Chapter 1: An Explosive Curiosity
The Popping Pupil
An MLP Short Story written by DestinyDecade
Chapter 1: An Explosive Curiosity
The sight of Luna’s moon hovering over the night sky shines in the town of Ponyville. Many of the townsfolk are heading off to rest for a new day will soon begin. But not everyone was going in to turn. At a place called Sugarcube Corner, there are two ponies that prefer having fun than getting sleep. For one pony though, it’s a bit different. Snails, a young unicorn pony is the last one out of another party that occurred today. He had fun with a few of his friends chatting it up and dancing. But during the event, something caught his eye. A nearby party guest grabbed one of the balloons that were used for decoration and popped it with its horn. It surprised some of the guests, but for him, it was something more. He was curious seeing the balloon explode like that. He asked many of his friends about it but all it gave him were very little answers. Fortunately when the party ended, he told his friends he would meet up with them later. He had something to do and he wanted to find out for himself. He wanted to know how a balloon popped like that.
He was outside Sugarcube Corner because he forgot something inside there. Sounds of loud explosions are heard inside, followed by chatter and giggles. It’s festive like any normal event although between these two, it’s something more. Hoping to not get any attention, he hides under a table as he sees them clean up.
“Can you get that for me Robbie?” says Pinkie Pie, a pink Earth Pony who directs her partner to a nearby balloon.
“Sure,” replies Rob Stallion, a blue Earth Pony. He’s assisting Pinkie in the cleanup of another party that took place here.
He takes an orange balloon and hands it to Pinkie Pie. She then places the balloon on the floor and then uses her rear to sit on it. Rob notices the balloon not giving way but doesn’t say a word. The balloon suddenly gets bounced on. Pinkie goes up and down bouncing on the balloon. With each bounce, the balloon starts to stretch out and expand. Before long, the bottom part of the balloon bulges out revealing a neck. She keeps on going applying more force into the balloon until suddenly, it let out a loud “bang”. Rob has his ears covered after it popped.
“Wow, that was a loud one,” He tells her, with excitement, “You really brought a lot of big balloons for this party?”
Pinkie nods and says, “Uh huh. I want to make every party be super special and super awesome.”
Her attention is then directed to a nearby balloon behind her. She asks, “Say, want to help me pop this one?”
“Are you sure? That one’s huge?” Rob replies, noticing the size of the balloon.
Catching onto his nervousness, Pinkie taunts, “Aw come on Robbie, are you scared?”
“N-no, not at all. I’m not scared,” He tells her. His face went from scared to confident in seconds.
Pinkie then places the balloon next to him. With a smile on her face, she gives her a hug. Rob does the same, unaware that there’s a balloon in between the two. He didn’t care if she was goading him into it. In his mind, all he cares about was doing whatever Pinkie tells him to. He uses all his strength to hug her and have the balloon in-between them burst. His head is already turning away. The two keep on pushing and hugging each other. Something has to give. Fortunately, it does. After a couple of seconds, the balloon explodes. Shards fly off in different directions. Pinkie giggles from the excitement of that but Rob however, feels a bit of pain. The result hurt him a bit but he shrugs it off.
“See? Told you. You’re no scaredy pony,” Pinkie goes closer to Rob and plants a kiss on his lips.
“I guess you’re right,” He responds, “We still need to clean up because tomorrow’s going to be busy.”
Pinkie suggests, “Why don’t we finish cleaning first and then we can pop the rest of the balloons.”
“Good idea. I’ll get to cleaning while you take them upstairs,” He says.
Pinkie nods and gets to work. Rob meanwhile, takes a nearby broom and starts working on the floor. He gathers all the garbage that is on the party floor and takes it into one spot. Once that’s done, he takes a large black bag and puts all of the junk in there. At least for him it didn’t take that long. Watching all of this from afar, Snails seems pretty amazed but it wants him to ask more questions. Knowing that he may never get a chance until the next one, he heads out and confronts Rob.
“Um, excuse me but… is Pinkie here?” asks Snails.
Rob responds, “Yes, she’s upstairs.” But then he asks Snails, “Wait a minute. Aren’t you supposed to be heading home with your friends? The party’s over.”
Worried, Snails whines, “Sorry boss. I forgot something and I need to get it before I do go home.”
“I see. And Snails?” tells Rob.
“What?” He asks.
“You don’t have to call me that,” He answers, “You and Snips still do this even to this day.”
“Sorry Rob,” He apologizes, “It’s a habit. You’ve done a lot for us but anyway, I need to ask Pinkie something.”
“You can ask me if you want,” Rob tells him, curious, “I’m all ears.”
Taking a chance, Snails does so, “Okay. I want to know… why do balloons pop?”
Hearing it makes Rob wonder the same thing. In the best of his abilities, he answers, “I really don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“I notice you and Pinkie popping them and when I saw it happen, I was pretty surprised. It got me asking. How do you pop balloons anyway?” wonders Snails.
Rob tries to answer but Pinkie comes by out of nowhere surprising them both and saying, “Popping balloons is really easy Snails. There are many different ways how.”
Pinkie then performs a demonstration for him using some leftover balloons from the party, “You can blow them up, you can sit on them, stomp on them, use a sharp object, bite them, hug them. It goes on and on. So many different ways to make balloons go pop pop pop.”
Hearing all of this, Rob turns to Snails and says, “She took the words right out of my mouth kid. Anything you’re interested in?”
Snails then responds, “I want to learn how to pop balloons. I always see you two pop them every party and it got me curious.”
He then turns to Pinkie and asks, “Everypony knows you as the party expert and I want to learn from you. So I want to know. Can you teach me Pinkie? Can you teach me how? Can you teach me why? Can you show me how to pop balloons?”
He spots a red balloon nearby and gets it, “Here, I’ll show you.”
“Uh okay, I guess,” Rob responds, watching. Pinkie does the same.
Snails tries to pop it first by stomping it with his feet. It doesn’t work. He tries hugging it next by using his arms. He squeezes it as hard as he can, using all of his strength. Pinkie notices his determination in trying to pop just one balloon, despite the fact that it wasn’t as big as the others. They see Snails hugging his hardest until he trips on a nearby shard and falls. It has him land on his tush and the balloon heads for a different direction. His face shows tears but it isn’t stopping him. He gets on top and starts bouncing on it.
“Uh Snails?” Rob asks him, but it falls flat on deaf ears.
Rob calls out to him again but nothing. Snails ignored everyone around him. He keeps on bouncing, not caring whether or not he wanted to prove to the two. He can do it. Pinkie heads to Snails and tries snapping him out of it. It catches his attention almost immediately.
“Huh? What?” Snails wonders, turning around and noticing Pinkie in front of him.
Pinkie doesn’t say a word. Rob doesn’t either. He gets off the balloon and looks at her with a guilty expression.
“Did I… did I make you angry?” He asks Pinkie as if he’s ashamed, “If I did, I’m really sorry. I just wanted to know how.”
“No no no,” She disagrees, calming him down, “It’s okay. Look, why don’t I help you pop this one?”
Pinkie grabs the balloon and places it inbetween her and Snails. He looks at her wondering, not saying a word. Rob keeps on watching.
“Okay Snails, hug me as hard as you can. I’ll make sure to do the same okay?” She says, quelling away his worries, “Don’t be afraid. Let me help and it’ll be fun.”
Snails doesn’t say a word. He nods at her, already having his arms around Pinkie. The two hug each other tightly. Snails already gives it his all, hugging Pinkie as hard as possible. She notices Snails giving it his all. He really is determined to learn how. Pinkie decides to show off her strength and with her arms already around him hugs tightly. Rob sees the balloon starting to stretch and bulge out. Snails keeps at it and so does Pinkie putting everything they have until… the balloon lets out a loud “POP”. The resulting bang scares him a bit but Pinkie wasn’t phased by it. In fact, she seems rather happy.
“See? I knew you can do it,” She says, praising him, “You did great!”
“Yeah, thanks,” But hearing it makes Snails a bit bummed, “But that doesn’t make me feel any better. I couldn’t even pop that one by myself.”
“Aw, I’m sorry,” She apologizes, but then has an idea, “Hey, maybe I can teach you how? It’ll be great!”
“Isn’t that what he wanted in the first place Pinkie?” Rob interrupts her.
“Well duh, of course,” Pinkie replies, “You want to know how balloons pop right?”
Snails answers, “Uh huh. Of course I do. I want to learn how. I want to know why they pop in the first place.”
Pinkie giggles and tells him, “Silly, balloons pop because we are the ones that pop them. Besides, popping balloons is really fun and after parties me, Robbie and Gummy always pop them.”
“Really? You do?” He wonders. Rob simply gives Snails a nod, “That’s really cool.”
He then turns to Pinkie and asks her, “So when do I begin? When do we start?”
Pinkie suggests, “How about tomorrow after school? We’ll get you to be the best balloon popper ever. It’s going to be so much fun.”
Hearing this is enough to get Snails very excited. He always wanted to find out and this is going to be his chance. Rob picks up the shards and discards them into the garbage bag. He heads outside to take out the garbage, leaving Pinkie alone with Snails. The young unicorn couldn’t contain his excitement any further. Pinkie smiles as well. She’s happy because she will be helping out someone and in the process makes him smile.
“Just to remind you Snails,” She says, “What you will be going through is tough. It’s not easy being as good as the best party pony out there but I know you have what it takes.”
“Of course,” He responds, confidently, “I want to do this. I want to show everyone I have what it takes… I think.” He then blushes afterwards.
Pinkie then assures, “I’m happy to hear. I do have one last thing to say before we do this tomorrow.”
“Yeah? What?” Snails wonders.
Pinkie tells him with a smile, “Just have fun. That’s all there is to it. Balloon popping is fun and that’s what it should be about. If you have fun, I know you will be the best.”
Seeing this makes him feel really happy. In a show of thanks, Snails gives Pinkie a big hug. Pinkie is taken aback by this sudden show of gratitude. Either way, if it makes Snails happy then she’s happy.
“Okay, so remember, come by tomorrow after school and we’ll begin okay?” She tells him.
Snails nods and says, “Right. I won’t let you down. I can’t wait. I’m so excited.”
“I know you will,” She replies, giggling, “Good night Snails. Hope to see you tomorrow.”
Snails wishes Pinkie good night and heads out of Sugarcube Corner. He sees Rob who has just finished taking out the garbage and waves at him. Rob responds by waving back, smiling mostly because Pinkie has decided to go with teaching him.
Once he’s inside, he says to her, “Guess you decided to go through with it huh?”
“Yep yep yep,” She replies, giggling, “It’s going to be so much fun. I just can’t wait.”
“I’m happy to hear,” He compliments while turning off the lights and closing up shop, “I only hope Snails doesn’t get too carried away with it.”
“Oh don’t worry Robbie, it’ll be great,” Pinkie assures him, but then has an idea up her sleeves, “Hey why don’t you join us? You’ll have just as much fun as Snails will.”
Upon hearing this, Rob declines, “Sorry hon but I’ll pass. I have plans tomorrow.”
Pinkie wonders if he’s lying. She decides to find out, “Really then? Tell me, what plans are they?”
“That’s simple,” He explains, “I have to go to Canterlot tomorrow for an emergency meeting. I don’t know why but I’m needed there.”
“Aw, that’s too bad,” says Pinkie in disappointment, “You’re going to miss out on Snails having lots of fun.”
“Yeah, I know,” But then Rob suggests to Pinkie and says, “Maybe after you help him, we can have a balloon party sometime.”
“Really?” wonders Pinkie, “That’s so great! It’ll be so much fun and we can bring Snails in too. He’s going to be so excited.”
Trying to keep on topic, he tells her, “I’m pleased to hear but anyway, it’s late and I got to wake up early tomorrow.”
“But Robbie, can we at least have some fun?” She pleads to him, with a look that can make anyone feel sorry for.
Seeing this is enough for Rob to give in. Heck, it can make anyone give in. He nods doing so making Pinkie very excited. The two head for their room where all the leftover balloons were saved. Rob closes the door behind him and smiles.
“Alright then, shall we start or what?” He asks him.
“Yep yep yep. I need to get ready for tomorrow. I need practice and you’re my training partner,” She answers. Her last words catch Rob by surprise.
“T-training partner?” He says, in shock.
“Uh huh,” replies Pinkie, becoming jubilant.
Letting off a sigh, he mutters, “Guess it wouldn’t hurt huh? Alright, let’s do it.”
Pinkie cheers and then jumps into the balloon pile nearby. Her hyperactivity is shown at it’s best as she gets into a popping frenzy. Rob sighs but at the same time feels happy seeing her like this. He follows suit and joins in. Pinkie spots him coming and gears up to hug. She does so and that’s where things start off. Giggles and explosions are heard inside that room. The fun that will transpire tomorrow is only the beginning.
Author's Note
This is something that came out of the blue but hey, I always want to try it. Don't worry, my OC will only be there as a minor role. The main focus will be Pinkie and Snails as you'll see later on. I hope you guys like it and hey, I am getting better at this sort of thing.
Disclaimer
MLP: Friendship is Magic belongs to Hasbro, DHX Studios and Lauren Faust
Rob Stallion belongs to me. He's my OC.
Chapter 2: The Training Begins
Chapter 2: The Training Begins
A bell rings rapidly signaling the end of yet another school day for many of Ponyville’s children. The teacher, an Earth pony named Cheerilee is talking to her students about upcoming lessons.
“Remember everyone, we have a quiz next week so don’t forget to study. See you all Monday,” She says, hoping the students would be aware.
Sadly they didn’t listen because the weekend is here and all they want to do is have fun and not worry about their studies. Many of them pack up their books and went outside. Some students go out with friends while others head home by themselves. Snails fortunately heads to the town of Ponyville. He’s going there to start his training. It was a special kind of training that involves his curious interest: balloons. After a party yesterday, he asked Pinkie if she could teach him. He even went as far as demonstrating what he can do but it only made him feel bummed. It was enough to convince her that he has what it takes and decides to take him under her wing. Now that today is the day, he’s really excited.
“Hey Snails, what’cha doing?” says Snips, a small unicorn pony that catches his attention.
“Uh, nothing,” Snails responds, “I’m heading to Sugarcube Corner so I can eat and then I’ll go home.”
“Can I come along too? I’m hungry,” He asks.
Snails then dissuades, “No, it’s fine. I have to do something there anyway.”
Snips asks again, “Oh okay. Can I come along with ya?”
“No. Listen, I need to do something and I have to do it alone,” He responds. But then starts feeling bummed that he doesn’t want to hurt his friend.
Feeling dejected, Snips tells him, “I see. Okay. I’ll see you later then.”
But Snails then responds, “Wait.” It catches his friend’s attention.
“How about after I finish things in Sugarcube Corner, maybe we can go to the park later? I hear some friends will be playing there,” He follows, hoping to please his friend.
“Sure, that would be nice,” His friend Snips agrees.
With that set in mind, Snips waves his friend farewell as he heads off elsewhere. Snails lets out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want anyone to know what he’s really going to do. His attention shifts to Sugarcube Corner, which is straight ahead. Heading there, he sees the place as busy as ever with ponies enjoying snacks, chatting and having a good time. He spots the front desk where Mr. and Mrs. Cake, a pair of earth ponies (that are also husband and wife) who are serving customers. He waits on line like every customer would but the line was long. The line lasts quite a while but ultimately, he reaches the front.
Mrs. Cake spots him and says, “Hello there Snails, how are you?”
He replies, “I’m fine ma’am. I’m here because Pinkie Pie asked me to come by for some tutoring.”
“Oh, I see. Well, she’s expecting you upstairs. I hope you study well okay?” She assures him.
“Erm, Pinkie Pie’s room is on the second floor. You’ll find her inside,” follows Mr. Cake.
“Thank you. It’ll really help me out.”
He then heads upstairs to the second floor as per instructed. The second floor consists of several doors that lead to different rooms. One room belongs to the Cakes, the other is for the twins and a certain pink door is home to the party expert of Ponyville. Snails goes for it giving that door a knock. He then waits hoping for somebody to answer. Fortunately, someone does.
The door opens with Pinkie Pie checking to see. With a jubilant glee, she says, “Snails! I knew you’d come!”
“Of course I did,” He replies, “I’m here for the training like you told me.”
“Okay. Give me a few more minutes. I need to get everything ready okay?”
“Sure.”
Snails then waits a bit giving Pinkie some time to prepare. Whatever she’s planning, he hopes that it’ll help him train. The door eventually opens with Pinkie coming out.
“Okay Snails, come in. You’re going to like what’s inside,” She tells him.
Snails enters her room to see a sight where words are too impossible to define. He couldn’t contain his excitement. He sees balloons… lots of them. Pinkie’s room looks like an amusement park with decorations that reach the ceiling. Balloons of all kinds float up in the ceiling with strings holding onto them. Many balloons are also seen on the floor teetering about slowly. The colors also reflect in the light letting off a vibrant feel. Pinkie sees him amazed but notices he isn’t saying anything. He’s still in awe. She then decides to bounce around to get his attention.
“Woo-hoo, so you like what you see Snails?” She asks him.
Nodding, he responds, “Yeah. I mean… this is just… just so amazing!”
“Uh huh. It is! I had to use so many balloons for this that I think ”
“So… when do we start the training?”
“Well, I think you need to first learn about it. You want to know how and why right?”
Snails nods as her teacher continues, “Oh-kay, let’s go!”
He looks at Pinkie bounce about for a bit before her attention is directed to a bouquet of 11-inch helium balloons. Taking one of them, she heads closer to Snails and ties the string to one of his fore hooves. She then puts on some kind of science outfit (that she borrowed from Twilight earlier) and then a blackboard immediately comes out of nowhere. With teaching stick in hand, she gets to work.
“Alright so you want to know how balloons pop right? Like I said, there are lots and lots of ways how. You know that when you sit on a balloon, it gets squishy right?” she says, pointing to a drawing of someone sitting on one. Snails nods in response.
“You’re applying pressure on it hence why you bounce on it a lot hoping to break it. Once it gets too squishy then the balloon will go BOOM popping it,” She explains.
Understanding this, Snails responds, “So that’s why I couldn’t pop that red balloon yesterday.”
“Uh huh. Whether you sit on it, stomp on it or even hug it, the only way the balloon goes boom is if you put more pressure. More force. You need to show it who’s boss to make it pop!”
“Oh… kay, I guess.”
“Now then,” She pushes the blackboard aside showing the huge 11-inch helium balloon bouquet nearby, “We’re going to be popping these balloons so you can see how the idea of pressure works.”
“So we can pop them any way we want right?”
“No. We’re going to sit on them. We’ll save for any way later. I have to show you all the different ways to pop them first. You said so yourself that you want to learn right?”
Snails nods and says to her, “Yeah, of course.”
“Then let’s get to work!” shouts Pinkie.
Pinkie collects a blue balloon by the string placing it on the ground. She then gently sits on it, not applying any pressure whatsoever. Snails watches her bounce on the balloon like a bunny. Her actions cause the balloon to bulge repeatedly showing its neck. The balloon eventually explodes reducing it to nothing more than small shards. In response, she lets out a giggle followed with a hoof gesture. It’s enough for him to try it out himself. So like Pinkie, he does the same thing but he sits on the balloon gently. He begins going up and down, bouncing like Pinkie has done before. Pinkie in the meantime gets another balloon and joins in on the fun. Snails goes at it but at a much stronger pace until his balloon let out a loud bang. Shards fly off in some direction and it’s enough to excite the young colt.
“I guess you’re liking it huh?” Pinkie asks him, still bouncing on her balloon.
Snails doesn’t say a word, only so much as giving her a nod. He then gets his hooves on the next balloon and does the same just like before. One by one, sounds of explosions are heard. The bouquet that was once filled with vibrant colorful helium balloons would gradually decrease until it’s nothing more than strings and a mountain full of colored shards. When it ended, Pinkie is still jumping about ready to continue. Snails however, not so much.
“Ow, I didn’t think sitting on them would hurt,” says Snails, who checks on his tush, “I hope I don’t get blisters.”
Pinkie then responds, “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt that bad but now we must move on to the next lesson.”
“What? There’s more?” Snails wonders in response.
“Yep.”
“I hope I don’t get hurt by all of this.”
“Don’t be a silly filly, Snails. Of course you won’t. Besides, don’t you want to know how?”
Snails nods and then heads to another part of her room where this one has balloons except for one thing, they’re un-inflated. This makes him curious but for Pinkie, it’s all part of her plan.
“Pinkie, what are these?” He asks her.
She replies, “They’re balloons. What else would you think they are?”
“Uh but aren’t they supposed to be round, not flat?”
“Are you forgetting already?”
Snails looks at Pinkie in a stupor, as if he didn’t understand her. She grabs one of the uninflated balloons from the floor. After breathing in and out for a bit, Pinkie takes the plunge pouring air inside her balloon. It starts changing shape becoming more round with each breath. Ultimately it reaches at a point where it’s fully round.
“See how it looks now? Watch this.”
Pinkie takes a deep breath and then pours more air into it. Unfortunately this gets Snails on edge. He covers his ears, his sight not letting go of Pinkie. A few seconds later, the two hear a loud “bang”. Pinkie isn’t affected but Snails is a different story. He didn’t want to hear the sound of it exploding next to his face. Noticing his sudden rise of fear, she comforts him. She didn’t want to see her student not having fun.
“Did I scare you?” She asks him.
Snails nods at her, not saying anything.
“Aw, I’m sorry. I had no idea it scared you.”
“It’s okay. Seeing you do this got me scared. It really did.” Snails replies.
“Well, balloon popping can also hurt. I forgot to mention that.”
“Did it ever happen to you?”
“Sometimes but I always shrug it off because I'm used to it. I know you will be too. Of course for today, we’re going to pop another balloon. We already sat on some and you saw me blow it up. Now we’re going to try stomping but we’ll do one together then one by yourself.”
“Sure. I just hope it doesn’t scare me.”
Pinkie giggles in response to his words. She then gets to work inflating two balloons for the next task. Snails in the meantime, gets a few seconds to be at ease. Seeing her cause the balloon to burst like that has him thinking second thoughts. He wanted to learn how and why they explode as a means of curiosity. But now he feels that it isn’t a good idea.
He then turns to Pinkie and says, “Pinkie, can I ask you something?”
“Hmmm, what is it?” She wonders.
“I really appreciate all you’ve done but… I don’t know if I can go through with it. I mean when I saw you blow that up until it pops, it scared me.”
“Oh, I’m sorry if it happened.”
“It’s okay. It’s that sometimes balloons scare me.”
“Scare you? But how?”
Snails takes a deep breath before he continues, “It happened I think… when I was a foal. It happened at a birthday party for another kid in class. We were all having fun until one of the kids took a balloon and decided to pull a prank.”
“What did he do?” Pinkie asks him.
“I end up being the one in the prank and the feel of it just… it just scared me. Since then I always was scared of having balloons pop in my face. If it was anywhere else, it’d be okay but having it that close just… just…”
“I had no idea. I’m sorry.”
“No… it’s okay. It’s that I’m somewhat afraid of balloons.”
“Well don’t worry because I will help you conquer your fear 1-2-3!”
“How?”
Pinkie giggles in response, “Let’s get to it!”
He sees Pinkie get things ready. Taking a deep breath, Snails only hopes that nothing else goes wrong.
“We’ll cover blowing them up later. I think you’ll like this one.” She tells him.
“Hold on,” Snails interrupts.
“Huh?”
“Let me at least do this.”
Pinkie nods, letting him take a balloon. He shuts his eyes, reminding himself of how a simple prank make him scared of something that he’s curious about. He goes to work putting air into the balloon. More and more, Pinkie sees the balloon increasing in size. Snails keeps on going. The balloon gets bigger with each breath he puts into it. But then he notices that it’s unable to contain all the air. He keeps going regardless until it explodes in a loud “KER-PLOP”. He flinches slightly but seems unfazed by it. In fact… he seems happy, happier than he’s ever been. But suddenly Pinkie hugs him from behind, congratulating for a job well done.
“I knew you could do it!” She praises him. He simply shrugs it off, like it’s no biggie.
“Ah it was nothing. I mean that,” He replies, blushing.
“So are you ready to continue?
“Of course!”
“Yay! Let’s go!”
Pinkie bounces to another balloon bouquet and gets to work with her next lesson. Fortunately Snails is just as excited as she is right now. Pinkie instead has another plan.
“I think we’ve been through a lot and I know you want to learn on how and why these pop. So I decided that for the rest of the day, it’s anything goes!”
“So that means we can do whatever we want right?”
“Yep yep yep.”
Pinkie didn’t waste any time. She grabs a yellow balloon and is already using her butt to bounce on it. Her student gets a purple one and puts it on the floor. Raising his forehoof, he slams on the balloon. It bounces off the rubber innocently, sending him back teetering a bit. He gets back on his hooves and tries again. This time, he uses both his forehooves pressing them down fiercely. His strength ultimately causes the balloon to break, splitting off into shards.
Smiling, he whispers, “Finally.”
He then joins up with Pinkie, who has another balloon with her, in an embrace. Looking at her, she gives a nod as a sign telling him to join in. Snails can’t refuse and he does that embracing both her and the balloon in-between. Their embrace gets stronger turning it into a very tight squeeze. Snails keeps pushing harder, even shifting one of his hindhooves to improve solidity. Unbenknownst to them both, Snails’ other hind hoof steps on a strand of rubber causing him to trip. Pinkie holds on as he falls landing on his back. But due to the force of the impact, it’s enough to cause the balloon inbetween them to break letting out a loud “BAM”. The two scream in response but it soon gets replaced with a lot of giggling.
“So want to go again?” She asks.
Snails responds with a nod and the two continue to have fun. Hours pass and many of the balloons that are in the room become replaced with falling strings and broken rubber pieces. Many of the shards end up becoming a mountain. Celestia’s sun has set making room for Luna’s moon blanketing the starry night sky. Pinkie sees her student Snails embracing a balloon that’s already under a tight squeeze. Suddenly it explodes sending rubber flying. He feels different than what he used to be. He’s more confident, happy and feels like having fun.
“Guess that’s all for today Snails? Did you like your lessons?” She asks him.
He nods and responds, “Yeah, I did. I’ve learned a lot… despite some minor problems.”
“Ready for more tomorrow?”
“Of course. I want to learn though I feel I have a good idea.”
“But there’s so much I haven’t told you. We had so much fun today that I forgot all about it.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll be there tomorrow. I promise.”
“Yay! I can’t wait. Tomorrow will be great!”
With that, the two head out of Pinkie’s room. They reach the lobby of Sugarcube Corner and see the place empty. The shop’s closed for the night and the Cakes are getting things ready for tomorrow.
“So it’ll be same time tomorrow right?” She says. Snails simply nods, “Great. I can’t wait. We’re going to have a lot of fun alright.”
“I know. I really am excited,” He responds, “But before I go, I have two things to say.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I have a request. Think we can have a party after all of this. Just the three of us?”
“Three?”
“You, me and boss.”
“Boss? You mean Robbie right? I think he said that you shouldn’t call him that.”
“I know. It’s a habit I can’t let go. He did so much for Snips and me. I can’t ever thank him enough. I want to show him what I’ve learned. He saw us pop that balloon yesterday right? Well we can show him we can do this.”
“We’ll see Snails. We’ll see. What’s the second thing you wish to tell me?”
Snails doesn’t say a word. He simply goes to Pinkie’s cheek and gives it a soft kiss. Her reaction to the kiss is one of shock. Her face immediately turns beet red, her eyes widen and her mouth opens slightly. Clearly, it’s Snails’ way of saying thank you to her.
“Thank you Pinkie. Thank you so much for teaching me. I hope that we’ll have more fun tomorrow. Bye.” He says, heading off.
Pinkie replies, waving weakly to him, “Y-yeah. Bye Snails.”
Her forehoof touches the cheek that Snails kisses and she simply looks in shock. But then she smiles seeing that it’s a job well done and tomorrow is going to be just the same.
To be continued
Author's Note
This chapter really wasn't my best mostly because I was on a deadline crunch.
Regarding the scene where Snails enter Pinkie's room, look up the song The Fun Fair on YouTube. Why? You'll see how he'll feel when he enters a balloon room as big as Pinkie's... well not really. It's from Kingdom Hearts 3D.
Hope you guys enjoy this. Feel free to critique because I'm here to improve as a writer. Any critique whether positive or constructive will help me get better. That I promise you.
