> All I Can Do Is Bake
>  by LightOfTriumph
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> All I Can Do Is Bake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baking class had gotten out a little later than usual. Cup Cake was happily packing up her things in her bag when she heard two of her classmates talking behind her.

"Who bought the store on Main?" one asked.

"No idea," the other said. "I was about to ask you. Seriously, how long has that place been up for sale? Sheesh. I wonder what they're going to use it for."

Cup Cake whipped around to look at her two classmates Petit Four, and Raspberry Bar. "The old hardware store?" she asked nervously. "Somepony bought it?"

"Yep," Petit nodded, brushing her blue mane of of her eyes. "Oh, that's right! Your beau had his eyes on that didn't he?"

"He did," Cup sighed. "Oh, he's gonna be crushed. He's been saving up for so long, he's wanted to start that bakery for years... Oh, this'll kill him!"

"He looks fine now," Raspberry commented.

Cup turned to look at Carrot. Sweet, adorable, utterly hopeless Carrot. It took him so long to work up the courage to simply ask Cup to dinner. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was convinced Cup Cake would say no. Cup was entirely confused by that, as she had been dropping bugbear sized hints all over the baking kitchen that she was interested. She had had a crush on Carrot since the first day of the Baking class. That was a year ago. Now it had blossomed into something more.

Raspberry was right. He looked fine. The same big smile on that big chin of his. Matter of fact, today it looked a little bigger. But no... He couldn't fool her. Not this time. He had to have been devastated. He had been going on and on and on about that property. He would talk about all the money he was saving up, and when he bought it, it would be the perfect place to live and work. Then he'd look right at Cup Cake and sigh "Someday" with that same longsuffering smile on his face.

Cup Cake walked up to Carrot Cake and put her hoof on his shoulder. "Carrot..."

"Hello there, Honey Bunch!" he said in the usual chipper manner, kissing her on the forehead. "What can I do you for?"

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry," she said sadly. "I don't know what to say..."

"About what?" Carrot said, obviously putting on his confused act. "Who died?"

"The storefront," Cup Cake explained, even though Carrot had to know. "I know how hard you've been working. This has to be dreadful for you."

"Oh!" Carrot said loudly, his eyes widening. This is what he was like she knew one of his secrets. "That. Right. Uhhh... How much do you know about that?"

"You'll find another place!" Cup said reassuringly. "And I bet you can find it for cheaper too! And I'm pitching in this time. That way someone doesn't buy it out from under you again."

"Oh th--," Carrot bowed his head than raised it up again, seemingly relieved that he didn't have to try to keep a secret anymore. "Hoo, okay. Yes. I'm sure it will be fine! I'll find another place. After all, I still have all that money saved up. I mean, what else would I spend it on? I'm sure... No, I'm positive I'll be able to get that little bakery soon."

"And I'm going to help you," Cup Cake smiled. "I promise. You don't have to do this alone."

Carrot Cake gave her a soft smile. "Be careful, Cup Cake," Carrot smiled. "I might hold you to that promise."

Cup Cake smiled and touched her boyfriend's face. "I love you," she smiled.

"I love you, too," Carrot smiled back. "Honey Bunch, could you stick around? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Cup Cake realised what she had to do now. She had to move into Perfect Girlfriend Mode. She had to run that beside Perfect Baker Mode. Because before anything else, she needed to get Carrot's heart back in his baking. He was distracted. Granny Smith had scolded him twice for not paying attention to his work. Now she knew why. Carrot had to remember why he did this. Baking was his passion. His dream. 

After everyone had left, Carrot stood at the front of the class looking rather nervous and shaky. "Cup Cake?" he asked her timidly. "About the shop... About the bakery... I've been wondering--"

"Sweetie," Cup Cake said smugly. "If the words 'give up' come out of that mouth, I'll never forgive you!"

"What?" Carrot asked. "No, that's not--"

"Mmm-mmm," Cup Cake said, shaking her head. "Not another word out of you, until you except my challenge!"

"That's not what I... Challenge?" Carrot raised an eyebrow. "What kind of challenge?"

Cup Cake smiled. She knew that would get him. They had been competing since they had first met. "Here's the deal," Cup Cake said slyly. "We have the kitchen, and all the ingredients to ourselves. We each have to make a batch of the most delicious sugar cookies in the least amount of time. We'll be judged on speed and quality."

Carrot seemed hesitant at first. "Honey," he sighed. "I'd love to, but..."

"Are you going to do it?" Cup asked. "Or are you scared to lose to a girl?"

Carrot Cake considered for a moment, then a wide grin split across his face. "You're on!" he said gladly. 

They both struck ready positions. "On your mark...," Cup said. "Get set... BAKE!"

They ran to the pantry to get supplies and ingredients. For the next hour Cup Cake cooked like a madmare. Making the dough. Making sure to add the ginger. Rolling it. Cutting it. Spacing the dough on the baking sheet. Preparing the frosting. Icing the cookies. Baking. And then finally... "Aha!" She struck her egg timer to make a sharp DING! "I'm done!"

To her surprise, Carrot's cookies were still in the oven. She felt sure he would beat her on time. She was starting to get nervous now. But Carrot was acting oddly. Looking back at her and simply smiling.

"What do you think about 'Sugarcube Corner?'" Carrot said wistfully.

"W-what?" Cup Cake asked. 

"Name of the bakery," Carrot clarified. "I just bought the place, now I have to start thinking practically. What to stock. How to name it. Who to hire, if that should come up."

"You bought the place?!" Cup asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Carrot laughed. "I was going to tell you on the weekend, but I decided that now was the better time. I'm not good at keeping things secret." Carrot's egg timer went off. "Ah, these are done."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Cup Cake smiled as Carrot took the tray out of the oven. "Honey, I'm so happy for you!"

"Don't be too happy yet!" Carrot warned. "I sort of did that in place of something more traditional." Carrot examined his cookies. "See it was the cutting. Your cookies were a uniform shape, and mine... Well... Weren't. That saved you time. Still, I think these turned out alright. Come over and check them out."

Cup Cake walked over to the tray and saw the cookies, and her jaw hit the floor. Each cookie was shaped like a letter, and the tray spelled out a message.




WILL YOU MARRY ME?




Cup Cake put her hoof over her mouth, and started to tear up.

"It was either the Bakery or the earrings," Carrot said. "It's a nice roomy place. Enough to raise a little family. I figured it might be a better gift... Maybe I was wrong..."

Cup couldn't respond. She was speachless.

Carrot Cake held her shoulders. "I'm not good at a lot of things," he sighed. "I'm not too strong, I'm not too smart, I'm not too brave or I would have done this the first week we were dating... I can't... I can't do very much... All I can do is bake. Bake and promise I will do everything I can every day to make you happy."

"You don't have to work hard," Cup breathed. "You never did..."

Carrot touched Cup's face. "If that sounds like enough," he said quietly. "If you're willing to live with this... Pathetically nervous, hopeless baker... If you think its worth it to help out in the kitchen. Start our own little place, together..."

Cup tearfully looked into Carrot's eyes.

"You said I wouldn't have to do this alone," he was almost whispering now. "I would never assume you owed me a thing. But I don't want to spend my life without you. I don't think I would know how. Cup Cake, will you marry me?"

A billion questions ran through Cup Cake's mind. How would she tell her dad? Would he approve? He liked Carrot, but was she too young? She was only twenty-two. What about foals? Was she ready for foals? How good of a mother would she be? Did she want a Filly or a Colt? What about the wedding? Could she plan the wedding herself? What about the cake? And more importantly...

How many ways could she think of to say yes? 

"Yes!" She settled for plain Equestrian and wrapped her forelegs around her new fiancé's neck, tears now streaming down her face. "Yes! Yes of course I will! I don't think I can begin to say it enough... I just... Carrot, I love you. I love you so much."

Carrot smiled like he just hit the jackpot. He was starting to tear up too. He looked at Cup and kissed her. She had a lot of questions about her future. Whether she wanted Carrot to be a part of it was not one of them.

They kissed for a while, then they simply looked at each other. Each to happy to speak, neither particularly feeling a need to break this beautiful silence. Finally Carrot spoke up. "Do you want to see..." he took a deep breath. "What I guess will be our future home?"

Cup nodded, and they packed up their things. Including the cookies that they would always remember. Cup took her future husband's foreleg, and they both left the kitchen. 

"Pound," Cup Cake mumbled to herself as they walked through Ponyville under a beautiful night sky. "Pound or Pumpkin..."

"Did you say something, Honey?" Carrot asked.

"Nothing," Cup Cake smiled. "That's for later..."

Carrot smiled back. The next morning, and many mornings afterwards, they would wake up in each others arms, in a little bedroom above a bakery called Sugarcube Corner.