> The Undermining Project
>  by treetoptrooper
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Meteor Shower (Twilight x Comet Tail)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Here's a visual of Comet Tail for you. He is NOT an OC, just a background pony.

"For crying out loud Medley! Where'd you put my Astronomy In Under 5000 Pages?"
"Ugh, you never listen to me Comet! I haven't touched your retarded space-y books and I never will, why don't you get that?"
"I'll start getting that when they stop disappearing every time you set hoof inside my house!"
"That's not true!"
"Yes it is!"
"No it isn't!"
"It is so!"
Comet Tail sighed and slumped down among the mess of books that was once his bedroom, turquoise grey mane an absolute mess. Both thin novels and thick star-guides were strewn about as though a chimera had just charged through a library. Right now he was wishing that all younger siblings were wiped off the face of the planet, including his little sister Medley. Unlike himself, who was brainy and bookish, Medley was active and athletic. He was a unicorn, she was a pegasus. He was just another pony, she was popular. Some days he wondered if she had been born into the wrong family - of course, it could have just as easily been vice versa. His mother was a chemical scientist, while his father was in the Wonderbolts. This evened it out pretty well, but didn't even out Comet's feeling for Medley. Her house was currently getting renovations done and she had to live with him for a few weeks before she could go back home and end the torture.
"Are you sure you don't know where it is?" Comet shouted downstairs.
The response came after a deep sigh. "Yeah, I am absolutely sure that I didn't touch your nerdy junk!"
"It isn't junk!"
"Yeah it is! It's just as junky as Derpy Hooves' eyes are!"
Comet had to fight to contain his fury at this point. "That's no way to talk about somepony! And her name's Ditzy Doo, you know that!"
“Derpy, Ditzy, what’s the difference! She doesn’t seem to care if anyone calls her that.”
“Don’t forget that she doesn’t seem to care about a lot of things, Medley.”
Besides their differences in interests, they also had various differences in personality: Comet was kind and subdued, while Medley was harsh and out-going.
"I guess I'll have to go over to the library then..." Comet said to himself and stood up to go downstairs.
He trotted down to see his sister spread out on his couch with one leg up over the backrest, a cheesy-looking sports magazine held in her hooves. He knew that she wasn’t really interested in the sports or for the reading factor, but really in the stallions that played them.
"I'm going to the library to see if they have a copy of that book I needed, okay?" he stated as he walked past her.
Just as he opened the door Medley spoke up. "You aren't just going to see that nerd Twilight Sparkle again, are you? You know, your huge crush? The mare you’ve had your eye on pretty much since she moved here? You shouldn’t even try to hide it, I already know."
Although tempted to swing around and clobber Medley off of the couch and onto the floor, Comet turned to her and gave her a scolding look as his cheeks became red, contrasting strangely with his golden-yellow coat of hair. "No, I'm going to get that book. There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight and I want to know where everything is going to be in the sky so that I can find a good place to go."
"I'm sure that's it. Why don't you just ask her out already? I can totally tell she's into you to, you know that?"
Comet froze as he was just about to head out. "W-what? You’re kidding!"
Medley giggled and sat up from her seat to speak. "You're too gullible, Commy. To be honest I’m not sure if she does or not, but she might. Just go flirt with Twilight already, your dorkiness is suffocating me." She began to hold her breath for effect.
"Keep up the good work on holding that, two hours and you'll be feeling like you're in heaven," he sneered and left, slamming the door behind him.
------
The door to the library swung open and Twilight's head shot up at full attention. She hadn't had a visitor in a while, and she was getting worried that athletics were drowning out the little intelligence left in Ponyville. Much to her relief the familiar face of Comet Tail stepped in. He was one of the only ponies in Ponyville who did any serious stargazing besides her and sometimes Rarity. Besides this he was a pretty handsome guy - well, at least in her opinion he was. Some of her friends may have wished he were more buff or skinnier or maybe even a bit less nerdy. She thought he was perfectly fine and enjoyed his presence more than the presence of the few other stallions of Ponyville. However, she did notice one small thing was different about him: his greyish-blue mane was slightly frazzled as though he was tensed up.
"Hey there Comet Tail! Here to find another astronomy book?" she asked and walked over to meet him.
Twilight noticed he paused and blinked a few times before speaking, as if he was suddenly just getting a grip on reality. "Yes, actually. I think I can find it on my own though, Miss Sparkle."
She humbly nodded and watched him go into the A's section. “Please call me Twilight, Comet.”
After a bit of searching he pulled out a relatively thick book and plopped it down onto a table, beginning to inspect it. His eyebrows furrowed and he couldn't help but stick his tongue out of his mouth as he looked through the pages of the old book. Twilight noticed him flipping to the meteors section, a moment that jogged her memory.
"So, you gonna go see the meteor shower next week? I’ve heard it’s supposed to be the biggest one for a while," she asked him.
He stopped in mid-page turn and looked at her. "Yeah, I was. You going too?"
Twilight nodded, an action that made Comet's eyes light up with a familiar understanding. "Yep, but I don't know anywhere good to go. The place that I usually visit for meteor showers is over by the outskirts, but Ponyville's expanded too much since the last one and the light-pollution there is too intense," she explained.
The look on Comet's face seemed to brighten up even more. "I know the perfect place, I always go to it for some good stargazing! It's kinda out of town, but that's okay. These legs were made for walking, and that's what they're gonna have to do once in their life. Do you wanna come with me?"
"Sure thing, that sounds like a lot of fun! Where is it?"
"It's on a hill that's a little bit past Sweet Apple Acres. The rest of it is kinda foggy, but I'll remember once we get there," Comet seemed so exhilarated that he was nearly floating off of the ground, somewhat akin to how Pinkie Pie was every day.
"Wow, you sure seem excited about this," Twilight commented. He looked a bit funny when he was so happy and bouncy like this, but it was mainly because of his wild mane.
"Oh sure I'm excited! I hardly ever get the chance to watch stars with another pony, you know, No pony around here is into that kind of stuff unless it involves a fancy dinner before-hoof and a cheesy, passionate kiss afterwards," he replied and quit his fevered movements.
Both unicorns laughed at the last part, mainly because they both knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Well, when should we meet up? And where?" Twilight asked.
"You're overthinking this a bit, Twilight. We can discuss that later on in the week, okay?"
Twilight bit her lip and leaned in towards Comet. "Can we please talk about this right now? I'm hyped myself."
Her charm seemed to work on him, and he gave in. "Okay, fine… how about around eight? Meet at my place? I would go earlier and have a chance to get a bite to eat, but considering what we just talked about..." he trailed off and smiled uneasily.
"Yeah..." Twilight responded sheepishly, slightly disappointed that their bright and bubbly conversation had just gone on a one-way trip to awkward city.
Comet's bookish and nerdy demeanor returned and he closed the book in front of him. "W-well, I guess I'd better get going. See you at eight then." Without further adieu the two said farewell and Comet exited the library.
"Comet Tail!" Twilight called after him.
He quickly trotted back to the open door. "Yeah Twilight?"
"You forgot your book."
"My book? What book?” After a second he face hooved and burst into nervous laughter. “Right, my book! How silly of me!" Comet quickly snatched up the book and dashed back out to avoid any other awkward moments, a cheeky grin on his face as he left again. He forgot to close the door behind him, but Twilight couldn't really care. She simply watched him walk off into the depths of Ponyville as she close shut the door. She felt like she had to watch him go.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Twilight noticed Spike approaching her. "Who was that?" he asked.
"Just a friend," she answered and nodded at her assistant.
Spike snorted, creating a small cloud of black smoke. "As if. He was totally into you, couldn't you tell?" the baby dragon chuckled.
At the statement a blush came over Twilight's face and she turned away from Spike. "H-he was?"
"Totally. If anyone can sense a crush hanging on the air, it's me."
"I had no idea. Now I feel like such a dummy..."
At first Spike was confused. "Why is that, Twilight - " but soon he got it, and Twilight's dragon friend laughed heartily and rubbed his claws together. "Have you got something for him too?"
The blush on Twilight's cheeks brightened and she whipped around to him. "Spike! Go do something else!"
"Like what?"
"Organize books!"
"Already done."
"Dust the shelves!"
"Done."
"Clean the windows!"
"Finito."
"Feed Owloysius!"
"D-O-N-E."
"Ask Rarity out on a super-romantic date!"
"Done that - " upon realizing he had been tricked the dragon growled and marched back upstairs.
Now that he was gone, Twilight let out a deep sigh and sat down on a chair to think deeper about Comet. Had she just been asked out? Of course, if she had been, she was absolutely fine with that. Comet was kind, good-looking, smart, shared interests with her – what more could she ask of him?
Maybe less dorky around mares.
So there was room for improvement.
-------
At the sound of the front door closing shut Medley leapt from her position to go see her brother's return, seeing a sight that she didn't expect: Comet humming and grinning with a goofy smile as he trotted into the living room, a slight spring in his step.
"Did you ask her out or something?" she immediately asked.
Comet blinked and turned to her as if he had just acknowledged her existence. "Nope, but something almost as good - I'm going with her to watch the meteor shower next week! Alone!"
Medley patted him on the back in congratulation. "Smooth move, Commy. To be honest, I'm surprised you could pull it off and really hope that you manage to actually hook up with her after this."
"Why is that?"
"I can't stand to watch you fantasizing about her all day, so it'd be nice if you realized your dream for once."
Comet smirked at her comment. "I'm glad to know you worry about me so much, Medley. And I'm not a total failure, I had a fillyfriend just a couple years ago, remember? It was Lyra Heartstrings."
"Didn't she go fillyfooler soon after you two broke up or something?"
"No! Well, yes... but Blues dated her in between! It was him who did it, if anything."
"Are you suggesting my coltfriend did that to her?"
"You're dating Blues now?"
"Get your head in the game, Comet! I've been dating him for, like, a whole month now."
"I hope you don't go fillyfooler too."
"Is there something wrong with fillyfoolers?"
"Sorta. I've given you this speech more times than Ditzy Doo has screwed up a delivery, Medley."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't get your mane in a tangle."
He was about to go upstairs when Medley stopped him for one more comment. “Isn't that ironic? Your mane already is in a tangle. Comb it before you do anything else, okay?"
Comet rolled his eyes before continuing his way upstairs. The sassy mood of Medley wore off and the cheerful one of Twilight reentered, bringing his spirits back up and plastering an uncontrollable smile on his face.
------
Over the course of the next few days Comet dropped in by the library more and more often to discuss astronomy and the stars with Twilight over a book, some days even heading out to the local cafe for a drink. They had much more in common than they had previously let on in the past and were finally getting to really know each other. However, despite this they always remained slightly distant from each other. Ever since Spike had even mentioned the possibility of Comet having romantic interests in her, Twilight had been a bit more nervous than usual when around him. It was the same way with Comet, but rather he didn't want to make a fool out of himself in front of her. Both had felt the anticipation growing as the days went by and couldn't stop thinking about each other, wondering if they had a common view of one another or not. When the day finally came both unicorns were almost falling apart with the pressure that was building up to their little outing – Comet out of anticipation for spending time with his crush, Twilight for finding out if he really was interested in her or not.
------
Twilight dreamily stared out a window with a stack of books in her magical grasp, her thoughts drifting away from labor and back to a familiar yellow stallion. She could hardly do anything but wonder about him and his feelings for her, unable to do any serious hard work around the library. It seemed as though her small assistant had noticed, and was now approaching her on it.
“What’s up Twilight? You seem pretty out of it today,” Spike asked.
Twilight let out a sigh and turned to him. “Sorry Spike, it’s just that… I was thinking about what you said about Comet. Do you think that he really…?” she trailed off at the end.
“Couldn’t be more sure. Like I said, I’m the master of crushes around here,” he laughed.
“I hope not.”
“Why? Is he not your type? Not good-looking enough?”
“No Spike, I just hope I haven’t been ignorant towards him for all these years and that your intuition is wrong.”
“Ah, I see. You’re feeling bad for having not realized his crush until now?”
“I guess you could put it that way.”
Twilight looked back out the window to see the sun setting. Soon it would be dark enough for stargazing, and for meteor showers.
“What time is it?”
“Just about time for you to go meet up with Comet.”
“And that is?”
Spike sighed. “7:54. I don’t see why you’re so anal about this, Twilight.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep him waiting, that’s all.”
“I hope you aren’t lying to me.”
“I’m not!”
To avoid any more confrontation about the subject Twilight quickly slipped on her saddlebags filled with some of her favorite astronomy books. “I’m heading out. Remember to close down the library soon, alright Spike?”
“Yeah yeah, now go get your coltfriend already.”
“He’s not my coltfriend! He’s a friend and he’s a colt, but he’s not my coltfriend!”
“Whatever you say, Twilight.”
------
Knock-knock-knock!
The turbulence created when Comet galloped towards the door sent Medley flying off her seat on the couch and onto the floor. Despite carrying a collection of books on his back, Comet still moved extraordinarily fast.
When he opened the door he was greeted by the lavender unicorn that he had expected to see. “Hey Comet, you ready to go?” she asked.
He nodded vigorously and quickly stepped out into the crisp evening air. “I’m leaving, Medley!”
“Alright Commy, don’t blow anything up! Knowing you two anything is possible.”
Both unicorns blushed at the statement and left without further interruptions. At first they were quiet, but the silence was unsettling and Comet had to say something.
“So how’ve you been lately?” he asked.
“Hm?” Twilight looked up from the ground as though he had broken her train of thought.
Comet blushed, but couldn’t help it. Her purple eyes staring at him melted his heart. “I see you haven’t had any antics recently with the other five ponies you usually hang out with.”
“Oh no, not really. Things have been pretty subdued ever since the whole Mare Do-Well scandal. I hope nothing else too crazy happens soon, because after a bit of this kind of excitement you need some good time to rest.”
“I hear you on that, even if I don’t go battle ancient evil or have magical powers inside of me.”
Once the pair exited the town’s outskirts they became silent again, but it was mainly for some peace and quiet. The subdued sound of crickets in the distance and the soft glow Luna’s moon rising behind them made the entire scene feel somewhat unearthly and magical, a feeling that both ponies wanted to cherish with their thoughts to themselves. They didn`t speak to each other again until they reached the destination that Comet had spoken of.
“So up on that hill then?” Twilight spoke up, breaking the silence.
Comet slowly nodded, still slightly affected by the quiet and serene atmosphere around them. He felt at peace in his soul, and hoped inside that Twilight shared his feelings for the night.
Comet had always looked up to Princess Luna, and this was one of the reasons why. When it was her turn to take the light the stars came out for all to see, unblocked by Princess Celestia’s beaming sun. Insects came out to play their little symphonies and all was peaceful and quiet. The night was also usually slightly chilly, a nice change from the heat of the summer days. He could hardly understand why Luna wouldn’t be proud of such a creation.
As if on cue he noticed a streak of light fire across the night sky and through the stars. “I think it’s starting.”
Twilight didn’t need to be told anymore and ran up the side of the hill to get into a better position. Comet found himself watching her go up, brilliant purple mane and tail waving as she moved. In front of her was a dark sky full of stars, a beam of light occasionally shooting across it and lighting up the area. Watching her gallop up towards the bright night portrait in front of him was truly mesmerizing to see. He had fallen into a trance and stood with his mouth ajar for a while before his thoughts were interrupted.
“Hey Comet, you coming or what?” Twilight called down to him.
He nodded and ran up to meet her at the top of the hill. On the way he wondered to himself how she could have possibly gone up the slope so quickly with such a small body and so many books in her saddlebags, but then remembered how she had gone on so many adventures in her time and shook it off.
“Wow, this place is perfect, Comet! I can’t believe I’ve never been here before!” Twilight exclaimed in awe as she placed her luggage onto the cool grass.
Comet smiled at her compliment and placed his books down beside hers. “Yeah, my mom used to take me here to stargaze when I was just a foal.”
“Was she nice?” Twilight asked as she sat down.
“Who?” Comet replied, sitting down beside her. Being so close to his crush was making him kind of dopey.
She giggled. “Your mother, silly.”
The golden stallion blushed and turned away from her. That giggle was like music to his ears. “Y-yeah, she was great. She’s gone to be a chemist in Canterlot and I haven’t seen her in a while. My dad’s a jock though. He’s a Wonderbolt, actually.”
“That must be pretty cool. I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to hear all about him.”
“I’m sure she would…”
The meteor shower soon kicked in fully and strings of light darted to and fro across the night sky every now and then. The pair was silent as they watched the scene in awe, quietly staring up into the fantastic sights.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Twilight asked without even turning away. Comet looked at her to see the reflections of the meteors flashing in her vibrant magenta eyes, albeit not many. “Yeah, it really is.” He had fallen into another trance, more attracted by Twilight’s face than the reason he had gone out in the first place.
“It’s one of those things that make you wonder why Equestria was made to be so wonderful and amazing as it is instead of a barren wasteland with no sky. I know it’s because of the Princesses, but still – you wonder why they would even come here and not to another world or dimension. Why to this humble little land?” Twilight went on.
“Yeah…” Comet could barely form sentences anymore. She shared basically the same thoughts that he had.
She took him by surprise when she turned to look at him, meeting his glance. “I’m glad I came out here with you, Comet.”
An uncontrollable grin came onto his face and he tried to hide it. “T-thanks, I’m glad you could come out too.”
Twilight crooked her head and tried to crane her neck around to see his face. “Comet? You seem pretty different tonight. Is there something that I don’t know going on?”
The stallion turned back to her and found her face much closer than it had been when he had looked away. “Yes, Twilight, I really want to tell you something – of course, you’ve probably already realized it.”
She seemed to recognize what he meant and slowly nodded.
“I’ve got a huge crush on…” he was cut off by a lavender hoof gingerly covering his mouth.
“You don’t have to say it Comet, I already know,” Twilight sighed.
Comet’s ears flopped down in disappointment. “I need to let you know that this whole meteor shower thing wasn’t just me trying to get closer to you. I actually wanted to go see this with somepony else, and you happened to be my lucky number.”
“Alright, Comet. I’m perfectly fine with that, because recently I’ve been thinking the same thing,” she smiled when she saw his ears perk back up again. “I’ve realized that we have so much in common, yet we fail to socialize enough. If we tried we could really get together, is what I thought. When you came to the library a while ago I tried to be more social with you so that we could get to know each other, but that’s the day when I finally found out that you had a thing for me too.”
Comet felt her warm hoof reach around him and rest on his neck. “Do you really mean it?” he asked her.
“Yes, Comet Tail. I really do.”
Using the arm she had placed on his shoulder she pulled his head down to her level and brought her lips to his, slightly shocking him at first. After a second Comet went along with it and wrapped his hooves around her waist, pulling her tighter to his own body. It was definitely one of the best kisses he had ever had – not that he had kissed many ponies like this at all, only a few. Eventually Comet began to lean in on Twilight, laying her down on her back in the grass. His feral instincts were slowly taking over.
Then lavender pony pulled away to speak. “Don’t, Comet…”
“Don’t what?” he asked.
“Don’t… do anything that we’ll regret, alright?”
Comet got her drift. “Ah, right.”
Although it was hard to resist going further, he released her and sat back up. The pair went back up as though nothing had happened, but this time Twilight rested her head on Comet’s shoulder. She was warm and her mane smelled something like springtime, so he was okay with it. For a while they sat in perfect silence on the hill, gazing up at the sky to see a streak of light shoot across the horizon every few seconds. Comet knew now that he wanted to be with Twilight forever – this crush had become much more since that first kiss.
For the remainder of the night the pair had on and off conversation; some times talking over one of the books they brought with them, others sitting in silence and watching the meteor shower. However, they could not resist each other’s company and would share a light-hearted kiss or nuzzle every now and then. All in all the night was wonderful, despite not involving a fancy dinner or any “funny stuff” as Twilight put it. They conversed deep into the night, and soon they felt overcome by fatigue.
“Hey Comet, I don’t think we’ve looked at this one yet,” Twilight said over her shoulder. When there came no response she whirled around to see her friend had fallen asleep – or at least was falling asleep - on the grass. She sighed in content and walked over to him.
“You look so peaceful when you sleep, you know that?” she whispered.
The golden unicorn shifted slightly and his eyes slowly opened. “Now I do…” he replied. “Come over here.”
Twilight smiled and lay down beside him. “Get some sleep, will ya? We’ll head back home in the morning,” he continued.
“I hope Spike’s alright,” she said and lightly snuggled underneath his arm. The night was somewhat cold, but their bodies helped to warm each other up.
Comet chuckled to himself. “I bet Medley thinks I’m at your house giving you the old oomph.”
Twilight laughed out loud at his statement, mainly because it was probably true. Their speaking from then on was limited, only small quips and good nights. Twilight was the first to fall asleep, her chest slowly falling and rising in unison with her breathing. Before Comet fell asleep he managed to take a good look at her, finally seeing her for all she was worth. When she slept she seemed even prettier than when awake, a fact that Comet decided to note down.
“Love ya, Twilight.”
They slept.
> Balloons (Pinkie x Pokey)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Here's a visual of Pokey Pierce, just in case you don't know.

Hi there, my name's Pokey Pierce. I'm one of the best known ponies in Ponyville, mainly cause I love everything that's surprising or loud, but my absolute favorite surprise is the sound of a balloon popping. The shocking pop sound that makes everyone at the party look up is just so thrilling. Too bad not everypony shares my interests: namely my arch-nemesis, that annoying filly Pinkie Pie. I pop just one of her balloons and she totally freaks out on me like I've just killed someone. It can really get on my nerves the way she's so protective of her stuff.
Too bad we've got another party coming up this evening. Blues' sister (Brass Horn I think it was) just moved into town and Pinkie's gonna throw a party about it like she always does. Well this time I'm not gonna pop any balloons until the party is officially over, not that there's any fun in that when everpony's gone. It's ironic really, that she would take the fun of somepony else and trample over it while she has dedicated her life to letting other ponies have fun.
Look at the time, I've gotta get going to the bowling alley for Brass' Welcome to Ponyville Party soon. Time to show Pinkie that I'm not some ninny!
-----
The party had been okay so far. Pokey haven't popped a single balloon yet, but he had noticed Pinkie eyeing him from across the allies. Him and Bon Bon hade been tied since the beginning of the game and Caramel was falling behind on them along with Romana, but Ditzy Doo was just beating all four of them into the ground. Who knew that such a clumsy pony would be so good at bowling anyways?
Pokey turned and saw Pinkie staring at him again. There it is, that evil eye of Pinkie's again. She really seems to be serious about this. Did she have traumatic experiences as a foal involving balloons popping or something? Whatever it is, that glare sends chills up my spine every time I see it, he thought to himself. I hope I can keep myself in check. Maybe I'll go get a drink to help calm down -
As Pokey turned around, he felt something touch his horn. He looked up and found his horn deep inside of a bright red balloon. After the most tense and dark-feeling second of his life it popped, causing all of the ponies in the alley to turn to him and leap into the air in fright. Normally a grin would have spread across his face, but this time his face paled and he prepared for the worst.
"Pokey Pierce, was that you!?"
It's Pinkie! Oh crap, this is the end for me.
"You'd better hope for your sake it wasn't!" She was now marching towards him with a stern expression.
Oh man oh man oh man, she's coming this way! Brace yourselves for a hurricane.
"S-sorry Pinkie! I didn't see that balloon, honest!" he stammered and stepped backwards.
"Yeah right, Pokey! You're ruining the party!" she growled and pointed a fierce hoof at his face.
With a frown she turned away and began to leave him, but soon turned back around to finish giving him a piece of her mind, much to his despair.
"I wanna talk to you after the party, okay Mr. Pierce?"
She sounds like my elementary school teacher... Pokey thought as he nodded in response.
"What're you gonna do to me, turn me into cupcakes or something Ms. Pie?" he shot back with a sneer.
The two stared into each other's eyes, Pokey's greenish yellow contrasting with Pinkie's bright blue. After a few heated seconds Pinkie blew raspberries in his face and darted back off into the crowd of the party.
I hope I haven't made a mistake...
------
The party was almost over and most ponies had left already: unfortunately for Pokey, he wouldn't be able leave so soon. Whenever he even thought about leaving he would see Pinkie standing somewhere in his line of sight with that disappointed expression on her face. However, when he saw her and she didn't see him he noticed she had her usual cheery disposition and was still bouncing off the walls like normal. He couldn't blame her though: when the hostess of a party is lame so is the party itself.
The night went on and Pokey was forced to stay and watch as all of his friends slowly filtered out and he was left to sit quietly on the benches surrounded by taboo balloons and watch his captor bounce around cleaning up the mess created by the previous party. After a moment the pink pony froze in mid-bounce and turned to Pokey.
"Oh right! I kept you here so that you could help me clean up, not just sit there. How could I forget? Get over here and help me! The owners of the bowling alley don't wanna have to clean up this big mess!" she suddenly commanded.
Pokey hurriedly hopped from his seat and got to work with his nemesis on tidying up the allies. It was finished faster than they had both expected, every single dish washed and mess cleaned.
"Whew, nice work Pokey. Now, what has this taught you about popping balloons when you're not supposed to?" Pinkie sighed when they finished.
"It's taught me that I shouldn't pop balloons when I shouldn't..." he said the first part in mock shame, but came back with a cheeky grin for the second. "And that it makes you super angry so you become some brute that no pony likes at all!"
Pinkie gritted her teeth and turned away. "M-me! I don't get angry! Well, I try not to anyways..." she flipped back and pointed a hoof at Pokey. "Hey! You didn't learn that just now, you've been doing this ever since we first met!"
"So? I was just trying to embarass you!"
"Well your dumb little trick worked, didn't it!?"
"It sure did!"
"Worked like a charm!"
"You got it!"
"SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!"
Pokey watched in surprise as Pinkie's mane deflated to a straight composure and her whole colorscale became much darker. Tears welled up in her eyes and she darted off out of the alley. He puffed out his chest and smiled before leaving the building as well, proud of his accomplishment.
Hah! I sure showed her!
------
Pokey soon found that his accomplishment wasn't as fulfilling as he thought. He couldn't sleep that night, tossing and turning in frusturation at his insomnia. His mind was filled with shadows and he felt like he had done something terrible to his pink pony nemesis.
With a shout of anger he threw his pillow across his bedroom. "That's it! I can't take it anymore, I've gotta go apologize to Pinkie..."
Pokey dashed downstairs and out of the door to Sugarcube Corner to find Pinkie. He needed to do this, it just felt like the right thing to do in his gut.
------
Knock-knock-knock.
No answer.
Knock-knock-knock.
Still nothing.
No pony was awake at Sugarcube Corner - either that or they were ignoring him. Despite this Pokey just had to see Pinkie. He would never be able to live through it if he didn't apologize.
Pokey inhaled deeply in preperation before slowly pushing on the door. Luckily for him, Pinkie/the Cakes had left it unlocked and the door slowly creaked open. He was just about to step inside when something sped in front of him, giving him a bad scare and making him cry out in surprise. In his adrenaline rush he performed a complete backflip before shooting up the side of a nearby tree.
His fright was proved useless when he saw the small creature in the moonlight: it was Pinkie's pet, the quiet baby alligator Gummy. Pokey wiped the sweat from his forehead and slipped back down the tree trunk to enter the house again, this time undisturbed by any animals.
He quietly snuck like a shadow through Sugarcube Corner, hurriedly snaking up the stairs that led from the main shop to the bedrooms of Pinkie and the Cakes. In the moonlight he saw a bright pink door that was slightly ajar, light spilling out of the crack. With another inhale of preperation he knocked on the door, trying not to wake up the other residents.
"Pinkie?" he whispered through the crack.
He saw her lying on her bed with her face buried into a pillow, tears gushing out of her eyes and soaking her bed. Used tissues lay all around her and she seemed to be trying hard to hide her crying. Her mane remained deflated and her coat darkended just like before.
"Is that you, Mr. Cake?" she sniffled without looking back.
"No Pinkie, it's me..." he hesitated before stating his name. "P-Pokey P-P-Pierce..."
Her sobbing almost instantly stopped and her head craned around to see him peeking through the doorway. He saw her eyes widen before she leapt off of her bed and galloped towards him.
"What do you want, you big bully? And why are you sneaking around in my house, anyways?" she asked in a shaky voice that was trying to be fierce.
Pokey cringed at the sight of her. She looked absolutely terrible: her eyes were puffy, her colors were dark, and he could still see tears in the corners of her face.
"I came to say that I'm really sorry about what I did and said at the bowling alley. I feel terrible about making you act like this..." he sighed.
Pinkie was unimpressed by his apology and her sad expression stayed. "Apology accepted, fine. Now get out of here before you wake up the others," she commanded.
Pokey looked down at the floor and began to leave, but stopped with his back turned to Pinkie. He didn't feel like that was enough. He still felt terrible, just not as terrible as before. This wouldn't do.
"Hey Pinkie."
She exhaled deeply and turned back to him. "What?"                 The tone of her speech would melt on Pluto.
"I don't feel like that was enough. I need to forgive you, and you need to forgive me, alright?" Pokey explained.
"Okay, okay, I'm almost sorry that I've been so mean to you and I almost forgive you for being a jerk back. Is that good enough for you, princess?" she quickly finished.
Pokey shook his head and made a small tutting sound. "Nope, you've gotta really forgive me. Words don't matter in this situation. What you feel at heart is what matters." He hoped that making the situation seem a bit more fun than serious would lighten up Pinkie.
She was taken back by his words and her sad expression brightened slightly, a sign that meant Pokey was making progress. "What do you mean?"
"You have to feel it in your chest. Once we both stop feeling so bad then we will have really forgiven each other and can make up for real," Pokey explained with a sheepish smile.
Pinkie sighed and looked at her chest as though trying to get something out of it. "I guess so... but it's so hard to feel good after being insulted so badly! I just can't stand you when you act like that!"
"Does that mean that you can stand me when I'm not like that?"
"Huh?"
Pokey nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Well, if I didn't act like that, then would you feel better?"
Pinkie quickly nodded and he could tell that tears were returning to her eyes. "Pokey, I liked you when I first saw you. You were so nice to everypony and I wanted to be friends with you, but something about that first party when you popped all of those balloons really set it off in me. I started to hate you, and I'm not even sure why. You're really nice when you're not insulting anypony, you know that right?"
The sight was breathtaking. Pinkie's mane was slowly inflating again as though it were being blown up like a balloon and her color was returning to her. "Now I do. You're a nice pony when you're not getting on my back for trying to have some of his own kind of fun too."
At this Pinkie suddenly snapped back to her normal self. "Wait... you were having fun when you were popping those balloons? You weren't just doing it to wreck my party?"
Pokey raised his eyebrow at her question and slowly nodded. "Why would I do that?"
Although her appearance was back to normal, Pinkie's tears came back and she threw her arms around Pokey. "I thought you were just being a big meany, but you were really just trying to make some fun! We should have been working together, not apart! I'm so stupid, Pokey. I'm a stupid, stupid pony..." she sobbed into his mane.
"It's alright Pinkie. I myself thought that you were just protective of your balloons, but really you were protective of the other ponies' fun... so I guess we're both stupid, stupid ponies..." Pokey replied and slowly stroked Pinkie's head to comfort her.
"Yeah, we're both stupid," she sniffled.
"Dumb."
"Thick."
"Fools."
"Hard-headed."
"Idiots."
For the first time in a few minutes Pokey realized what he was doing. He was wrapped in the arms of his arch-nemesis as he lightly stroked her mane. What was going on here?
Whatever it is, I'm okay with it.
Pokey had never known a warmth like this. He felt at peace, like the world could fade away and he wouldn't give a single care. He could just sit here with Pinkie forever, holding each other tightly and offering comfort to one another. Was this just friendship? No, it was something else.
"I forgive you, Pokey..." Pinkie suddenly spoke up.
Pokey nodded and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "And I forgive you, Pinkie."
His eyes widened at what he had just done and he felt prepared to dash back home and stay there forever, but noticed something: Pinkie hadn't minded it at all. In fact, she had seemed to enjoy his affection for her as she had snuggled deeper into his shoulder when he did it.
"Pokey, could you... stay a bit longer?" she asked through his mane.
The blue unicorn took her by the face and looked her in the eyes. "I would gladly, Pinkie. Anything to make you feel better."
She smiled at him and released him from her arms. "The Cakes are asleep, so we don't wanna wake them up with our talking. Let's go downstairs."
Pokey obliged and followed her down the staircase he had previously walked up, noticing that the spring in her step had returned. Once on the ground floor Pinkie trotted towards the fridge to fix up a drink for the two.
"Do you want apple juice or cider?" she asked Pokey without looking back.
"I'm fine with juice, not really a fan of alcohol," he answered and plopped down into a seat at the counter. Pinkie took out two glasses, pouring juice in one and cider in the other. "How could you not like cider?" she asked him as she put away the drinks.
"My dad... wasn't exactly smart when it came to how much alcohol a pony should have at a time..." Pokey answered, trailing off at the end.
Pinkie slid him his juice and hopped onto a stool beside him. "He was a big drunk, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, it sucked really. Most days I'd come home from school and would be afraid to tell him anything about my time out of the house: every now and then he'd just wave me off, some special days he would laugh, and others he would yell at me. It was all so stressful, but in the end he died of unchecked diabetes."
"Ooh, that's rough. Ponies with diabetes shouldn't even drink alcohol," Pinkie chipped in.
"Too bad no one had the guts to tell him that. He was so big and tough - he was actually part of the Royal Guard once, but got kicked off because he was drinking too much booze on or before duty. Being part of the Guard really set it off for him in the end, because he thought that everypony had to listen to him or else. If they didn't, he resorted to physical abuse. He hit both me and my mom for several nights in a row, so my parents got divorced. Shortly after that he died."
"You've really got a tough past, Pokey. It just seems like you're the one who's been helping me, and I haven't been giving much back," Pinkie paused to take a swig of cider. "Like right now, you're staying up with me when you could be back in your comfy bed catching some Zs. Thanks for staying."
He dismissively waved his hoof. "Don't mention it, I'm not very tired anyways.."
She nodded and stared at Pokey with her bright blue eyes. Unlike most times when he was faced with them, they weren't filled with hatred or annoyance, but rather innocene and friendliness. Pokey felt like he was lost in them and soon found himself zoned out of existence and just looking dead-on.
"Hey Pokey, you look tired. Maybe you should go home and get some rest after all," Pinkie stated.
Pokey shook his head to regain his senses before answering. "No no no, not at all! I'm not tired. It's just that..." He mentally kicked himself for even starting the second sentence, since now she was gonna get up on his case about why he was staring.
"It's just that what?" Her eyes grew in curiousity, somehow adding to the stunning effect placed over her blue friend.
"Your eyes are a nice color, that's all."
No you idiot, that's not all. They're simply beautiful, heavenly even. It's like they belong to an angel. You could just stay with those eyes forever and be eternally happy. Tell her the truth!
"Really? That's sweet of you, Pokey. And to think just a while ago we were fighting, now you're complimenting me! I guess it's only fair to share my thoughts about you," Pinkie replied. Where was she even getting all of these weird ideas?
Pokey was taken by surprise as Pinkie leaned over and sniffed his mane. "Your mane's pretty nice too. It smells like springtime kinda, and it felt nice to touch when we were hugging."
"Thanks, I guess..." Pokey needed to change the subject before he lost it and confessed everything about his true feelings about her. "Say, how do you get your mane to stay up like that?"
Pinkie looked up at her mane and shook slightly to watch it wobble around. "Um, I actually don't know. Back when I was a filly or when I'm feeling down it falls straight like you saw earlier, but when I'm happy it puffs up and curls around like a cloud - well, a pink cloud, but you get the idea. I've even tried straightening it, but it just went right back to its natural puffiness once I was done."
"Interesting..." Pokey's mind drifted from his previous nervousness, but soon came right back to the subject of Pinkie and him together. He needed to stop thinking about it: too bad whenever he tried to stop thinking about her by force he thought about her even more. She was like a parasite in his mind - a good parasite, but a parasite nonetheless.
"Uh, Pokey?"
He looked up at her and was met by the bright blue orbs from before. "Are you sure you're not tired? You haven't touched your juice at all, and you keep going quiet every now and then."
"I'm fine, really! I was just thinking about us together..."
That last bit wasn't supposed to come out, dang it! Now she's definitely gonna find out!
His pink friend raised an eyebrow at the statement. "What about us together?"
Pokey took a deep breath before answering. "You and me partying together, playing together, working together... living together."
"W-what?" Pinkie exclaimed, more confused than surprised.
"Really! Over the course of this night I've realized that we're more similar than we think, and also that I want to be with you forever. I've finally found out how much you mean to me. By Celestia's mane, I'm in love with you, Pinkie Pie!"
No turning back now.
A radiant blush came over the pink pony's face and she turned away to hide it. "I hope you didn't just say that to make me feel better..." she sighed, obviously exhilerated by his statement.
"No, Pinkie. I want to stay with you and help you. It's fine if you don't return the affection, because if you don't I'll still be there to take your hoof and lead you onwards," Pokey answered.
He could now hear her breathing accelerating. "Pokey, I don't know what to say other than..."
In one swift movement she swung around and slung her arm around his neck, pulling him into her and directing their vision into each other's eyes. "I'll love you right back." With that their lips locked and Pokey was overwhelmed by two things: one being Pinkie's expression of love for him, the other being Pinkie's weight that was growing on top of him as she pushed furiously into his mouth. They fell off of their seats and sprawled out on the floor, faces still connected and tounges still battling. With a slight flip Pokey rolled himself on top of Pinkie, causing her to squeal and giggle into the kiss with excitement. Although they would soon regret it, they released each other to speak.
"Stay the rest of the night at my place, 'kay Pinkie? You won't be dissapointed," Pokey panted.
"Oh yes, please yes..." she moaned. “I need to let out some steam really badly…”
Bingo.