//------------------------------// // Baby Cakes // Story: Sugarcoat Interferes In Pony History // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// "Oh! Thank goodness they're home!" The sound of the doorbell was the most wonderful thing that Pinkie Pie could have possibly heard. She had been tasked with foalsitting the Cakes' one month old twins, and while she loved Pound and Pumpkin dearly, watching them all by her lonesome was a lot harder than she had expected. Nothing that she had done, save for dumping flour on herself, had managed to calm the foals down. Even changing their diapers had proven to be a major issue. She had no idea exactly how she had ended up in a diaper as well, but that was all in the past now that the Cakes were home. Not even caring about the diaper around her flanks nor the one on her head, she rushed to the door and threw it open. "Hi!" Twilight Sparkle said cheerfully. "I finished up the work I had to do, so I thought I'd stop by and see if you needed any help. Whoa!" Twilight didn't normally make a habit of shouting "whoa" at the end of sentences, but she felt it appropriate this time as Pinkie yanked her into the house. "Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming!" Pinkie exclaimed, shaking the foal garment from her hips. "I can't begin to tell you what my day has been like! I mean, these babies just won't listen to reason, and don't even get me started on their taste in stand-up comedy." "It's okay, Pinkie," Twilight reassured her. "I figured you would need some help. That's why I stopped by." Twilight smiled warmly, but the gesture was not returned by her friend. "Ex-cuse me?" Pinkie demanded, but Twilight remained undaunted. "Babies take a lot of work, and some ponies are just not cut out to handle the responsibility," Twilight said simply, lighting her horn up and tidying up some toys that had been left out. Pinkie couldn't believe her ears. Did Twilight seriously think that little of her level of responsibility? This would not stand. "Is that so?" Pinkie responded. Before Twilight knew what was going on, she was being pushed out the front door. "Well, thanks for stopping by, Twilight," Pinkie said, giving her rump one more little push. "Sorry, I don't have time to visit. I'm very very busy with my responsibilities here." "I'm happy to help!" Twilight offered. "It's no trouble–" Before she could finish her sentence, the door was closed in her face. "Well of all the..." Pinkie grumbled once the door was closed. "She thinks I can't handle things on my own?" "She's right," a voice spoke out. Pinkie whirled around to look for the source of the voice. As expected, she found Sugarcoat standing at the counter. "When did you get here?" Pinkie asked. "Little while ago," Sugarcoat said. "A bit before Twilight came here and was completely oblivious to what she was saying to you. I'd have been proud of her if she was at all conscious of it." "But she was..." Pinkie started. "But nothing," Sugarcoat interrupted. "Come on, seriously? How are you at all fit to watch children? Taking care of kids is more than playing with them. You have to actually be responsible and take care of their needs, and you clearly don't understand what it is to be responsible." "B-but I..." Pinkie tried to speak again. "I'm surprised the Cakes didn't hire somepony to foalsit you," Sugarcoat continued. "I mean, you're about as responsible as their twins are. I understand that the Cakes only picked you as a last resort, but maybe they should have tried a bit harder. With all the ponies in this town, there were about a hundred better choices than you. But hey, you're the one who they chose, so maybe you could learn how to actually take care of foals instead of just being zany and silly at them and thinking that'll fix everything." On another day, in another situation, Pinkie might have taken Sugarcoat's words differently. While she might have still been hurt by them, she would have likely found a way to respond to Sugarcoat like she and her friends often did, to tell her that she was right in her own blunt manner. However, the stress she'd gone through today was simply too much, and Sugarcoat's tirade seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Pinkie's lower lip began to tremble, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "...Hey, wait..." Sugarcoat said quietly, taking a step back. "No, hold on. You'd better not cry..." It was too late, however. The floodgates opened, and Pinkie began to sob. Loud wails filled the room, causing Sugarcoat's ears to fold back. "Come on Pinkie...don't do this..." Sugarcoat said, nudging her with a hoof. Pinkie, however, was inconsolable. A strange feeling fell over Sugarcoat; one of remorse and regret. She let out a heavy sigh. She had a mess to clean up. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Pinkie Pie! We're back!" Mr. Cake entered the house first, followed closely by Mrs. Cake. The two had just finished up a long day, and they were looking forward to seeing their children again. They had been a bit trepidatious about leaving the twins in the care of Pinkie Pie, but in the end, they'd really had no choice. Of their close, trusted friends, Pinkie was pretty much the only available one. Things couldn't have gone too terribly... "How did everything go?" Mrs. Cake called out. Then the two of them gasped, stopping in their tracks. Knowing Pinkie Pie, some manner of mess was to be expected, but the place seemed utterly spotless. "Are we in the right place?" Mr. Cake asked his wife as the two headed upstairs towards the foals' room. Just before they could open the door to their room, it floated open. "Shh," Sugarcoat said. "I just got them to sleep." The Cakes looked at Sugarcoat, quite confused, before looking past her. The lights were shut in the foals' room. Both Pound and Pumpkin were fast asleep in Pound's crib. Across the room, tucked into Pumpkin's crib, was a sleeping Pinkie Pie. "Wh...what's going on here?" Mrs. Cake asked, clearly baffled. "She got worn out," Sugarcoat said. "She'll be fine next time. Maybe." Then she walked past the two, glancing back for just a moment. "Just check her in an hour. She might need a change."