A Unicorn, a Changeling and a Bat Filly and the Baker
~1st Serving~
Welcome to the Three Little Fillies Cafe!
A soft jingle filled the sunlit cafe as the wide windowed door swung open with an aged but gentle creak. Warm sunlight danced across the bright white curtains billowing in the cool salty sea breeze. The sweet aroma of freshly baked delights mixed with the musk of the ocean-aged wood that made up most of the bakery. The wide open parquet floor was punctuated by counters laden by mouth-watering temptations of every colour and shape.
The light tippy-tap of a set of little hooves against the wooden counter by the window punctuated the tranquil silence. "Welcome to the Three Little Fillies Cafe! Where the cakes are sweetie, the tea's milky and the smiles cheery, always!" A cheerful little voice squeaked. A tiny pair of lilac leathery bat wings flared excitedly as its little owner pranced up to meet her guests. She tossed her lovingly groomed silky violet mane about her fluffy ears to reveal her big golden harlequin eyes. "I am your wait-rest today, Lulu!" She raised a forehoof to gesture at the frilly white apron she wore over her miniature pistachio-green sweater and white skirt.
"And these are my temp-tay-shuns for the day!" The little filly gestured at the wide selection of colourful cakes and sweets stacked on the counter around her. "Psst, the mango fruit tarts are mine. I made the bat-ter myself. I'll bat you my allowance they're the best in town, always. But don't tell anypony else. The whole town would bat-tle over them. It's our little secret." She said in a low whisper, giving a big bat of an eyelid conspiringly.
The soft whir of a well-oiled pair of wheels came from the till counter across the cafe. A small voice cleared is throat carefully before speaking out. "Lulu, I told you to please keep your bat puns out of the cafe." It sighed as its owner pushed her tiny pair of glasses up her little muzzle allowing it to glint in the soft sunlight. "Please excuse my younger sister, dear guest. She goes batty over bat puns." The little filly pulled herself onto a little platform overlooking the till, waving a hoof at her customers over her bright wavy apple-russet mane. "Welcome, I am your barista, Tia. Hmmm, yes, today is your lucky day, dear guests. You're our 70th customer today which means you get a cup of coffee on the house for every cake you purchase. Isn't that simply grand?"
"Allow me to show you our selection of cakes. We have a lot of the Old World delights such as the Cloudsdale cloud cake, the Ponyville apple pie and even the Gryphonian tiramisu." She pushed herself out from behind the till onto a platform overlooking the formidable buffet of tasty sweets by the till. She glided over the platform on a little red wheelchair upon which her rearhooves rested. Little bells jingled on her forehooves as they propelled her forwards. Her creamy marshmallow coat shone as it caught the sun behind the counter. "I would personally suggest the pride of our bakery, our apple cheesecakes. Made with your lucky colours of the day, apple red and creamy yellow." She said, pointing down at a selection of cheesecakes. "Made by me, of course, so they're extra lucky." She added with a proud smile as she whipped out a pencil from behind one ear with a hoof. "Please take your time and let me know when you're ready to order." She leaned in and gave a little whisper, "Your lucky number today is four, by the way. So I suggest you take four of every order."
A little plastic cup on a string dropped down from the ceiling. "Um, hello?" An uncertain little voice came from within. "Oh, hello, w-welcome. Cadie's your chef today, sort of." The string led up to a dark little blob clinging onto the ceiling. A pair of bright sapphire eyes gleamed down from underneath a bouquet of bright ocean-blue mane topped by a big wooly kitty-eared cap. A cute little changeling badge pinned into the cap identified her as a changeling filly. But even without the badge it was quite apparent from the heart-shaped horn protruding from her wooly cap and the little heart and star-shaped recesses in her hooves, reminiscent of cookie cutters. Her armoured carapace and wings, however, were obscured by a white sundress under her frilly white apron, both of which somehow defied gravity. She gave a nervous upside down smile as she whispered into the little white cup in her hooves, "Um, the cookies are really nice. They're all sorts of cute shapes. Please try some if you like. C-Cadie made them. *Squee*" She gave a bashful little ponysquee as her cheeks burned a bright red.
"Oh, aren't they simply adorable, ma'am?" The first guest, a human lady in a smart white business dress and blazer, said, looking absolutely smitten. "Lucky you decided to stop by on the way to the meeting."
"I cannot help but agree, yes. On both accounts." The other guest, a tall, majestic white unicorn in a similar white business dress, nodded in agreement, her brilliant violet eyes twinkling with obvious pleasure. Her lustrous mane and tail gleamed in the colours of the sunrise, sky blue and light pink, billowing gently in the gentle breeze inside the cafe. "Lulu, was it?" She beamed down at the little thestral filly standing atop the counter next to her. "You're a thestral, are you not?"
"Yep! The strongest, fastest fes-chal ever, always! Daddy says so, so it's true!" Lulu said proudly, prancing about in a little circle in demonstration. The little bells clasped to the sash about her withers jingled merrily as she did. "I'm so strong and fast that I've already been accepted by the Earth All-eye-ants Dee-Fence Force's Wonderbolts Team!"
"Visiting the airbase to deliver cakes doesn't mean you've been accepted, Lulu." Tia sighed. "Please excuse my little sister. She has a very overactive imagination."
"You're just jealous cause I'm going to defend daddy's beloved Earth from Night-Falls one day." Lulu nodded sagely to herself. This earned her an eye-roll from Tia.
"You wouldn't rather do what you're doing now? You're really good at it." The woman said.
"First rule of the Filly Scout Code, love your family, always." Lulu said, verbatim. "Looking after daddy is my duty. Of course I'm good at it, always." She crossed her forehooves and nodded proudly.
"You sure are." The unicorn nodded with a genuine smile.
"It's Cadie's duty too." A little voice from the plastic cup in the woman's hand said. "Cadie loves daddy more than anything, even cookies. But don't tell the cookies, please? They're big softies, sometimes." She whispered.
The unicorn gave a light giggle at this. "Since your sister has already told us her dream, what would you like to do when you grow up, Cadie?" She asked, beaming with interest.
"Um, it's nothing special. Nothing as exciting as protecting earth." Cadie said, fidgeting uneasily where she clung to the ceiling, the bells clasped to the ribbon about her neck jingling lightly.
"It's a wonderful dream, Cadie." Tia said, almost reproachfully. "Go on, tell them."
"Yeah, best dream ever!" Lulu had somehow trotted upside down onto the ceiling, joining her sister.
Cadie, shrinking a little under all the attention, gave a little squeak, "Well, um, Cadie wants to be a gondolier." She twiddled her hooves together. "So Cadie can one day give daddy free rides around town, maybe."
"And the best gondola Aria singer ever, always. Can't forget that." Lulu pointed out. "Cadie's the best singer in town, hooves down." She declared, proudly, causing her sister to blush profusely.
"She works at it really hard. She's even an apprentice to the local gondolier's guild." Tia said, sharing her sister's pride.
"That is a perfect dream." The unicorn said with a nod of approval. "I am sure you will be the best gondolier ever." She turned her attention to Tia who had resumed her place behind the till. "And you, young one?"
"Nothing special." Tia said, pushing her glasses up her muzzle, "As fortune would have it I'm the eldest. Looking after those two will always be my job." She huffed. "And daddy too." She added with a quirk of an eyebrow. "I've worked out my fortunes. I can't join the Forces, obviously." She gestured at her wheelchair. "But I can certainly run a gondolier company. That's my dream." She nodded to herself.
"Tia's a worry-wart. She just can't help herself." Lulu giggled, dropping down from the ceiling with a flutter of her wings, landing in a snuggle on Tia's back. Tia gave a little yelp, aiming a fierce glare at her younger sister, but otherwise did not complain.
"W-we worry about Tia too." Cadie said, dropping down from the ceiling behind Lulu on, of all things, a bright green miniature parachute fashioned out of a little changeling cocoon she had shot out from her forehooves. She drifted down gently before adding herself to the snuggle pile forming behind the till. "Because Tia doesn't worry enough about herself. But don't tell Tia that." She whispered.
"I heard that, you know." Tia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sorry for the display, dear guests." She cleared her throat before straightening up as best as she can under her sisters' snuggle pile. "What can I get you?" She asked, struggling to dislodge her giggling sisters.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot why we were even here." The woman giggled cheerfully. "It's so sweet I feel like I already ate half the store."
"Indeed. One could argue that simply walking in here soothes all aching sweet tooths." The unicorn smiled, "But I may have room for a banana muffin." She added. The sudden downcast expression on all three fillies prompted her to backpedal quickly, "Oh, uh, and four of each of your suggestions, seeing as four is my lucky number today. And four coffees. To go, please." All three fillies smiled brightly again, ears perking up excitedly as they got to work gathering the orders.
"So, your daddy is the baker here?" The woman asked, curiously, as she watched the three sisters bustle about their respective treats.
"Yep, the bestest baker ever, always!" Lulu grinned, catapulting the cakes across the cafe with a skilful whip of her cake spatula.
"It's Neo Veneighzia's little secret." Cadie said, folding up cake boxes before catching the flying cakes in them with expert precision. "Worst kept secret." She giggled.
"Also a bit of a mad tinkerer." Tia said, expertly wrangling the rather old coffee-making monstrosity at the back of the cafe, turning dials and knobs while eyeing the thermometer carefully. "No coffee machine in the world will make you better coffee. At least while I'm behind the wheel." She gave it an expert punch with a forehoof in a corner, making it give an obedient little rattle.
"And he made our clothes too." Lulu planted her cake spatula on the counter and twirled herself about it to show off her frilly apron and clothes. "Aren't they pretty?"
"They're gorgeous. All of them." The unicorn said, earning herself beaming smiles from all three fillies. "So, he looks after you three quite well, does he?"
"Yes. Officially." Tia said, a little smirk playing across her face as she pushed the coffees across to the till.
"Um, we're sort of the ones looking after him." Cadie whispered, "But, um, please don't tell him that." She gave a soft giggle at the thought.
"Yes, we kind of adopted Daddy." Tia said, bells on her forehooves jingling as she ran them quickly across an abacus before she tapped the buttons on the till. "That'll be 12 dollars, please."
"He's helpless by himself so we took him in." Lulu grinned, gliding over to the till to drop off some napkins.
There was a loud muffled crash somewhere inside the store. A few clangs and light tinkling sounds followed, trailed by a few random tinks and plings. A can of mangoes rolled out of an open door, rolling gently across the cafe floor, before coming to a stop against the woman's foot. "Uh, Girls? Help?" A muffled voice called from somewhere deep inside the cafe. "Daddy's locked himself in the storeroom again." The voice said pleadingly.
"Speaking of." Tia sighed, shaking her head.
"Hang in there, daddy! We're on our way!" Lulu called out.
"How are we going to get him out today?" Cadie asked, "Cadie would rather we don't try the flour cannon again, if that's alright?"
"We'll wing it!" Lulu declared, leaping off the counter with a flutter of her wings. "Fillies! It's time to bring out the Little Busters Bat-tering ram!"
Tia could only face-hoof at the barrage of horrible bat puns as she wheeled herself after her excitable sister. "Please excuse us. Duty calls. Thank you for coming, dear guests. Have a lucky day."
"Y-yes, please come again." Cadie said, waving a hoof at the guests, before running after her sisters. "W-wait for me!"
The two customers were left alone in the cafe. They looked at one another before stifling little giggles of amusement. With a burst of golden magic the unicorn levitated their purchases and turned to leave. They paused to listen curiously as a chorus of voices came from deep inside the store.
"Cadie, the sugar goes this way up. I think 1200 newtons of force should do the trick."
"Um, okay. How long should the fuse be?"
"Fire in the hoooole!"
"Girls, w-what are you all d-doing?"
"Nothing, daddy. I've always wanted to say that, that's all."
"Girls, what did I tell you about playing with that thing in the house?"
"Not without you around, Daddy. Well, you're here, so...."
"W-wait! At least let me get clear of the door first! Whoah!"
There was a loud WHOOOOMPH. A big cloud of what was hopefully only flour burst forth from the door leading into the interiors of the cafe. What looked like glitter and possibly confetti seemed to be mixed in too. The two guests shared a look, silently agreeing to pretend they didn't see anything, before quickly making their way out.
The two walked out into the bright afternoon sunlight just in time to be greeted by a pleasant gust of sea air. The caws of a passing flock of seagulls punctuated the otherwise tranquil sound of the waves in the distance. Their footsteps creaked across the sea-aged wood as they walked along the little wooden jetty to which the bakery was moored. There, waiting for them, was a sleek blue gondola bearing two other pony passengers and its pony gondolier.
"Thou tooketh thy sweet time in yonder sweets parlour." One passenger, a royal blue unicorn wearing a smart black business suit, said, crossing her forehooves impatiently. "Doth thou not pity thy poor pudgy flanks, Tia sister?" She demanded, tossing her billowing starlit midnight blue mane over her shoulder.
"I'm afraid our gondolier's suggestion was frightfully spot on, Lulu dear." The white unicorn said, nodding over at the azure unicorn standing at the aft end of the gondola. "As Ms. Colgate rightly said, there are more sweets in this bakery beyond the cakes and pastries themselves."
"Did you find the inspiration you needed, your highness?" The gondolier, Colgate, asked with a knowing smile as she lit up her horn. Her trusty gondola paddle, bathed in her sea-blue magic, rose up to her side.
"Very much so." The white unicorn nodded as she took her seat opposite the midnight blue unicorn. "I am now reminded of what it is we are fighting to protect."
"The earth?" The midnight blue unicorn raised an eyebrow dryly.
"The future, dear sister." The white unicorn smiled up at the sky. Above a flight of weather pegasi flew by towards the pegasus weather station cloud tethered by anchoring cables over the little town. "A very beautiful, sweet little future. And what I've seen makes me believe all the more that change is possible."
"It sounds like thou had quite the experience then, Tia." The midnight blue unicorn perked up with interest. "Considering what we hath seen in our lives, I am surprised anything could be so new and profound as to move thee so."
"I saw something we would never have imagined possible in the Old World." The white unicorn said. "Unification of the three tribes alone was already quite difficult. But I just witnessed a unicorn, a thestral and a changeling call each other sister."
"Ho, almost sounds like the opening to a jest. A unicorn, a thestral and a changeling walking into a bakery and so on." The midnight blue unicorn chuckled lightly.
"Yes. I would have been accused of jesting if I told anypony in the Old World. But here they are, brought together by their human father." The white unicorn seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Such is the power of humanity. Their ability to bring about change, for better or worse, is almost...frightening." She said, watching a pegasus mail mare fly by, stopping to hand a parcel to an eldery fisherman sitting on a nearby jetty.
"Hear hear, sister. But thy story doth give me faith in that power." The midnight blue unicorn said. watching as an earth pony and a human skilfully maneuvered a two-man gondola past them. "Perhaps we may learn more from them after all, that we may secure a better future together."
"More importantly, I hope the future involves lunch. Hopefully not all bananas or derivatives thereof." The other passenger, a pink unicorn dressed all in smart dark velvety purple, finally spoke up. "It's still a long way to the airbase."
"Forsooth, thou did insist on the gondola ride." The midnight blue unicorn muttered. "Ms. Colgate, if you please? Let us make a move." The gondolier happily obliged as she pushed the gondola off into the cool shimmering waters.
"Yes on both accounts. I was threatened at tear point to purchase everything in the store." The white unicorn chuckled, setting out her sizeable haul.
"By Starswirl's beard. How frightful these weaponized tears are to force the great Tia to forsake the sanctity of her flabby flanks!" The midnight blue unicorn gasped, eyes widening at the sight of the sprawl before her.
"It's true. You should've seen it. Their faces could move entire mountains with diabetes." The human woman said. "And the frightful part is, I cannot wait to return."
"Neither can I." The white unicorn said. "I wish nothing more than to see more of this little miracle."
"Then you're in luck." The pink unicorn said, pointing at a sign hung next to the bakery's door. 'Hiring a Nanny. Please inquire inside.' It said.
"Something to consider, certainly." The white unicorn said, tapping her chin with a hoof thoughtfully. "And for that you get the favourable share of our loot today. Enjoy...Cadie."
"Cadie?" The pink unicorn broke into a little giggle. "Now, where in the Old World did that come from?"