Slowly the sun began to rise on Canterlot; gently blanketing it in its warmth and light. Ponies began to shuffle and move about on the streets below as the festival once again started with much fervor. Music slowly floated along gently rousing those who had simply slept wherever they had passed out last night. Cooks had already started their days with warming the ovens, soon the smells of fresh baked goods wafted in the air teasing any who caught the faintest of whiffs.
Scents of cinnamon and bread eventually woke the sleeping Buckler. He lethargically woke up feeling well rested and mildly hungry. As he woke he started taking in his surroundings. As he propped himself up and saw he was in a strange room. Where in the buck am I? He saw that he was on somepony’s couch, Buckler quickly rolled out of his apparent impromptu bed. He quietly started to escape what looked to be a military themed apartment, hoping that whoever lived here would not notice that he had slept on their couch. He saw a diploma that caught his eye as he crept towards the door,
It is with great honor that I, Princess Celestia,
award this diploma to, Stalwart, for passing all the basic requirements
put forth by the Board of Aviation Defense.
Okay, clearly not themed apartment, but someone who actually is in the military. I need to get out of here ASAP. He thought as he reached the door and as he was about to open the door to make his grand escape, it opened fast and slammed into his muzzle. Buckler flew back a few feet gasping slightly in pain. The new arrival suddenly looked at him with a slight worried look on their face. Buckler saw a pale white mare hurry over to check on him. She examined his muzzle intently then forced his mouth open.
“Whoa!” Buckler shouted pushing her back, “You have any idea where your hooves have been?”
“Well, that was rude. I was just making sure I didn’t do any major damage to ya. After all we did last night I thought you were a cool and laid back kind of stallion.” she said looking at him softly and ruffling her wings.
“Sorry, Miss, but I am not sure where I am or what we...did...” he said as something dawned on him. A crimson blush colored his face as he looked at her worried. Oh merciful Celestia please tell me we did not!
She laughed loudly “Calm down there, Buckler. All we did was share a few drinks, entered the Slam’em Back contest, and I dragged your drunk flank to my apartment. You said you lived under the moon, but that was about all I could get outta ya. I left you on the couch so Hope wouldn’t try to kill me.”
Hope! “Excuse me, Miss, how do you know Ace?” Buckler asked quickly
“Ace? As in the playing cards?” she asked “And my name is Stalwart, but you will call me Gabe.” She looked at Buckler as if to dare him to call her Stalwart.
“Yes ma’am, Miss Gabe, but Ace is my Commanding Officer and I was wondering how you knew him?” he asked while attempting a salute, but failed miserably when he overdid his pop and tipped backwards onto his back. “Well this is embarrassing...” he mumbled.
Gabe laughed at his antics as she helped him get back into a sitting position. “Well, Buckler, I don’t know him. Why do you suddenly think I do?”
“Last night he told me I could call him Hope, and I assumed that you saying that somepony named Hope would kill you, it meant you knew him.” Buckler explained.
“Oh, I see how that can misconstrued,” she said with a toothy smile, “but Hope is more along the lines of my mate. That sexy little unicorn flank of hers, it was love at first sight...I know pegusi and unicorn don’t always mix but we make it work.” Buckler looked on with a slight blush creeping back on his face. Gabe spotted it immediately, “Aww...is ickle Buckle-kins embarrassed? Have you never had a love interest at all? I mean jeeze, stallion like you must have all the mares chasing after him.” she teased him
“I...umm...tend to get put into the brother or best friend categories...” he admitted while rubbing his hooves together in shame. “I guess I do something right just not in the right areas...”
“Kid, don’t be glum plenty of mares out there, one day you will rut one and get hitched. So don’t stress the little things. Okay?” she said patting him on the head. “Now how about I make you some breakfast? You gotta have a hangover and an empty stomach after last night.”
“Thank you, Miss Gabe, for your hospitality and advice. But if I may ask what happened last night? And where is Miss Hope?” Buckler asked hoping that he did not offend her in anyway.
“As for what happened, well we met in one of the mead tents and you were mildly buzzed and you saw my Air Force Falcon cutie mark and knew I must be an “airhead fighter” and offered to buy me a drink. I could hardly pass up a chance for a free drink, Hope swears I breathe booze instead of air. So after awhile of drinking and chatting they announced the traditional Slam ’em Back drinking contest you bet me you could drink me under. Well I could hardly pass up the chance to show you what us “airheads” were made of. So after 34 mugs of hard cider later you finally passed out, I couldn’t enjoy my victory if you were out cold so I splashed your drink in your face to wake you up while I downed my last one. Which didn’t go over so well with the judges, so I got disqualified and you were declared the winner. You won the right to meet either DJ Pon3 or the entire Canterlot Musical Orchestra. You said the dj since she was your sister and you would like to see her and show her you weren’t a little hoof sucker anymore.” Gabe explained to Buckler as she made oatmeal and toast.
With her back turned she could not see the redness that had slowly crept into his face as he realized what he had said while drunk. Oh buck me...now I have to meet up with my big sister. What did I do to deserve this? he thought as she started putting the hot food onto plates. As she neared the table he thankfully had relaxed and no longer showed his signs of embarrassment.
“As for Hope, she is Captain of the Marines, Unicorn Division, and as such she is often away on business. Today however, she left as we got home this morning around 4 AM. You probably don’t remember this, but she threatened to skin us both alive if we did anything we might regret later. I assured her that you were a good kid, just drunk off your flank. She also said that if you woke up not to worry about the plants that you graciously decided to fertilize they are fake and vomit cleans up easily. What bothers me is that I had a massive hangover when I woke up, but you mister, don’t seem to even have the slightest bit of a headache.” she said while pointing her spoon at him.
“I am terribly sorry for...umm...fertilizing your fake plants” he apologized looking over at the plants by the door.
“Don’t worry about, Hope took care of it. Unicorn magic; what can’t it do?” she said rolling her eyes. “Hope likes to remind me of that little fact.”
Buckler laughed and began taking a bite of his toast, “My family has a strong tolerance for liquor, I have never had a hangover ever”
“Wow I bet your dad must be proud then,” she said smiling as she added honey and butter to her oatmeal.
Buckler grimaced and his feathers slackened. He looked down into his oatmeal and sighed heavily. “Thank you for the food, Miss Gabe, but I need to check in with my CO.” He rose quickly having only eaten his toast and strode for the door.
“Buckler sit down and finish your meal! If your sister raised you to be this impolite to ponies who gave you a place to rest and hot food in the morning then I will have to go and kick her flank.” she said in a commanding tone that sounded very natural.
He looked at her clearly pissed. “No one talks about my sister that way!” he growled sharply.
She simply stood up and trotted over to him looked him squarely in the eyes. “You WILL finish your breakfast before it gets cold or I will BUCK you over there.”
He simply turned back to the door, then next thing he knew was that the carpeted floor did not hide the cement below it very well. Gabe had flipped him over her back and put him face first onto the floor. Quickly capitalizing on her momentum and his temporary shock, she forced his foreleg into an armbar. “While in this house you will follow orders when they are given. Is that understood, Private?” she sharply whispered into his ear not releasing him.
“Yes Ma’am!”
“Good; now get up and finish your breakfast, colt.” she said smiling as she released him. Buckler could only groan as he lifted himself off of the hard floor. He quickly went and sat down back at the table and began to eat his oatmeal. “There is a good soldier, next time do ask I ask before I have to beat your ass.”
“I am sorry for my behavior, Miss Gabe, I never knew my parents all I knew was my sister. She means more to me than anything. She has raised me since I was a colt, and I haven’t seen her in six years. Once you join the Academy it becomes your life, and I will see her sooner than I thought.” Buckler said as he paused in his eating.
She waved his apology off “I am the one who is sorry I said rude things and did not think of how it would make you feel.”
They finished their meal and sit listening to the silence that pierced the room. “Thank you for the meal, Miss Gabe, but I do need to return to try and find Ace. I do not know what he plans to do to me today...” Buckler said as he rose from the table.
“Oh it isn’t a problem in the slightest. But drop the Miss, ya ain’t in my squad. And if ya ever need an “airhead’ for a drinking buddy send me a letter.” she said as she wrote down her address for him. “Maybe next time you will be sober enough to meet Hope and remember her.” Gabe laughed loudly.
Buckler smiled and took the paper with her address. “Would you mind if I wrote to you outside of wanting a drink? I honestly do not have many friends and we seemed to hit it off...emphasis on the hitting part...” he said laughing.
“I don’t see why not, Buckler, you seem friendly enough” she said returning the smile.
“Well I need to be going, thanks again for everything, Gabe” Buckler said then walked out of her apartment. After riding down the elevator and listening to what sounded like a four string quartet playing forever he exited the building. Now where am I? he pondered looking around for something familiar.
Unfortunately the first thing he saw was not a thing, it was a sapphire blue pegasus. Great I just had to bump into him...of all the ponies in Canterlot. Sigh, better get this over with now. “Good morning, Ace.”
“Ah good morning, Buckler! So I saw that you met a cute pegasus last night.” he said grinning at the younger stallion. “Did she provide you with some entertainment?”
“How in Equestria did you know about her?” Buckler asked sharply.
“Well, I entered the same drinking contest as you two. However, I bowed out due to the simple fact I know when to stop. You two, on the other hoof, broke the all time record; so it’s no surprise that you didn’t remember I was there. After you were declared winner and received your prize; I saw her take you home, so I figured I would wait around to greet the great hero as he returned from his conquest.”
“She was not my type.” Buckler muttered.
“What, white clash with your ashen coat too much?” he quipped.
“No, she just prefers a different kind of pony, I lack the right build for it.” he said hoping that Ace caught on.
“Well she is in the Airforce, so she must not like macho guys. More of a shine to the feminine type of stallions then.” Ace stated rapidly.
“No, she likes members of the same persuasion as her.” Buckler said as he facehooved.
“So? You are the same as her, a pegasus last I checked” Ace replied smiling broadly.
“You are messing with me aren’t you?” Buckler asked as it dawned on him.
“Maybe I am, maybe you are just not used to my charming personality yet. So she is into other mares, but thats the way things roll sometimes. Don’t worry though I will see that you find a mare to spend some quality time with. The festival lasts two more days so time is on our side for now.” he said as he grabbed Buckler and started pulling him back into the fray that was going on all over the streets.
Here we go again.
A/N Special thanks to Stally for helping me with writing Gabe's parts and for letting me use her. For more on Gabe and Hope, who did not appear in today's chapter, please see Philharmonic Staccato.www.fimfiction.net/story/19861/A-Philharmonic-Staccato