//------------------------------// // Operation Cuddles // Story: Cuddle Sweet Cuddle // by Cadiefly //------------------------------// From a seated position in their bedroom, Pound and Pumpkin Cake had a bird's eye view of the room. Each of them situated atop an individual blade of their ceiling fan, they were in the perfect position to spot their babysitter, Pinkie Pie, when she walked through that door. Until then, they would enjoy themselves in a fit of giggles as everything below them spun round and round. They had a system, these two. They each had their special abilities by their birthright, to which they used to great effect in their little adventures. Whenever they were caught in the midst of one of their shenanigans, the elder ponies were none-the-wiser. It would simply be brushed off as something little foals did. Undisclosed to the rest of their society, the two foals had remarkable intelligence to plan and guide their actions, shrouded by the guise of sweet innocence. A single giggle was enough to squash any rousing suspicion. Because their spoken language was incomprehensible to the grown-ups, they always had the perfect alibi. By far their most powerful weapon, however, was their overpowering adorableness. Even the most stubborn of ponies were not immune to their cute stares. Try as they might, they would all eventually succumb to the foal's unyielding charm. The worst part of it all was that they knew it, too, and they used that to their advantage. Together, there was nothing the little pegasus and unicorn foals couldn't do. For this particular venture, however, they had one specific goal in mind, or rather a set of objectives intrinsic to one purpose. Their day would be complete with laughter, delicious edibles, games, and most importantly, cuddles. After having a somewhat lengthy discussion with their parents, who were on their way out of the store and onto a date, the babysitter returned to check up on them with a beam on her face and a jump to her step. "Okay, who's ready to have a fun afternoon with..." She gasped when she didn't immediately spot them. Her eyes grew to the size of saucers as she scanned the room up and down until finally they came to the fan. "Oh no, no, no. That's dangerous! You could get yourselves hurt!" Retrieving a step ladder from seemingly nowhere, Pinkie Pie began climbing and stretching her hoofs to reach the adventurous little foals. So focused on the rescue mission was she that as she shifted her weight from one hoof to the other, she overcompensated, lost balance, and began to tumble along with the ladder. The trajectory of her fall appeared to be a particularly dangerous one, straight into the jagged corner of a dresser. Kiddy dresser or no, it was sure to leave a bruise. Pound and Pumpkin glanced at each other and nodded in understanding. "Ga Ga Gyaa!" ''To the rescue!' At once, they both leaped off the fan blades and dove straight for the falling party pony. As they plunged, Pumpkin's horn began to shine brilliantly, and they careened into Pinkie Pie. Together, they fell as one away from the dresser. A magical bubble temporarily formed around them just before the landing, cushioning their descent. From atop a groaning Pinkie Pie, who was rubbing her temple in the midst of the confusion, Pound and Pumpkin glanced back at one other with a smile. In a celebratory manner, the foals bumped each others' hooves and giggled. Unaware of their exchange, Pinkie Pie giggled along with them, slightly less enthusiastic at first from worry, which transcended into a full-blown guffaw soon thereafter. Giving them both a great big hug, Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a fit of joy, "You two are just the best! We're going to have so much fun together!" Holding the two foals securely within her hooves, the pink mare rose and pranced into the living room, swirling about as they made their way to a lounge chair, where she gently set them down and patted their heads. "Who wants party balloons...?" Pinkie Pie asked as she bounded towards her secret stash of party accessories and came back with already half inflated balloons. Expertly, the balloons were shape-shifted into animals, one a beaver and the other a raccoon. To the untrained eye, they looked exactly the same, but she liked to add some flair to her creations, even if it was in name only. As they were handed the balloons, Pound and Pumpkin glanced at each other. Pound gave his twin sister a smirk and said, "Gaoo Ga Ee!" 'Follow My Lead!' He began rubbing his hoof across the latex, an action Pumpkin soon followed. Intensifying the pressure they applied to the balloons resulted in them popping and creating a blaring clamor that startled an unsuspecting Pinkie Pie. With a wink in his sister's direction, Pound began to cry out in fallacious manner, tears streaming down his eyes. Pumpkin did the same, only marginally quieter as they held the latex, now in tatters, on the sofa. "Oh dear. It's okay, it's okay! I can make more," The party pony cried worriedly as she struggled to calm the poor foals down. "I know! I can bake us some sweets! How does that sound?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled them back into a hug, gave a little spin, and descended the nearby stairs into the bakery. Once the two foals were seated on the kitchen island, Pinkie Pie set herself to baking them all some sugary delights. Unbeknownst to her, the two foals were relishing in their sweet victory, to which they celebrated with another hoof bump. In no time at all, Pinkie Pie had three cupcakes, topped with strawberry icing and colorful sprinkles. Carving out some bite sized pieces for the small little foals, she handed them each a piece, to which they savored immensely. When they begged for more, she retrieved two more bites to hand out. Excitedly, they munched away. After a few more bites, a mischievous smile played on Pumpkin's lips. She took another piece into her mouth. Instead of chewing, she spat it into the air with a giggle. As it slowed to a crawl mid flight, it arced and plunged right onto Pinkie's face. "Gao Ga!" 'Play time!' "Hey!" Eyes closed, Pinkie Pie took her attention off the foals for a moment to wipe her face clean with her hoof. Clapping his hooves in amusement, Pound cried, 'Me next, me next!' Crawling over to remainder of the cupcakes, he smacked the tin and sent the sugary substances flying in every direction. In the aftermath, Pound and Pumpkin both were stained with icing and sprinkles. Startled for only a moment as they heard the sound of the tin crashing to the ground, they waved their arms excitedly and cried in jubilation. "What was that?" the mare cried as she shook her head free of cupcake remains and opened her eyes to find the kitchen in chaos. Inspecting the mess they had made, she raised her brow and chuckled. "Looks like you two need a bath." At the sound of their whimpers, she pulled a rubber ducky out of nowhere and presented it before them. Trying to pull off a masculine voice, she said, "Mr. Quacky would like to join you on your aquatic adventure through bubbles to seas unknown!" After a short trip to the bathroom, she drew them a bubble bath and placed them, along with the ducky, inside. Producing another toy, this one a boat, she sailed it along the surface of the water and imitated a boat chugging along an ocean. She gently stuck its end into Pumpkin, who looked down at the object in fascination. Glee in her voice, the pink mare said, "This is Captain Boatie Mac Boaterson, reporting for duty! The seas are looking peaceful today with gentle waves." She then dove her hooves into the water and created nice, lolling waves as she rubbed their bodies clean. After they were finished being cleaned, the two foals continued playing in the water with their babysitter. Splashing about in the water, the three of them laughed and carried on for several more minutes, losing track of the time. When their enthusiastic merriment at long last began to subside, a brief moment of relief and relaxation came upon the foals. Not quite able to stifle their yawn, they leaned back in the tub and closed their eyes sleepily. Shoulders touching, they softly bumped hooves together again and smiled. From above, they could hear the chipper in Pinkie Pie's voice. "That sure was fun, wasn't it? Oh, look at who needs a nap. Let's get you out of that tub." One at a time, they were pulled out of the tub. The soft caress of a warm towel gently ran across their fur. They rubbed their heads back and forth against the touch of the towel and the mare's hoof. With smiles on their face, they extended their hooves out in front of them in an effort to hug their babysitter, who continued her ministrations for a little while longer until they were sufficiently dry. At the sight of them holding out their hooves she couldn't help but admire the young ponies. She cooed, "Awww, you guys are adorable!" She snuggled them close to her face and picked them up. More stifled yawns were emitted by the young foals. "Oh, I want to play with you so much, but our adventures will have to wait until after your nap." Whisking them away from the bathroom, Pinkie Pie took Pound and Pumpkin to their crib and placed them down before tucking them in. She stared down at them for a moment longer until she was sure they were nestled comfortably under the blanket before walking away. Immediately, she could hear them cry out for her attention. "Oh silly me," The party pony said as she smacked a hoof to her face. "How could I forget?" Walking back up to the foals, she tilted downward over the crib and gave them both a big hug. The foals rubbed their faces against Pinkie Pie's own and gurgled happily. Gently letting them back down, Pinkie Pie whispered softly into their ears, "Sweet dreams." After stepping away, she could see them settling down and closing their eyes to rest. She smiled down at them before turning and retreated to the door flipping the lights off on her way out. One eye from each of them opened to stare at each other, and the foals exchanged a knowing smile. 'Operation cuddle time was a success.' One last hoof bump was traded before they snuggled deeper into their blankets and drifted off to sleep.