//------------------------------// // Adorable Cartoon Ponies Shouldn't Be Able To Get Hangovers // Story: Blossoming: Learning How To Fly // by nanashi_jones //------------------------------// Storms and shadows. Thunder that sounded like gunshots. Lightning that rendered everything in black and white. My heart raced as I flew through the gale. “C’mon...” I groaned, straining. “C’mon...” I shouldn’t be flying through this. It’s wrong. I can’t feel the magic. I know I’m different now, but I should still feel the magic! “Remember that,” whispered a voice. Wasn’t that mine? Another lightning strike. Another gunshot of thunder. “What?!” I swerved in midair. Not my smartest call. The storm buffeted me sideways, flipping me into a brief spin. I fought free. Why couldn’t I even see the ground? Or a cloud to latch onto for that matter? “Your magic. It’s all yours now. It’s important,” whispered a different voice. Yet... It still sounded like mine. How could that be? I only had one voice. Didn’t I? Another thunder gunshot. Except this came from a gun that pointed out of the rain. Right. At. Me. ~ Day 13 I woke up in a tangle with a crick in my back and an intense pounding behind my eyes. Thank Luna the curtains were drawn because I couldn’t have handled light. “Uuuurgh...” I groaned. I blinked and was lost for all of two seconds as I thought, This isn’t my ceiling, when last night returned in a jumbled, high-speed mess. I remembered talking with Banana Fluff. And Rhea. And Night Shade. Then I was... Yeah, I was cuddling Cloud and Banana was there and- Oh. Oh boy. My hangover cleared just enough that I was able to see Cloud and Banana Fluff dozing on the bed. Where I had been between them. “Oh great,” I muttered, face-hoofing. January’s college memories spiked. Partying till all hours. Drunken nights spent in the arms of whoever would take her. Stumbling home with her bra in her purse. Not embarrassing on their own, but as the highlight reel poured through my head, shame blossomed fresh. Mostly shame over how often January didn’t think things through. Why couldn’t she and Cloud Kicker have merged? I thought. Maybe that would have saved me this guilty feeling. Like I cheated on my shieldmate. Even though she was right there. I shook my pounding head at that. Just because January had a past similar to Cloud’s didn’t mean she’d mesh today. I was her and Blossomforth’s merge kid. I had to believe the magic paired us up for a reason. Though I hoped that the reason was greater than grokking Cloud’s ability to sleep with everypony on the planet. Speaking of sleeping ponies, I couldn’t sit here between these two with an aching skull much longer. Gently as I could, I flapped my wings and pulled free of the pony pile. Cloud moved a foreleg, sleepily seeking me out and I had to smile. This only caused a bolt of pain across my forehead. Shower. I needed a shower. Moving a pillow to her arms, I went for the bathroom door, which was closed. Glancing around in the near dark, I realized I didn’t see Rhea on the other bed. “Oh ponyfeathers,” I muttered. I tried the handle and it gave. I went inside. Bracing myself, I flicked on the light and immediately regretted this decision. Pain rebounded in my head and I squinted at the toilet, weighing whether I’d need it or not. Once the throbbing behind my eyes settled, and I decided I didn’t need to puke, I checked around. It didn’t take long. Rhea wasn’t in the bathroom. Except... Going to the shower curtain, I took a breath. Pushing it open, I found the blue unicorn, dozing on top of a folded comforter and two pillows. I blinked. “Rhea?” I croaked. She didn’t even need a nudge. She stirred, blinked, stretched, smiled and raised up her head, smacking her lips. “Oh. Hey Blossom. How’s it going?” she said with a little yawn. “Goooood,” I replied, looking at the cozy tub-bed. “Um. Rhea? Why are you in the tub?” It was her turn to blink at me. “You set this up for me,” she said. “I did?” “Yeah.” “How... Drunk was I last night?” Rhea’s face clouded slightly at the question, but she was quick with the answer. “I don’t... Really know. You didn’t have any issues walking and getting us all in the room. I figured you were just tipsy.” I sighed, my eyes closing. Great. January had a weird special talent. It wasn’t until she went to Dragon*Con a few years ago and talked with a cosplayer that it came to light. January had been wandering the late night life, sharing a bottle (or three) of wine with some friends and she was being social. She’d chat to random passersby, dance briefly as she passed someone with a boombox and generally be a socially lubricated person. While moving around, she came across a cosplayer and stopped to heavily praise the hard work and detail. Then, because she figured she crossed a line or came off as creepy lesbo, she apologized for being a drunken party girl. The cosplayer said that January appeared sober. Turning to her friends, who confirmed it, January had a drunken moment of clarity: whenever she drank heavily, the line between her being royally, stonking drunk and just tipsy was blurry as all hell. Even her friends who had known her for years would be hard-pressed to say whether January was just lightly drunk or, give-me-the-keys drunk. Back when they first started dating, she had surprised Jess by asking about her activities the previous night- Jess had thought her fine. So that talent had migrated into me during the merge. Super. Drunk Blossom had Done Things. “Okay, Rhea? Just assume I don’t remember anything after the party,” I said. Because I didn’t. “What... Happened?” Rhea settled herself a little and frowned in thought. Her tail twitched and her right eye did... a thing that I could only assume was her checking with Night Shade. “Well... After you and Cloud stopped dancing you came over with Banana Fluff. We all chatted a bit, then you said it was late, and yeah, it pretty much was. So, you called the van driver and got us to the curb.” She giggled, blushing slightly. “You even got Marc’s number for me before we left. Then, you made out with Cloud, loudly, and we got on the van. “You pointed Cloud to Banana Fluff while you talked to me. They were pretty... I mean, wow. I don’t know how you did it, but you told me to ignore Cloud, ‘cause ‘she did that kind of thing all the time.’” She laughed. “And you know, you were pretty funny too. You did this, like, commentator voice and was all, ‘And here’s Cloud using the sideways swinger move.’” Memory sparked and I said, “Outlawed in outer Manehattan due to poor taste.” “Yeah! Sure you don’t remember this stuff?” “Bits,” I said with a weak smile. “Go on, please?” She gave me a look, sighed and said, “Aaaaanyway. So we got back here, Cloud kinda latched on to you and Banana looked like she was gonna take a pass at me and you grabbed her and daaaaaamn. I ain’t seen kissin’ like that outside movies.” “Wait, wait. Details, Rhea. I did what?” “You had Cloud on your back, bein’ all up on you. Banana was gettin’ cute on me, so you grabbed her and super kissed her or something because she pretty much did what you told her to after. Which mostly was gettin’ her wrapped around Cloud’s neck, kissin’ her a bunch. “I asked if you needed any help, because, hey, that’s a lot of ponies, but you said, ‘Booze is my spinach’ and got us up here. “Cloud and Banana looked like they were gonna do somethin’ else and I’m cool, but I’m not that cool and Night Shade was with me on that. So, I was gonna go wait down in the lobby, but you grabbed some blankets, set us up here and shut the door.” “I locked you guys out?” “Nah. You told Cloud to have fun and we talked. Conventions, video games. Stuff like that. Cloud knocked on the door a bit later. I was ready to crash, so I told you to go, like four times. Whatever y’all did after, it didn’t wake me.” I blinked. A lot. “Was... Was that all?” Rhea shrugged. “You said you might need the shower in the morning. You seriously don’t remember anything?” “They’re called blackouts for a reason,” I said with a sad smile. “Glad I only had two drinks and a Monster,” she replied. “How’re you holding up’?” “Like I got hit by a headache truck. And... I kinda woke up between Banana and Cloud.” “No.” “Yeah.” She chuckled. “Damn, girl. Miss playa over here.” I blushed. “Please don’t. I did that back in college and...” I ran a forehoof over my wing. “I’m not really proud of it any more.” Rhea cocked her head at me, examining me and shrugged. “Whatever. Looks like everypony had fun.” “Maybe...” I said, still nervous about whatever happened with Banana and Cloud. Rhea shifted. “Hey, if you’re here for that shower, I can move. I mean, unless they’re...” She looked meaningfully out the door. “Out like lights,” I said, with a dismissive hoof wave. I rested my head on the tub’s lip and snorted. “I don’t know whether to be relieved or worried more.” “Cloud didn’t seem to mind. She kinda liked that you were all take charge and stuff. Said it was hot.” I laughed, which just made my head ache more. Putting a hoof there, I squinted at Rhea. “But you? You’re good?” “Well... I’d be lying if all the hugging, kissing and whatever wasn’t weird. I’m no virgin, but that was like, a whole other level for me. But, you were nice about it and so were Cloud and Banana, I guess. Y’all didn’t make me watch and you set me up pretty good for shower crash space.” She looked at her bedding and smiled wistfully. “Wish I had this pony bod for Midwest. Last time I did this I scraped my foot on the faucet.” I laughed again, which made my head really pound. “C’mon,” Rhea said, getting out. “You need that shower. I can doze or watch cartoons on mute or something.” “Thanks,” I said, smiling. “I can’t- I mean, I just-” I glanced down to collect myself and looked back at Rhea. “There was a convention a while back. When Jess and I were human and just messing around. A friend came in on us and...” I let the implications sink in. Rhea mouthed a “Wow.” “Yeah,” I replied. “I still feel bad about it. And I’m technically a new pony.” Rhea snorted, eyebrow raised in amusement. “Okay, you know what? You were Miss Concerned last night. All, you okay, Rhea? How’s it going Cloud? Night Shade good too? How’s your mom Banana? All that stuff. You’re bein’ pretty hard on yourself.” “Well, thanks. I just think I’m supposed to be the adult here.” Rhea snorted. “Right, ‘cause you’re so much older than me.” “I’m thirty!” Rhea gave me a once over. “You don’t look thirty now.” “Well, I have thirty human years experience and that’s what I’m sticking to.” “Whatever,” she said, waving her own dismissive hoof. “Someone’s more relaxed,” I replied, smiling. She shrugged, blushing. “We talked and you’re cool. Way too physical when you’re drunk, but cool. Besides...” She glanced away, smiling at something. “Me and Night Shade talked last night too. I may be borderline anxious as hell most days, but you saved me. Least I can do is be honest right?” “Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter and Loyalty,” I said, my smile widening. “Damn straight,” Rhea said with a nod. “And Drunk You was all about those last night so...” She raised her hoof. I bumped it. It’s like the show said. Friendship is magic.