//------------------------------// // The Rest of the Story // Story: Waking up in Bed With a Princess // by PoisonClaw //------------------------------// “Wooohooo!” Twilight giggled as she took a sip from her mug. She was still on only her third mug of hard cider, so she was only just beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol in her system. She was tipsy, that was for sure, but still a ways away from being red-faced drunk. She knew her limits, after all, and it wouldn’t do for a picture of a very inebriated princess to end up on the front page of the morning paper. Which was more than could be said about the pony sitting next to her. Tempest had proved very quickly to be quite the champ when it came to holding her alcohol, almost putting Rainbow Dash to shame. However, by the time she started on her seventh mug of cider, even she was showing clear signs of having reached her limit. At the moment, Tempest had her arm wrapped around Twilight, rocking back and forth in her seat as she sang along (very badly) to the latest hit from Songbird Serenade while laughing and hollering like a madmare. “Come on, Twilight! Sing along!” Tempest tried to encourage the alicorn, only slightly slurring her words as she swayed slightly in her seat, her grip on Twilight the only thing keeping her from toppling over completely. Lifting her mug, Tempest was dismayed when only a few stray drops rolled across her tongue. “Applur… Appleta… Apple Pie! Another!” Applejack just looked at the clearly inebriated Tempest with a deadpan expression on her face. “I think you’ve had enough, Sugarcube.” “Now you li...lis...listen here! Don’t ya know who I am?!” Tempest retorted, glaring at Applejack from across the table. “I’m Commander Fizzlypop! So don’t you till… tall… tell me when I’ve had enough!” Applejack glanced at Twilight for assistance, and Twilight just sighed slightly. “Give her half a glass,” Twilight whispered to Applejack while glancing over at Tempest, “I’ll make sure she makes it back to her room.” “Alright, if’n yer sure.” Doing as Twilight asked, Applejack slid the half-filled mug back to Tempest, who immediately scooped it up and began to take a long drink. “Hey, Tempest?” Twilight politely asked as she tapped the unicorn on the shoulder to get her attention. “You look a little tired. Want me to take you back to your room?” “But… but the party!” Tempest attempted to argue as she continued to hold onto Twilight to keep from toppling over. “Please?” Twilight asked, putting on her best pleading face. “... Ok…” Tempest said after a moment. Downing the rest of her drink, she leaned on Twilight for support as she was helped from her seat and slowly led towards the castle. However, the pair had only just left the food court area when Tempest suddenly perked up again, a beaming smile spreading across her muzzle. “Oooh, I love this song! Come on, Twilight, let’s dance!” “I don’t think–Whooa!” Twilight had barely any time to react before she was yanked towards the dance floor by the much stronger Tempest. The crowd parted as the pair of ponies strolled onto the dance floor, many still apprehensive about being around the mare who had tried to enslave them just days before. However, that apprehension seemed to vanish all at once as Tempest stood on her hind legs and began to cut loose, Twilight serving as her unwitting dance partner as the pair moved with surprising grace considering one of them was clearly three sheets to the wind. “T-Tempest!” Twilight cried out as she was spun and twirled across the dance floor. “I… really think we should–” Tempest just continued to laugh as she spun the mare around before bringing her to face her. Her face was bright red as she smiled and batted her eyelashes down at Twilight. “You know...you’re really cute...” “Wha...what?” Taken aback by the sudden compliment, Twilight was unprepared for when Tempest leaned forward and pressed her lips against Twilight’s. Twilight’s eyes shot to the size of dinner plates and her cheeks turned bright red as Tempest continued to kiss her for several seconds, a long “Ooooh!” rolling through the crowd as they hollered and cheered them on. *** “I… i…” Tempest’s mouth flopped open and closed like a fish as she tried to formulate words. She was red-faced, alright, though from building embarrassment as she listened to Twilight retell the events of last night. “I… I did not!” “Oh, you did,” Twilight replied with a smirk. “Right in the middle of the dance floor too. If you don’t believe me, I’m sure somepony has the pictures to prove it.” “I… I… UUUGH!” Covering her face with her hooves, Tempest flopped her head back onto the kitchen table with a huff, breathing heavily through her nose as she tried to hold onto whatever scrap of her dignity she had left. “... Ok… so I kissed you. Whatever…” Tempest said dismissively as she tried to calm down. “That still doesn’t explain how we ended up sharing a bed…” “I’m getting to that. So, we danced for a little while longer before I finally managed to drag you back to the castle. However, we then ran into a small problem…” *** “Uh… Tempest? Which room is yours again?” Standing at a split in the hallway, Twilight racked her brain to try and remember which room Tempest was staying in, growling as the answer refused to come to her. “Tempest?” “Mmmm…” The mare in question was resting on Twilight’s back, her legs nearly reaching the floor as she buried her face into the fur on the back of Twilight’s neck. “You smell niiiiccceee…” “... Thank you, that was very helpful... “ Twilight grumbled, before letting out a sigh. She could always just dump Tempest into an unoccupied room, but that would be a rather rude thing to do to her new friend. Plus, there was the added snag of wanting to make sure Tempest didn’t get into any more trouble until she could sleep off all the alcohol in her system. That left Plan B. Within minutes, Twilight stepped into the Royal Suite that Celestia had reserved for her to stay in Canterlot for the festival, making a direct beeline for the bedroom. As Twilight enveloped Tempest in her magic to gently transfer her to the bed, Tempest began to wiggle and squirm as she was lifted up. “Noooo…,” Tempest whined as she was lifted up and over onto the bed, seemingly not wanting to give up her new teddy bear so easily. “Don’t go…” “Sorry, Tempest. But I should really get back to the festival.” Tucking Tempest in, Twilight turned to leave when she heard an odd noise. Perking up her ears, Twilight realized that the sound was coming from Tempest, and almost sounded like… Was… was she crying? Indeed, when Twilight peered over the bed, she found Tempest with her face buried partially into her pillow, her face scrunched up as she made sniffling sounds that made Twilight’s heart break just listening to them. “Don’t go…” Tempest quietly pleaded, tears threatening to pour down her face. “Don’t leave me…” Twilight just stood there, frozen and unsure as to how to respond. She hadn’t known Tempest for very long, but all her encounters with the mare had showcased a strong, no-nonsense pony who had long since built a wall around her heart to keep from being hurt ever again. Sure, showing Tempest how wonderful friendship could be had likely caused a crack to form in that wall, but Twilight figured it would take much more than that for her to ever truly feel comfortable again around ponies. So to see her in such a vulnerable state like this… There was no question what she had to do now. While she knew that it was likely all the alcohol that had contributed to Tempest’s current state, she couldn’t just up and leave her now, not without potentially causing Tempest to put up even more walls. No, what Tempest needed right now, more than anything, was a friend. “Please don’t cry, Tempest,” Twilight tried to reassure as she walked over and put her hoof on Tempest’s back. “I’m not leaving forever, just for a few hours. I Pinkie Promise I’ll be back by the time you wake up, okay?” “Can…” Tempest sniffled again as she glanced at Twilight with a pleading look in her eyes. “Can you stay with me tonight? Please?” Twilight bit her lip, wanting to say no… but she could really use a nap, now that she thought about it. Organizing a festival hadn’t been easy, and she couldn’t deny how tantalizing the bed looked at that very moment. A quick power nap couldn’t hurt, right? They can handle the festival without me for a few minutes... With that, Twilight walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed on top of it. Sighing as she laid down on the soft bedding, she reached over and put her hoof over Tempest’s, reassuring her even more that she wasn’t going anywhere. *** “So that’s what happened, huh?” Tempest sighed as she leaned back in her seat. “That’s not too bad, I guess. And I was worried something bad had happened!” “Well… the thing is…” Tempest’s face fell as she looked back at Twilight, her short-lived relief vanishing as she saw the blush on Twilight’s cheeks. “... There’s more, isn’t there?” Twilight nodded. “Mhmm.” “... Ponyfeathers…” *** After what felt like no time at all, Twilight’s eyes fluttered open. Yawning, she glanced over at the clock on the wall to find that just over two hours had passed, more than enough to make her feel more relaxed and rested. As she moved to get up, she felt something draped over her side shift slightly, as well as noticing the feeling of something pressing against the back of her neck. Oh, right… Twilight thought, remembering that she had stayed with Tempest to keep her company. Craning her neck slightly, she could just make out Tempest sleeping peacefully next to her, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Twilight smiled. She looks so peaceful. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping mare, Twilight careful wiggled herself free and slid out of bed. She froze when Tempest made a mumbling noise at her absence, but relaxed when the unicorn didn’t stir awake. Content that she was safe, Twilight carefully tiptoed towards the suite bathroom. “Tw… Twilight…” Freezing in place again, Twilight glanced behind her at the sound of her name, only to find Tempest still fast asleep as she mumbled. Curiosity getting the better of her, Twilight swiveled her ears to try and pick up what Tempest was mumbling to herself. “Mmmm… Yes, Twilight… more tea, please… You’re so cute when you… when you blush…” Twilight froze. That was the second time that night Tempest had called her cute, her face breaking out into a blush as she recalled the memory of being kissed in the middle of the dance floor. Does… does she really think I’m cute? “L… Love… love you, my… my cute princess…” Now Twilight’s heart was hammering away in her chest, and it was all she could do to not shout in disbelief and possibly wake Tempest up. Having heard more than enough, Twilight made a mad dash for the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Turning on the taps, she quickly splashed water onto her face several times before grabbing a nearby towel and wiping her face. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, Twilight’s mind was busier than a beehive as she tried to process what had just happened. She had questions. Many questions, but right now the only pony capable of answering those questions was fast asleep on the other side of the bathroom door. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Twilight opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved a few headache pills for Tempest come the morning, as well as fill up a glass of water from the tap. With both in tow, she walked back into the bedroom and set them on the nightstand before glancing over at the bed. She glanced at the bedroom door, then back to the bed. Then to the clock on the wall, and back to the bed again. Several moments passed in total silence, the only sound being the steady rhythm of Tempest’s breathing. But eventually, Twilight made up her mind and crawled back into bed. As she rested her head back down onto her pillow, she felt Tempest cuddle up against her again. *** “... And that’s about it.” As Twilight finished, she took in Tempest’s reaction. If Tempest hadn’t been blushing before, she certainly was now, her face redder than a tomato as she groaned and slammed her head back onto the table and threw her hooves over her face in a futile attempt to hide her ever-growing embarrassment. “I. Am. Never. Drinking. Again!” Tempest hissed angrily through clenched teeth. Despite her best efforts, every part of her was screaming to cut her losses and make a run for it. It would be easy too, all it would take was a single shot from her horn to shatter one of the windows and leap out of it. Plummeting ten or so stories would probably be preferable to dying of embarrassment. “So… about last night…” Twilight began, only to be quickly cut off. “Please don’t make me talk about my feelings…” Tempest pleaded from behind her hooves, “I don’t do ‘touchy-feely’ stuff…” “Sorry, but this conversation is going to happen one way or another. After much thought, I’ve decided the quickest way to resolving this would be to just ask you directly. So…” Crossing her hooves on the table, Twilight looked directly at Tempest and asked, “Tempest, do you by any chance happen to have feelings for me?” Tempest was silent for several moments before mumbling into her hooves. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Again, Tempest mumbled into her hooves, though a bit louder this time. “Could you speak up, please? I can’t–” “I like you, okay!?” Tempest shouted as she threw up her hooves in defeat. The sheer volume of Tempest’s voice could have put the Royal Canterlot Voice to shame, as Twilight had to visibly steady herself to keep being knocked out of her seat. “You happy now!?” Silence reigned for several awkward moments as Twilight worked to brush her mane back into place. Eventually, Twilight rested her hooves against the table as she regarded Tempest, the princess’s face an unreadable mask of emotions. “How long have you felt this way?” “... Since I first showed up along with the Storm King’s army,” Tempest admitted. I’m already in enough trouble as it is, digging my own grave a few feet deeper can’t possibly make things any worse. “First time I saw you, I thought you were pretty cute. Incredibly naive and way out of your depth, but cute nonetheless.” “Uh… thank you?” “But, of course, you were the enemy and the Storm King needed your power to fuel his conquest, so I didn’t really care at the moment. Not that I have a chance anyway…” “What do you mean?” Tempest glared at Twilight with a deadpan look in her eyes. “You’re joking, right? You’re a princess, national hero, and incredibly talented at magic, while I’m…” Tempest sighed as she glanced up at the shattered stump that remained of her horn. “I’m just a hornless freak who was dumb enough to listen to the first person who promised they could fix my horn.” “Tempest…” Reaching across the table, Twilight placed her hoof over Tempest’s. “We’ve been over this, you’re not a freak. And you’re certainly not dumb for wanting something as precious as your horn back. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my horn, but you still managed to prove how powerful you really are to everypony without it.” Looking up at Twilight’s smiling face, Tempest felt a warmth start to bloom in her chest as a small smile crossed her lips. “Besides…” Now it was Twilight’s turn to look away, her cheeks beginning to blush as she fiddled with her hooves. “... I would say you have a pretty good chance…” “R-really?” Tempest asked hopefully. “You… you mean it?” “I mean…” Twilight bit her lip as she tried to find the right words. “... it felt… nice waking up knowing that there’d be another pony lying next to me. I certainly wouldn’t be against doing that again, if that’s alright with you…” Tempest opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted as the door to the Royal Suite was loudly thrown open, causing both mares to turn towards the door. Standing in the doorway was Spike, panting like he’d just run a marathon as he clutched a newspaper tightly in his claw. “Tw-Twilight! Have… have you seen... seen the morning paper?” “No…” Twilight replied with growing uncertainty. “Why?” Instead of answering, Spike ran up and slammed the paper into the middle of the table for both mares to see. The front page headline read, “First Friendship Festival Ends With A Bang!”, but what truly caught both mare’s attention was the photo plastered on the front page. A photo immortalizing the moment Tempest had passionately kissed Twilight in the middle of the dance floor. Both mares stared wide-eyed at the photo for several moments before both glancing up to look at one another. Eventually, it was Tempest who voiced what they were both thinking: “Never. Drinking. AGAIN!”