A Pierced Heart

Chapter 7: The Odd One Out

"Opalescence!" Rarity cried as the white fluffed terror clawed at Pokey's rump. "Stop that right now or its dry food for a week!"

With that, Opalescence immediately desisted in her pawed assault and jumped off of Pokey Pierce, hissing as she made her way back to the birch tree. "I'm terribly sorry about Opal, she's never been one for new ponies."

Pokey sagged a little, his first intimate moment with Rarity, with anypony, had been dashed to shreds by a creature whose members were focused first and foremost of accumulating great sticky masses of fur lodged in their stomachs. "It's alright, she was probably trying to protect you."

Before Rarity could respond, a voice called out from the base of the hill, in a valley obfuscated by trees. "Rarity! Where are you?"

"Ah, those must be the girls, come Pokey, there are introductions to be made."

Pokey obliged following the white beauty as she made her way into the grove below. Within, Pokey saw the five other Elements of Harmony each with their own pet accompanying them. Upon seeing Rarity, the group trotted towards her, before any could speak Rarity lifted a hoof.

"Girls before we do anything I'd like to introduce you to my... coltfriend, Pokey Pierce." With those words Pokey felt completed, like the hidden holes in his hooves were filled in with the sense of belonging he felt at that instant. Rarity continued, "Pokey, these are my dear friends, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack." The white mare gestured to all her friends in turn.

Unsurprisingly, the pink party pony was the first to speak. "HUH! Rarity has a special somepony! This calls for ..."

"We know sugarcube, a party," Applejack interjected. However, before any protests could be further enumerated. The party cannon was deployed and a picnic and complement of streamers soon adorned the forest floor. As the mares and the colt sat to the picnic and prepared to eat, each of the pets went to their own affairs.

Applejack spoke up. "So Pokey, you been in Ponyville long?" A pit to formed in Pokey's stomach, if he had to start lying to the Element of Honesty, he didn't think he'd make it. But he was with Rarity, his strength.
"Yes, I've been here since I was about five, I grew up at the orphanage," the exclusive male of the group answered as he noted emotions of pity emanating from the group. When he had run from the hive he had wandered for several weeks, happening upon Ponyville after he had fully grasped transformation and feeding. Tending to the feelings of concern that were causing his heart to race, he continued. "The caretakers were always really nice though. I was always well fed, and there were others to play with at times."

"Did you ever find out what happened to your parents?" Twilight asked. Pierce was thoroughly concerned, he wanted to say no, as the case was of Pokey's Equestrian parents, but that would lead to possible inquiries behind his back, so he opted for a more close ended answer.

"My father left my mother before I was born, and my mother couldn't provide what I needed." Like morals, norms, decency and a respect for sapient life. Pokey turned his head to look at Rarity, who had a hoof to her mouth.

"But you still know where your mom is right?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, but we're not on speaking terms." Unless you count her near nightly invasions of my subconscious as speaking.

"Oh dear, that's too bad; it must have been hard, not having anypony growing up with I mean..." Fluttershy trailed off.

"It was, but its easier now with Rarity." Pokey reached a fore hoof around Rarity and brought her close.

"D'aaaawww!" was the response Pinkie opined.

Twilight looked at her friends and the couple with an approving smile. She then inclined to Pokey. "Weren't there ever couples interested in adoption? I mean, Pipsqueak and Scootaloo were both adopted fairly quickly once they entered into the system, and there are a lot of couples like Derpy and Thunderlane who would love to have a child without going through all the trials of a pregnancy, or there are those who can't."

"There were just never any couples that made me feel safe like the orphanage staff did," Pokey replied. Had he been adopted he may have hurt his parents, or been discovered by them. The numbers of staff at the orphanage meant that he could feed a small amount from each without ill, and the expanded number of caretakers afforded him some anonymity amongst the other inhabitants who were much more in flux.

"Well, this topic is getting me down in the dumps, can we move along to less cloudy skies?" Rainbow Dash proposed.

"I agree, so what's it like being captain of the weather patrol?" Pokey jumped on the opportunity to take the spotlight off himself.

The group ate and talked. Pokey learned a great deal about his marefriend's own friends, and was glad to have admitted that as the morning drew on to afternoon he would gladly call them friends of his own. At high noon the pets returned and the group split and played of its own accord, switching members on various whims. The random pairings were offset by the one constant, Rarity and Pokey, laughing at Gummy and Angel's antics, praising Winona's tricks, or discussing life with each other and whatever other conversationally oriented pony decided to join in on occasion.

On this matter, Twilight was the most frequent questioner of Pokey. It made him nervous, though he clamped down on the emotions, at least it wasn't the Element of Honesty grilling him. "So after you and Rarity talked for hours cleaning after Sweetie Belle's party, you still wanted to know more about Rarity?" The lavender mare asked.

"Yes, I didn't expect to learn everything about her in one conversation," Pokey answered.

"Nor did I," Rarity added as she stared up into her stallion's yellow eyes.

"But I knew I wanted to know more about her so I just... Um Twilight? What are you doing?" Pokey gave a confused glance. Rarity, who had been nodding in agreement, looked to see Twilight had begun jotting down notes.

The purple unicorn looked up and answered. "Oh! I'm just taking some notes so I can give Princess Celestia a report on this, I mean, love is just a shade of friendship right?"

"Right," Pokey answered, though he thought friendship more a different flavour than shade from love. Wait, did she just say she was going to report to Celestia? Oh no... "You really think the Princess would need to listen about us, I mean, tending to the world of Equestria and all that?"

"Celestia considers fostering friendship among her subjects as an inseparable component of tending to the Equestrian nation," Twilight answered as though reciting from an encyclopaedia, though with a fervour that denoted her unflappable faith on the subject.

"Good point, but I hope you only have good things to say about Rarity." Pokey nuzzled Rarity as the alabaster mare gave a contented giggle followed by an even more jubilant sigh.

"Of course, I have to admit, Rarity sure knows how to -"

"EEEEP!" Fluttershy yelped, holding her left fore hoof as Opalescence hissed at the yellow mare.

"What happened Fluttershy?" Rarity pressed.

"Oh, Opalescence was circling around Angel Bunny so I tried petting her, but then she scratched me." Fluttershy responded, showing a hoof with a three thin trails of blood flowing freely.

"That cat! I don't know what's gotten into her lately, she attacked Pokey earlier today as well," Rarity exclaimed, moving to mete out discipline, however light, to the feline.

"Hang on Fluttershy, let me have a look at that there scratch." Applejack lifted the hoof to her face, tending to it gingerly. "It's a mighty bit on the small side, give it a good scrubbing when y'all get home and it'll be fine."

Rainbow Dash had taken to waving her hoof in front of a now stiff Pokey Pierce. "Helloooooo? Anypony home?

~A thousand munching grubs latch on to her, drawing out screams and gushing fonts of crimson life in equal measure. The hollering fading to a pained gurgle in seconds, when they leave, nothing but bleached bones cracked open to expose the marrow, now gone.~

"Oh dear, Pokey, can you hear me? It's alright." Rarity embraced Pokey, shielding his eyes from Fluttershy, and with it the macabre images passing through his mind.

"What's his problem?" Rainbow Dash asked, still thoroughly dumbfounded as the rest of the girls turned to Rarity and Pokey.

"Well you see girls, I had hoped it wouldn't come up, but Pokey is a haemophobe." Rarity offered.

"A heman-what-now?" Rainbow still pressed, prompting Twilight to answer.

"It mean's he's afraid of blood, or at least seeing it up close."

Rainbow turned to the group as a whole. "What kinda stallion can't handle seeing a few drops of the red stuff?"

"I'm sure Pokey has his reasons, whether or not he tells us, however, is completely up to him," Twilight answered.

"Ah second that Twi. Pokey's a good sort and ah'm sure that he'd appreciate us not pluckin' his brain," Applejack offered as Pokey regained his faculties.

"Thank you, I'm fine now," the unicorn stallion said. "It's getting fairly close to supper, we should all be heading back home." With this the group began taking their separate paths when Pokey noticed that Winona was following him. The blue stallion cast a sidelong glance at Winona. "Hey there pup, something you want?"

"Not so much so as ah wanted ta talk," Answered Applejack as she entered into Pokey's view.

"Oh! Hi Applejack! Was there something else you wanted to say to me? Oh and thanks for the vote of confidence back there."

"Thank ya kindly, I just wanted to say again that I think yer good fer Rarity, and she's good for you. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of that," the orange mare responded.

"Of course, no disagreement here!" Pokey replied.

"And takin' that fer granted I have ta warn ya though. If you break Rarity's heart, me an' RD'll have ta break somethin' in return." The colour from Pokey's face drained at the candid threat before Applejack chuckled. "Though I'm sure it won't come ta that, g'bye!" With that the farmer pony set off to home and Pokey was left to wonder if Applejack really did trust him.