Product of Friendship (My Little Pony)

9 Swiss Cheese (5/5)

"Cheese!" Pinkie cheered with hooves opened wide for her son to be snatched in. The Cake twins had called Wist and Luster to bring the colt downstairs to welcome back his mother.

Lil' Cheese hopped atop his mother's cradling hooves, pecking the cheek of his mother. "Oh, I missed you too," Pinkie Pie said and returned the favor to her son.

"How was your trip?" Luster asked. She and Wist took their steps before the mother.

"Dandy like a dandelion pie," Pinkie Pie. "Ooh, speaking of pie, I should make some for the two of you. I can tell Lil' Cheese had so much fun with the two of you."

"Another one of those pumpkin pies would be nice," Wist suggested.

"I'm happy that we met your expectation," Luster said. "Lil' Cheese did give us a few hurdles, but it all worked out in the end."

"A hurdle huh?" Pound Cake chuckled. "So that's what you call running across town and facing bunches of animals."

Wist and Luster stiffened their bodies. Both gazed at the grinning twins with utter shock. "That," Wist started. "Is oddly specific?"

"Did...did you guys know?" Luster asked.

"I think it'd be hard to miss a Roc swooping down in front of our home," Pumpkin answered.

"Wait, wait, wait," Wist waved her hooves. "If you two knew, then why didn't you come to help us? Isn't he your nephew?"

"They knew it would be alright," Pinkie said. "Every animal around Ponyville has been pretty much tamed by Fluttershy. Even the ones from the Everfree Forest. No creature was ever an actual danger."

"Huh," Wist breathed. "Well, that would explain why that Cragadile didn't chew me up."

"Don't just take it so easily!" Luster argued. "Why didn't any pony tell us about this!? As a matter of fact, why did it happen in the first place?"

"Cheese sense," Pinkie answered.

"Cheese...what?" Luster said.

"My Lil' Cheese here has a special talent for attracting all sorts of creatures around him," Pinkie explained. "All sorts of exotic creatures would come out from the woodworks to play with my son. Though, that usually only happens when he's all on his lonesome."

"I see," Wist said. "So when he got bored with Luster's little tantrum, he went off to call in some creatures to play with him."

"How does that make sense!?" Luster voiced. "Ponies don't just make pheromones to attract creatures. That lacks any logical sense."

"Some things are just incapable of being understood," Pinkie said with a smile.

"What?" Luster stood stunned. "No! There's an explanation for everything in the world. There has to be!"

"Okay, I'm not gonna sit here for another one of your tantrums," Wist said. "I'd like some pumpkin pie now."

"Okie Dokie," Pinkie said. "But first, I'd like to know if you've learned anything from this experience."

"Never lose sight of the colt for a single second," Wist answered.

"No, no, no," Pinkie shook her head. "That was inevitable going to happen from the beginning. What did you learn during that experience?"

"We learned..." Luster started and then drifted her gaze to Wist. With a single glance, it all made sense. Though, she had to debate whether or not she took delight in that. After a sigh, Luster gave her answer. "We learned that not all problems can be solved alone. Sometimes a helping hoof can make all the difference."

"Ugh," Wist groaned. "Don't tell me this whole event was to teach me a friendship lesson?"

"It would've defeated the whole point of the punishment if it wasn't," Pinkie gleefully answered. "But now that you had your first day with Lil' Cheese, I can expect for things to be smooth sailing for the rest of this week, right?"

"Wait," Luster gaped at the mare. "We have to do this whole thing again?"

"Well of course," Pinkie said. "You didn't think the punishment would be done in just a single day, did you?"

"I have to do this again..." Luster mumbled.

"Quit your complaining," Wist scoffed with a haughty grin. "It just means more time for us to bond as friends, right?"

"I know you don't mean it in the bright sense and bothers me," Luster sighed. She didn't want to bother looking at her friend's imposing sneer upon him. "But this is my life now."