He left early from his home to Pinkie's party, but somehow, ended up getting there late. Everypony was already well into a good drunk on some of Applejack's special cider. Certainly, this was not a party for little fillies. His limegreen coat seemed almost fluorescent in the lonely evening outside, but faded into a pale yellow when in the presence of the mares and stallions of the town.
The party was in full swing; Everypony was on that sweet balance between too drunk to keep the party lively, or too sober to be really silly and ridiculous. Prairie took a few shy steps in, not sure about entering, when a blast of confetti blew in from behind, thrusting him in the middle of the party. As soon as he could regain his balance, he recoiled into a stiff, frozen pose.
"HIYA PRAIRIE! Fashionably late just like Rarity, huh? You artists are a crazy bunch!"
A pink blur was flying in what seemed like every direction he looked, and finally came to a halt in front of him. Pinkie motherbucking Pie.
"Heya Pinkie..." His eyes darted around the party, trying to take everything in, but of course his vision was blocked by the over-eager, beaming face.
"Want some punch?" Before he could answer, she was already dragging him to the refreshment table. "I know you don't drink, cause you said you get all yucky, so I made some punch for you and Fluttershy! Ooh, do you know Fluttershy? She's a nice pony that lives near the scary forest! She takes care of animals, and I guess that's why she lives near the forest, so she can get the animals from the forest and take care of them, but the Everfree is so scary, I don't know why the biggest scaredy-pony in Ponyville lives near the scariest place in Ponyville, well, maybe not THE shyest pony, maybe Big Macintosh is shyer, or, GASSP! Maybe YOU'RE the shyest pony in ponyville! Oooh, we should have a contest! You three should be friends! Do you have friends, Prairie Fire?"
Prairie Fire was mesmerized by how many words Pinkie had just said; How did she talk so bucking fast? He had never been the direct object of her conversation before. It took him a moment to recover from the barrage of words, and after a sip of punch from a cup he hadn't even realized she'd poured for him, he finally gathered a reply.
" Not really. I don't have any friends."
Meeting Pinkie's eyes, he realized he had suddenly opened a can of worms he wasn't sure he could close. The sudden silence was disconcerting.
"Don't. Have. Friends?" The pink pony actually took a step back to gawk at him. "No friends?" Suddenly, the biggest grin slowly overtook her features. "Oh Prairie?"
"Uh, yes Pinkie?"
"It's time. To. Party."
And then they were across the room. Prairie and Applejack suddenly found, to their surprise, that they were shaking hooves, and gave a polite, forced greeting to each other(They had already met, and had left on rather 'awkward' terms the last time they'd encountered), but then Prairie was off again, dragged by Pinkie, and then he was shaking hooves with Lyra and Bonbon, and then Rarity ("Uhm, nice to meet you, Rarity, again?" "Er, likewise, Prairie Fire, dear...?") and then Pinkie dragged him to Fluttershy, but Fluttershy fled out of shyness, so she dragged him to Cheerilee, who brightened up upon seeing Prairie Fire, who she'd known in her fillyhood, and then immediately turned to dread upon seeing Pinkie, who had been causing destruction for her for years.
Soon, Prairie had shaken hooves with everypony in the party, and had been made quite a spectacle of by Pinkie (Accidentally, of course) as he was dragged around the party and been thrust into everypony's conversations and groups, welcome or not.
As he lowered his hoof from the last guest, he found it taken up one last time by none other than Pinkie herself, already telling him that no thanks was necessary, even though she had just improved his life, and that now, it would be filled with friends and laughter and joy and all the things that made life worthwhile to Pinkie Pie. He smiled weakly.
No reason to let her down, champ. It's not her fault that you can't make friends with a pony that hates you by shaking their hooves. No reason she needs to know; No reason to bother her by setting her on an impossible task, a lost cause like yourself.
"Thanks Pinkie. I think it's a little late, I'll probably head-"
"Prairie Fire? C'nah have a word w'th you?"
He turned in surprise to see an orange country pony facing him with a hard look on her face. He winced. This day had been long in coming, he knew, but he'd merely hoped it would eventually go away; That they would either forget, or simply find it too embarrassing to bring up. But no, it was happening, and apparently, it was happening now. There was no denying the orange mare her request.
"S'cuse me, Pinkie, I gotta talk to her..." He lowered his head and slunk toward the blond-maned pony as she headed to the door, and Pinkie beamed, imagining them on the verge of a long lasting friendship. Her work done, she pranced away to brighten the party for everypony else, too.
As the heavy red door closed behind them, it sent a wave of cool air over the two. She faced him with an unreadable expression as he fidgeted, eyes trained on his hooves, her hooves, then the sky, then the road next to them, then-
"Gosh darnit Prairie Fire, will ya look at me? I ain't out here with ya tah kick yer flank, though I don't think Celestia'd blame me if I did. Or that you'd blame me either, fer the looka ya."
He reluctantly faced her. Her face was still stern, but wasn't as cold as it was a moment ago.
"Guess I don't hafta ask if ya know why ah brought you out here, do ah?"
"No..." He mumbled, sighing. He knew. He knew damn well why she brought him out here. What Pinkie obviously didn't know when she 'introduced' him to Applejack was that he used to be a farmhoof for Sweet Apple Acres.