he was not looking for.
The waiter - Carrot couldn’t remember his name - walked by and he could feel his gaze burning on the empty seat in front of him; then the soft glance of sympathy thrown back at him.
It was humiliating.
His date, a blind date set up by his brother, was running twenty minutes late. Twenty long minutes he had been sitting there, tapping his hooves and watching the door. Waiting.
He had started to grow paranoid this mystery mare had somehow known about him, his past, and decided she didn’t want to date a fre-
‘No, stop that Carrot. I’m not a...that.’
He closed his eyes and sighed, a long and heavy breath that had been building since he was told about this date.
“Oh my goodness gracious! I’m so sorry I’m late!”
His eyes opened with a start at the mare's voice. His jaw then dropped as she shuffled into her seat. Her figure was best described as curvy; her mane a bright pink, swirling like the most perfect dollop of strawberry ice cream. Combined with her coat, she looked like a freshly made cupcake.
She was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen.
She blushed under his intense gaze and dropped jaw, wiping her cheek with an awkward chuckle. “Oh sugar drops, do I still have flour on my face?”
Carrot finally regained control and shook his head rapidly. “Oh no no. You, you look beautiful, and uh, and sweet! Like a cupcake.”
Sweet Celestia, had he really just said that out loud?
His hooves flew to his muzzle as a bright blush exploded over his orange fur, but the mare didn’t seem put off by it. Instead, she was giggling, her hooves on her cheeks as if to hide her blush.
“Oh goodness me, no one’s called me beautiful before. Or said I look like a cupcake.”
Carrot slowly forced his hooves down and set them on the table, eyes focused on them as he refused to meet her eyes. “Well, I mean, I’m a baker; I know a good looking pastry when I see one.”
“Oh? Well that must be why Pear said I just had to meet ya! I’m a baker myself.”
Carrot finally glanced up at her, their eyes meeting instantly. Carrot found himself getting lost in the rosy pink orbs., They were so full of kindness and compassion, he could tell she had a good heart. So distracted were they, it took them nearly a minute to realize they hadn’t properly introduced themselves.
Carrot finally blinked out of his fantasy world, eyes widening at this realization. He sat up straight and struck his hoof out in front of him. “Oh! M-my name is Carrot Cake.”
She gasped and quickly shook his hoof, giggling self consciously. “Chiffon Swirl.”
“Good evening sir, ma’m.”
They jumped apart at the waiter's stealthy arrival, Carrot quickly drawing his hoof to his side. The waiter didn’t seem to notice he had interrupted a ‘moment’. “My name is Clean Plate and I will be your waiter tonight. Would you like to place a drink order or shall I give you a few minutes?”
Carrot cleared his throat, hoping he wasn’t blushing as hard as he thought. “Glass of water and a Shirley Temple please.”
“Oh I’ll have an ice tea please, hold the lemon.”
He nodded and walked off. Carrot picked up his menu, looking closely over the items he merely glanced at earlier.
A more comfortable silence descended as they contemplated the food choices before them. Clean Plate soon came by with their drinks, setting them carefully on the table.
“Are we ready to order?”
Carrot put his menu on the table, “Oh yes, I’ll have the pan-fried rosemary squash.”
“Ooh, I think I’ll have the same.”
He nodded and took their menus, promising their meals would be out soon.
Carrot took a sip of his Shirley Temple. “So, what do you like to bake?”
“Ooh, starting with the hard questions, huh?”
She titters, taking a drink of her tea before answering. “I love just about everything! Though, if I had to pick a favorite, it would definitely be cupcakes.”
She winked, making Carrot gulp. “What about you Carrot?”
“I rather like cakes myself, though, I like doing pastries as well.”
“Favorite cake flavor?”
“Carrot.”
At her deadpan expression, Carrot laughed. “No, really. I love to make a spicy carrot cake with golden raisins.”
“No kidding! Well, my best friend Pear Butter has had me baking all sorts of crazy pear flavored treats! And let me tell you, it ain’t easy to get the flavor just right.”
“I hear ya, pear is rather subtle. Maybe you could bake me something sometime.”
“Oh my, are you saying you want to see me again Mr. Cake~?”
Unfortunately, Carrot had taken that moment to drink his water, and it was subsequently sent splashing all over the table. Carrot wheezed and coughed, thumping his chest to catch his breath as Chiffon quickly threw a napkin over the liquid, rambling apologies the entire time. He finally straightened with one last cough, rubbing his throat as he tried to find the right words.
“Y-yes.”
Chiffon stopped short, her flustered blush deepening as he continued, “I think I would like to see you again Miss Swirl. We can bake something together, if, if you like.”
“Oh that just sounds wonderful! I have to say, I was quite nervous about this whole ‘blind date’ thing, but somehow this just...Feels right, ya know?”
Carrot nodded. “Yeah, it does. We’ve only just met, yet I can already tell you are an amazing mare.”
Chiffon giggled, her hoof pawing the table. “Oh, you flatterer you.”
Carrot chuckled and shrugged sheepishly. “Can’t help but be honest, it’s how I was raised.”
“Well, I dare say your folks raised you mighty fine then Mr.Cake.”
“Please, call me Carrot. Mr.Cake is my father.”
Chiffon laughed, a sound Carrot was quickly falling in love with. She seemed like the perfect mare for him. Aside from the obvious baking connection, she was so sweet and with a good sense of humor. He could really see himself dating her, maybe even marrying her some day if things went well.
With that thought, a pit formed in his stomach and a vice gripped his heart. While outwardly, Carrot seemed happy, internally he was sinking into a pit of despair. He really liked this mare, but…
There was always that ‘but’ when it came to him and dating. That same fear and paranoia from earlier came creeping in, but he tried his best to ignore it for now. Maybe this would be their only date and he had just found a good friend. He desperately wanted more, but that desire was slowly giving way to fear. What if -
The sound of plates on the table startled him out of his thoughts. He looked down to the beautifully prepared plates of sautéed squash, complete with sprigs of rosemary and other herbs. He picked up his fork, resolving to deal with the darkness afterwards. For now, he had a good meal and even better company to enjoy.
~~
After dinner, Carrot Cake and Chiffon Swirl went on a walk through the streets of Ponyville. The evening was warm, but not unpleasantly, and brought many ponies out to enjoy it.
“-the cake was ginormous! Why I thought it was gonna topple over on top of me! But Pear insisted it was fine, and I’m glad I listened to her. I’m not sure I could do another one quite that tall though; I couldn’t sleep for 3 nights with all that adrenaline!”
“3 nights? Goodness. I’ve lost a couple good nights of sleep here and there before large and stressful orders were due, but I can’t imagine how tired you were after.”
“I slept the entire fourth day. It was heavenly, except for waking up with a stomach growling like an ursa major, of course.”
They laughed, walking comfortably close now. Carrot could almost touch her, but didn’t want to push too far. They came to a bakery shop, large and looking like it was made of the sweets sold inside.
“Well, this is my place. Did, um, did you want to come in, Carrot?”
Any bliss and happiness Carrot was feeling was quickly chased away by an ice cold shock of reality. When a mare invited you in after a good night, it was usually to lead into one thing. One thing he couldn’t do.
But, Carrot had learned it was better to get it over with quickly, like ripping a bandaid off. He certainly wasn’t lying when he told her he was raised to be honest. That didn’t make him any less nervous saying it, or make it hurt any less though.
“M-miss Swirl, I, I would love to but…”
“Oh! I’m so sorry Carrot, I, I don’t know what came over me! I don’t usually move this fast with stallions.”
“No, it’s, it’s not that, I promise. It’s um, I’m not…”
This part always hurt the most to say. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m, well, I’m trans.”
The next part tumbled out of him, the words rushing past his lips faster than he could think of what he was saying. “I was born a mare and I don’t have any stallion bits. So I can’t come inside with you right now. I’m so sorry to lead you on. B-but I really enjoyed your company tonight and, again, I apologize for not telling you earlier.”
He bowed awkwardly, “Thank you so much for your time though, have a good evening Miss Swirl.”
He swiftly turned to run away, but was stopped by a hoof grabbing his. His breath caught and he glanced back to see Chiffon wearing the same smile as when she thought he was a real stallion.
“Like I said before, I don’t usually move this fast with stallions, and I’m sorry for being so forward. I would love to see you again though, Mr. Cake. Oh! I’m sorry, I mean Carrot.”
“Wha, but, I mean, I’m not-“
“Pear said you are a stallion. And you are. A very handsome one might I add.”
She giggled and winked before turning serious again. “Please Carrot, say you’ll come back to see me, that we can bake together in the future.”
Carrot’s legs collapsed beneath him as the tears that had built up flowed down his cheeks. Chiffon wrapped her hooves around him and supported him, nuzzling his cheek and petting his mane. He sobbed and blubbered into her shoulder a series of incoherent ‘thank you’s’ and ‘no one has ever’.
“Shh, it’s alright dearie. Would you like to come in for some tea? Just tea, I promise.”
Carrot sniffled and nodded, shakily standing and leaning against Chiffon as they entered the bakery he would come to know as Sugarcube Corner.
Author's Note
Thank you guys so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed this sweet little story.
(Also thanks so much to Troposphere for help with the chapter title)
