"I need three orders of the triple taffy tower and one batch of rain muffin surprises, hold the gummy worms." Pound Cake called out to his twin sister from behind the counter.
"Coming right up, Just gotta take the latest batch of double fudge surprise cupcakes out of the oven." Pumpkin Cake called back from the kitchen.
It seemed like just another typical day at Sugarcube Corner for Pound and Pumpkin Cake. For many years now they'd been running the bakery their parents had established. A tall order to be sure but one the twins were up to. They'd learned from the best after all: Not just their parents but also their Auntie Pinkie Pie, who'd also pulled double duty as their foalsitter so many times when they were growing up. In fact, Pinkie had passed on many of her special recipes to the twins.
It wasn't like the party pony had gone away or anything, she still lived in Ponyville and Pound and Pumpkin saw her occasionally. But they knew she was very busy with her own life. Not only was she a member of Princess Twilight's friendship council, she had also gotten married to none other than Cheese Sandwich. In fact, the twins had been the caterers for the wedding reception (which had been their first big assignment after taking over the bakery from their parents, allowing said parents to enjoy their well deserved retirement).
On some days, the twins couldn't help but wonder (just a little) about the pony to whom they owed so much. She was practically family to them from the day they were born and had always been there for them whenever their parents couldn't be. Silently, both thought and wished that there was something they could do to truly show their appreciation for Pinkie Pie. For her, it had to be special.
Those thoughts were soon pushed to the back of Pound and Pumpkin Cake's minds as they went about the usual hustle and bustle of the early afternoon rush at Sugarcube Corner. Lots of ponies and other creatures had stopped by to have their sweet tooth satisfied, and neither Pound or Pumpkin wanted to disappoint them.
Then, just as things were settling down and the crowds were thinning, two unexpected customers approached the front counter. One of them was immediately recognizable by her lovely pink coat and equally pink mane and tail that seemed to have various pieces of candy sticking out of them.
Any doubt about the identities of these ponies were immediately erased when the stallion with a gamboge colored coat declared. "Two orders of the sampler platter. To go, please."
Immediately, the twins eyes' went wide and they exchanged mutual gasps of surprise and amazement! "Auntie Pinkie Pie!" They both shouted at the same time!
Pinkie seemed to blush ever so faintly. "Aw, shucks. You know you don't have to keep calling me that, you guys."
"But it just feels right," Pound insisted as the shock slowly faded away. "You were always special to Pumpkin and I. You were more than just our foalsitter, you were part of our family."
Pinkie smiled even as she yawned and rubbed her blue eyes (which appeared to be a little bit bloodshot and had a few bags underneath them). "Yeah, I know. You two have told me that so many times already," Then she commented. "My, oh my. Look how big you two have grown! And yet I can still remember when you guys were just teeny little foals running around and causing chaos."
Pumpkin blushed. "Auntie Pinkie Pie, you don't have to keep bringing that up. We said we're sorry. Besides, it's not like we meant to give you a hard time," Then she quickly changed the subject. "I'll get those sampler platter orders ready for you and Cheese. Don't worry, it's on the house."
"No, I insist, no discount!" Pinkie protested as she placed some bits on the counter, before her attention began to be occupied by something else as she looked up at her mane. More specifically, she was looking at something or rather somepony who had nestled into the top of it. "Lil' Cheese," She scolded as she brought up a hoof and lifted the little colt with the same pink colored mane and tail as her own down. "How many times do I have to tell you my mane is not a napping place?"
Lil' Cheese just swished his tail as he murmured. "Sowwy."
Pound rang up the order while looking down at the little colt. "Ah, so you're Lil' Cheese," He commented in amazement. "Has it been that long already? Seems like only yesterday you were born."
Cheese Sandwich simply replied. "Yeah, it's definitely been a while. The time just seems to fly by in a blur," He nervously looked across to his wife. "Pinkie's really taken a shine to him. I think she has what they call 'Mommy Fever', she insists on taking Lil' Cheese with her everywhere she goes. She barely seems to have any time for herself anymore."
"Nonsense! I have plenty of time!" Pinkie firmly insisted even as she yawned again. "I just didn't get a chance to have my morning cup of coffee today, that's all."
Cheese wasn't so convinced. "Honey, you know it's not good to always be up and about all the time. I haven't seen you this worked up and exhausted since you were planning our wedding."
As Pumpkin brought the platter over to the party pony couple, she couldn't help but comment. "Haven't you looked into getting Lil' Cheese a foalsitter? They exist for a reason, you know."
The earth pony stallion's lip quivered and trembled a bit. "Well, we've tried but..." He trailed off in uncertainty.
Fortunately, Pinkie was able to pick up where her husband had left off. "It's just so hard to find a sitter on Lil' Cheese's level. Every foalsitter we've tried has been a total party pooper. And they always complain about how sticky he is. I swear, I don't why he's like that but I'm sure he'll grow out of it when he gets older. Besides, aren't most foals his age a little sticky sometimes?"
Lil' Cheese only giggled and swished his tail some more as if adding his own commentary to the matter.
It was then that Pound Cake got an idea. "Hey, what if we looked after Lil' Cheese for you? Just for a little while?" He looked across to his sister. "We can totally manage one foal, right? For Auntie Pinkie Pie?"
The unicorn mare nodded her head in agreement. "Totally! This is the perfect opportunity for us to thank her! After all, how often do we get a chance to do something for somepony who means so much to us?"
"You sure you're up for it?" Cheese asked the twins with concern. "Lil' Cheese isn't your typical foal, you know. He's very energetic. I think he gets it from his mom."
"You're just as energetic as me, don't lie!" Pinkie lightly scolded her husband, before looking down at Lil' Cheese and then back at the twins. "I guess if you really want to, I could leave Lil' Cheese with you guys for a while. Just so I can take a little nap."
Cheese Sandwich smiled as he put a hoof around his wife. "Glad to see you're finally taking my advice, dear," And then he looked at Lil' Cheese. "What do you think, son? You wanna spend some time getting to know your Uncle Pound and your Auntie Pumpkin?"
"Pound! Pumpkin!" Lil' Cheese happily exclaimed as his father picked him up. He was soon reaching out a hoof to try to grab hold of Pumpkin's curly mane, it kind of reminded him of his mother's mane (except not as sweet smelling).
Seeing the display of affection her son was showing towards the twins was enough to convince Pinkie Pie. "Looks like it's a deal, then!" She happily replied before reaching a hoof into her mane. "Luckily, I always make sure to carry Lil' Cheese's foal supplies with me in case of emergencies."
Soon, the pink party pony was pulling out a huge assortment of objects that shouldn't have been possible to fit into her mane. "Here's his diaper bag," She tossed the twins a pink colored saddle bag containing two entire boxes worth of diapers, two containers of wet wipes, an extra large sized canister of foal powder and a tube of rash cream. "Just to be safe, don't need him getting an ouchie diaper rash. Trust me, he can be a real stinker sometimes. Oh, and here's Boneless Six, his favorite toy," She tossed over a rubber chicken with a red number six painted on it. "And some other toys in case Boneless Six gets dirty." Several foal toys were tossed over next.
"Wow!" Pound exclaimed in amazement! "You go all out for Lil' Cheese!"
"I'm not done yet!" Pinkie protested as she promptly produced even more foal supplies. "Here are some of his favorite foods: Don't worry, I make sure he gets his nutrition," She pulled out several different jars of flavored foal food. "Here's his pacifier if he gets fussy," She produced a well worn pacifier that was a baby blue in color. "And last but not least, his favorite blankie for when you need to set him down for a nap. It was just washed so it should be nice and fresh." The last thing to come out of her mane was a baby blanket in alternating squares of pink and yellow.
Pumpkin took hold of every single object with her magic, carefully setting them all down on the counter. "I'm sure some of this won't be necessary. Even Pound and I didn't go through that many diapers when we were Lil' Cheese's age."
"Just make sure you keep an eye on him," Pinkie Pie warned the twins as she carefully hoofed her son over to them. "You turn your back on him for even a second and he'll make a mess or get into trouble. You wouldn't believe the places I've found him in."
Pound and Pumpkin just smiled as Pound held the little colt in his hooves, gently rocking said colt back and forth a little bit. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about Lil' Cheese, or about us." Pound reassured the parents.
"You go home and get the rest you deserve. The two of us will keep an eye on Lil' Cheese, you can be sure of that!" Pumpkin firmly declared.
Satisfied with the response, Cheese Sandwich picked up the sampler platters that had been prepared for his wife and headed up to the loft where they lived. Though not without first waving a hoof to his son. "Goodbye, Lil' Cheese. Be a good little pony for Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Try not to give them too much of a hard time."
"Mommy promises she'll be back for you as soon as she's ready." Pinkie added before she and her husband departed.
Just like that, Lil' Cheese was alone with the twins.
As soon as Pinkie and Cheese had departed, Pumpkin Cake used her magic to flip the "Open" sign to "Closed". "There. That way we'll have all the time in the world to spend with you, Lil' Cheese." She cooed as she locked eyes with the foal.
"So, what do you wanna do first?" Pound asked his charge as he set the foal carefully down on the floor while he and Pumpkin made their way away from the counter and out onto the dining room floor (now void of customers). He proceeded to grab the toys from his sister's magical hold. "Maybe you wanna play with your blocks?" He presented some foam alphabet blocks. "Or perhaps you wanna play with a rattle?" He briefly shook a rattle. "Or how about playing with Boneless 6?" He put the rubber chicken in front of the foal.
But Lil' Cheese didn't seem interested in any of his toys. Something else was occupying his attention. He waddled close to Pumpkin Cake and then, without saying a word, bounced up and grabbed hold of her mane with his little hooves! "Mommy!" He declared.
Pumpkin gently used her magic to pry Lil' Cheese loose from her mane and set him back on the floor. "No, Lil' Cheese," She lightly scolded. "I'm not your mommy. I'm Pumpkin Cake, but you can call me Auntie Pumpkin. You have plenty of toys to play with," She used her magic to float over the same toys her brother had just offered the foal. "Why don't you play with them? I remember stacking blocks was always my favorite thing to do as a foal. At least, that's what my mom, dad and Auntie Pinkie Pie always told me."
Pound giggled. "Yeah, and they told me I always loved to knock over the buildings you'd build with them. Guess they didn't call me Pound Cake for nothing," And he told Lil' Cheese. "That's the best part about playing with blocks. When you're done or when you get bored, you can just knock 'em down and start again!"
Lil' Cheese still showed no interest in the blocks, or any of the other toys. Pumpkin's curly mane was what occupied his attention, even if it was orange and not pink like his mother's mane. He crawled close to it again and tried to grab at it.
"He seems to really like your mane, sis," Pound commented as he gently pushed Lil' Cheese back. "Come on, Lil' Cheese. Manes are not playthings."
That caused the little foal to start to whimper and tear up. It looked like he was about to cry.
"Oh no! Please don't cry, Lil' Cheese!" Pumpkin pleaded as she then got an idea! "Here, let's play a little game!" She used her magic to pull the foal close to her, then she rushed through the doors that led to the kitchen and ducked down so that her face was hidden behind them. "Where's Pumpkin Cake?" She said over and over again in a cute, almost foalish like tone of voice. She waited a bit after saying that before poking her head through the doors. "Here I am!"
The little earth pony with a coat of light yellow seemed to be amused by the "trick" he'd witnessed. He giggled and clapped his hooves. "Pumpkin!" He happily declared as he plopped onto his padded rump.
Pound had seen the entire display and, not wanting to be left out, quickly decided to join in on the fun. "My turn!" He shouted (a bit too loudly since he could see Lil' Cheese cover his ears). Mimicking what he'd seen his sister do, the pegasus stallion ran into the kitchen and hid behind the doors so that his charge couldn't see him. "Where's Pound Cake?" Just like Pumpkin, he waited for a bit before revealing himself. "Here I am!"
Even though it was exactly the same display as before (except with a different pony), Lil' Cheese was still fascinated by what he'd seen. So he clapped his hooves as he said aloud. "Pound!"
"Works every time!" Pumpkin smiled as she looked across to her brother and hoof bumped him.
Pound nodded in agreement. "Yup. Our Auntie Pinkie Pie was wise to teach us all the tricks she used to keep us entertained. Knew they'd come in handy some day."
Just as the twins were thinking that they were going to have it easy (more or less), they heard a loud rumbling sound. And they knew it couldn't have come from either of them. So that meant only one thing.
It was feeding time for Lil' Cheese. Good thing his mom had left jars of "his favorite foods". Heck, she'd even left plastic spoons in bright red colors along with said jars. It seemed she had thought of everything, and the twins were very grateful for that.
"You bring me the jars, I'll feed him the stuff inside them." Pumpkin told Pound.
Pound happily agreed. "Deal! No way will he be able to fling that stuff back at us with you holding the spoon." So he trotted over to pick up the jars that had been left on the floor, while his sister used her magic to scoop up Lil' Cheese and carry him to one of the vacant tables.
Soon, the jars were brought over and as Pound unscrewed the lids he watched the soft blue glow of his sister's horn as it floated one of the plastic spoons over to said jars. The first flavor chosen was a creamy yellow in color and smelled faintly of banana (thankfully, there didn't seem to be any flavors like Mashed Peas among the selection available).
"Here comes the choo choo train!" Pumpkin Cake cooed as the unicorn mare gently floated the spoon towards her young charge. "Choo choo!"
But it seemed like the foal wasn't in a cooperative mood even though he had to be hungry. He made a face and turned his head to one side. "Nu-uh."
Undeterred, Pumpkin tried again as she nudged the spoon a little closer. "Come on, open up. You wanna grow up to be big and strong like your mommy and daddy, right? Well the only way to do that is to eat your num-nums."
Still, the little earth pony refused to cooperate. "Nu-uh." He said again while frowning.
Sighing, Pumpkin returned the creamy yellow goop to the jar and tapped the spoon against the side to empty it. Then she turned her attention to a jar with goop the same orange color as her mane and tail. This one smelt like pumpkin, maybe that would make Lil' Cheese more inclined to like it. "Open for the aeroplane!" The unicorn with a yellowish coat cooed again. "It's pumpkin flavored. You know, like me, Auntie Pumpkin?"
"You don't taste like pumpkin." Pound Cake commented.
Pumpkin frowned at her brother as she had to resist the urge to facehoof. "I know that! I'm just trying to get him to open his mouth! I just know he's hungry!"
The pegasus stallion just smiled as he got an idea. "I think I know how to handle this picky eater," He then gave a whistle. "Hey, Lil' Cheese. Guess what?" When he was certain he had the foal's attention, he told Lil' Cheese. "If you eat all your num-nums and don't make a fuss, I'll give you a cookie! You like cookies, right?"
"Cookies!" Lil' Cheese exclaimed while licking his lips! That gave Pumpkin Cake the opening she needed to unceremoniously shove the spoon into his mouth. She was glad when he seemed to enjoy the taste.
"See?" The unicorn asked the little earth pony. "Now was that worth making such a fuss earlier? I don't think so."
The pegasus promptly chimed in. "And you're not getting that cookie until you've eaten everything my sis gives you. That's the deal."
Feeding time thus came and went with no further fanfare. Pumpkin Cake in particular was relieved that Lil' Cheese had only gotten traces of foal food on his face, easily fixable with a wet rag that she ran over his face with her magic. "There we go, all better."
Pound Cake, meanwhile, had finished screwing the lids back on the jars and carefully put them where he knew they were unlikely to be knocked or tipped over. "Okay, kiddo," He told Lil' Cheese. "A deal's a deal. I'll get you a cookie. Just one though. Too many cookies are not good for you."
"Cookies! Cookies!" Lil' Cheese cheered while jumping up and down over and over again.
Pound simply smiled as he went back into the kitchen. "Keep an eye on him, sis. This won't take long."
"It better not." Pumpkin called back as she turned her brilliant blue eyes towards Lil' Cheese.
Satisfied that his sister would be able to keep Lil' Cheese out of trouble, Pound turned his attention to the cookie jar. He frowned a bit upon seeing that it was resting atop the fridge. No doubt his sister had put it there for some reason. Fortunately, with a few flaps of his wings he was able to get the jar down safely. He couldn't resist opening the lid and helping himself to a cookie, just to make sure they still tasted good. And they did.
Putting the lid back on, the pegasus stallion trotted out of the kitchen and put the cookie jar down on a table. "Who wants a cookie?" He called in a coo, and Lil' Cheese came bouncing over a moment later. "Alright. As promised, one cookie." He said to his charge as he opened the lid again and retrieved a single cookie, before putting the lid back on.
Lil' Cheese leaped up and snatched the cookie right out of Pound's hooves in the blink of an eye! Pound's dark grayish-brown eyes had never witnessed such fast reflexes before! Just as fast, the little colt devoured the cookie, leaving behind only crumbs.
Then there was trouble. Up until now, Lil' Cheese had been relatively calm. But now that he'd eaten that cookie, he was practically bouncing off the walls! This must've been that crazy energy Cheese Sandwich had been talking about, it was easy to see now why Lil' Cheese was Pinkie's son. Naturally, with all that crazy energy, Lil' Cheese didn't want to just sit still and be calm. Not anymore. He giggled and ceased in his bouncing only to run away in a light yellow blur!
"I've created a monster!" Pound exclaimed in disbelief! "And all I did was give him one cookie."
"Well don't just stand there!" Pumpkin growled as she leaped to her hooves. "Come on, we gotta go after him and catch him before he hurts himself!" She proceeded to light up her horn and disappear in a flash of light blue colored magic.
Pound Cake frowned anew. "Not all of us can teleport like you, you know." He didn't care that his sister wasn't there to hear his complaint, he just had to get it off his chest. Still, the pegasus stallion took off in the hopes of catching the runaway foal. Or at least catching up with his sister after she caught the runaway.
Fortunately, it seemed Lil' Cheese had left behind a trail of sorts in the form of cookie crumbs. They were almost too small to be seen by the naked eye, but fortunately they were still visible if you squinted hard enough. So Pound followed the trail as best he could, hoping it would lead him right to the crazed foal.
The trail of crumbs went right up the stairs and down the hall. And Pound traced it as best he could. He briefly wondered if Lil' Cheese had run all the way back up to the loft to be with his parents. He wouldn't put it past the foal given the apparent problem with finding a suitable foalsitter for him.
But just as the pegasus stallion began to ponder such a possibility, there was what sounded like a crash coming from his sister's bedroom! He raced into said room to find his sister holding Lil' Cheese aloft in the glow of her horn. Scattered on the floor were several make-up products: Lipstick, perfumes, styling gel and various creams.
"You little scamp!" Pumpkin Cake sternly scolded Lil' Cheese. "You're lucky nothing broke. That was a very naughty thing to do. What do you have to say for yourself, young stallion?"
Lil' Cheese whimpered and seemed to shrink from his "Auntie Pumpkin"'s gaze. "Sowwy," He apologized and then added. "Not nice. Not do it again." It sounded almost like he was imitating somepony (probably his parents whenever they had to scold him).
Pound breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Sorry about your make-up, sis."
Pumpkin only replied. "It's alright, nothing spilled or that can't be replaced. I've been meaning to cut back on the beauty products anyway. Rarity always says true beauty comes from within. And considering she has successful boutiques all over the world, she obviously knows what she's talking about."
Yet it was then that a strong odor began to permeate the area. The twins sniffed and almost gagged. They had a pretty good idea where it was coming from.
"Oh no, he didn't..." Pound Cake remarked as the stench bombarded his nostrils.
Using her magic, Pumpkin Cake pulled back Lil' Cheese's diaper and confirmed the worst fears of her and her brother. "-He did. Really shouldn't have given him that cookie, Pound."
The pegasus stallion sighed while flapping his wings to try and fan the smell away from him. "Guess that means I'm the one who has to change him."
"If you wouldn't mind," Pumpkin insisted. "I have to clean up the mess here and put the cookie jar back. But if you need any help, just call."
Pound reluctantly nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," Then, when Lil' Cheese was deposited into his hooves he said. "Okay, mister. Your Uncle Pound is gonna get you into a fresh diaper. So please don't try to fight back. The more you cooperate the less this will take." And he mentally began preparing himself for the task ahead. It was going to take a lot of will power to get through it, that was for sure.
The pegasus carried Lil' Cheese downstairs as quickly (but also carefully) as he could. There, he retrieved the diaper bag along with the changing supplies, and then took his charge into the stallion's bathroom. Soon, he had set the little colt down on the changing station and had fastened the strap across him.
Now came the part Pound Cake had been absolutely dreading: The actual diaper change. Steadying himself and taking a deep breath, he hesitantly and reluctantly set to work.
Quick as a flash, Pound undid the tabs on Lil' Cheese's diaper and let it fall. He quickly tossed the dirty diaper into the nearby trash bin, making a mental note to empty it out later. But for now, he just worked on wiping down his charge as best he could. At least now the smell wasn't as powerful (thank goodness for small miracles). When the wiping job was complete, the stallion tossed the used wipes into the same trash he'd deposited the dirty diaper in. Now he most certainly would have to take out that trash when he was done.
Oh well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, all that was left for Pound to do was sprinkle in some foal powder and then get Lil' Cheese into a new diaper. That was the easy part. Or so he thought.
It seemed like Lil' Cheese had other ideas, however. For he just wiggled his way out of the strap and jumped down from the changing table as if it were all a game. "He he! Can't catch me!" He taunted and stuck out his tongue before he took off again! Apparently, he hadn't quite used up all of that crazy energy in his earlier chase.
Pound Cake groaned in annoyance! "Hey! Get back here! I'm not done changing you yet!" He shouted at the little colt. No way was he gonna let the foal run around without a diaper on, there were enough messes in the bathroom to clean up as it was. So the pegasus started to chase after Lil' Cheese, trying to catch him before he could slip away and cause more mischief. Celestia knows what he might do next.
However, Pound found the tiled floors of the bathroom weren't as conducive to his fast hoof movements. It wasn't long before he found himself slipping and sliding, much to Lil' Cheese's amusement. Eventually, his hooves gave way and he tumbled to the floor face first.
Lil' Cheese laughed at such a display, before he ran even further away from Pound before the pegasus stallion could get up. The little colt soon ran into one of the stalls, his green eyes becoming briefly transfixed on the toilet. He proceeded to bounce up, reaching the handle and forcing it down. In the process, he accidentally (or perhaps intentionally) lost his grip on said handle and slipped into the bowl as the toilet began to flush. "Whee!" He cried as he spun around and around, faster and faster!
By now, Pound had managed to pick himself up from his stumble. And what his grayish-brown eyes saw horrified him! "Oh no!" He cried, running as fast as he could manage to the toilet. Unfortunately, he reached the toilet just in time to see Lil' Cheese disappear down the drain as the foal's cries of joy were replaced by a watery gurgle. And then, nothing!
Pound Cake gasped in dismay! "How am I ever gonna explain this to Auntie Pinkie Pie?!" He thought to himself and wondered what he should do.
Yet as the pegasus pondered his predicament, imagine his surprise when suddenly Lil' Cheese popped right back up in the toilet bowl as if nothing had happened! "What?! How?! Why?!" Pound found himself at a loss for words even though he was relieved that the foal had apparently not gone down the drain after all (even though it had sure seemed like Lil' Cheese had).
"He he! Bath!" Lil' Cheese giggled, apparently unconcerned about where he was or why he shouldn't be in it.
Pound simply fished the foal out and set him on the ground. "Yes, you most certainly need a bath now!" He scolded the little colt! "Don't you ever scare me or anypony else like that ever again! Do you understand?!" He demanded, perhaps a bit more forcefully than he intended.
The little earth pony just seemed to nod in agreement. "Uh-huh."
"Great," Pound sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his brows. "Just give me a minute to take care of your dirty diaper, and then I'll get a proper bath going for you. No bubbles though." He then picked Lil' Cheese up with one hoof, while using his other hoof to pick up the trash so that he wouldn't forget about it later.
After taking care of the trash (and making sure to wash his hooves), Pound brought Lil' Cheese to the upstairs bathroom he and his sister shared. He quickly explained to his sister what had happened as he turned the knob on the bathtub faucet, and the tub began to fill up with water.
"No way! That really happened?" Pumpkin questioned her brother.
Pound nodded. "Saw it with my own two eyes. I honestly couldn't believe it myself. He really is just like Auntie Pinkie Pie. She used to do things nopony could ever explain."
Pumpkin just looked at Lil' Cheese in amazement. "Guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree." All Lil' Cheese did in reply was wink, as if he knew more but refused to say.
The tub was soon filled up enough for Pound to be satisfied. He then picked Lil' Cheese up again and lowered him carefully into the tub. "Just hold still and let your Uncle Pound get all you nice and clean again."
"And in case you get bored," Pumpkin smiled as she lit up her horn. "Here are some toys you can play with." She deposited a few bath toys, including the always popular toy boat and rubber ducky.
Fortunately for the twins, it seemed that Lil' Cheese was now in a cooperative mood since he didn't fight back or display any kind of "crazy" abilities as he was bathed. If anything, he seemed to be rather unhappy when the bath came to an unceremonious end as the drain plug was pulled, and he was deposited onto a towel while another one was used to dry him off.
Once dried, Lil' Cheese was finally diapered again, much to the relief of both Pound and Pumpkin.
And a short time later, the sound of hoofsteps signaled the return of both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. "Lil' Cheese, we're back!" Pinkie Pie called, now looking much better for wear. Clearly, her time away had been very productive.
Lil' Cheese happily bounced over to his parents as he was scooped up by his mom and happily nuzzled into her mane again. This time, Pinkie didn't bother to correct him.
"So how was he?" Cheese Sandwich asked the twins. "I didn't hear much, but from what I could hear it sounds like you two had a hard time."
Pound and Pumpkin exchanged glances before Pumpkin Cake spoke up and said to Pinkie. "Let's just say, we now know what it must've been like for you the first time you foalsat us."
"Or all the other times we made it difficult for you," Pound Cake chimed in. "We're really sorry about that, Auntie Pinkie Pie."
Pinkie only laughed and waved a hoof. "Oh come on. You've already apologized hundreds of times for that. I've already forgiven you," Then she added. "Trust me, Lil' Cheese is nothing compared to you two."
"He is still kind of sticky, though," Pound declared. "I even gave him a bath and somehow I still ended up feeling like I got covered in tree sap and pine needles."
"Yeah, we get that a lot with other foalsitters," Cheese Sandwich commented in reply. "But don't worry, it should wash off pretty easily. Thanks again for agreeing to look after him."
And Pinkie Pie then offered. "How would you two like to be Lil' Cheese's go to foalsitters? It would sure save Cheese and I a lot of trouble."
Pumpkin nervously looked across to Pound before replying. "We'll... we'll think about it."
Author's Note
Lil' Cheese being sticky is a nod to A Slice of Cheese. And of course, like my previous works involving Lil' Cheese, I'm specifically going with him as a boy and not a girl.
I figured this was as good a fic as any to have around my tenth anniversary of being on the site. Definitely never thought I'd get this far when I started out.
