//------------------------------// // Adventure #2: Bonding With The Genius // Story: Adventures In Babysitting // by TheNewYorkBrony //------------------------------// Cadence couldn't take it anymore. Twilight was boring her to death. "You wanna go for a walk or something?" She asked after another hour of My Pretty Pony. Twilight didn't even look up from the screen. Just as Cadence was about to let out an audible groan, Twilight finally spoke up. "Whatever. Can we get ice cream too?" "You haven't eaten dinner yet." Cadence responded, smirking. Twilight shrugged. "What my parents don't know won't hurt them." She walked over to the coat rack by the door picking up her purple hoodie. Cadence stood up after her and donned her pink one. As they walked out into the cool fall night, Cadence was feeling a little skeptical. "Are you sure that your parents wouldn't mind that I brought you out at this time of night?" Twilight shrugged. "Probably not. They'd fire you on the spot if they found out. Honestly, I would let them. " Cadence laughed. "Man you are brutal." Twilight smiled wryly. "Yeah I guess that's why the old hag called me a problem child." She stuffed her hands in her hoodie pockets angrily. “Problem child?" Cadence repeated, swerving the entire top half of her body to look at the younger girl. Twilight grunted. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned away from the sitter and refused to look her in the eye. Cadence wasn’t one to pursue things, but whatever was bothering Twilight was truly bothering her. “You can’t bring up something like that and not go into detail.” Cadence scoffed, breathing out puffs of hot air. Her breath materialized into little pockets of heat every time she spoke. “Just because I brought it up doesn’t mean I’m obligated to talk about it.” Twilight snapped. She lifted her hood over her head before pulling on the draw strings. “Look at you, using big words!” Cadence teased. “Don’t patronize me.” Twilight growled, walking ahead of her. She didn’t need Cadence making things worse. “Hey, don’t walk away from me!” Cadence ran up to her panting as the cold air rushed painfully into her lungs. “I know that you’re upset, but you can’t just walk away. It’s the middle of the night and you’re a little girl-” “Stop it!” Twilight shrieked. “Stop calling me that! I’m not a little girl! I’m a freaking human being!” Her fists shook with anger, tears blurring her vision. “I’m not little.” She muttered. “I’m not.” Cadence bend down to her level before patting her back. “Twilight, I’m so sorry.” Twilight clearly was too busy being upset to be annoyed with the gesture. “No one likes me. No one in school likes me. This girl in my class, Rainbow. She called me an egghead today.” She sniffled. “She said it in front of the whole class.” “Oh sweetie.” Cadence cooed. That’s all she really could do. Twilight was hurting in a way that Cadence couldn’t help fix. She had never been bullied, or not liked, so she never could understand how being an outsider really felt. That didn’t mean she didn’t want to help Twilight any less. “I just want someone to like me.” The second grader sobbed. “That’s all I really want.” A bigger hand than her own reached up towards her face, the thumb of it swiping her falling tears away. The hand and its caring touch warmed her features, contrary to the cold air whipping all around them. "For what it's worth, I like you Twilight." Cadence comforted. Twilight snorted. “You don’t mean that. You’re getting paid to say that.” She wiped away another tear that fell with the damp sleeve of her hoodie. Cadence chuckled. “No Twi, I mean it. I’m serious. You’re so bright and sarcastic for your age it’s amazing. Not to mention you’re never afraid to speak your mind. You’re braver than most girls in my grade.” “Y-You mean it?” Twilight asked, looking up at Cadence. “Of course not! I’m getting paid to say that!” She answered, laughing a little. She was just kidding, of course. Twilight punched her leg. “I hate you!” She tried to sound angry but it came out in a happy giggle. “I love you too, squirt.” Cadence stuck her tongue out at the younger girl and made a face. Twilight snorted. “And they say I’m the one who needs to be babysat.” She rolled her eyes, starting to walk again. Cadence did the same, but not before letting out,“Just for that, you’re going to bed at eight thirty!” Twilight threw her head back. “Aw c’mon!” “So, why do you call him B.B.B.F.F.?” Cadence asked, chewing on a gummy bear that managed to make its way to the side of her cup. “Cause hes my Big Brother Best Friend Forever.” Twilight explained. She munched on a few rainbow sprinkles and played with the napkin on the table. They had arrived about twenty minutes ago, Cadence ordering a triple scoop of vanilla with gummy bears, and Twilight a double scoop of chocolate and strawberry with rainbow sprinkles. “Uh huh. And how did that name come to be?” Cadence stuck her spoon in her mouth again before flicking a gummy bear into Twilight’s cup. Twilight rolled her eyes and stuck the red gooey creature into her mouth. “From what my parents told me I couldn’t say Shining. Like at all. So I started calling him the Japanese word for brother.” “And that is?" "Onii-san." Twilight mumbled, holding up her spoon watching the scoop on it melt and fall back into the cup. “Where’d you learn that?” Cadence flicked another gummy bear at Twilight. This time the younger girl was ready and caught the confection in her mouth. The two silently fist bumped as the conversation continued. “Shiny used to watch a lot of anime. Still does.” Twilight giggled. “You should see the posters in his room.” “Oh?” Cadence was intrigued. Twilight nodded. “Yeah, there’s this one where like, all the girls are-” A snippet of a pop song cut her off. Cadence picked up her phone and sent an apologetic look in Twilight’s direction. “Hey, Mr. Sparkle.” She greeted. Twilight’s ears perked up. “How’s Twilight? Oh she’s doing just fine!” Cadence’s answer was a little bit too cheery even for her. Twilight scrambled over the table to reach for the phone, banging her knee in the process. She hissed in pain, grabbing at her injured limb trying to soothe the throbbing. “What was that?” Cadence repeated, glaring at Twilight. The younger girl glared right back, still holding her knee. “Oh that was uh, Twilight. She must have fallen, she’s so clumsy!” A purple size four Converse kicked Cadence in the shin. Now it was Cadence’s turn to groan in pain. “I will get you back for that you little squirt!” Cadence hastily whispered with her hand over the mic. Then she turned back to the phone. “Sorry, Twilight was asking me something. Uh, huh. Mhmm.” Subconsciously she sticks her spoon back in her mouth. She soon regrets doing so because she nearly chokes on it. “Y-you’re gonna be home in thirty minutes?!” She stuttered spitting it out. She makes a hand gesture towards Twilight that indicated that they need to go- and fast. Twilight jumped up, wincing remembering her knee, before shoving her arms inside her hoodie. Cadence did the same without hanging up. “No, no, there’s no problem! I-I just thought you guys would be coming back later on!” She threw her cup in the trash and snatched Twilight’s from her hands. Twilight scowled and folded her arms in protest while the older girl shoved her out the door. “Okay. We’ll see you then.” Cadence confirmed hanging up the phone. The two girls shared a look in silence before sprinting down the street. Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle unlocked the door to their house to find everything in place. Not a single frame was shattered on the hardwood floor, not a single thing was out of place. And best of all, there wasn’t a seven year old in sight. Thinking that her daughter was up in her bedroom, Mrs. Sparkle headed in the direction of the stairs, but her husband stopped her when he peered into the living room. “Honey, you have to come see this.” He said, smiling. She walked up behind him and developed a smile of her own. On the couch were both Cadence and Twilight fast asleep. Cadence, resting her head on one of the pillows, her sock covered feet propped up at the other end, with Twilight nuzzled into her side, Cadence’s arm draped over her lovingly. “Aw, how sweet. It’s like they’re sisters.” Mrs. Sparkle cooed, taking out her phone and opening the camera app. She quickly snapped a photo of the pair before resuming her position behind her husband. “Should we wake them up?” She asked, still watching them sleep. Mr. Sparkle shook his head. “Nah. It’s too late for her to go home by herself. Plus, it seems like Twilight really enjoys her warmth.” As if on cue, Twilight smiled in her sleep, wiggling even more into Cadence’s body. The adults quietly stepped out of the room to let the girls have their sleep. Mr. Sparkle headed upstairs, while Mrs. Sparkle went to the hallway closet and took out an old blanket. She draped it over the sleeping duo and kissed both their foreheads. “Sleep tight, girls.” She whispered, turning the light and the tv off. Morning sunlight peaked through the windows of the room that they were in, but that isn’t what woke Cadence. “What the heck are you doing?” She asked groggily as a smaller being fidgeted beside her. It was annoying her and she wanted to keep sleeping. “Trying to push you off’a me! You’re freaking heavy!” Twilight barked as she tried to wiggle out of the arm Cadence had slung over her. Cadence growled. “Are you really that weak that you can’t even lift my arm?” She lifted the limb as Twilight was about to push again, causing the latter girl to fall off the couch, bringing the blanket that was keeping them both warm with her. They both groaned, Twilight from the impact of the cold, hard floor, Cadence from the lack of heat. “Get back up here so I can go back to sleep.” She mumbled, turning over. “Oh no, I’m an early riser.” Twilight said. “I don’t sleep in like you teenagers! Children go to sleep early and wake up early. Haven’t you ever taken Child Development? Or were you too busy popping bubblegum in the back of the cla-” A pillow made contact with her face and for the second time that morning, Twilight was on her butt on the floor. “That’s child abuse!” She whined. “It’s not abuse if you don’t live to say anything.” Cadence said, her words muffled by her pillow. “What kind of babysitter are you?! I can have you arrested for saying things like that!” Twilight threatened. Cadence didn’t answer her, just with the sound of her light, but surpisingly loud snoring. “Fine! I’ll just go do what any normal seven year old would do! Turn on all the electrical appliances, and stick a fork in the toaster!” Twilight declared. “If you were really a genius, or god, as you said before, you would know that normal seven year old's don’t do that.” Cadence responded, her eyes still closed. There was a faint outline of annoyance on her face, her eyebrows scrunched together. “Urgh!” Twilight threw her hands in the air and stormed into the kitchen. Loud banging could be heard, along with the sound of clattering dishes. “She can’t freaking be serious, can she?” Cadence grumbled to herself as she heard the microwave turn on. Water started to run, the coffee maker was turned on, and the toaster was set on the counter, the plug being shoved into the wall. “Dear god, she cannot be serious.” The second one came out as a statement, rather than a question. What Cadence presumed to be the utensil drawer was opened, and Twilight could be heard grunting, looking through it. “Twilight!” No answer. “Goddamit.” Cadence grumbled, getting up. She ran into the kitchen to find that nothing was on and that Twilight had been sitting at the island the whole time eating a plate of waffles with a cup of water. “Wha- How-” “Rule number one,” Twilight cut her off, holding up a digit, “Never, underestimate me.” She smirked at the shocked expression on Cadence’s face. “I made you some coffee and a plate of pancakes. You’re welcome to sit at the table with me if you’d like.” Cadence watched the younger girl the whole time as she reached into the microwave to find a plate full of warm microwave pancakes. She then went over to the coffee maker on the kitchen counter to find that it was indeed filled with coffee. Cadence snorted, sitting down across from Twilight. “Alright." She sighed, "Twilight one, Cady zero.”