Pucci (3rd person)

"-And I was like: Bonnie, for the last time, I'm not taking those mushrooms from the Everfree like before; remember that promise I made at our wedding? She just rolled her eyes and said there's no possible way humans could ever exist and to stop dreaming, or she was going to leave me! The nerve!" The mint coat mare slurred angrily, brushing her cyan mane with a white streak out of the way. Her unfocused half-closed golden eyes looked at Pucci with anger not aimed toward him, and her breath reeked of alcohol and digested foodstuffs.

Subconsciously reeling away slightly in his seat at the stench, Pucci quickly took a sip of the spiked punch from a red plastic cup to mask it. Despite the alcohol in the fruity beverage being strong enough to be smellable from a yard away, it wasn't strong enough to make the drunk mare any more tolerable than before.

It also didn't help Pucci's impression of her that the mare's tail kept swatting his flank periodically for 30 minutes.

Pucci suppressed a frustrated groan as he sat straight in his seat, holding his cup to his chest. "I see. I suggest you take her advice: so it doesn't become a recurring issue in your relationship." He replied hastily. While it wasn't the best advice he'd ever given, it was an acceptable response to getting the mare to stop talking.

She looked at Pucci for a moment before looking down at the counter in thought. It didn't last long, however, before she "psh'ed" him with a dismissive hoof wave, spilling some of her spiked drink on the hardwood floor. "Ah, whatever. I'll prove it to you, Bon Bon, and EVERYPONY someday! Mark my words, sweet cheeks!" She hollered loudly at Pucci with a drunken sway and raised forelegs...before face-planting into the counter and blacking out.

A tall, gangly yellow stallion with an orange mane/tail and an underbite wearing a baker's uniform from behind the counter yelped in surprise when the mare drink spilled onto his apron and fur. He muttered something under his breath with an irksome expression, but the overly loud music in the Sugarcube Corner masked any normal levels of noise made, the source of his pained mind.

When he first arrived at the bakery, it was pitch black inside as Pinkie waited by the front door. For a split second, he felt paranoia, believing that the stallion from before was somehow going to ambush him from inside.

Thankfully, the barrage of ponies shouting surprise and confetti cannons going off somewhat rested Pucci's then racing heart. That didn't stop the occasional look over the shoulder but otherwise was a decent time.

The large cake Pinkie Pie made with black frosting was his favorite, strawberry, which he found delicious. There were simplistic games he liked; pin the tail on the pony and apple-dunking. And the little star decoration hanging from the ceiling, while somewhat tacky, was charming, in a way. Avoiding how the element of laughter knew his favorite things despite not having met her until a couple of hours ago, the "welcome to Ponyville" party was enjoyable to a degree.

Pucci wished the poor attempt at mixing techno and classical music would stop, for it was a noble but useless endeavor.

Bad music aside, another thing that bothered Pucci was the crowd of ponies sprinkled about the bakery, milling about. He was never known much as a socialite amongst his peers, taking any chance to avoid situations like large crowds or small talk by a water cooler. There were exceptions with Moondancer, his colleagues, and highly official ponies like Princess Twilight, ponies he trusted. But, put him in a room with strangers, and he's quiet as a mouse in the middle of a sleeping Timberwolf pack. Ponies that walked up to him during the party felt like pinpricks to his nerves, and they would either be ignored or given a short response.

He wasn't trying to be rude; he just wanted to be left alone.

"I don't even know why I came." Pucci muttered, raising the cup's edge to his parted lips. Maybe he should leave while nopony was watching.

"Hiya Percy!" A cheery voice called out suddenly, nearly making Pucci choke on his drink for the second time tonight. Turning with a subtle glare, he saw Pinkie bounce out from the crowd towards him, trailed by three other mares of equal notoriety. One of which nearly made him both wince and sneer.

Pucci raised an eyebrow, "Percy?" He repeated, almost making it sound like an insult.

His eyes followed as Pinkie hopped up and landed her rump onto the countertop to his right, her smile contrasting his frown, "It's the nickname I gave you. I was going to go with 'Pissy' or 'Pucy', but they sounded mean, and I didn't want to be some meanie pants, so Percy was the next best thing to call you." She explained.

"Well, don't." Pucci scoffed, taking a swig from his drink.

"What's got ya tail in a twist, partner?" Another voice questioned.

Turning to his left, Pucci saw the Element bearer of Honesty, Applejack, standing next to the sleeping drunk mare, looking at him with an offended expression. Her body was well built, with muscle visible through her fur; it looked like she could snap the astronomer in half if she wanted to. A neckerchief with a white trim and apple designs sat nicely on her neck, contrasting her unkempt and dirt-filled orange coat from a hard day's work. The farming mare's iconic seston was absent, letting her long blonde mane flow freely as opposed to her braided tail. Pucci respected her work ethic but wasn't as fond of her line of work.

Pucci kept his straight face, diverting his gaze, finding the kitchen behind the counter far more interesting, and put down his cup, "Nothing, and I'm not in the mood to talk." He replied harshly, wanting to be far away from the three mares.

"How unfortunate. It seems you haven't changed much after all this time." A posh voice said with mock disappointment.

He didn't bother to look behind him, for he already knew who it was. Rarity, Canterlots finest seamstress, regardless of the fact she lives nowhere near the hillside city, and the element of Generosity. She had grown in popularity amongst the nobility in the last few years. It was due to a combination of her skills in the fashion industry and status as an element barer, and her face was plastered all over Canterlot's fashion district. While her perfect white coat and styled purple mane were showing signs of age, they were always complimented by the blue cloak with the fluffy white collar she wore, making her seem like a fine wine in pony form.

He didn't like her.

"Rarity." Pucci 'greeted' with an edge to his voice.

A scoff, "Mister Stary Ray, I would say it would be nice to see you, but I wouldn't like to lie in front of my friend Applejack." She said, her tone making Pucci's blood boil.

Deciding to ignore the seamstress, Pucci faced Pinkie Pie, who was laid across the counter with her open muzzle under the running nozzle of a cider barrel, a stream of the golden-brown drink flowing directly into her maw. "Are you going to tell me why you're here?" He asked, getting Pinkie's attention.

The party mare's eyes locked onto Pucci as she nonchalantly shoved the now-empty barrel away and sat up, "Oh, I thought I could introduce you to my friends! I was going to bring along the rest, but Rainbow Dash has drills for the recruits of the Wonderbolts, Fluttershy is taking care of her sick animal friends, and Twilight hasn't responded to my invitation letters! But they all have something important to do nowadays, so I won't hold it against them. But I was pretty bummed out until I saw Applejack was selling her cider near the DJ booth. Rarity was also nearby, so I had to make do with-"

Taking an overly dramatic breath of air into her lungs mid-sentence, Pinkie followed by calmly sighing with a smile, "-what I had." She finished.

After the tirade of words was said and done, Pucci blinked silently. He then shook his head in disapproval, "I appreciate the thought, but I would like to be alone right now." He said with a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Alone? At yer own party?" Applejack said confusingly. "Well, If ya want to be alone, then I ain't goin' to bother ya." She attempted to get up but was pushed back down by Pinkie's weight as she hung off Applejack. Her forelegs wrapped around Applejack's shoulders, and her face squished against the apple farmer's upper foreleg.

"Aww, but why, Percy?" She whined, her voice like nails on a chalkboard to Pucci's increasing headache, "Is the party not good enough? Did I not add enough decorations? Was the punch too weak or did I-?" Pinkie's voice, unfortunately, was silenced by Rarity interrupting her.

She flicked her mane out of the way and looked at Pucci with disdain, "No, darling, it's not because of you. It's because he's a cowardly stallion who refuses to grow up." She said with venom lining every word.

Suddenly, Pucci slammed both hooves onto the counter loud enough for the music to cut off and grab everypony's attention, tipping his drink over and spilling it. It had also succeeded in making the three element bearers flinch away. Pucci shot up from his seat and swung around to face Rarity with an angry look in his eye, Made in heaven's silhouette shimmering behind him briefly. "You're still on about that?! And it seems like you haven't changed much as well." He scoffed. "I have apologized countless times in the past, and every time I try to make amends, you always push me away like the heartless witch you are!" He shouted, electing a chorus of gasps from the crowd.

Rarity held a hoof to her chest and gasped, "You honestly think what you did deserves forgiveness? I was left an emotional mess after what you did! I locked myself in my room for days while I snacked away on junk like a pig and cried my eyes out. The only reason I didn't let myself die in there was that my little sister had to console me into coming out. You should have been there in my time of need, but you had to be a coward and run!" She yelled back.

Quickly seeing the growing tension between the two ponies, Applejack tried to put herself in the middle of the two with each hoof held out before them. "Now, Now, let's all settle down and talk. Ah'm sure we can work this out." She said.

Pucci ignored her in favor of narrowing his eyes at Rarity, "I know I should have, and for the millionth time, I'm sorry! But I find that hard to believe since I saw you practically trying to whore yourself out to that prince at the gala after we-"

"Whore myself out?!" Rarity shrieked, "I was desperate for the love of a caring stallion that I became desperate. I knew I had no chance with Blueblood, but I did it anyway because I was abandoned by you!"

"I-I didn't abandon you!" Pucci yelled back, a waver in his voice.

Rarity growled, "Liar!" She shouted as her hoof slammed onto the floor.

Pucci was about to retort, but something grabbed his attention from the corner of his eye. In the window near the front door was Princess Twilight, peering through the transparent barrier at him while tapping the glass.

He shifted his focus back to the glaring Rarity before huffing, managing to retrieve his calm visage as he stormed off.

The sounds of Rarity demanding he come back fell on deaf ears, and Pucci found himself outside in the freezing cold. Looking over, he saw Twilight put a hoof to her lips and motion a hoof to follow her silently. Pucci took the hint and nodded, trailing behind the towering monarch until they reached a golden chariot situated in front of the large, crystalline castle. Twilight motioned again, this time at the chariot. Nodding again, Pucci passed the stoic armored pegasi and opened the chariot's door, climbing inside and waiting for the Princess to join him.

Once she did, there was an awkward silence between them as Pucci stared at the ground, Twilight nervously glancing everywhere except at the astronomer. Luckily, the silence was broken when the monarch eventually spoke up.

"So- um -mind telling me what that was about?" She asked with a forced smile.

Pucci sighed, "Yes, very much so." He replied. Twilight frowned as silence replaced the air again but not as long this time, "It's…a personal matter, nothing a pony like yourself should worry about." He added, "But, if I may ask, why were you outside?"

Twilight chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head, "Well, it's concerning the topic of your…ghost." Twilight said.

"Since it showed up, my need for knowledge didn't stop bugging me until I started to delve into research. Like I used to do in these situations." Twilight laughed meekly. But her temporary smile dropped, her face now sporting a downcast look, "And it's a shame too. I hadn't found much in the end, and I even ignored Pinkie's invitations and held off night court for nothing. I let my selfish needs get the best of me, and I ignored one of my friends because of that." She said, looking down in shame.

Pucci peered up at Twilight, "So then, why come in secret and not call for me the next day?" he asked. Twilight didn't respond immediately. Instead, her horn lit up with a lavender glow. A bundle of parchments held together with a red ribbon Pucci hadn't noticed before levitated from Twilight's side and onto his lap. "What is this?" Pucci said, taking the parchments in his left hoof.

"It's all that I could find on your…thing. Some of it might not be accurate, but it's the closest thing I could get that seemed relevant." Twilight replied, "As for why I didn't wait, I already lost enough sleep slaving over this and wanted to free myself from it. And I thought I could help out a friend" She chuckled.

Pucci smiled at the Princess as he stashed the parchment in his inner coat pocket, creating a slight bulge on his chest area. "I sympathize with wanting to be done with work you've been grueling over for long periods of time. And thank you, your majesty." He admitted, "As for Pinkie Pie, she did appear disgruntled about her invitations but showed no signs of resentment or hatred. So you can rest easy." His smile grew wider, seeing Twilight flash him a grateful look.

Sadly, all things must come to an end, even a brief but pleasant meeting with the monarch of Equestria. Pucci shuffled over to the door to his left and partly opened it, letting a gust of cold air blow into the chariot. Before leaving, Pucci had thought in his head that seemed idiotic. But what's there to lose in this situation?

Facing Princess Twilight, he gave a friendly smile, "Your highness," He said, making Twilight look at him. "Since night court was canceled, do you mind humoring me by having a nice chat over tea at my home?" He asked innocently.

A look of surprise made its way onto Twilight's face before turning into a similar expression to Pucci's. "Sure, I never had somepony besides my other friends or nobles ask me out for some tea."

Nodding, Pucci fully stepped out of the chariot. And it wasn't long before he and Princess Twilight were walking down the empty dirt roads of Ponyville, Twilight looking around her with a nostalgic gaze. Once they both made their way to Pucci's home, Twilight took a moment to examine the two-story brick structure with a thatched roof. The color scheme was reminiscent of a house in Canterlot, with purple roof tiles and white bricks with golden paint trim lining the edges. Each window had a pair of blue wooden covers and floral plants in pots, hanging from each window edge and growing down the walls. Pucci's home reminded Twilight somewhat of Fluttershy's, minus the sanctuary and animals running everywhere.

"Princess Twilight," Pucci spoke, ending Twilight's examination as she looked down to see him by the front door with an odd look. "Are you okay?" He said with concern in his voice.

Twilight shook her head, "No, Pucci, I was simply admiring your residence. It's cozy." She giggled.

"I appreciate the compliment," Pucci thanked, opening the front door, "But I must ask you to wait here for a moment; I have some things to clean up before you come in." He said with an embarrassed blush.

"Alright, I shall wait." Twilight nodded.

"Thank you, It won't take me long, just a moment." Pucci quickly opened the door and rushed inside, shutting the door behind him harder than necessary.

—-

? (1st person)

In the darkness of the kitchen, I growl in annoyance at his lateness. I have been waiting in this cluttered room filled with books for hours now, and the sun rises soon. It seems that the stallion isn't as antisocial as I expected, considering he spent most of his time inside before, and probably won't be back for a while.

But my concern was incinerated, and my spirits raised when I heard a click, short creak, and faint voice not far from where I was. One was a male voice, but the second one caught me off guard for a bit, sounding feminine and regal with a hint of naivety.

No matter. If it's a special somepony he managed to snag off some corner street, it would make negotiations much easier. My toothy grin grew in the dark. The thought of him begging me not to harm her, pleading that he'd do anything so long as his innocent little colt toy wasn't harmed in the exchange. My soon-to-be lap dog will be more useful to me if his will is wilted.

Hoofsteps soon reached my ears as they approached at a quickened pace. When they finally arrived at the kitchen walkway, the outline of the stallion in question accompanied it as a hoof reached for the light switch. The lights overhead came to life, illuminating the room with a warm glow.

But his horrified face upon seeing me sitting at his table betrayed the light's glow. I could practically see his blood run cold as his face paled.

"H-How d-did you?" He stuttered out.

I chuckled menacingly, crossing my left hind leg over my right and holding my head up by my right foreleg, resting my chin on my hoof. "Long time no see, Pucci. Care to have a little chat?"