An earth pony stallion with a brilliant gamboge coat smiled as he stood on a hilltop, gazing down at the town of Ponyville in all its glory. He'd been here a few times before, but the town never ceased to amaze and impress him with its small town beauty.
Of course, the stallion had a reason for coming to Ponyville again. There was somepony he had to see, somepony very special. "Boy, won't she be surprised when she sees me again." He thought to himself, and then trotted down the hill with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. His destination was clear in mind.
Meanwhile, across town, Pinkie Pie was in the upstairs nursery of Sugarcube Corner, busily attending to the twin toddler foals she'd become a go to foalsitter for: Pound and Pumpkin Cake. They were getting older and weren't quite as prone to their surges now, but they were still very mischievous and seemed to enjoy giving Pinkie a hard time sometimes. Today was one of those occasions.
Pinkie was busy trying to put a new diaper on Pound Cake, a task easier said than done when the little pegasus refused to hold still. He kept grabbing at Pinkie's mane, tugging on it and pulling it repeatedly.
"Ow! Come on, Pound Cake!" Pinkie groaned as she tried to fight back and finish the diaper change. "Just hold still, I'm almost done! Don't you wanna be nice and clean again?"
Pumpkin Cake was watching the whole thing from the safety of her crib, giggling and laughing as the struggle between foal and foalsitter unfold, all the while she was suckling on one of her hooves.
At last, however, Pinkie won back control of her curly and poofy mane as it snapped back to its normal state as Pound lost his grip. "Aha!" The pink party pony exclaimed! "Now I've got you!" And she raised her hooves into the air in dramatic fashion, before slipping a spotless diaper onto her charge. Once done, she breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her brows. "There. Now was that worth making so much of a fuss about?"
Pound Cake just laughed, wiggling about in his new diaper without a care in the world.
Pinkie sighed anew as she lifted the pegasus colt off the changing table, and deposited him securely in his crib next to his sister. "You guys know you're not supposed to be going in your diapers all the time now, right?" She asked the twins. "I know you just started potty training a while back, so you gotta be making more of an effort to make it to the bathroom in time. You don't wanna stay in diapers forever, do you?"
"Yeah-huh!" The twins chimed in unison.
"Very funny, guys," Pinkie Pie frowned ever so slightly. "I know potty training doesn't sound like fun, but it can be fun if you try. Besides, just think of all the fun and freedom you'll have when you don't have to wear diapers anymore. Won't that be nice?"
The twins only replied with a "Nah." and stuck out their tongues, then they turned their backs to Pinkie and started playing with their toys. Much as they might like her and find her to be fun (even more fun than their parents), they weren't about to listen to what she had to say.
The pink party pony just humphed, swishing her tail a bit in protest. But she quickly decided it was no use trying to argue with the twins. "Oh well, they'll come around eventually," She thought to herself as she left to go wash her hooves. "Mrs. Cake did say not to rush these things. So I'll just keep changing their diapers until they decide they're ready to start using the potty like big ponies do."
After quickly scrubbing her hooves and drying them, Pinkie exited the bathroom just in time to hear the bell above the front door ring. Somepony had just entered the bakery.
Curious to see who it was, Pinkie Pie gave a quick glance to the twins to make sure they weren't doing anything they shouldn't be, then raced down stairs in a blur to greet the unexpected arrival (it was still fairly early in the morning, Sugarcube Corner wouldn't be open for business for at least another half hour).
When Pinkie Pie made it downstairs and to the front of the bakery, a shock greeted her beautiful blue eyes! Standing before her was an earth pony stallion wearing a yellow shirt, and sporting the same mane and tail style as her own (except his were a shade of dark brown instead of bright pink). She stumbled back. "No way! Somepony pinch me! I must be dreaming!"
The stallion replied with a wink, before trotting up and pinching Pinkie ever so slightly on the side, prompting her to let out a faint yelp. "You're not dreaming, Pinkie," He sweetly told her. "Your eyes don't deceive you. It's really me, the one and only Cheese Sandwich!"
As the shock slowly faded, Pinkie leaped forward and playfully pressed her stout up against Cheese's! "Oh, this is such a nice treat, even better than when you threw that birthday party for me a while back," But then she saw fit to ask. "So, what brings you back to Ponyville now? Need my help with a party that needs planning? Cause if so..." She zipped away, soon returning with a black hat similar to the one Cheese always liked to wear. "I'm your pony." She said, while throwing her voice to sound deep and serious.
Cheese Sandwich just smiled as he nuzzled Pinkie with his snout. "I'm taking a break from throwing parties, even a super duper party pony like yours truly needs a rest every now and then. Besides, can't your special somepony just stop by to say hi when he feels like it? I don't need an excuse to see you, right?"
Pinkie Pie slowly nodded. "I guess not," And she happily embraced her special somepony in a big hug. "Oh, I'm so happy you're here again, Cheese. Staying in touch with you through letters just isn't the same as having you here in pony."
Cheese nodded back. "I know, I know. Which is why I figured you wouldn't mind if I stayed with you for a few days," He was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry, I don't snore. And I can just sleep on the couch, I'm not picky about where I sleep."
"Well, I'll have to see what the Cakes think," Pinkie commented as she looked back towards the kitchen behind the bakery's counter. "But I'm sure they'll say yes," And before her special somepony could say anything further, she took him by the hoof. "Come on, let's go see them now!"
Despite the fact that he could do a lot of weird things himself when he wanted to, Cheese was still quite surprised to be pulled all the way across the room and into the kitchen in the blink of an eye. Even he could never travel that fast.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake were busy getting the last of the sugary, savory sweets ready for when Sugarcube Corner opened for business: Putting treats in ovens to bake, pulling freshly baked treats out of said ovens, measuring ingredients in mixing bowls, pouring batter for things like cakes and pastries, everything that a baker was supposed to do.
"Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie Pie spoke up, interrupting the elderly earth ponies in the midst of their baking. "You remember Cheese Sandwich, right?"
Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake ceased what they had been doing, carefully setting down baking trays, mixing bowls and various culinary instruments as they turned their attention to what had been their unannounced visitor. Mrs. Cake was the first one to speak up. "Oh, of course we do, dearie," She sweetly told Pinkie Pie, before turning her attention to Cheese Sandwich. "So nice to see you again. Ever since you and Pinkie became a couple, she can't stop gushing about you."
Mr. Cake added with a smile. "Kind of reminds me of Cup Cake and I when we were your age," Looking to his wife he added. "But you look just as sweet now as you did the day I first laid eyes on you."
Mrs. Cake blushed and playfully waved a hoof. "Oh stop it, Carrot. We were young once, but obviously nopony can stay young forever," Then she coughed into a hoof, regaining her composure as she asked Cheese Sandwich. "So, what brings you back to Ponyville, Mr. Sandwich? Did Pinkie ask you for help with a party? She's been planning something big for the twins' next birthday. Can you believe they'll be turning three soon? Oh, where has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday I was bringing them home from the hospital."
Cheese sweetly replied. "Well, from what Pinkie's told me, you and your husband have been raising your children right. And Pinkie Pie is the best big sister they could ever ask for," On a somewhat more somber note he added. "I was an only child growing up, and my parents and I were never close. But..." He quickly changed the subject. "That's not why I'm here. I'm just here because I wanted to take a little break from party planning for a while. You know, recharge my batteries and all that."
"I see," Mr. Cake nodded in agreement. "Well, you're quite welcome to share the loft with Pinkie Pie. Or, if you'd like, I think we still have an old guest couch we could set up for you."
Cheese Sandwich bowed his head. "I'd be happy with whatever arrangements you set up."
Satisfied that Mr. and Mrs. Cake were okay with her special somepony staying, Pinkie Pie let out a happy squeal as she again took Cheese by the hoof! "Oh, I just had the best idea ever, Cheese! You've gotta meet Pound and Pumpkin Cake! They like me, so I just know they'll like you!" With a smirk she added. "And don't worry, I can teach you a thing or two about changing diapers if it comes to it. It's actually easier than it seems, as long as you have sacks of flour, anyway." And with that, she led Cheese away again, this time leading him up to the nursery to see the twins.
In a matter of seconds, Cheese Sandwich found himself gazing down at two toddler foals: A pegasus colt and a unicorn filly, both of whom were eyeing him with the most unusual looks. It looked like they recognized him, somewhat, and were now trying to recall how and why they knew the stallion.
Pinkie Pie proudly proclaimed. "Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, meet Cheese Sandwich! He's my special somepony! That means we're in love!" And she emphasized this point by giving her fellow earth pony a kiss on the cheek, delighting in how it made him blush ever so faintly.
Cheese, for his part, just waved a hoof and flashed a sheepish smile. "Uh... hey there, you two. Pinkie's told me a lot about you guys in her letters. Did I hear right? You two are in potty training now?"
"Uh-huh." The twins confirmed in an unhappy tone of voice, clearly not thrilled with such a fact.
"Hey, we talked about this!" Pinkie scolded the twins. "Your parents and I all agreed you were ready to start it. I know you're not thrilled about giving up your diapers, but there's no need to act all glum about it."
Neither Pound or Pumpkin changed their expression in the slightest.
Pinkie looked back to Cheese and apologized. "Sorry. Usually, they're pretty cheerful. And very playful too, I might add. Think they get that from me."
Cheese just nodded. "It's okay, Pinkie. I'm sure you were just like them when you were their age," He put a hoof to his chin as he contemplated. "I can't really remember much about my own childhood before I met you, but I think I remember that I wasn't exactly thrilled about getting out of diapers either. Of course, I changed my mind eventually, and I'm sure the twins will too when they're a little older."
"Yeah, I guess so," Pinkie Pie shrugged her hooves. "And Mr. and Mrs. Cake don't seem worried about their lack of progress so far. I just wish they could be as excited about it as I am."
Cheese Sandwich just smiled. "I'm sure you can make anything fun if you just try hard enough, Pinkie. What matters most though is that the twins feel encouraged to give their diapers of their own free will. They're only young once, you know."
Pinkie nodded back. "I know, I know. It's hard to believe how fast they're growing up," A lone tear came into her eye as she recalled. "Seems like it was only yesterday I was foalsitting them for the first time, and it was nearly my last time too. But those little rascals got to me. Now I can never imagine not being their foalsitter and honorary big sister," Then she asked her special somepony. "Are you sure you didn't have any siblings, Cheese? Not even just an adopted brother or sister?"
The party planning stallion shook his head from side to side. "Nope, can't recall ever having one. It was me and me alone. And you understand why I don't like to dwell on that part of my past," A bit of a frown formed on his face as he glumly admitted. "Before I met you, I really didn't like who I was. When I first met you at one of your parties, that was the first time I can ever remember feeling good about myself. It helps that you unintentionally gave me Boneless, he was the first friend I ever had."
"And then you got more Bonelesses," Pinkie Pie giggled. "Speaking of which, do you still have Boneless Two? Or have you moved on to Boneless Three, or maybe even Boneless Four?"
Cheese replied by digging a hoof into his mane, soon pulling out a well worn rubber chicken with a big red number two painted on its chest. "He's still with me, as you can clearly see. In fact, it was his idea to come see you in Ponyville. Isn't that right, Boneless Two?" The rubber chicken didn't say anything.
The pink party pony smiled, delighted to see that things were very much as she remembered them being for her special somepony. All the same, she was looking forward to a chance to spend more time with him. These next few days were sure to be even more fun than they had already promised to be.'
Leaving the nursery with Cheese, Pinkie happily hugged the stallion. "Oh, I'm glad you're here, Cheese. We're gonna have so much fun together! We'll stay up late playing party games, and wearing party hats, and just talking to each other while we swap stories." She gazed longingly into his eyes, finding it easy to get lost in them.
But the pink party pony's happy thoughts were interrupted when she heard the bell above the door jingle again. And soon, she could hear Mrs. Cake calling up. "Pinkie Pie, Spike's here and he wants to talk to you. He says it's very important."
Pinkie called back. "I'll be right down, Mrs. Cake!" And she was as good as her word, zipping downstairs on her own to find a rather impatient (and grumpy too for that matter) Spike waiting for her.
The little dragon grumbled as he grumpily remarked. "It's about time!"
"Aw come on, Spike!" Pinkie Pie innocently replied. "I didn't keep you waiting for long," And then she asked him. "So, what is it that's so important that you had to come and talk to me right away? Couldn't it wait? I kind of have things I wanted to do."
Spike just impatiently retorted. "Sorry, it can't wait. You've gotta come over to the castle right away. Twilight needs your help with a very important friendship problem. And you know it's rude to keep a princess waiting."
The pink party pony thought that last statement sounded kind of odd. It wasn't like Twilight to play up her princess status like that. And for that matter, why did Spike seem to be in such a bad mood? He was usually always cheerful, especially towards Pinkie.
"Hey, are you coming or not?! I can't wait all day!" Spike suddenly and rudely demanded, snapping Pinkie out of her pondering.
"Okay, okay, I'll be there very soon!" Pinkie agreed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was that serious," Then she turned back to the stairs. "Just give me a moment, I have something I need to take care of. BRB!" And she zoomed back up the stairs before Spike could say anything in protest.
Cheese Sandwich was most surprised to be tackled to the floor by his special somepony. And one look at her face told him that something was troubling her. "What's the matter, Pinkie?" He asked.
"Twilight needs me at her castle," Pinkie Pie told Cheese in a somewhat glum tone of voice. "And from the way Spike's acting, I can tell that this is something that can't wait," She perked up a bit as she added. "Hopefully, it won't take long. But, just in case I'm there a while," She looked into Cheese's eyes as she inquired. "You think you could take over as foalsitter for Pound and Pumpkin Cake? I don't wanna make Mr. and Mrs. Cake worry."
Cheese gulped as he nervously protested. "Me? I... I don't know! I've never foalsat for anypony before, not even just a little!"
Pinkie protested and pleaded with a pouty, puppy dog eyes look. "Please, Cheese? It would really mean a lot to me, I don't know who else I could press into foalsitting duty on such short notice. I promise, I'll make it up to you as soon as I take care of... whatever it is Twilight needs me for. Hopefully, I'll be there and back before you'll need to do anything."
Try as he might, Cheese found himself unable to say no to the look his special somepony was giving him. So he caved in and relented. "Oh, okay. I mean, if you can foalsit those two all the time, how hard can it really be?"
"Great! Thanks a lot!" Pinkie Pie declared as she glomped the party planning stallion! "Oh, and don't worry about their potty training. I mean, if you can help them, that's good. But if not, it's no biggie. Now I'd better get going!" And with that, she turned and raced back down the stairs until she was out of sight.
Just like that, Cheese Sandwich found himself thrust into the thick of something he'd never done before. "I just can't say no to Pinkie, can I?" He thought to himself, and sighed. "Well, I can't back out after I gave her my word." Steadying himself, the stallion thus prepared for his journey into the unknown. Hopefully, it would be a piece of cake to keep the twins amused and out of trouble for a while.
The earth pony stallion with a brilliant gamboge coat carefully placed Boneless Two on his back. "Well, partner," He said to the rubber chicken as his tone of voice changed ever so subtly. "Guess there's no use tryin' to beat around this bush. A promise is a promise, and we must keep it."
Boneless Two didn't say anything in reply.
Cheese smiled. "That's what I like about you, Boneless Two, you're a good listener," Then he eyed the nursery. "Well, here goes nothing!" And he trotted in, unsure of what to expect.
Pound and Pumpkin Cake were still sitting in their crib together, apparently unaware or unconcerned about what had just transpired. Yet it was clear from the looks they were now giving that they eyed Pinkie's special somepony with suspicion. What little they did seem to know about him, it wasn't enough to convince him that he'd be just like her (or at least close enough).
"Uh... hey there, you two," Cheese somewhat nervously greeted the twins as he approached their crib. "Pinkie Pie had to... leave and take care of something. Hopefully, she'll be back soon," Upon sensing that his statement had unnerved the twins and made them start to worry ever so slightly, he quickly added. "I'm sure she'll be back soon. But until she does, I'm taking over for her as your foalsitter. I'm sure we'll all have a good time together, right?"
"Not Pinkie." Pound grumbled as he folded his hooves across his chest with a pout.
Pumpkin shared her brother's sentiment. "Yeah! Not Pinkie."
"C-come on now," Cheese Sandwich nervously insisted as he backed away ever so slowly. "I'm just as much fun as Pinkie Pie. And you like her."
The twins' expression did not change as they chimed together. "Not Pinkie."
Cheese sighed, plopping onto his rump. He wasn't off to a good start. Looking to the rubber chicken on his back, he asked. "Well, Boneless Two? Any ideas on how to turn their frowns upside down?"
Boneless Two said nothing, the rubber chicken just slumped against the stallion's backside.
Suddenly, it came to the party planning stallion as he stood up and excitedly exclaimed! "Of course! Boneless Two, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of it sooner?!" To his charges he then instructed. "You two stay there, I've got a surprise for you! And I think you're gonna absolutely love it!"
Intrigued by the statement, the twins watched as this only somewhat familiar stallion (to them) raced out of the nursery in the blink of an eye, just like Pinkie Pie was sometimes prone to do. Now that they thought about it more, he kind of looked like her. But that didn't necessarily mean he was like her.
Cheese was soon back in the nursery, and he carefully set Boneless Two on the ground and took off his shirt, before raising a sack of flour over his head. "Pinkie mentioned this trick. She says it never fails!" He proclaimed to the twins, who were now watching with interest. Then he proceeded to dump the entire sack's worth of flour on himself, coating his entire body and turning it a ghostly white. He promptly sneezed, presumably on purpose. "Tada!" He declared, hoping for a reaction.
The twins seemed to be amused by such a silly sight. They laughed and clapped their hooves.
The party planning stallion smiled. "See? I can be just like Pinkie Pie. So you can trust me and be nice to me, right?" He asked the twins.
Pound and Pumpkin seemed to nod and mutter. "Uh-huh."
Cheese Sandwich's smile brightened. "Good, glad we understand each other," Then he declared. "Now, just give me a minute to wash off this flour. Then we can have some fun together, okay?"
"Okay." Pound and Pumpkin seemed to agree.
"Great. BRB!" Cheese insisted, and zoomed out of the nursery, leaving a faint trail of flour behind him in the process.
The flour didn't take long to be washed off, much to Cheese's relief. He then returned to the nursery, now feeling much more confident in his ability to handle whatever the twins might throw at him.
However, upon re-entering the nursery, his green eyes beheld a horrifying (to him at least) sight! Boneless Two was being levitated off the ground by Pumpkin Cake, who was clearly straining even as her horn was glowing brightly. She seemed to be trying to bring the rubber chicken over to her.
Cheese, remembering what Pinkie had written about the twins and about what her first foalsitting experience was like, immediately became terrified at the prospect of Boneless Two becoming something for Pumpkin Cake to slobber and chew on! He hurriedly rushed towards the rubber chicken, grabbing it with his hooves and holding on for dear life!
Pumpkin, meanwhile, was just concentrating harder and harder, and straining herself more and more as she tried to pull the rubber chicken towards her!
"Come on! Let go!" Cheese Sandwich pleaded as the party pony stallion refused to relinquish his possession of the rubber chicken. "You have plenty of toys! You don't need to slobber on Boneless Two!"
But Pumpkin wasn't listening, she just seemed to be trying to pull harder and harder with her magic as Boneless Two's neck began to stretch out more and more.
Without warning, the rubber chicken's neck snapped back, flinging the party planning earth pony stallion hard against a wall of the nursery!
Pumpkin opened her eyes when she heard the sound of impact, and immediately she and her brother gasped as they saw a rather dazed looking Cheese laying on the floor of the nursery! They immediately rose out of their crib, clumsily plopped onto their padded plots and waddled over to the stallion as fast as they could.
Fortunately, by the time the twins reached him, Cheese Sandwich had recovered. He shook himself all over and stood up. "See? I'm perfectly fine," He told the twins, before revealing that Boneless Two was once again in his possession. "But you owe Boneless Two an apology, Pumpkin Cake. We don't take things from other ponies without asking first."
With a whimper, the pegasus filly apologized with a lisp. "Sowwy."
Cheese simply patted the filly on the head with a hoof, then slipped his yellow shirt back on. "It's alright, nopony got hurt. Now, how about we..." But his sentence was cut off as he happened to sniff the air at that moment, and a foul stench bombarded his ill prepared nostrils. He knew the smell wasn't coming from him, which could mean only one thing.
Pumpkin Cake had a sheepish grin on her face as it was possible to notice a faint bulge in the back of her diaper, a bulge that Pound Cake's diaper did not have. Again, she forced out. "Sowwy." Though it was hard to tell whether she really meant it this time, or was just trying to get out of being blamed for doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing anymore.
The party planning stallion sighed deeply, knowing that this was the aspect of foalsitting he'd been looking forward to the least. Still, it had to be done. And if Pinkie could do it, then so could he. He bent down and carefully scooped Pumpkin up, trying not to let the smell bother him (which was easier said than done). "Come on, let's get you changed." Soon, he had set his young charge down on the changing table, preparing himself mentally for the task ahead.
With great hesitation, Cheese took a deep breath and clumsily moved his hooves to undo the dirty diaper. He didn't even look at it, treating it like it was a bomb as he dropped it into a nearby diaper pail. At least the worst part was over.
But Pumpkin wiggled and wiggled as Cheese Sandwich tried to wipe her, either because she was restless or because the wipes felt cold against her bare bottomed flanks.
"Come on, hold still!" Cheese instructed in a somewhat impatient tone of voice. "At this rate it's gonna take all day!"
Pumpkin Cake started to whimper and tear up as a result.
Cheese hastily apologized, trying to calm the filly down before she could burst into tears. "Hey, it's okay. I didn't mean to yell at you just then, I'm just a little frustrated is all. I'm sure you're not trying to give me a hard time," And he pleaded. "Just hold still, and I promise I'll make this quick."
With a nod, Pumpkin seemed to reluctantly obey. And soon afterward, the wiping job was done. Now, all that remained was for a new diaper to be put on her.
Cheese Sandwich first sprinkled some foal powder on the unicorn filly, then took hold of a diaper from a nearby box of diapers and tried to slip it under Pumpkin's rump. But his hooves refused to cooperate, they fidgeted, still shaky from having had to undo and dispose of a dirty diaper. And Pumpkin Cake had no interest in making it easier for him, she lit up her horn again, apparently still having a bit of magic left in her as she started to lift off the changing table.
"Oh no you don't!" The party planning stallion protested! He frantically jumped up, grabbing the filly as she tried to flee! He wasn't about to let her run around with nothing on when she wasn't potty trained yet! He then tried to put the diaper on her while using a free hoof to hold her in place! "I'm almost done! Don't make this any harder than it needs to be!" And with a great deal of straining, he attempted to diaper her. A struggle soon ensued.
When the dust settled a moment later, Cheese initially beamed with pride. "There!" But then he saw the twins staring at him, laughing themselves silly! And he could see that Pumpkin didn't have a diaper on, she was still butt naked. "What? What's so funny?" He asked.
"Diaper!" Pound Cake laughed, pointing a hoof to Cheese Sandwich's forehead!
The stallion with a brilliant gamboge coat looked up, and nearly fell to the ground with shock from the surprise! Somehow, he'd gotten the diaper he'd intended to put on Pumpkin Cake stuck on his mane instead.
Pumpkin then used her magic to remove her brother's diaper, and somehow managed to slip it onto Cheese's tail. It didn't really fit, which only made the stallion look even sillier.
Cheese's face flushed bright red. "Good thing Pinkie isn't here to see this," He thought to himself. "I'd die of embarrassment for sure."
Just then, the sound of a camera clicking combined with the flashing of a camera bulb, drew Cheese Sandwich's attention! Much to his surprise (and further embarrassment), Mrs. Cake was standing in the nursery doorway with a camera in her hooves. She was now trying badly to suppress the snickers as she looked at the photo that had developed. "Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized in between faint fits of laughter. "It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Twilight told me about how Pinkie ended up in the same situation the first time she had to change diapers."
"Oh? Really?" Cheese questioned, his shame and embarrassment lessening a little.
The plump earth pony baker nodded. "Twilight doesn't strike me as the kind of pony to make stuff up," She smiled as she approached Cheese Sandwich. "Thanks for filling in for Pinkie Pie like this. But I can take it from here," And she then clapped her hooves, attracting the twins' attention. "Alright now, my sweet little angels, you've had your fun. Now, I'm going to put a new diaper on you, Pumpkin. And then you and your brother are going to take a nap. Understand?"
The twins nodded. "Uh-huh." It seemed they had no qualms about obeying their mother.
Now satisfied with no longer having to worry about the twins, Cheese quickly removed the diapers from his head and rump. Then he trotted downstairs to find that Sugarcube Corner was bustling with ponies. Seeing as he had nothing better to do, the stallion decided to have a seat at one of the unoccupied tables and just be alone with his thoughts.
Mrs. Cake came back down a little later, standing with her husband behind the counter as they tended to the customers one by one.
Suddenly, Mr. Cake whispered something to his wife, who nodded firmly in agreement. Then, he trotted over to his fellow stallion and cleared his throat. "So, how was your first foalsitting experience?" He asked, even though he really had no need to.
Cheese Sandwich sighed. "I guess it went about as well as it could've. I really don't see how Pinkie can do it all the time. How can she put up with those two for so long?"
Mr. Cake chuckled. "Oh, they still give her a hard time sometimes. That's just what they like to do for fun, they like to mess with ponies and be uncooperative," He put a hoof around his fellow stallion. "It's sweet that Pinkie trusted you to take her place on such short notice. And I think the twins would really like you if they got to know you better. But, you don't have to do it if you don't want to," Then he put a hoof to his chin. "Although, it's weird she hasn't come back yet."
Cheese commented with concern. "Now that you mention it, it does feel weird that she's not back. My 'Cheesie Sense' usually only alerts me to parties that are in the works, so it can't be any kind of party," He nervously added. "Oh, I hope she's alright. I hope nothing bad's happened to her. It's not like her to just disappear for so long without notice."
"I'm sure she'll turn up eventually and be just fine," Mr. Cake insisted at last. "Cup Cake and I, we've gotten used to her sometimes leaving so unannounced. Did she ever tell you about the time she up and left for Yakyakistan?"
The party planning stallion nodded in confirmation. "Yes, she wrote to me about that a while back. She also mentioned that was when her friends found out about her secret party planning cave."
Mr. Cake simply stated. "Well, if she could go all the way to Yakyakistan and come back none the worse for wear, I have little doubt she'll come back from whatever it is she's currently occupied with and be just fine. It probably was a friendship problem, the map just hadn't called her yet." And then, after giving Cheese a reassuring pat, he turned and trotted away.
Although, Mr. Cake's comments had mostly alleviated his concerns, Cheese still couldn't help but think to himself as he gazed out of a window. "Where are you, Pinkie? Please be okay."
The rest of the day passed slowly but surely as Cheese Sandwich tried to keep his thoughts off his special somepony's absence. He wasn't really in a rush to get back into foalsitting, but he still helped a little when needed and found himself slowly getting a feel for it.
At last, night time came. And still Pinkie Pie hadn't come back. Now Cheese was really concerned. He was even more concerned when he thought he saw strange, glowing lights in the distance. But where they were coming from, he couldn't quite tell. It took every ounce of being he had not to drop what he was doing and rush off to investigate.
Unhappily, the stallion went to sleep that night, sleeping on the floor in the loft that Pinkie called home.
When next morning came, Pinkie was still nowhere to be found. It was as if she'd just "vanished" for lack of a better term.
Then, suddenly, during the middle of breakfast, the bell above the front door of Sugarcube Corner rang. And when the melody reached Cheese Sandwich's ears, he immediately got up and ran to see who it was that had come in!
Much to the party planning stallion's surprise (and relief), there was Pinkie Pie. And she seemed to be completely the same as she was when she had left. Not a hair or hoof was out of place.
Cheese couldn't stop himself from glomping his special somepony and kissing her firmly! "Oh, where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you, Pinkie?!"
Now it was Pinkie's turn to blush as the pink party pony apologized profusely. "Oh, I am so so SO sorry, Cheese! Really! I didn't mean to make you worry or to be gone for so long, but you would not believe what happened to me when I got to Twilight's castle!" Then she asked the stallion. "By the way, how were things with the twins? They didn't give you too much of a hard time, did they?"
"Well, they kind of did at first," Cheese Sandwich admitted. "Foalsitting is definitely not my forte, at least not right now."
Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Oh, that's okay. We can't all be foalsitting pros like me. You're still in one piece, that means the twins didn't break you like they broke me. Trust me, it's a long story."
The party planning stallion sincerely smiled. "I know, Mrs. Cake told me about what happened the first time you watched them."
"Oh, no way, they did it to you too?!" Pinkie exclaimed in disbelief!
His face flushing red, Cheese confessed. "Yes, they really did."
Pinkie couldn't help but snort and laugh. "Oh, I wish I'd have been there to see that! But you know, you'd still look cute even in a diaper. Really."
Cheese Sandwich nervously giggled. "Please don't ever mention it to anypony! I'm serious! I'll die of embarrassment for sure!"
The pink party pony just gave a knowing wink. "Relax, Cheese, my lips are sealed." And she promptly ran a hoof across her mouth, sealing her lips shut almost as if they were actually being zipped up.
The party planning stallion then saw fit to return to his original line of questioning. "So, what exactly happened to you yesterday, Pinkie? What was the big friendship problem that apparently kept you at Twilight's castle all day?"
At that, Pinkie Pie couldn't contain or control herself. It started with faint giggles, and soon turned into full on chuckles as she fell to the floor and started kicking her back legs, all the while she was laughing hysterically!
"Uh, wanna clue me in on the joke?" Cheese hesitantly asked.
In between fits of laughter, Pinkie managed to force out. "Oh Cheese, do I have a story for you!"
Author's Note
I'm tagging this as AU because, while there's nothing that says something like this couldn't have happened off-screen during "To Where and Back Again" (we never saw how the mane six and Spike were captured), more likely than not canon would say that this couldn't have happened during either "Part 1" or "Part 2".
You could also see this as Cheese Sandwich getting some parenting practicie in before (years later) Lil' Cheese arrives on the scene.
I figure that by the end of Season 6, Pound and Pumpkin have to be at least two to three years old, especially considering at least two winters pass since their birth.
