Dreamstrider

by OkemosBrony

Chapter 42

“‘Beautiful Salmon,’” dad reads from the neon sign hanging above a place that I can hear even from the outside. “Weird name for a bar, but Snowy said she liked this place. Excited for tonight?”

“I guess,” I shrug. It’s probably just going to end up with Snowy and Dew Drop talking with each other all night, to be honest. I don’t see why we’d need to go to a loud bar to do that.

“You’ll have fun,” he assures me before turning around. “Mom and I are just going to be at the hotel tonight. Make sure your sisters are safe, okay?”

“Okay,” I mumble back before walking up to the door and going inside. As soon as I do, the music intensifies and I’m hit with a very strong and unique smell that I for some reason recognize as alcohol.

“Hey!” a stallion nearly yells, tapping me on the shoulder. “How old are you?”

I look over him, because that’s a really weird question to just throw at somepony. “How come?”

“Cause I’m the bouncer. Now how old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Nice try, then,” he laughs. “Eighteen to drink. Come back next year.”

All of a sudden, a jolt of panic is sent through my body as he says that. “No, I have to be here! It’s my sister’s bachelorette party tonight!”

He pulls out a small notepad, then flips a few pages in. “What’s her name, and what’s your name?”

“I’m Aurora Borealis, and her name is Snowy Jade.”

“Alright,” he nods as he puts his notepad back. “I catch you trying to buy anything, and you’re outta here. Other than that, enjoy your evening.”

Slowly as to make sure that he’s no longer just staring at me, I start wandering this place aimlessly. It’s dark and both the music and the ponies in here are loud, leaving me to wonder what it is about bars ponies seem to like so much.

“Aurora!” I can faintly hear somepony call from somewhere in this madness. I scan the room, and eventually, my eyes catch Dew Drop’s waving hoof. She’s sitting in a large booth, while Snowy is just laying her head on the table and very weakly waving at me.

“I’m so glad you could make it!” Snowy beams as I walk up to them. “Look at this, all three of us together, having fun! We’re going to have a great night, aren’t we?”

“Ignore her, she’s drunk,” Dew Drop says while motioning her head towards her. “Come on, sit down! We don’t get enough time together, we totally need to catch up.”

“I’m not drunk!” Snowy protests. “Just a tad tipsy.”

“Well then you need more,” Dew Drop says while getting up out of the booth, “because it’s not a good bachelorette party if you can remember it the next day, right? You two catch up, I’m going to go get us some more.”

“Aurora!” Snowy exclaims as I get into the booth and sit next to her. “Oh my gosh, how are you? You look so grown up now!”

“I’ve been good,” I blush. That’s not exactly true, but I don’t need to drag her fun party down with my own issues. “And you?”

“Over the moon!” she yells as she sits up, her head lazily flopping back and resting against the cushioned back of the booth. “Sweet Celestia, it’s so weird that I’m getting married, isn’t it? Like, I love Jure so much, but it’s still so weird, you know. I’m about to have a husband, Aurora, I’m getting old.”

“Not that old,” I point out.

“I’m almost twenty six. Know what the weird part is? Mom found out she was pregnant with me when she was twenty six!” She shudders. “I’m almost at the age my mom was when she had me, that’s just weird. I’m not ready for foals yet!”

Before I can even open my mouth to respond, she turns her head to me. “Okay, like, I want foals, don’t get me wrong. But not now, you know? Jure’s only been out of law school for like a year, we need time with each other. And even then, the thought is just...so weird, isn’t it? Like, you just have sex with him, and then there’s this pony inside of you for eleven months, making you all fat and stuff.”

“I guess,” I shrug. Come to think of it, I’ve never really thought about that. None of us have ever really been in a position where we’re ready to have foals, so it’s just not that common a topic for me to think about.

“One day,” she states, resting her head back on the table. “Mom and dad are gonna be grandparents and get super weird about that fact, you and Dew Drop will be aunts, and I’m gonna be a mom. Man, even just saying that is weird.”

I don’t even know how to respond to that, even. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying to hunt down Shooting Star for the past few months that I almost forgot my own sister is going to get married. To go from such grave circumstances to now such a momentous and happy moment that’s going to change her future forever is just a really big leap. With any luck, I’ll be able to enjoy this. I’d hate to always remember Snowy’s wedding as a negative because of all the stuff that was going on around me during it.

“You got any colts in your life?” she asks, turning her head to rest the side of it on the table and look at me.

“No,” I admit.

“Any fillies?”

“Also no. Why?”

“Neither you or Dew Drop are seeing anyone,” she moans. “I need to find you two somepony! Like, any stallion would be so lucky to have either of you, and I want both of you to have somepony there for you. You’ve never dated unless I’m mistaken, and Dew Drop hasn’t had a real thing since college. Is there anypony you like? I could help you go after him! Not to sound like I’m bragging or anything, but like, I’m so so happy I found Jure, and I never realized how amazing it was to be in an actual relationship. I want you two to have that, I want us to get married and hold sisters’ weekends and make our husbands take care of the foals while we go off and have fun! Doesn’t that sound amazing?”

“I’ve been seventeen for not even a month,” I remind her. “You aren’t ready for foals yet, and I’m nine years younger than you. Imagine how I feel about having them.”

“I bet you’d love having foals,” she asserts. “You’re gonna make a great mom, Aurora.”

“Not that, the fact that I’m still not even legally an adult. I’m not having foals this early if I can help it.”

“Then make sure he wraps it before he taps it,” she giggles. “Being safe sucks so much, Aurora, but for real, do it.”

Thankfully, before she can continue to what I can only assume is personal experience, Dew Drop comes over with three brightly-colored glasses in her magic. “Y’all ready for the first time we’ve all been old enough to actually have real fun together?” she asks.

“‘Y’all?’” Snowy repeats. “Taillahassee’s changing you, Dew Drop.”

“Just be quiet and drink,” she orders, placing a drink in front of each of us. “Go slow and tell me if you need water, I’m not holding your mane back in the bathroom. Not like the last time I visited you here, you lightweight.”

“I am not a lightweight!” she protests before reaching her hooves out and wrapping them around her glass.

With a laugh and a shake of her head, Dew Drop looks at me. “She’s had three drinks, can you believe it? I’ve been matching her and am still fine.”

“I’m totally fine,” Snowy announces before taking a quick sip of her drink. “Okay, sorta. Physically? Like wow, am I pretty loose. But mentally, I’m fine. Eighty percent. Maybe eighty...three and a half. Yeah, that.”

“It’s when you start trying to cuddle me is when I know you’re bad,” Dew Drop laughs. “You were relentless about that.”

“That was one time!”

“Yeah, no. After I brought you home, Jure said that’s just how you get when you drink too much. And I can confirm, because after we put you to bed, you came out a few times and tried to snuggle with him.”

She scoffs, then brings the drink close to her lips. “Yeah, better than you. You get more annoying than normal when you drink.”

“I just get loud and think everything’s funny,” she corrects. “You haven’t even seen me get drunk, anyways, because I was just kinda buzzed the last time I was here. I wouldn’t even be able to get drunk if I wanted to, you were trying to hug me so much that I wouldn’t have been able to get away from you to take a sip.”

Abruptly, Snowy turns her head to me and looks me right in the eyes. “What about you, Aurora? What does tipsy Aurora like to do?”

“I don’t really drink,” I admit. Almost as soon as I’m done saying that, Snowy reaches out and starts pulling my drink towards her. However, before she can fully get it to her, it’s enveloped in magic and put back in front of me.

“Let her have her drink if she wants it,” Dew Drop commands Snowy. “She’ll give it to you if she wants to. Besides, you’ve still got that whole thing to go, if you’ll even still be conscious by the end of it.”

They both start drinking, so I guess I should try mine, at least. I haven’t had alcohol since I was a really little filly and dad let me try a few sips of wine, and while I don’t remember what it tasted like, all I remember is that I hated it. Now might be different I guess, so I put it to my lips and take a small taste.

The drink is the consistency of slush, and tastes like tropical fruit. I can tell that there’s some ice in it once I let it sit in my mouth a little bit, as well as the taste of something very unique that tastes what rubbing alcohol smells like. Guess that’s whatever alcohol is in this thing, then. Coldness runs down my throat once I swallow it, but when it gets to my stomach, it almost feels like there’s some subtle warmth that spreads through my body. It’s an interesting feeling, to say the least.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Snowy asks out of the blue. When I look up, I can see that she’s now facing Dew Drop, who’s just finishing up a mouthful of her own drink.

“Nope,” she shakes her head.

“Where’s that one pegasus you dated in college for like, two years? What was his name, again? Started with a T, I know that. Tee...Tleh...Tlah…”

“Tailwind,” Dew Drop adds in. “And I don’t know, didn’t really talk to him after he broke up with me.”

“What’s sex with a pegasus like?” she wonders out loud. “Do they use their wings at all?”

“I am too sober to answer either of those questions at the moment. If you wanted an answer, you should’ve dated one.”

“She was talking about that kind of stuff while you were getting drinks,” I speak up. “I think this is what drunk Snowy likes to talk about.”

Dew Drop laughs, and I can’t help but smile a bit as well. “I knew it!” she roars out in laughter. “Drunk Snowy is a floozy!”

“I am not!”

“I bet she met Jure while drunk,” Dew Drop continues. “Blind drunk, stumbled up to him, told him she thought he was hot before puking on his hooves. Sound about right?”

“We were sober, and it was the cutest thing ever. We were like the only two ponies still at the library late one night, and we were walking out together. It was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella or a jacket, so he gave me his and walked me home in the rain and got soaked. When we got to my room, I gave him a kiss and told him I was free that weekend, and he asked me out. It was sweet and adorable and not at all drunk. So, there!”

“So adorable,” she coos in a half-mocking, half-sincere manner. “Gonna have such a beautiful story to tell the little Snowies and Jures one day, aren’t you?”

“And you claim you’re not annoying,” Snowy moans.

“I just do it to mess with you,” she smiles. “You’ve always been really good at everything you do and I haven’t, so I have to find some way to keep you grounded. You could coast through life on your smarts and good looks if you wanted, so you just need somepony there to poke you every now and again. Being annoying is just me doing my job as a little sister.”

Snowy heaves herself up, then rests her head on Dew Drop’s shoulder. “You’re not bad at everything you do, Dew Drop, stop being so hard on yourself. And you’re good looking too, there’s some stallion out there that’s going to find you. And he’s going to be really damn lucky when he does.”

With a shake of her head, Dew Drop takes Snowy’s drink in her magic and places it in her hooves. “Come on, just drink. We haven’t had enough to turn this into a touchy-feely sisters emotion sharing circle yet.”

---

“You’re both lightweights,” Dew Drop laughs from the other end of our booth.

“I’ve never drank before in my life,” I reply, trying to talk slowly to make sure I speak correctly. Man, why is speaking so hard now? Like, there have been a few times where I just get to talking, and halfway through, I realize that I’ve been saying something. I can totally understand why Snowy was being such a mess earlier, because being drunk is hard.

“Shame you won’t go to college. Brain and liver, the two organs that become the strongest in school. Isn’t that right, Snowy?”

We both look over to Snowy, who’s resting her head on the table and has her eyes closed. “Snowy!” Dew Drop yells.

All we get out of her is a loud moan.

“We’re going to have to basically carry her back, aren’t we?” Dew Drop sighs as she puts her head on the table and closes her eyes for a moment.

“Snowyyyyyy,” I plead, jostling her shoulder. “Come on, I almost fell down just walking to the bathroom, I won’t be able to carry you home.”

All of a sudden, Dew Drop’s eyes grow really wide as her head shoots off the table. “Oh fuck, you’re drunk aren’t you?”

“You gave me so many drinks,” I inform her as I lay my head on the table. It’s nice and cool, which feels very good on my face which is weirdly hot for some reason.

“You’re seventeen!” she almost yells, then leans in closer to me. “You’re not eighteen yet, you can’t drink! I have no idea what mom and dad would do if they find out we got you drunk, I don’t want that potential drama to come up right before Snowy’s wedding! I thought you’d have like, maybe a drink or two and be fine enough to act cool, but I don’t want to risk it!”

“There’s nowhere we can go,” I whisper. Wow, I am really tired right now. Even with all the music and ponies talking, I feel like I might fall asleep right here in the bar.

After a few minutes where my eyelids seem to be growing heavier by the second, I’m shaken awake. “Snowy and Jure’s place!” Dew Drop exclaims. “It’s not that far from here, and he’s there tonight! Snowy’s not staying there because you know, bride and groom before the wedding and all, but it says nothing about a future sister-in-law! They’ve got a guest bedroom set aside for his parents, but they’re not coming until tomorrow! It’ll be perfect!”

“We’re all staying at the same hotel with mom and dad,” I point out. “They might notice I’m not there.”

“I’ll think of some shit to say,” she dismisses with a wave of her hoof. “I dunno, I was fine and you didn't want to have to deal with your trashed sister, something like that. Details, Aurora! Let me handle those! Now come on, get out of the booth so I can try and get Snowy.”

I slide to the end of the booth, and it takes everything I have to not just fall flat on my side while doing so. My hooves are all pretty wobbly, so I’m just swaying back and forth and trying not to topple over. If standing is this difficult, I’m not looking forward to walking.

Before I know it, Dew Drop’s rested Snowy’s head on her shoulder and has one of her forelegs around her. They start walking towards the exit, so I walk up next to Dew Drop. “Do you need help carrying her?”

“I’ve carried bigger ponies for further distances, I’ll be fine. Just follow me, don’t get lost, act cool, don’t stand out, and for Celestia’s sake, tell me if you have to throw up so you don’t just do it on the sidewalk, okay? I already almost got you arrested once when you were ten, I don’t need to repeat that now that you’re too old to be let off the hook for being a cute little filly.”

I just nod, but I’m not sure she could see that, so I settle for walking behind her. For whatever reason, walking isn’t as difficult as just standing. I guess walking is just falling and catching myself over and over, so now I’m embracing my wooziness instead of trying to correct for it.

My vision kind of fades out for a bit, and when I come back to, we’re walking down the hallway to Snowy and Jure’s apartment. “When’d we get here?” I ask.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Leaving the bar, why?”

“You’re worse than I thought. That was maybe five minutes ago.”

“I’ll be fine,” I reassure her. I’m feeling okay. Ish. I have to admit, my stomach doesn’t really feel great.

“Soon, you’re not gonna be my problem,” she states as she sits Snowy down on the ground against the wall and knocks on the door to their apartment. A few seconds later, Jure opens the door, and Dew Drop basically blocks him from exiting or looking around.

“What’s going on?” he asks, completely lost.

“Okay, first, don’t come out here,” Dew Drop orders. “Your wife-to-be’s here, and you don’t wanna see her before the wedding. Second, we’re varying levels of bad right now. Third, your underage sister-in-law-to-be completely lost the walk from the bar to here, so she needs somepony to take care of her and hide her from her parents until morning.”

Before he can even respond, I walk behind Dew Drop and look Jure in the eye. I don’t really know what to do, so I just give him a big smile and wave at him.

He steps aside, then motions for me to come to him. “Send her in, I’ll watch her tonight.”

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” I tell Snowy and Dew Drop before stumbling into the apartment and feeling a hoof put around me.

“You been drinking water tonight?” he asks as he lays me down on the couch.

I try and rack my memories of tonight, but they’re all getting kind of fuzzy. “I don’t know.”

“Just stay there and I’ll get you a glass,” he instructs. I can hear the faucet start running, and before I know it, there’s a cup of water magically being placed into my hooves. Not really sure why he asked about water, but I think Dew Drop mentioned it a few times while we were out, so it must be important. I place the glass to my lips and feel the cold water enter my mouth, and before I can even realize it, it’s completely empty. But before I can say anything, I hear the faucet start running again and the glass is taken away before being returned to me a few seconds later, completely full.

I only finish about half the glass in one go this time, and when I lower it from my face, I can see him sitting at the other end of the couch now. “Just keep drinking as much water as you think you can. It won’t do much now, but it’ll really help you tomorrow.”

I nod, then drink some more and finish it without realizing it. When I do so, his horn lights up and like last time, the cup is taken from me empty and replaced full.

“You three have fun?” he asks with a smile.

“Yeah,” I smile back. “They gave me a lot of alcohol.”

“Could tell from the face,” he points out. “Snowy’s also gets really red when she drinks too much. Doesn’t help that both your coats are light, but at least yours isn’t white like hers.”

I put my water glass to my lips and drink some of it, but unlike the last times, I don’t just finish nearly the whole thing in one gulp and rather just start taking a few sips. I swear I can feel my lightheadedness going down a little bit, and the warmth that was just everywhere in my body starts cooling off. “Why does everypony keep saying to drink water while I’m drinking?” I ask.

“Alcohol dehydrates your body, and a hangover is basically severe dehydration. May have to run to the bathroom a ton tonight, but you’ll be in a lot better shape tomorrow.”

I take a few more sips of water. “You’re not even a doctor, and you know all that stuff. You’re smart, you know? I can see why Snowy likes you.”

He smiles, and I swear I can hear a tiny little chuckle escape him. “Well, I should hope it’s for more than that. She can just buy an encyclopedia if she wants something smart.”

I take a few big gulps of water, then look back at him. “Do you want to marry my sister?”

“Course I do,” he laughs. “You do remember that you're in town for the wedding, correct?”

"I know," I giggle back. "Do you love her?"

"Wouldn't have asked her to spend the rest of her life with me if I didn't."

It’s so nice to hear somepony say that, so I just set my glass down on the coffee table and scoot closer to him with a big smile on my face. “She loves you too, you know. You two are going to be so happy together, I just know it.” I can hardly keep my lips from quivering and eyes from watering as I throw my hooves around him and wrap him in a big hug.

“Definitely her sister,” he laughs as he puts a hoof around me to return the hug. “Yes, I know she loves me.”

I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. “How’d you propose to her?”

“Have we ever told you how we met?”

“In the rain,” I smile broadly. “When you gave her your jacket, were you being nice or did you like her?”

“Little of column A, little of column B. Anyways, I brought her outside the library where we met and arranged for one of my friends who’s a pegasus to bring a cloud over our head and make it rain on us. I asked her once he started making it rain over us.”

“She hates being caught in the rain,” I giggle.

“Yeah,” he laughs, “she was pretty mad until I popped the question. After that, she forgot that her makeup was running and her mane was ruined. She always talked about how she wanted the proposal to be this grand thing where we were both looking our finest and she knew it was coming, but she was gushing to everypony about my meaningful, romantic, unexpected proposal and how much she loved it. Even if she was soaked to the bone in November.”

Closing my eyes made me realize just how tired I was, so I just move my head and rest my cheek on his. “I’m so happy for her, she deserves somepony like you. She’s the best oldest sister I could ever ask for, so make sure you make her super happy, okay? And she wants to have foals, by the way.”

I can feel his head moving back and forth, so he’s probably nodding. “I’m aware, we’ve talked about it. I want them too, but I think we both agree that we want a little time just the two of us before we start a family. We’ll be parents one day for sure.”

“What’re their names going to be?”

“I don’t know,” he laughs. “Knowing Snowy, though, she’s already got a long list for both fillies and colts and is still narrowing them down.”

“She does that,” I agree before letting out a big yawn.

“Want to go to bed?” he asks gently. “You seem pretty tired, and while I don’t know how much alcohol you had, I think two and a half glasses of water is a good amount.”

“I’ll just sleep here,” I whisper as I start relaxing and slowing down my breathing. I wonder what drunk Dreamstriding is like, I should find out. Oh, but I might really screw something up.

“We have a guest room,” he reminds me as he gently shakes me awake. “You’d probably like that better than just falling asleep out here.”

“I probably would,” I agree before letting go of him and sprawling back out on the couch. “You have a really comfy couch, by the way.”

I can hear him laugh a little bit as he helps me up and throws my front hoof around himself. “Come on, bedroom’s not that far away. Can fall asleep once you’re there.”

After what feels like just a few hoofsteps, I open my eyes and see that we’re now in a room with a very clean, well-made bed and some furniture that doesn’t look like it’s ever been used. He walks over to the bed and helps me get in it, and once I pull the covers over myself, my eyes slam shut and I can feel myself drifting off to sleep already.

“I’ll keep the bathroom light on in case you need it,” I can hear Jure say from the door. “I’m probably going to be out here for a little while longer, then go to bed. Come find me if you need anything or you feel like you might be sick, okay?”

I don’t even respond, instead just burying myself further in these super soft sheets. I can hear the door shut, and before I even know it, I’ve completely drifted off to sleep.