//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: Rhubarb // by JuneLuxray2 //------------------------------// "...Again, we really appreciate you doing this, Rhubarb..." "Not a problem. What time is their bedtime?" "We usually want them asleep at eight-ish. But sometimes they tucker out earlier. We should be here to pick them up at ten. Again, thank you," Mr. Cake said, "with us requiring Pinkie's help as this baking competition at Sweet Apple Acres, we were worried we wouldn't find a sitter." "It's no problem, as I said." Rhubarb said politely, taking Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake from Mrs. Cake. "I've helped out before with your foals, I'm sure I can handle it tonight." The changeling chattered with the parents for a little while, not noticing Merry May's dubious look from the kitchen. As soon as the door was closed, nopony noticed as Rhubarb forgot to lock it behind them. Merry spoke as soon as the couple left. "Rhubarb, are you sure agreeing to babysit is the greatest idea? For the last two weeks you've been working yourself nearly to death in the name of doing good. I'm surprised you aren't too tired to babysit. Babies take up a lot of energy." "Pfft. I've helped before. I feed them, burp them, replace a few diapers, and put them to sleep. How hard can it be?" he said, sounding cocky. Merry rolled her eyes, and then a self-satisfied grin came to her as the babies began wailing. Rhubarb quickly picked them up and placed them in two high chairs Mr. and Mrs. Cake lent to him. He sped to the fridge and pulled out baby food left for them. Merry watched as he put it out. Pound Cake began pounding on the table, nearly knocking over the bowl of squishy goop. Within seconds, Pumpkin Cake began to cry. Merry sighed and shoved him aside. "Go get another spoon. I'll feed Pound Cake, you feed Pumpkin Cake." "'Kay." He pulled out a spoon and dug it into the food for Pumpkin, who looked at him expectantly. "Watch," Merry said. She dug her spoon in and wavered it up and down. "here comes the pegasus train! Choo choo! Zoom....zoom..." she said, making noises. Pound laughed and happily ate the food. Rhubarb followed her lead. "Here comes the unicorn train! Choo choo! Uh...zoom?" Pumpkin ate the food happily. This continued until the bowls were empty. The babies were burped, and then right as Rhubarb put them down to play again, Merry shook her head as she held Pound Cake. "No, no. They should take a bath now." "A bath?" "No, a shower. Yes, a bath." Merry said. Rhubarb sighed and followed her to the bathroom, where she began to fill up the tub. Soon they put them in the warm water and the babies began wailing. Scales cringed. "What do I do?" "They're bored. Don't you have any bath toys?" "No. I don't use them." "Ugh...I'll go get plastic cups." "Plastic cups?" "Just trust me. I used to babysit for my cousins all the time." she called as she walked out. A second later she had plastic cups in her mouth. She put them in and filled one of the cups up and dumped the water over one of the babies, who laughed. Of course, then the babies didn't know what to do with the cups and began wailing again. Rhubarb gave her a cross look as she pulled the cups out. She blushed. "Given, my cousins were toddlers by that point..." A smirk came onto Rhubarb's face. "I have an idea." His magic surrounded him, and he changed from a pony to a duck. Immediately the twins began to laugh, and he flapped his wings. The twins flapped their arms (and in Pound's case, his wings) into the water and got clean and had fun. With a few animal changes, Rhubarb distracted them as Merry scrubbed away at their coats. Soon they were clean. As Rhubarb when to put them down to play again, they began to wail. He sniffed the air and covered his nose in disgust. "Time for a diaper change." "Have fun with that." Merry said, retreating to the kitchen. "What?!" "Have fun!" Rhubarb gagged as he wrestled off dirty diapers and tossed them into the trash. He was very close to putting on new diapers without baby powder, something he had forgotten. Thankfully, his girlfriend intervened and did so for him. He then put on the new diapers and the kids finally began to play cheerfully. The stallion finally relaxed on the couch and turned on the T.V. at seven p.m. and May joined him. "Such a tough stallion. Willing to change dirty diapers." "I know, I'm so brave." he responded with a chuckle. "...Reeee..." Pumpkin Cake began. "...Burrrb." Pound Cake finished. Merry laughed. "I think they're talking to you, Reburb." "For what?" "Duck!" Pumpkin shouted and squealed. "Duck!" Pound shouted as well. "Goose!" Merry said sarcastically. Rhubarb rolled his eyes and got off his rear. "I think they want me to change into a duck again. Alright." He did as asked, and the twins squealed again in astonishment. Pumpkin got one of the toys left for them-- a block with different pictures of animals on the sides-- and presented it. She pointed at a cow. Rhubarb got the hint and changed into a cow, sending the babies into giggling fits. Pound Cake pushed it and it fell on a side with a picture of a turtle. Merry nodded her head at him, and he turned into a very large tortoise. He changed back into a unicorn. "Is this all I'm going to be doing all night?" "You bet." The kids whined in disappointment as Merry spoke. "And I think you should be an owl now or something, because I think they like it." "I'm getting paranoid. I changed into a duck earlier because I figured they wouldn't remember me being able to change anyways." "And they won't. They're too little." The babies began to cry loudly, and Rhubarb cringed. "Okay, okay!" He changed into an owl and the tots stopped crying. Mr. and Mrs. Cake approached Rhubarb's apartment door early. "...I really can't believe that the contest was cancelled. How many times how has Applejack's barn been destroyed?" Mrs. Cake asked her husband. Her husband smiled. "Well, look at the bright side. It gives us more time to plan for the contest next week. And we take the twins off of Rhubarb's hooves early. Celestia, that colt is a saint, but he works himself too hard. I felt awful being forced to leave the kids with him after work." Mrs. Cake lifted her hoof to knock, but the hoof bumped into the doorknob, left accidentally unlocked. The door opened, just in time for Mr. and Mrs. Cake to witness Rhubarb changing into a pig to satiate the children's desire for his changing ability. Immediately Rhubarb changed back to his pony form and stared in mortification at the gaping parents.