//------------------------------// // Beginnings // Story: 2500 miles to Manehattan // by Air Heart //------------------------------// I didn't know what happened, didn't know how, I didn't know why, all I knew was that someone had put a small sun in my face ,the room smelt like gummy bears, my whole lower half was wet and something heavy was in between my legs. Opening my eyes and groping around in pain I finally found them. Purple shades that acted as the sun’s greatest foe. Sliding them on granted sweet relief and I chanced a look around as my eyes grudgingly began to operate again. The room was a mess. Upon every flat surface lay empty bottles of various types of alcohol and caffeine. Even my own sponsored drink was there telling me I could go out and do whatever it was that marketing decided to go with. Several ashtrays still smoked with cigarettes and other paraphernalia. Along with this several balloons lay around, some being blow-up dolls. For some reason a few of the windows were smashed and a patio door had been torn off its hinges. What looked like a kitchen that was located off to my left was covered in leftover food and booze. And to top it all off, almost every chair that wasn't broken was on its side. The most pressing problem at the moment wasn't the condition of the room however. No, the problem was that I didn't even recognise the room. Looking to my own situation I found that the sun was in fact still outside, shining through a broken patio door. The smell of gummy bears and my lower half's wetness were all due to the fact that I was lying in a hot tub that was bizarrely, yet somehow unsurprising due to the state of the rest of the room, half filled with semi dissolved gummy bears. The smell developed to reveal that plenty of booze shared the space in the hot tub with the gummy bears. It was also with this that I realised that I was not alone, a grey coated mare with an extremely disheveled charcoal mane that was currently almost completely submerged in the gummy bears, except for her head, which was resting in my crotch; a colour scheme that befitted my best friend, Octavia. It seems somewhere in my observation of the room, my friend had awoken to our current situation. Evident by her shocked expression, it was not how she expected to wake up. We stared at each other, like deer in headlights a blush growing upon both our faces. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-, this isn't what it looks like" she stammered throwing herself backwards. "I just woke up and I-" "What am I sitting in? What happened?" She asked, sitting waist deep in a pool of gummy bears with an utterly confused look on her face which quickly turned to fear as something undoubtedly horrific moved underneath her. "Oh god something moved" she screamed in my ear as she leapt forward, latching onto me. Wincing I looked around her to see a bright orange maned mare covered in gummy bears and gasping for breath. "Oh it’s just you Carrot Top" Octavia said to Carrot Top, who was now holding her head in her hooves and glaring at Octavia. "You fucking sat on my head" Carrot Top growled "I almost downed." Octavia opened her mouth and responded but what she said I didn't hear. All I could think about was Octavia with her hooves around me. And her body pressed up against me. I had long harbored a crush on Octavia and despite the sticky sweets in between us, it was heaven. Unfortunately it was brief as Octavia detangled herself and, well, I'd say climbed out of the hot tub but she more or less tumbled out. "God damn, what the fuck happened here." Asked Carrot Top as Octavia got to her hooves and ambled to the window, shielding her eyes against the sun for a moment. "More importantly, where are we?" I said, as I slowly clambered out of the tub after Octavia. Being that I didn't recognise the room we were in was a bad sign, especially given the state and former luxury of the room. "Los Pegasus, or Prance judging by the Eiffel Tower" said Octavia from the window. Los Pegasus, the city of sin and vice. It was also at least a full day’s drive from Manehattan, where we started our night out. "Los Pegasus? Fuck what day is it?" Neither of them answered so I looked around for a clock or something that could allude to the current time. Unluckily for us there was a wall clock near some double doors that appeared to be working. 10:47 Tuesday 14/6/14. Last time I remembered waking up it was Friday morning, 4 days ago “Shit, C. Top go see who else is here so we can figure out what happened to the last 4 days?” "You do it, I'm getting breakfast" replied Carrot Top, walking out the door. Sighing I awkwardly picked up a slightly full can of some energy drink with my hooves and took a swig. How Earth ponies and Pegasi ever managed to do anything without magic I had no idea. I usually just used my magic but I didn't was to risk it with my headache being this bad. It tasted like ass but from a can that looked like it had been open for at least ten hours that was to be expected. As I moved to begin my search for other survivors I heard Octavia saying "I smell like a candy store mixed with a mini bar." The master bedroom was not much better although far far more illegal and hazardous. Lyra, the crazy bastard, lay sprawled out on the bed. The room smelt like she had poured out an entire bar worth of sugary alcohol. Granted, that may have just been me. A case filled with just about every drug conceived by pony kind and some that weren't was open next to her told me that things just got a whole lot more complicated. Making sure to keep a few meters from the bed, as history taught me to never get in hooves reach of a Lyra with a headache and therefore an angry Lyra, I called "Oi Lyra, wake your ass up. We got a problem." A groan that told a thousand tales of pain was all I got in response as the pile of hangover mint pony slowly began to stir. Figuring it would take her a while to get up I decided to make my way to what I assumed was the bathroom and discovered the extent of my condition. My coat was matted and sticky, with some yellowish bruising on my ribs and left eye. At least I think it was my left eye, mirrors usually require some thought to understand and when you’re hungover it becomes harder than convincing an insurance company that you didn't torch your car while holding petrol and a lighter next to its charged husk. And I had experienced both. This paired with the bloodshot eyes, the few cigarettes butts in my hair and a tongue the colour of radioactive waste gave evidence to some serious drug use or worse. It wasn't that bad really, based on what I saw I hadn't been taken advantage of, and considering what a night out in los Pegasus while high on several types of drugs could do to a mare, I considered myself rather well off. The “at least” part was the shower had not been trashed like then rest of the hotel so I was actually able to use it. Well, once I had vacated the balloons anyway. ------------------- Lyra was the worst of the four of us, overall. Two black eyes a cracked rib, her tail missing, enough drugs and liquor to get an entire guard squadron blitzed for a night and my cutie mark tattooed on her belly ensured that at least one pony would regret last night more than I would when we found out what really happened. "Why do I still smell of gummy" Asked Octavia, her head on the table of our cafe booth. "It probably soaked into our skin overnight, probably be a day until it goes" said Carrot Top, breathing out smoke from her cigarette. We were having a well-deserved, and proper breakfast in the hotels cafe, proper meaning every type of greasy food imaginable. Even Octavia, whose normal breakfast consisted of tasteless oatmeal, practically dived at the glorious food the second it had arrived. "So can someone explain why I’m a few hundred miles from home, with vinyls cutie mark and injuries befitting a car accident?" Said Lyra testily, after we had told her what knew so far, whilst massaging her head. "I don't remember a god damned thing" said Carrot Top. "The same goes for me" said Octavia. "Well the last thing I remember is picking up Bonbon in Manehattan and the five of us driving to the club, Friday night" I said racking my brain. "Shit where's my phone, I've gotta call her." Said Lyra suddenly and panicky, searching her saddle bag. "Why does it matter?" asked Carrot Top. "Cause I got a message from Bonbon’s mother asking if I knew where she is." "So?" Carrot Top said dismissively, taking a drink of juice. "If Bonbon came with us where is she now?" Said Lyra having located her phone and dialing what was presumably Bonbons number. However it became obvious that our situation was worse than we thought as a melodic tone started to emanate from my bag. Reaching in, I pulled out the source of the noise. Bonbon’s phone. Declining the call I said "So if Bonbon isn't with us, and she isn't home or with her phone, she's somewhere in los Pegasus or the 2500 miles of road in between here and Manehattan, possibly as hungover and messed up as we are." No one responded. No pressure then.