''Pinkie Pie, wait up!'' Rainbow Strike called out to the bubbly pink mare in front of him, on the way out of the front door of the bakery known as Sugarcube Corner.
She turned around, coming to face him. The day was over and she was planning to head to Twilight's tree library to meet the rest of her friends. To be frank, the day was a short-lived session of work and the Cakes' allowed both Rainbow Strike and Pinkie to leave early, taking over the shop themselves for the remainder of the day.
''I want to-no, need to talk to you.'' He said, coming up in front of her, looking into her baby blue eyes. She could see her own eyes in his emeralds, glistening like a polished marble tile.
Granted, Strike hadn't worked at Sugarcube Corner for too long, but even through the short time he has spent with the mare in front of him, he has managed to pick up on her traits and characteristics. Right now, staring deep into the blue of her eyes, he could tell that her mood was off the deep end.
Regardless, she managed a smile. ''Oh, uh...sure,'' She said quietly, her tone uncomfortable and far from what her raised lips indicated her mood to interpret. ''What's up?''
''Erm,'' Strike scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly feeling anxious about what he was about to ask. ''Pinkie, I, um...can we talk somewhere more privately, please? There's something we need to discuss.'' He said, keeping from making contact with Pinkie. Even though he wasn't looking at her directly, he could sense the unease that radiated from her bones.
''Yeah, sure,'' She eventually brought herself to say, motioning with a hoof for him to follow her towards the stairs located by the counter, leading them towards a few rooms that housed the Cakes' bedroom, the bathroom and their children's room, Pound and Pumpkin, who were currently snoozing in their crib together.
For babies, the pair of ponies could hear their soft snoring from the other side of the door's body. They were certainly noisy sleepers.
Pinkie led Strike into a room, closing the door behind them. Namely, this was her room. From what Strike knew, Mr and Mrs Cake rented her the room, paying it off from her paycheck. For what she paid for the room, she was granted more than enough space for herself. Although, her antics and personality were screaming out of the decorations in the room, themed as a sweet shop. No surprise there.
The room was large in scale, complete with both an upstairs and downstairs. Yellow batter-like walls were decorated with candies, ranging from lolly pops to ice creams and your average sweets such as toffees and marshmallows. The floor boards were constructed out of green planks of wood, a repetitive feature than was corresponded throughout the entire residence.
Her bed was located off to the very back of the room, the posts constructed and expertly carpentered to appear as an off-grey waffle cone that led up to a raspberry and vanilla swirl ice cream, the sheets and pillows corresponding in a raspberry pink colour scheme.
Pinkie headed off towards her bed and sat herself down, allowing Strike to follow her, offering him a place next to her, but he declined and remained on his hooves, standing in front of her.
She watched him for a moment or two, taking him in. She took an interest in his two front hooves, inspecting the bandages that were wrapped around them as a result of an accident involving electricity. She may not have displayed it in her current mood, but she felt a pang of sympathy for the stallion. She knew it wasn't his fault. He did what he had to.
The sounds of the outside world, the streets of Ponyville's market, were heard in the silence between the two ponies. It was a busy afternoon rush, citizens buzzing around in every which way to buy their daily essential items.
''So, uh,'' Pinkie began slowly, allowing the silence to snap into what was hopefully a strand of lively conversation. ''You wanted to say something?''
''Yeah, I do,'' Strike said, stepping slowly towards Pinkie, coming to a kneel in front of her. He glanced to her hooves, lightly taking them in his own before gently raising them up, as a pony would do when they propose to the one near and dear to their heart. However, the situation was quite the opposite. To the touch, the bandage left a somewhat pleasant and plush sensation on Pinkie's hooves. ''Pinkie Pie, I'm...sorry. I'm just terribly sorry.''
Pinkie's ear twitched and she looked confused for a moment, tilting her head. ''Wait, what? You're sorry? For what?'' She asked, her brow raised softly at him.
''For what I did, Pinkie. I feel awful about it and I always have. It's only fair I apologise to you,'' He said, his grip tightening slightly, although not enough to produce pain.
The pink mare stared at him for a while before staring intently at their hooves together, her face tangled in an unreadable knot. She didn't appear sad, angry or even hurt, and that brought about a mixture of worry to the pale cyan stallion. What was she thinking of?
The answer was far from what he expected.
Pinkie tightened her hold on Strike's hooves, pulling him closer to her, taking him by surprise and catching him off his guard. It took him a slow moment or two to render just what was happening until he realised that she was pulling him into a hug.
Her chin came to a rest on his shoulder and her hooves were interlocked behind his back in a seal to the embrace. He didn't dare move his legs, leaving them limp at his sides as he pondered on why she was doing this. Surely she was mad at him? Possibly far from willing to be alone with him?
He didn't bother to struggle or squirm in her hold. He only accepted it and allowed it to transpire.
''P-Pinkie?'' He asked slowly and confusedly.
''Hmm?''
''Why are you hugging me?''
''Because I forgive you, silly,'' She said, rubbing her cheek against his and transferring her warmth. ''I'm not mad at you, you know? Nopony is.'' She continued to say, not willing to break away from the hug.
''But I upset you! When you were with my sister that day, I upset you and I swear I didn't mean to!'' Strike said, pulling his cheek away to face the mare, only to find her lips curved into a small smile.
''I already forgave you, remember? You're not a bad pony, Strike. You never were.'' She said, holding her smile.
''I am a bad pony...'' Strike mumbled, looking anywhere but at Pinkie.
''No, you're not,'' Pinkie insisted, raising her hooves to cup his cheeks. ''Don't you ever go thinking like that, because it's not true. Nothing was your fault and everypony in town knows it.'' She leaned forward slightly, planting a small peck to the tip of Rainbow Strike's muzzle.
''Thanks, Pinkie,'' He said as he lightly wrapped his hooves around her back and embraced her, for the first time feeling a true warmth in his heart that brought a genuine smile to his lips.
True, he did feel guilty and would gladly take all of his wrongs back and knit it into a right, but both him and Pinkie knew that it wouldn't be something that can be easily forgotten. The past is always going to be the past and there's no way around forgetting the trauma that he was forced through.
Only time will heal his wounds and this was the first step on the long road to recovery.
Pinkie Pie truly is a good friend.
