//------------------------------// // Angel of the Morning // Story: Lost Without Love // by AnnEldest //------------------------------// Hangovers were not something that anypony hoped to wake up with. The dizziness. The nausea. The throbbing headache that felt like your head was being used as a trampoline by a herd of minotaurs. Truly, it was one of the worst partners to wake up with after a wild night. The moment that Luna’s eyes cracked open, the glaring light sent a wave of pain through her skull. She shielded her eyes with one hoof as she clumsily sat up and fumbled her other hoof around for the cord to draw the blinds. She batted something with her hoof and tried to use her magic to pull the blinds, only to find that using her magic made her headache even worse. Instead, she reached out with her teeth and pulled the blinds that way. With the room darkened, she was able to put down her hoof. Once her vision cleared, she realized that she was not in her own bedroom. She was in a strange apartment that she didn’t recognize, where the blinds were drawn by pulling a shade down over the window, instead of the drapes she was so familiar with. The bed was clean and the room was tidy. But what drew her attention the most was the familiar cat who was sleeping in the armchair next to her bed. Capper slept contently, curled up like a lapcat on the seat of the chair. And it all came back to Luna. Everything that had happened last night. She tried to recall what had happened. She was at Capper’s place for dinner. They were listening to that beautiful song, when Trixie and Pinkie showed up…There was a lot of alcohol. A lot of vomiting afterward. And then… Luna’s eyes widened with shock as she started examining her bedsheets. They were clean, as if newly washed. Not a stain or a wet spot on them. A quick look at her reflection in a glass of water that was left on her nightstand, and she saw that her lipstick was still even. Carefully, she craned her neck over to Capper, and examined him as best as she could. No lipstick marks anywhere on his face or his collar. A long sigh issued from Luna’s lungs. She had been careless last night. But not that careless. Or had Capper not allowed her to be? It suddenly dawned on her that the sun was up. That harsh light that had almost blinded her was the sun peering through the window! How long had she overslept? How angry was Celestia going to be when she hadn’t come home last night? Too hungover to teleport, Luna opted for the old-fashioned method and slowly crept out of bed. Her hoof touched the floor, making it creak ever so slightly under her weight. She glimpsed over to Capper, who didn’t even twitch an ear at the sound. It seemed that she was in the clear. One more step toward the door. Two more steps. Three. “Taking that trot of shame, Princess?” Luna jumped slightly and held her head when she did. She turned around and saw Capper gliding to the floor, before standing before her. “Can’t say that I’d know anything about it. Not that I’ve never done it before. I just never felt ashamed,” Capper said. Luna managed a laugh, before she had to stop her head from throbbing again. “How are you feeling?” Capper asked, putting his paw on her forehead. “My head has been cleft by a jelly shot. And I think a swarm of parasprites has used my stomach as an outhouse…” Luna groaned. She sighed as she rubbed her forehead against Capper’s paw. “Your paw feels good, though. Nice and warm. And soft. Just what I need.” “Have you thought about how you’ll explain this to your sister?” Capper asked. “Oh, heavens. Don’t bring her up so early in the day,” Luna said, not realizing it was nearly ten o’clock. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the riot act she’ll read me when I get home.” “Next time, we’ll do something without Pinkie and Trixie. We’ll go to another kingdom that they aren’t allowed to enter. One with strict prohibition laws,” Capper said. “I can think of two places like that,” Luna said, as she nuzzled Capper’s chest, taking in the scent of his tobacco/vanilla cologne that still lingered. Capper rubbed his paws up and down Luna’s back, massaging her lightly to ease her into the morning. “I love the way you smell,” Luna mumbled. “Your paws feel so good.” “Just call me angel of the morning,” Capper quipped. “That’s another song,” Luna giggled, before she had to stop to keep her head from throbbing. They stayed like that for the first part of the hour, holding one another, knowing what came next could only be amazing. “I have to go now, Capper,” Luna said. “If it’s alright, could I please go down by myself? And could you wait a while before you–” “Say no more, Luna. I understand. You don’t want anyone to think there was a beast with two backs in the foggy dew,” Capper said. Luna giggled again, recalling the vulgar limerick that she had heard during a trip she had taken to Trotland. Capper truly was a cat with a wide cultural palate. One that she was eager to dip into and taste for herself. Trixie sat at one of the tiny tables in Sugar Cube Corner, a plate of cupcakes and a cup of coffee set before herself. Only minutes ago did she see the tail end of Princess Luna trotting out of the shop, leaving her no time to ask her what had happened or if she was going to mention her name to her sister. There was a sound from the nearby staircase, and Capper’s voice carried along with it. Mother, father, please believe me, Ev’ry word is true, I saw a beast with two backs rollin’, In the foggy dew, “How did he know!?” a stallion sharply whispered to the stallion next to him. Capper danced a little jig as he crossed the floor to Trixie’s table, spun the chair across from her on one of its legs, and sat down before the chair ever landed back on the floor. The moment he was seated, he helped himself to one of Trixie’s cupcakes. Trixie looked at him as he contently ate the pastry that hadn’t even been offered to him. There was definitely something different about him. Those twinkling eyes. That cocky gait. And that smug smile that looked like he had just fleeced a thousand suckers out of their life savings. “So,” Trixie said. “Sew buttons,” Capper replied with a shrug. “So,” Trixie emphatically repeated as she pretended to be reading the newspaper next to her, “It seems that you’ve gotten a little buck in your apple.” “Nope. Better than that.” “Pardon me?” “I said it was better than that,” Capper said as he licked the frosting from his paw. Trixie folded up the newspaper. “Perhaps I lack the imagination,” she said, “But, I find it difficult to believe that there is anything better than sex and cupcakes.” “That’s because you’ve never had it before,” Capper said, helping himself to another cupcake.  “Sex, or whatever you say is better than that?” “All of the above,” Capper said. “Where’s Pinkie?” “Oh, you know. Making more cupcakes. Frosting black-and-white cookies. Sterilizing the bathroom of vomit,” Trixie replied. “I’d say it was more like alcohol with a little vomit in it,” Capper replied. Trixie rolled her eyes away from Capper as she leaned back in her seat. “You’ve forgiven yourself for that, haven’t you?” she asked. “For what?” Capper wondered. “For letting me and Pinkie get your marefriend drunk.” Capper swallowed his next cupcake wrapper and all. He pointed a finger at Trixie as he gagged on the paper. “You–You got her drunk all on your–own!” Capper choked out. He hacked and heaved, until the cupcake wrapper shot out of his throat like a hairball. “And she’s not even my marefriend!” “Really? No wonder there was no post-hangover sex,” Trixie smugly said, sipping her coffee. “Will you forget about the sex!?” Capper tersely said, before he noticed that he was being watched. “Hey, kid. How’s it going?” The colt who had been listening for who knew how long quickly turned around walked away. “All I’m saying is that you seem to be taking your sweet time with it,” Trixie said once the foal was gone. “Quit prying into who I’m dating? It’s perverse!” “So, you are dating?” “Argh! Why don’t you get your own coltfriend, so you can keep your snout out of my business!?” Capper snarled. Trixie serenely sipped her coffee, before she blinked innocently at Capper. “I believe–” she trailed off. “--I believe that if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have this business for me to nose into to begin with. If anything, you should be crediting me, the Great and Powerful Trixie, as the entire reason you’ve even been able to do whatever it is you’re not doing with the mare you’re dating, who isn’t even your marefriend.” “I…I…” Capper sighed and lowered his head. “I just don’t want to mess this up. After all these years, I think I finally have something real. My biggest fear is that some old habit of mine is going to ruin it for me, but I don’t want to just let it go.” Trixie nodded as she took another sip of coffee. “And you shouldn’t. Perhaps it’s my mare’s intuition, but I think that she’s somepony who likes you. Regardless of your history or past transgressions.” Those words resonated to Capper. Somepony she liked? And it was him? Even if he couldn’t be her hero, he could be her special somepony. Without another word, Capper stood up and began to leave. “Where are you going?” Trixie asked. “I want to check on something,” Capper said, as he left. Trixie stood up and guzzled down the rest of her coffee, and took the last cupcake from her plate. As she left, she passed by the colt who had been eavesdropping on Capper. “Mom? What’s post-hangover se–Omp!!” the colt was saying, just before Trixie magically jammed the cupcake into his mouth. She left Sugar Cube Corner and quickly picked out the one cat in the crowd of ponies. Putting aside the other things she had to do that day, Trixie decided to follow after Capper, until she was right beside him. Capper continued to walk with Trixie by his side. His eyes slowly rotated to glance at her, while she kept her gaze straight ahead. Somehow, it irritated Capper even more. “You’re going to the train station again?” Trixie said, more telling than asking. “So?” Capper said. “If you pick up your pace, she may still be there. Perhaps there was a late arrival, and she’d be ever so happy to see you,” Trixie practically sang. “Drop it,” Capper said. He continued walking, trying to ignore his intrusive company. His eyes slowly rotated toward her again. “You know, if you keep hanging around me like this every time I try to meet her, she’s going to think you and I are dating.” “Perish the thought. Everypony knows how a wingmare works. I’m just doing my job to make sure you’re not going to back out,” Trixie said. “You’re not exactly doing a bang-up job,” Capper grunted. “Certainly not. Otherwise, you may have at least kissed Luna by now.” “That’s Princess Luna to you, missy,” Capper admonished. “And maybe I would have if certain someponies hadn’t intruded at my house last night.” Trixie mumbled unintelligibly and kept walking. Capper was at least grateful for her silence. But it was what he saw next that made his spine shiver. Further down the path was the pegasus from the gala. She was alone, without her griffin companion or Needy anywhere in sight. Her face was a completely blank slate, clear of any emotion or expression. Whatever she was up to, she was simply standing idly by, her eyes wandering aimlessly about. “Isn’t that–” Trixie began. “Yes,” Capper interjected. “Should we do something about her?” “I wouldn’t get involved,” Capper said before he started to take the long route to the train station. Trixie followed hastily after him. “But, you’ve surely heard the news. They said she tried to stab somepony!” she said. Capper slowly stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. The pegasus was looking at him. Her face had changed to a look of confusion. There was no getting around it. Capper turned around and faced her. The moment he had, the pegasus’ eyes widened. And as soon as she realized who she was looking at, she ran off in the opposite direction of him. Before he could even worry about what the pegasus was doing, Trixie ran after her. “Hey! Wait!” Capper called as he ran after her.