//------------------------------// // Onyx Hurls and Homework for the Girls // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// Alcohol is the devils drink. What good is it anyway? Sure, you get a nice buzz if you do it right, maybe have some fun too. But then you go and get shit faced, and end up making a half a dozen mistakes before the night is over. And then....then you have to wake up the next morning. “Just don't move.” “Lie perfectly still, and for the love of all living things, Do. Not. Move.” The thoughts pounded through the coal mares mind, resounding far louder than she would have liked. Her head felt like someone had smashed it with a building, her muscles ached as if she'd ran for three days straight, and she realized that, after laying there for what felt like eleven and a half eternities, she reeked. She reeked horribly. Of course that was probably due to the fact that she laid in a noticeable pool of her own sweat. Onyx could feel the wet sheets below her sticking to coat, and prayed that sweat was the only liquid soaking them. She had learned earlier on in life where the term “piss drunk” came from, and unfortunately, that lesson came from her own experience. That was one morning she would never let Ruppy learn about. As Onyx continued to lay there, the symptoms of her hangover only grew stronger. Her stomach knotted tighter than before, and her head felt like a herd of rhinos were throwing a rave. She could feel the room spinning, even though her eyes had been closed since she awoke, and to add on to it all, the gut-wrenching stench of her body odor filled her nose, only serving to intensify the pains. “I can't keep laying here like this. I'm gonna hurl...” Onyx had few options to choose from. Stay in bed and spend the next thirty minutes dreading the inevitable fact that she would puke all over her room, or make the treacherous journey across the hall and to the bathroom, where she can shower and throw up all she wants into the toilet. It took little to no time for her to make up her mind, and so, for the first time that morning, Onyx opened her eyes. Much to her dismay, she immediately regretted it as sunlight torched her pupils, causing her to clamp her eyes shut once more. It would seem that in her drunken stupor the night before, she had forgotten to close the curtains before passing out. And now, thanks to that, Celestia's sun was able to fully assault her with all its sunshiny goodness. “I hate that princess sometimes.” Slowly, Onyx raised a hoof to cover her eyes, opening them once more. She couldn't see the sun through the window, which meant it must have been over head. But even so, that still let in more than enough sunlight to worsen her headache. As Onyx allowed her eyes to adjust, she took a moment to examine her room. When she first woke up, she briefly recalled little bits of information as to why she'd started drinking in the first place. But all that she could conclude was that she was angry. She felt that it was mostly at herself, but couldn't remember much more than that. But now, as she sat there with her hoof covering her eyes, she remembered a small bit of something. Just the briefest moment... ...Of her trying to chuck something across the room, and Silver stopping her. That single moment of remembrance made the mares blood run cold. “He...he was here....with me....while I was....Oh sweet tap-dancing Celestia, what did I do?” While this wasn't the first time Onyx had gotten completely drunk and threw a tantrum, it was the first time anyone had ever caught her in the middle of it, aside from Ruppy. That little incident was what the Sound Proofing spell was for. At first, she learned it to help make breaking into places easier, but after the first time Ruppy found her rampaging, she decided that a new application of the spell might be called for. But aside from the pegasus, no one knew about these little moments she had. She did it just to blow off steam, but knew that when she was drunk, she really wasn't herself. “What did I say to him? What did I do to him!? Oh please, don't tell me I did something stupid!” The thought sparked yet another brief memory. Something about family. She couldn't completely recall what it was, but it made her chest feel a bit bubbly, which was the first good feeling she'd had all morning. Sadly, that good feeling become something else. Something vile. That bubbly feeling soon went from her heart down to her stomach. Onyx could already feel her throat constrict and relax rhythmically, a clear sign that whatever contents she did have in her belly were about to come back up. Ignoring the screams of her muscles and headache, Onyx bolted off the bed and out of the door to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She came to a sliding stop in front of the toilet, barely lifting the lid fast enough before throwing up. Oh Celestia, did it burn. Nothing but booze coming back up after having a full night to sit in her stomach and cook. Onyx wouldn't lie, she hated herself at the moment. She swore to herself that she'd never drink like that again. But a part of her knew that was the same thing she'd told herself the last time, and yet here she was. Puking into another toilet. At least this one was nicer than the one before. Last time, it was just some hole she'd found behind some bushes. Why it was there, she had no idea, but it was good enough for her. Lost in her thoughts of self-reprimanding, Onyx never heard the door open or the hoof steps of the pony entering. It wasn't until she felt something gently pull her mane back that she realized someone was in there with her. Turning to face them, she looked out the corner of her eye to find Beats standing behind her, her mane held in his hoof as he began rubbing her back. At first, she wanted to punch him in the throat and kick him out, but she soon found that the gentle back rub helped her calm down, even if only a little. “Huh...He's a good kid. To think, I was actually going to kill him at one point.” she thought, only to turn right back to the bowl as she felt another lurch in her stomach. Beats made no comment, nor asked any questions as he sat with her. Even after she had nothing left to puke, and was simply dry heaving into the toilet, he stayed. Once Onyx finally lifted her head, he stepped aside so she could move to the sink to rinse her mouth. “Want me to start the shower?” he asked softly, trying not to disturb the headache he knew she had. Onyx nodded, “Cold please,” her voice raspy. Beats moved over and turned the knobs, making sure the water wasn't ice cold, but just below warm and then headed for the door, “I'll make you something warm for when you get out.” “This stallion is a life saver...” Just as he went to step out, Onyx called to him, “Hey,” making him paused and turn around, “Um, thanks. For, you know, being nice.” Beats just smiled, “Don't worry about it. As a DJ, I've had my fair share of hangovers. It sucks, I know.” Onyx giggled before he waved and trotted out, closing the door behind him. The mare stepped tentatively into the shower, her balance already askew enough without the slippery floor beneath her. At first, she didn't bother washing. She just sat under the water, absorbing the cool sensation as it rushed over her body, a few aches in her muscles. She considered turning up the hot water to get rid of them, but decided against it as it would only make her dizzier than she already was. As she relaxed herself, she allowed her mind to try and focus on the previous night, trying to piece together what happened. She could remember coming from training, upset about something, and through a blur of tears, found Silver's liquor and went off to her room. She began drinking and crying, then nothing. She blacked out. Like earlier, she could recall little tidbits of moments, like reading over an unfinished letter to her parents and crying even harder, but not much else. She couldn't even remember what Silver said to her when he came in. Onyx dropped her head in defeat. And so she sat there for about ten minutes, her mind jumbled over her lost night of venting. The stress and hangover had begun to take its toll on her now, as she felt her eyes grow heavy. She entertained the idea of laying down and taking a nap, but the floor didn't look very comfy. That being said, the tiredness was still very real and she soon felt her eye lids droop. Reaching for the soap and washrag, Onyx quickly scrubbed herself down and washed her mane gently to avoid tossing her head about. After washing, she sat in the shower for another few minutes before she smelled something wafting through the door. She couldn't tell what, but it did smell warm. Shutting off the water, she stepped out, dried herself off and shuffled out the door to the kitchen. Beats had kept his promise and made her some cream of mushroom soup, with some little daisy petals tossed in. “Feel a little better?” he asked, then moved the pot off the stove and poured the soup into a bowl on the counter. Onyx clambered up onto the stool and nodded, “The shower helped a little.” “That's good,” he said, putting the pot in the sink, “I've gotta get back to training now, but I think if you ask nicely, Silver might let you skip today.” “Get back to training?” she asked, “How long did I sleep in?” “Oh it's only one, but I asked Silver if I could come in early. Out of all of us, I think I'm lacking the most, so I figured I should put forth a bit more effort.” “Well aren't you the dedicated little stallion,” Onyx giggled, taking another sip of her soup. Beats just rolled his eyes before heading to the back door. “I'll be back later on to pick up my sister from school. If you think of anything you need, catch me when I come back through.” Onyx smiled and waved, “Okay. Thanks!” and with that, the stallion left. “He really is a good kid.” In truth, Onyx would normally hate being babied in such a way, hangover or not. But Beats had a certain gentleness to his nature, almost brotherly really. It actually kinda reminded her of Silver. He had a soft voice, and eyes that were captivating. Throw in a charming smile, and he was damn Silvers pony twin. Onyx couldn't help but wonder that maybe the wolf had been rubbing off on the stallion. It was a terrifying thought, to be honest. Think about it, two of that bastard, running around and swooning girls. Ponyville wouldn't last three days. But then again, Silver was with Luna and Twilight, so there would really only be one of him on the loose, and that's if Beats didn't already have a marefriend. He never mentioned having one before, so chances were that he was probably single. “...Why the hell am I thinking about this again?” But before she could answer herself, as if called by Onyx's thoughts of marefriends and their lovers, who else but Twilight, Luna and Silver should come waltzing through the front door, the sound of ruffling bags joined with their steps. “Oh, Onyx!” Luna greeted, “You're awake! And here we thought you might have died in your sleep.” The coal mare at the counter winced, flattening her ears and covering them with her hooves while she groaned with pain. “Huh?” Luna said, cocking her head, “Onyx dear, what's wrong?” Silver quickly trotted over to the counter, chuckling softly to himself while Twilight leaned up to Luna's ear, “Speak softly, her head hurts.” “Oh!” the midnight alicorn gasped in a hushed tone, “Oh, Onyx I'm sorry. I didn't realize.” The other two mares of the herd trotted over to the counter as well, where Silver was gently rubbing her back. “Come on,” he said, “Let's get you over to the couch before you puke all over my counter.” Charming, this wolf. Luna floated the mare from the seat to the couch as gently as she could, while Twilight took the bags they'd brought in with them to Silvers bedroom. The midnight alicorn trotted around and crawled up onto the sofa with Onyx, gently wrapping a wing around her and bringing her into her side. “There, there,” Luna cooed softly, “Would you like me to bring your food over too?” Onyx nodded her head, and soon a bowl of soup was floating in front of her. Again, she realized she was being babied, but for the life of her, couldn't care less. If anything, she was enjoying it. It brought a warm, bubbly feeling in her chest, the same one that she'd had earlier before she bolted off to the bathroom. The feeling was familiar somehow, and not in the “I'm about to puke” way. The mare felt like it was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't place what had made her feel this way before. Lost in her thoughts, Onyx had barely noticed the odd feeling of something tickling her ear, but when her ear twitched, it lightly tapped something. Something that was blowing air. And then it hit her. Luna was sniffing her. Onyx froze for a moment, unsure of what the alicorn was doing. But soon, Luna stopped. The coal mare sat there and pondered why she had-- “Were you drinking?” ….she froze again, this time in mid bite. Luna could smell the alcohol from last night. While Onyx was sure she washed, she was also sure she didn't wash too well. She cleaned herself enough to get rid of the wretched stench that was making her feel worse, but didn't have the energy to do a full and proper job. “Onyx...” Luna said again. The mare in question could only gulp. It wasn't that it was wrong for her to drink, but she couldn't help but feel she'd let Luna down in some way, like a teenage filly disappoints her parents. The alicorn sighed, “I'm not angry Onyx, you're a fully grown mare, and you're allowed to drink. Just please, drink responsibly. Not to sound snooty, but hangovers tend to make mares seem unrefined.” Onyx laughed nervously, “It's not like I've ever really been refined or anything so it doesn't really matter.” “Oh don't be silly,” Luna countered, “Every mare is elegant in their own right. Especially you.” The coal unicorn actually blushed at the comment. Onyx knew she was attractive, but she'd never been described as elegant before. “Silver?” Luna called while Onyx was still collecting herself, “I trust you won't be making Onyx train today, what with her hangover and all.” “You know, I ought to make her train anyway to teach her a lesson,” he called from the kitchen where he was cleaning the dishes, a playful tone in his voice , “But I'm not that cruel. You can play hooky for the day. That being said, Twilight might not be so kind when it comes to your lessons with her.” Onyx paled. All the papers in her room had been scattered about, some even crumpled, torn and thrown away. She wasn't sure if she still had her work from the previous lesson, and while Twilight was understanding, she wouldn't exactly cut her any slack. “Well,” the mentioned lavender mare said, coming back from the bed room where she dropped off the bags, “If she finished her homework from last time and got at least a 70% on it, then I suppose we could skip her lessons and relax for the day.” Onyx quickly set her bowl on the coffee table, “I'll go check my room,” she rushed out, shuffling and stumbling down the hall. “Oh, I'll help—” Twilight tried. “No, that's okay!” Onyx quickly rejected, “M-my uh, room's a mess, it's embarrassing. I'll just find them myself.” The mare then swiftly made her way through the rest of the hall and ducked off into her room, closing the door behind her, leaving Twilight to look in bewilderment. “That was...odd,” she commented, trotting around the sofa to sit next to Luna. “Well it is Onyx,” Luna countered, “And she does have a hangover.” Twilight shrugged, “Yeah, but that was still strange, even for her.” The alicorn continued to ponder for a moment before turning her head to look back over the couch to where Silver was finishing the dishes, “Silver what do you think?” “What do you mean?” he questioned, “It's Onyx. She just likes her privacy. No need to go digging around.” “Hmm....” Twilight hummed, eyeing the wolf suspiciously, “And would this conclusion have anything to do with why you came to bed late last night?” The loud clatter of a dropped pot in the sink echoed across the house while the wolf froze. “Uh...” he tried, “No?” “Silver...” both mares growled, glaring at him from across the room. The wolf sighed, placing the last pot in the other side of the sink to dry before turning to face them. “It's none of our business why she acts the way she does. If she has any problems, she can tell us herself when she's ready. Until then, I'd rather like to avoid hounding her.” “But--” Twilight began. “No 'buts',” he countered, “I know you're worried Twilight, but these are her problems that she can deal with on her own, and I know that sounds cold-hearted, but like Luna said, she is a grown mare. If you want, you can ask her if there's something bothering her, but if she says she doesn't want to talk about it, please just drop it.” Twilight went to speak again, but stopped shortly after and hung her head. “Yeah...I guess you're right. But I am still worried about her Silver. She was raised on the streets, without a real family or friends aside from Ruppy. She might not be used to opening up. She might just bottle it all up inside until it explodes.” Silver sighed as he moved out of the kitchen and around to the front of the couch, “Well, if you're worried about that, then why not be the family she never had?” he proposed, sitting down in front of his mares. “I thought we already were,” she said, “Isn't that why she calls us Mama's and Papa?” “Well, we really only had that talk with Ruppy,” Silver reminded, “I'm not sure if Onyx ever understood what happened that night. We found her at the piano, but all she said was that she overheard Ruppy telling us how she didn't have family. She never mentioned anything beyond that.” “So then this whole time we've been pampering them and she might not have known?” Luna asked, her voice nearly wavering, earning a nod from Silver. She sat silent for a moment, her face reflecting her pondering. If Onyx never realized what family she gained, then how did she feel about how they treated her? While it was clear she enjoyed it to a great degree, Luna couldn't be sure if their kindness was also causing her pain as well. What if she felt like she wasn't worthy of the love they showed her? “...I'm spending the day with her,” Luna announced, garnering Silvers and Twilights attention, “She'll need somepony to help her with her hangover anyway.” Neither one of her herd-mates bothered to argue. In fact, they smiled. “I was hoping you'd say something like that,” Twilight admitted, leaning over and nuzzling Luna, “You're so sweet.” Luna could only blush, but still fell into the affection with her own nuzzles. Silver chuckled at the moment, finding it all too adorable before his eyes caught the shadows in the room from the sunlight. “I should get out back to help with training,” he said, standing up and pecking his mares cheeks, “I'll see you two later tonight. And take care of her Luna, she's a bit fragile.” “Don't worry, I know,” she said back. Silver turned and trotted out the back door, leaving his mares on the couch. “I should get going too,” Twilight said, sliding off the cushion, “I've got a ton of papers and interviews to get through today.” “But what about Onyx's homework?” Luna reminded, “Didn't you say you wanted to see it first?” Twilight giggled before turning and pecking her marefriend, “Just tell her I rushed out in a hurry and forgot about it.” The lavender mare trotted around the couch and out the door, leaving Luna sitting in silence....until she heard hooves clopping down the hall. “Twilighsh, I've gosh sha' home--” Onyx paused as she came around the corner, her papers in her mouth as her head hurt too much to levitate anything. Her eyes found the couch empty, “--work? Where did she go?” “She rushed out a minute ago,” Luna explained, “She said something about papers and interviews. Lucky you though, now you have extra time to finish your homework.” Onyx actually deflated a little, “I already did it th'ough. I even did the bonush queshtionsh she put on for eshxtra credit.” “Aww, sweetie,” Luna cooed, patting a hoof on the spot next to her on the couch, “It's alright. Come sit down, and let Mama Luna take a look at what you've learned.” The coal mare brightened up a bit, shuffling over to the couch and cozying up next to Luna. Normally, a pony who had homework would whine and complain, but Onyx found that finishing the worksheet felt gratifying. She was learning, just like she'd always wanted. And nothing felt more satisfying than the praise Twilight or Silver would give her for getting a good grade. “Let's see, what do we have here?” Luna began, floating the paper from the mares mouth and holding it up to see, “Is this magic theory?” Onyx nodded, “Twilight said it's only the very basics, but it shouldn't take long to learn since I can already use a little magic. Then we go on to harder stuff.” “Ah, yes. I remember Star Swirl giving my sister and I similar problems to solve,” Luna reminisced, “He was a difficult teacher, but a very good one.” “You were in school too?” Onyx asked, earning a nod from Luna, who began playing with her loose mane with a hoof. “Back then, school was mostly for the wealthy and powerful, so not every pony went. But Tia and I did. And Star Swirl was not our only teacher either. We've had many over the years, ponies who would teach us about things like politics, astronomy, science, cultures. Many ponies think that Celestia and I are all knowing, and and natural leaders. Imagine their surprise when they learn I couldn't understand how gravity worked when it was first discovered.” Onyx couldn't help but giggle, only to quickly wince and hold her head in pain. She felt a cool wing drape over her back seconds after, and she allowed her head to drop into Lunas neck. “Is there any other work you'd like me to look over?” Luna asked. Onyx shook her head, “No, that was the only work I had, aside from what Silver gave us.” “Silver gave you homework too?” “He just told us to think about how we want to develop our abilities. I still haven't come up with anything though.” “Well, I imagine the drinking might have played a hoof in that,” Luna playfully chided, earning a swat from the mare on her shoulder, “Do you have any ideas though?” Onyx shrugged, “Kinda. Just little bits though.” “Well, let's hear them.” Silver trotted through the halls of Canterlot, searching for a certain mare. Normally, said mare would be one of the three princesses, however, this time his target was none other than Ruppy. After leaving Luna and Twilight, Silver went out to the mountain to see how the training was coming. But upon arriving, he only found three of the five ponies. Onyx was still at the house, so her absence was accounted for, but not the other mare. After asking the others if they'd seen her, they'd all replied with no's, which left Silver wondering where the sandy mare had gotten off to. First, he checked the library, asking Twilight and Spike if they saw her come through. Again, the answer was no. He flew over Ponyville for a few minutes, checking to see if she'd slipped by both of them and gone into town for something, but again found nothing. The next place his decided to check was Canterlot Castle. While the chances were slim that she'd go there since she had no real reason to, Silver still wanted to be sure, and since the castle is full of guards, seeing if she came through should be relatively easy. And so, the wolf found himself walking across the shiny tiles once more, looking for a guard to question. He found one posted on near one of the corners and stopped to ask him if he'd seen the pegasus. As luck would have it, she did come through, though her destination was....odd. The guard informed Silver that he saw Ruppy head towards the back of the castle. Since she'd been allowed to wander the halls before, he saw no reason to stop or even question her. “And this is why the changelings got as far as they did...” Thanking the guard, Silver turned and began tracing the steps of the mare, stopping along the way to ask other guards if they'd seen anything. A few had told him that they saw a pony flying to the forest out back, but just as the first guard, they realized it was Ruppy and didn't give chase. “I'm glad they trust her and all, but come on...” Leaving the castle, Silver took to the skies, his eyes scouring the land below, and sure enough, he found the mare. Ruppy had her plot planted firmly on the grass, her eyes staring downward at a large crack in the earth. She was behind Canterlot Castle, in the same clearing in the forest that Silver had brought them to their first day of training to spar. Lost in thought, she never noticed the sound of wing beats over head. “There you are,” Silver called down, landing in front of the mare and trotting up to her, “I was wondering where you ran off to. What are you doing all the way out here?” Ruppy didn't answer, keeping her eyes fixated on the crack. “Ruppy?” “Hey, Silver...you...you were evil once, right?” The wolf stopped in his tracks, “What do you mean?” “I was reading in the library the other day, not yours but Twilights. I found a book, the Fallen Kings, and they had your name in there. You were called Saber back then, right?” Silvers eyes went wide. He never told Onyx or Ruppy about that and his picture was never in the book. “H-how do you know about that?” he questioned, his fear showing in his voice. “I've dug through some of your old crap in the basement and found a wanted poster. It had your face but said your name was Saber,” she explained. As she spoke, she could see him pale with each word, the fear slowing growing in his eyes. Finally she sighed, “I don't care about what you did back then Silver. I can't judge you. It's just.... “I....I did that...” she said, her voice just above a whisper, a hoof gesturing to the crack in the ground, “That was me, Silver. And when I think about what happened, I remember you said you were a lot like me. That you grew up around violence, and learned to love it. But....I think you meant more than that... “The way you acted when you were called Saber and the way you act now, I think you really are a lot like me. Am I right?” The wolf sat in silence for a moment, staring at the mare. Finally, he sighed, “Well, you're not wrong,” he admitted, moving over and sitting next to her, “Saber is another side of me, but it's a little more complicated than that. I'm not like you in the way that I change when I'm angry, but I am like you in the way that I do have a not-so-pleasent side.” “Then can I ask you something?” she said, looking up at the wolf and earning a nod. “When you become him, are you stronger?” she asked. The wolf cocked his head. It wasn't a question he'd been asked before, but it wasn't necessarily a difficult one. Silver shrugged, “In some ways, yes. I'm much more ruthless, and don't bother holding back in the slightest. I'm devious, and will resort to all sorts of dirty tricks to win. Even my fighting style changes. Why do you ask?” Ruppy turned back to the crack, “Because...I did that...” Silvers eyes fell to the crack as well, before going back to the mare, “Ruppy, that...that wasn't you. You weren't in control.” “No, Silver you don't get it. I did that. This body, these hooves! I am capable of that!” Silver cocked his head to the side in confusion once more, “I don't follow...” The mare sighed, “You said we needed to decide how we want to fight. I want to fight like that all the time. With that kind of power.” “Ruppy, you only get that strong when you're enraged. You'd be going berserk every time you get into a fight. I thought you didn't like being like that.” “I don't. Which is why I'm going to learn to control it.” Silvers eyes actually widened, “You're going to control it?” “Yeah!” Ruppy cheered, “Think about it! My body can do that anyway when I snap, so if I can figure out how to get it to that point whenever I want, I'll be ten times stronger! You've done it. That's how you learned to control being Saber, right?” Silver looked at the crack, then back to Ruppy, then back to the crack, then back to Ruppy. “You're sure you want to do this?” he asked, “Because this won't be fun for you.” The pegasus nodded. “I'm sure.”