//------------------------------// // Waking Up Horny- The Morning After, Part 2 // Story: Apple of My Eye // by musicalreader //------------------------------// Apple Of My Eye- Chapter 11 Waking Up Horny AKA- ……Never Mind, I Like That Title Just Fine… Twilight had never had the most steady sleep schedule… Between the late nights spent reading until dawn, and the fact that no matter how tired she was, the library always needed to open at the same time. Needless to say, she was one of the first ponies in the town to stir the morning after. Still… there are certain things that are better slept off… “Ughhh…” Twilight groaned, rolling out of bed as the clock downstairs struck ten, on the dot. “Why did I think that it was a good idea to do body shots with Vinyl? Sweet Celestia, I’m still dizzy… Where the hay is that sobriety spell?” As she was digging through the pile of scrolls and scraps of paper on her desk, she heard another groan come from under the covers of her bed. “What the?!” Twilight yelped, turning in place as something under the sheets rose up in the middle of her bed. “Twilight dear… why in Celestia’s name do you have to be so loud in the morning?” Rarity asked, groggily kicking the comforter off of her to look around Twilight’s room, blinking slowly in a morning haze. “Rarity…” Twilight said, her voice taking on the strain of one trying not to freak out completely. “What are you doing in my bed?” “Oh don’t you remember darling? I had to help you back to your home after you finished one of those ridiculous drinking games with Vinyl and Berry Punch. Honestly though, how those two convinced you to play is beyond me. In any case, you started mumbling something about feeling alone, so I decided to spend the night with you and keep you company.” Rarity explained, passing a brush through her mane until it had returned to its normal shape. “So… wait. You were sober?” Twilight asked, finally finding the spell and flaring her magic to rid her system of the residual alcohol. “Well of course my dear! A lady never allows herself to be less than in complete control of her faculties. I mean, for goodness sake, imagine if I’d lost my sense of self control and ended up dancing with Applejack and Orion on the table like that?” Rarity said, looking genuinely offended that Twilight would think anything less than the best of her. “What? They danced on the table? It couldn’t have been that bad… could it?” “Darling, I know this is a stretch, but when was the last time you went to a club?” Rarity asked, sizing up the violet librarian. “Well… what kind of club are we talking about? Because I went to the country club with my parents the last time I visited Canterlot…” “Sweetheart… I mean a club where there is loud music, ponies straddling each other on the floors, and occasionally, shows where stallions and mares will put on AND take clothes off on stage for money.” Rarity pressed, being sure to paint a very specific image for her delightfully clueless friend. “Three weeks ago, Lyra and Bon Bon’s anniversary…” Twilight answered quickly, apparently not so clueless after all… “You were taking a break from business and were spending time with your family out of town.” “My… well… how specific… In any case, think about those kinds of shows, now imagine that instead of a random stranger, it was your friend and the new colt on the block…” Rarity finished, cursing the fact that her coat allowed her blushes to show so easily. “That’s…. that sounds……wow.” Twilight responded, her eyes growing unfocused as flashes of last night were remembered, and the blanks filled in with Rarity’s explanation. “Mhmm… It was certainly something to see darling. And luckily for me-err… I mean, US… we know a few tricks to get him to put on a show like that.” The white fashionista said, winking at her friend as she climbed out of the bed and headed for the bedroom door. “Now, Twilight, I believe it is customary for on to nurse themselves back to health the morning after such… festivities… so, what do you say we go grab a cup of tea from Sugar Cube Corner?” “That sounds great Rarity!” Twilight said, smiling gratefully and following her friend downstairs. As they entered the main part of the Library, neither unicorn could help but notice that Spike was asleep on the floor, with his head in the fireplace, and smoke billowing from his nostrils with every breath. “Is he alright like that?” Rarity asked, pointing at the young drake. “He does that sometimes… I think he like the way the stone feels on his scales or something…” “It’s also great for muffling the noise you make when you snore…” Spike interjects, his eyes still closed. “See?” Twilight said happily, before realizing that he had just answered her… which meant he must have been awake. “Spike… how long have you been awake?” “About the same time you rolled out of bed and the clock chimed. Unlike you Twilight, Not only can I handle my drinks, but I also know when to stop myself so I don’t wake up with a hangover.” Spike said sarcastically, lifting his head up out of the fireplace and smirking at the purple mare. “I can handle my drinks!” Twilight argued, not wanting to give him any chance to hold this over her head. “Yeah, up to about the fifth mug of cider… then you got some of that moonshine and kind of zoned out. Next thing you know, you’re up on stage dancing to Pon3 and doing shots with Berry Punch and the DJ herself.” Spike said, standing up and crossing his claws over his chest and grinning smugly, as Rarity tried to hide a laugh at Twilight’s expense, and Twilight herself began to grow a darker shade of purple. “Oh shut up…” Twilight mumbled, walking towards the door, “Come on Rarity, let’s go get some breakfast…” As Spike made to follow them, he was stopped by a shimmering force field. “Not you smarty-drake…” Twilight said, sticking her tongue out at the young dragon. “You’ve got chores to do… I want the encyclopedias and Adventure shelves alphabetized by the time I get back.” “But you and Rainbow Dash were the ones that pulled them out of order with your little book fort war!” he objected, pouting on the couch. “Then you should have no problem finding the books that are out of order.” Twilight said finally, shutting the door on her companion. “Twilight, don’t you think that was a bit unfair? If you and Rainbow Dash really were the ones that put the books out of place, shouldn’t you be the ones to clean it up?” Rarity said, frowning disapprovingly at her friend as they walked through the almost completely deserted street. “Yeah… but he was being so smug about last night… Besides, I’ll make sure to pick up a jeweled cupcake when we reach the shop.” Twilight said, her promise to bring Spike a treat seemed to do pacify Rarity, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. …. Well, it was mostly silent… there was a loud shriek at one point, but it was probably nothing. If living in Ponyville had taught her one thing, it was that nothing in this town was ever normal. A shriek after a night of partying was probably the least crazy thing that would happen today. Having finally arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight and Rarity were aghast to see that the few patrons who were there looked like they’d just come back from Tartarus. There wasn’t a single pony NOT complaining about their head, not remembering anything, or nursing a cup of coffee while holding their stomach. “Uhhh… Mrs. Cake? Did you let the twins make the coffee again?” Twilight asked, Cup Cake having just come out from the back, herself looking a little ragged and worn out. “Oh no dearie… This is just some of the crowd that was at that party last night. I gotta say, I haven’t had that much fun since me and Carrot got married… but it’s a good thing I left early.” Cup said, smiling softly, her statement breaking off with a yawn. “From what Pinkie Pie told me about last night, it sounds like it was something to remember… too bad there’s not a lot of ponies that do…” “Yes well, it was certainly something to see while it lasted.” Rarity said, smiling graciously and passing about five bits across the counter top. “Is there any chance we could get a cup of your strongest morning tea?” “Oh of course sweetie. I’ll get right on that for ya, just take a seat wherever, and I’ll have it right out. Everypony’s moving slowly this morning anyway, so there’s not much of a rush for me.” Mrs. Cake replied, taking the money and scooping it into the register drawer. As Cup Cake walked off to get their tea ready, Rarity and Twilight sat down at the one table not surrounded by grumpy, tired, and sore ponies, and started chatting about other things. As it turns out, they didn’t have to wait long for their tea to be brought out, and they had only gotten half way through their first cup when Pinkie Pie came down the stairs and smiled at them. Twilight had to admit, it was a neat trick to see Pinkie moving at a normal pace, and also being quiet… “Heya girls!” Pinkie said, keeping her voice low, but still managing to put the same enthusiasm in her words as ever. “I’m surprised you’re up already Twi. The way you were going to town last night, I thought you’d sleep in about as late as Rainbow Dash.” “Well, I’m used to not getting a lot of sleep. And besides, Somepony has to open the library every morning.” Twilight answered, sipping form her cup. “I wouldn’t worry about that today Twi. Most ponies are in recovery mode. I’ve been busy too, between cleaning up the Town Hall from last night, and making sure that anypony that came in had a nice dark corner they could relax in. Honestly, the morning after some of my parties is just as important as the party itself.” “I completely agree Pinkie. In fact, I’m amazed that there are this many ponies out and about after last night… I thought for sure that most of them would be in bed for a couple more hours at least.” Rarity chimed in. “What do you mean Rarity?” Twilight asked, looking at the other unicorn curiously, “I thought the town was being too quiet. It was only a little bit of alcohol, how much damage could that do to a whole town?” “Think about it Twilight. There was almost every single pony in town at that party last night. And there were more than enough drinks to go around. Plus, it didn’t start winding down until almost dawn! Honestly darling, I know you have a steady schedule for your mornings, but I’d assumed you at least could allow for other ponies who aren’t as regimented and disciplined as yourself.” “Mhmm… Rarity’s right Twilight. You need to learn to give other ponies time to recover. Besides, not every unicorn knows how to do a sobriety spell.” Pinkie said, nodding sagely. “How did you know about that spell?” Twilight asked. “After the way you were drinking last night? You’d have to have used magic to flush your system. If you’d waited naturally, you’d either be asleep until noon, or you’d still be drunk.” She answered, rolling her eyes like it was all common knowledge. “But you know, it’s a good thing that you girls are okay. Princess Luna is about to come in and ask for our help with something.” Before Twilight and Rarity could begin asking their friend what in Equestria she meant (and before the author could toss a proper bitch fit about her casual Fourth Wall breaking.... again...), the front door of the shop slammed open, causing several patrons to grab their heads and start complaining. Luna ran in, looking around frantically before hurrying towards the stairs. As she was about to climb them though, she noticed the three sitting at their table and rushed over to them. “I need your help!” She exclaimed, “I’ve lost Orion!” “What?!” All three exclaimed, with various looks of disbelief. “How did you lose him? And what kind of position were you in that you were in charge of him?” Twilight asked. “I thought he’d managed to get back to Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack last night Princess.” Rarity interjected, “And I’m certain that you stayed at the party… So what do you mean you lost him?” “Ooh! I know!” Pinkie exclaimed, waving her hoof in the air like she was part of a quiz game. “Maybe you kidnapped him from Applejack’s farm last night before you went home, and he got out and headed back here, and he knows some kind of huuuuge secret about you and Princess Celestia, so you need to find him again!” “Wha- no!” Luna exclaimed, interrupted again by Pinkie Pie. “Then you two must have whisked yourselves away to Las Pegasus, where you got married in a chapel by a pony dressed like Neigh Diamond! But Orion sobered up and didn’t want to be married to a Princess, so he ran off, and now you need our help to go on a cross country trip to find him before he can annul the marriage!” Pinkie guessed again, this time Luna only gaped at her in shock. “No, that’s too silly… I know! You didn’t actually help Applejack and Orion back to the farm, you put that cloaking thingie on them and they stayed at the party. But since you were the only one that could see them, you three partied together, and this morning, after getting black out drunk, you’ve forgotten where he ended up, and now we’re gonna go on a slightly smaller search that will involve a Manticore, a forbidden temple and a golden idol, a time travelling carriage, and one of us getting arrested!” “Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, causing the surrounding ponies to glare daggers at the four mares sitting around the table. “Will you be quiet and let the Princess tell us what happened?” “There’s no time. Long story short, things happened last night, I spent the night with him to help sort things out this morning, but he ran off before I could do him again. Now I don’t know where he went, and if we don’t find him in time, then there’s no happy ending!” Luna said, her eyes darting around to the three mares listening. “What? What does some of that even mean?” Twilight asked, Rarity and her sharing a look of confusion… Had Luna really just said some of that? What the HAY happened last night?! “No time for talky girls!” Pinkie said, standing and whisking the four of them outside in a moment… just exactly how, nopony could really tell… “Now everypony split up and look for Orion!” With that, Pinkie Pie zoomed off down the street, heading towards the farm. Rarity just shrugged at Twilight and started trotting off to her boutique to start her search in familiar territory. “Thank you for your help Twilight Sparkle. You are a very good friend. Now quickly, time is running out… I shall continue searching for him on the edges of the town, as I can move faster than anypony else. I need you to start your search at the Town Hall. I have a feeling that he will wander there some time.” Luna instructed, spreading her wings and taking off. Having absolutely no clue what exactly was going on, Twilight simply shook her head and wandered down the road towards Town Hall. If she had a bit for every time that she got dragged into some kind of crazy series of events… well she’d be living somewhere other than a tree, that’s for sure… When she got to the Town Hall, Twilight was surprised to see a small group of Lunar Guards standing outside in a huddle. They seemed to be going over a plan of sorts, but Twilight knew from her brother that you never interrupted soldiers in a huddle. So instead, she decided to wander to the back of the building, and sat down on a bench to see if Orion showed up. The day was getting on, and ponies were starting to wander about their business. Though, a fair amount seemed to be heading out of the Town Hall, Twilight kept to her post for awhile more. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her, and she looked around the front of the building. There was a line of ponies congregating to get into the building. Most looked confused, and were holding a small piece of paper like it was an invitation. But that couldn’t be it could it? They’d all been at the party just the night before, why would they be so eager to come to another one? “I’ll never understand some ponies…” Twilight muttered to herself, walking away. “If Orion ends up at Town Hall, at least there are some Lunar Guards there. Luna probably told them to keep a look out for him too, so there’s no harm in trying somewhere else… I wonder if he’s at the hospital…” With a new destination in mind, Twilight set out for the local hospital. She was almost there when another shriek cut across the sky. “Seriously… who the hay is that?” she asked herself, walking up the path to the large building on the hill. Nurse Red Heart greeted her with a smile as she entered. “Good morning Miss Sparkle.” She said warmly, “And how can I help you today?” “Well Nurse, I need to know if one of my friends has checked in here…” “I’m afraid that Miss Dash hasn’t been with us in about a month. She seems to be taking it a bit easier since she broke her wing the last time. Which is good… if we saw much more of her, we’d have to start giving her a frequent visitors card.” Red Heart answered, laughing at her own joke. Twilight chuckled a bit too before remembering why she’d come in, “Actually, I was asking about a new pony in town. His name’s Orion. Grey Pegasus?” Red Heart looked at her clip board for anypony checked in that matched the description and frowned. “I’m sorry sweetheart, there’s nopony here today like that… have you considered the fact that he may be in the Town Hall? I know that’s where the Lunar Guard is helping ponies who were at that party last night. Maybe your friend found his way there?” Twilight considered this. It was possible that he’d gone in while she was on the other side of the building… “Alright Nurse, I’ll check there again. Thanks for your help!” Twilight said, rushing out the door. “No problem Miss Sparkle! And tell your friend Rainbow to stay safe!” Red Heart called after her as the violet unicorn hurried out of the hospital. Twilight ran full tilt back to the town center, seeing from a distance that there was now a longer line than before, leading out the front doors of the Town Hall. How had had everypony partied last night, that this many of them needed help remembering what happened? As she got closer, Twilight saw a flash of orange standing outside of the structure, looking around frantically. “Applejack!” Twilight called out, closing the distance. “I need your help!” “You and me both!” Applejack called back, looking at the unicorn with a strange, worried look in her eyes.