Popping her balloons.

by FinnPony

The next morning

There was deep silence hanging around the shop. Five silent mares were sitting in one of the booths in Sugarcube corner, waiting for something to happen. Twilight was reading a book she had brought with herself. Fluttershy was rubbing her forehooves together nervously, glancing towards the staircase almost every ten seconds. Applejack was twiddling her hat around in her hooves. She examined the shiny apple shaped pin Rainbow Dash had bought her on their first date, ignoring Rainbow who was trying to snuggle against her. Rarity was looking at the two lovers, letting out some unaccepting hmph’s from while to while. She reminded quiet otherwise though.

After couple more minutes of silence Twilight closed her book and placed it on the table. She took a quick look at the stairs and then turned towards the other mares.
“They’re been up there for quite a while now,” she said. They all glanced at each other and then Applejack said, “I bet my darn bottom bit that Pokey will solve this mess any minute now.”
“Absolutely. Pinkie Pie is probably back to her happy self already,” Rarity ensured with a nod. Fluttershy seemed to relax a little when she said that. She looked towards the stairs and then said softly, “I still feel a bit guilty about all this.”
The mares were silent again. It took a while before Twilight proposed, “We should apologize to her.”
Others nodded in agreement, before Twilight added, “But she needs to come down first.”

Rainbow Dash seemed a bit troubled. She lifted her head from Applejack’s shoulder and cleared her throat. Others turned towards her and saw her nervous expression, waiting for her to say what was on her mind.
“What if…” Rainbow started, looking at each of her friends. “What if they… you know…”
“No… Just no. Pinkie isn’t like that.” Rarity said with a bit amused tone in her voice. “You saw how she reacted when we just implied about doing it.”
“Yes. There is no way Pinkie would…” Twilight started but she stopped with her mouth a bit open. Everypony tensed up and looked at each other with wide eyes. Then they slowly looked upwards, towards the ceiling. They tried to listen for any signs to proof Rainbow’s allegation. They didn’t hear anything so they lowered their confused stares.

“Hrmh. Maybe we should give them some room…” Applejack said slowly, placing her hat on her head. “To… Clear that misunderstanding..”
“Yes… that…” Rarity mumbled.

They all silently rose from the booth and started to make their way towards the front door.

* * *

Pinkie Pie woke in her bed the next morning. She rolled onto her back and ran her hooves through her tangled mane while yawning loudly. She sniffed the air and smelled the scent of all the burnt candles in the room. She would have wanted to get up from the bed to open the window, but it was too warm and comfortable under the blankets. She smiled and without opening her eyes rolled to her side. She wrapped her hooves around the stallion next to her. Pokey Pierce let out a half-conscious sigh and lifted his hooves around Pinkie, who had all her four hooves around Pokey. They laid there for couple of minutes before Pokey moved a little and mumbled, “Morning…”

“Good morning,” Pinkie purred and pushed her face against Pokey’s, who chuckled and corrected himself, “Good morning.”
“Good morning to you too,” Pinkie giggled and kissed him on the muzzle. Pokey sighed and closed his eyes again.
“Aww… He’s tired from last night. Funny that I’m not tired at all!” Pinkie thought while brushing Pokey’s mane. Pokey mumbled something but continued to sleep. Pinkie giggled a little and thought, “Maybe I should make some breakfast.”

She carefully slid away from Pokey’s hug and hopped on the floor with a small thud. She quickly looked back at the sleeping stallion, before she started to walk towards the door.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow ,ow…”

As the door closed, Pokey’s eyes shot open. He made sure Pinkie wasn’t in the room anymore and rose up to sit on the bed. He spun his head around, trying to locate something.
“Where the hay is my saddlebag?” he thought while gently stepping out from the bed. He knew he had had it with him last evening. He looked around the room and started to feel amused and embarrassed at the same time. The bed had moved at least a meter from it’s original place and even couple of paintings had fallen from the wall.

He chuckled to himself before focusing back to the task at hoof. He started to look around the room for his saddlebag. He looked from under the bed, from the shelves and from under the pillows. Nowhere.

“Where is it… aha!”

Pokey saw the familiar safety pin patch that was sewn into a brown saddlebag peeking from under the couch. He quietly whooped and silently trotted to the couch and knelt in front of it. He pulled the bag from under it and in one swift motion opened it. He took a small box from it and examined it in his hooves.
“Here it is…” he thought and stared at the little box that looked so meaningless, but was much more than that.

It was everything.

Just as he was going to put the box back into the saddlebag, his eyes met with two big, purple eyes that were staring at him from under the couch. Before he could do anything, Gummy had his toothless jaws snapped around his muzzle. Even it didn’t hurt too much, Pokey was startled by the sudden attack and he jumped backwards, only to hit a bunch of balloons that was right behind him.

POP POP POP POP

Pokey laid on the floor, in the middle of a balloon carnage with some balloon remnants still hanging from his horn. He tried to pull the toothless alligator from his muzzle with his magic and finally succeeded. He held his muzzle and cursed loudly. The cursing turned into a terrified gasp as he noticed that the box wasn’t in his hoof anymore. The situation turned even worse when he heard brisk hoofsteps coming towards the room. He looked around and saw the box on the bed. Pokey jumped faster than Rainbow could fly and caught the box into his hooves and dived under the blankets just in time before Pinkie opened the door.

“Is everything alright?” Pinkie asked when she stepped into the room. She saw Pokey’s head coming from under the blankets. He was wearing a nervous smile on his lips. Pinkie analyzed the room for a second and saw Gummy going through Pokey’s saddlebag.
“Gummy you silly little thing,” she said and trotted to the lizard, who stared at Pokey. She then turned towards Pokey and asked, “Did he spook you? He has a bad habit of doing that.”
“I know. Wasn’t the first time,” Pokey answered while still hiding under the blanket with the precious box.
“Who’s mommy’s little troublemaker?” Pinkie asked from Gummy with a happy voice as she lifted gummy onto her back. She giggled as Gummy climbed onto her head. Then she turned towards Pokey and saw his nervous look. She sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “Is everything okay? You look kinda funny.”
She giggled again and added, “But not funny funny. I mean strange kinda funny. That kinda funny when you’re nervous about something. You always make that face when you’re nervous or something like that.”

Pokey glanced towards the pillows. He folded his ears back and opened his mouth only to close it again. He did it couple of times more before he sighed and said, “It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked with worried tone. Pokey thought for a moment longer, but just nodded. Pinkie leaned closer to him and whispered, “You can tell me silly.”
“I know, but it’s really nothing that important,” Pokey said and looked straight at Pinkie’s blue eyes. He also saw Gummy looking at him with almost a suspicious look in his purple eyes. Pinkie started to smile and said, “I believe you.”
Then she kissed Pokey on the lips. The kiss lasted long and they didn’t break it until they both ran out of breath. After they recovered from the kiss Pinkie said, “Come on, I made some blueberry pancakes.”
“My favorites,” Pokey said with a smile.
“I know!” Pinkie chirped and nuzzled his cheek.

They rose from the bed and Pokey let Pinkie lead the way towards the kitchen. Just as he was closing the door he looked at the wall next to the bed. He saw the pictures he had send to Pinkie during the time when he lived in Manehattan. In the middle of them he saw the picture of him and Pinkie in Ponyville train station.

Pokey smiled when he saw the picture and then closed the door.