> Popping her balloons.
>  by FinnPony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Popping her balloons..
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, chapter 1.
By FinnPony



Streets of Ponyville were crowded. There was lots of ponies spending their day in cafés and restaurants, having some quality time with each other. There were no kids though, only a couple of very young foals with their parents. The lack of happily screaming foals running around the town was almost weird, but it was easy to explain.

Pokey Pierce, a normal young unicorn,  was making his way towards Sugarcube Corner. It was the local bakery and the home of their town's personal party pony, Pinkie Pie. She had arranged a party for the foals from the school and for some of the singles in the town too. They could go to the party to spent time with each other. This way the parents of the foals who were in the party could do something together without any distractions.

Pokey was smiling a little while walking down the street. He always liked Pinkie Pie's parties. He could eat all he wanted, listen some great music and meet some of his friends. Pokey chuckled a little, and thought that the host of the parties wasn't so bad looking either.

There was still one thing that was superior to the others.
It was the balloons.
Pokey was a unicorn, who seemed just normal like everypony else. He had blue coat, a cutie mark, frizzled white mane with a light blue mixed in it and his posture was good. Just as normal as any other stallion of his age. There was one thing though, that made him a tiny bit different than other unicorns.
It was his horn.
It was longer, and much much sharper than any other unicorn had. He never had felt any different though, and why should he? He could cast magic normally with it, and nopony seemed to care if his horn was different from theirs.

Pokey liked his horn, he really did. It had even earned his cutie mark for him. His cutie mark was an open safety pin, and many times ponies didn't quite get the idea of it, and Pokey had to explain it to them.

When he had been younger, just a foal actually. His parent had thrown him a birthday party. It was like every other birthday he had had that far, with lots of treats, cake and presents.
It was after the party when Pokey got his cutie mark. He had helped his parents to clean up their home after the party, and he had gotten the job to take down the balloons. He did as he was told, and started to gather the balloons from all around the house. After a while, Pokey had a big bunch of balloons with him. He was just about to take them to his parents, when it happened.

POP

A loud pop of balloon exploding made him jump. He turned around quickly to see who popped the balloon, but he didn't see anypony there. He noticed something hanging in front of his eyes, and took it off from his horn.
It was a piece of rubber, left from the exploded balloon. He realized that he had popped the balloon.. with his horn.
Pokey looked up, at the balloons hovering over him. He then thought for a second, and gave one of them a quick jab with his horn.

POP

Pokey started to laugh happily. It was fun popping balloons. They made a big noise and the airflow from the exploding balloon felt funny on top of his head. He looked up again, and grinned playfully.

POP POP POP POP POP

His parents soon came to the living room, and looked at their child laughing happily, with balloon remnants around him. He had some on his horn too. 
Pokeys giggle made his parents laugh too, and soon his mother noticed something in her foal.
"Pokey! Your flank!" she said happily, and pointed at Pokey's newly gotten cutie mark.

Pokey smiled while remembering that.
Ever since it he had always enjoyed popping balloons, but of course he knew when he really shouldn't do it. One time when he had been younger he had popped one young filly's balloon, and she had started to cry. He hadn't understood why back then, but now he knew, and started to feel a bit sad for that filly.
"Wonder where she is now.." he thought to himself, and saw the Sugarcube Corner just behind the corner.


* * *


Pinkie Pie was running around the Sugarcube Corner, serving treats to the younger and older guests she had that day. It was Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera, and Pinkie Pie had her hooves full. She had to give party hats to ones who didn't have it, put more cupcakes to the tables when they started to run out, make more punch and much more.

Pinkie stood next to a counter, and saw Apple Bloom hiding behind a real life sized chocolate sculpture of a pony. She seemed nervous, and talked to herself something about forgetting something.
"Hmm.. What could she have forgotten?" Pinkie Pie thought to herself, and rubbed her curly mane that resembled cotton candy. She then got it.
Pinkie Pie bounced up to the filly, and placed a party hat on Apple Bloom's head.
"Don't forget your party hat, forgety forgeterson!" she said happily, and bounced away, leaving Apple Bloom look after her confusedly.

"Another job well done," Pinkie thought to herself, and walked past the counter. There was plenty of anything on the counter, so she could have a quick chat with her friends.
While walking past the phonograph, she gave it a little kick, and music started playing. She then happily trotted to her friend Applejack, who had came to the party just a minute ago.

"Hiya there Pinkie, seems like you have your hooves full." Applejack greeted her. "You need a hoof with anything?"
Pinkie shook her head, and said: "Nah. I'm okay. Just hope that..."

POP POP POP POP

Both of the mares turned towards the sound, and saw the blue unicorn called Pokey Pierce dancing around a set of balloons. They were soon destroyed by his pointy horn.
Pinkie Pie frowned and growled bit, but Applejack quickly said, "Hey Pinkie, he can't help it."
"I know!" Pinkie said, and turned towards Applejack. She had a frustrated look on her face. "He just keeps popping my balloons in every party he's in!"
"Then don't invite him," Applejack proposed and shrugged . Pinkie let out a gasp, and grabbed Applejack from her shoulders. Pinkie waved her around and explained with very fast pace, "But its really mean not to invite somepony to a party where every pony else is coming, and if I wouldn't invite him, I would be mean! AND I DON'T WANT TO BE MEAN!"
She almost yelled the last part, while waving Applejack violently in her hooves.
"O-ka-y I G-ot i-t!" Applejack said, while still being lugged around by Pinkie Pie. She finally let go of Applejack, who's eyes were still spinning around from all the shaking.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack then turned to look at him again, and saw that he was talking with some mares now. Pinkie Pie thought that maybe he would know how to behave in her party, and that he had popped the balloons by accident, like Applejack said.
Soon she had to get back to serving more pastries to the hungry foals.


* * *


"..So that's how I got my cutie mark," Pokey finished his story. He had been telling it to two mares, who he was speaking with. They both looked at his cutie mark again. Raspberry colored mare with a lily in her amber colored mane said,  "I guess it makes sense."
"Yeah," the other one said. She was a pale yellow mare with rose red mane. Her name was Rose, just like her cutie mark. They then heard a voice from behind them, "Hi Lily! Hi Rose! Who is that handsome colt you're talking to?"
The two mares turned towards the voice. Pokey did so too, but then he felt something hit his horn.

POP

Everypony froze, they all looked towards the sound.
Pokey looked at the green shreds of what used to be a balloon, and the string that had been attached to it. It was held by a young filly with light magenta mane and really light purple coat. Her blue eyes looked at the remnants of her lovely balloon. She then looked at Pokey, and her blue eyes started to water.
Everypony looked at the crying filly, and then their gazes turned to Pokey. Everypony looked angry. 
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Pokey said, and knelt next to the crying filly. She turned her back to Pokey, who looked sadly around him for help. All he got was angry glares, and soon a mare with mulberry coat and thick, deep cerise mane trotted to the crying filly. 
"You're a terrible pony!" she said to Pokey, who looked at her with his mouth slightly open and eyes full of confusion. He stepped a bit backwards, and mumbled, "It was an accident."
"Yeah right," the pony said. She then placed her hoof on the crying filly's back, and said: "Come on Piña, we'll get you a new one."

Before Pokey could react, a pink pony with puffy pink mane was in front of him. She had such an angry look on her face that it almost made Pokey jump.
"What the hay do you think you're doing mister?" she asked from Pokey, who winced. He then tried to explain, "It was an acc..."
"You always pop my balloons in my parties, and now you make foals cry?" Pinkie Pie continued, without letting Pokey finish his sentence. He just looked at Pinkie Pie in front of him. He had never seen her so angry, normally she was.. well, Pinkie Pie. Always happy. 
Pokey couldn't come up with any excuse.
"I think you should leave, and take that weird horn with you," she said coldly.

Those words hit Pokey like a train. Weird, nopony had ever called him weird. 
He looked at Pinkie Pie for a second, before somepony joined her, "Yeah! Get out of here!"
Soon many others started to shout at him. Most of them told him to get out, but others shouted plain insults to him. He heard words like 'freak' and 'weirdo'. 
That really hurt. It was just an accident.

He looked around himself with his ears drooped, and saw that everypony was looking at him with angry expressions on their faces. He let out a small squeak, and ran through the doorway, outside to the streets.
"It was just an accident.." he thought with tears in his eyes.


* * *


Pinkie Pie looked after the running stallion. She had a worried expression on her face.
"You think we were too harsh on him?" she asked from Applejack, who answered, sounding a bit worried too, "I don't know. He was pretty nasty when he broke Piña's balloon."
Pinkie thought for a moment, and then answered, "Yeah.. Besides, everypony will calm down soon."
"Are you going to invite him to your next parties?" Applejack asked, and looked at Pinkie with questioning look. Pinkie nodded and said, "Sure I am. I already told you that I don't want to be mean to anypony."
Applejack was about to say something, but stayed quiet. She then nodded and walked back inside the Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie looked at the direction Pokey had ran, but didn't see him anymore.
"I wasn't being mean right? I just asked him to leave.." she thought.

> Making things right.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 2
By FinnPony


"Gah!" blue unicorn shouted as he woke up from the dream he had been seeing. It had been going on since the incident at Sugarcube Corner couple of days ago.

Pokey flopped his head back to the pillow and rubbed his face. He felt tired but not so tired that he could fall asleep again. He laid there for a moment before raising up from the bed. He then trotted to the bathroom and looked at the mirror.
"Luna damn this damn horn!" he thought and looked at it with annoyed expression. "Why does it have to be so weird..”
Pokey looked at his reflection. 

After the accident Pokey hadn't dared to go out at first. After a while he managed to go outside but felt like everypony was looking at him, thinking how weird he was. It had quickly formed into some kind of paranoia and he almost never spent any time with his friends anymore.
His friends had tried to persuade him to go out with them and he did. Unfortunately he started to get the feeling that even his friends were thinking he was weird so he stopped seeing them too.
They had came to his house every day after that but he hadn't opened the door.

Pokey sighed and flopped onto his bed. He laid there for a while and rose to sit on the side of the bed again.
He scanned the room with his eyes and stopped when he saw a framed picture on his table. He levitated it to himself with his magic and looked at it with a hollow look on his face.
There he was, just a small foal, playing with balloons. He remembered when that picture was taken. He had just gotten his cutie mark and his mother wanted to immortalize that moment.

He sighed again, more deeply this time. He placed the picture to his pillow and ran his hoof through his frizzled mane. He hadn't popped a single balloon since the incident at the bakery, not even touched one. He missed the feeling of popping a balloon, but was too scared to do so. Others might think that he was weird.

"Why is life so hard?" he asked from nopony in special.


* * *


“Life is wonderfuuul!" Pinkie Pie sung as she hopped through the streets. If anypony else would act like that he or she would have been considered crazy. But because everypony knew Pinkie Pie, they didn't pay any attention to the over-happy filly. She kept jumping down the street with wide smile on her face, humming a happy tune.

She walked to a grey pegasus who had blonde hair and golden eyes, which looked at two different directions.
"Hi Ditzy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed and trotted next to the wall eyed pony. Others called her Derpy, but Pinkie didn't like calling her that, because it had been a mean nickname somepony had given to her long time ago.

The pegasus turned to look at Pinkie Pie and a broad smile spread on her face.
"Hi Pinkie," she greeted her. "What's up?"
Pinkie Pie bounced on her place, while saying, "Just wanted to to invite you to your own birthday party next week!"
"I have a birthday next week?" Ditzy Doo asked with confused look on her face. Pinkie Pie giggled and said, "Yes you do! Can't you remember that silly?"
"Hey Yeah! I have birthday next week!" Ditzy exclaimed when she realized that Pinkie was right. She started to smile and asked, maybe from herself, "How didn't I remember that?"
"I don't know!" Pinkie Pie giggled. "But I know that the party is going to be super fun!"

She held a pause and stopped jumping. She gave Ditzy a playful half-lidded look and asked, "Is there anypony special who you want to be invited there?"
Ditzy blushed a little and rubbed her front leg with her hoof. She then mumbled, "It would be nice if Time Turner would be there."

Pinkie giggled and took a notebook from inside her curly mane. She then wrote something to it and pushed it back into her mane. Again, it was something only she could do.
"Okay then! I'll be sure to give him an invitation when I see him," Pinkie said cheerily. Ditzy looked at her with grateful smile and said, "Thanks Pinkie, you're the best!"
"Just doing my jo.." Pinkie started, but stopped when she realized that arranging parties wasn't actually her job. She thought for a second, before continuing, "err.. thing!"

Ditzy Doo chuckled and said, "Okay Pinkie, I should get going now,"
"Yeah me too, see you next week Ditzy!" Pinkie said and started to bounce onward. She heard a loud clang from behind her and turned to see what it was. She saw Ditzy on her back, with her eyes rolling around. In front of her was a street light pole. Pinkie giggled and continued her bouncing.
"Silly filly.." she said to herself.

Pinkie Pie made her way towards the park and saw a ice cream stall nearby. She quickly trotted there and ordered her usual dish.
"Could I have two big mint-chocolate ice cream cones with chocolate syrup, lots of sprinkles. Put strawberries on the other one and blueberries on another. I like how they both taste a teeny tiny bit different from each other when I eat them. Anyway, add some whipped cream on top of each one of them and put a cherry on the top," she blurred out in one big sentence, probably not even breathing while she said it.
She smiled happily at the vendor in the stall, who stared at Pinkie Pie with her mouth open and her left eye twitching a little. Pinkie stared back at her and said, "Please."

The vendor shook her head to clear it and then nodded quickly. She seemed to have trouble remembering all the components of Pinkie's order, but she started to assemble the ice cream.
Pinkie leaned to the counter and watched the pony work on her treat. Pinkie hummed a little and turned to see what was going on around her. There were some ponies coming from the park and couple of them going to the park. 

She saw two stallions talking to each other. One of them was light amber colored earth pony with brown short mane and the other one was a black pegasus with ice blue mohawk. She noticed them glancing at her and started to get interested. Those two clearly had something to tell her.
As if on cue, the two stallions started to walk towards her. Pinkie was about to greet them, but the vendor behind her said, "One.. umm.. big mint-chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, strawberries, whipped cream and cherry."

Pinkie turned to her and took the massive Ice cream to her hooves. With her mouth, she placed couple of bits to the counter and turned back to the stallions, who were getting closer to her.
"Hi Caramel, Hi Thunderlane," she greeted them happily. Then she tossed the whole ice cream into the air and gulped it down with one big munch. Her eyes went wide and she held her head.
"Ow ow ow ow.." she whimpered and the stallions in front of her looked at him a bit strangely. Pinkie just flashed a sheepish smile to them and said, "Brain freeze."

Two stallions just glanced at each other quickly and then Caramel started, "Yeah.."
All three just stared at each other for a second, before Pinkie Pie broke the silence, "So what's up?"
Caramel seemed nervous and rubbed his front leg with his other one. He then spoke, "You remember the party you threw for the foals couple of days back?"
"How could I not? It was really fun party," Pinkie said happily and looked at Caramel. He gulped and asked, "You also remember Pokey?"

Pinkie's smile vanished, as she remembered what had happened.
"Is something wrong?" she asked with concern in her voice. She still remembered how she had felt that something was wrong when Pokey had left the party running.

Thunderlane looked at her with a bit uncertain expression on his face. He then said, "He's pretty upset."
Pinkie Pie gasped and leaned closer to Thunderlane, who leaned backwards from her.
"Why is he upset?" Pinkie Pie asked with serious tone. Thunderlane looked at Caramel, who nodded. He then looked back at Pinkie Pie, who's face was just inches away from his.
"He think's he's weird," Thunderlane said, earning a strange look from the pink mare in front of him. Pinkie looked at Caramel now and asked, "Weird? Weird how? Why would he think that he's weird?" 
Caramel gave her a sad look and said, "I think you told him that.."
he stopped and Pinkie looked at him with confused eyes and asked, "What did I tell him?"

Thunderlane grunted and pointed at his forehead.
"You said that his horn was weird!" he said loudly.
Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and put her hooves over her mouth. She remembered that, but she hadn't thought that she would make Pokey so sad. She flopped onto her haunches and looked at the two stallions with watery eyes. She almost started to cry, but luckily Caramel was quick to react and he said, "Hey! It's not that bad!"
"What do you mean it's not bad! He's not coming out of his house!" Thunderlane said and frowned. That didn't help to lighten up Pinkie's mood and she started to feel the tears in her eyes.

"Poor Pokey, I didn't mean to be meanie! I was just upset because he popped that foals balloon!"

She sniffed and looked at Caramel and Thunderlane. They looked back at her and Caramel said, "We thought that you would know how to cheer him up."

"Cheer him up?" Pinkie thought and soon her face light up and a broad smile appeared on her face. 
"That's it!" she exclaimed and jumped up. She placed them both into a tight Pinkie hug. Both stallions were taken by surprise and they looked at each other over her shoulders.
"I'm going to go to him right away! Don't you two worry about him at all! I know how to make him smile again!" Pinkie Pie told them and then let the two confused stallions from her grasp.
Pinkie then started to gallop away from them, but skidded to a stop after about ten meters. She turned around and galloped back to them. 
"Where does he live?" Pinkie asked with a sheepish smile on her face. Thunderlane facehoofed, but Caramel calmly told her where Pokey lived and how to get there. Pinkie Pie just nodded and was off again.

The two stallions looked after the pink blur, that was getting away from them fast.
They looked at each other and started to chuckle. Caramel heard a feminine voice from behind him asking, "What am I supposed to do with this?"
He and Thunderlane turned around and saw the vendor. She was a light blue pegasus with pale blonde mane. She was holding a big ice cream cone, which Pinkie had ordered.
"I don't know. You could eat it?" Thunderlane said and shrugged. The mare looked at the ice cream and shook her head. 
"It's way too big for me," the mare said. Caramel looked at the ice cream and said, "I can help."  
The mare started to giggle and said, "How chivalrous of you."
"Always helping a mare in trouble.." Caramel started and looked at the vendor. "Especially as good looking as you."
Thunderlane grunted and started to walk away from the two. Caramel stayed and said, "I never got your name."
"It's Sassaflash," the mare said, smiling warmly.


* * *


Pokey Pierce was sitting at the dinner table. He was reading a newspaper, or just looking at the pictures actually. He didn't have enough enthusiasm to actually read it. After he was done, he folded the paper in half and placed it on the table.
Pokey leaned backwards in his chair and looked at the ceiling, where he saw a small crack.

"How long has that been there?" he thought and kept looking at the small crack in the ceiling of his kitchen. It started to bother him so much, that he stood up and jumped to the table. It wobbled a little, but he didn't care. From there he could have a better view.
"This is going to need some plaster and paint," he thought and rose to his hind legs, to see the crack from even closer.

Then the doorbell rang, making him jump a little.
It was a mistake. Pokey tried to balance himself on his hind legs, but managed only to step close to the edge of the table. He lost his balance and came tumbling down from the table. He hit the floor with a loud crash and soon he found himself from the floor, with his shoulder on fire.

Pokey heard the doorbell ringing again and he forced himself up from the floor.
“I bet it's Caramel again," he thought and slowly walked towards the door. The bell rang again, but Pokey didn't move any faster. He wasn't going to open the door anyway.

Pokey looked through the peephole and snapped backwards immediately as he recognized who was in front of his door. There stood a pink pony, with even deeper pink curly cotton candy mane. She had a bunch of balloons with her and she smiled broadly. Pinkie somehow seemed to know when he was looking at her, because she leaned closer to the peephole and said, "Hi Pokey!"
That made Pokey feel a bit disturbed. He took couple of steps away from the door. Pinkie still kept talking, but the voice sounded muffled from behind the door.
"I heard you got upset by me being such a meanie-pants in the party earlier," Pinkie spoke. "I just wanted to tell you that I didn't mean to be so mean and that I'm really really REALLY sorry! Please let me in."
Pokey was listening to her closely, but still didn't feel like opening the door. What if it was just a trap?
"I want to tell you that I don't think you are weird! Nor your horn!" Pinkie continued. She then pleaded again, "Pokey please.. Let me in. I'm really sorry!"

Pokey Pierce didn't open the door though, he was too nervous and paranoid.
"I'll just wait for her to go away," he thought and sat down to the floor. He waited for a minute and soon he didn't hear Pinkie Pie behind the door.
"Is she gone?" Pokey mentally asked from himself and pricked up his ears.

"Heya!" a cheery voice from behind him startled Pokey and he turned around quickly.
There she was, fully pink pony filly with blue eyes and a wide smile on her face. She had a big bunch of balloons with her, attached to strings that she held in her hoof.

"How did you get in!?" Pokey asked with surprised and half scared voice, as he backed up against the door. Pinkie shrugged and said, "I don't know actually."
"How can't you know!?" Pokey asked, but then remembered that he was talking with Pinkie Pie and he added, "Forget it. I mean why are you here?"
"I thought I already explained that," she answered, tilting her head a little. She had a small smile on her lips. Pokey felt really nervous, especially with all those balloons around her. Pinkie seemed to notice that, because she gave Pokey an apologetic look and said quietly, "I'm really sorry about what happened in the party."

Pokey stared at her for a second, before sitting down and drooping his head.
"Don't be. It’s my fault. I have this weird horn," he said sadly, and stared at the floor. Pinkie pie quickly tied the strings of the balloons to nearby coat holder and slowly walked to the sad stallion. She sat in front of him and said warmly, "Your horn  isn't weird."
"You said so yourself," Pokey said and looked at Pinkie Pie in the eyes. Pinkie Pie looked into his golden eyes and said, "I know.. But I was just mad and didn't think straight."
Pokey just drooped his head again and looked at the floor. Pinkie Pie sighed and towed herself closer to the blue unicorn and placed him into a warm hug.

Pokey wasn't expecting that, so he winced a little, but Pinkie Pie held him tightly, so he couldn't move.
He felt Pinkie's soft fur against his body and her fluffy mane against his neck. He felt blush forming on his cheeks. Pinkie tightened her hug around him and said gently, "Your horn is beautiful, just like everypony else's."
Pokey felt warmness spreading in his chest when she said those words. He slowly lifted his hooves around Pinkie Pie and joined into the hug. Pinkie Pie giggled a little and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah," Pokey answered. Then Pinkie Pie asked with a bit more serious tone, "Will you forgive me Pokey?"
"I will," Pokey said and let go of Pinkie Pie, who did the same. 

They then stared at each other and Pinkie started to giggle. She rose up and pulled the meekly smiling Pokey up with her hoof. She looked at the unicorn and said happily, "Come on now! We have lots of balloons to pop!"
"Really?" Pokey asked and looked past her, at the big bunch of balloons Pinkie had brought.
"Yeah! It'll be super fun!" Pinkie Pie giggled and smiled to him playfully.




> Departure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 3
By FinnPony


The whole town was coated with a thick coat of snow, making Ponyville look like a set from a Hearth’s Warming Eve play. It was also snowing a little, making everything look even more winterly.
Many residents from the town were spending time outside in the clear white day. They played in the snow with their families and foals across the street were engaged in a fierce snowball fight.

Pink pony with blue tassel beanie and a scarf watched the foals play. She turned her head towards a blue unicorn who was next to her and tapped him on the shoulder. The blue unicorn had a pink scarf around his neck. He turned to look at her and started to smile.
“That looks fun! Wanna have a round?” Pinkie Pie asked from Pokey Pierce, who frowned at her, but still smiled at her.
“Pinkie, that’s third time you want to have a snow fight,” Pokey said, sounding amused. Pinkie had already rolled a snowball and held it in her hoof. She looked at pokey and asked, “So why haven’t we already had one?”

Pokey chuckled a little, but it ended with a sad sigh.
“You know we don’t have time for that,” he said to the smiling mare, who’s smile too faded away from her face. She dropped the snowball to the ground and sighed quietly, “Yeah..”

They watched the foals play for a minute, before they continued walking towards Ponyville’s train station. They both walked in silence for a while, before Pinkie spoke, “Can’t you go after the Heart’s Warming Eve?”
“We already talked about this..” Pokey said and looked at her with grave expression on his face. Pinkie nodded slowly and said, “You need that job and they won’t give you another offer..”
She then sighed and said, “I know.”

Pokey had his saddlebag with him and a large duffle bag hanging from around his neck. He had all his private stuff with him and a bag full of bits.
Pokey had been looking for a job for a while. He and Pinkie Pie had been trying to get a job for him from Ponyville, but nothing had worked out for him. 
Mail delivering, office work, construction sites, nothing was his thing. Pinkie had asked her friends if Pokey could help them in any way, but none of them needed any help, nor had any additional bits to spare.
It was then when Pokey started to get interested in photographing. He was amateur in it, but it was something that he enjoyed doing.

Pokey looked quickly at the mare next to him and smiled to himself. He hadn’t thought himself as a good photographer, but Pinkie had thought otherwise. It was her idea to send some of the pictures he had taken to one of newspapers that was looking for a new photographer.

To his surprise, the paper had sent him positive feedback and had asked him to have a tryouts at their office..
In Manehattan. Of course he couldn’t let that slip away from him.

“I’m going to miss you,” Pinkie Pie said with glum voice. Pokey looked at her and said, “I’m only away for a week, if I don’t get the job.”
Pinkie Pie frowned and said to him, “But then you wouldn’t have a job and I don’t want that to happen.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m going to miss you too,” Pokey said and gave her a smile. Pinkie returned it and then looked forward.

They were almost at the trainstation, she could see the building’s figure through the snowfall.
She glanced at Pokey, who had a blank stare on his face. Pinkie sighed and started to think about her past with Pokey.

After the balloon incident, they had become really good friends. Pokey had been helping her arrange some of her parties and he had been in every single party she had held. They also liked to hang out in general.
Pinkie smiled to herself, while remembering all the funny things they had done together during the last four months. Pokey shared the same taste of humor with her and Pinkie though that he was one of her best friends.
Even thinking about him leaving Ponyville made her feel sad. 

“Promise me that you will write to me every week,” Pinkie said and looked at Pokey with a stern look. Pokey smiled warmly at her and said, “I’ll write you every day if you want to.”
“Really!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Ooh! Then it would be like you never even left!”
Pokey chuckled and had a bit amused smile on his lips. 
“Something like that,” he said and gave Pinkie a small smile, which she quickly returned. 

They reached the train station and Pokey quickly bought a ticket for next train to Manehattan. It would be arriving to the station in five minutes or less. The pair walked to the pier, where they stood side by side.

After a minute of silence, Pinkie Pie cleared her throat to get Pokey’s attention. He turned his head towards Pinkie Pie, who looked at his eyes and had a sad smile on her lips.
“I bought you these,” she said and pulled a small cardboard box from under her beanie. Pokey looked at the box, which the smiling pink pony presented at him.
“Go on, take it!” Pinkie said with cheery voice. Pokey took the box from her and looked at
Pinkie with suspicious eyes.
“It’s not a prank this time,” Pinkie Pie said and giggled a little. Pokey decided to trust her, but still opened the box carefully. It wouldn’t be the first time for Pinkie to play a prank on him with  ‘snake cans’.

Nothing exploded onto his face though and amused smile spread on his face when he saw the content of the box Pinkie had given him.
It was filled with deflated balloons of different color and shapes.
“I think that they sell balloons in Manehattan too,” Pokey said, chuckling a little. Pinkie Pie just giggled and punched him on the shoulder playfully.
“It’s not that you silly!” she said and still giggled a little. Then her tone changed into a bit more timid and she said, “I bought them for you, so you can pop them every time you miss me.”
Pokey got moved when she said that and closed the box.
“You need to send me more balloons soon,” Pokey said.
“Why?” Pinkie Pie asked, blinking. Pokey looked at the box again and then turned to see Pinkie Pie. They stared at each other for a second, before Pokey said quietly, “Because I’m going to miss you everyday.”
Pinkie felt tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes.

“Pokey..”

CHOO CHOO

Both ponies turned towards the sound and saw the train arriving to the pier. It slowly rolled to stop and doors opened. There were couple of ponies coming out from the train and a conductor jumped down to the pier from the the locomotive’s cab.

Pokey turned towards Pinkie Pie, whose eyes were wet.
“I need to go now,” he said and stared at Pinkie’s watery eyes. It made his heart ache when he saw her crying and he almost changed his mind about leaving Ponyville.
“Yeah. You don’t want to miss your train,” Pinkie said and sniffed. She then swept her muzzle with her hoof and looked at the floor.

Pokey started to feel his eyes getting wetter too and he sighed. He looked at the box Pinkie Pie had given her and placed it into his duffle bag, next to his camera.
When Pokey saw his camera, he got an idea. He looked at Pinkie Pie, who carefully looked back at him, with a sad look on her face.
“Pinkie,” he said and levitated the camera from his bag with his magic. Pinkie looked at him with confused look on her face and Pokey started to explain, “You gave me these balloons, so I decided that I should give you something too.”

He then walked next to the Pink mare and threw his hoof over her shoulder. Pinkie giggled and did the same to him. Then Pokey adjusted the camera a little and turned to see Pinkie Pie who smiled at him sweetly. 
“Say cheese!” he said and turned towards the camera again. 

Instead of hearing Pinkie Pie say ‘cheese’, he felt something soft and wet press against his cheeks. 
Just then the camera flashed.
Confused Pokey turned to See Pinkie Pie, who giggled and smiled at him. Pokey looked at her with his mouth slightly open.
“Did she just..” he thought and quickly grabbed the photo from his Ponaroid camera. He waved it in the air for couple of times, so it would develop faster. When he saw the picture, his jaw dropped and eyes went wide.

In the picture they had their hooves over each other’s shoulders and Pokey smiled at the camera. Pinkie wasn’t smiling thought. She was kissing Pokey’s cheeks gently, with her eyes closed.
Pokey turned towards Pinkie Pie, who was blushing a little and rubbing her front leg against her other one. She chuckled nervously and said, “Heh.. Just wanted to make sure that you write me often.”
Pokey chuckled too and gave the picture to Pinkie. She took it into her hoof and watched it with a broad smile on her face.

“All aboard!” the conductor shouted from the locomotive and watched as the last ponies from the pier started to move inside the train. Pokey too looked at the train behind him and levitated his camera back to his bag. Pinkie stuffed the picture under her beanie and stared at Pokey right into his golden eyes.
“Promise to come visit me someday,” she said quietly, without breaking eye contact with Pokey. He smiled and leaned a bit closer to Pinkie.
“I promise,” he said, reaching his hoof towards Pinkie. 

They close each other into a tight hug quickly.
“Pinkie promise,” Pinkie said, sounding serious.
“Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye!” Pokey said, while he was still being hugged by Pinkie Pie. She giggled happily and then sighed.
They said their goodbyes and Pokey started to walk towards the train. He was the last one to enter. When the conductor saw him enter the train, he started to close the doors of each wagon. Pokey still stood right behind the door and looked at Pinkie behind the glass.
Pinkie stood on the pier, waving at Pokey sadly. Pokey returned the wave and tried to look as happy as he could. Pinkie tried too, but she couldn’t hold off small tears that started to form in the corner of her eyes again. 

  CHOO CHOO

The train nudged into motion. It started to move slowly forward, with Pokey in it. Pinkie watched him wave at her again, with more sad expression on his face this time. She walked next to the train until the pier came to an end. Then she dropped onto her haunches and looked at the quickly moving train, that started to disappear from her sight.
Pinkie Pie sniffed couple of times and swept couple of tears away from her eyes.
She then dug the picture Pokey had given her a moment earlier and looked at it.
“I really started to like that colt,” she thought sadly and drew couple of small circles to the snow with her hoof. 

> Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 4
By FinnPony


Ponyville’s train station was packed with ponies, all waiting to meet their friends and families who were coming from Manehattan. They all were pushed to the only pier the station had and they all were forced to stand side to side with each other.

In the middle of the crowd stood two earth ponies. One was an orange strong-legged farm pony with a brown stetson on her head, while the other one was a pink, over-excited mare with a puffy darker pink mane.
The orange one seemed to feel a bit awkward and annoyed within the crowd, being pushed around by the mass of ponies. The other one didn’t seem to mind it at all and it even looked like that it was the crowd that was annoyed by her. She bounced up and down, peeking over the heads of others, trying to see if the train had already arrived by the platform.

“Pinkie! Stop jumping!” Applejack commanded with an almost angry voice. Pinkie Pie didn’t stop jumping though and kept doing so while she replied, “But then I might miss the train!”
“You’re not going in it, how can you miss it?” Applejack asked while giving an angry look to somepony who bumped into her.
“I mean I might miss it coming!” Pinkie Pie answered, still jumping up and down. Applejack looked at her for a moment. Pinkie had hopped in place for a good ten minutes and she didn’t even seem to break a sweat.
“Oh for crying out loud..” Applejack murmured and stepped on Pinkie Pie’s tail. Pinkie bounced up, but sprung right back to the floor with a small thud. She turned to look at Applejack with a surprised look on her face. Applejack in turn just calmly looked back at her.
“What did you do that for?” Pinkie Pie asked while rising back up to all fours.
“Being impatient doesn’t speed things up,” Applejack explained with a motherly tone. “Besides, we will hear the train arriving to the station.”

“I guess you’re ri..” Pinkie Pie started, but was interrupted by somepony from the crowd exclaiming, “The train is here!”
Pinkie turned to look at Applejack with one eyebrow raised. Applejack just rolled her eyes in response and started to push towards the locomotive with the pink mare. They struggled through the mass of ponies, who were all hugging and welcoming their reunited friends and family members.
Pinkie kept looking around , trying to locate the pony she was there for. Nopony she saw seemed to be the right one and so she kept looking. Applejack looked around herself as well, but she wasn’t sure she knew what the pony they were looking for even looked like anymore. It had been a couple of years since they had last time seen him afterall.

Everypony started to move away from the pier, making it easier for Pinkie Pie and Applejack to move around. There were a couple of ponies on Pinkie’s right, but none of them resembled the stallion she was looking for. 
Pinkie almost started to get nervous now, it seemed like the pony she was looking for wasn’t even here.
Pinkie took a couple of steps while looking to her left. Suddenly she felt something smack against her and she dropped onto her haunches from the impact.
Pinkie Pie shook her head to clear it and looked up.
“I’m really sor-..” the pony she had bumped into started, but stopped when their eyes met. Pinkie stared at those golden eyes for a moment, before she let out a happy squeal and jumped forward.
“Pokey!” she exclaimed and threw her hooves around the surprised blue unicorn’s neck. He didn’t hesitate for long though and wrapped his hooves around Pinkie in return, who was giggling girlishly.
“Pinkie Pie! So good to see you!” Pokey greeted happily, while still embracing Pinkie Pie. They soon broke the hug and Pinkie Pie was smiling widely. However, Pokey was totally dumbfounded when he looked at Pinkie Pie more carefully.

She had grown into a mare. She had gotten a bit taller than last time he had seen her and her body had gotten some more shape into it. She was a bit chubbier, but in a good way. Her pink mane and tail were still the same Pokey had remembered when he left Ponyville. She also had that same excited and overly-happy attitude about her and seeing that ear to ear grin made Pokey smile too.

“I’ve missed you! I already have a party planned for you and you can help me with it and..” Pinkie started to blabber, jumping in place a little. Pokey studied her for a moment. He had almost forgotten what she was like, but now it started to come back to him.
“Oh, hi Applejack,” he said, when he noticed the orange mare standing next to them. She tilted her hat a little in response to the greeting.

“...And then we will have the best time ever!” Pinkie Pie finished and finally stopped jumping. She breathed heavily due the long non-stop blabbering and looked at Pokey with a waiting expression on her face.
“Yeah! Exactly!” he quickly replied and watched Pinkie Pie with a smile on his lips as she started to giggle and jump up and down again. 

“We’re going to have so much FUN!” Pinkie exclaimed and gave Pokey a big smile.
He chuckled and returned the expression.
“I bet we will,” Pokey agreed.


* * *


“And now give a big applause for the reason of this super mega fun party!” Pinkie Pie announced when the music stopped. Almost everypony turned to look at her when the speakers that were placed around Sugarcube Corner went silent.
The building was packed. Every single pony who was between the age of eighteen to forty was in there. The owners of the establishment, the Cakes had gone to the local motel for the night, so Pinkie could party all she wanted that evening. 

Pinkie waited for the hoof stomping, but she soon noticed the confused look on her guests faces. She looked around the crowd and then asked, “What?”
“Umm.. Who is it?” somepony asked. Soon another joined him, “I thought that this was just one of those random parties you sometimes have.”
Pinkie Pie chuckled a little and then said loud enough so that everypony could hear, “No. This is a welcome back home party for Pokey!”
There was a short silence before Rainbow Dash poked her head from the mass of ponies and asked, “Who?”
“Pokey, silly! Pokey Pierce!” She explained happily and pointed towards the counter, where a blue unicorn with a white mane was pouring a drink for himself. He stopped, when he noticed everypony looking at him.
“Oh yeah! That one,” Rainbow Dash said casually. Pinkie didn’t hear any clopping though and she frowned. She didn’t like that at all.

“Applause!” she shouted, making everypony jump. They then quickly started to stomp their hooves on the floor and somepony even cheered a little. Nopony dared to disobey the pink party pony. After she was happy with the result, Pinkie Pie turned towards the mixing table. She gave a nod to a white mare with sunglasses and a flashy blue mane.
“Take it away Vinyl!” she said and the mare behind the mixing table turned a new disk to the player. Soon a fast dance song started to play and everypony started to cheer and tango.

Pinkie Pie danced for a minute before hopping to Pokey, who was standing next to the counter with a cup of punch in his hoof.
“Hi sunshine! How’s the party?” Pinkie Pie asked and quickly filled her cup with punch. She took a quick sip and noted that the drink was strong enough since she could taste the alcohol in it clearly. She downed her cup in one big gulp and Pokey was looking at her with an amused expression on his face.
“Take it slow Pinkie,” Pokey warned when Pinkie refilled her cup again. She just giggled and turned towards him. She then said with her cheery voice, “What’s the point in partying if you can’t have fun?”
Pinkie then gulped down the contents of the cup again and placed the now empty container to the counter and looked at Pokey, who was taking a sip from his own drink.

Pinkie quickly examined him. Pokey’s legs were longer than last time she had seen him and his face had formed much more mature details in it. His mane was a bit longer too, but it was shaped just like when he had left Ponyville.
Pinkie noticed something completely different though. Pokey had a golden earring in his right ear.
“Hey! I didn’t notice that before,” Pinkie said and leaned closer to look at the piece of jewelry.
“Yeah, I didn’t have it on when I came here but I thought it would be a good idea to wear it to the party,” He explained to her. Pinkie Pie leaned away from him and said, “It’s really neat!”
“Thanks,” Pokey replied.

Pokey drank the rest of his punch and looked towards the middle of the shop that worked as a dance floor. There were ponies still dancing to the beat of Vinyl Scratch’s dance remixes. He turned towards Pinkie and asked, “Wanna dance?”
“Sure thing Pokey wokey!” She answered, making Pokey frown at her. Pinkie just giggled and started to move towards the dance floor with the blue stallion close behind her. It didn’t take long for those two to start jamming like they used to do when they were younger. Everypony moved a bit away from them however, since they knew Pinkie’s crazy moves needed more space and nopony wanted to get hit by Pokey’s horn. 

“I really missed your parties!” Pokey said, but Pinkie didn’t quite hear it over the loud music. She moved to dance a bit closer to him and replied: “You don’t even have panties! How can you have pi..”
“No!” An embarrassed Pokey interrupted her. “I really missed your parties!”
“Aww.. I missed you too!” Pinkie shouted and threw her hoof over his shoulder. It seemed like the music was getting louder and she still hadn’t heard him well. They continued to dance in their unique way for a second, before Pokey decided to try one more time.

Just as Pokey was trying to speak again, the music faded. Everypony looked towards the mixing table, where Vinyl was pushing some buttons. Soon a slow melody started to play and Vinyl announced, “Now it’s time for the first slow dances!”
Soon the dance floor was filled with happy couples, who were now slowly swaying in rhythm with the music.
Pinkie Pie and Pokey were still idly standing in the middle of all the dancing ponies, with Pinkie’s hoof over Pokey’s shoulder. They both looked around themselves and at all the slowly dancing pairs. Their eyes soon met and they both quickly looked forward.

“Umm..” Pokey started.
“Yeah.” Pinkie continued. They then carefully turned their heads towards each other. The atmosphere was rather awkward, with music playing and Pinkie Pie continuing to hold her hoof over his shoulder.
“So..” Pokey said with a asking tone. Pinkie blinked couple of times and offered the obvious, “Would you like to?”
“I don’t mind. If you want.. I guess we could..” Pokey answered slowly and looked Pinkie right into her eyes. She slowly turned in front of him, still holding her hoof on his other shoulder. Pokey gulped a little and lifted his own hoof carefully over Pinkie’s shoulder, who quietly giggled at him.
“You ready?” She asked Pokey, who nodded in response.

They then started to dance slowly. Pinkie Pie leaned closer to Pokey, making him feel hot around his cheeks. A couple years back it would be completely normal for them to dance like this, but now it felt different. Pinkie too seemed to have the same kind of thoughts, because she was blushing a little bit as well. The bubbly and zippy Pinkie he knew was gone, replaced by a shy young mare that looked like her. He wasn’t about to complain though. Pokey felt a goofy smile spreading on his face while realizing that he had made the most social pony in the town fall silent. 

Pinkie Pie noticed that smile and asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You are,” Pokey answered with a playful grin on his face. Pinkie frowned in return, but kept smiling. She then asked, “What’s so funny about me?”
“Everything, but I meant the way you’re acting right now,” Pokey explained to her while they slowly danced in circles.
“How should I act then?” Pinkie Pie asked. Pokey just shrugged and replied, “I don’t know, more Pinkie like I guess.”

They snickered and Pinkie leaned a bit closer once more to the blue stallion. She looked at him with a small smile on her face and said coyly, “It’s just.. You’ve been away for so long and..”
“And what?” Pokey interjected while staring into her blue eyes.
“...And you’ve changed,” Pinkie finished and turned her eyes towards the floor. Pokey chuckled and asked, “Changed how?”
“Well you’re much taller and your mane is longer, you have a earring and you’re a photographer..” Pinkie started to blabber, but stopped suddenly. “You are still a photographer, right?”
“Yep.” he answered simply. They hadn’t spoken about his job when Pokey had arrived to Ponyville. They had had too much party planning to do.
“Well that’s awesome!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily. “Now where was I.. Oh yeah! And your face is much more like..”
“Can’t you just compress that a little bit?” Pokey asked, because he knew that she could go on forever. 

Pinkie tapped her chin with her hoof a couple of times, before a shy smile spread on her face.
“You’re much more handsome,” she commented quietly, making Pokey blush immediately. She giggled at the sight and then asked with a bit of a sultry tone, “How about me? Have I gotten any more beautiful?”
Pokey thought for a moment and then grinned at her playfully..
“No you haven’t,” he answered calmly. Pinkie looked at him with a confused and almost angry look. They stopped moving, but she still had her hoof on his shoulder.
“How can he say that? After I was being so nice to him,”  the pink mare thought confusedly. Pokey noticed her expression and quickly added, “Because you were always beautiful.”
“Aww..” Pinkie cooed and grabbed Pokey into a hug.

Soon after the slow dance song stopped, Vinyl Scratch started to play some of the faster music again. 


* * *


Pinkie Pie and Pokey Pierce were sitting together in one of the booths of Sugarcube Corner, laughing at each other’s stories and jokes while the music played a bit quieter further into the night. They both snickered while watching others become increasingly more drunk by the free booze Pinkie was serving at her parties.

“Ooh look! Rarity’s had a couple too many,” Pinkie Pie giggled and pointed at two ponies in the crowd. Pokey looked in the direction of her hoof and saw a dark grey, almost black pegasus with a ice blue mohawk holding up a white unicorn mare with a curly royal purple mane.
Rarity was clearly wasted and she hung around Thunderlane’s neck, trying to kiss the annoyed looking stallion. Pokey’s eyes went wide and she turned towards Pinkie Pie.

“Thunderlane... and Rarity?” he asked.
“Or Rarity and Thunderlane. Depends on how you look at it,” Pinkie Pie answered and looked at the pair. Pokey turned to look at them again and stated mainly to himself, “Things have surely changed while I was gone.”
“You have no idea,” Pinkie Pie said with an amused tone. Pokey turned towards her and looked at Pinkie with wide eyes.
“What do you mean?” he asked. Without hesitation, Pinkie started to explain, “Well Rarity is with Thunderlane, Fluttershy with Big Mac..”
“Fluttershy!?” Pokey asked with suspicious look on his face. Pinkie nodded and replied, “Yeah and they are really cute together.”
Pokey shook his head and chuckled. Things had changed indeed.
“I’m not so sure about Twilight, but I think that she has something going on with that ‘personal bodyguard’. Oh yeah! Then there’s Rainbow Dash and Applejack!”
Pokey almost choked on his punch and started to cough.

“Applejack? I knew that Rainbow Dash was a fillyfooler...” Pokey said slowly.
“Everypony knew that,” Pinkie Pie assured and Pokey nodded in response. He then continued, “But Applejack? Really?”
“Yeah! There they are right now!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and nudged her head towards their direction. Pokey was about to look there, but Pinkie stopped him by saying, “Don’t turn your head. If you look at them from the corner of your eye, you might see them kiss.”
Pokey chuckled and leaned into his hoof.
“How about you Pinkie? Had any handsome coltfriends while I was gone?” He asked with a playful tone. Pinkie chuckled and waved her hoof at him.
“Noo. I never felt like I needed one,” Pinkie answered and looked at Applejack and Rainbow dash at the other side of the room.
“Never felt or feel?” Pokey asked, still leaning on his hoof. That sentence made Pinkie turn towards him. She stared right at Pokey and changed the subject, “How about you? Didn’t you have any cute fillies with you when you were in Manehattan?”
“Nah. Didn’t have any luck,” Pokey answered and took a sip from his punch.

They sat in silence for a minute, before Pokey started speaking again, “Remember that day when I left?”
“Yes.. why?” Pinkie questioned and looked at Pokey, while playing with a straw that she had in the cup of her punch.
“You know what I remembered the most?” Pokey asked. He wasn’t sure if he should start talking about it, but he thought that it was the alcohol in him talking.
“What?” Pinkie asked and leaned closer.
“That picture we took,” he answered and looked Pinkie right in her eyes. Pinkie looked back and seemed to have frozen. Pokey started to regret that he had brought that up, when suddenly Pinkie rose up and said, “Come with me.” 

Pokey rose up from the table and Pinkie grabbed his hoof. She then started to drag him towards the door of the bakery itself. Pinkie pushed the door open and left the party. They could still hear the muffled bass and sound of other ponies from behind the door as they walked through the empty portion of the pastry shop. 
Pokey knew that they were headed towards Pinkie’s room. He had been there before after all. They quickly trotted up the stairs that were on the other side of the empty room and came to a small corridor with one door on the each side of it, as well as one at the end of it. Pinkie opened the entrance to her left and pulled him inside, then promptly closed the door behind her.
It was pretty dark within the room and Pokey tried to find the light switch on the wall next to him. He didn’t manage to find though before Pinkie turned on the lights. 

Pokey looked around himself and chuckled. Nothing had changed since he had left. The light caramel colored walls were decorated with different kinds of carvings and the support pillars of the catwalk above her bed were shaped and painted to resemble candy canes. There was also a big bowl, or more like a bucket full of candy next to a sofa with a big teddy bear laying on it. The bed was enormous in size and it’s bedspread was full of patches that resembled lollipops and balloons sewn in it. The atmosphere in the room could be explained with one word, pink.
Pokey also saw balloons everywhere he looked. Attached to the end of Pinkie’s bed, floating against the ceiling, tied to the supports pillars. There were balloons pretty much everywhere.

“I thought that you would like them,” Pinkie Pie said happily and walked towards her bed. Pokey walked next to her and asked, “Why are they in your room and not in the party then?”
“Because I knew we would be in here sooner or later this evening,” Pinkie Pie explained casually. That made Pokey a bit confused.
“What did she mean with that?” he thought and looked at the smiling mare next to him. Pinkie moved with her strange hopping gait, which made Pokey always smile and Pinkie trotted next to her bed.
“Lookie lookie,” she said with her girly voice and pointed at the wall over her mattress. Pokey snapped away from his thoughts and turned towards the wall where Pinkie was pointing. 

There he saw many pictures placed on the wall with pins. There was something familiar about them and Pokey leaned closer to examine them further. A small snicker escaped from him when he recognized the pictures.
They were all the pictures that he had sent to Pinkie while at Manehattan and they were forming a circle around one particular image. It was the one where they were in the train station, with Pinkie planting a kiss on his cheek. There was a small drawing over their heads in the picture which Pokey noticed.
“Is that a heart?” he asked with an amused voice. Pinkie giggled and sat onto her bed. She swung her hind legs over the edge and replied slowly, “Mayybee.” 
Pokey felt something warm growing inside him as he looked at the coyly smiling Pinkie who sat on the edge of her mattress, idly kicking the air with her hind legs. She looked at something on the wall, but then turned her head towards Pokey, who was staring at her.
“What?” she asked, smiling an amused smile.

Pokey then sat next to her and looked at the pink mare with a wry smile on his face. Pinkie blinked a couple of times and asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Something funny,” Pokey said and leaned closer to her with a half lidded stare. 
“Ooh! Can I guess? I love guessing games!” Pinkie exclaimed, perking up and jumping in place. Pokey’s expression changed into a confused stare when Pinkie started to guess, “Something funny.. Hmm. Is it a rollercoaster?” Pinkie asked, but Pokey just gave her a strange look.
“No? Well is it a party? A clown?” she kept at it. “Is it in this room? Is it my party cannon?”

Before Pinkie could continue, Pokey planted a small kiss on her cheek. Pinkie Pie’s ears folded against her head, her eyes went wide as dinner plates and her curly mane boffed like she had gotten an electric shock. She tried to turn towards Pokey but lost her balance on the edge of the bed and fell on the floor with a small shriek. From there she looked at Pokey with wide eyes and a hard blush on her cheeks and he looked back at her with a worried look on his face.
They stared at each other for a second, before Pokey started to snicker. It quickly changed into straight laughter and he fell on his back against the bed. Pinkie too started to giggle and she rose up from the floor.
“That was kinda funny,” she agreed, still giggling a little. Pokey started to get his laughing under control finally as he looked at the other occupant of the room.
“Yeah it was.”

Pinkie hopped on the bed and sat in front of Pokey, who had rose up to a sitting position once more. He was still chuckling a bit when he said, “Sorry Pinkie.”
“No problemo,” Pinkie replied with her usual cheery voice. A small blush formed on her face and she gave Pokey a meek look. She rubbed her front hooves together and asked, “Why did you do that?”
“It was revenge for that,” Pokey answered and pointed at the picture on the wall. Pinkie Pie dropped her ears and said, or more like sighed, “Oh.”
Pokey smiled warmly at her and leaned closer to the element of laughter. Pinkie’s ears sprung back up and she looked him right into his golden eyes. Pokey hesitated for a second, while looking into her blue, awaiting irises.

“And because I like you,” he said and saw how Pinkie’s face lit up. She opened her mouth to speak, but then a pondering pout appeared onto her face. She leaned closer and whispered, “Like like me?”
“Like like you?” confused Pokey asked. Pinkie nodded and said with serious tone, “You know.. Like, like like me?”
“The hay?” Pokey chuckled, but Pinkie still had a serious look on her face and she persisted, “Yes! Do you like like me? Or do you just like me?”
Pokey rolled his eyes and quickly kissed Pinkie Pie on the top of her muzzle, making her fall silent and blush once more.
“I like you,” Pokey answered and reached his hooves towards Pinkie Pie, who immediately moved closer to him. They wrapped each other into a warm hug and Pinkie Pie nuzzled her snout into Pokey’s neck. 
“I like like you too,” She replied and tightened her grip around Pokey.
> The park
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 5
By FinnPony


“What’s happening over there?” Twilight asked from four other mares that were pressed up against a door.
“Aww... They are hugging..” Fluttershy said while peeking through the keyhole of the door..
“Aww...” the five other mares joined her. Then Applejack pushed the yellow pegasus from the door gently. Fluttershy let out a small eep, but Applejack hushed her, and said quietly, “Shh Sugarcube, I’ll take just a quick look.”
“Why..” White unicorn with purple mane started to slur, but a hiccup stopped her. “Why can’t I have a look?”
“Because you can’t even stand up straight Rarity,” Rainbow Dash chuckled while playfully nuzzling closer to Applejack, so she could look through the keyhole too. Applejack chuckled and threw her hoof over Rainbow’s shoulder. Meanwhile Rarity let out a small hmph and started to slur with her drunken voice again, “Its not my fault that.. *hic* ..that Pinkie made the punch too strong.”
“Thunderlane had as many as you did, and he’s just fine,” Rainbow continued quietly while looking through the keyhole with Applejack. Rarity leaned against the wall next to the door and said loudly, “I am a mare.. And he is a sat.. stallo.. Stallion!”
Others chuckled amusedly, but then they heard hoofsteps coming closer on the other side of the door.
“Quick, hide!” Fluttershy ‘shouted’ and everypony started to rush towards the stairs, squealing like teenager foals. Even Twilight, who considered herself more mature than her other friends.

Door opened and embarrassed looking Pokey Pierce and happily gleeing Pinkie Pie came from the room. They were holding each other’s front legs and could still hear the playful shrieks from the stairs. Music from the shop was now a little bit quieter than before.
“Were they watching us all the time?” Pokey asked, sounding nervous. Pinkie Pie just giggled and held Pokey’s leg a bit tighter.
“They are a bit silly,” she said and bounced besides Pokey towards the stairs. Pokey chuckled nervously, and said, “I hope they didn’t get a wrong idea about us.”
Pinkie gave him a strange look and blinked her eyes like she always did when she was confused or didn’t understand something.
“What do you mean?” she asked while walking down the stairs with Pokey. He shrugged and muttered, “Well you know.. They might think that..” he chuckled nervously again. “That we are.. t-together?”

Pinkie Pie saw that Pokey was blushing, and that he tried to look away from her. She pulled Pokey from his hoof and pressed her side against his. Pinkie wore her trademark ear to ear smile when she asked, “We aren’t?”
“Are we?” Pokey asked, trying to sound calm, but his voice broke down into a high pitched squeak. Pinkie looked at him with a warm gaze and she said quietly, “I think we are.”


* * *


It was a partly cloudy sunday afternoon in Ponyville.  
Sugarcube Corner was closed on sundays, but it was still full of life that day. There was six mares sitting around one extremely over over-decorated room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were laying on Pinkie’s bed, snuggling with each other. Rarity was brushing through Fluttershy’s long pink mane, and Twilight was sitting on a couch with Pinkie Pie.

“So how is he like?” Rarity asked while running a brush down Fluttershy’s mane with her magic. 
“Oh, I thought that you knew Pokey?” Pinkie asked from her while lazing on the couch. Twilight chuckled next to her, and said, “I think Rarity meant that how is he like as a coltfriend.”
Pinkie rubbed her chin with her hoof while answering, “I don’t know yet.”
That made other five mares gave her confused looks.
“How can’t you know yet?” Rainbow asked from Pinkie while Applejack was playing with her tail. Pinkie shrugged and said calmly, “Well we haven’t really spent any time together yet.”
“Well maybe you should Sugarcube,” Applejack said, instantly followed by loud slap and Applejack grunting. Everypony turned towards the sound, and they saw her rubbing her snout from the spot where Rainbow’s tail had hit her. Others chuckled at them but then their interest went back to the pink mare laying on the couch.
“Yeah. Maybe I should,” she said and smiled to her friends mysteriously. They didn’t notice it though, and continued their non-stop bombardment of questions. 
“Have you anything planned with him?” Twilight asked from the happily smiling mare, who turned towards her and said cheerily, “Nah. Planning is more like your thing Twilight. I just go with the flow.”
“So you two don’t plan anything together?” Fluttershy asked, sounding shocked. “I can’t do anything with Big Mac if we don’t plan everything carefully.
Pinkie let out a small ‘pfft’ and flopped down from the couch. 
“You girls always think too much,” she told her friends as she was walking towards the door of her room.  I always trust that everything will go just fine by itself.”

Others looked at her confusedly, as she made her way towards the door. She took a hold of the handle, and swung the door open. All of her friends’ mouth opened in surprise when they saw a blue unicorn with frizzled white mane. He had surprised, almost scared expression on his face and a bouquet of pink flowers in his other hoof. He blinked and stared at Pinkie with his ears folded backwards.
“Hi Pokey!” Pinkie said and hugged the surprised stallion. “Whatcha doing here?”
“I-I thought that m-maybe you wanted to go out with me today?” he muttered. Pinkie let go of him and turned towards her friends.
“See girls? I told you!” she said to the five dumbfounded mares in her room. Pokey looked happier, but still confused. He looked at smiling Pinkie, and asked, “How did you know that I was just behind the door?”
“I didn’t!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily. “I just felt like I should open the door.”
Pokey looked at her strangely for a second before shaking his head. He then presented the bouquet of flowers to the mare in front of him.
“I remember Thunderlane saying that mares like flowers so I bought some for you,” Pokey said. He could hear Rarity sighing behind Pinkie.
“Oh yes. They look really yummy,” Pinkie said. Pokey chuckled and started, “Glad you lik.. Wait. What?”
Before he could do anything Pinkie grasped the flowers from his hoof and was already munching them before Pokey even realized what was going on. He and Pinkie’s five other friends stared at the flower eating pony with confused looks on their faces.
“Mmh.. Oh yeah. the pink ones are the best,” she said while swallowing down the rest of the flowers. She swept couple of pink petals from her  finished with a small girly burp and a giggle. Her friends looked at her with strange expressions on their faces. She frowned and said, “What? We eat daisies all the time!” 
Pokey stared at her blankly, but a smile appeared on his face when Pinkie Pie nuzzled his chin and thanked him sweetly.

“So are we going?” Pinkie asked with enthusiasm in her voice. Pokey nodded to her and Pinkie quickly turned towards her friends and said, “Okay girls, gotta go! You can stay here as long as you like. There’s some cake downstairs!”
She then pressed herself against blushing Pokey and closed the door behind her.

As the pair walked out from the room, five mares sat on their places, mouth open and eyes wide from confusion. Applejack was first to snap away from the confused trance they were in. She looked at others and she asked, “How does she do it?”
“Don’t try to figure it out. You’ll just get a headache,” Twilight said with a voice of experience.


* * *


“Did they buy it?” Pinkie asked while trying to hold a giggle. 
“Yeah. They really think that you knew I was coming,” Pokey said as he was looking through the keyhole in the door to Pinkie’s room.
“Well I did know you were coming. It was pretty much the idea of our prank,” Pinkie said while rubbing the top of Pokey’s head. He grunted and turned to look at her.
“You know what I mean,” he said with slightly annoyed tone. Pinkie giggled and pulled 
Pokey up from his hoof. She then started to drag him downstairs with her.
“Eating those flowers was pretty nice extra to the prank too,” Pokey said while they walked down the stairs. “The look on their faces were priceless.”
Pinkie looked at him with a small smile and raised eyebrow.
“Extra?” Pinkie asked, making Pokey look at her with confused smile on his face. He chuckled and asked, “You actually ate those flowers because they tasted good?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I can’t see why ponies won’t eat flowers more often. Everypony eats daffodils and daisies, so why not roses and dandelions?”

Pokey just chuckled at her again and thought that maybe she was right.

After they got out from Sugarcube Corner, Pokey asked from the mare next to him, “So what do you wanna do?”
“I did some planning actually...” Pinkie started but was interrupted by Pokey saying, “I heard you saying that thinking wasn’t your thing”
“Crazy, right?” Pinkie giggled and continued to brief Pokey about their date, “Well I thought we could do something fun,”

“What a surprise.”

“Really? I thought that you would have guessed that.”

Pokey rolled his eyes but was still smiling though. Something in Pinkie just wouldn’t let him frown at her. Pinkie didn’t notice Pokey rolling his eyes so she continued, “And do you know what is fun?”
“Well, tell me,” Pokey said, and Pinkie took a deep breath. She started to whisper, “There’s fun in…”


* * *


“...an amusement park!” Pinkie exclaimed and threw her hooves in the air in front of the gates that lead to the theme park full of roller-coasters, ferris wheels, water and train rides and unfortunately for Pokey a ghost train too. There was also all different kind of places where to eat.
“I was getting a bit nervous when you didn’t speak for the whole time we were walking here. It was like thirty minutes,” Pokey said, looking at stupidly grinning Pinkie Pie.
“Hehe.. Sorry about that,” she said and gave Pokey a small smile. He smiled back at her and asked, “Shall we?”

Pinkie nodded happily and reached her hoof towards Pokey’s. He took a hold of it and they proceeded to the ticket booth. Pokey bought two bracelets so they could spent the whole day in there, because he knew that with Pinkie as his companion that would be highly possible.
“Have a nice day,” the mare in the ticket booth said with a smile when Pokey had bought the bracelets.  He helped Pinkie with her own, which was hard because she was jumping on her place, eager to get to the park already.
“Stay put for a second,” he said while trying to attach the bracelet to Pinkie’s foreleg. She stopped jumping but kept bobbing on her place and whined, “I wanna go alreadyyy...”
“Just a second… There!” Pokey said when he finally managed to tighten the bracelet around Pinkie’s ankle. He didn’t manage to say anything else because Pinkie rocketed into the park in pink blur. Pokey quickly trotted after her.

The park was pretty crowded that day. There were lots of foals running around with their nervous and tired looking parents after them. Pokey looked around himself, trying to spot his pink companion. He didn’t see Pinkie anywhere for a while and kept walking forward. Just as Pokey was starting to think that he would probably spent the rest of the day in the park alone, he heard a bright voice calling him from behind.

Pokey turned around and jumped a little when he saw a pony sized, brown teddy bear standing behind him. He took couple of steps backwards before Pinkie Pie peeked from behind the teddy bear, giggling happily.
“Look what I won!” she said and wiggled the big stuffed toy in front of Pokey. Pokey was confused. Pinkie had been away for less than five minutes, and she had already won gigantic teddy bear from one of the game stall.
“Wow Pinkie,” was all Pokey could say while he examined the bear. Pinkie giggled and threw the toy to Pokey while saying, “You can have it.”
Pokey almost fell to his back when he catched the gigantic toy. Luckily he was unicorn, so he could lift the bear with his magic. Pokey placed the toy to his back and said, “Thanks Pinkie.”
“No problemo! I thought that it was almost as cute as you, so you should have it!” Pinkie chirped, making Pokey blush.
It was then, when Pokey noticed that Pinkie was pulling a cart behind herself. Pokey had no idea where she had gotten it, but it was full of toys. He blinked confusedly couple of times before he asked, “Where did you get those?”
“I won them!” Pinkie exclaimed, smiling widely. Pokey stared at the cart full of toys stupidly for a minute before he realized that it was Pinkie Pie who he was talking with.

“So what do you want to do next?” Pokey asked from her, totally ignoring the cart which she was pulling. Pinkie quickly looked around herself and then gasped. Pokey looked where she was looking and saw probably the biggest roller-coaster in whole park. It’s name was ‘Super twister 9000”. Her eyes glimmered and she exclaimed, “I want to go there!”
“Oh boy..” Pokey sighed.


* * *


“Whee! That was fun!” Pinkie giggled as she bounced away from the ’Super twister 9000’. She was followed by Pokey, whose normally blue coat was now almost white. He shook a little and his mane was all messed up.
“Wanna go again?” Pinkie asked from him, not noticing his scared expression.
“M-maybe l-later,” he muttered and started to shape his mane with his shaky hooves. Pinkie seemed a bit disappointed, so Pokey quickly added, “Would you like to go to that log ride over there?”
Pinkie’s eyes started to shimmer and she nodded happily. Pokey sighed from relief. It was one of the more calmer rides the park had. He could gather more courage there, before going again to that hellish roller-coaster that almost had stopped his heart.
Pinkie Pie and Pokey walked to the cart Pinkie had with her. Pokey lifted the teddy bear back to his back with his magic, while Pinkie attached herself back to the cart. They started to walk through the park. 

Pokey soon noticed that Pinkie was looking at him with a bit concerned look in her eyes. Before he could ask what was wrong, Pinkie asked with serious tone, “Are you sure that you are having fun?”
Pokey was confused by that question, and answered, “Of course I’m having fun. What makes you think that I’m not having fun?”
“You didn’t sound like you were having fun while we were up there,” Pinkie said and pointed at the top of the roller-coaster they had been couple of minutes ago. Pokey could see a set of trains going down the rails in high speed. He gulped and said, “Well… I’m not a big fan of heights.”
Pinkie Pie gasped and stopped.
“Why didn’t you say so?” she asked. “If I’d known that you are afraid of heights…”
“It’s okay Pinkie.” Pokey said to her, smiling warmly. She smiled a little too, but then asked, “Is there anything else you don’t like?”
Pokey thought for a second and looked unsure. Pinkie gave him a assuring look and said, “You can tell me.”
Pokey sighed and lowered his ears. He looked at Pinkie and said, “I don’t like the ghost-train or any spinning things and roller-coasters.”
Pinkie looked sadly at him and said, holding her hoof on Pokey’s shoulder, “It’s okay Pokey. You don’t need to go if you don’t want to.”
“But then you would be sad,” Pokey said and sat on the ground, placing the teddy bear next to him. He was surprised by Pinkie chuckling. She sat down next to him and said, “I’m sad only when you are.”
That made Pokey smile.
“Well I can’t let her be sad now can I?” Pokey thought and smiled at Pinkie, who smiled back at him. She quickly leaned closer to Pokey and hugged him. Pokey chuckled and hugged her back while saying, “Thanks Pinkey. You sure know how to cheer up others.”
“That’s my thing,” she said while nuzzling her snout against Pokey’s neck.

Their hug was interrupted by a young foals voice behind them, “Wow. You got so many toys.”
They turned their heads towards the voice, and saw three foals standing around Pinkie’s cart. One of them was a blue filly with deeper blue mane and violet eyes. Other two were colts. They were probably brothers, because they shared the same coat color and looked pretty much the same in general. They had admiring look in their eyes as they looked at the small mountain of all the plushies, robots and everything else in the cart.
“Where did you get all these?” the other colt asked from Pinkie.
“I won them from that booth over there,” Pinkie said and pointed at a booth with ‘ring tossing’ sign over it. The filly looked at the booth with his mouth open.
“I tried it, but it was too hard for me. I didn’t win anything,” she said with sad pout on her face. Pinkie patted the filly on the back and said cheerily, “Aww. Don’t be sad. You can take one from the cart.”
“Really!?” the filly asked with her eyes wide as plates.
“Really!” Pinkie confirmed. Then she looked at the two colts, who were now staring at her with wide eyes too. She giggled and said, “You two can take one too.”
The foals looked at each other for a second, before starting to smile broadly.
“Thanks Pinkie!” they all exclaimed at the same time and started to go through the cart. The filly took a cute plushie that resembled Princess Celestia. Other colt took a pack of green toy royal guards, while the other one took a small plastic chariot with two small pegasuses flying it. They then started to run towards their parents while giggling happily.

Pokey looked at the happy foals and then turned towards the smiling Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie..” he started. “That was really kind.”
“I know. I just love to see ponies happy. And I have lots of toys of my own, so I don’t need these,” she explained and then turned towards Pokey, who was starting to think how much he cared about that pink mare in front of him.
“She’s kind and funny. I feel great while I’m with her...” Pokey thought. A small wry smile appeared on his face as he thought, “And she’s really beautiful.”
“Pokey...” Pinkie suddenly said and started to lean closer to him.
“Yes?” Pokey asked, perking up  and staring right into her eyes. Pinkie too looked into his eyes as she started, “Would you like to…”
“Yes?” Pokey asked again and almost started to purse his lips. Pinkie leaned closer and Pokey closed his eyes.
“...Help me to give these toys to the foals in here?” Pinkie finished his sentence, snapping Pokey out of his trance. He blushed scarlet red and muttered nervously, “Uhh... Yeah! Sure…”
Pinkie smiled to him and stood up. Pokey too stood up, thinking how embarrassed he felt.


* * *


Couple of hours and almost two hundred toys later Pinkie Pie and Pokey were walking towards the main gates of the amusement park. It was getting darker but there was still couple of hours more daytime left.
Pinkie had only one more toy in her cart anymore. It was a small puppy dog plush toy. She walked happily next to Pokey, who was still carrying his gigantic teddy bear on his back.
Pinkie Pie sighed quietly while looking at Pokey. He smiled to himself while thinking something. She didn’t know what it was but Pinkie was glad that her companion was enjoying himself. She kept looking at Pokey for a while.
“Umm.. hello,” she heard from behind her. Pinkie turned around and saw a little filly with brown coat and red mane behind her. She smiled and bend over towards the filly.
“Hello there. Are you looking for a toy?” she asked. The filly nodded shyly and said with a 
small voice, “Coconut said that you had some.”
“I sure do!” Pinkie said and took the puppy plushie from the cart. She presented the toy to the filly, who immediately started to smile.
“I hope you like puppy dogs, because I only have this one left,” Pinkie said. The filly nodded eagerly and reached towards the toy. Pinkie gave it to her and rubbed her head. The filly pressed the dog to his chest and exclaimed, “Thanks Pinkie!”
“You’re welcome!” she said happily and watched the filly trot towards her family.

Pinkie Pie watched the filly run, and soon felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Pokey standing next to her with that teddy bear still on his back. He had a warm smile on his lips as he pulled Pinkie closer to himself. Pinkie Pie giggled and pressed herself against Pokey so that her head was leaning against his neck.
“You know Pinkie… I really had fun today,” Pokey said while looking down at her. She looked back at Pokey and said, “Me too.”
Pokey smiled and for a second it looked like he was going to say something. He opened his mouth, but closed it as his eyes fixated onto something in front of him. 

Pinkie looked where he was looking and saw a unicorn mare and earth pony stallion standing in front of a skee ball booth with their little filly. The filly couldn’t be more than five years old. She was standing in front of the ramp and had a ball in her hooves. Pinkie saw that it was her last ball. Her score was presented on a small screen next to the machine. She had forty points in total. Not a bad score, but it wasn’t enough for the smallest prize. She needed to get at least twenty points.
The filly focused to the twenty points hole, and pushed the ball towards the ramp. Pinkie Pie and Pokey were holding their breaths as the ball flew towards the hole. It hit the edge of it, and fell to the ten points hole.

The look on filly’s face made Pinkie Pie’s heart break in two. She lifted her hoof to her mouth when the salespony in the booth told the small filly that she hadn’t won anything. Her parents looked at each other, and the mare knelt in front of her foal, trying to cheer her up. The filly hung her head and drooped her ears, looking just downright sorrowful. Pinkie could see her eyes getting wetter.
“Oh no.. I have to give her one of..” she started but then remembered that she had no more toys left in her cart. She gasped and turned back towards the sad foal. She didn’t know what to do. 
Suddenly she felt how Pokey took his hoof away from her shoulder. She saw Pokey walking towards the family.
“What is he up to?” Pinkie thought and walked after him.

Pokey walked towards the now crying filly. He lifted the teddy bear from his back with his magic and levitated it towards the filly. He wiggled it close to her in his golden magical aura. The filly and her parents turned towards the teddy bear and Pokey.
“That was mighty fine throw there young lady,” Pokey started and smiled to the filly. “You earned yourself the grand prize!”
The filly and her parents looked at smiling Pokey. She had stopped crying, and was staring at the stuffed toy that was twice her size. Pokey made the toy dance with his magic, and to his joy the filly started to giggle. She reached her hooves towards the stuffed toy and Pokey released it from his magical grasp. The small filly giggled and hugged the teddy bear. She then turned towards her parents and exclaimed with her clear and excited voice, “Look what I won!”
“Oh that’s wonderful dear,” filly’s mother said happily while her husband patted Pokey on the back. He silently thanked Pokey for what he had done. The filly too looked at Pokey with happy smile on her face. 
“Thanks mister,” she chirped as his mother lifted the teddy bear with her magic. She placed it onto her husbands back and then lifted her foal to her back. She then smiled at Pokey and said, “You just made her day.”
Pokey nodded and then the family started to move towards the gates. The filly turned around one last time and waved at Pokey, who waved back at her with smile on his lips.

After he didn’t see the family anymore, he turned around and saw Pinkie Pie with watery eyes.
“Are you okay Pinkie?” Pokey asked from Pinkie Pie, who sobbed, “I.. I.. That was just so nice and kind and..”
She didn’t say anything else, or let Pokey say anything. She just threw her hooves around Pokey’s neck and pressed her lips to Pokey’s. It got Pokey completely by surprise. His eyes shot wide open and she looked at the crying mare who was kissing him. He glanced around himself while still having Pinkie’s lips locked to his. Many other ponies around them were looking at them with interested looks and some of the mares were even giggling.
Pokey felt how Pinkie tightened her hold around his neck. He looked back at her and saw that her eyes were now open. When he stared into those blue eyes, he started to wonder why he was so nervous. Pinkie blinked her watery eyes, making her eyelashes flutter cutely.
He leaned into the kiss, making Pinkie let out a small squeak. Pokey placed his other foreleg to back of Pinkie’s head, sinking his hoof into her fluffy pink mane. Pinkie Pie giggled into his mouth a little when Pokey leaned even more forward. She was now holding herself from falling onto her back, still sunken into the bliss of the kiss. 

Soon they both got an urge to breath, so they broke the kiss. They heard somepony laughing and cheering. Both of them were blushing hard and snickering while rubbing their muzzles together. Pokey kept leaning forward so that Pinkie had to keep her forelegs around Pokey’s neck.
“That... That was fun,” Pinkie said shyly.
“Yeah..” Pokey said before lifting Pinkie up. “Actually it was so fun that maybe we can do it again sometime?”
Pinkie Pie giggled and hugged Pokey. She nuzzled her muzzle to Pokey’s chin and said with sultry voice, “We surely can.”
> Good advice(?)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 6
By FinnPony


The light of Celestia’s sun started to illuminate Ponyville as the princess lifted it to the sky. First the light hit the top of the town hall’s bell tower and other higher buildings. One of them was the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie started to shift under her blankets as the first rays of the sun started to peer through the window in her room. They tickled the top of her nose and she tried to escape them by rolling to her side. It was too late though, because she was already awake. 
Pinkie Pie yawed heartily and rolled in her bed. She bumped into something and looked to her side, where she saw a big lump under the blanket. She smiled and giggled as she saw a blue horn peeking from under the blanket. One of her pillows was full of holes and cuts, and there was lots of white feathers on the bed. She lifted her hoof to her neck where she had couple of band-aids. Those were results of sleeping in same bed with Pokey Pierce.
The lump moved and Pokey’s face appeared from under the blanket. He was still asleep but he subconsciously wrapped his front legs around Pinkie Pie, making her sigh and snuggle closer to him.

Just as Pinkie was about to fall asleep again Pokey lifted his head from the pillow. He looked around the bed with embarrassed expression on his face. His mane was messy and there were single hairs sticking out everywhere. Pinkie Pie pulled him closer to herself and chirped, “Good morning!”
“Morning.. Sorry about the pillow… and blanket… again,” Pokey said and smiled to Pinkie Pie sheepishly. She planted a small kiss on Pokey’s cheek and said to him, “No problemo. I wouldn’t let you sleep on the floor you know.”
“And I thank you for it,” Pokey said and looked at Pinkie’s neck. “How is your neck feeling?”
“It’s okay. Doesn’t hurt or anything, or maybe it’s a bit sore,” Pinkie said while touching the band-aids again. Pokey seemed to feel guilty. He looked Pinkie in the eyes before leaning forward and kissing her on the neck where the band-aids were, making her giggle.
“That tickles,” she said and looked at Pokey who chuckled and asked, “Did that help?”
“Nah, not really,” Pinkie said, being honest. She then gigglesnorted and added, “But it did feel nice though.”
They both snickered and snuggled closer to each other. They laid there for a while before Pinkie looked at the clock and remembered something.

“I forgot to tell you. I’m going to library today.” she said as she escaped from Pokey’s tight hug. Pokey tried to catch her before Pinkie could roll off the bed but he failed. He let out a small grunt and asked, “Why?”
“I’m seeing the girls tonight. Twilight’s going to tell us about her new coltfriend,” Pinkie Pie said as she took a brush from a drawer of her night table. 
“Oh. So she really had something going on with that…” Pokey started but was interrupted by Pinkie saying quickly, “Yep.”

She turned towards Pokey and gave him a waiting look. Pokey got the hint and took the brush into his magical grip while Pinkie sat on the edge of the bed. He started to brush Pinkie’s fluffy mane, thinking to himself, “How is this is even going to help her mane?”
“I was just thinking that maybe I could stay for another night?” Pokey asked while running the brush through Pinkie’s mane. She didn’t think long before happily answering with pure enthusiasm and happines, “Sure! I was thinking so too! I don’t like sleeping alone anymore. It’s so lonely and boring to just lay there on the bed and fall asleep. It’s much more nicer to snuggle with you first.”
That made Pokey smile. He laid down the brush from his golden magic aura and crawled next to his pink coated marefriend.
“I could just stay here for the whole day,” Pokey said as he laid his head onto Pinkie’s lap. Pinkie snickered and rubbed Pokey’s head while staring into his golden eyes.
“Me too, but I really need to go now silly.” she said and saw Pokey frowning. She smiled and leaned forward. Pinkie pursed her lips and Pokey lifted his head so that their lips touched. Their lips separated with a small smack and they both grinned playfully.


* * *


Sound of girly laughter filled the treehouse. All the members of mane six were sitting around Twilight Sparkle’s living room table. Twilight was blushing and glancing at her friends with shy smile on her lips. She had a big cup of steaming coffee in her magical grasp. She had started to drink it much more than before.
“Well… now you know everything.” she said and gave her friends a happy smile. Rarity, the romanticist of the group sighed, “Forbidden love… that is so romantic.”
Twilight seemed a bit annoyed and looked at Pinkie. She was playing around with her puffy tail, giggling to herself. Twilight chuckled at the sight and thought that it would be good time to change the subject.

“I think we have spoken enough about me.” she started with a playful smirk. “Come on Pinkie. Tell us about Pokey and you. We haven’t spoken about you two since that time at Sugarcube corner.”
“Oh yes. It must be like… two months?” Rarity thought out loud.
Pinkie snapped away from her soft fight with her own tail that she was currently biting. She turned towards the other five mares. They all had waiting look in their eyes, even Fluttershy seemed to be interested. She spat her tail from her mouth. 
“One month, twenty five days and seven hours and eleven minutes!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed and others congratulated her, ignoring the fact that she could tell the time she had been together with Pokey by an accuracy of minutes. Pinkie looked at each one of them at the time and started to smile. They were still waiting for more.
“We are doing good,” she said and tapped her chin. “I bet you wanna know more?”
Others nodded their heads eagerly and Pinkie Pie’s face lit up. She thought for a moment before starting to tell about her relationship with Pokey Pierce to her friends, “We like to do stuff together.”
“Umm… I think that its quite normal in relationship honey,” Rarity said with amused tone in her voice. Pinkie Pie nodded without actually listening to her and continued her story, “We’ve gone to cafes and movies…”
“That doesn’t sound like you Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash said with a provocative smirk on her lips. Pinkie snickered and said, “Yeah. But Pokey doesn’t like all the things I do. That’s why we do things he likes one day, and things I like another day.”
“I can’t believe you actually have planned all this,” Twilight said with kind smile.
“He sounds like a nice colt,” Fluttershy said  to her pink friend who seemed to fall into her thoughts when she said that.
“Yeah… He’s so kind and warm and soft and blue and… and pointy...” Pinkie started to think out loud while rubbing her neck where she still felt couple of small scars. Her daydreaming came to a stop when Applejack said with a wry, heavy accented voice, “He sounds like a real sweet piece of colt… If you know what I mean.”

Rainbow chuckled and hit Applejack in the shoulder playfully. Rarity gave AJ a mischievous glaze and small snicker. Twilight and Fluttershy meanwhile blushed a little and giggled like  two young schoolfillies.  

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked, making others except Fluttershy snicker to each other. They turned towards confusedly smiling Pinkie. Rainbow flapped her wings and flew next to her. She  gave the most sultry look to Pinkie.
“You know what she meant,” Rainbow said and poked Pinkie on the side with her elbow.
“No I don’t,” Pinkie ensured with a small smile and a shake of her head.
Rarity leaned closer to Pinkie and said to her with hinting tone in her voice, “I think what Applejack meant is that have you spent any nights with him?”
“We’ve been sleeping together almost every night.” Pinkie answered with pure naivety in her voice. She earned happy sighs and giggles from her friends.
“So you’ve done it?” Rainbow asked, fluttering her eyelashes.
“Done what?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head.
“Took a roll in the hay?” Applejack continued with a wink. Rainbow jumped back next to her on the sofa and laid her head on Applejack’s lap.
“What now?” pink pony said while the confused smile started to change into a confused frown. She turned towards Twilight for help.
“Had intercourse?” Twilight tried with a sheepish smile.
“What the hay does that even mean!?” Pinkie now almost shouted, waving her hooves around annoyedly.

“Had sex...” Fluttershy said meekly, peeking her head from behind Rarity. Everypony turned towards her and she hid behind Rarity again. Rarity smiled a goofy smile at Pinkie who was now staring at her with eyes as big as dinner plates. She had a blank expression on her face otherwise and she just stared at Rarity. Twilight was first one to say something, “Uh… Pinkie, are you alright?”
“Yes…” she answered quietly, even though she wasn’t. She stayed quiet for a while, thinking about what her friends had said.
Rarity quickly glanced at the other mares and then put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. Pinkie turned her head towards Rarity who gave her a lovely smile before asking, “You haven’t done it, right?”
Pinkie stared at her for a second and then shook her head with a confused look on her face.
Rarity let out a small sight and said, “And you’ve been together for almost two months.”
“S-so?” Pinkie asked, not understanding how their conversation had suddenly turned to what it was now. 
“So? You know that stallions have needs right?” Rainbow said from the sofa she was laying on. Pinkie Pie gulped and asked with a shaky voice, “N-needs?”
“Yep sugarcube. They need some action now and then,” Applejack said with strange enthusiasm in her voice. Rainbow gave her an amused look.
“Girls…” Twilight started but couldn’t finish when Rarity cut in, “Applejack’s right! Stallions will get bored really easily.”
“What?” Pinkie asked. Her voice didn’t have any of her usual happy bubbliness in it.Twilight and Fluttershy seemed to have noticed her confusion. Fluttershy peeked from behind Rarity and tried, “Umm... I think that we should sto...”
Now it was Rainbow who interrupted, “Yeah! They might even lose interest!”

That was bad. Pinkie Pie gasped and lifted her hooves to her mouth. Twilight and Fluttershy glanced at each other and then Twilight was going to say something, but Pinkie was quicker, “Oh no! What if he has lost interest in me!?”
Everypony went silent, except Pinkie Pie who had her her head flung low.
“A-and if he has lost interest in me…” tears started to form in her eyes. “That means he doesn’t like me anymore!”
“You might be overreacting…” Rarity started but Pinkie kept speaking, “And that means he would break up with me!” 
“Hold on sugarcube, I’m sure he wouldn’t do that” Applejack tried but Pinkie didn’t listen. Tears rolled down her cheeks and to everypony’s horror her mane started to fall flat and straight down her shoulders. 
“And then I would need to live without Pokey…” Pinkie said and looked at her friends sadly. She then added with terrified voice, “Forever!”
Rainbow Dash squirmed on her place a little. She had once before seen Pinkie like that and knew that it was seriously not a good thing. Now was her time to try calm down her friend.
“Pinks, calm down. It’s not like that,” She said to Pinkie who rose up. She swept her eyes quickly and said, “I need to go now.”
With that she dashed towards the door, swung it open and was gone before anypony could do anything. They just stared at the open door of the treehouse with their mouths open. 

“Nice going girls,” Twilight said after she had recovered from the confusion. Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned towards her and had embarrassed and guilty looks on their faces. Fluttershy meanwhile just looked at the open door with sad gloomy expression.
“I think we should go after her,” she said with her small voice and turned towards Twilight. She downed her coffee with one big gulp.
“Agreed,” she then said and rose from the sofa.
> Pokey's time to shine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 7
by FinnPony


Ponyville was getting darker by the minute. Celestia had started to lower the sun and her sister was probably just waking up for her duties. There were still couple of ponies on the streets of the town, making their way towards their homes. One of them was Pokey Pierce.

Pokey Pierce was walking towards Sugarcube Corner with newfound spring in his step. He had spent the day with his friends Thunderlane and Caramel in Ponyville’s bowling hall. After a well spent day he was trotting down the street, thinking about how he will crawl next to her beautiful marefriend and fall asleep in her loving embrace. He started to smile widely while thinking how adorable and awesome Pinkie Pie was.
“She’s so energetic and she ain’t afraid of anything,” Pokey though and sighed. His smile started to fade as he thought, “She’s everything I’m not.”
Pokey frowned and let out a deeper sigh. He sometimes felt bad for being the way he is. Pinkie had always defended him and made him feel happy when he was sad. He in turn didn’t remember any occasion where he would have been the one defending his marefriend.
“I’m such a wimp. It should be me who would make her feel safe. Not other way around,” Pokey thought. Then he chuckled to himself and thought, “Well, Pinkie isn’t really a mare who needs to be defended. Everypony likes her.” 
His mind filled with all the positive traits Pinkie had, and there was lot of them.
“She’s optimist to the bone, fun, she’s always there for me…”
“Oh Pinkie, never change,” he muttered to himself and trotted around the last corner before Sugarcube Corner.

He immediately noticed that two mares were standing  in front of the bakery’s front doors. He recognized them as Rarity and Fluttershy. They noticed Pokey approaching them and Fluttershy hid behind her mane like always but Rarity instead had somewhat troubled look on her face. Pokey started to get nervous as he saw princess Twilight Sparkle coming through the front door with at least as troubled look on her face as Rarity. He quickly trotted to her.
“What’s going on?” he asked with concern in his voice. Rarity and Fluttershy glanced towards Twilight who rolled her eyes and started to explain the situation to worried Pokey, “There might be a small problem…”
“What do you mean?” Pokey asked and looked up towards the window of Pinkie’s room. he saw a dim light fluttering behind the closed curtains, probably a candle.
“You see,” Twilight started, rubbing her neck. “There were some misunderstandings back at the library and now Pinkie’s not coming out from her room.”
Pokey looked at her for a second, before turning his head towards Rarity and Fluttershy. They both tried to hide from his glare. He frowned at them and turned towards Twilight again.
“Misunderstandings? About what?” he asked with narrowed eyes that made Twilight smile sheepishly. 
“Umm… about…” Twilight muttered and Pokey gave her an annoyed look.
“About intimate things…” she finally muttered and drooped her ears.

Pokey’s eyes went wide and his mouth opened a little. He stared at the embarrassed mares in front of him. He soon snapped away from his trance like state of surprise and eyed the mares with somewhat irascible look on his face that made them feel like shrinking. Pokey took a step forward and stared at the mares while asking with cold voice, “Did you make her sad?”
Twilight gulped. Pokey had never been so intimidating before. Everypony knew him as the shy and quiet pony in the background. 
“Well I don’t know sad…” Rarity started but Pokey gave her a glance that made her wince. She then sighed and nodded sadly while saying, “Yes.”

Pokey’s intimidating expression turned into a sad one and he looked up at the window again. There dim light was still pushing through the curtains.
He lowered his gaze back to the three mares. He sighed and started, “I thought that you would have been smart enough to know when to stop Twilight.”
Twilight was about to say something but Pokey turned towards Fluttershy.
“You too Fluttershy? Really?” he asked from the sad looking pegasus who muttered something that sounded like apologies.
Suddenly Rarity spoke, “It’s not their fault.”
Others turned towards her and she continued nervously, “Uh… I think it was more like Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s fault…”
“Rarity...” Twilight said with a reproachful tone. The white mare sighed and added, “And maybe mine also.”
“Why did you tease her about something as stupid as that?” Pokey asked with almost angry voice that made the three mares feel rather uneasy. They weren’t scared of the angry voice of Pokey, but his sudden change of personality.

“But we weren’t teasing or making fun of her,” Fluttershy said quietly. Pokey turned towards her and she started, “We… or not we but Rarity and…”
“Yes yes honey. We know what you mean,” Rarity said a bit embarrassingly and Fluttershy nodded. She then continued, “We were just having fun and then… umm… somepony asked if… y-you and Pinkie had… d-done it.”
her voice trailed off and she looked on the ground with hard blush on her cheeks. It took a moment before Pokey got what she meant. When he did, he too blushed scarlet red and turned towards Twilight.
“You speak about these things with other mares!?” he asked with confused voice. Twilight frowned and asked, “And stallions don’t?”

“Well, uhh… forget it. What happened next?”

“Ah yes…” Rarity said and cleared her throat nervously. “Pinkie might gotten the idea that you might lose your interest in her.”
Pokey looked at her with his mouth agape. Rarity squirmed under his gaze.
“Why would she think like that?” Pokey asked from nopony in special and looked at the window above their heads. “I love her!”
Without another word he started to walk towards the door of Sugarcube Corner, leaving the three mares alone. Just as he was going to go through the doorway he turned towards them.
“Sorry girls.” he said with a pleading look on his face. The mare’s recognized the old Pokey they knew and all of them sighed from relief.
“Just go already!” Twilight shooed him and waved her hoof towards Pinkie’s window. Pokey nodded and disappeared inside the bakery.

After the mares were sure that he was gone, Fluttershy turned towards Rarity and said, “That was scary.”
“Indeed. I have never seen Pokey act like that,” Rarity said and they both turned towards Twilight for opinion. Twilight pondered about something silently for a while. She then turned towards her friends and said with a smile on her lips, “That’s love.”


* * *


Big, brightly decorated room was now bathing in dim, yellow light from all the lit candles around the room. The floor was covered in red petals of roses. They made a highlighted path towards the king sized bed and they had been scattered onto the bed too. On the bed laid depressed looking Pinkie Pie. She had a worried look on her face and her hooves were stretched out. 
She had been laying there for who knows how long. There was constant knocking and pleading from behind the door of her room. Pinkie could hear Rainbow Dash and Applejack there. 

She rolled to her side, eyeing the door. She had petals of roses stuck her straightened mane. Then her eyes turned towards the wardrobe next to the door. There was four fishnet stockings hanging on a hanger. She sighed and curled into a ball.
“I hope Pokey likes them…” she thought sadly and closed her eyes. She listened the pleading of her friends a while and then turned towards her window.
“I hope he’ll be gentle too…” she continued her thinking, feeling how her eyes were getting wetter. She didn’t like the situation she was in. She didn’t think she was ready for that.
“But I don’t want to lose Pokey…” she thought and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Her friends were still trying to persuade her to come out from her room. She smiled a little while thinking about how good friends she had. They had even told her about how her and Pokey’s relationship was about to die down due the lack of… you know…
“I’ll be forever thankful to them,” she thought while listening to the muffled sounds of her friends behind the door.

Suddenly her friends stopped their pleading and begging. Pinkie perked up and stared at the door. She heard muffled hoofsteps behind it and a new voice saying something. After couple of seconds Applejack and Rainbow Dash said something too and there were two pair of hoofsteps getting away from the door. After there were no more hoofsteps to be heard, there was a small knock on the door. 

“Pinkie… it’s me,” familiar voice called from behind the door. 
“Pokey!” Pinkie thought and panicked. She sprung out from her bed and dashed towards the wardrobe. She heard Pokey asking, “Could you open the door?”
“In a minute!” she answered and grabbed the stockings from the hanger. She cursed while trying to pull the stockings onto her hooves. Her hind legs were even challenging.
“Celestia damn… these…” she muttered and tried to pull the last stocking onto her left 
hind leg. She had to balance on her right hind leg to do so. 
“There!” she exclaimed to herself as the stocking finally gave up and slid onto her leg. She looked at it for a second, only to notice that she was starting to fall backwards. She fell down onto her haunches with a yelp.
“Is everything okay?”  Pokey asked from behind the door with concern in his voice. Pinkie 
heard how he tried to open the door, but it was locked. Without saying anything Pinkie rose up from the floor and walked to the door while rubbing her sore flank. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down but her heart was racing. It felt like it was going to come right through her chest.
For couple of seconds she felt like chickening out and not opening the door, but then she heard Pokey saying, “Pinkie let me in, please.”
His voice calmed her down, but only a little bit. She grabbed to the handle of the door.

The door opened in front of Pokey. The room was dark, the only light in the room came from many lit candles around the room. He also noticed all the red petals on the floor.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Pokey thought and tried to look around the room from the doorway to find Pinkie. She was nowhere to be seen so Pokey stepped inside the room.
“Honey…” he tried as he took another step inside. He still didn’t see Pinkie anywhere. Just then he heard the door closing behind him and he quickly spun around. His eyes went wide, ears folded against the back of his had and a wild blush emerged to his cheeks as he found the pony he was looking for.

Pinkie Pie had stood behind the door, that’s why Pokey hadn’t seen her anywhere. It wasn’t her sudden appearing that made Pokey act like that. It was her looks.
First thing that caught Pokey’s eyes were the fishnet stockings she had on her hooves. They really highlighted her figure and Pokey had hard time trying to keep her eyes off her. Then Pokey noticed her mane that was straightened and flowed down her shoulders like silk. It made him snap back to reality. He could immediately tell that Pinkie Pie was not feeling okay. He had spent enough time with her to know that Pinkie’s mane was like a window to her feelings.
Pinkie Pie’s blue eyes glared at him from behind her mane and there was a small, faltering smile on her lips.

“Hi,” She said and tried to sound calm but her voice was a bit shaky. Pokey took a step forward and lifted his hoof to Pinkie Pie’s cheek, trying to fight off the hard blush on his face. Pinkie winced when he touched her cheek but soon lifted her hoof to hold his. This made them both smile warmly at each other. After a minute of staring into Pokey’s golden eyes Pinkie seemed to remember what she was planning. She put on the most seductive look she could at the moment. It was rather forced half lidded smile. She took a hold of Pokey’s hoof that was on her cheek and placed it onto her chest. Pokey looked at his hoof and then at Pinkie again.
“Do you like them?” she asked and brushed his chin with her hoof, showing the stockings to him. Pokey blinked confusedly and felt the heat rising on his cheeks again. Pinkie Pie pushed herself closer to him and pressed her lips to blushing Pokey’s chin. She started to push Pokey towards the bed, stopping when Pokey’s hindlegs touched the bed.
“I-I hoped that you would like them. I wanted this to be special…” Pinkie tried to speak with the most seductive tone she could but it didn’t work. Pokey looked at her with confused look on his face and Pinkie drooped her head.
“I’m so sorry Pokey,” she started with a sad tone. “I’ve been so selfish.”
Pinkie felt Pokey’s hoof under her chin, lifting her head upwards. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. After the kiss broke Pokey pressed his forehead against Pinkie’s and said, “No you haven’t”
“But I have!” Pinkie tried to protest. There wasn’t any of that forced sultriness left in her voice. Pokey just shook his head and said, “Your friends told me what happened.”
Pinkie looked him straight into the eyes, waiting for something.
“They might have told you something that wasn’t quite true,” Pokey continued while running his hoof through Pinkie’s mane. Pinkie looked at him with wide eyes and asked, “S-so you haven’t lost interest in me?”
“I would never,” he said with calm voice. Pinkie Pie’s eyes were wide and they were getting wet. Pokey smiled to her and started to ruffle her pink mane.
“I have to say that I liked your old style better,” he said, trying to cheer up his marefriend. 

Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but to chuckle a bit. She wrapped her both of her hooves around Pokey’s neck and forced him to fall down on the bed. Pokey was surprised by that but he let Pinkie crawl on top of him. Even her mane was still straight and flat, there was a familiar ear-to-ear smile on her face. Pokey smiled too, and felt how tears dropped onto his face. Pinkie shook her head quickly and when she stopped, her mane was back to it’s fluffy pink self. She sniffled a little when she pressed her snout against Pokey’s and said with voice full of her usual bubbliness and  happiness, “You must be the most super duper uber coltfriend a filly could ever have!”
“And you must be the most gorgeous and funniest fillyfriend a colt could have,” Pokey answered and squeezed Pinkie into a tight hug. He sighed, relieved by the fact that a big disaster in their relationship had just been avoided. Pinkie pulled back from the hug only to push forward again to kiss Pokey. The kiss was something they had never shared before. It was so full of feelings that Pokey couldn’t even explain it to himself.
Pinkie Pie broke the kiss and rolled down from top of dumbfounded Pokey. She laid her head on the pillow and Pokey crawled next to her, wrapping his forelegs around her. They shared another short kiss.

“I love you…” Pokey said after the kiss ended.
“I love you more,” Pinkie said with a smile.
“I love you twice more,” Pokey challenged.
“I love you seventy-two million, nine hundred and sixty-one times more!” Pinkie exclaimed and pecked him on the snout. Pokey chuckled and thought that if he would continue, it would never end. He brushed Pinkie’s mane and said, “I think you won.” 

Pinkie Pie giggled and snuggled closer to him. They laid there for a minute before Pinkie whispered into Pokey’s ear, “Thank you Pokey.”
“What for?” Pokey asked and gave Pinkie a small peck on the cheek. Pinkie snuggled even closer to him.	
“For being here for me,” she answered and looked Pokey straight into those golden eyes of his. He started to smile a wide smile and couldn’t say anything. He had actually been there for her, defending his mare like a stallion should. 

Pokey rested his head on top of Pinkie’s and sighed happily, savouring the moment. Pinkie Pie hummed happily and drew invisible circles to his chest. After a while she stopped and lifted her head to look at Pokey with a coy look on her face. 
“You didn’t answer my question by the way.”
“What question?” Pokey asked and looked at Pinkie Pie who smiled a wry smile. She outstretched her other hind leg so Pokey could examine the fishnet stockings and asked with cheery voice, “Do you like them?”
Pokey’s relief washed away instantly, or not actually. He just got really surprised by that question and quickly tried to come up with something to change the subject.
“Your friends are probably waiting downstairs,” he tried with his cheeks starting to get redder again. Pinkie giggled and asked, “Why are you trying to change the subject?”
Pokey folded his ears backwards and looked at her. The stockings really did make her look rather appealing to the eye. The romantic setting they were in made her look even more beautiful to Pokey. He gulped and mumbled something inaudible. Pinkie nuzzled his cheek and said, “I didn’t quite hear that.”
“They look really good,” Pokey said after short silence and placed his hoof to Pinkie’s waist. She squealed and nuzzled his chin and neck happily. Pokey felt how she tightened her hold around him. He turned his head towards her and saw Pinkies big blue eyes staring at him. Her eyes were half lidded and she pressed her snout against Pokey’s. 
“I knew you’d like them,” she cooed to nervous Pokey who answered quickly, “I really think we should go tell your friends that everythings okay.”

“They can wait silly.”

“O-oh my…” .
> The next morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 8
by FinnPony


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.
> The question
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 9
by FinnPony


Weather was the most pleasing that day. it was no wonder that Ponyville’s park was full of life. There were foals playing around the park with their parents running after them while trying to keep them away from trouble. Couple of teens were hanging around the pond, elders were sitting on the benches, feeding the pigeons. One stallion was sitting on a dock with a fishing rod in his hooves and his straw hat tilted over his eyes.
The hill just beyond the pond was popular amongst the lovers, and this day wasn’t an exception. It was filled with lots of blankets brought by happy couples and from farther away it looked like the whole hill would have been covered in a big patchwork quilt.

Pinkie Pie and Pokey Pierce were also on that same hill. They had their blanket in the dead center of the hilltop. There they could see the whole park and the town that spread in front of them. Pokey was laying on the blanket with Pinkie crawling on top of him, blabbering about everything she came up with. She also kept stuffing the baked goods into his mouth. Pokey was sure that he had gained at least twenty pounds after he hooked up with her, but he didn’t mind it. Pinkie was a girl who looked under the surface.

“And then I thought she had gone all silly. I really thought that she was just making some funny faces, even though she was choking.” Pinkie explained one of the incidents she had had earlier that day. She climbed up on top of Pokey. She kept crawling and moving all the time. She just couldn’t stay still. Pokey chuckled at the story and partly to Pinkie’s constant moving He looked straight into her eyes and asked, “So what did you do then?”
“I had to do a manelich maneuver,” Pinkie said casually while staring back at him. 

She liked how Pokey always listened to her stories, and what she had to say. Many others thought that she was just the childish Pinkie Pie, and that she wouldn’t need to be taken seriously. Pokey never thought like that. Pinkie knew that he was always there for her, even he didn’t think it like that himself. He had a bad habit of understating himself.
“Well, we’ll work on that,” Pinkie said happily, not realizing that Pokey couldn’t read her thoughts.
“What?” Pokey asked and looked at the now sheepishly smiling mare on top of her.
“Err… nothing,” Pinkie answered and lowered her head atop of Pokey’s, careful not to hurt herself on his horn.

They laid there for a while. Pinkie was finally staying still so Pokey decided to savour the moment. He closed his eyes and sighed happily. Pinkie did so too and soon rolled next to Pokey. She leaned her head against Pokey’s side and looked up towards the clear blue sky. There was only one buffy white cloud on the sky. She kept looking at it for a moment, before the urge to move reached her again.

“Pokey,” she called and Pokey opened his eyes. He winced a little when two big eyes were staring at him just inches from his face. Pinkie Pie giggled at his reaction and pushed herself closer, giving Pokey a quick peck on the muzzle. They both snickered and Pinkie lifted Pokey’s hoof over her, so she could snuggle right next to him. They kept snickering and playfully struggling for a while before they calmed down. Pokey had his front hooves wrapped around Pinkie’s waist. He buried his face into Pinkie’s thick mane, making her giggle like crazy. Pokey inhaled and smelled the aroma of Pinkie’s mane. He couldn’t tell what it actually was but if he would have needed to describe it with one word, it would have been sweet.

“That tickles!” Pinkie giggled and Pokey stopped. Pinkie turned her head towards Pokey and said, still giggling a little, “I didn’t tell you to stop!”
Pokey snickered and continued to brush her neck and cheek with his muzzle, making Pinkie Pie squirm in his hooves and laugh uncontrollably. She didn’t beg for mercy, nor did Pokey give any while nuzzling her neck. He actually tightened his grasp around Pinkie when she tried to escape. Pinkie started to gasp for air when she couldn’t stop laughing. She thought that there was only one option left.
Pinkie suddenly turned around in Pokey’s hooves and pushed her lips against his. Pokey wasn’t surprised, maybe it had been his plan all along. He snickered into Pinkie’s mouth while they had their mouths locked into a passionate kiss. It lasted for only couple of seconds, but when Pokey tried to break the kiss, Pinkie kept pushing so she could get the most out of it. 

After the kiss they laid in each other’s embrace for a minute longer before Pinkie spoke, “Have I ever told you how much I love you Pokey?”
“About five times today,” Pokey answered calmly. Pinkie gave him a sheepish smile and said, “Oops.”
“It’s okay, I like when somepony says nice things about me,” Pokey ensured and rubbed her cheek with his hoof. Pinkie smiled at him and said with happy voice, “And boy, there’s lot of them”
“Well I don’t know…” Pokey said and looked up to the sky. That made Pinkie frown and she crawled on top of Pokey, pressing her snout against his.
“Why are you always like that?” she asked with slightly annoyed tone. “You’re such a frowny frownie.”
“What?” Pokey asked with a bit amused tone. Pinkie sighed and rolled off from him again. She laid next to him and said, “You always keep understating yourself!”
“Nah…” Pokey tried but Pinkie interrupted him by almost yelling in frustration, “Yes you are! You always say that you are just an ordinary pony, but you’re not!”
“I know. It’s my horn isn’t it…” he started but again Pinkie interrupted, “It’s not that! I mean that you are so much much more than just an ordinary pony to me!”
Pinkie Pie rested her head against Pokey’s neck and said, “You always do all those things for me.”
“What things?” Pokey asked, not understanding what she meant. Pinkie smiled warmly and placed her other hoof onto his chest. She smiled warmly to him and said, “Everything.”
She didn’t wait for Pokey’s answer and continued, “And I don’t mean that one night. I mean all the smaller things too.”
“Smaller things?” Pokey asked and Pinkie snuggled closer to him.

“Yeah! Like that one time when you helped me with the baking even you got your own things to do.”

“Anypony would have done it…” Pokey tried.

“And when I was sick, you made me that yummy soup that made me feel better in no time.”

“I got the recipe from Twilight.”

“This morning you gave the last toast to me, even you wanted to eat it!”

Pokey tried to say something but Pinkie frowned and put her hoof over his mouth. She gave him a stern look that told him to stop right that second. He got the hint and did a little nod to Pinkie. She smiled again and continued, “You party with me, you have always been nice to me and helped me. You share with me. You do funny things with me, you respect me and listen me.”
“Of course I do,” Pokey said and looked at the mare next to him.
“I wasn’t finished,” Pinkie said with a small wry smile. Pokey zipped his mouth and smiled at her. Pinkie pressed her muzzle against Pokey’s and started, “And…”
She smiled widely and whispered, “...and you love me.”
She then pressed herself forward and her lips met with Pokey’s. They kept kissing for a while, separating their lips only to gasp for more air before continuing. After it was over, they stared at each other with love in their gazes. 
“I love you Pokey,” Pinkie chirped and pressed her face against Pokey’s chest.

Pokey looked up and stared up at the sky. He then glanced quickly at his marefriend and then at his saddlebag that was laying on the edge of the blanket. He thought for a moment.
“I didn’t plan it like this…” he thought and looked at Pinkie again. She was staring at him with a small smile on her lips.
“Watcha thinking about?” she chirped and blinked her eyes cutely. Pokey felt how his heart almost melted in his chest and let out a small sigh. He rose up and sat on the blanket. Pinkie sat in front of him and kept smiling at him.
“Pinkie,” he started and took the saddlebag into his hooves. Pinkie looked him opening the saddlebag and asked, “Yes?”
“You know I love you…” he said put his hoof into the saddlebag. Pinkie let out a small aaw and said, “Of course I know that, silly.”
Pokey looked into his bag and continued, “I know we haven't known each other for very long…”
“We’ve known for more than five years,” Pinkie said and poked him on the shoulder. Pokey stopped going through his saddlebag for a second and corrected himself, “I mean we haven’t been together for too long, only about three months or so.”
“Three months and twenty-four days!,” Pinkie informed and gave Pokey a quick kiss on the muzzle. He lifted a hoof to his muzzle and smiled a goofy smile. He then remembered what he was doing and started to dig through his bag again.
“You make me smile everyday and… and I wouldn’t want to spent the rest of my life with anypony else,” Pokey said while trying to find something from his packed saddlebag. Pinkie stared at him with slightly confused smile on her face. She leaned forward, trying to see into his bag. 
“So I want to ask one question from you,” Pokey said with his front hooves almost completely inside the bag. He threw couple of things from the bag and dived in again. Pinkie meanwhile had towed herself right in front of him. She had a waiting look on her face and she waited for the question. Pokey kept looking for something in the bag, so Pinkie asked with her eyes shining, “What is it?”

“Where the hay is it!?” Pokey suddenly shouted. Pinkie winced backwards and blinked confusedly at him. She opened and closed her mouth couple of times before she muttered, “That… That’s pretty silly question but I’d guess that it’s near library…”
“What?” Pokey asked and turned towards Pinkie. She shrugged and said, “It’s just a guess.”
It took couple of seconds before Pokey realized what she meant. He shook his head and placed his hooves onto Pinkie’s shoulders before saying, “That wasn’t my question.”
“Oh good. It would have been pretty weird question anyways,” Pinkie giggled. Pokey too chuckled a little but then he looked Pinkie seriously and spoke sadly, “I wanted to do this right, but I messed it up, like always.”
“How?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head a little. Pokey looked sadly at her and said, “Because I think I left it home.”
“Left what?” Pinkie asked with pure honesty in her voice. Pokey stared at her in disbelief. She surely must have guessed what he was up to. After all his little speech was so predictable.
“You don’t know what I was trying to do?” Pokey asked from Pinkie, who shook her head and said, “Noope.”
She gigglesnorted and said, “I sounded just like Bic Mac.”
Pokey looked at her with confused expression for a second, before it turned into a wide smile. He looked towards the town and thought, “This could still go as I hoped.”

Pokey turned towards Pinkie again and saw that she was looking at a butterfly that flew near them. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned towards him with wide smile on her lips.
“Did you see that butterfly! It had like the prettiest wings ever!” she exclaimed and jumped on her place a little.
“Yeah, I saw it.” Pokey said and nodded. He then drooped his ears and asked with pleading voice, “Would you wait here for me? I really need to get that thing I forgot.”
“Sure!” Pinkie Pie said and nodded happily. She then seemed to remember something and asked,  “But can we meet at the market? I was supposed to get a new patch of flour for the cakes today.”
Pokey frowned and thought for a quick moment. Market wouldn’t be the best place to do what he was planning to but if he would back off again and wait for better time, who knows how long it would take for him to gather the courage to do it. No. It had to be that day.
“Well, okay. I’ll find you there,” he said and gave her a little smile. 
“Okey dokey lokey Pokey,” Pinkie chirped and gave a quick peck to his cheeks, which he returned before dashing off. Pinkie looked after him for a while before sighing happily and starting to gather the picnic equipment.


* * *


Pinkie had emptied the picnic basket at the Sugarcube Corner and used it to carry the flour she had bought from market. She sat at one of the benches near the small fountain with in the middle of the big market area with her friend Fluttershy. She watched couple of ducklings following their mother around the pool while Fluttershy kept throwing bread crumbs to them.

“So how is it going with Big Mac?” Pinkie asked after they had finished their previous conversation. Fluttershy smiled meekly and said, “Wonderfully. We’re actually thinking about moving together.”
“Really!?” Pinkie exclaimed, almost scaring away the ducks.She gave a sheepish smile towards them before continuing, “Oh wow. I could throw you a housewarming party!”
“I would love that, but we’re only planning for now. And he has too much work on the farm now anyways.”
Pinkie nodded in understanding and thought for a second before she asked with her most pleading voice, “But I can held the housewarming party for you when the time comes?”
“I promise,” Fluttershy said and mimicked the moves of a pinkie promise.

After that they sat silently for a while. Fluttershy kept feeding the ducks while Pinkie seemed to be in her thoughts. She kept thinking about something for a while with a slight frown on her face. Soon Fluttershy noticed it and turned her attention from feeding the duck to her friend.
“Is something wrong?” she asked from her pink friend. Pinkie winced back from her thoughts and turned towards Fluttershy. She looked back at the ducks and thought for a second longer before starting, “I know you and Big Macintosh like to take things slowly.”
“Yes…” Fluttershy said with a slightly troubled voice.
“No no no! I don’t mean you shouldn’t,” Pinkie quickly said when she noticed Fluttershy’s worried expression “I think you should! If you like it that way.” 
“What are you trying to say then?” Fluttershy asked with confused look on her face. Pinkie chuckled a little and said, “I just mean that not all of us want to go slow.”
“Do you mean you and Pokey?” Fluttershy asked when she started to realize what Pinkie Pie was trying to say. Pinkie sighed and nodded. She then said, “Some of us want to go a bit faster than others…”
“Do you mean yourself?” Fluttershy asked and Pinkie nodded before continuing, “I just know that I want to be with him, for the rest of my life.”
Fluttershy smiled and asked, “What’s wrong then?”
“Well… Some of us want to go slower,” Pinkie answered slowly.
“Pokey?” Fluttershy asked and looked at Pinkie, who nodded. She then shrugged and corrected herself, “Or I don’t know. I just don’t know about him.”


Fluttershy sighed and threw another patch of bread crumbs on the water near the ducks before she towed herself closer to her pink friend. She placed her hoof gently onto Pinkie’s shoulder and asked with her gentle, warm voice, “Have you asked from him?”
“No way! He might think that I was pushing him!” Pinkie protested and looked at Fluttershy with wide eyes.
“Well… How much do you like him?” Fluttershy asked suddenly. Pinkie looked at her with confused expression and answered, “More than anything. I like him more than sugar! I love him!”
“And how much does he like you?” Fluttershy continued asking from Pinkie, who smiled and said slowly, “He loves me too…”
“So is there anything to lose?” Fluttershy finished and smiled at Pinkie Pie, who seemed like she was going to start glowing from happiness. Pinkie turned towards Fluttershy and quickly closed her into a tight hug while exclaiming, “You’re right! I have nothing to lose! I’ll go talk to him right away!”
“Yes! Go get him girl!” Fluttershy exclaimed, taken by the moment. Pinkie gave her a smile and raised eyebrow, making her smile sheepishly and say, “I-If you want to… of course.”

“Oh I do!” Pinkie said with enthusiastic voice and they both started laughing together.


* * *


After about twenty minutes later Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had gone to their different ways. Fluttershy had left towards the Sweet Apple Acres while Pinkie was happily trotting towards Pokey Pierce’s home. Pinkie hadn’t seen Pokey and when she got tired of waiting, she started to make her way towards his house. She had the basket full of flour hanging in her teeth and she bounced happily through the streets, occasionally congratulating ponies who had their birthdays or other important days. 

As she was passing some local coffee shop, she saw Ditzy Doo sitting with Time Turner around one of the tables outside. She let out a muffled giggle and thought to herself, “Well it took long enough with those two.”
She stopped on her tracks. She took another look at the couple. Gears in her head started to spin as she thought, “Wait. They had their first wedding anniversary eighty-two days ago…”
She started to smile, almost dropping the basket. How could she have forgotten that Ditzy and Time Turner had been happily married for more than a year. She was the one who got them together.

“Look at them, being cute and all,” Pinkie thought thought. She imagined that she herself and Pokey would be in the same situation someday, and she hoped that it would be soon. She wasn’t quite sure about Pokey yet, but she had the courage to ask now, thanks to Fluttershy’s encouraging words. She looked at the couple for a minute before she snapped back to reality and a sudden urge to find Pokey forced her to continue towards Pokey’s place.
“Now where’s that soon-to-be husband of mine?” Pinkie thought with a small mischievous smile on her lips.

She started to bounce towards her destination again. Pinkie didn’t need to walk for long before she saw the pony she was looking for. Her own blue prince with the sharp unique horn. Pokey was easy to spot from other ponies, his horn swayed over other ponies heads. It was like a beacon that lured Pinkie towards him. She let out a small squeal and started to trot towards her coltfriend. 

“Pfhokey!” she muttered with the basket hanging in her mouth. The stallion finally noticed her and a genuine smile appeared onto Pokey’s face. He started to walk towards Pinkie and stopped just in front of her. Pinkie didn’t wait for Pokey to say anything, nor did she lay down the basket before she started to speak, “I shpoke whfit Fluttershy anf fshe shaid that I shoud ask…”
Pinkie stopped when she saw Pokey’s confused, yet amused expression.
“You didnd undherstanh, dhid ya?” she asked. Pokey smiled and said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Pinkie Pie nodded and laid the basket on the ground between them. She then lifted her head up and her gaze met with Pokey’s. They stared at each other for a moment, before they both said each other’s name in unison.

“You go first,” Pokey offered. Pinkie smiled a bit more timidly this time. Somehow Pokey looking at her made it much more harder for Pinkie to ask about their future. She squirmed under Pokey’s gaze and then closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly.
“I want to tell you one thing,” Pinkie said to Pokey, who tilted his head a little.
“Like you said earlier, we haven’t been together for too long…” she started and looked at Pokey who had small smile on his lips. She wasn’t sure if it was a amused or confused smile but she decided to continue, “I hope you won’t freak out or anything, but…”
She looked straight into Pokey’s eyes and took a step closer before saying, “I want to be with you, grow old with you, I want to… to… marry you!”   

She saw Pokey’s surprised expression. He looked at her with wide eyes and mouth a bit open. He kept staring at her like that and Pinkie Pie’s enthusiasm died quickly and she tensed up a little. Pokey stared at her for couple of seconds more, before looking down at the ground with confused look still on his face. 
Pinkie started to panic.
“I-I mean of course when the time comes! Not right now or anything like that! We’ll go as slow as you like... As slow as you want…” she muttered nervously and drooped her ears. She didn’t even look at Pokey. She felt stupid and embarrassed.
“He’s not ready. Why did I have to rush this thing!?” Pinkie thought and stared at the ground. She could feel her mane becoming a bit flatter than usually. Just as she was about lift her head towards Pokey, two hooves appeared in front of her face, lifting her head upwards from under her chin. Soon her eyes blue eyes met with Pokey’s golden ones.

Pinkie Pie didn’t have time to say anything before Pokey pushed his muzzle against her’s, locking their lips together. Pinkie was surprised by the power of Pokey’s kiss. It was normally she who was the one who leaded their kissing, but this time it was different than usually.
“It’s like our first kiss!” Pinkie realized and was instantly filled with happiness again. She let Pokey take over completely and just enjoyed the kiss to the fullest. Pokey leaned even more forward and placed his other front hoof behind Pinkie Pie’s head, pulling her even more into the kiss. She giggled and opened her mouth even more, pushing her tongue into Pokey’s mouth where it danced with his tongue for a moment before they broke the kiss.

They both were blushing hard and as they looked around themselves, they noticed some curious ponies staring at them. Pokey and Pinkie smiled sheepishly at each other before Pokey suggested, “Maybe we should find a bit quieter place?”
“Nah,” Pinkie said while giving the most loving look to him.
Pokey looked at her for a second and then took a quick look at the ponies who were staring at them. He sighed and turned back to Pinkie Pie, who was still looking at him with love in her eyes.
“This is totally not like I planned it…” Pokey thought and looked at all the ponies around him. Their presence didn’t help at all.
“Let them watch,” Pinkie said quietly as she noticed Pokey’s troubled expression. She then giggled and placed a quick kiss onto his cheek. Pokey lifted his hoof to the cheek she had kissed, and smiled warmly at her.
“Okay,” he said quietly and sat down.

Pinkie looked at her coltfriend, who was now sitting in front of her with his golden eyes staring at her’s. She was silent, waiting for Pokey to say those magic words, to ask if she would like to love him for the rest of her life.
To her surprise, that question didn’t come. Instead Pokey opened his saddlebag. Before doing anything else, he asked from Pinkie Pie, “You know what I was looking for back at the park?”
“What?” Pinkie asked, trying to get a sneak peak at Pokey’s bag again. Luckily for her, Pokey had the thing with him this time, and he slowly pulled a small cardboard box from his saddlebag.
“Do you recognize it?” Pokey asked from his marefriend, who nodded eagerly and answered his question, “Of course I do. It’s the box I gave you when you left Ponyville.”
Pokey smiled and nodded. His smile grew wider as he said, “When you gave it to me, it was filled with balloons.”
He held a small dramatic pause before continuing, “Guess what’s in it now.”
“I have an Idea,” Pinkie said. She had her gaze fixated to the small box. If she was right about the content of the box, that day would be the best one in her entire life. Pokey reached his hooves towards her, offering the box to her. Pinkie took the box into her hooves carefully, like it would have been the most fragile flower ever existed. She was about to open it, but then Pokey stopped her by placing his other front hoof on her’s.
“Together?” he asked. Pinkie felt how tears of joy started to form in her eyes as she nodded and said, “Together.”

Pokey took his hoof from top of Pinkie Pie’s, but she didn’t open the box yet. She waited like they had agreed.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie,” Pokey started, still sitting on the ground. Pinkie’s blue eyes shined as she asked, “Yes?”
Pokey gestured that Pinkie could open the box now. Pinkie gave him a little nod and started to open the box. She saw something golden inside it.
“Will you…” Pokey continued but something interrupted him. It was a new voice shouting, “Watch out below!”

They both turned towards the sound and saw a cyan pegasus speeding towards them on the sky. It was Rainbow Dash. She probably was trying one of her new stunts. Pokey and Pinkie saw the mare lowering almost to the street level. Actually she was just about two meters off the ground when she reached them. 
“Hi Pinkiiiieeeee….” they could hear as she flew over them with unbelievable speed. The air current following her soon hit the couple, lifting the flour from the basket that was between them into the air, covering them both into a big white cloud. For a second they both kept coughing like crazy, but then Pokey heard a scream. He could tell that it was Pinkie.
“Pinkie!? You okay?” he asked and tried to find her with his hooves. He didn’t find her but he heard her screaming, “The box! I dropped it!”
“What!? Where is it?” Pokey asked, still trying to locate his marefriend inside the flour cloud. When he finally caught her into his hooves she said, “I wouldn’t be screaming if I knew where it was!” 
“It’s okay! We’ll just need to find it,“ Pokey reassured her with a smile. Pinkie still didn’t smile, she seemed to be really upset by the mishap.
The flour cloud started to perish and they saw many curious ponies looking at the scene in front of them. Pinkie and Pokey didn’t mind them at all. They were too focused on finding the box that was the most important thing right at that moment
.
After a moment Pinkie’s eyes noticed something couple of meters away from them.
“There!” she exclaimed victoriously and pointed at the box that was laying on the ground. Pokey looked there and smiled.
“Just wait here and I’ll get it,” he said and started to walk towards it. Pinkie watched him walk to the box and how he picked it up with his magic. She smiled happily but suddenly felt something strange happening. She felt her tail twitching, her knees wobbling and her back itching.
“Tail twitch, knee wobble and an itchy back. Somepony is going to crash into somepony else,” she thought and looked around herself. She quickly noticed Rainbow Dash coming for another sweep.
“Gotta be her,” she muttered to herself. “Should have known that.”
Pinkie tried to look for a potential victim. Her eyes went wide and she gasped as she realized that Pokey was proudly walking towards her with the box in his magical grasp, right in Rainbow’s flight path. 
“Pokey!” she shouted and pointed towards the incoming Rainbow Dash. Pokey turned his head towards approaching Rainbow, who tried to slow down by flaring her wings wide open. Pokey just frowned and shouted angrily, “Why nothing can go as I planned it!?”

SMACK

* * *

Pokey started to wake up from the crash with Rainbow Dash. He was laying on something quite uncomfortable. Maybe a hard sofa or something like that. The air smelled somehow familiar, like sweet and baked goods. He opened his eyes, only to be blinded by a bright light. A jolt of pain rushed through his head and Pokey shut his eyes quickly, keeping them shut for a while. He then tried to open them again, more slowly this time. That strategy worked and he could now take a better look at his surroundings.

He had to be in Sugarcube Corner. In Pinkie’s room actually. There were balloons hanging around him and on the wall in front of him hung a banner that said, “Get well soon!”
“Where the hay does she get those?” Pokey asked from nopony in special. He chuckled at the banner for a second, before a new voice made him jump a little on his uncomfortable bed.

“She has a chest full of them. I’ve seen them with my own eyes,” the voice said. It wasn’t Pinkie’s. Pokey turned towards the sound and saw something strange. It was Rainbow Dash laying on a simple bed with a Daring Do book in her hooves.
“What is she doing here?” Pokey thought while looking at her with confused look on his face. Rainbow noticed his stare and seemed to get a little irritated by it.
“Never seen a pony before?” she asked bluntly and flipped a page in her book.
“No, it’s just… what are you doing here?” he asked from the cyan pegasus who gave him a strange look and said, 	“Umm, usually ponies go to a hospital if something bad happens, like our little crash earlier.”
“Hospital?” Pokey asked, mainly from himself. He looked around himself again and started to notice that even the decoration of the room had been clearly made by Pinkie, the room was just an ordinary hospital room with three beds. He sniffed the air and thought how did the room smell like Sugarcube Corner. His eyes met a spray bottle on the nightstand next to his bed. In it’s label read ‘Pinkie’s bakery aroma’. He half smiled at the bottle and then looked at the bed he was laying on. It was a normal hospital bed with a mattress made of stone by the feel of it
.
“That explains why the be was so uncomfortable,” Pokey thought before turning back to Rainbow Dash. She had a bandage wrapped around the ankle of her left hind leg, but it didn’t seem to bother her at all.
“Sorry about the crash,” Pokey said with apologetic voice. 
“It’s nothing. Just a sprained ankle,” Rainbow said and waved her hoof at him casually. “Besides, I shouldn’t have flown that low in the middle of the town.”
Pokey agreed with her, but decided not to say anything. He touched his head and a jolt of pain ran through it again. He winced and hissed through his teeth before asking, “How long have we been here?”
“Only for couple of hours. I think they said that you might have a migraine when you wake up, but nothing dangerous,” Rainbow said to Pokey who chuckled and said, “Well they got that right.”

They laid on their beds for a minute, before Rarity laid down his book and looked at Pokey curiously. It took another minute before he noticed that the cyan pegasus staring at him. When he noticed, he asked, “What?”
“I was just wondering, what were you guys doing back there?” Rainbow asked, making Pokey’s eyes go wide as he remembered. He took a nervous look around the room and saw his saddlebag on the floor next to his bed. He took it into his hooves and opened it quickly. To his relief, the small cardboard box was right on the top of everything else. Pinkie must have put it in there after the crash. He sighed and leaned back to his pillow. 
“Hello?” Rainbow asked and waved her hoof to get his attention. Pokey turned his head towards her and she said, “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh… I was just getting this,” he answered and took the box into his hooves. Rainbow looked at it with raised eyebrow. She squinted her eyes and asked curiously, “What’s that?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said a sweet, slightly muffled voice from the door. They both turned towards the sound and saw Pinkie Pie standing there, with her ever so happy and energetic appearance. She had a small box in her teeth, but a warm smile garnishedher lips and she looked directly at Pokey. She slowly made her way to the side of Pokey’s bed, sat down and took the box into her hooves. She placed it on the bed next to Pokey, before leaning forward and giving a soft kiss to Pokey.
“Sorry you had to wait. I really needed to get that,” Pinkie said after the kiss and pointed at the small box. Pokey stared at the blue velvet box. He gulped and asked, “I-Is that what I think it is?”
“I don’t know what you think it is,” Pinkie giggled, giving a teasing look to him. She then took a hold of Pokey’s hoof and whispered into his ear. “Maybe we should find out.”
That made Pokey snicker a little but then he pressed his forehead against Pinkie’s, who drooped her ears cutely. Pokey smiled timidly and muttered, “Just let me get down from here first.”
Before he managed to even move, Pinkie Pie bounced up onto the bed and sat in front of him.
“No need to!” she exclaimed. After a small snickering, Pokey sat more upright and dropped the saddlebag down to the floor to give them more space.

“Um… should we…” Pokey muttered and took his box into his hooves while looking at Pinkie Pie nervously. She nodded slowly, seeming to feel at least as nervous as he was feeling. Pokey drooped his ears and looked at Pinkie for a good while, just thinking how beautiful she looked. Her curly mane falling down her shoulders, jumping up and down from every small move she did. Her blue eyes stared at him with anticipation in them. Pokey could see that they were getting a bit wet. Well, he felt his own eyes getting watery as well so he couldn’t blame her. There was something in that moment that made them feel like crying.

Pokey braced himself and took a deep breath before starting, “Pinkamena Diane Pie…”
“Yes!” Pinkie exclaimed, putting her hooves on her mouth and flashing a sheepish smile to amused Pokey.
“You know I didn’t even finish yet,” Pokey said and took her hooves into his own. She chuckled nervously and said, “Sorry, I just got a bit too excited.” 
Pokey smiled and said, “Just try to keep yourself under control. Just for couple of seconds.”
Pinkie nodded eagerly, and with that Pokey continued, “I know some might think that we are rushing through our relationship…”
“Yes!” Pinkie mumbled with her hooves still on her lips. Pokey frowned and looked at her amusedly and continued, “... But I don’t think so. I know I want to live with you.”
“OhmigoshYesyesyesyes!” Pinkie mumbled, trying her best not to start crying. Pokey wasn’t so good at it and felt one tear starting to roll down his cheek as he said, “A-and I have wanted to ask you one question for a while now…”
Now Pinkie and Pokey both had tears rolling down their cheeks. Pinkie leaned forward and asked with tearful, barely audible voice, “Yes?”
Pokey took the brown cardboard box and opened it, revealing a golden hoofring with small blue gem embedded to it. Pinkie’s eyes glittered as she looked at the ring with tears starting to freely fall down her cheeks, onto her chin.
“W-will you marry me?” Pokey asked with shaky voice.
“YES!” Pinkie shouted, throwing her hooves around Pokey’s neck, making him fall backwards with her on top of him. He barely managed to save the hoofring from flying off again. Pinkie didn’t seem to notice it and just locked her lips with his, engaging into a deep passionate kissing. They felt how their faces were damp with their own tears but it didn’t slow them down. They were getting deeper into the sloppy kissing, but then they started to feel the urge to breath again.

“I-I-I…” Pinkie muttered, trying to say something. Her tears made mascara run down her cheeks. Pokey noticed that she could get any words out so he just took her left forehoof into his and slid the golden ring around her hoof. She squaled happily and buried her face into Pokey’s shoulder, whispering, “I’m the happiest mare in whole Equestria right now.”
Pokey couldn’t say anything. He started brushing his marefriend’s pink poofy mane slowly while she sobbed happily against his shoulder.

After a while, they heard Rainbow Dash asking slowly, “Did you just… like, propose her?”
They both turned towards her and saw wide eyed Rainbow Dash. It had clearly taken some time for her to process the scene in front of her. The pair nodded at the same time, making Rainbow Dash flare her wings open and exclaimed loudly, “Wooow… That was awesome! Good job sport!”
“Thanks,” the pair said in unison, not knowing if she spoked to Pokey or Pinkie. Rainbow jumped down from her bed, making a funny face when she landed on her sore hoof. She was tough enough not to yelp but she walked to the pair with a limp. When she reached the bed, she scooped Pinkie up into a tight hug which she returned. Rainbow Dash then examined the ring around Pinkie’s hoof, letting out a long whistle.
“That’s a pretty nice piece of jewelry right there,” she said and gave Pokey approving nod. She then started to smile and wrapped Pinkie into another hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” she said and tightened her hug. Pinkie giggled and said while Rainbow nuzzled her cheek, “I’m pretty happy with myself too!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes and smiled happily. She then turned her stare to Pokey, which made him rather nervous. Rainbow gave him very stern look and said with cold voice, “If you ever make her sad…”
Pokey drooped his ears and gulped nervously. That Rainbow maned one always was the scary one. Pinkie instead just giggled and gave Pokey a mischievous look, saying, “Don’t worry RD. I can handle myself just fine.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow said while looking at Pokey with amused expression. Both of the mares started to snicker together. Pokey frowned. There was always somepony who made fun of him for being a bit wussy. Pinkie noticed his frown and let go of Rainbow Dash and nuzzled Pokey’s cheek with her muzzle.
“Aww… You know that you’re the most bravest pony to me,” she cooed and placed her lips on his. He immediately felt better by himself and started to kiss back. Soon it had turned into a full makeout session, with stiff winged  Rainbow Dash staring at them from couple of feets away. She backed off slowly, making her way towards the door while muttering, “Uhm… I’ll be  going now…”
She received no response from the passionately kissing pair. She frowned and muttered something inaudible before getting out of the room.


Pinkie and Pokey didn’t notice her leavin, nor did they care. They had each other and it was all that mattered. After couple of minutes Pinkie rolled of from top of her lover and cuddled right into his side. They spent a moment just petting each other and trying to calm down. After they had caught their breaths, Pinkie extended her left front log and examined the golden ring with wide smile on her lips.
“This is so cool,” she said and gave Pokey a quick peck on the cheek. She then took the small velvet box from the bed next to them and presented it to Pokey. With a wide smile she opened it and inside it was a much smaller ring that was supposed to be put around the horn. It too had a small gem embedded into it. A normal horn ring… except one small detail that made Pokey looked at it with confused expression on his face for a second. It was pink.
“I bought it just today! While you were sleeping here,” Pinkie explained happily. Pokey blinked slowly before saying, “It’s… pink.”
“I know! I thought that it was a good colour,” Pinkie said and took the small ring into her hooves. Pokey stared at her holding the ring for a second. It was exactly the same colour as her coat. She wore that cute smile that made Pokey’s heart melt.
“It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” he muttered with a slightly defeated tone. 

Pinkie Pie smiled when she heard that and gently slipped the ring around Pokey’s sharp horn, sliding it all the way to the bottom of it. She then proudly looked at her soon to be fiancé, who leaned forward to kiss her. She accepted that and soon they had fallen deep into exchanging passionate kisses. After they were done, Pinkie looked at Pokey with the most seductive bedroom eyes he had ever seen on her.
“You know… Have you ever thought about doing it in a hospital?” Pinkie asked as she lowered herself closer to the blushing Pokey. “Because I sure have.”
Pokey seemed nervous and muttered, “What? No.”
“Aww come on! Think how exciting it would be with all these nurses and patients around us,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with excited voice, jumping up and down a bit. Pokey folded his ears to the back of his head and said, “That’s exactly why I’m not too keen on the idea.”
Pinkie tried with her best puppy dog eyes and a cute pout but Pokey shook his head. Pinkie sighed heavily. She then flopped against him and said, “You’re such a dullard.”
Pokey chuckled and stroke her mane, not saying anything. Pinkie then rose upwards so that their muzzles were touching.
“But you’re my dullard,” she said before kissing him again.



> Meeting the in-laws
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 10
by FinnPony


The sun was already high on the sky but there was a thick layer of light grey clouds hiding it, making the weather a bit cooler than it had been for the most of the week. Most of the Ponyville was awake, well everypony except Rainbow Dash actually. Most of the ponies were spending the cooler Saturday doing some more physical work around the town because the uncomfortable heat wasn’t bothering them. Everypony were happy as they managed to get something done around the town.
In the Sugarcube Corner the atmosphere was completely different. It was tense.

Even the bakery was closed during the weekends, the owners Mr. and Mrs. Cakes were making an inventory. Usually Pinkie Pie would be helping them, but that particular day she was just sitting in front of the front door. She had been staring at the door ever since she and Pokey had finished their breakfast. Pokey Pierce was in turn pacing around the shop. The clatter of his hooves filled the otherwise silent shop. They were waiting for the arrival of their families. Pokey was the only child in his family but Pinkie in other hand was one of three siblings of the Pie family. Pokey wasn’t nervous about meeting her family or presenting her to his parents. Pinkie had told him about his family many times but he still felt rather nervous about the whole meeting. Mostly because he didn’t know what his parents would be thinking about Pinkie Pie’s family and otherways around. He looked at Pinkie and stopped on his tracks.

“You sitting there won’t make them come any faster,” he said and walked next to the pink mare sitting in front of the door. She glanced at him and had a small smile on her lips. Pokey sat next to her and she said, “Yeah, but I want to meet them as soon as I can. If I’d be sitting behind the counter, it would take me couple of seconds to come here and open the door.”
Pokey was used to her funny way of thinking so he just laughed silently and rose up. He then started to pace around the shop again.

Mrs. Cake came from the back room to check on the couple. She took a quick look at Pinkie Pie and then at Pokey. She smiled warmly, knowing how they felt. She herself had been nervous when she had met Carrot’s parents for the first time. She cleared her throat and got their attention. 
“Would you two want some tea while waiting?” he asked from them with motherly smile on her lips.
Pinkie didn’t react but Pokey turned towards the older mare and said, “Yes please. I would really use something to calm my nerves.”
“And maybe it would help you too dear,” Mrs. Cake said to Pinkie, who shook her head and answered, “No thank you. They might come while I would be drinking tea with you.”
“Come on honey. It’ll calm you down,” Pokey tried. Pinkie gave him an annoyed look and said, “I am calm!”
Pokey gave her a pleading look and she drooped her ears and sighed, “Okay. But if they come while I’m back there…”
“They won’t.” Pokey said and helped her up. They then started to walk towards the back room where Mrs. cake was already boiling the water for their tea.

Just as they were on the door to the back room there was a knock on the door. Pinkie and Pokey both looked at the door and then at each other. Pinkie shot somewhat angry look at Pokey before dashing towards the door. She skidded to a stop just in front of it and took a hold of the handle. She opened the door only for couple of inches at first, peeking from the small gap. Then all of the sudden the door swung open so harshly that it almost flew off from its hinges. Pokey saw two mares tackling his marefriend to the floor. 
Other one was almost same colored as he was and she had light grey colored,  straightly cut semilong mane. Her cutie mark was a heart shaped piece of limestone. The other mare had same colored coat as the other’s mane. Her mane was longer and it was dark grey. Her cutie mark was three marble balls. They might have looked different than Pinkie, but they shared the same energetic spirit as Pinkie did.

“PINKIIIEEE!” they both screamed as they hugged the helpless mare on the floor. She returned the hug and exclaimed, “Lime! Marble!”
“Ohh we’re so happy to see you!” the lightly blue coated mare said and rubbed her nose against Pinkie’s. The other one giggled happily and said while clapping her hooves together, “I knew that this day would come, and now it’s here!”
Pokey had kept quiet until then but he had to let out a small snicker as all the sisters happily hugged each other. He immediately regretted making noise as Pinkie’s sister turned their eyes towards him. They stared at him with wide eyes and then they gave each other an evil glare. They  rose from the floor and started to slowly approach Pokey with that evil look in their eyes. 
“So this is the stallion who melted our sister’s heart?” the blue one said and winked at Pokey. The grey one giggled and said while examining him from hooves to horn, “Not bad. He could be a bit more hunky but look at that horn!”
“Yeah,” the blue one said with sultry voice. “such a long, sharp horn…”

“Girls behave yourself,” said a stern male voice from the door. Everypony turned towards the door and saw an older stallion with brown coat, grey mane and sideburns. He wore a black hat and he had a rock hammer as his cutie mark.
As the two mares saw him, they immediately changed back to grownup mares and they said meekly in unison, “We’re sorry.”
The stallion nodded and Pokey saw light grey mare appearing next to the brown stallion. Her mane was very light green and it was tied to a topknot. Her cutie mark was simple, three pieces of quartz in triangle formation. She had glasses on her muzzle and a warm smile on her lips. On her neck was a black scarf with white stripes in it and a golden medallion hung around her neck.

“Mom! Dad!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she dashed towards and hugged them tightly. Her mother was returning the hug with smile on her lips and Pokey thought that her father seemed like he too was smiling a little. After the hug ended, Pinkie Pie smiled at her family and gestured Pokey to come forward. He did so but kept eye on the giggling sisters of Pinkie Pie. She stopped next to Pinkie, who placed a hoof on his chest and said with cheery voice, “This is Pokey Pierce. He’s my coltfirend.”
“And soon to be husband,” the brown earth pony said seriously while two sisters giggled in the background. Pokey gulped and raised his hoof while greeting, “Pokey Pierce, nice to meet you sir.”
The brown stallion took of his hat and shook hooves with Pokey while saying in his emotionless way, “I hope it stays that way. I am Igneous Rock.”
Pokey nodded and Igneous continued, “This is my wife, Cloudy Quartz.”
“Just call me Cloudy,” the older mare said sweetly as Pokey shook hooves with her. Then Pinkie’s sisters took a step forward.
“These are my other daughters, Limestone -” Igneous pointed at the light blue mare who winked at Pokey “- and Marble Pie,” he finished and turned his hoof towards the grey mare who curtseyed at Pokey.

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie suddenly yelled. “Where’s Maud!?”
Everypony looked around themselves, but did not see the pony they were looking for. As if on cue a bluish gray mare with violet mane shaped much like Twilight Sparkle’s. She seemed to be oldest of the three sisters. Around her thirties maybe. She had a simple, dark blue dress on her. She wore a deadpanned expression on her face. Pokey noticed that unlike her sisters, she wore make up. Violet eyeshadow and black eyeliner highlighted her turquoise eyes.
Pokey thought that she was pretty good looking and kept staring at her. Soon he snapped back to reality as Pinkie bounced towards her and wrapped her into a hug.

“Hi Maud!” Pinkie exclaimed as she nuzzled her sisters cheek. Pokey seemed a bit confused as she didn’t return the gesture. She just looked at Pinkie with that deadpan stare and said calmly, “Hi Pinkie.”
“Pokey, this is my oldest sister Maud Pie, she’s so awesome,” Pinkie said while pulling Pokey closer to them. Maud looked at him straight in the eyes with that dull look that made Pokey feel a bit troubled.
“Maud, this is Pokey,” Pinkie introduced him to her sister, who raised her hoof towards Pokey. When they shook hooves she said flatly, “I’m really excited to meet you.”
“Uhh… Sure. Pinkie’s told a lot about you,” Pokey said and gave her a small smile which she didn’t return. She stayed quiet and so did Pokey. Pinkie giggled and said, “I’ve never seen her so shy around anypony.” 

After couple of silent and confused seconds Pokey slowly turned towards Igneous Rock again.
“I’m sorry that my parents are not here yet, but they should arrive shortly,” Pokey said, trying to sound as formal as he could. That erupted a giggle from Pinkie Pie who leaned her head against his, making her and her younger sisters giggle and. Her father still kept his serious face and said, “It’s alright.”
He kept a small pause and then said, “We have been on the move since morning and we would be grateful if we could get something to eat.”
“Mrs. Cake made tea!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Also you can take anything from the shells,” she added and gave a wink to her younger sisters, who squealed and dashed towards the shells full of different kind of pastries. Cloudy Quartz and Maud Pie gracefully walked after them with Pinkie next to them. Igneous and Pokey looked after the mares. Then at each other.
“We have lot of talking to do,” Igneous said in his serious but still somehow fatherly, not threatening way. Pokey even smiled a little when he nodded.


* * *


After the guests had settled in and had their tea, Pinkie Pie was showing her sisters around the house while Pokey was talking with their parents. Pinkie bounced up the stairs with Marbel and Limestone closely behind her. Soon they came to the door that lead to Pinkie’s room.
“This is my room,” She announced as she opened the door and let her sisters in. They trotted in and examined the bright room with excited sparkling in their eyes. They had never seen a room like that. They let out ‘wows’, ‘oohs’ and ’aahs’ while walking around and looking at the candy themed furnitures and balloons of different shapes.
“This is so… different,” Limestone said and turned towards Pinkie who tilted her head in questioning manner. Then Marble Pie joined the conversation, “She means that our rooms are nothing like this.”
“I know. I’ve been home too you know,” Pinkie Pie said and trotted towards the bed. The sisters then sat on the big fluffy bed and started talk.
“So this is where the magic happens,” Marble said while bouncing on the bed with a mischievous smirk on her lips. Limestone too looked at Pinkie with that teasing smirk. It took couple of confused seconds before Pinkie realized what they meant. She flushed scarlet red, earning a loud giggling from her sister.
“This is a first time I’ve seen you blushing over a colt,” Limestone said and leaned against still blushing Pinkie. Marble too leaned against her and whispered, “So that means he must be somehow special?” 
The two sisters giggled at Pinkie’s small smile that confirmed Marble’s claim. They didn’t stop their teasing even Pinkie seemed really troubled and uncomfortable between them.
“I bet that his horn isn’t the only long thing he has,” Marble said with faked dreamy voice. Limestone giggled and Pinkie frowned. She hopped from the bed and snorted, “You’re just jealous!”
“Oh we surely are,” Limestone said with sultry tone, making Pinkie blush even more. Then she and Marble started to laugh heartily while Pinkie was frowning at them. Luckily their laughing was catchy and soon Pinkie too joined their laughing.

After the laughter died down, She hopped back to the bed between her sister and hugged them both. They were surprised by the hug for a second but soon hugged her back.
“I’m so happy to see you two again,” she said and tightened the hug. Her sisters sighed happily and then Limestone said, “We’re happy to see you too.”
“And I’m happy to see that coltfriend of yours,” Marble teased but got an annoyed look from her sisters. She flashed a sheepish smile to them and decided to stop joking around.
“But seriously, he’s pretty good looking,” Limestone said more casually. Pinkie Pie chuckled and said, “Sure he is. I wouldn’t pick a bad looking one.”
She then realized what she had said and how it fought with her nature.
“N-not that I wouldn’t like him if he was ugly though. It’s the inside that counts…” she muttered. “He’s pure gold from the inside.”
Then she smiled shyly and said, “But I’m glad that he’s pure gold from the outside too.”
Her sisters squealed excitedly and started to giggle.

It was then when Limestone noticed the part of the wall above the bed which was full of pictures taken by Pokey. She crawled to the end of the bed to get a better look at the pictures. Marble Pie 
too looked at the pictures and let out a little ‘aaw’ when she saw the picture where Pinkie was kissing Pokey on the cheek at the train station.
“One of his best pictures,” Pinkie chirped as she joined her sisters. They kept looking at the pictures for a while before Marble asked, “So he’s a photographer?”
“Yep,” Pinkie clarified with a nod. Then Limestone asked from Pinkie, “Where does he work?”
“He works at…” Pinkie started but stopped when she realized that she didn’t know where Pokey worked, or if he worked at all.

Meanwhile at the downstairs Pokey was sitting around the kitchen table with Pinkie Pie’s parents. Cake’s weren’t there with them, they were still doing the inventory so Pokey and Pinkie’s parents could talk in peace.

“...So that’s how I started to date your daughter,” Pokey finished his story about how he and Pinkie Pie met and fell in love. Cloudy Quartz smiled widely to the story and clapped her hooves together happily while saying, “That was just so adorable! I knew that Pinkie would someday find a good, nice stallion.”
Pokey blushed at her words and rubbed the back of his head with his hoof. Maud looked at him with that deadpan look and said slowly, “Sweet story.”
“Yes… Sweet,” Igneous Rock said calmly. “Say Pokey, what do you do for the living?”
“That’s what I was going to ask!” they heard a voice say from under the table.

Pokey winced at the sound and looked under the table. Pinkie Pie’s wide smile and blue eyes met his gaze.
“Hiya!” she said as she crawled from under the table so that she was between Pokey and the table. She looked at Pokey in the eyes and said, “Girls asked about your job and I was like ‘He’s working at...’ and I realised that I don’t know where you work now days so I had to come here to ask!”
“What a coincidence,” Igneous said calmly. Pokey blinked confusedly at Pinkie who had herself pressed herself against him and the table. He then answered her question, “I work with the Manehattan Times’ correspondent of Ponyville. I take all the pictures for his articles.”
“I didn’t know that,” Pinkie said.
“I’ve told you countless of times,” Pokey answered. Pinkie thought for a minute and then shrugged while saying, “Well I didn’t remember it then. By the way I’m a baker.”
She then planted a soft kiss on Pokey’s lips and quickly disappeared under the table. Pokey snickered and started to talk while peeking under the table, “I know that…”
He stopped when there was nopony under the table.
“She’s sometimes like that,” Igneous said. 

Pokey chuckled and nodded in agreement. Then Cloudy Quartz asked, ignoring her daughters wacky antics, “So have you two thought of moving together?” 
“Yes mam, we have. We have thought of moving into my house. It’s not too far away from here,” Pokey explained.
“What about your parent’s? Where are they from?” Igneous asked. He seemed to be eager about meeting Pokey’s parents.
“They are originally from Ponyville and so am I. They moved to Canterlot when I was sixteen,” Pokey answered. “I was so attached to this place that I couldn’t leave with them.”
“Pinkie was about the same age when I she moved here,” Cloudy said. Pokey nodded and said, “Yeah I remember that. Or the party actually.”
He and Cloudy chuckled. Igneous almost smiled. Maud didn’t have any emotions on her face.

“She has always been such a beam of sunshine,” Cloudy said when they heard loud giggling through from upstairs. Pokey nodded and sighed happily.
“She has brought a fine share of that sunshine into my life for sure,” he said with quiet voice. He didn’t notice it, but both Cloudy and Igneous were smiling. Before he could continue they heard a knock from the door.

Meanwhile Pinkie Pie was telling her sisters about her and Pokey’s date in the amusement park. 
“And then he gave the teddy bear to that little filly,” Pinkie Pie told her sisters, who sighed at the chivalry of Pokey’s actions. Marble was hugging a pillow when she asked with dreamy voice, “So how was the kiss?”
“What? I didn’t say anything about a kiss,” Pinkie said confusedly. Limestone giggled and said, “We are your sisters! I know that you just had to have kissed him after that.”
Pinkie Pie smiled at her sisters warmly. They had seen right through her. She leaned closer to them and whispered, “It was magical.”
“Aww come on! Give us some details!” Marble said.
“Dirty details,” Limestone added. Pinkie chuckled at her and was just about to say something when shivers went up her spine and one of her mane’s curls sprung up, separating itself from the rest. Her sisters had lived with Pinkie to know that it was a doozy. They also knew most of them but that one was new. They looked at her a bit weirdly and asked, “What doozy was that?”
Pinkie Pie bounced off from the bed and singsonged, “~It’s Pokey’s parents~”


* * *


Pokey was walking towards the door with wide smile on his lips. He hadn’t seen his parents in ages. He wasn’t too nervous about them meeting Pinkie’s parents anymore. He was almost certain that they would come along nicely with each other. Hopefully. 
Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared next to him when he got to the door. She smiled at Pokey and said, “I can’t wait to meet them. Or I could but I don’t want to. I mean you already met my parents so it would be kinda rude if I wouldn’t introduce myself to them.”
She giggled and then finished, “So I pretty much can’t wait to meet them.”
“Me neither,” Pokey said when he didn’t come up with anything else. He took a hold of the handle. He then slowly opened the door and saw two unicorns standing in front of them.

They both were a bit older than Pinkie’s parents. His mother had the same colored coat as Pokey did. Her mane was straight and snow white. Her tail was styled like her mane and it flowed behind her like a veil. She held her snout upwards in a bit snobbish way like Rarity does. Pinkie noticed that her golden eyes were just like Pokey’s. Her cutie mark was a green aurora. 
The stallion was brown coated but he had the same frizzly blue and white mane as Pokey did. It was only cut a bit shorter than his son’s and it’s colors had started to fade. He had round glasses on his snout and a small white moustaches and beard. His cutie mark was a golden ring and a small jewelry hammer. Pinkie thought that if Pokey would look like his father when he got older, she would be a happy mare.

“Hi mom,” Pokey said and wrapped his hoof around the mare’s neck. She returned the hug and said with thick canterlot accent, “It’s been so long,”
“Too long,” Pokey said and let go of her mother. Then he turned towards the stallion and reached his hoof towards him. Stallion stepped closer and gave him a fatherly hug while saying with deep voice, “Good to see you kid.”
“Nice to see you too old man,” Pokey said when they broke the hug. He kept staring at his parents for a moment, nopony saying anything. He smiled stupidly and didn’t know what to say. Luckily his mother soon spoke, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Oh! Of course,” Pokey muttered with sheepish smile on his face. He then stepped backwards so that he was side to side with Pinkie Pie.

“Honey. This is my mom, Blue Aurora and my dad, Hoofcraft Pierce,” he said to Pinkie Pie who smiled happily and bounced forward, tugging both of Pokey’s surprised parents into a tight hug. Pokey was as surprised as his parents were and couldn’t say a word.
“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie! Super nice to meet you! I’ve waited the whole morning to finlayy get to meet you! I literally sat in front of the door whole morning!” she announced while still hugging Pokey’s parents. Blue Aurora looked at the clingy mare and then at her son, who smiled sheepishly at her with his ears folded backwards. They both turned towards Hoofcraft when he started to chuckle lightly.
“It’s nice to see that she’s not a shy one,” he said and Pinkie broke the hug. She smiled and said, “Pokey has told a lot about you.”
“He writes about you in every letter,” Blue Aurora said after she got over the surprise of the sudden hug. She then added with small hint of disappointment in her voice, “And I can clearly see why.”
Pinkie Pie didn’t notice it but Pokey and his father scowled at the blue mare. Pokey’s father then turned back towards Pinkie. Hoofcraft wore a sly grin and said, “I can’t believe that my son has found such a marvelous looking mare.”
“Dad,” Pokey said, clearly troubled and annoyed. Pinkie Pie in turn just giggled at him and said, “I think I found him.”

That made both Pinkie Pie and Hoofcraft laugh heartily. Blue Aurora rolled her eyes.  
“We would appreciate it if we got a cup of tea,” Blue Aurora said when the laughing stopped. Pinkie smiled and said, “Of course, my parents are in the kitchen and they are eager to meet you.” 
Hoofcraft cleared his throat and said, “Then the feeling is mutual. Could I get coffee instead?”
“Sure thing dad,” Pokey answered. 

Pinkie Pie gestured them to follow her and so they did. Hoofcraft stopped his son when they were about to enter the kitchen. He looked at him with apologetic look in his eyes and said, “I’m sorry. You know how Aurora can be.”
“I know,” Pokey said. “Canterlot has changed her.”
Hoofcraft smiled sadly and said, “She doesn’t mean to be mean.”
“I know that too,” Pokey answered and turned toward the kitchen. There they saw Pinkie Pie serving tea to Blue Aurora with constant smile on her lips.

“She’s quite a personality,” Hoofcraft said to his son with smile. “I really like her.”
“Well I’m sorry to tell you but she’s mine,” Pokey joked and his father chuckled quietly. He then patted Pokey on the back and said, “Good, keep that attitude.” 
He then gave Pokey a strange look and said, “You seem different from the last time we saw each other.”
“Different how?” Pokey asked. His father smiled a little and said, “You seem more self-confident.”
Pokey looked at his father straight into his eyes for a second and then glanced towards the kitchen where he saw Pinkie Pie smiling at his mother while talking about something. Her smile was contagious and Pokey soon found himself smiling too.
“Well I’m not such a whimp anymore,” he confessed to his father who in turn said with serious tone, “You never were a whimp in my books.” 
That made Pokey feel a sudden urge to hug his father. It was so strong that he couldn’t hold himself and he wrapped his front legs around his father’s neck.
“I’ve missed you,” Pokey said slowly. 
“We’ve missed you too,” Hoofcraft said and patted him on the back. He then said with barely audible voice so nopony in the kitchen could hear, “Now let’s go. We can’t keep that hot mare of yours waiting.”
“Dad!” Pokey hissed and folded his ears, though soon he and his father started to snicker and walked into the kitchen to meet Pinkie Pie’s family. 


* * *


After the families had been introduced to each other and Pokey’s parents had had their share of tea, coffee and pastries they were engaged into some chit-chatting. Pinkie Pie and Pokey sat next to each other with Pinkie’s sister’s on their left with her parents and Pokey’s parents on their right side. Her younger sisters kept giggling when Pinkie and Pokey whispered things to each other’s ears. Meanwhile both of their parents were talking.

“So what do you do for the living Igneous?” Hoofcraft asked. Then he added, “Oh excuse me. May I call you by the name?”
“Of course. We’ll be paying their wedding together so I think we can call each other by the name,” Igneous said, earning a chuckle from Hoofcraft. Igneous Rock then answered his question a bit grudgingly, “Me and my family work as rock farmers.”
Hearing that made Blue Aurora look at them with wide eyes. She herself was a highly educated unicorn with master degree in astronomy. Hearing that her son would be marrying a daughter of rock farmer got her by the surprise.
She snickered nervously and started, “Rock farmers? T-that’s…”
“That’s mighty interesting,” Hoofcraft said and gave a stern look to his wife that made her fall silent. “What kind of rocks are we talking about? Granite? Potash? Diamonds maybe?”
Igneous and her wife were taken aback by his question. They probably didn’t except that unicorn from Canterlot would be interested in their work. It took a second before Igneous could answer, “Uhh, mostly potash and quartz but we sometimes come across precious metals and diamonds.”
“Pegmatites are my favourite,” Maud said. Pokey’s parents looked confusedly at her for a second, but then Hoofcraft cleared his throat.
“I bet that they are a good bonus?” He asked. Igneous chuckled and said, “Indeed. one good diamond is worth a one month of working.”

He then looked at his wife and poked the medallion she had hanging in a golden chain around her neck. Cloudy Quartz smiled warmly and said, “This is made from metals found on our farm.”
Both of the unicorns looked at the medallion.
“It is beautiful,” Blue Aurora said while examining it, forgetting to sulk. It was clearly made by professional. The jeweler in Pokey’s father woke up as he looked at the medallion and he had to ask, “Who did that? It’s quite professionally made.”
“He did,” Cloudy said and smiled at Igneous who had a small, proud smile on his lips. Pokey and his parents looked at Igneous with their mouths agape. Soon Hoofcraft laughed and said, “I must say that I didn’t except that.”
“Well it’s just a hobby,” Igneous said modestly.
“All the great artists understate themselves,,” Hoofcraft said while looking at the medallion. He then turned towards Igneous and said, “You are more interesting than you let us believe mr. Rock.”
“So are you mr. Pierce,” Igneous said with almost amused tone. 

Pokey and Pinkie snickered at each other quietly and Pinkie whispered into his ear, “They’re getting along nicely.”
“I know,” Pokey whispered back and looked Pinkie in the eyes for a moment before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her lips. Their parents didn’t notice it but Pinkie’s sisters sure did. They started to giggle and clap their hooves together happily. 

“Oh,” Blue Aurora suddenly sighed.
“We haven’t talked about the wedding at all,” she spoke, sounding like it was a thing she wouldn’t have wanted to talk about.
“Oh my, you’re right,” Cloudy Quartz said and everypony in the table turned towards Pokey and Pinkie, who were snickering at each other. It took a second before they realised that everypony was staring at them.

“What?” Pinkie asked. Her father frowned and said, “The wedding Pinkie. Me and mr. Hoofcraft are going to pay them so maybe we should know a bit about it.”
“Ooh!” Pinkie said and started to smile. “Well there’s not that much for you to pay. I have this old friend who arranges these super cool parties and he promised to arrange the wedding reception and the Princess Celestia won’t…”
“Beg you pardon? I think I heard you wrong,” Blue Aurora said calmly.
“I have this old friend who…” Pinkie started but Blue Aurora cut in annoyedly, “No dear, I thought you said something about Princess?”
“Oh yeah! I was saying that Celly won’t charge anything for the cere…”
Celly? as if… Princess Celestia? Princess Celestia will be attending your wedding?” Blue Aurora asked with wide eyes. She then looked at Pokey and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Well she’s one of the elements so naturally the princesses will be there,” Pokey answered and saw how her mother’s jaw dropped.
“E-e-element of… harmony?” she asked and eyed at Pinkie with disbelieving look in her eyes. Pinkie smiled and said, “Laughter reporting in!”
“You never told that she was a element bearer in your letters,” she said to Pokey who shrugged and said, “I guess it never came to cross my mind.”
“My son is marrying a element of harmony…” Blue Aurora muttered slowly and smiled a goofy smile. She started to sway a little and her husband moved his hooves towards her just in time to catch her as she fainted. Others looked at her with confused and scared expressions. Hoofcraft just sighed and said, “She can be quite a drama queen sometimes.” 


* * *


Night came sooner than everypony wanted. It was already dark outside and everypony were getting ready to sleep. Pokey and Pinkie laid on her bed, both thinking about the day while the moon’s light illuminated the room in pure white light. The Cake’s had prepared room for all the quests. Pokey’s parents slept in one of the quest room and Pinkie’s in another one.  Her sisters slept in the last quest room that was between her and the Cakes’ room. Pinkie Pie and Pokey could hear Limestone and Marble jumping on the bed and their giggling could be heard through the wall.

Much to Pokey’s and Pinkie’s delight their parents had liked each other. Pinkie had noticed that his father had been more open with Pokey’s father than he usually was with strangers. Pinkie’s younger sisters had gotten rather fond to the Cakes. Probably because they had promised that the sisters could eat all the cake they wanted. Pokey couldn’t tell what Maud thought of him or his family but Pinkie told that she had enjoyed their time together. Pokey  was happy that his mother didn’t let the difference between the two family’s education get in the way of their friendship. Or maybe it was because Pinkie Pie was considered a ‘celebrity’ in Canterlot. Luckily his father was there to keep her in control.

“I think today went pretty well,” Pinkie said suddenly, making Pokey snap from his thoughts. It took a second before he understood what she had said but when it finally sunk in, he said, “Better than pretty well. Our families like each other.”
“Your mother was pretty fun,” Pinkie said. Pokey smiled and said, “Yeah. I was a bit worried at first. She can be pretty snobby sometimes.”
“I like how she fainted,” she giggled a bit evilly at Pokey who was still a bit embarrassed by it. Who would faint in front of her son’s fillyfriend and her family. Luckily they had good sense of humor and Cloudy had even helped Blue Aurora to calm down. He looked at Pinkie and said, “Your mother was sweet.”
“Sweet as sugar,” Pinkie giggled.
“I didn’t know that your dad was so good at making jewels and all,” Pokey said after a while of silence.
“And I didn’t know that you’re dad was so handsome,” Pinkie teased. Pokey frowned and looked at Pinkie who had teasing smile on her face. She then wrapped her front hooves around his neck and pulled his head against her chest.
“Promise that you will look like that when you get older,” she said and nuzzled the top of his head, careful not to hurt herself on his horn.

Pokey nuzzled her chest with his muzzle and then lifted his head to kiss her chin. She giggled and planted a soft kiss on Pokey’s forehead, right on the base of his horn. That made shivers go down Pokey’s spine. Horn was one of the most sensitive parts of unicorns body after all. Pinkie Pie giggled when she noticed how Pokey started to blush.
“You know I just got in the mood for some fooling around,” Pinkie Pie said with sultry tone. Pokey chuckled a bit amusedly and asked, “Because we we’re talking about my father?”
“Nah,” Pinkie said while rolling over him. “Because I love you.”
“I’m okay with that,” Pokey said and they both snickered playfully. Then Pinkie lowered herself over Pokey and lustfully kissed him. They kept kissing for a moment, and just as they were about to move on, they heard the door open.
Pinkie rolled off from Pokey and pulled the covers over her while Pokey did the same. All that in less than a second. They looked at each other with a look that said ‘We’ll get back to that later’.

“Pinkie?” came a quiet voice from the door. Moon’s light didn’t quite reach to the door so they didn’t see their visitor. They could hear that it was one of her sisters though.
“Limestone?” Pinkie asked a bit confusedly while breathing heavily due the small ‘exercise’ they had had.
“We can’t sleep,” Marble Pie’s voice came from the door. Both of her younger sisters were there. Pinkie let out a sigh and asked, “Why can’t you sleep?”
“Cake’s snore pretty loudly,” Limestone said, making Pokey almost snicker. Pinkie in other hand was a bit annoyed by her sisters interrupting them and snorted, “You can’t sleep because somepony snores? Get back to bed you foals!”
Everypony were silent for a while.  Pokey looked at Pinkie Pie a bit weirdly. Then he heard hoofsteps and the door started to close. He placed his hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder and whispered quietly, “They’re trying to sleep in a weird, new place Pinkie.”
Pinkie frowned but Pokey’s stare made her feel bad about herself.
“Girls,” she said and the door stopped closing. “Come here.”
There were some whispering on the door and then two figures quickly sneaked towards the bed. In moonlight they could see the sisters better. They had small smiles on their faces as they climbed on the bed and snug under the blanket.

“Did Maud fall asleep already?” Pinkie asked from her sisters. Before they could answer they heard Maud say from the door in her monotone voice, “No.”
There was a small silence before she added, “I don’t want to sleep alone.”
“Aww. Come here,” Pinkie said and soon Maud emerged into the moonlight. Now Pokey could see her cutie mark. It was a diamond shaped rock. Her face didn’t give any hints how she felt but Pinkie and her other sisters started to giggle.
“You don’t need to be so shy,” Pinkie said. “Besides... He’s mine.”
Pokey almost saw a faint blush on Maud’s cheeks.

“So you three keep away from him,” Pinkie Pie warned as Maud climbed onto the bed. Marble Pie snuggled against Pinkie Pie and wrapped her front hooves around her. Limestone laid behind her and had her front hooves wrapped around Marble Pie too. Maud gracefully laid her head on the pillow and stayed quiet. 

“Don’t worry,” Marble said and yawed heartily. “I’m into some more mature stallions.”
That made Pinkie and Limestone giggle and Pokey sat upright.
“Are you talking about my dad?” he asked and the three younger sisters giggled under the blankets. Then Limestone said with dreamy voice, “His voice is so sexy.” 
Pokey couldn’t do anything but to flop his head against his pillow and mutter, “What the hay is wrong with you three?”
“Aww, you know you’re the most handsome, sexy pony I know,” Pinkie said, snuggling against him and kissing him on the cheek.
“Aww…” her younger sisters cooed and maud coughed a bit troubled way. Everypony except Maud started to snicker. It lasted a while and then slowly they all started to fall asleep.
> And so they lived their lives happily ever after...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Popping her balloons, Chapter 11
by FinnPony


The day could not have been any better. Celestia’s sun was getting up on to the sky in long curve with no single cloud on the sky. Normally it would have been just a normal sunny day but that particular day that big orb of fire seemed to be shining brighter towards Ponyville than other towns and cities. The day wasn’t hot though, it was pleasantly warm and there was a small breeze going through the park.
The perfect weather wasn’t a coincidence of course. It was the result of whole weather team working for whole morning and Princess changing the trajectory of sun.
It wasn’t the only thing that wasn’t normal that day. The whole park had been closed for the morning and lots of ponies were moving different kind of furnitures towards the middle of it, one orange pony with brown poofy mane and tail. Nopony seemed to be minding about the rubber chicken he was carrying around with himself. 

“Lily, put that bouquet to the table on the left.” he shouted to one of the weather ponies.
“No! The other left!” he shouted again. A frown appeared onto his face as he shouted again, “That’s the same left again!”

He sighed as the flower pony finally got the bouquet in the vase on the right table. He then started to walk towards the middle of all the ruckus. He passed a big white tent filled with tables and chairs. Then he came to a bit smaller tent which was right behind the first one. It was solely reserved for the cooks and kitchen equipment. next to it was a big outdoor area that was filled with tables and chairs for ponies who wanted to enjoy the sunshine. It was positioned in front of the outdoor dancing floor. He saw the local DJ assembling her music equipment with some of her friends. The orange stallion saw couple of brawny stallions lifting two big subwoofers from grates and placing them next to the mixing table.
The orange pony smiled and thought, “Nothing beats a good… well... beat after the waltz”
He passed the dance floor, nodding quickly to the white unicorn DJ. He then arrived to a two small tents. in front of them was a long, really long red carpet with hundreds of seats on both sides of it. His eyes followed the carpet until his eyes met the stars of the day. A wide smile appeared on his face as he trotted towards the pair.

“There’s my happy couple!” Pinkie Pie and Pokey pierce heard voice from behind them. They turned around and saw the orange stallion skidding to a stop in front of them. He stretched his hooves towards Pinkie who grasped him into a tight hug and said, “Cheese Sandwich! Nice to see you!”
Pokey thought that the hug was a bit too tight in his opinion but he didn’t mention it. Instead he said a bit dryly, “Yeah… nice to see you.”
“Oh You know that I wouldn’t have let you down!” Cheese Sandwich said and gave a broad smile to them both. Pokey tried, but couldn’t hold off a smile. After all, Cheese Sandwich had promised to arrange the wedding reception for no charge.
“I’m glad to tell you that everything is on the schedule and we’re almost done with everything,” Cheese Sandwich announced while puffing his chest proudly. 
“That’s good to hear…” Pokey said and looked around. “I think I couldn’t keep it together anymore if we couldn’t start in time.”
Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich looked at him strangely. He noticed it and said, “I’m stressed out.”
“Why would you be?” Cheese Sandwich asked with naivety in his voice. Pokey raised an eyebrow and said, “Well... First of all there will be almost everypony from Ponyville in here…”
“Everypony will be there,” Pinkie corrected, earning a frown from Pokey. 
“And then there will be our families and… and princesses…” he said and gulped when he finished the sentence. Cheese Sandwich looked at him for a second and then just chuckled. That made Pokey look at him confusedly.
“So what if they’ll be there?” he asked from Pokey, whow’s eyes went wide as he explained, “So what? They’re like the most important ponies in whole Equestria! That’s what!”
“They’re really nice and funny when you get to know them,” Pinkie said happily to him. She then added, “You’ll see that when we meet them today.”
Pokey seemed like he was going to start shaking from nervousness. 
Cheese Sandwich placed his hoof on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder and looked at Pokey in the eyes while saying, “Think it like this, after this day you will always be with her...”
He shook Pinkie a little, making her giggle.
“...Your wife,” Cheese Sandwich almost whispered with a small smile on his lips.

Pokey thought for a second. That orange stallion was right. He realized that if he could call Pinkie Pie his wife for the rest of his lives after wedding. He decided that he would even fight a manticore to be able to call her his wife, so couple of stressful hours didn’t seem so bad at all.

“She’s special alright,” he said and earned a wide smile from her.
“Oh yes she is…” Cheese Sandwich said with a dreamy voice that made Pokey look at him with suspicious expression. Cheese Sandwich didn’t notice it and continued, “She’s so special to me that…”
“Okayyy…. Honey, I think we should go check your friends!” Pokey cut in and pushed himself between Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich, who looked almost sad. The pair then started to walk away from him. Pinkie waved to him and chirped, “It was nice talking but we gotta go! Make me a great party!”

“I will…” he muttered as he waved back to her. As the pair got away from him he sighed and turned towards the rubber chicken that was laying on the grass.
“Don’t say anything,” he said to the chicken. He stared at it for a second before he started to laugh. Cheese Sandwich flipped the chicken onto his back and said, “You’re right Boneless. We have lots of things to do.”


* * *   


“Twenty minutes girls,” Cheese Sandwich announced as he poked his head inside the tent where Pinkie Pie was with the other element bearer. He froze when he saw the star of the day.

She was putting on a white dress Rarity had made for her. It was a simple, white silk dress. It wasn’t the whole costume though. Rarity was attaching a long chapel train onto her hip with Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie was standing still while Fluttershy tying pink bow ties onto the hem of the dress. She already had a one big Bow tie going around her middle body so that the bow was on her lower back. Applejack was adjusting the headpiece on top of Pinkie’s head. It was a short veil with real pink roses attached to it.

Pinkie Pie turned towards Cheese Sandwich. Her poofy mane was tied to a chignon. Cheese saw that she had blush on her cheeks and her eyes were highlighted with mascara and slightly darker pink eyeshadow than her coat is. She blinked cutely and flashed a smile to Cheese, who kept staring at her with his mouth open.

“Whoa… You look good Pinks,” he said and kept staring. He soon snapped back to reality as a white mare started pushing him away from the tent.
“Shoo!” Rarity said and pushed Cheese away from the tent. After the intruder was dealt with, she turned back towards Pinkie Pie.

“Out of the way everypony. I need to make sure the dress is okay,” she said and her other friends gave her some space. Rarity was silent, examining Pinkie Pie’s dress with concentrated frown on her face. Others were silent too. Rarity walked around her slowly and fluffed the bow on her back. Pinkie bit her lower lip, nervous if Rarity would give the dress her approval.

The fashionista stopped walking, closed her eyes and sighed.

Others looked at her with anticipation in their eyes. Rarity stayed quiet for a while. She then opened her eye and turned towards Pinkie Pie.

“The dress…”

Others gasped.

“Is…”

another gasp.

Rarity smiled smugly and threw her hooves into air while shouting, “...Beautiful!”
Others started to cheer and giggle. Pinkie Pie smiled widely and all of her friends in the tent rushed to hug her. 
“Get back!” Rarity shouted and jumped between the pink mare and her other friends. “I don’t want to see a one single wrinkle on the dress!”
“Umm… How about if just hug her really gently?” Fluttershy asked and looked at Rarity with pleading look. Rarity couldn’t say no to her, so she sighed and said, “Okay. But really gently.”

They all started to giggle like little school fillies while they hugged the pink mare. 
“I knew it would be super duper beautiful,” Pinkie said to Rarity and nuzzled her cheek. Rarity chuckled happily and pressed her cheek against Pinkie’s while saying, “If you like it, then It’s the most beautiful dress I have ever made.”

“Think about it,” Rainbow Dash started. “Pinkie Pie is getting married.”
“What’s so unbelievable about it?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow turned towards her and said, “Well, she’s like the first of us to get married.”
“I’m just waiting for a shiny ring Rainbow,” Applejack said and bumped her rump against Rainbow’s, making her blush and earning amused chuckles from others.

Suddenly a new voice came from a door, “Oh Pinkie, you’re so beautiful…”
They turned towards the sound and saw princess Twilight Sparkle  in all her glory. She was wearing her princess dress and the element of magic on top of her head. Everypony looked at her for a second, but then she flared her wings open, squealed happily and rushed to hug the others.
“The dress!” Rarity shouted but nopony actually listened.
“I thought that you needed to be with other princesses,” Pinkie said when they broke the hug. Twilight just chuckled and said, “I managed to slip away when they weren’t looking.”
She looked at Pinkie with a wide smile on her lips and said, “I wouldn’t miss this moment for anything.”
“Neither would I,” Pinkie Pie agreed. She then giggled and said, “And why would I? It wouldn’t make any sense if I was missing from my own wedding, right?.”

Fluttershy had stayed quiet for most of the time, but she suddenly cleared her throat to gain other’s attention. She got it and took a moment to calm herself down. She looked Pinkie right into those big, blue eyes and started to speak quietly, “Umm… Pinkie. You have always been there for me, for us. Uhh… You have always made us feel happy and it’s easy to be with you. I even don’t feel so shy around you.”
Fluttershy had small tears in the corner of her eyes as she continued, “I think I speak for everyone when…”
She quickly looked around and added, “At least I hope I’m speaking for all of us.”
Others confirmed by nodding. Fluttershy smiled meekly and continued, “...When I say that you are our very best friend and we hope that this will be the best day of your life.”

Pinkie Pie was staring at her friends who had gathered in front of her. Most of their eyes were wet and she started to feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Rarity gasped and said, “No! Your makeup will get ruined!”
“Oh, sorry about that Rarity…” Pinkie sniffed. She then looked at her friends and said slowly, “You guys are my bestest of best best friends. You should know that I will be there for you. Always.”
“We know,” Twilight said and they once again hugged Pinkie Pie. Rarity and Fluttershy sobbed a little and Twilight wasn’t far away either. Pinkie had to focus all of her willpower so she wouldn’t start crying and ruin her make up. Applejack and Rainbow Dash first hugged Pinkie and then each other.

The door of the tent opened and a grey mare in a simple green dress stepped in. Pinkie turned towards her and she started to smile.
“Maud!” she exclaimed and dashed towards her. She was stopped by Maud’s hoof before she could hug her. Pinkie looked at her with confused look on her face. Maud stared at her with deadpan look and said in her monotone voice, “Dress will get wrinkled.”
“Oh,” Pinkie said and waited for more. Maud was silent for a second and then said with the same flat voice again, “I wanted to see you.”
“Well now you see me!” Pinkie giggled. Maud didn’t seem to find that funny, or show it at least. She pulled something from the pocket of her dress. An ear-to-ear smile appeared on Pinkie’s face as she recognized what the object was. It was a rock candy necklace.
“Here,” Maud said and slipped it around Pinkie Pie’s neck. She looked at it and gave one of the colorful rocks a quick lick.
“Tastes like cherry,” she said happily and looked at Maud. She looked back with her stoic stare. It took a while before Maud spoke again, “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks,” Pinkie replied quickly. Then there was silence again. her friends looked at each other in a bit troubled way. 

Maud suddenly lifted her hooves to her cheeks and giving her a small kiss on the cheek. Pinkie’s friends ‘aawed’. When Maud leaned backwards, she said calmly, “I’m really happy for you.”
Then she flashed a small smile to her sister and left the tent. Her friends snickered at Pinkie’s expression. She was glowing happiness.

Then Cheese Sandwich appeared to the door and cleared his throat.

“Ladies, it’s time.”


* * *   


Pokey stepped out of his tent with Thunderlane, his best stallion. Pokey looked around himself and immediately felt how slight panic started to emerge into his mind. He saw all of the ponyville from foal to grandmothers sitting between him and the stage where the ceremony was going to happen. He looked to his left and saw the tent where Pinkie Pie was with her friends. Cheese Sandwich stood in front of him and Pokey saw how he cracked a smile at him. He didn’t pay any attention to him and turned back towards the mass of ponies. His heart fluttered nervously when he caught a glimpse of three delicate silhouettes of princesses.
“They really are here…” he thought. Celestia and Luna were in his wedding, and Celestia herself would announce him and Pinkie Pie as a married couple. Meeting her was making him rather nervous.

“You ready for this?” Thunderlane asked, snapping Pokey away from his thoughts. He looked at Thunderlane who had serious face. He sighed and asked, “How do I look?”
“Real charming,” Thunderlane said without even looking at his suit. 

Actually Pokey knew that he couldn’t look bad in the suit he was wearing. He had decided to go with the classic look;  His suit was made by Rarity of course. He was wearing a  black cutaway tuxedo with black vest and white shirt under it. He also had a black tie. Rarity had insisted that he wouldn’t use only the black suit so he had put a red rose to the front pocket of it. Pokey noticed that Thunderlane wore almost identical suit.  Pokey also checked his mane quickly. It was alright. Then lastly he made sure that his earring was in place. It was tightly on it’s place. Everything was in order.

“Any second thoughts?” Thunderlane asked. Pokey frowned at him. Of course he didn’t have any second thoughts. He shook his head and looked at Thunderlane, who’s serious face turned into a smile.
“Let’s go then,” Thunderlane said to him. He inhaled deeply, stood up straight and nodded. 

With that they started to walk towards the stage. Pokey kept his head high as they turned to the red carpet that went right in the middle of all the chairs. He saw that on the left side of the aisle, on the first four row of chairs sat Pinkie’s family and relatives, and on the right side sat his family. Behind their families sat the town folks. Their closer friends were right behind their relatives and in the last two row of chairs sat total strangers to him.

Pokey walked with Thunderlane right besides him. He held his head high and returned the smiles he got while walking on the aisle. Someponies even wished good luck to him. He started to see familiar faces when he got closer to the stage. Soon he came up to the front of the chairs where he met his family. 

His father wore an old grey suit that was still in pretty good shape. He smiled happily at Pokey and said, “You look good.”
“Just wait till you see the bride,” his son answered and they both chuckled. Then Pokey turned towards his mother, who was dressed in her best dress. She looked at him with watery eyes and leaned closer to him while whispering, “I think I’m going to cry...”
“I don’t mind. I’ll probably will be sobbing like a foal myself,” Pokey said and hugged her. The hug lasted for couple of seconds before Pokey tried to pull away. He yanked his head but Blue Aurora had her hooves tightly wrapped around his neck. He had to stay there for a second more. 
“Sorry about that… It’s just… I’m so happy,” Aurora said as she let go of her son. Pokey smiled and nuzzled her cheek while saying, “So am I.”

With that he turned around and quickly walked to the other side of the aisle, where Pinkie’s family was. He didn’t see Igneous anywhere and realized that he was probably with Pinkie now, because he was going to hand her over to him.

Cloudy Quartz was wearing a simple brown dress, that still looked really good and elegant on her. Maud Pie had more festive dress than usually, but it was still same colored as the one she always wore. Limestone and Marble had identical blue dresses with blue roses in their manes.

“There comes the handsome groom,” Cloudy Quartz said and hugged him with Limestone and Marble quickly joining them. Maud kept sitting on her place and only nodded to Pokey when they broke the hug. He looked at Cloudy and she seemed to be reading him like a open book.
“Feeling nervous?” Cloudy asked with understanding smile on her lips. Pokey nodded and said, “I feel like falling apart right now.”
“I know that feeling,” She said while nodding. She then looked around herself to be sure nopony was near enough to hear and leaned towards him.
“Wind blew my dress up when we got married, right on the altar,” she whispered into Pokey’s ear with slightly embarrassed voice. “So don’t be afraid, you can’t mess up more than I did.”
Pokey looked at her with amused expression on his face. He snickered as Cloudy winked at him. She then said, “You won’t feel so nervous when the ceremony starts, trust me”

“Speaking of which,” Thunderlane dropped in. “We should get started already.”
“You’re right,” Pokey said and gave one last small hug to Cloudy before turning towards the stage. On it was a big arc that was decorated with pink and blue roses.  

He started to walk towards the steps . Just before he reached the steps, he heard his dad say from behind him, “Don’t pass out.”
He didn’t say anything, just nodded to his father and turned back towards the stage, almost failing his promise immediately. 

There, right in front of him stood white alicorn with elegant body and long sparkling mane that seemed to flow in invisible wind. Celestia smiled a warm, almost motherly smile at him and all he could do was to stare at her with his mouth slightly open.
“M-my princess…” he muttered and bowed his head to her. Celestia chuckled amusedly to him and said, “Pokey... You don’t need to bow to me. This is your and Pinkie Pie’s day.”
He slowly lifted his head and looked at the princess with small, uncertain smile on his lips.
“Thank you, your highness,” he shyly said and Celestia snickered at him. 

There was a small silence between them before Celestia asked from him,“Shall we get started then?” 
Pokey nodded and they both took their places under the arc. Now he noticed that Luna and Cadance were on the stage too. How had he not seen them there before? Luna’s mane flowed freely like her sisters in that invisible wind. He could have sworn that Cadance winked at him when their gazes met. He also saw how Twilight Sparkle sneaked next to Luna. When Luna looked at her, she flashed a sheepish smile at her. 

“Cantor, could you please,” Celestia said to a gray mare with dark grey mane. She was Octavia Melody, pony who owned great musical abilities. She nodded and turned towards the electric organ that was in front of her. She quickly stretched her front hooves before starting to play the typical wedding march. Of course Flutterhsy’s birds joined the melody too.

Suddenly everypony’s attention turned towards the other end of the red carpet. Pokey turned around and felt how his heart skipped a beat.

There she was.

in the other end of the red carpet.

Pokey saw Pinkie Pie for the first time in her wedding dress. He thought that she was simply the most beautiful thing that had ever walked on Equestria. Igneous Rock walked proudly besides his daughter with his head held high. Behind them walked Fluttershy and Rarity, side by side. Behind them walked Applejack and Rainbow Dash, they too side by side. All of them had the dresses Rarity had made for them when they were in Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s wedding.

When they reached the third row of chairs, two young foals jumped in front of them and started to spread rose petals in front of Pinkie Pie and her father. Pokey didn’t recognize the foals. They were probably Pinkie’s relatives. He looked straight at her and saw that her blue eyes were fixated to his.

Suddenly everything else faded away from Pokey’s mind. There was only him, the red carpet and his fiance walking towards him. She walked like she had been practicing with her friends.

Right hoof, bring the left hoof next to the right one.
Left hoof, bring the right hoof next to the left one
Repeat.

It was like in slow motion. Pinkie Pie kept stepping towards him with her eyes never breaking the stare. He felt the anticipation building up inside him. His mare was getting closer. The music seemed to get more beautiful as she got closer. Only couple of steps more… 

The music stopped and so did Pinkie Pie, making Pokey snap away from his trance. He realized that he was supposed to go and let her father to hand her over to him. He quickly trotted down the steps and stopped in front of Igneous Rock.
“Take good care of her,” he said and gave a stern look to Pokey, who bowed his head respectfully and said, “I will.”

Igneous looked at his daughter with smile on his face. He reached his hoof towards her and said, sounding almost sad, “My little girl…” 
Pinkie grasped him into a tight hug and whispered into his ear, “I’ll always be your little girl…”
She sniffed a little and added, “I love you daddy.”
“I love you too,” he said.

Then they broke the hug and Pinkie Pie turned towards her husband. She thought that on that moment she knew what love was. Her heart was fluttering and she couldn’t control her blush. Her mind couldn’t focus on anything else, just him. His golden eyes, his smile, everything in him seemed so perfect.

“Shall we?” Pokey asked and reached his hoof towards hers. Pinkie Pie smiled and sighed happily, “Yes.”
They took a hold of each others hooves and started to walk towards the big white alicorn in front of them. It wasn’t easy to walk on three legs but they supported each other, like a couple should in every situation. 

They soon were standing in front of princess Celestia. She extended her wings until they were in their full length. Her majestic figure stood straightly as she started to speak.

“Mares and gentlecolts, we have gathered here today to celebrate one of the most beautiful occasions in life...” 

She paused for a second and looked around the crowd.

“The  certification of true love between two ponies... Marriage...”

Pinkie Pie looked around the crowd and saw how her mother was wiping tears from her eyes. So was Pokey’s mother. She looked at the stallion in front of her. He turned to look at her in the exact same moment and their eyes met.

Again the time and place faded away. They didn’t hear Celestia’s beautiful speech or see anything else except each other. It was so peaceful.
“I love you,” Pinkie Pie mouthed to Pokey, who mouthed back, “I love you too.”
Their trance continued, and She felt how tears started to form in the corner of her eyes again. She didn’t want to wipe them away because it somehow felt good to cry a little. Pokey lifted his hoof and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Pinkie quickly nuzzled his hoof when he pulled it away.

“...I think that the couple has prepared little speeches for each other haven’t they?” Celestia asked after her speech, making both of them to wince as they dropped back to reality. They confusedly looked at her. She smiled warmly and nodded to Pinkie, who then chuckled nervously.
“Oh yeah, the speech,” she muttered and dug up a small piece of paper from her dress. She unfolded it and cleared her throat. She read couple of lines silently so she could speak without looking into the paper so much. 

Then she started, “Pokey. I remember how we met. It was when I moved here in Ponyville.” 
She lifted her gaze from the paper and looked at the blue stallion.
“By the time I wouldn’t have guessed that I’ve met with the love of my life. You were quiet colt who didn’t want to be the center of attention. Then one day we became good friends…,” Pinkie stopped and wiped her eyes.
“...and then you went away. When you were gone I realized how much I missed you and how sweet you were, how funny you were, how nice you were, how…” she stopped and eyed the paper. She then smiled sheepishly and said, “It goes on like that for a while… I think you got the point.”
There was quiet snickering amongst the crowd and Pokey too chuckled at her. Pinkie smiled lovingly at him and continued after finding the right part.
“When you came back, I felt like a part of my life would have returned to me,” she said and held a pause, wiping her eyes again. Couple of her tears dropped on the paper.
“You have helped me when I was at my worst, making me feel happier than ever before,” she continued with tearful voice. She was clearly sobbing now.
“You. Pokey Pierce, showed me what real love is…” she said, staring Pokey straight in the eyes. He had to use all of his willpower not to start crying.
“Thank you…” Pinkie finished and put the paper back inside the dress.

There was silence. It wasn’t bad silence, it was respectful silence. Pinkie Pie looked at her friends who were sitting right behind her family. Fluttershy stared back at her with wide smile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash  were leaning into each other while looking at her with dreamy gazes. Her speech had clearly moved them, but not as heavily as it had moved Rarity. Rarity, a romantic she was, of course wept while levitating a white tissue in her magic. Pinkie Pie then turned towards Twilight, who was clearly trying to hold off tears.

The crowd was still quiet. They were either dazzled by Pinkie’s speech or waiting for Pokey’s. He didn’t let them wait and dug his small paper from the pocket of his tuxedo.

Pokey took a deep breath and started to read.

“I remember when we met after one of your parties. I was a wreck -” he lifted his gaze from the paper and looked at Pinkie “ - and you came to me like an angel. Helping me to get back onto my hooves.”
She giggled quietly. Pokey noticed that and continued to read, “After that we spent lot of time together, and then I had to move to Manehattan. While I was there, the best part of my week was when your letter arrived.”
He stopped for a second and swallowed before continuing, “You were waiting for me when I came back. I realized that you had been grown into a mare... and soon I knew that I would spent the rest of my life with you.”
He looked at her with tears in his eyes.
“You didn’t only make me love you…” he said and sniffed. “But you made me like myself as who I am too.”
He wiped a tear that rolled on his cheek before saying, “Thank you Pinkie. I love you.”

There was a brief silence. The pair looked at each other with love in their eyes. Celestia took the silence as a cue to move on, so she spread her wings again and announced calmly, “I think it would be a good time to get the rings.”

That was a sign for Spike. It had become almost like a job for him to be the ring bearer in almost every wedding in Ponyville. He guessed that it was because he had been responsible for Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s rings in Canterlot. It kinda made him famous. 

Spike was wearing a simple black jacket with tie. It had been only jacket Rarity had found for him. After all, normal jacket made for ponies wouldn’t fit him. Teenage Spike was a bit longer than a normal pony when he was standing on his rear legs.

“Here you go Pinkie Pie,” he said and presented a black velvet pillow where two different sized rings. Pinkie Pie took the smaller one and held it against her chest while giving Spike a quick hug. Then Spike turned towards Pokey and let him take the other ring. Then they did a small fist/hoofbump before Spike went back to his chair quickly.

They both looked at the rings in their hooves and then at Celestia, who smiled and started, “In the presence of these witnesses, I ask you Pokey Pierce; Do you want to take Pinkamena Diane Pie as your lawfully wedded wife, and to love her through the ups and downs?”

“I do.”

“Then, in the presence of these witnesses, I ask you Pinkamena Diane Pie; Do you want to take Pokey Pierce as your lawfully wedded husband, to love him through the ups and downs?”

“I do.”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, take the ring from your husband to indicate the covenant between you,” Celestia said and smiled happily. Pinkie reached her left hoof towards Pokey, who slipped the ring around her hoof gently. They again turned towards Celestia and she continued,” Pokey Pierce, take the ring from your wife to indicate the covenant between you."
He lowered his head so Pinkie could slip the small ring around his horn. Then they smiled at each other and they both shed small tears.

”You are now ordained in marriage,” Celestia announced while smiling motherly. She then continued, “Husband and wife are equal with one another. Demonstrate your marriage to one another with love and mutual trust, as well as act together for favor of the family.”

Then a wide grin appeared on her face as she said loudly, “I now pronounce you mare and a colt.”
Celestia turned towards Pokey and winked while saying, “You may kiss the bride.”

He smiled joyfully. She didn’t need to tell him twice. Pokey took a step closer to the alluring mare in front of him and lifted his right hoof on back of Pinkie’s head. She in turn wrapped her hooves around Pokey’s neck and leaned forward. Their snouts were only couple of cents away from each other when they said in unison, “I love you.”
Then he lifted the veil away from Pinkie’s face and they locked their lips tightly together. 

“Now!” Cheese Sandwich whispered to his helpers. They all pulled strings and six party cannons fired in synch. Two of them fired confetti over Pinkie Pie and Pokey, who were still embracing each other with long, passionate kiss. The other four cannons fired over the crowd, which broke into a mass of cheers and applauses.

In the middle of that all, the married couple was still kissing. The world around them started to fade away again. They hadn’t even gasped for breath after they started, which might had been the reason for the world fading away. They broke the kiss only to have another. The roaring crowd kept cheering as the kiss went on.

“I wish this moment would never end…” Pinkie thought as she pulled him closer to herself. She felt how Pokey buried his hoof into her curly mane. His hooves suddenly moved under her front legs. She squealed in surprise as he rose to his hindlegs and spun her around couple of times with his mouth still locked with hers. It was magical moment, but like everything, it too came to an end. They broke the kiss, both breathing heavily and blushing. 

They turned towards the crowd and held each other’s hooves. They let the mass of ponies calm down a bit before they started to walk down the aisle, still holding their hooves. Octavia and Fluttershy’s birds started to play the march again. 

As they reached the first row of chairs Fluttershy quickly gave Pinkie Pie a bouquet of different kind of roses. Then suddenly their families and friends started to cheer again, throwing rice over them. 

Pokey frowned, he never got the idea of that tradition. Pinkie Pie’s happy giggling and screaming made his frown turn upside down though. They started to gallop down the aisle under constant rain of rice. At least someponies threw roses at them, which he appreciated. Roses wouldn’t get stuck into his mane and tail like rise. Pinkie kept giggling as they ran and Pokey himself laughed a little. Soon they reached the end of the red carpet, where a chariot pulled by two royal guards waited for them.

“After you my love,” Pokey said over sweetly and bowed to Pinkie. She couldn’t do anything than just giggle as Pokey lifted her into the chariot. He followed her and sat next to her. He turned to say something to her and was greeted by Pinkie’s blue eyes right in front of his face.
“I love you sooo muuuuch” she screamed and grasped him into her hooves. Pokey couldn’t fight the temptation and asked, “How much actually?”
“This much,” she said with sultry tone and kissed him again. The guards started to pull the chariot onwards. Pinkie broke the kiss with a gasp and looked at the bouquet in her hooves. She looked at Pokey with wide eyes and said, “I forgot to throw this!”
“Quickly, throw it!” he rushed her. Pinkie nodded and leaned over the chariot’s handrail.

“Hey girls!” she shouted excitedly. Every mare near the moving chariot turned towards her. She raised the bouquet up so everypony could see it. The mares went wild and trotted after the chariot while Pinkie turned her back on them. She threw the bouquet, it flew in a long curve and every single unmarried mare ran after it, screaming.

“MINE!” a familiar voice screamed when a white and purple flash caught the bouquet midair. Rarity landed with a loud thump. She rubbed her head and groaned a little, but when she opened her eyes and saw the bouquet in her hooves, her eyes started to sparkle. Thunderlane trotted next to her and asked, “You alright Rare?”
“Oh I’m alrigth…” she said slowly. “Look what I got dear.”
“You got the bouquet. Cool,” Thunderlane said without really thinking about. Rarity rose up and gave him a seductive, half lidded look.
“Do you know what that means?” she asked with sultry tone. Thunderlane’s eyes went wide when he got what she meant. He tried to say something but nothing came out. 

“Continue from here Thunderlane!” he head Pokey shouting over the cheering ponies. Thunderlane sighed in relief when he got out of the situation he was on. He gave Rarity a sheepish smile and started to trot towards the stage.

The crowd kept cheering until they didn’t see the chariot anymore. After that they seemed a bit confused about what to do next. Gladly Thunderlane did as Pokey had asked, and he soon was standing on the stage.

“Everypony follow me to the main tent,” he announced. “The happy couple will be back right after they get the photos done!”


* * *


The commotion in the park had calmed down. Pinkie Pie and Pokey had already returned from the photo shoot and were sitting in the other main tent on the seats reserved for them. The guests were enjoying their meals, catching up with relatives and making new friends. Most of the crowd had already left, and there were only family, relatives, close friends and princesses left. Still there was more than hundred ponies in the tent. Pinkie had lot of close friends.

“...and of course congratulations you two,” Caramel finished his speech. He received applauses and sat down back to his place. Then Pinkie and Pokey stood up, gaining everypony’s attention.
“Umm… We have… We’ll...“Pokey stammered. Everypony looking at him made him feel like shrinking. Pinkie Pie brushed her front leg against his gently, making him feel a lot more confident. He then cleared his throat and tried again, “’Thank you everypony for coming here today.”
“This is very special day for us, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of your support.” Pinkie continued for him and leaned against him. “Seriously, You’re awesome.”

Pokey continued, “I’d like to thank couple of ponies.”
He looked around the tent to find the ponies he was looking for. He soon spotted them and pointed towards them.
“There they are!” he said and everypony turned towards the table he was pointing at. There sat Pinkie Pie’s family. They looked a bit confused so he continued, “We haven’t known for long, but when I met you for the first time, I immediately felt accepted.”
Pinkie Pie sighed happily and nuzzled his cheek while he kept speaking, “Cloudy, I can see where my wife got her beauty from.”
Cloudy seemed to chuckle as Pokey talked about her. He smiled and continued, “Igneous, I don’t know if you feel same way towards me but I have to say that I couldn’t wish for better father-in-law.”
Igneous looked calmly at him and nodded. Pokey took it as a yes. He then looked at the younger mares in the table.
“And you girls, you are just adorable,” he said and Pinkie Pie’s younger sisters started to giggle while Maud was her emotionless herself.
“Thank you very much for your support,” Pokey finished and looked at Pinkie Pie. 

She nodded and started, “First of all, everypony make sure you have your glasses full, because we are going to have couple of toasts.”
She then squinted her eyes, lifted her hoof to cover her eyes and said, “And I think that aunt Pie has already toasted enough.”
That got couple of laughs out of the ponies in the tent. Pinkie herself giggled a little and then raised her glass. Everypony else in the tent mimicked her and waited. She smiled but then remembered that she needed something to toast to. She thought for a  moment and then announced, “First toast for… uh..  hmm.. The best day ever!”
She then took a sip from her glass like everypony else. She hought that it was good time to move on.

“I too like to thank Pokey’s super sweet parents,” she said happily.
“They are really funny and it’s easy to be with you,” she said and looked at Pokey’s parents. They were sitting on the table right next to Pinkie’s family.
“When we met I felt that we like, totally hit it off. We did all kind of funny things together and even my family liked you two. Limestone especially liked you Hoofcraft,”
She saw how her sister blushed and hid into her hooves. She smirked and continued, “I almost feel bad for taking your son from you, but think it like this; You got yourself a new daughter, because you two are like a second parents to me.”
That seemed to have an great effect on Hoofcraft and Aurora. They both smiled at her with genuine happiness.
“To our families!” Pinkie suddenly announced and took another sip from the glass. Everypony else again mimicked her.

“We’d like to thank Pinkie’s friends too...” Pokey started but was interrupted by Pinkie bumping her rump against his. She looked at him with a frown and he quickly corrected himself, “Our friends.”
“There they are~” Pinkie sing-a-songed and pointed at the table where Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle sat. Fluttershy had Big Mac by her side and Thunderlane was sitting with Rarity. Twilight hadn’t brought her mysterious coltfriend with her for some reason.

“You girls have helped us through a lot,” Pinkie said, making them smile. Their smiles quickly changed into embarrassed looks as she added, “But you put us through a lot too.”
“But I want to say that no matter what, you will always be my best friends,” she giggled. Then Pokey spoke, “My friends… and Thunderlane…”
That made Thunderlane chuckle a bit annoyedly.

“...I know we guys don’t like to be all namby-pamby but I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve ever done for me.”

He looked at the mare next to him for a second before turning towards Thunderlane, saying, “I know it had to be either you or Caramel who spoke to Pinkie so she would come to see me the day we met… So thank you I guess.”
“To our friends!” Pinkie cheered and raised her glass to her lips. It was almost empty when she laid it back to the table.

“And now I want to thank Cheese Sandwich for arranging the wedding reception for no charge!” Pokey said and there were some applauses heard in the tent. He smiled and continued, “Thanks Cheese,”
There was a bang and confetti rained down upon him. He frowned and said a bit more annoyedly than before, “But enough is enough.”

“To Cheese Sandwich!” Pinkie exclaimed and the glass was soon empty. Pokey had to fill it to her before they could continue.

“Thanks to Cakes we got the most awesome wedding cake ever!” Pinkie said. “It was like a piece of heaven with it’s pink frosting and three layers and…”
“It was a really good cake,” Pokey interrupted her. “Too bad anypony else didn’t get to taste it.”
“I already said that I’m sorry!” she said, embarrassed. “It was just so good!”
She then smiled sheepishly and then raised her glass again, saying loudly, “To Cakes!”
Everypony toasted with her, forgetting the cake incident. 

After the toast Pokey continued.

“I’d like to thank Apple Bloom for building this cool stage…”

“To Applebloom!”

“...and Scootaloo for planning the stage floor.”

“To Scootaloo!”

“And of course Sweetie Belle.”

“To Sweetie Belle!”-

“And Octavia…” 

“To Octavia!”

“... for a beautiful wedding march…”

“To wedding march”

“And our kind princesses.”

“To.. To Princesses… *hic*”

Pokey snatched the glass out of Pinkie’s hooves. She looked a bit confusedly at him. She then tried to use her best puppy dog eyes and trembling lower lip to him, but they didn’t help. He laid the glass on the table and then turned towards the their guests.

“I would like to thank couple of more ponies personally but I think my beautiful wife wouldn’t be able to dance after that,” Pokey joked and some of the guests laughed. Pinkie Pie first looked a bit embarrassed but then she gasped and a wide grin appeared onto her face. She leaned towards Pokey and whispered something into his ear. He nodded and they quickly rubbed their snouts together cutely.

“Now If anypony doesn’t have anything against it, we could move towards the dance floor!” Pokey suggested. Pinkie gave him a half lidded stare and said with sultry tone, “I can’t wait to have my first dance with my husband,” 


* * *


The sun was still shining as a slow waltz music filled the park. The dance floor was empty but it was surrounded by tens of ponies eager to get their share of dancing. Of course they didn’t rush to the dance floor when the music started. It was time for the first dance of the wedded couple.

Pinkie Pie and Pokey walked hoof in hoof to the middle of the floor and turned to face each other. Pokey bowed to Pinkie, who in turn curtseyed to him before they raised their left hooves to each other’s shoulders. Pinkie Pie laid her chin onto Pokey’s shoulder and they slowly started to spin around in rhythm with the music. 

Pokey suddenly started to sniffle. Pinkie Pie pulled her head backwards so she could see his face. He was indeed crying. Pinkie’s expression immediately changed into a concerned one and she asked with nervous tone, “What’s wrong Pokey? Why are you crying? Are you sad!? Why would you be sad?”
Her mane started to deflate so he quickly answered, “No no no! I’m really happy! Happier than ever.”
Her mane sprung into it’s normal shape and she smiled while saying, “Okie dokie lokie.”
A suspicious frown appeared on her face as she asked, “Wait a minute... Why are you crying then?”
Pokey smiled warmly and said, “I’m crying because I’m so happy.”
“Oh…” Pinkie said slowly. She then started to beam at him and said, “That’s the only kind of crying that I allow in my home.”
Pokey again smiled and pushed his snout against her’s. He then said quietly, “I can’t cry from anything than happiness when you’re around.”
That made her giggle happily. 

She laid her head onto his shoulder again and they kept spinning in circles as the song moved on. After a while Pinkie lifted her head from her husband’s shoulder. She stared into Pokey’s eyes, making him ask, “What?”
“You said that you were so happy you cried,” she said and pushed her cheek against Pokey’s. He rubbed his cheek against her’s and answered, “Yeah.”
“Well I’m so happy I can’t even cry,” Pinkie Pie said and again leaned away from him. She had watery eyes and Pokey chuckled.
“You’re crying right now,” he said and Pinkie’s eyes went wide. She quickly swept her hoof across her cheek and noticed that he was right.
“Oh yeah, you’re right,” she said. “I guess I wasn’t that happy. I was so happy that I started to cry too.”
“I don’t mind if you cry or not,” Pokey said and again pushed his snout against Pinkie’s. “Seeing you happy is all that matters to me.”
“Aww…” Pinkie  cooed.

If on cue, the song stopped. The pair kept their pose and soon a new song started. It was a slow piano song. 
“Now it’s time for our own little star!” Vinyl Scratch announced with excitement. “Everypony give a big hoof to Sweetie Belle!”

There was loud clapping and someponies even cheered as the white teenager unicorn with long curly mane. She walked gracefully on the small stage with mic in the middle of it. She smiled widely as she saw all the ponies cheering and clapping to her. 
She stood behind the mic and tested it by tapping it twice. It worked like it should have so she started to speak, “Hi everypony! I’m here because ‘aunt’ Pinkie has done so much for me, and I feel like I haven’t done anything for her in return.”
She took the mic into her hoof and looked at Pinkie with wide grin on her face.
“Aunt Pinkie, this is for you,” she said and started to sing. Octavia started to play with her organ. It wasn’t first time those two were playing together.

It was a love song, but Pinkie Pie wasn’t concentrated enough to get what did she actually  sing. All she knew was that it was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as the stallion she was dancing with..
“You’re beautiful,” she accidentally blurted out to Pokey, who frowned. He looked at Pinkie Pie with half annoyed half amused expression.
“Didn’t you mean handsome?” He asked. She giggled and said, “Nope. I meant beautiful.”
Pokye frowned again and Pinkie noticed it. She giggled more amusedly that time. She thought that it was funny how he didn’t like being called beautiful. In Pokey’s opinion only thing worse than being called beautiful was being called cute.
“You’re also really cute,” she said, deciding to continue her little game. Pokey  puffed his chest and said loudly, “I’m not cute!”
“Yes you are,” Pinkie said with sultry tone and planted her lips onto his. That made him shut up and they continued dancing.

On the other side of the dance floor other ponies started to join the couple as the song went on. First her bridesmaids started to dance with their dates. Fluttershy looked small and delicate when she was dancing with Big Macintosh. Rarity had clearly spent many hours teaching Thunderlane how to dance. Applejack was frowning at bored looking Rainbow Dash. She quickly snapped back to pose with a yelp as Applejack gave her a sharp kick to her leg. Only Twilight Sparkle was sitting alone aside the dance floor. Soon one of Cadance’s royal guards, a orange coated pegasus asked her to join him on the dance floor. She gladly accepted his proposal.

Hoofcraft Pierce and Blue Aurora were dancing together. They were planning something. Aurora whispered something into Hoofcraft’s ear and they started to snicker. She had clearly proposed something funny because the brown stallion nodded eagerly and started to grin playfully. He then looked around himself and spotted what he was looking for. He chuckled to himself and started to walk towards a grey young mare in a blue dress.

“Could I have this dance miss?” he asked from Limestone with his low voice. The young mare’s eyes went wide and she gave a shocked look at her sister, who looked at least as surprised as she herself. It took a second before she managed to compose herself enough to answer. A wild blush emerged onto her cheeks as she stammered, “I-I w-would like t-that...”

Hoofcraft smiled and offered his hoof towards blushing Limestone, who giggled nervously. She carefully took a hold of his hoof. A surprised yelp escaped from her as the stallion pulled her closer himself. Marble Pie and Cloudy Quartz giggled in the background as Limestone and Hoofcraft started to spin around slowly.

Apple Bloom and Spike danced a bit further away from other dancers, mainly because he didn’t want his long tail to hit anypony. Scootaloo danced like a real professional she was. It was hard for Blue Sky to keep up with her. Rumble was eagerly waiting for Sweetie Belle to finish her performance.

The song went on for a while before the tempo started to slow down, signaling that the song was about to end. Pokey felt how his wife started to snicker against his neck. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Pinkie Pie giggled and whispered into his ear, “We planned a small surprise with Vinyl.”
“Surprise?” Pokey asked with a bit worried voice. “What surprise?”
“You’ll see in couple of seconds,” she said and grinned playfully. 

Pokey saw that Sweetie Belle dragged the last note for a second and nodded to Vinyl Scratch. The white mare with neon blue mane grinned and her horn started to glow. Almost immediately the bass kicked in. Pokey felt how the bass made his chest tremble a little. He, like almost everypony on the dance floor got startled by the sudden loud music. They all looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.

Pinkie Pie giggled loudly and started to dance in front of Pokey, making him remember the first party he had been after returning to Ponyville. He and other ponies on the dance floor didn’t seem to be in a mood to dance in the rhythm of house music right that moment but then her closer friends started to jam too. Even Twilight Sparkle started to kick her front legs in the air excitedly. Seeing their princess dancing like any other pony made the quests to join them in the wild dancing frenzy. 

“Come ooon Pokey!” Pinkie chirped and grabbed his hoof into her own.
“Let’s go wild!” she exclaimed and started to bounce on her place while thrashing her head  from side to side. Pokey looked around himself and saw that other ponies had made some space for them, probably because Pinkie Pie’s moves needed some space.
She kept bouncing in the rhythm of the music while smiling at Pokey. She fluttered her eyelashes at him cutely. Pokey couldn’t resist that and soon he found himself dancing timidly with Pinkie Pie.
“You can do better than that!” she said and bumped him with her rump. He chuckled and started to mimic Pinkie’s moves. It didn’t take long until they both were dancing like when they were teens. The dance didn’t have any pattern, it was just waving around and laughing like crazy. 

Pinkie Pie had to duck couple of times so she wouldn’t get a cut from Pokey’s horn. Someponies were laughing at him and his crazy moves, but with Pinkie Pie on his side, he didn’t even notice them.

“Look up Pokey!” Pinkie said and while giggling like crazy. He did as she said and his jaw dropped. A big group of pegasie were hovering over them. It wasn’t even the surprising part. They all were holding a hooffull of balloons and as soon as he looked up, they let the balloons free, so that they fell over the dancers. 

POP

Balloon hit his horn and immediately exploded, making Pinkie Pie giggle. Couple of other balloons hit his horn with the same results.

POP POP

Pokey grinned stupidly at Pinkie Pie. She in turn kept giggling and stomped one of the balloons, making it explode. She picked up another and threw it towards Pokey, who pierced it with his horn. They both cracked in total laughter, making other ponies around them join in. They too started to pop balloons around them, each in their own style. Some stomped, others tried to do it like Pokey did and some of the unicorns even used magic. The popping of balloons almost outran the music.

Soon the dance floor was full laughing ponies and shreds of balloons. In the middle of all it stood Pinkie and Pokey, panting lightly and staring at each other with excited sparkling in their eyes.. 

Pinkie Pie’s poofy mane had gotten loose and it had sprung back to it’s own shape. She smiled with slight blush on her cheeks. It made Pokey grin happily as he closed his pink mare into a gentle hug. 

“What a day…” he sighed while petting her mane. Pinkie buried her muzzle into his neck and purred, “It ain’t even over yet…”


* * *



“Is it over now?” exhausted Pokey asked as he wobbled into Pinkie’s room with the happily glowing Pinkie bouncing right behind her. They weren’t dressed up anymore. It was well past midnight when the party had stopped, and they were dead beat. Or at least Pokey was. 

“Nuh uh!” Pinkie exclaimed when she jumped on the bed. She laid on her side in a seductive pose and gave Pokey suggestive look.
“You know what we’re supposed to do on wedding night? Right?” she asked with sultry tone from Pokey, who was looking at her with timid smile on his tired face. He slowly walked towards the bed and crawled onto it. He laid his head on the pillow and Pinkie Pie immediately crawled on top of him. He didn’t resist, he was too tired.

“I’m feeling pretty tired you know,” he said and yawed heartily. Pinkie Pie smiled mischievously and said, “But I’m not tired at all!”
“That’s nice honey…” Pokey sighed and closed his eyes. Pinkie smirked and started to peck his neck lightly. Pokey mumbled something but didn’t seem to react otherwise. Pinkie started to get a bit frustrated and kissed him on the lips lustfully. Pokey wrapped his hooves around Pinkie’s neck. She couldn’t move her head even she struggled to get free. Pokey still didn’t seem to react.

“He’s sleeping…” Pinkie thought and then groaned annoyedly. She was still full of energy and what could have been a better way to release it? She stared at sleeping stallion under him. She couldn’t help herself and a smile crept onto her face.

“My brave prince is all worn out...” she thought and started to snicker. She struggled a bit more, finally getting free from his grasp. She rolled from top of him and snuggled right into his side, wrapping her front hooves around his upper body. She looked at the shiny ring around her hoof. It made her sigh happily.
“What now?” she thought. “What happens after the wedding?”
“We should move together…” Pinkie thought and nuzzled him on the cheek. A dreamy smile appeared onto her face when she thought, “Maybe we’ll make a baby…”
She snickered and tightened the hug.

“Or two…” she whispered quietly. Pokey didn’t hear that. He had a peaceful expression on his face. He moved his head so it was leaning against Pinkie’s. She giggled and thought “We will have a family… With at least two babies… and we will grow old together… Happily…”

There was a deep silence in the room. Only Pokey’s steady breathing could be heard. Pinkie stared at him for a while.

“You know what they would say right now if this was a story?” she suddenly asked from sleeping Pokey. He snored quietly, making Pinkie sigh. She nuzzled his chin and said, “They would say; ‘And so they lived their lives happily ever after. The end’”

“Huh?” Pokey asked, half asleep. Pinkie Pie giggled and continued, “But that would be pretty silly. This is not an end…”
“Mmm?” Pokey mumbled and turned towards her. Their snouts touched. She smiled warmly and planted a tender kiss onto his lips before saying,

“This is just the beginning.”