//------------------------------// // 14 Partys you can't avoid // Story: Crushed: The Beginnings // by Silent Wing //------------------------------// Carefully, I make my way towards my aunt's’ bedroom, slowly opening the door and I almost drop the cargo from my back. Damn I never expected it to be so difficult, when other ponies carry something on their back. It always looks so easy.   I lay the tray down next to her, before I carefully try to wake her up, hoping, that she won’t be mad at me for this. Her eyes slowly crack open and for a short moment she looks confused at me. ”You know that it is rude to wake the birthday mare, Wingy?”   My head drops in shame and I blush with embarrassment about the truth behind her words before I look up again. “Sorry auntie, but I didn’t want to let your breakfast get cold.” I apologize for my behaviour, looking on what I brought with me.   She follows my gaze and begins to smile when she sees the steaming mug of coffee and the plate of Pancakes on which I wrote “Happy birthday aunt Cloudy,” with syrup.    “Thank you Wingy.” She replies, before she starts to eat her meal. I watch her in silence, just enjoying one of these rare moments with my aunt. “Don’t you want to bring Flits her own breakfast?” She asks me after a while, when I still don’t move from my spot.   “Nah, she will probably sleep some more, since she sort of ‘celebrated in’ with mamma D yesterday.” I reply slightly annoyed, that they prevented me from cuddlin up with them again. Luckily, Mango came by later and he was able to distract me from my usual dreams.   “You know that you can always come to me, if they are busy with ‘that’.”  She offers me, like a few times before and I feel tempted to accept her offer, but even if I enjoy cuddling with her, it would never be the same then to snuggle with mommy.    Fearing that it would hurt her, if I rejected her outright, I try to approach this matter a bit more diplomatic. “I keep it in mind, okay?”   “Sure, but there is still something I want to know from you.” She waits a moment, giving me time to answer and with a gesture of my wings, I signal her to continue. “Who helped you with those?” She asks me, pointing at the pancakes and I realize, that I should have seen that one coming.   “Mango did.” I answer truthfully, thinking back at the fun we had earlier, while preparing breakfast.   “You know, I really would like to meet him.”   “Really?” I ask her, after I recovered from this surprising news and it makes me hope, that she is finally moving on from Thunderlane.   “Yes, he sounds like a nice stallion.”    “Well you could join all of us on nightmare night, if you want.” I offer her, thinking about how much more fun it would be, if everypony would be there.   “Sorry Wingy, but I go with Thunderlane on that party, Pinkie Pie is throwing.” She declines to my disappointment, not only because I think that it really would have been fun, if she had also joined us. After this we continue to chat a bit more, before I have to go back into the kitchen, finishing the preparations for mommys breakfast.   We spend most of the day having fun together by playing board games and a visit to the park, before we make our way over to Sugar Cube Corner. Where the part of the day shall take place, I feared the most of it. I prepare myself mentally for the horrors awaiting us in there, when we stepped into the dark eatery, before we get assaulted by a blinding light and a horrifying noise makes my ears ring in pain. I fail to hide my discomfort about this, but luckily everypony thinks that this is because of the blinding light.   “Were you surprised? Were you? Were you?” Something Pink in front of us asks us rapidly, which after I recover from now another shock, I recognize as an over energetic pony.   “Yes Pinkie, we were surprised.” Mommy reassures her, even if anypony knows this not to be the truth. Honestly who would ever get the idea that somepony could be surprised of something, that has been known for weeks now, when she accidently told everypony.   “Then let’s get this Party started.“ She shouts again so loud, that my ears begin to ring in pain once more and I have to think about something that confuses me for a while now. I had been able to sleep in front of music boxes, which had been so loud that they made the ground vibrate and now I can’t stand the yelling of a single Pony anymore. Just how is such an extreme change possible?   They talk for quite a while, before aunt Cloudy gets approached by Raindrops and they two immediately start talking. Mommy looks around the room and her eyes lit up with joy, when she must have recognized a pony, I have never seen before. At least this is what I assume happened, when she rushes to a Royal Guard and throws herself on him.   At first, I think her to be crazy, since she just assaulted one of Princess Celestia's Guards, but to my great surprised, that Guard throws his forelegs around her neck and returns the show of affection. I watch them for a few moments in total confusion, before I walk over to them in order to find out, what in Tartarus just happened.   Since they still don’t realize that I want something from them, even when I stand directly next to them, I choose a funny way to make my presence known. “Mommy is this your coltfriend?”   I almost fall back laughing, when the eyes of the Royal Guard turn to the size of dinner plates. Sadly, I am unable to see mommys face when I ask this question, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar expression on her face. “That’s something I would like to know as well Flits.” I hear a well-known voice behind me and when I turn around, I see an equally confused Rainbow Dash standing behind me.   Mommy takes a few moments to gather her breath, before she drops her left wing on the Guards back, pulling him close to her. I can see that mama D isn’t happy about this, but she relaxes visibly, when she hears her next words. “Wingy, Dashie, let me introduce you to my brother Flash Sentry.”   “Wuhu, I have an uncle.” I shout out while jumping in joy, before I jump on him and throw my forelegs around his neck.   The Guard however needs a few seconds to understand what just happened, before I feel one of his legs holding me tight. “Mommy? Uncle?” He stumbles out in confusion, before he drops down on his haunches, partly from all the shocks he received in the last two minutes and partly because of me clinging to his neck sat him completely of balance. “Would you mind explaining this to me sis?”   “Flash, let me introduce you to my herdmate Rainbow Dash and even more important, my daughter Silent Wing.” She introduces us proudly to him, but I can see on mama Ds face, that she doesn’t likes the ‘more important’ part of this.   “Let’s talk about this later okay? For now, let’s just enjoy the Party.” She replies with a smile, which leads to a hesitant nod from uncle Flash. “Okay, let’s go and play pin the tail on the Pony.”   Not really interested in this kind of game, I let go of uncle Flash and try to sneak away. I make it only a few steps, before I hear a certain pony voicing her disagreement. “Oh no, you don’t.”  And I yelp in pain, when I got pulled back by my tail. When I turn around, I look directly into mommy's eyes. “I let you skip so many parties, but this ends today, now all of us will enjoy every single bit of it, okay Wingy?”    “Yes mommy.” I reply in defeat, knowing that there won’t be any chance for me to escape todays party, without hurting her feelings. I follow her to where the game is set up, but on the way over there I spot something interesting. Maybe later, I could have a chance to make this party a bit more bearable.    To my surprise, I actually start enjoying this and several other games and I have to admit that this party isn’t too bad. But after everypony had some cake and Pinkie starts to play some music, I decide that I can’t prolong my plan from earlier anymore. I sneak away and have to wonder how any sane pony is able to call this music, while I start to make my way to my destination.   Within a few moments I reach the unguarded table, where a great amount of different drinks is displayed, before I fill one of the mugs with hard cider. I empty it in one go, before I refill it and start to make my way back to my family, hoping that they didn’t grew suspicious above my sudden disappearance.    To my surprise I don’t even make it halfway to them, since I got stopped by an outstretched artic blue wing, in which I ran straight in. I need a short moment of time to recover, before I am face to face with a very unhappy Wonderbolt. “Hi Fleetfoot, nice to see you.” I greet her with a smile, hoping that she didn’t see what I just did.   “Hey Wingy, nice to see you to.” See replies and for a short moment there is a smile on her face to, before it turns dark again. “Mind explaining to me, why you think that drinking hard cider is a good idea for a filly your age?”   My eyes go wide in shock, but not from realizing my slip up, like she (hopefully) thinks, but from shock that she knows what I just did. “Hard Cider? That explains why this apple juice tasted so weird.”   “If that is true, then you don’t mind, that we inform your mother about your slip up?” She asks with a bit of sarcasm, which signalize me, that she doesn’t believe my story. I am about to voice my opinion on this matter, but decide against it. Instead I hoof over the still full refilled mug, which I did hold with a wing for all the time and to my surprise, I didn’t spill a single drop as I ran into her wing.   Accompanied by Fleetfoot, I walk the remaining short distance to the group, mommy is chatting with. To me it looks like she is having fun and I feel bad that we have to interrupt them. “Mom, can we talk?”   “Give me a minute Wingy, okay.” I reply with a nod, understanding that she has to wrap up the conversation for now, before she focuses her attention on me. “So Wingy, where did you just go and what is it you want to talk about?”   I look pleadingly to Fleetfoot, silently asking her to tell mom what I did, but she doesn’t have any intentions to do so. Within a moment’s notice, I know that I have to find my own way out of this mess. “Now, what is it Wingy?” She asks impatient.   The lack of patients is something I didn’t saw coming and so I do the stupidest thing possible. I just blurt it out. “I drank hard Cider.”   “You caught her?” Mommy wants to know from Fleetfoot and when she confirms her assumption, I know that I am in deep trouble. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention Fleetfoot.”   “No need to thank me Flits, I know you would have done the same in my position.” She replies before we separate and mommy leads me into a secluded area, so that no pony will be able to eavesdrop on us.   “Now Wingy, just how much did you drink?” This question takes me unprepared, since I expected her to be mad at me and start yelling and scolding me, as soon as we got some space between us and the other guests. However, she don’t gives me the chance to answer this question just yet, since she seems it necessary to add something to it.  "And why did you think, that it would be a good idea in the first place?”   “One mug, like the one Fleetfoot was holding.” I reply immediately to buy me some time, since many things are going through my mind. All of the things going through my mind are connected with one little detail, leading to one fateful conclusion. “I am scared of meeting new ponies mommy and drinking always helped me with my courage.” I admit, more to myself then to her.   “To believe, that drinking can help you with anything is nonsense Wingy and you should know this.” A very disappointed Flitter reminds me at something I already knew, but ignored almost whenever possible. “This better be the only time you get caught drinking, understood?”   “Yes mommy.” I reply in shame, taken totally off guarded by how harsh she sounds.   Now, with a much softer voice she asks me, “Is this the only thing, that made you drink?”    “No, I also did it to survive this awful music.” The mere thought of having to hear this so-called music for the rest of the evening, makes me almost run away.    “I don’t know what kind of music you did enjoy before we met, but there can’t be that much of a difference.”   “Really? That is like saying that there is no difference between a Gourmet Restaurant and a Hayburger.” I reply with a smile on my face.   “Don’t you think that this is a bit too much of a difference, to be used as comparison?” She asks with a lot of doubt in her voice.    “No. I just wish that I could show you the difference, between those two kinds of music.” I reply disappointed that I have no chance to show her some samples, like I always did with the few friends I had. “Can we go back and join the others?” I ask to my own surprise, already starting to miss the company of the others.   “Not yet, we still have to discuss your punishment first.”    “Punishment?” My eyes grow to the size of dinner plates, when I hear her say this shocking word. Dreading what she could possibly have in mind.   “Yes, did you really expect, that there wouldn’t be any consequences?” I can only shake my head in denial, knowing that I would make the situation only worse, should I open my muzzle. “Then you aren’t allowed to see your friend Mango till Nightmare Night.”   “What??? But that would mean I won’t be able to see him for three weeks.” I reply shocked about this turn of events.   Mommy however ignores my outburst and continues, as if I hadn’t said a single word. “And we will have a more detailed discussion about what you did in the morning, understood?”    “Yes mommy.” I reply in defeat, knowing that I would make my situation only worse, if I should object to this once more.   “Good, then let us go back to the others.” She replies when her smile is slowly coming back.    I for my part am unsure if I should be glad to have avoided an even bigger disaster today or if I should be afraid of the discussion, we will have tomorrow. But I push these thoughts aside and instead follow her back to the others, while I struggle to walk in a straight line.      A few nights later, Cloudchaser PoV:   The door to my room is slowly being pushed open with a creak, which is normally only audible for trained pony ears. Except for ponies that have too much on there mind to sleep peacefully, even if their room is totally silent.    Now mild hoofsteps make their way over to my bed. I already know who this pony is, since there is usually only one pony in this house that has trouble sleeping and leaves her own room more often than she should. I keep my eyes closed for now, waiting for her to make her presence known on her own accord.   “Can I come in auntie?” A very tired sounding filly asks me. I crack my eyes open and like expected, at the edge of my bed stands my niece. I lift the covers of my bed a bit, signalling her to crawl under them, which doesn’t takes her long.    As soon as she is under them, I drop the covers carefully on her, before I pull her closer. I struggle a bit to move my wing under the blankets, without bringing them into too much disarray, but after a few minutes I am able to cover her with one of my wings. “Better now?”   “Much.” She replies, before she rests her muzzle on one of my outstretched forelegs.    “Want to talk about it?” I ask her, worried if she is alright. Patiently I wait for an answer, but when I begin to hear soft snoring, I have to accept that I won’t get any answers from her. At least for tonight.    I think about how she is able to have that many nightmares and wonder if Princess Luna is helping her at all and I am only able to fall asleep, after I decide to write a letter to Princess Luna in the morning, informing her about my concerns and demanding some answers from her.