//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Morning After // Story: Enchanted to Know You // by Teal //------------------------------// Twilight woke up with a splitting headache. Groaning as she got up, she placed a hoof on her aching head, as she did her best to fight off the ever increasing sensation of the world around her spinning. Last night had gotten way out of hoof and she was already regretting the amount of drinks she had. Mentally swearing to never let Pinkie convince her and Moondancer to do another drinking challenge, and to never again drink as much as she did last night, she soon rubbed out the sleepiness from her eyes and began looking around. Finding herself on a sofa, a short scan of the room quickly told her that she was back at her old library apartment. Another scan around the room told her that she wasn’t alone, as her friends laid all over the place, with some in the most uncomfortable position. Rainbow Dash was sleeping on the floor near her, Moondancer was laying atop a pile of books, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were sleeping side by side on one of the large tables she used to stack books on, while Minuette, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen, but she assumed they were in one of the other floors, spread out in some kind of similar fashion. Last night was definitely a wild one. Doing her best to get up, and trying her hardest to subdue the nausea that was building up, she soon managed to stand on all four hooves, before making her way to the bathroom. Hopefully, if Moondancer kept up with her promise to maintain her old place, then there would be some aspirin pills in the drug cabinet. She just hoped that there would be enough for all of them, since she wasn’t in the mood for volunteering to get more from the pharmacy, and she doubted anypony else was either. Reaching the bathroom, Twilight was surprised, and then annoyed, to see that the door was closed shut. Any attempts of opening it revealed to her that it was locked, making her sigh in defeat at being beaten to first rights with the bathroom. Luckily for her though she didn’t have to wait long, as the door opened in less than a minute after her arrival. “Oh, darling, you look dreadful.” Rarity said, as she stood by the door and stared at Twilight, who had the hairs of her mane and fur sticking out everywhere. “We all do, Rarity.” Twilight informed her, eyes closed as her headache felt like it was getting worse. Inside, she felt like it was too early for small talk like this. “Oh my, well not me.” Rarity informed her, making Twilight open her eyes and see that Rarity actually looked decent, if not pristine. “Even when intoxicated, a lady must never look disheveled. Besides, it’s also bad for a lady to over drink, and should thus only drink enough to feel the alcohol but never get drunk.” “Whatever you say, Rarity.” Twilight muttered, not really in the mood to talk on how a lady should and should not look like. Right now all she wanted was to deal with the increasing headache that was taking over all sensations on her body. “You didn’t happen to notice if there were any aspirin pills in there now, did you?” Smiling, Rarity ignited the magic on her horn and soon levitated a bottle of aspirin in front of Twilight. “I believe this is what you’re looking for, darling?” “Thanks.” Twilight replied, as she took the bottle with her own magic, before pulling out a pill. Placing it in her mouth and immediately swallowing it, she didn’t even bother to get some water to ease the intake. She just wanted it to do its medical magic as soon as it can. “You know, Twilight, I don’t think it’s healthy to drink aspirins on an empty stomach.” Rarity said, a slight look of concern on her face. “Don’t care, head hurts...” Twilight said, as she levitated the pill bottle to a nearby table and began heading towards the kitchen. “Alicorn magic will probably keep me safe...hopefully...” “Oh my, I’m taking your headache is that bad?” Rarity asked, not phased too much by Twilight’s grumpiness. “Worse.” Twilight mumbled, as she reached the pantry and opened it. Looking through the assortment of foodstuffs, she debated whether she had the energy to make some pancakes, but ultimately knew that she was fooling nopony at the thought. Because of that she instead took a box of cereal, levitating it to the kitchen table, before joining it with a carton of milk from the fridge and a rather large bowl. Fixing up her breakfast, she couldn’t help but smile as she realized it looked similar to the old days. Back when she was still studying and got up before Spike, she would always end up fixing a bowl of cereal, no matter what time of day it was, since it was always the fastest meal to make so that she can immediately get back on her studies. Shaking her head at this though, she realized just how much she matured since then. Gone was the loner and study freak Twilight, and in came the more outgoing Princess of Friendship. “What seems to be so funny, darling?”  Rarity said, trotting into the kitchen and seeing the grin on the alicorn’s face. “Oh, nothing.” Twilight said. “It’s just that, looking back at things now, it’s funny to see how much I’ve changed. I used to be so bad at making friends, with me always studying and staying cooped up reading books. Now look at me, I’m a sociable mare who has the best friends a pony can ask for.” Smiling, Rarity nodded, before thinking a bit. “Well, although I agree with most of that, I would just like to add that you still do end up isolating yourself in the castle just to spend all day reading and learning.” “Ha...ha...very funny, Rarity.” Twilight remarked, a deadpan expression on her face. Rarity giggled, before smiling gleefully at Twilight. “I do very much agree though that you are so much more sociable now. For example, I never thought I would ever see you going out on a date, darling.” “A date?” Twilight asked, confused. Staring at Rarity with curiosity, the alicorn stopped her eating for a few seconds to think about what her friend just said. “What date? “You know what I mean, darling.” Rarity said with a wink. Searching her memory, Twilight found it hard to connect what Rarity said to anything she could remember in her schedule. But then a thought occurred to her. “Do you mean my lunch plans with Princess Celestia?” Twilight suggested. “I think you can hardly call that a date, Rarity. It’s more like two friends catching up over lunch, which may seem like a date, but it isn’t.” “No..no, not that, Twilight.” Rarity said, nearly rolling her eyes in frustration. “Honestly, were you so drunk that you have forgotten.” “Forgotten what exactly?” Twilight asked hesitantly, as she stopped her eating and fully focused on Rarity. Deep inside she couldn’t help but feel nervous. Last night was a blur to her and after the drinking contest began she couldn’t remember anything at all. She had hoped that nothing too bad happened while she was intoxicated, but based on Rarity’s statements, it was starting to seem that she did something that she did not fully intend to. Staring at her intently, she could see that Rarity was studying her, probably trying to see if she was joking. But Twilight wasn’t. She really did not have a clue what happened, it was making her anxious not knowing. “Do you remember the mare at the bar front?” “Which mare?” Twilight asked nervously. “The one with pink mane and white fur. You can’t have forgotten her; you’ve been staring at that mare even before you started that drinking contest. Don’t lie to me now, I saw those short glances.” Mouth hanging open and cheeks blushing red, Twilight stared at Rarity in disbelief. Had she been that obvious? Clearly she had, since Rarity seemed to know a lot more than Twilight would have liked. “Well, after your little contest with Moodancer, you got really drunk, darling, and started to spend even more time staring at that mare. But instead of doing it subtly, you made it quite obvious to all of us who you were looking at, as if you were fixated on her. I swear, your gaze was so hot on her that she could have melted. It got to the point where Rainbow Dash started remarking something along the lines of: ‘If you like her, then go ask her out’, to which you responded by immediately getting up and trotting to her.” Immediately Twilight’s heart dropped, as she heard more and more of the story. In her mind, the events of last night were still foggy, but as Rarity spoke, some of the things that happened were suddenly cleared up in her memory. She was starting to feel scared now, and she couldn’t help but wrap her wings on her side, as if trying to cower. “We watched you as you talked to her and, no offense, Twilight, but you looked like a nervous wreck. Most of us were certain that she would have turned you down. So, you can imagine our surprise when you suddenly turned around and started trotting back to us with this wide smile on your face. When you got back to the table, you excitedly told us: ‘I asked her out on a date to Hay Burger!’. I must say though, you looked quite proud after your achievement, and every one of us were cheering for you.” Twilight froze as she heard that, eyes twitching as her mind processed what she had been told. Then, as the situation dawned on her, and as her memory of the night started to return, she started to blush even harder as her eyes opened wide. “I DID WHAT?!” Making use of the Royal Canterlot voice, Twilight managed to ruin Rarity’s pristine mane, while at the same time rudely waking up the sleeping ponies in her apartment. Gathering at the kitchen and sitting around the dining table, Twilight’s friends ate their breakfast as they pestered her about her date, trying to get as much information as they can. Despite having headaches from their hangovers, they still managed to gather enough strength and energy to continue their continuous harassment on the lavender pony. Resting her head on the table, and covering her face with her hooves and wings, Twilight did her best to hide her shame and embarrassment, as her cheeks glowed a bright red from that morning’s revelation. What had happened last night was beyond her control and were the actions of her drunk self, yet the one who had to suffer from the consequences was her. Groaning, she tried to think to recall the events of last night, only to find herself becoming even more flustered from the memory. By then she remembered enough to know that she had made a complete fool of herself in front of that mare, as she stuttered and flustered the entire time she was talking. Twilight remembered seeing the mare for the first time. She was okay, nothing special. It wasn’t like she was attracted to her. It just so happened that the majestic combination of snow white fur and flowing pink mane on that cute pony enchanted Twilight to the point that she couldn’t help but make glances towards her. It was just distracting, that was all. It’s not like she was attracted to her or anything. Somehow though, her drunken self interpreted these curiosities as a desire for something else. Twilight remembered how confused the mare looked at her arrival, and how she stared with those beautiful purple eyes. She remembered how nervous she felt in trying to confess her attraction, and how the mare listened and waited patiently instead of running away . She remembered how the mare’s giggle was so soothing, and how her blush made her look cuter, as the hint of red shade clearly came out on her smooth white fur. Then there was her voice. Her soft and calming voice. Twilight could have listened to that voice speaking all day long, and it made her heart stop remembering how the beautiful mare sounded. That mare could say anything and Twilight still felt excited chills run through her body from the sound. Eyes opening wide, it was at that moment that the alicorn finally admitted to herself that she was indeed attracted to the mare. With a sigh, she tried to bury herself deeper into the table, but to no avail. She never realized that her interest had gotten so far as to become infatuation. When she first saw the mare walk into the bar, she knew that something was odd when her heart started pumping faster at her sight. This was strange to her, and she couldn’t remember the last time she felt such a sensation before. Finding herself glancing at the mare ever so often, Twilight slowly realized that the once annoying sensation that was filling her body was actually making her feel quite happy. It was strange, and she couldn’t help but continue her glancing towards the mare, as this happy sensation kept on engulfing her. It was intoxicating and she couldn’t help but get more of it. She soon found herself smiling wider, as a growing feeling built up inside her. Twilight was embarrassed to admit that it took her drunk self to finally realize that this feeling was a growing attraction for the mare. It also took her drunk self to confess this feeling and be bold enough to tell the mare directly. Remembering this made Twilight squirm uncomfortably on her seat, as she tried harder to cover her face with her hooves and wings. From the heat she was feeling on her cheeks, she was sure that her whole face was red. The last thing she wanted was for her friends to see her tomato colored face and end up teasing her even more. But she knew that sooner or later she would have to face the music. She couldn’t keep her face buried forever, and with their growing curiosity, her friends would continue to pester her until she gave them answers. With a sigh, she did her best to calm down her blushing so that she could properly talk to her friend. However, whenever she felt her blush lessening, she would end up hearing one of the curious questions her friend had about the mare, resulting in her remembering the beautiful pony, and thus making Twilight blush hard again. Groaning, the alicorn grew frustrated as she realized that the cycle would not end, and she ended up cursing herself for being so weak towards such things. “Alright, just stop with the questions!” She shouted, sitting straight and flaring her wings wide. The suddenness and intensity of her actions managed to shock her friends to a halt, forcing them to momentarily halt their constant bombardment against her. “I get it, I got a date, but please just let me come to terms with what just happened last night.” Twilight said, huffing and puffing as she vented out her annoyance and stress. “Twilight, sugarcube, I think you need to calm down a bit first and do your breathing exercises.” “Calm down? You’re the ones who need to calm down with all your questions. I don’t need anypony reminding me how I managed to embarrass myself last night!” Twilight shouted, fore hooves slamming on the table, as she glared at each one of them, her heavy breathing audible throughout the kitchen. She was beyond annoyed by the constant inquiries, and although she understood their curiosity in regards to the situation, she felt that she needed space first before answering. She herself was still confused about the events, and their questions made it hard for her to figure out how she was supposed to feel about it. Staring at them one by one, she soon saw the frightened and concerned looks on her friend’s faces, and this sight was enough to lessen her anger. Slowly, the alicron’s intense breathing started to become calmer, as her whole body deflated in shame and guilt. “Sorry, everypony.” Twilight said meekly, as she hung her head . “I guess this whole date situation has been stressing me more than it should.” “It’s fine, darling, we understand.” Rarity said, a warm smile on her face. “It is your first ever date after all, so you have every right to be stressed about. Just remember, you have your friends here to help you.” Looking up, Twilight smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Rarity. And its okay, girls, you can ask me questions, I’m okay now. Besides, it’ll probably help me out how much of a fool I made myself last night.” “Aw, don’t think about it like that, sugarcube.” Applejack said. “Sure, you were a bit drunk, but you made no fool of yourself. It was just you being bold and taking action.” “I think it was very brave of you to express your feelings to somepony you like.” Fluttershy added. “Definitely!” Rainbow Dash said with a nod. “And I’m glad I helped you! If it wasn’t for my wise words of advice, then you would probably be sulking here right now, thinking how you missed a golden opportunity, instead of being excited for the awesome date you’re about to have tonight.” “Thanks, Rainbow.” Twilight said, with a small giggle. The pegasus was right though, she did feel excited for the date, although a hint of nervousness was present. “Honestly, I’m just surprised that Twilight is into mares.” Pinkie Pie stated. “I always thought that she was more attracted to books.” Twilight gave the earthpony a deadpan look, as she found the remark unamusing. The rest of her friends on the other hoof found it hilarious, as they all giggled at the expense of her embarrassment. “Nah, I’m the only one here who’s attracted to books.” Moondancer remarked, making everypony laugh once more. This time, Twilight couldn’t help but smile at herself. “Congratulations on the date though, Twilight, you make book nerds like us proud!” “Yea, Twilight, congratulations on getting a date! Minuette chipped in, and soon all of them were cheering and congratulating her. Twilight though was taking the praises hesitantly. “I’m not sure that I should take that as a compliment, or be insulted that my friends think that one of the greatest achievements in my life is getting a date.” “Well, you got to admit, a pony with your...attitude, doesn’t often go on dates, making it quite a rare event.” Rarity informed her. “Yea!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Besides, you managed to successfully ask out one good looking mare. I checked her out too, and I admit, she looked pretty cute. Good job, Twi, you definitely got first prize! Hey, what was that for?” The last remark was for Rarity, who had levitated a box of cereal and used it to slap Rainbow Dash on the face. “A lady is no object and should never be treated as a prize!” She firmly told the pegasus, before turning to Twilight. “But I do agree with one thing Rainbow Dash said, she was indeed splendidly looking. Very majestic, one would say.” Being reminded of the mare, and seeing the image of her beauty in her mind, only made Twilight blush. This was not kept hidden from her friends, as they giggled at her flustered state. “Heh, the mare must be even cuter up close if it makes Twi blush that bad.” Rainbow Dash said. “I bet you’re thinking about her right now.” “Now, now, let’s not tease our friend.” Rarity told her. “Although if you don’t mind me asking, what was the name of your little crush? I’m starting to get tired of calling her, ‘The Mare’.” For a moment Twilight paused, thinking. Searching her memory, she tried her best to remember their short conversation last night. At some points, she couldn’t help but grimace at the things she said, and she wondered how better she would have done things if she weren’t drunk. But as she pieced together their conversation, and scanned through everything was said, a realization suddenly came upon her. “Oh Celestia, I forgot to ask for her name!” She despaired, slamming her head on the table and covering her face with her hooves. “I can’t believe I forgot to ask her name!” “Oh dear, that does sound like a problem.” Rarity said, moving close to the alicorn and placing a comforting hoof on her back. “But I’m sure that’s nothing that can be easily cleared up during your date tonight.” “No...” Twilight mumbled, looking up. “...this is a disaster already. She’ll probably think I was disrespectful to her by not asking her name.” “Now, don’t down yourself over that, sugarcube.” Applejack said. “It was just a little mistake, and I’m sure she would not have said yes to your date if she thought you were disrespectful.” “But...but...” Twilight began, as an endless number of scenarios played in her mind. “But what if she points it out during the date and it ends up taking over all of our conversations. Or what if I act too shy and she doesn’t think I’m as confident as I was last night? Or what if...what if she doesn’t like me?” All these possibilities played in her mind, as she felt her heart beat faster and faster. She was scared of the upcoming date. The mare, she was wonderful, and she knew that she wanted to know her more. She, on the other hoof, was not as impressive. Twilight was afraid that her own quirks would turn the mare her off. Most ponies found her weird, and she was terrified that the mare would not like who she was. She also knew that she was not an interesting pony to know, and she was afraid that the mare would just find her boring. Thinking about this, Twilight could feel her anxiety return, as she felt petrified. She was both excited and nervous about the upcoming date, and she really wasn’t sure what she was going to do to make sure it goes well. “Wow, you really do like this mare...whatever her name is.” Rainbow Dash said, as she watched Twilight go through her panic attack. “Indeed, it seems to be that somepony is having some pre-date jitters.” Rarity said in agreement. “Aw, cheer up, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said, as she popped up next to Twilight and pulled the panicking alicorn towards her. “It’s just a date, silly, you don’t have to worry too much about it.” “Just a date?” Twilight said, turning towards Pinkie Pie, eyes wide and gaze shaky. “This isn’t just any date, this is my first date ever! I don’t even know what to do. What if I do something bad? What if we run out of conversation material? How am I even supposed to act on a date? I don’t have previous experience to go by, and it’s too late to study upon it now... Or is it? Maybe if I cancel my lunch with Celestia then I would have enough time to read-” “Okay, let me just stop you right there, Twilight.” Rarity, pushing the alicorn down before she could even get up from her seat. “Reading books on dating is certainly no way to prepare for a date.” “Yea, Twi.” Applejack said. “It’s also not right to cancel your plans with the Princess; she is your friend after all. You’re rarely here at Canterlot and thanks to both your duties as princesses, you two barely see each other anymore. I’m sure she’ll be really hurt if you cancel your plans.” Twilight hanged her head in shame from this. “Sorry...I just really want my date to go well.” “And it will, darling!” Rarity informed her. “You have your friend by you for support, Twilight, and may I add that some of these friends are experts in dating.” Looking up and studying her friends, Twilight saw their caring glances as they smiled at her. Slowly starting to smile back at them, she suddenly felt reassured knowing that they were there to help. “Thanks, girls, you’re the best friends a mare can have.” With that all of her friends piled around her and hugged the lavender alicorn. Although Twilight still felt nervous about the date, she at least felt better that no matter what happened her friends will be there by her side.