[Ponyville] A New Foalsitter! [Pm to join!]

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky was walking through Ponyville, having just been let out of school for the day. She was humming a happy tune as she skipped through the town, making her way to the address her mommy had given her earlier. Mommy was busy today and she couldn't collect Dinky from school, so she had arranged a new foalsitter to look after Dinky.

Dinky wondered what her new foalsitter would be like. Pretty? Friendly? Fun? Would they play silly games with her? Would they draw together? Would he or she be mean to her?

She reached the house, and checked the address on the piece of paper that she had safely tucked into the pocket of her saddlebag. Nodding to herself, she knocked on the door and hopped around on the doorstep, excited to meet her new foalsitter!

[PonyHooves]

((I couldn't help myself...))

Gerty Greetings opened her front door. She smiled as she saw a pretty little foal on her door step. "Hello there young one... You must be Ditzy's daughter. Please, come inside." The red mare spoke kindly. She had offered to look after Ditzy Doo's daughter for her while she worked. Gerty Greetings spent most of her day on her own as her husband, Golden Heart was always working at his clinic. Gerty really liked the idea of having a foal around again as their children had all grown up and moved away from home. She knew the foal would be good company. Gerty always did love children. She was especially eager to meet little Dinky. Gerty had made a fresh batch of cookies just a few hours ago. The mare lead Dinky into her home.

[CrimsonNova]

"Hi there, Miss Foalsitter! I'm Dinky," Dinky half-yelled, in a sing-song voice. She grinned happily and skipped into the mare's home. "Mommy said your name was uh.. Miss G-Goat.. Umm, Miss Green.."

Dinky stopped in the hallway, her hoof to her chin. It was just like her to forget something important like a name. She sighed and plopped her rump down in the middle of the hallway, thinking. "Um.. I can't remember."

She looked up to the red mare sadly, ashamed at herself to forget such an important thing. But, suddenly, the filly's head spun round. "Do I smell cookies?! Oh boy! I love cookies, they're my all-time favourite sweet! Well except muffins. And cupcakes. And icecream. And lollipops! and.."

[PonyHooves]

Gerty smiled. She knew it was easy for anypony to forget somepony else's name. She used to do it all of the time. Suddenly it seemed as though Dinky had perked up. It was the smell of the cookies that did it. It seemed as though her welcoming snack wouldn't go un-noticed. "Yes... I made cookies just for you. I'm sure that walk here made you hungry, Dinky." Gerty replied softly. Gerty opened the kitchen door. On the kitchen work surface was a plate of cookies. Gerty Greetings lifted off the plate and brought it down to Dinky's height.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky grinned. "Aw yeah! I love cookies! Oh wait, I said that already. Oh well, I LOVE COOKIES!"

Dinky followed the mare into the kitchen, giggling. She glanced around as she walked in. The kitchen was cozy and she smiled happily. "Mm! They sure smell good! That walk was rather hungryfying.. Umm.. I mean ... It made me hungry!"

Dinky grabbed a cookie off the plate and thanked the mare. These cookies looked real good! She dumped her saddlebag beside the table, making sure the strap wouldn't be left out so anypony might trip. "Thanks Miss Foalsitter! Umm, what did you say your name was?"

[PonyHooves]

"I'm Gerty Greetings... But you can just call me Gerty." She answered Dinky's question. The mare smiled kindly. "Would you like to help me make greetings cards? You can make one for your mummy if you like." Gerty started to take out her card making equipment and her little card making projects that lacked colour. The mare was a card maker. She made her cards in the comfort of her own home and sold them when her card stock was full. She was low on completed cards. Gerty was sure that the foal would like getting involved and being allowed to colour in different cards with the mare.

[CrimsonNova]

"Okay Gerty! Cool name!" Dinky was happy! This mare was so kind to her! The mare had lotsa cool stuff around her house. She watched in awe as she took out some card making stuff. Her eyes widened.

"Yeah! That sounds fun! You make cards? That's cool!" Dinky ran over to Gerty, and tried to lift a half-completed card with her magic, but promptly dropped it in the process. She sighed. "Never works. Oh well!"

[PonyHooves]

"That's a pretty good trick your doing with your magic. You just need to keep trying." Gerty told the foal. "I didn't make perfect cookies on my first try. I burnt them to a crisp. But I never gave up and though it's not my special talent, I don't burn them and I know the right amount of ingrediants to use." She began to make a birthday card. The mare glued on a purple bow in the corner of the card. She began to sketch away a drawing of a filly blowing out the candles on a large birthday cake on the front of the card.

[CrimsonNova]

"I practice all the time but I just still can't do it!" Dinky giggled to her foalsitter. She watched happily as the mare began to make her first card. Dinky tilted her head. "Wow, you're good at this stuff! Do you do this all the time? Do you sell them? Are you rich?"

She plopped her rump down, and watched Gerty in amazement. "I wish I had my cutie mark! I think it'll be something to do with my singing!" She cleared her throat and started singing a made up song, very off tune and very loudly.

She burst into peals of foalish laughter at the look on Gerty's face. "I'm kidding, silly! But wouldn't it be cool to have a cutie mark to do with singing? Or being famous? I would be standing on the stage, lotsa ponies all around cheering and stamping their hooves!" ... She let her imagination wander and then giggled again as she snapped back to reality. "Oh well!"

[PonyHooves]

"This is my job... I'm a card maker. I make and sell cards. But I'm not rich. This house is so big because my husband earns more bits by helping out other ponies at his clinic." Gerty explained.

When Dinky started to sing, Gerty flattened her ears up against her head. Her singing was quite loud. The mare was sure that the foal was singing the notes in the wrong order. She mentioned wanting to be famous. "Well, being famous is nice... But you'd spend more time working than being with your friends." The mare explained.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky pondered this for a moment. "I guess you're right. I'd hate not seeing my friends! I don't have that many friends, but the ones I do have, I love alot!"

Dinky took up a crayon in her mouth, and pulled over a spare piece of paper. She started to draw, and the two worked in silence for a while. Dinky picked up another crayon and began to colour her drawing in. She grinned once she'd finished it.

"Look, Gerty! It's me and you!" She pushed the drawing over to the red mare, waiting to see her verdict.

[PonyHooves]

Gerty smiled at the drawing. "It's beautiful." She was a kind soul. Gerty also wanted to encourage Dinky to be creative. The mare knew that creativity was a great way to express emotions. The art produced by ponies who put their emotions into their work was quite inspirational. She had learned to seek inspiration and feelings from art because of her mother who was a skilled artist. She wanted the foal to be able to release her feelings in a constructive way and it seemed as though Dinky was already doing so.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky stomped her hooves. "I'm so glad you like it!" She giggled, and began to draw another pony; a pegasus mare with bubbles as a cutie mark. Her brow furrowed with concentration and she tried to speak with the crayon stuck in her mouth. "'s 'y 'ommy'!"

She blushed, grinning a little bit and spat the crayon out, giggling. She could be so forgetful sometimes! "I mean, it's my mommy!" Dinky then started to doodle on the corner of the page, absently as she thought.

There was brief silence. Then:

"Hey Gerty, how'd you get your mark?"

[PonyHooves]

Gerty thought back to the day she got her cutie mark. She remembered it well, but wished that her father was there at that moment to see it happen. When she thought about it, if it weren't for him being away then she would have never made her first greetings card or got her cutie mark. "My father was an actor and he spent months away from home. When he left, he wrote me a letter to me and it had photos in it. So I made a greetings card to send to him and after I made it, my cutie mark appeared." She explained.

[CrimsonNova]

"An actor? That's so cool! Can you act? Did you ever try? Was he in any famous plays? IS HE FAMOUS?"

Dinky looked up to her foalsitter, her eyes glistening. She wondered if she'd ever seen her foalsitters dad, but then again, maybe he was in the older plays, and she wouldn't have seen him.

She tapped her hoof to her chin, took another piece of paper and drew herself as a mare on the stage, giggling all the while!

[PonyHooves]

"He's retired now... Having an actor for a dad isn't as good as you'd think. He was away from home month after month. When he came home, he'd only be with me for about a month and then he'd be back at work again." Gerty explained. "But he was famous back in his day... I've still got the photos he sent me. Would you like to see them?"

[CrimsonNova]

"I'd hate it if mommy had to deliver all over Equestria and was never there.."

She wondered what it would be like, being alone all the time without her mommy. She'd hate it.. Mommy always played games with her and made her laugh when she was sad, or when other ponies teased her. She shook her head and grinned.

"I'd love to see them!"

[PonyHooves]

Gerty pulled an old photo album off the shelf. She flicked through the pages for a while. Suddenly the mare stopped turning pages. She placed the photo album in front of Dinky. "These are the photos of my dad on stage and those are of him back stage with his friends." Gerty told the foal.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky gazed at the photos in awe, but after a while, got bored, put the album aside and bounced around a little bit.

"So, what did you want to be when you were a filly, before you got your mark, or did you always know you were gonna be a card maker?"

[PonyHooves]

"I never knew I was going to be a card maker. But I always liked art." Gerty explained. "I wanted to be an artist; just like my mother."

Gerty picked up the photo album and put it back on the book shelf. She then returned to Dinky's side.

[CrimsonNova]

"Hey Gerty, can we maybe go for a walk? I mean, if that's okay with you!"

Dinky grinned a pleading grin, and she hopped from hoof to hoof. She was craving the fresh air, and she wanted to run around and play more, especially since it was such a nice day. Maybe she'd even see her mommy overhead!

"Do you have a ball? Oh wait, I think I have one.." Dinky used her magic to retract a ball from her saddlebag, but promptly dropped it. She giggled. "Hey it kinda worked that time!"

[PonyHooves]

"Of course we can go for a walk... I'll take you to the park." Gerty replied as she saw Dinky hop from one hoof to the next.

Gerty Greetings watched as the foal tried to use magic once more. Dinky managed to take a ball out of her saddlebag. It soon dropped to the floor. But, her magic seemed to have grown slightly stronger than the last time she had tried to use it. That was evidence enough that in time, Dinky would easily be able to use magic to lift objects.

"That's very good. Your getting better with each try!" The mare praised her before opening the front door.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky grinned happily. "Heh, thanks!"

She was happy that she could partially pick up the ball in her mouth. She couldn't wait to tell mommy!

Dinky picked up the ball in her mouth and ran to the door, but waited for Gerty there. She was so excited! She loved going to the park! Maybe she'd make some new friends? Oh, she just couldn't wait to play!"

[PonyHooves]

Gerty lead Dinky out of the house. The mare locked the door after the foal was safely out of the house. Gerty Greetings looked at Dinky. She smiled as she said. "Before we go anywhere, I want to know if you know the rules of walking to different places. Do you know the most important one for walking near crouded areas where big carts are pulled back and forth?" The mare wanted to be sure that the foal knew how to be safe outside.

[CrimsonNova]

Dinky listened intently to Gerty and she nodded. Her mommy had taught her ages ago, and she was very confident of her rules!

"Yup! Always look left and right before crossing anywhere, listen for carts, and don't dilly-dally!"

Dinky had a feeling she'd forgotten something. "Umm.. Oh! And always have an adult with you!"

She bounced the ball and grinned. "Mommy told me them a while ago."