10:30am

Pound pulled out a large tray of vanilla cupcakes, letting the hot aroma fill in the early morning kitchen. Twilight played around with the frosting, drawing small smiley faces on the counter for practice. “Uh, Twilight, don’t waste the frosting! We might need every single drop of it!”

“We can always make more, can’t we?” Twilight asked, placing the white frosting in her mouth. Her lips scrunched up from the sweetness and gave a sound of delight. “Ooh, this is so good!” Pound stared at the clock. It was ten-thirty in the morning. He stared down at the cupcakes and gave a sigh. “It’s way too early in the morning for this.”

The omelets had gotten a little cold, but the two ate them as they worked on their sweet treats. “You think I can put the frosting on?” Twilight asked, the bits of white sugary paste scattered around her cheeks.

“Well, they just came out of the oven. If we frosted it now, it would melt and become ruined. We have to let them cool down a little before putting them on.” Pound explained.

“Then do you have anything in mind while we wait?” Twilight said.

Yeah, make out and fuck over the counter.

Was what he wanted to say. But nothing else came to his mind.

“Normally, I would be working on another next batch or be frosting a cake,” he replied. “But I don’t have anything else in mind.”

“How about studying?”

Pound felt the back of his throat drop to his balls. “I-I’ll pass.”

“Oh, come on!” Twilight had a geeky smile on her face. “We could review the Glorious Revolution of the After Dark Ages! Or maybe The Sanction of Sir Stronghoof the Third! And how about the life of the faceless king, Dragamoria?”

Pound, never even hearing any of this, was at a loss. “D-Dragamoria?” he asked weakly.

“You know, the king that ruled in the shadows and never was revealed to his subjects?” Twilight continued on. “The king that reinstated the food distribution of all the major cities?”

“Dragamoria?”

“The patron of the arts and an influence of the innovation of the magical essence of unicorns?”

“So, Dragamoria?”

Twilight giggled. “You’re right, she wasn’t really a king. But Princess Dragamoria did bring change and altered the course of history. The first monarch to never show her face until the great Forgotten War started. It’s amazing how that brought the Dark Ages, don’t you agree?”

“Uh, well, would you look at that!” Pound panicked, “The cupcakes are ready to be frosted!”

Twilight’s attention spanned to the food and rubbed her hands. “Finally!” She gleefully grabbed the tube of frosting and began to work on her creation. Pound, beforehand, tried to say to take the cupcake out before decorating it, but soon watched her squeeze it all over the hot baking tray. A low smell of burning sugar filled the room.

“What’s that smell?” Twilight asked.

Pound had thought she was a complete genius, but it seems that she did have a klutzy side after all. He gave a smile. “Here, I’ll show you the proper basic step of decorating a cupcake.”

11:13am

A beautiful array of cupcakes laid upon a plate, a proud Pound Cake beside it with a smug look. A perfectly proportionate treat had the precise angles and measures of a master confectioner. The grooves were accurate to give a cone-like look while giving a detailed wave design. Some were even more detailed with dots and bold lines. It was truly amazing how a simple tube of frosting can be made into art.

However, next to it were Twilight’s first decorated cupcakes. Pound raised an eyebrow, trying to determine what it was. It seemed to be a disfigured pony face and some lizard.

“What do you think of the spiraling tower I did?” she asked.

Pound stared at what looked like a melted candle wick. “Er,” was all he could cough up.

“Yeah, I know,” Twilight said with a solemn nod, “This was supposed to represent the Hollow Tower during Queen Dragamoria’s reign. Can’t you see the spiral embedded in the side?”

He got low and squinted his eyes. Instead of a spiral, it gave off the melted wax look. It oozed over what was a ‘spiral’. It reminded him of Pumpkin’s first work. He gave a nod of approval. “I like it.”

“I’m glad that you do, Pound!” she sheepishly gave a goofy smile. Pound felt a little closer to her even though her cupcake was a waxing candle wick-like mess. “But you know what’s the best part?” he asked. “Eating it!”

Twilight took a gooey bite of the lizard cupcake she made and gave a sound of delight. “Ooh, it’s so good!” Pound did the same and took a handsome bite out of his own. Since it was fresh out of the oven, a warm feeling emitted from the heart of the cupcake. The sweet frosting complementing the bread that was made from scratch. It was not too plain nor too sweet. Pound took a second bite and enjoyed the taste of his own creation. He had learned that when making your own food, you would appreciate it and feel the satisfaction.

He looked towards Twilight, who had finished all her cupcakes. He choked on his for a moment, not seeing the waxy spiral tower in sight. She patted her belly. “Wow, that was good!” she said. “It reminds me when Pinkie Pie and I baked together! Both fun and delicious!”

Pound continued to chew his second bite of the cupcake. All he could do was give a nod and a sound of agreement. She gave a cheerful look. “What are we going to do next?” Pound eyed the clock, it read 11:14am. He had to be careful with his words. If he mentioned anything about history or studying, he knew he would be in a world of trouble. But what would he say?

“Er, how about we walk outside?” Pound suggested. The books in the library might catch Twilight’s attention in studying. He concluded the best approach would be just go away from the library.

She seem to be rather happy about that. “Yeah, let’s go outside! Just give me a moment.” Watching her to go get her stuff, he felt relieved and thought about a peaceful walk outside. It would seem like a date. She may not think it was, but to Pound, it was more than good enough for him.

11:16am

Pound gave a distressed look and had his chin on his hand. Expecting a nice walk with Twilight and to know her more, they now sat in Hay Burger, a greasy joint of junk food. She took a big bite out of a juicy burger and gave a small moan of delight. She smacked her lips before digging in deep again. “Food right after dessert is the best, isn’t it?” she asked with her mouth full.

Even then, Pound was happy. Maybe Twilight wasn’t that refined. Maybe Twilight wasn’t that clean and tidy with food. He replied with a hearty chuckle. “You’re right, Twilight!”

“But why did you only get two small kid sized hayburgers?” she asked, pointing down to his pitiful palette. Pound was unsure how to reply to that. He didn’t want to mention very diverse and numerous number of burgers. After all, they did eat an omelet and a bunch of sweets not too long ago.

“I’m on a diet,” Pound said, picking up one of his burgers which had a small bite. “I’ve been eating too much junk lately and have to slow down.”

“And you have that weird training thing with Rainbow, right?” Twilight asked. “She talks about it a lot. She seems to mention you every single time we get together.”

“Oh, is that so?” Pound raised an eyebrow. He took a nibble on his burger whilst Twilight popped a few horseshoe fries into her mouth. Rainbow Dash was a bit critical of him, but not to the point of obsession. Wait, was it obsession? No, it couldn’t be. Pound shrugged that feeling off and continued the conversation. “The training is a bit intense. But I wonder why I even do it.”

Twilight’s cheeks were full of hayburgers and fries. “Mrrrph mmmph.”

“Uh yeah. Sure?”

12:00pm

After paying the bill, Pound closed the door behind them. A warm autumn breeze swept in on what would’ve been a cold afternoon. The Hay Burger had many customers going in and out, ponies along the town square attended to their own business, and a really hot librarian with a flustered young stallion.

Twilight rubbed her belly. “Jeez, I’m so full!” she said, taking refuge on a bench. She gave a groan and tilted her head back. “I don’t think I can even walk right now.”

Pound scratched his face, wondering how Twilight would maintain such a bust figure after eating so many hay burgers. Did she eat like this every time she went out?

“C’mon Pound, sit next to me,” she groggily said, patting on the empty spot next to her. Pound quickly sat down, feeling the uncomfortable cold chill of the metal.

“Argh, I think I ate a bit too much!” Twilight said, cradling her belly. A large bulge where her stomach was protruded out. Pound couldn’t help but look. It was a little pudgy, but her delicious curves around it made it look appetizing. All of the sudden, she covered it up with her arms.

“D-Don’t stare,” Twilight blushed, “It’s embarrassing.”

“O-O-Oh, I’m sorry,” Pound said, quickly looking away.

“If you ate too much and I stared at your belly, wouldn’t you feel embarrassed yourself?” Twilight asked with a giggle. The giggle was short lived as her stomach constricted her movements. She gave a painful tired sigh. Pound scratched his cheek. Well, he certainly wouldn’t mind it. Besides, he thought that the bulge was cute.

“Now, that reminds me what happened with Spike,” Twilight said, letting her belly bulge show again. “It was a long time ago when he started this growth spurt. Most of the time, he would eat in small portions. Knowing he had grown bigger, he decided to eat everything he can without knowing his limit.” She smiled. “He was stuck in bed for a week because of his stomach having too much food. He’s pretty much like a snake sometimes.” She gave an unsure smile when she said, ‘snake’. “He was really embarrassed when I rubbed his belly,” Twilight continued. “I also researched on snakes that when they would eat, it could take weeks for them to just digest their food. When they do, they would be immobile and have to wait it out.” She leaned back into the park bench. “Just like Spike,” she said with a smile.

Pound kept his mouth shut about Spike. He didn’t want to peck at her anymore with questions about him. So, he smiled back. “Spike has changed a lot, hasn’t he?” Twilight nodded in reply, but her smile became smaller. It was a smile nonetheless.

“Actually, when I look at you,” Twilight’s eyes met his. Her eyes stared deep right down inside of him. The mood changed when her eyes stared at his. He felt something change between both of them. What was Twilight going to say? Her eyes were very sincere and touching. Their gaze met, the intense detail of her iris studying his own. Twilight slapped her hands onto her face and bent over in despair. “I feel so old!” she exclaimed.

“O-Old?!” Pound exclaimed. “No, you’re not old at all!”

1:03pm

Pound checked his watch. Only 1:03pm. He felt rather happy about it however. He wanted to spend every moment today with Twilight. But his smile went into a small frown when a slim white unicorn brushed a dress against Twilight's chest.

“Twilight my dear, I believe that this color of an Orchid will suit you. The Mulberry is a bit,” she paused and scratched her chin. “Is far too plain next to you.”

“Rarity, I’m more than happy to try on a few clothes you’ve made,” Twilight said, watching Rarity pull out a royal purple dress. Her expression soured, leaving Twilight to continue on. “But I just came here to get a quick opinion on which color would suit me best!” Rarity ignored her and mumbled to herself, staring at the royal purple and Mulberry.

Pound thought about Twilight’s wardrobe. It was filled with countless colors of purples in an infinite number of shades. All that lingerie laid out. Wait, would that mean he could help Twilight out with what to wear every single day? He smiled pervertedly to himself in the corner as Twilight was still trying to talk sense into Rarity.

“Rarity, all I need is a quick word from you and I can be off,” Twilight said, trying to look back at Pound.

“I’m terribly sorry Twilight, but for some reason I see you, all these brilliant ideas that use your lavender race into me and I cannot help but contemplate on what to do.” Rarity raised an eyebrow before laying down an array of dresses with her magic.

Twilight gave a sigh of defeat.

2:49pm

Pound checked his watch again. They day wasn’t done yet, but the afternoon was dwindling away. However, they were at Sweet Apple Acres. What he really wanted to know is why they were at Sweet Apple Acres. Pound Cake rocked back and forth in a rocking chair outside of the porch, watching Twilight have a conversation with Applejack. They were too far too hear, but he didn’t mind that. Their chatter was only a mere whisper on the peaceful colorful farm. In fact, he was more than happy to spend his afternoon here in this rocking chair.

At first, it was at Carousel Boutique, now at Sweet Apple Acres. But he didn’t mind as long as Twilight wanted it. The cool crisp breeze and the bright blue sky was all too relaxing. He gently leaned back on the rocking chair and felt his weight do the rest of the work. Pound wished he could do this everyday and admire the scenery. Then again he did know Apple Bloom. And she-

A giant cup gave a small clunk on a small table next to him. Ice cubes clinked in a tall amber glass of sweet iced tea. A petite, yet tough mare gave a bright smile. “Hiya Pound,” Apple Bloom said with a cheerful smile. “What brings ya’ to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I have no idea,” Pound replied, continuing to rock back and forth. She giggled. “I understand.” Her pretty eyes peered to the side at Twilight and Applejack before she turned to him. “C’mon, drink up the tea,” Apple Bloom said. “I made it with all my love.” She winked.

Pound chucked. He grabbed the cold glass with a hand and sipped the tea. It was chilly and ice cold. The ice cubes grinded against his teeth in his attempt to gulp it down. The golden nectar was sweet and heavenly. After all, Apple Bloom did make the best iced tea. Pound swallowed every last drop from the cup and stopped. He lightly gasped for breath and wiped away the sticky droplets from his lips.

“Pound, for some reason, you never seem to change,” Apple Bloom said with a mischievous smile.

“Huh? Why’s that?” he asked.

“You’re supposed to enjoy the iced tea,” she said, grabbing the cup from his hands. “Not rush through the entire glass in a few seconds.”

Pound’s face turned red. “O-Oh, oh really?”

“But I don’t mind, “ Apple Bloom said, turning around towards the door. “I still have plenty more iced tea left.”

“Um, uh, right…” Pound said, a bit embarrassed.

“Aw, you’re so cute when your face turns red!” Apple Bloom teased, pinching his right cheek while holding his glass with an another hand. She booped his nose. “I’ll be right back!”

Pound rubbed his face, his face flushed of color. Her relationship with Apple Bloom was… Different. They both knew each other their entire lives. And while she was years older than him, he couldn’t help but be grateful of that. He rocked back in the chair and reflected back on those memories.

“Wow, no wonder old people love to be in rocking chairs,” he told himself.

Pound took a small sip of his iced tea. He licked his lips thoughtfully pondered on his beverage. While it was sweet, it wasn’t too sweet that he got sick of it. A very short time passed before Twilight began to approach him.

“Sorry for dragging you all over the place, Pound,” Twilight said. “First at Rarity’s and now at Applejack’s…”

He replied by shaking his head. “I don’t mind it at all. I’m your assistant, right? Besides, I have fun when I’m with you.”

Twilight seemed to be relieved when he said that. “Thank you, Pound,” Twilight said. Pound noticed a small basket she was carrying and became curious of it. “Anyway, shall we go? Applejack and her family are busy at the moment, and I had just used up their time beforehand to talk.”

Pound sneered at his full glass. Then towards Twilight, “Sure. But let me finish this tea quickly first before we go.”

“Then I’ll wait at the main gate,” Twilight said, making her way to the front of the farm.

He gave a deep breath. He pressed the brim of the glass to his lips and began to chug the good ole’ sweet iced tea. In mere seconds, the cup was completely empty. Pound got up from the rocking chair and hastily ran to catch up with Twilight.

“Wow, you sure finished quick!” she said. “Wasn’t the cup full?”

He nodded. “But it was no trouble for me. Also, where are we going to head for next?”

3:15pm

Twilight and Pound browsed through the town square, glancing at each vendor to vendor. “What do you want for dinner, Pound?” Twilight asked in the midst of the small crowd.

“I’m fine with anything,” Pound replied. “I’m not a picky eater.”

“We could have some hayburgers and fries-” Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s too fattening,” she told herself. Pound watched her have a monologue full of mumbles. “But wait Twilight, can you cook?” he asked.

Twilight’s expression turned into a deadpan stare. “T-Truthfully, no…”

“Then why did you ask me what I wanted to eat?” Pound asked.

Twilight sighed and lifted the basket. Inside it were two apple pies and a couple of apple fritters. “I was hoping to at least repay back your kindness for today.” She became glum. “But I just can’t cook. Something goes wrong every time I do.”

“M-Maybe next time, I can teach you how to cook!” Pound said, “I mean, I’m a baker, but I do know how to cook myself."

“Now I can’t wait for that!” Twilight grinned cheerfully, her mood doing a complete turn around.

“Speaking of dinner, why don’t you come over to Sugarcube Corner tonight?” Pound asked. “I know for a fact that my mom and dad would be more than happy to have you over.” He paused. “Wait, if you can’t cook, then what did you plan on eating since there’s nothing at the library?”

“C-Carryout.”

“I like how you think.”