A Pierced Heart

Chapter 1: Celebration

Rarity released a sigh of contentment. Her dear sister Sweetie Belle's Cuteciñeara had gone off without a single hitch. Pinkie Pie had catered the occasion with a full range of food and treats to pleasure the senses of taste and smell. The pink mare had also handled decorations and invitations. Fluttershy had orchestrated a song bird choir that filled the air with melodious tones throughout the entire celebration. Then there was the filly of the hour herself. She had been the last of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to receive her Cutie Mark, and no expense had been spared in celebrating the joyous occasion.

The white filly had walked into the party from the upper level of the boutique with a gown of Rarity's own design, and she was proud of both cloth and wearer. The dress had been a soft blue, with purple lilac coloured trim that complimented the filly's mane. Showing through the short cut gown was a cutie mark of musical staffs, with several hearts in place of where musical notes would be placed. Sweetie Belle had received the mark after she had sang at the celebration of Rainbow Dash's third consecutive victory at the Best Young Flyers Competition.

Rarity thought of how supportive her sister's friends had been after they had acquired their cutie marks. Scootaloo's mark was a set of two rings, one engorged in flames, that she had earned after an ill-thought stunt that she had performed flawlessly the first time around. Flying through a series of loops with a fast burning cloth tied to her rear hooves. The ensuing trail of light that had been produced from the conflagrated flight path had ushered the immediate investigation by Applejack. who had been torn over congratulating the achievement and admonishing Scootaloo for such reckless abandonment of self-safety.

Applebloom followed shortly thereafter, acquiring her Cutie mark, a young sapling, after having planted fifty apple seeds, all of which sprouted into young saplings, a month later. Sweetie Belle had worried she and her friends would drift apart, but the three stuck together until Sweetie Belle had acquired her own Cutie Mark.

All of Rarity and Sweetie Belle's friends, and most of the town besides, had attended the event. But the party had winded down, and with Sweetie Belle retired to her room. Rarity was left with her friends and a few guests to clean up the remnants of decorum. Pinkie Pie Parties were a messy occasion, but one that by the end, were universally acclaimed as 'totally worth it'. Rarity's thoughts were interrupted when a loud pop sounded behind her. "AH!" the alabaster unicorn cried and flinched from the auditory intrusion.

"Oh dear! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you!" the owner of the voice called as he stepped into Rarity's view. Before her was a tall blue unicorn Stallion. Adorning his flank was the image of a safety pin. Around his neck was a neatly tied green bow. His mane was a silvery grey, and his eyes were a striking green that put Applejack's own emerald orbs to shame.

Finding herself staring, Rarity shook her head and began her own apology, "Oh no, good sir, the fault was entirely mine, I was letting my mind wander."

"No, I should have realized that popping the balloons was a bad idea." The azure stallion replied, a concerned smile spreading across his face.

"Balloons?" Rarity asked, before noticing the rubbery remnants of Pinkie's favourite party paraphernalia, tied with streamers, confetti, noise-makers, and all other assortment of items which were even tangentially related to merry-making. "Oh, of course, well, it would be rather hard to put balloons in the garbage when they're still filled with helium," Rarity chuckled. That bowtie the he’s wearing is quite complimentary to his coat. "Ah, but where are my manners? I am Rarity, fashion designer and owner of Carousel Boutique."

"You're Sweetie Belle's sister? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Pokey Pierce. Odd name I know but..." Pokey at this point gestured at his horn with a fore hoof. "My horn has always been rather sharp." It was true, most unicorn horns were dull at the end, Pokey's extended to a well honed point.

"Oh no, its quite a lovely name, and I can't help but say that your choice in tie colour is impeccable!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Uhhh..." Pokey said.

Oh no! Rarity thought. I didn't mean to be so forward! But he is rather handsome.

"Thanks! Its good to get some approval from Ponyville's best designer. That is, if you don't mind my saying so." The blue colt stared down at the ground and scuffed it with a hoof.

Oh the poor dear, he's just in the same position as me! The thought went through Rarity's mind, quickly thinking of how to rectify the potentially social shaming the stallion just exposed himself to, she spoke, "Thank you for the compliment, now, maybe you can help me clean up the balloons?"

"Certainly!" Pokey nodded, and the two unicorns set to the task of cleaning some more. Rarity spoke of her shop and her sister and friends. Pokey nodded, offering tidbits of his own life, he built and repaired precision parts for various appliances. he explained that he got his Cutie Mark after managing to fix a spring loaded pea-shooter with a needle to work out a jamb in the small device.

"My dad was so ticked off when I started shooting peas at him. Then he saw my Cutie Mark, and he yelled 'well this is just great, my son's special talent is turning my mane grey!'" At this Rarity gave a full laugh.

The two of them were hitting it off marvellously, and she didn't mind that some of her friends were there to see it. Attentive listener, yet able to always offer some relevant insight. "Ah... hehe, Pokey, that is a wonderful story, tell me, do your parent's live in Ponyville?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, uhm, no. They live way over in Coltarado, they always loved the mountains and the snow," Pokey replied.

“I'm sure they would be happy that you've made such a nice living in Ponyville."

"Yes, I'm sure they are," the blue unicorn said.

Before the unicorn’s conversation could continue however Applejack and Pinkie Pie cried out in unison, "All cleaned up!"

It was true, the two unicorns noted, they had been talking for what seemed, and actually was, hours. Hours over which every conceivable place had been cleared of debris, scrubbed of grime, and all the normal allotments of the boutique had been put back in place.

"Oh, thank you girls, for everything, Sweetie Belle's Cuteciñeara could never have been so grand if not for all of you." Rarity turned to Pokey, the only other guest who had remained for the rest of the clean up. "And thank you Pokey for helping with the clean up."

Applejack whispered to Pinkie Pie in a far corner of the boutique. "That girl has been eyein' the colt like that fer the last few hours, I never seen her like that except when she had a new fashion idea."

Twilight had been standing close to Applejack and Pinkie, and felt the need to add her own point. "True, she's seems quite, er, fetched by him, its like me when I got a copy of Starswirl the Bearded's autobiography. All the same its good to see that she's finding someone that she can relate to besides us."

At this point Twilight called out to the rest of the group, "All right girls." Twilight yawned at this point. "Hehe, as I was saying, it’s getting late. We should all turn in for the night."

"Oh thank you Twilight dear. You all have a safe trip home, and thank you again for all your help!" Rarity declared as her friends marched out the door of the boutique into the soft glow of street lamps outside.

Pokey Pierce was walking to the door when, about to go outside himself, he turned around and spoke, "Rarity?"

"Yes Pokey?"

"I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight, and I was wondering if you might... like to spend some time together later?"

Despite herself, a grin spread on Rarity's muzzle as she answered, "Oh that sounds lovely! What time were you thinking?"

"How does tomorrow at seven sound?" the tall unicorn offered.

"Perfect, I'll be ready for you then!" Rarity exclaimed. Pokey nodded and walked out the door, shutting it behind him in a blue aura. Rarity took a deep breath and sighed. "Such a gentlecolt, I can't help but feel happy around him when I hear his voice." At this Rarity looked up to the sky through a window and thought. Is this what... it, feels like? Mother always said I'd know when but still; I'd always thought I would fall for some prince. No, that's a silly filly-aged dream, but he is wonderful.

Little did Rarity know that Pokey had thought of a similar vein going through his head, though his mother had never been encouraging of the feeling, no one in his life ever had. He knew that the emotions he sensed from Rarity were indeed the very first inklings of love. It had given him a vigour stepping out into the moonlight to his house in the middle of Ponyville. What concerned Pokey though was that he had never had any previous interaction with the ivory mare, the love he had sensed was not stolen, but given, and years of avoiding the dangers of such a thing caused Pokey's gut to contort in fear.