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Robin had never really had the opportunity to go to Ponyville all that much, much too busy in the various tours she had to do, ranging from concerts from her hometown of Canterlot, to open air ones in Fillydelphia, to even having concerts on Bridleway stages in Manehattan. The success of her first few albums had surprised even her brother, who she was under the watchful eye of. But even with going to all those big cities, she had never had a concert in what could be considered a small town, which was what Ponyville was. Her next concert was here, where the Astral Express had decided to settle for the time being. Robin felt herself smile as her mind helpfully provided the image of who was likely her most loyal fan.
She could almost imagine March’s excited grin as she learned about her concert here, and Robin would be lying to herself if she wasn’t looking forward to seeing the pink-haired earth pony as well. Shaking her head when Sunday gave her a curious look, she looked over to where the stage was being set up. A different pink earth pony was instructing a blue Pegasus to move the streamers to the other side of the stage and Robin trotted over. “Pinkie, is it?” She asked when she recognized the pink earth pony. Ponyville’s very own Party Planner, or well, Concert Planner regarding this current situation. Pinkie’s head immediately whipped around and her serious expression broke immediately into a dazzling grin.
“Songbird! You’re here!” Pinkie squeaked, smile never failing. “I was just setting up everything here. Dashie’s helping me with the streamers! I’ve put Applejack on food duty, Oh! Rarity is helping you with your outfits, if that’s alright with you, she insisted, Twilight, the silly billy, is doing all the boring admin thingymagigs.” Pinkie said all this without even seeming to take a breath and Robin blinked. How does Fluttershy keep up with her? Actually thinking of that… where was Pinkie’s wife? Robin had been planning to talk to her about possibly adding some animals to the performance.
“Where’s Fluttershy, I wanted to ask her if I could add anything animal wise?” Robin asked, and Pinkie’s expression didn’t seem to have changed at all in at the question, in fact, she seemingly looked even more excited. Robin was about to speak but Pinkie got to it before she could.
“Flutters is a bit preoccupied at the moment, but I’m sure she’d love to discuss that with you.” Pinkie suddenly gasped. “Wait! I was just on my way back to the house! We’d have to stop at Sugarcube Corner on the way though. Follow me~” Pinkie sing-songed and began hopping off. Robin, in order to keep up with her, spread her wings and flew after her. Once at Sugarcube, Robin noticed someone digging in the bins to the side of the candy store, Pinkie followed her gaze and visibly cringed. “Ah, the raccoon is back,” she murmured. “Ignore her, anyways.” The two then entered the establishment and Pinkie disappeared into the kitchen. Robin, not really wanting to just stand there in an empty shop, followed her.
“So, why did we need to stop here?” Robin looked around the kitchen as Pinkie placed cake ingredients on the table. Pinkie paused and then lifted her head up, and she smiled, though this one wasn’t a dazzling one, this one was more mellow. Robin didn’t know the mare all that well, but she recognized the smile as the one of someone in love. Seeing the energetic mare this mellowed out was sweet.
Robin almost wondered if March would smile like that at anypony, maybe Stelle, but she still wondered. Somehow, when her mind landed on herself, after cycling through all the people March knew, her chest tightened and she flexed her wings anxiously. She shook her head, and then she finally heard Pinkie’s answer. “…shy’s anniversary is coming up and I wanna celebrate with a cake,” Pinkie was saying. “I already know what I’m gonna make it with! It’ll be light and airy dough, it matches Flutters, the flavour will be sorta buttercup-y, the icing will be light yellow and pink! And have butterflies on it.” The spark reentered Pinkie’s eyes as an idea struck her. “Ooh! What if you make something too! We can make it a tea party!” She turned to Robin. “You could even bring a plus one!” She giggled. Robin blinked.
“I’m just not quite sure who’d I bring? I don’t know anyone here in Ponyville,” she scratched her hoof on the tiled floor. “Plus I don’t know how to bake, really.” Pinkie whipped her head around and let out an offended gasp. Robin let out a soft chuckle and looked away.
“Let me finish Flutters’ cake, and then I’ll teach you,” she decided.
This how for the next hour at least, Robin got a full baking lesson from Pinkie. She told her how to do everything and soon they were staring at raw dough. “What should I make?” Robin asked, eying the dough. Pinkie was busy checking the oven when she turned her head. She smiled her dazzling grin and trotted over.
“Whatever comes to mind. It won’t be perfect, nothing is on the first try, but give it your best!” The doorbell rang then and Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! A customer! Let me go see what they want!” Pinkie left Robin alone in the kitchen and then Robin could hear their conversation. “Hey! Do you want anything? We have a whole range of stuff! Candy canes! Biscuits! Whatever you like!”
“Oh I’m not here for any sweets, I just want to apologize for Stelle, again .” Robin paused. That’s March’s voice. She’d recognize it anywhere, who wouldn’t recognize the voice of the fan who comes to every concert? “I don’t know what it is about the bins that attracts her like a magnet but,” March chuckled, and Robin’s wings flexed nervously. Pinkie laughed back.
“Oh it’s no worries, Marchy! Songbird and I weren’t too bothered by it!” Robin heard March audibly gasp.
“ Songbird ?! As in Songbird Robin ? The Songbird Robin?! Robin is here? In Ponyville? Do I look okay? She hasn’t seen me right?” Robin poked her head out of the kitchen door, not so much that March would see her, but so that she could see them. March’s cotton-candy eyes were wide, and she was fixing her hair with her hoof, Pinkie’s laugh this time was more of a chuckle.
“She’s having a concert here, remember! The posters were everywhere! I was helping her set up the venue!” March visibly blushed at this. Robin tilted her head, ignoring the warmth spreading in her chest, her wings flexing against her will. Pinkie’s tail and ear twitched right at that moment and her dazzling smile became more of a smirk. “Ooh! I have an idea!! You join our tea party as Robin’s plus one! She’s having a tea party with me and Flutters!”
“Me?! Tea party? With- Oh my Celestia I might actually faint.” Robin chose this moment to return to the kitchen, and she returned to the lump of dough. If March would be joining them, she might as well make a cake for her. Unfortunately, she didn’t know March as well as Pinkie knew her wife, so she might fail in her friend’s gift. Was it… right? To call March a friend? Either way, she was making her a pastry. Pinkie had returned to the kitchen by this point, but Robin ignored her.
The cake was double tiered, an icy frosting joining the two halves, the icing was half blue and half pink. The dough itself was more soggy than Robin had initially wanted, but it sort of helped with the cold taste, she guessed. As for decorations, Robin made a few fondant flowers and one fondant bird. Her own personal touch, an indication of it coming from her. Her wings flexed again, looking at the finished product. Pinkie, seemingly having produced glasses out of nowhere, inspected the cake. “Quite intricate for a first attempt. Not many errors either, hm. It’s good,” she grinned. “But, Marchy, huh?” Pinkie winked and Robin felt the light warmth in her chest rise into her face.
“She gave me inspiration,” Robin said with a smile, but Pinkie’s expression didn’t change.
Once both cakes had been fully cooked, the two finally arrived at the cottage, the chickens out and about pecking at recently scattered seed. A bear was having a nap under the tree, and birds were twittering in the trees. Pinkie opened the door and looked around. “Flutters, I’m home! And I bring guests!” A white rabbit immediately ran out of the house, followed by a flash of pale yellow and pink, before the Pegasus turned to face them. She smiled at her wife before smiling shyly at the newcomer.
“Hey Pinkie… and um… hi..” Fluttershy murmured, scratching her hoof on the pathway. “I was just… chasing Angel Bunny around but he… got away from me. Um, Pinkie, who’s this…?” One thing was immediately apparent with the yellow Pegasus. There were bags under her eyes, and her wings were lying tiredly on the ground. She leaned into Pinkie’s side and Pinkie shifted her weight.
“Careful, Flutters, I have a cake there, and it’s unstable.” Fluttershy removed herself from Pinkie’s side.
“Um, sorry.” Pinkie smiled at her.
“It’s okay, Flutters! I’m not mad! Anyways, our guest here is Canterlot’s very own Songbi-“
“Hey! Am I late? I asked Himeko where I could find the cottage and uh- Oh my Celestia! Robin… is here…” The three of them turned to where the new voice was coming from, revealing a very embarrassed March. Robin smiled at her, her own cake resting on her own back. “Um, I’m sorry if I’m late or anything, I really didn’t know where it was and um.”
“You’re not late!” Pinkie responded quickly with a smile. “We just arrived ourselves!” Fluttershy nodded, though she looked like she might pass out from lack of sleep. Why, Robin didn’t exactly know. “Well, we can’t have a tea party if we’re all standing out here, now can we? Let’s go inside!” The four entered the cottage, March closing the door behind them, so Fluttershy didn’t have to, and Pinkie put down their cakes. “Here we go! Flutters, I made us a cake for our anniversary! And Robin made a cake for March!” Both Robin and March froze. Robin hadn’t been expected Pinkie to introduce the cake like that, and it made her visibly blush, her wings flexing nervously. Fluttershy smiled at Pinkie and nuzzled her cheek before smiling at Robin and March.
“It was really nothing,” Robin said, trying to change the way Pinkie had said that had made that sound. “It’s a sort of thank you for coming to every concert of mine.” She shook her hoof.
“She baked it herself, taught by yours truly!” Pinkie added, unhelpfully, only adding to the awkward tension now in the room. “Anyways! Robin you had something to ask Fluttershy, didn’t you? Well, she’s here now!” She pointed to where Fluttershy was now resting on the couch. Fluttershy looked up and at Robin.
“What did you um…. What did you want to ask?” Robin sat down on one of the couches as Pinkie walked into Fluttershy’s small kitchen.
“I’ll make us some tea! What would you like?” Pinkie cut in from the kitchen. The three gave their tea orders and Robin turned back to Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus really seemed tired.
“I was wondering if I could add some animals to my upcoming concert, if it’s not too much trouble? Nothing major, really, just a few birds, you know, like my stage name? I feel like it would add something extra to the performance if that makes sense? Is it possible to do that?” Fluttershy sat up a little.
“That can be arranged… I’m sure the birds would be very willing. In fact… Benjamin?” A blue bird flew in through the window and tweeted a bit at Fluttershy. “Would you um… be willing to help um, Songbird here with her upcoming concert?” The bird flew over to Robin and landed on her snout. It tweeted a bit and looked her over. Behind her, March giggled, causing a new fluttery sensation to fill Robin’s belly, almost like the feeling of flying for the first time. The blue bird then flew back to to Fluttershy and landed on her ear, tweeting a bit. “He’s willing to do it. He’s um… he’s going to talk to the other birds about it.” Benjamin then flew off and Fluttershy sunk into the couch. “I’m um, sorry… I’m not usually this… tired. Since Peach came into the world I… haven’t gotten much sleep,” she murmured. “Sorry, that I don’t seem that… excited.”
As if on cue, a pale orange foal who couldn’t be much more than a few months old flew into the room. Well, flew was a bit of an overstatement, was more glided. The foal shared their mother’s eyes, and a pale brown mane that looked like a wavy version of Fluttershy’s sprouted from their head. Fluttershy jumped up. “Peach, you’re supposed to be in bed!” She shot off the couch and caught the escapee and disappeared deeper into the house. Pinkie chose that moment to return with the tea. Her smile was amused.
“Sorry about that, Peach’s wings are quite strong. Most foals are at that age, I have experience,” Pinkie commented, taking a sip from her tea. “I had to babysit the Cake Twins once! They were a handful!” Robin looked at March, who looked just as lost. Pinkie rolled her eyes playfully. “Pumpkin and Pound gave me a lot of grief, I think I bit off more than I could chew!” She laughed. “I wonder how they’re doing now, I haven’t seen them since Mrs and Mr Cake retired! I assume they have their own lives now, but their Auntie Pinkie still kinda wants to know.” She shrugged. Fluttershy returned then holding Peach in her hooves.
“She’s refusing to sleep so… she’ll be joining us,” she murmured, sitting back on the couch. Peach then decided to start sucking her hooves. Pinkie looked at her wife.
“Anyways! Let’s not let these cakes go to waste! Fluttershy and I will share mine, you guys share Robin’s!” Pinkie scooped up her cake and Robin and March stared at hers
The tension between them felt inappropriate for simply just idol and fan.
“You start it, I did make it for you,” Robin offered, and March stared at the cake.
“…Can I take a picture of it first?” Robin blinked, but then smiled. She nodded her approval, and March’s grin could almost rival Pinkie’s. She whipped out her camera and snapped a picture of the now beginning to melt cake. Then, she took out some sort of stone, and the picture disappeared. March then turned her attention on the cake, and cut herself a slice. Robin closed her eyes, wanting to hear March’s reaction before seeing it. And it was… quiet… until… “This is amazing? It tastes like cotton candy!” Robin opened her eyes. March’s cotton-candy eyes were practically sparkling. She smiled.
She didn’t yet have a name for the warmth she felt at the sight, but… it was certainly new.
~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere, far away, near the edge of a forest, a particular raccoon received a message. A picture, teleported into her hooves via a portal. The small group gathered around her gazed at the picture as well, the older two sharing a look. Dan’s horn glowed as he removed the picture to look at it himself, before returning it to Stelle’s hooves. “Interesting.”
“It seems like March has scored herself a girlfriend,” Stelle commented, staring at the picture with a smirk.
“An idol girlfriend.”