There's Always An Afterwards

Cheese quietly tip-hooved down the side stairs on Sugarcube Corner's balcony. With his ripped shirt tucked inside his saddlebags, he started to trot down the street.

"Cheese Sandwich?" A familiar, scratchy voice called. "Is that you?"

He froze, but he knew he was caught by somepony close to Pinkie.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash, It's me!" He said, trying to sound innocent. When you bang someone's best friend, they've got a little something to say about it.

"Ha, I knew it!" Rainbow laughed. Cheese slowly turned around and smiled.

"How are you, Rainbow Dash?" He asked.

"Oh, I'm good." She said. "Hey, what are you doing here, and why aren't you wearing your shirt?"

"My shirt?" He asked. "Oooh, my shirt." He kicked the ground. "It had a big rip in it... Sooo... I need to go get it fixed at Rarity's."

"Ripped huh?" She asked while crossing her forelegs.

"Yeeup. It ripped at a... Party! Yeah. A party!" He said nervously, his pupils darting everywhere but Rainbow's eyes.

"Oh, whatever, no reason to question you, is there?" She asked. "See ya around, Cheese Sandwich!" She waved before darting of.

"Whew..." Cheese let his breath flow again.

His eyes scanned the street for Rarity's shop, and spotted it way down the street. He broke into a fast trot before he ran into more ponies who would want to make conversation with. The most surprised looks were shot in his direction, though. Finally, he reached the Carousel Boutique.

He pushed the door in, making the bell above it jingle.

"I'll just be a minute!" A familiar voice called from somewhere, growing higher pitched with each word.

Several minutes later, Rarity emerged from behind a purple and pink curtain, her horn glowing blue that held a selection of fabrics in her grasp. She set them down on the table and turned towards him.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, how may I hel-" She stopped. "Cheese Sandwich, why, whatever are you doing here?"

"Hi Rarity!" Cheese greeted.

"My, my, what happened to your beautiful yellow t-shirt?" She asked, pointing her white hoof at his bare chest.

"O-oh. It ripped, that's why I came." He said.

"Where would this rip be?" Rarity asked.

"In eh bach!" He said as he opened the saddlebag to pull out his shirt.

"My, what a big rip!" Rarity mused. "All the way through, why happened?"

"Oh, it got ripped at a party in Manehatten, just a little mishap." He responded, hoping it sounded real.

"I see, what kind of mishap?" She asked as she levitated the shirt over to her work table.

"Oouuuh..." He muttered as the hears in his brain cranked into high gear. "The party was very crowed, and many ponies were drunk."

"Do go on." Rarity said as she turned her sewing machine on.

"Somepony tripped near me and grabbed my shirt in hoped it would keep them up." He said. "But it didn't, and they brought me down with them... Ripping my shirt!" He said, finishing with a silent 'whew'.

"How dreadful, a drunk pony ripping your gorgeous wardrobe!" She cried as she zigzagged a yellow thread across the huge rip, pulling it closer in the process.

"So what are you doing in Ponyville, Cheese?" The unicorn asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to visit Pinkie and her friends." He said.

"I see." She said.

Neither pony said anything until his shirt was fixed.

"Here you go." Rarity said. "Have a nice day!"

"Don't I have to pay?" He asked.

"Oh, no, no. It's on me this time." Rarity said. "It's just nice to see you again."

"If you say so!" Cheese smiled and waved before leaving the shop.

~~~~~~~~~~

Cheese opened the door to Sugercube Corner to tell Pinkie that good news about his shirt.

He trotted up to the counter and found his marefriend snoring and laying her head on the counter. Luckily, nopony had lined up. Despite her drooling onto the counter and her unflattering snoring, Cheese considered her cute and adorable mixed together.

Cheese stepped around Pinkie to find Mrs. or Mr. Cake. He found the couple rolling pie crust side by side.

"Mrs. Cake, Mr. Cake?" He asked. They both turned around and smiled.

"Cheese Sandwich! What's pleasant surprise!" Cup Cake beamed.

"Hi, I came to visit Pinkie and her friends and I came in to see Pinkie sleeping, leaning against the counter sleeping." Cheese said.

"Oh, that poor dear, she did say she was tired," Cup Cake responded. "I didn't know she was that tired!"

"Well, she's tired and we can't just let her sleep at the counter." Carrot said.

"I can cover her shift," Cup said. "Cheese, do you mind if you could get Pinkie upstairs and into her bed?"

"I don't mind a bit!" He responded.

"Thank you, Cheese Sandwich." Carrot said.

Cheese retreated to the counter and somehow getting Pinkie onto his back. He turned his neck around. He nuzzled Pinkie's chest and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I won't tell anypony." A voice said. Cheese turned around to face Cup Cake.

"I-uuuh...." He stammered as his cheeks turned dark red.

"It's fine, really." She said as she watched Pinkie's forelegs snake around his neck and tighten.

"I love you...." She mumbled in her sleep, making Cheese's face turn even darker.

"Thank you." He said as his pink marefriend snuggled her nose into his neck.

"It's about time she grew up." She said. His eyes widened at her response.

"Do you...?" He asked slowly.

"Really, it's alright." She touched his chest. "It's about time somepony showed her the way." By now, he felt as if his face might implode from his continuously darkening blush.

He nodded and turned again. He slowly stepped up the stairs, making sure he didn't let Pinkie slide off and fall down the stairs. But then again, if Pinkie pulled any tigger around his neck, she might strangle him.

"There you go." He mumbled as he slid her off and into her bed. Like a foal, she reached out into the air, probably wanting the stallion's neck back.

Cheese leaned in to let Pinkie hug his neck one more time, kissing the bridge of her nose in the process. After finishing with the hug, the pink pony turned on her side and folded her forehooves onto her chest.

Cheese sat nearby on the floor, watching his marefriend comfortably sleep in her bed. His eyes traced her chest, steadily moving up, and down. Up, and down. The strand of mane that hung in front of her face floated up and down with her breathing. Her back right leg shook slightly with every light snore, along with a sound effect with it.

Everything about her was perfect. Her pretty sky blue eyes, her crazy, frizzy mane, the way her energy lasted with his, her loving and funny personality. Overall, she was beautiful. Any stallion would be lucky to have her.

And lucky him, she was all his.