Author's Note
Author's Note: Miss Koi does not own MLP, for it belongs to Hasbro & DHX and Lauren Faust & it's other creators and owners. Miss Koi also doesn't the Bride of Discord series, for it all rightfully belongs to Disneyfanatic2364. It would be helpful to be familiar with the Daughter of Discord and The CMC Next Generation by DF to understand this story. Anyway, enjoy my first CheesePie story!:D<3
A Familiar Face
"Isn't this exciting babies?!"
Pinkie Pie was strolling along the main street of Ponyville, pushing around Pound and Pumpkin's baby carriage. It was a bright and glorious day in the small town, and pinkie Pie felt like she was going to burst.
"Your first magic show! Oh, I'm so...so...nervouscited for you two! You're going to love it. There'll be music, fireworks, jokes, ponies sawed in half, tigers jumping through hoops of fire, and a funny clown! Well, mostly it'll be just a funny clown with a couple of magic tricks and jokes. But still! This is going so much fun!"
The baby Cakes replied by gurgling happily and bouncing in front of the carriage with giddy smiles on their faces. They couldn't wait to go to Mr. Red Shoes's Magic Show at the Ponyville town Square.
Pinkie, in all honesty, felt more giddy than the twins were. Usually, entertainers rarely visit Ponyville, especially clowns. And Pinkie Pie loved clowns. Ever since she got her cutiemark, she loved how clowns have magical and amazing ways to make young foals smile. She loved their red noses that can honk and squeak, their big floppy shoes, their colorful makeup, their poofy costumes, and their crazy hair. She might even get some great ideas for party tricks from this guy's act. But above all else, she couldn't wait for the twins to enjoy the show. And maybe, just maybe, gain a love and appreciation for clowns. Maybe, they'll go into the clown business someday! Pinkie would be so thrilled if they did.
When the party pony and the babies got to the town square, it was packed full of parents and their kiddies. Unlike The Great and Powerful Trixie, Red Shoes was very popular and well known throughout Equestria. Especially with the youngsters. Pinkie and the baby Cakes took their seat in the back row and waited for the show to start with great anticipation.
Their patience was soon regarded by the sound of polka music, fireworks, and a spotlight in the center of the wooden stage. The spotlight focused on a pair of big red clown shoes, empty without an owner to fill them. The audience gasped when they saw orange balloons starting to form and fill with air randomly out of the red shoes. They grew into a size and shape of a pony.
But then...POP! The balloon animal burst and in it's place was a tall, lanky, clown stallion with white paint on his face. He also had a big red honking nose and a right toothy grin.
"Helloooo Kiddos!" He announced to his crowd.
"Hello Mr. Red Shoes!" The kids and Pinkie yelled back.
"Mr. Red Shoes? Please! That was my great great grandpa twice removed!"
This made the little fillies and colts giggle, while gaining a soft chuckle from the parents. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was laughing and snorting to her heart's content. The twins were giggling, but not at Red Shoes. Instead, at their baby sitter. They always loved it when she snorted like a pig.
Red Shoes heard Pinkie's distinct laughter in the mist of the crowd's noise. As clear as day, her snorting laughter ringed in his ears like bells. He looked for where this beautiful laugh came from and saw...that was coming from the Element of Laughter herself. His eyes widened when he saw her. Flashbacks of when he was a colt...and when she was a filly...began to consume his mind.
Pinkie's laughter soon died down when she sensed somepony staring at her. She opened her eyes and saw that Red Shoes's gaze seemed to be directed towards her. She narrowed her eyes and took a closer look into this clown's eyes. They were green...emerald green...a very familiar shade of green to her. But she didn't know why they looked familiar. For some reason, she felt like his eyes were missing something. A pair of glasses.
Red Shoes shook his head and remembered where he was at. He continued the show with a smile, "Is everypony ready for some fun?"
"Yeah!" The kiddos answered with great happiness and excitement.
Pinkie Pie shook her head and went back to watching the show. However, she couldn't shake that strange feeling she had earlier. He looked like a friend she knew. A very old friend from the past. She didn't know how she knows him. She has never met Red Shoes, but one of her special skills was that...she can never forget a face. Whether she just met a pony for one minute, she could still recall: their name, what they looked like, what they sounded like, and everything.
"For my first trick," Red Shoes told his audience, "I will need a very special volunteer from the audience."
All the fillies and colts instantly put their hooves high in the air, begging to picked by the famous Red Shoes.
The clown scanned the audience for this special volunteer, but in his mind...he knew who he wanted to join him on stage.
"How about you Miss?"
Red Shoes pointed his front hoof towards Pinkie Pie in the back. Soon, all eyes on her. She was shocked that she was picked. After all, she was sitting in the way back. She looked to her left and right to see if there were other mares around her. But it was just her and the twins. She looked back at Red Shoes and pointed towards her chest.
"Yes you! Little lady! Come one down!" He encouraged her.
With a nervous smile she walk up to the stage. She also brought the twins with her in their stroll. As she walking towards the clown, the nostalgic feeling kept tugging at the back of her mind. Since she was going to be up there, she might as well get a better look at this guy.
Once the pink party pony and the stroller was on stage, Red Shoes then announces to his new guests, "So, what's your name super duper special volunteer?"
"Miss Pinknima Diane Pie! But all my friends call me Pinkie!" She answered in her usual cheerful self.
"Pleasure to meet ya Miss Pinkie!" Then he lowered his head into the carriage and cooed "And who might be these adorable cutie pies?"
The twins gurgled and giggled when Red Shoes cooed at him. They moved their forelegs excitedly to show their uncontained happiness. And this made the clown grin from ear to ear.
"This is Pound Cake..." Pinkie pointed towards the baby cream colored pegasus.
"and Pumpkin Cake." After that, she pointed down towards the yellow coat unicorn with the bow in her hair.
"Well, you must be proud to have such good looking foals."
"Oh, they're not mine silly!" Pinkie snorted while chuckling, "They're my friends' kids. I'm just babysitting them."
"REALLY?!" Red Shoes squeaked happily, with his eyes full and bright as if filled with hope. But then...he immediately regretted his squeak. Especially in front of Pinkie Pie and his audience.
He blushed when he heard both Miss Pie and the other ponies laugh. Despite his embarrassment, he continued with the show, "For my first trick, I will create a bubble so large that it can even carry a mare and a carriage high into the sky! WITHOUT...unicorn magic!"
His audience awed and stomped their hooves at the concept of his trick, very anxious with this clown can accomplish such a feet.
Pinkie awed aloud with stars in her eyes.
Oh good, Red Shoes thought to himself, it got her attention.
"Now Miss Pie, will you please place yourself and the kiddos center stage?"
"Okie-dokie-lookie!"
She's so cute. He sighed in his mind, with a blush rising to his cheeks.
Once Pinkie and the twins were positioned center stage, he shook away his fantasies and happily pulled out a small bottle of bubbly soap water with the label "Extra Party Deluxe" on it. He twirled the small bubble wand rapidly in the bottle. Then...ever so carefully...he pulled the wand close to his lips...and...blew.
"One!" The foals counted aloud.
Pinkie immediately noticed that with one breath...Red Shoes had already created a bubble just as tall as he! But this clown wasn't done yet. He added more air into his giant bubble.
"Two!" The foals counted aloud again.
The soapy bubble was now as tall as three Big Macintoshes! Yet, Red Shoes still had one more breath to go.
"Ttthhreee!" The foals exclaimed.
Pinkie's eyes widened as she gasped. The bubble was the size of the stage itself. And before she even knew it, she and the twins already sink inside it. The babies chuckled and cheered once they were in the bubble. The colors of the rainbow gleamed all around the bubble. Light softly shined in and created a spectrum show for them to see.
"Wowie..." Pinkie whispered.
The soapy bubble began to float higher...and higher...and higher. The audience witnessed the bubble float to about ten feet in the air, high above center stage. They cheered and stomped their hooves.
"Wait folks! The trick isn't over yet." Red Shoes explained with a wink and a smile.
Then, he pulled out a large and thick lasso rope...along with a yellow rubber chicken with a floppy neck. The clown placed the chicken on his back before spinning his lasso into a loop above his head.
He threw the lasso loop towards the bubble and succeeded in catching it without popping it. While tightening his grip on the rope, he turned to his rubber companion and whispered "Ready Boneless?"
Boneless said nothing. His head flopped to the other side, and Red Shoes took it as a sign to start pulling.
Even though he pulled on the bubble with great strength, he was also careful and especially gentle with the cargo inside it. The ponies were on the edge with every pull, their eyes glued on the giant bubble and the ponies inside.
Meanwhile, Pinkie took the time to look at the clowny stallion. Despite being in a situation that could result in harm for her and the baby Cakes, she felt strangely calm and safe. It wasn't just that the twins liked Red Shoes, there was something warm and comfortable about him. This warmth and comfort swelled in her heart, and she couldn't help but smile. But this was a small but soft smile. She couldn't turn her gaze away from him. Pinkie...in this moment...couldn't recall a time that she felt like this. She couldn't name what she was feeling. Joy? No, something more subdue. Friendship? Yes, in a way, but there was something to accompany it. This feeling felt like making a cake. Each ingredient would slowly build into something more. Despite the batter not being in the oven yet, a sweet yet warm sensation would travel throughout the body like a hot coco. The thrill escalates and one knows that the cake will taste good. Even if you haven't tasted the batter yet.
The soapy bubble landed on the ground gracefully and popped instantly. Sparkly soap water glistened in the air and every pony admired them. The twins made gleeful happy noises at the sparkles. But as for the party pony and clown...well...the two ponies couldn't stop staring and smiling at each other.
They broke off their stare from each other when the audience applauded. They grinned and laughed as they took a bow with the babies.
The show ended successfully and without a hitch. Red Shoes was exhausted but felt very fulfilled. He made many fillies and colts smile and laugh today. He practically had them leaning in their seats...even though the audience was standing the whole time. But regardless...
Before Pinkie Pie returned herself and the babes into the audience after the bubble trick, he whispered in her to meet him after the show. He prayed to the great Princesses that she took up on his offer and didn't think that his behavior as...too forward.
He paced back and forth in front of his small changing room wagon, just waiting for...the wonderful party pony to come.
Red Shoes whispered to Boneless sitting on his back, "Oh Boneless, I hope she comes. If she doesn't, I'll just..."
He couldn't bare to finish that sentence.
His ears perched when he heard the soft bouncing in the distance and the squeaky wheels of a baby carriage. He turned around and his heart popped out of his chest.
She came! She really came!
"Thank you all so much coming. I...really appreciate it. I really." He chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.
"It was our pleasure Mr. Red Shoes! Thank you letting us become part of the show. It was super duper terrific amazing! Wasn't it babies?"
The baby foals agreed with great giddiness in their baby gurgling.
All of this made Red Shoes's smile grow wider. He lowered his head into the twin's carriage and cooed, "Daww! Well, anything for my biggest fans."
He nuzzled them gently each on their noses and this made them giggle lightly. Pinkie smiled and sighed at this cute sight.
"In fact, " Red Shoes reached behind his back, "I have a special surprise for my biggest fans." He sang to the babes.
The silly clown pulled out two big, squeaky, red noses. Pound and Pumpkin Cake cheered and clapped their hooves at the sight of their new gift.
Red Shoes chuckled before giving them their clown noses, "Every good clown rookie needs a big squeaky nose."
"Aww! What a nice gift! What do we say babies?" Pinkie cheerfully reminded the twins.
The little foals responded by not paying attention to the mare and stallion. They were too busy sucking on the red noses and making their new toys squeak.
"That's their way of saying thank you." Pinkie nervously chuckled.
"Don't worry, I can tell." Red Shoes softly laughed with a shy smile on his face.
When the two poofy haired ponies looked into each other's eyes, awkward silence quickly consumed the air between. They don't know why it became so quiet between them. They didn't understand why time stopped when they looked into each other's eyes.
Luckily,Red Shoes had enough courage to break the silence, "L-Listen...Miss Pinkie..."
"Pinkie."
"Huh?"
"Pinkie, just call me Pinkie. All my friends do, and you're my friend...right?" Pinkie added at the end with a light pink blush and a nervous smile on her face.
"Well, if that is what my milady wants then I shall happily comply." Red Shoes replied with a smooth smile and a warm blush on his cheeks.
His comment made Pinkie giggle and the blush on her face turn from a light pink to a dark pink. She giggled so hard that she snort which made Red Shoes sigh happily to himself. He just couldn't get over how much he loved that laugh of hers. Which made his question all the more important.
"Pinkie Pie, the real reason why...I asked you to meet me backstage was because...how would you feel if there was...another party pony in town?"
Pinkie's grin suddenly turned into a shocked yet curious expression. She was silent, horribly silent to Red Shoes. And that made him even more nervous.
"I know that...you're already the number one party pony in this town and...being the Element of Laughter herself, it would seem silly to have another entertainer in Ponyville. I mean...from what I heard, you're great at what you do. But...I was thinking of retiring from traveling...for awhile. Not forever. But just...for a little while. And I was wondering...if it's alright by you...that I stay in Ponyville and become their new clown? I promise that I won't steal your spotlight or anyway! That's the last thing that I wanna do! I promise, I won't be in your way and...!"
Pinkie gently stopped him by placing her front hoof on his lips. With a wonderful smile and glittering eyes, she explained "Of course I won't mind silly nilly! You know what they say: A party thrown by one is great, but not as great as two."
"Mr-really?" He answered with Pinkie's hoof still over his lips.
"Really!" She happily stated, "Besides, it would super great to have some pony else to talk about parties with. You know what I mean?!"
She lifted her hoof away from Red Shoes's mouth and allowing him to speak, "I know exactly what you mean! Say...do you want to...?"
"Get something to eat! I thought you would never ask."
Then, she quickly linked forelegs with the poofy named clown and bounced towards town. With her other forelegs, she strolled the carriage in front of her. Meanwhile, Red Shoes happily followed her and blissfully listen to the pink pony jabber on about Sugar Cube Corner.
