***Wednesday, Day 87***
**Noonish**
*Sugarcube Corner*
I look over to Applejack, whom I am currently working with setting up balloons. “Remind me why we are doing all this.”
She blows up another balloon before passing it to me. “Shoot, it’s a little fuzzy fer me too.” The apple farmer takes off her hat and scratches her head with a hoof. “From what Ah can remember... Pinkie came around to all of us and asked us to set up this here party. She said fer one, it was to give us somethin’ to do to get our minds off what happened in the forest...”
I nod my head while frowning. “Still can’t believe there are others searching for the fragments, and that they are diamond dogs. Let alone the fact that they are apparently well equipped and much more intelligent than the usual examples of their species.”
“Ah’m just glad everypony got out in one piece.” Applejack passes me another balloon. “Still, it’s the second reason Pinkie mentioned that’s got me curious.”
I raise an eyebrow at her. “She gave you another reason? I guess you put up more of a fight than I did.”
“Ah was just in the middle of somethin’ when she came ‘round. She didn’t say it straight away, but when Ah asked she said that the main reason she asked us all the help her with this is because ‘she missed one’.”
I tilt my head. “Missed one what?”
The pink party hostess bounces over to answer that herself. She looks around to see if anypony else is listening before she speaks. “I missed a pony! I always welcome everypony to town when they move here, or even when they visit, but somepony moved in during the music festival and I only gave them the visitor’s welcome! They are new, so they need a party! It. Must. Be. Done.”
Both Applejack and I lean away from Pinkie as she finishes with a wild determination in her eyes before she bounces off.
I look to Applejack who wordlessly gives me another balloon to hang up as we continue.
Soon enough, the party is ready and Pinkie has us all await the guest of honor. Luckily because of its rushed nature, the party is really just our group of friends and we don’t have to hide. Pinkie keeps her eyes glued to the door as the clock strikes one, the time when the party is set to start and the guest is meant to arrive.
Half an hour later and still the guest has not arrived.
Rainbow Dash is the one to finally wave her hoof in front of Pinkie’s face to break her line of sight to the door. “Umm, Pinkie, I don’t think he’s coming.”
The party pony’s mane seems to deflate slightly as she looks downward and begins muttering to herself. “Double-checked the address, single invitation, hoof delivered it to his mailbox myself, party is at a reasonable time...” Her muttering gets quieter and quieter until it stops completely and everypony looks to each other as we worry. Suddenly Pinkie springs up shouting, “Backup party!”
Volt tilts his head. “Backup party?”
Pinkie zips up to him and stares with eyes looking straight into his soul. “Backup party.”
He nods silently.
After a quick cleanup up, we made our way across town to the guest’s residence and set up a new room for a party via a demonstration of the party cannon. Granted, some of us were wondering if Pinkie was allowed to break into houses to set up parties, but the girls assured us this wasn’t the first time this happened and it likely wouldn’t be the last.
Suddenly, Pinkie’s back hooves start tapping erratically and she gets a huge grin on her face. “He’s coming! Get ready!”
The door clicks as the knob turns and it slowly opens. A slightly familiar blue unicorn with a blonde mane with brown tips and glasses walks in, looking back as he puts something back in his saddlebags. He turns forward and sees the party decorations along with all eleven of us smiling at him.
In one smooth movement that takes less than five seconds, he screams, turns around, and runs off out the door.
Well, that didn’t go well.
As everyone simply stares at the now empty door, Pinkie suddenly shouts, “First one to catch him and bring him back here for his party gets free goods from Sugarcube Corner for the next three days!”
Now, anypony with a semblance of a sweet tooth knows how valuable that offer is, or somepony might just want to be away from Pinkie while she goes into party withdrawal. Reflecting this, all of the stallions aside from myself immediately charge the door and are gone almost as fast as their prey was.
Hmm, pony that runs at the sight of a party in his house gets pursued by a group of stallions bent on catching him... this won’t end well.
I crack my neck as I trot at a leisurely pace out the door and see the two pegasi stallions beelining in a direction. One roll of my eyes and a few Blinks later and I see the unicorn in question across the street as Hydro and Volt chase after him, while Blue and Atom get a lead.
I shake my head as I see the glasses-wearing pony turn down an alley I know is a dead end while the others follow him in. Strangely enough, they all leave a few minutes later, empty hooved. I tilt my head and slowly walk to the alley, peeking in. It appears empty at first, then as I watch, a section of the alley suddenly shimmers and falls, revealing the unicorn with wide eyes. I sit down at the mouth of the alley and wait for him to approach.
He blinks at me for a moment. Apparently realizing I wasn’t there to ‘capture’ him, he finally speaks. “...hi?”
I nod politely and smile. “Hello. You okay after all that?”
He nods slowly. “Yeah...what was going on with them?”
“They were bribed to bring you back to your house for your party,” I say honestly.
“...party?” He looks rather confused. “The only party I saw them working on was a search party.”
I chuckle at him. “Didn’t you see all the balloons, streamers, and party treats at your house? We brought the party to you after you didn’t show up to the one earlier.”
“I was a little more freaked out by the fact that there were a bunch of strangers in my house, really...and I didn’t show up because the last time I went to a location I was given in the mail, it didn’t end well.” He winces a bit at an apparently painful memory. “I don’t like repeating mistakes.”
I nod and look at him understandingly. “I see, sorry about all that. Pinkie’s methods - she’s the one that set up your party - are a bit... extreme at times, but I can assure you she means well.”
He sighs, visibly relaxing a bit. “If you say so...um, so, anyway, my name’s Pop Filter.” He says this as though he just remembered it. “Sorry about all that commotion.”
I wave it off. "Hey, no problem. I can't blame you for freaking out." I check my watch and see that school's almost out. "Well, if you want to go home to the party you can, if not you can come with me if you want to kill some time."
“I think I’ll come with you...no offense to your friends, of course. I’m just not that much of a social pony.” He trots over to me.
I turn and start to walk off. "Alright, come on then. I've got to pick up my daughter."
He follows, trotting quickly for a moment to catch up. “Daughter?”
"You'll see."
We chat until we reach the school house. In front of the door sits a certain pink filly, humming softly as she waits. As soon as she sees me, she jumps to her hooves, grinning brightly. “Dad!” She runs up and hugs me, happily nuzzling my chest.
I hug her back as I laugh. “Hey Pinchy, how was school?”
“It was fun! I learned a lot today!” She turns to the unicorn next to me, eyes wide with surprise. “Hey, I remember you! You’re the pony we gave directions to at the festival!” Her gaze moves between us, curiosity and confusion clear on her face. “...do you know Dad?”
He nods slowly, looking a little surprised. “I just met him, really...um, I’m Pop Filter. It’s...nice to meet you?”
She holds out a hoof to him, smiling kindly. “My name’s Ruby Pinch! It’s nice to meet you, too!”
He smiles gently and accepts the hoofshake. He looks at me. “Your daughter’s a nice girl.”
I chuckle, “That she is.” I look at my watch. “You should be able to go home without fear of ambush now, though if you ever run into Pinkie Pie, all bets are off. We should hang out sometime, you seem nice.”
He nods, still smiling. “Thanks. You seem nice too. I’ll see you later, okay?” With a wave, he walks off, heading back home.
I nod and look to Pinchy who is climbing onto my back, “What do you think of him?”
She settles herself in her favorite spot, watching the departing stallion. “...definitely a nice pony, if a little shy...” She turns to me, curious. “...what did you mean when you mentioned Pinkie, Dad?”
“He managed to avoid a Pinkie party so I told him to be careful because she’ll probably try again.”
She sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of her head. “Is it bad that I feel bad for him?”
I shake my head, “Not at all, not at all.”
***Third person***
The familiar duo of Pinchy riding on top of Rhino’s back are seen heading home after her first complete day of school. As they approach the house, a small white unicorn can be seen sprinting after them.
She hails them as they are about to go inside. “Rhino! Ruby!”
The two ponies turn to look at the source of the voice as the white filly skids to a halt a few steps away from them. The green stallion gives her an appraising look. “Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?”
Sweetie takes a few moments to catch her breath before she speaks. “I... wanted... to talk... to Ruby... please.”
Pinchy tilts her head, curious. She carefully gets off Rhino’s back, smiling at the white filly. “Yes, Sweetie?”
The white filly gives the stallion a meaningful glance, which he acknowledges with a statement. “I’ll leave you girls alone so you can talk. I’ll be inside if you need me.” He enters the house, leaving the two schoolfillies to themselves.
Sweetie looks brightly at the pink filly. “I wanted to talk to you during recess today since you didn’t come to school yesterday, but I couldn’t find you!”
Pinchy grimaces a bit. “Sorry...I kind of went off and did my own thing...”
“Hey! Don’t be sad! We can talk now!” Sweetie gathers herself a moment. “Umm... so, I was wondering if you-wait, what were you doing anyway? Is this because of those two bullies?”
“...maybe...” She glances over to the door. “...don’t let Dad know, but I’ve been practicing a skill of mine in secret...I can’t do magic, right now, but I can still throw my wooden kunai.” She grins, proud of her little accomplishment.
The white filly frowns. “That sounds dangerous, you aren’t planning on throwing that at anypony are you?”
“...no...” She scuffs the ground with a hoof, frowning softly as well. “...I know that’d make Dad upset...and I don’t want to do that...”
Sweetie Belle wipes her forehead with a hoof. “Phew, good. I was worried for a moment.” She shakes her head. “Wait, wait, wait, that’s not why I came here. I came to ask if you want to be friends and you know... hang out and stuff!”
Ruby tilts her head, confused. “I thought we already were friends.” She taps her chin, thinking a bit. “I do suppose we haven’t hung out that much...so...yeah, I’d like that.” She smiles, nodding happily.
“Yay!” The white filly bounces in place with happiness. “So, do you want to hang out right now? The girls and I were going to get together to get through Miss Cheerilee’s homework early so we could play.”
Pinchy blinks at this, a blank look on her face. “Uh...sure.” She sheepishly smiles, nodding to her. “Lead the way?”
Sweetie tilts her head to one side. “Umm, shouldn’t you let Rhino know you’re leaving? I don’t think he’ll be happy if we just run off without telling him.”
“Oh. One sec.” She looks up at her mane, smiling softly. “Lucky?” A white head pops out, looking down at her. “Can you let Dad know where I’m going so he can pick me up later?” The mouse nods, saluting her. She giggles, beaming at him. “Thank you!”
Sweetie Belle looks at Ruby in confusion as the mouse scampers off. “I thought Fluttershy was the only pony who understand animals, how would your mouse tell him anything?”
Ruby winks, smiling slyly. “Trust me, Dad has his ways.”
The white filly simply blinks before her smile bursts out again. “Oh, okay!” The two start walking off as they continue chatting. “So what did you think of this homework anyway?”
She shrugs, glancing over at her friend. “It wasn’t that hard, in my opinion.”
Sweetie eyes widen. “Really? Me and the girls thought we’d be struggling with the new stuff. Think you could help us?”
Ruby smiles, stopping to place a hoof on the white filly’s shoulder. “It’d be my pleasure, Sweetie.”
The two giggle as they walk through the town to go find Sweetie’s friends.
***That night***
The familiar household of Rhino, Hydro, and Ruby is quiet as all the pony occupants are out this evening. Of course, this doesn’t mean the other residents are inactive. The door to the earth pony’s room cracks open as two furry figures make their way inside. They make their way over to the aquarium that makes up an entire wall of the room, it’s occupant soon noticing them. The eel swims over to the special segment of his tank that allows access to it from about a pony’s chest height.
He flashes his teeth in a grin at the two visitors. [I was wondering if you mugs were going to show up.]
Specter smiles back. “Hey, you know I’ve never missed a night since we started.”
Schmoopy nods. [So, finally convince our newest mate to join us?]
(Yep! You’ll have to forgive me, though.) Lucky shrugs a bit. (I’m not au fait with poker; Black Jack is more my thing.)
The nimbat pats him fondly on the back. “Hey, I didn’t know how to play either before we started. Schmoopy did mention Black Jack once, but he said it was more of an individual game and that poker is meant for groups.”
[And on that note,] The eel pokes his head out of his tank as Specter moves a table in front of it. [Shall we get started lads?]
The two regulars set up the standard arrangement with deck and fake chips divided between the players. Naturally, a game between is not all about the game, it’s about the interaction.
Specter deals two cards to each and sets the deck back down as everyone checks their cards. “You remember I told you the basics of Apple Hold ‘Em, Luck?”
(Yep. Still slightly confused, but I’ll get over it.)
[That’s the spirit!] Schmoopy moves his chips for the big blind with his tail. [So, what do you lads think about the scuffle some of the ponies had with those dogs who told them to clear out?]
“Seems to me everypony is in shock by it, they haven’t really started reacting yet except to be quiet when it’s mentioned.” Specs calls the blind.
Lucky also calls. (Sounds to me like they were just caught unaware. Surely they’ll be ready next time, right?)
The nimbat reveals the flop as Schmoopy responds. [Oh I have no doubts they’ll try to prepare themselves. Still, this isn’t something you can solve with a wave of your hat.] He places a small bet.
Specter glances at his cards before calling the bet. “The way I heard it from Rhino, these guys sounded like professionals. I’m glad nopony was seriously hurt.”
The mouse calls as well, frowning slightly. (Bugger. I hope they’ll at least get one of the star fragments before those dogs.)
The next card is put down. [Well, I know Hydro was muttering to himself after hearing about it. So maybe we might have surprises of our own next time. Check.]
“Hmm, check.” The Specs glances to their tank-bound friend. “Hey Schmoop, should we consider getting some of the other pets in on these nights?”
(Check.) Lucky glances up at them, deciding to put in his two bits’ worth. (Why not? More pets means more friends, right?)
[Hmm...] The water pet thinks as the last card is put down. [We could do that, let’s just make sure to take it slow so things don’t go pear-shaped.] He makes a small bet.
“Any opinions on who to bring in first then? Call.”
(How about Angel?) The mouse glances at his cards once more, looking at the ones in front of him. (Raise...that’s the word to use, right?) He puts another chip down.
[Ah, I’ve heard about that one, can’t he be a right arse at times? I’ll see your bet.] Schmoopy narrows his eyes trying to see what Lucky is planning.
Specter glances at his cards before slapping them back down on the table. “Fold. Angel’s a bit rough around the edges and definitely makes it clear who he does and doesn’t like, but he and I got along pretty well while we were under the same roof.”
Lucky doesn’t raise again so he and the eel show their cards.
[Well, bugger, looks like you win this one.]
(It appears so.)
Specter hands the mouse the deck. “What? Is that it? You prove your name in the first round of the night and all you say is ‘it appears so’?”
He looks at the cards, then his little claws before answering. (I really don’t like to brag. It makes one a wanker, in my opinion.) He grabs the deck and attempts to shuffle it.
[So tell me lad, what’s it like being the pet of the little miss? I don’t get to see her much myself seeing as I am bound to my tanks.]
(Rather perplexing.) He finishes, reaching over to pick up a card that flew off. (Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great filly. I just worry about her taste in recreation.)
Both of the other pets give him confused looks.
(She fancies herself a ninja. You should have seen how she practiced until she was exhausted.) He shakes his head, sighing softly. (She wants so much to not be seen as weak...) He glances at Specter. (...to prove herself worthy.)
“Of what?”
(I’m not sure I can say any more.) He hands each player two cards. (I did promise not to tell anyone else about that. I’m almost breaking my word by saying what I did.)
[Bit of an odd thing that, asking pets to keep secrets when no pony can understand what we say.]
Specter shrugs as he bets. “It makes them feel better, so why not let them act curiously?”
[Actually, speaking of acting curiously...] The eel turns to the nimbat. [I’ve been meaning to ask: You’ve got wings now, but you never use them. Why?]
Specter shrugs. “I don’t know how really. I’m used to just gliding, so I can hold them out to do that, but I don’t really know how to do the whole ‘flapping’ thing to an effective extent. Still, I get around well enough by jumping and climbing.”
The eel nods as he turns to Lucky. [Alright new blood, let’s see if your luck holds out.]
He shrugs, chuckling softly. (If that’s what you wish.)