//------------------------------// // The Aching of Waking // Story: Incoming Outgoing // by Werdna //------------------------------// BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP “ugggggggh…” BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE- *SLAM* Celestia damn that alarm. Ugggggh… No matter what time you went to bed the previous night, your mornings were always the same. Loud beeps, annoyed groans, a slamming hoof, and you cursing that blasted alarm clock and the obnoxious song of its’ people. Why couldn’t it be something more pleasant to the ear? Something like the sounds of a waterfall or the sounds of someplace tropical? Or better yet, what if it made no noise at all? That would certainly be nice. The absence of a high pitched series of beeps would no doubt make mornings a lot more of an enjoyable experience for you. You think about it some. Why did you even have that thing anyway? Surely your mornings would be less of a hassle if you just ditched the blasted thing in favor of simply waking up when you felt like it. You could remain in bed, curled up with your sheets and pillows and continue dreaming about Celestia knows what. Actually, scratch that. Some of your dreams would be best if left without Celestia knowing what, especially if those twin mares from down the street were involved. You know, the ones who worked at the local spa. What were their names again? Lotus and Aloe, was it? Yeah, that’s right, Lotus and Aloe... Eyes half closed, a mischievous smile runs across your lips as you begin to think about the twin mares again, slowly drifting off to sleep once more. … Allow me to work out the kinks in your backs, girls… … Now how about I spread some of my aloe on your lotuses? … Oh how can I say no when you offer to give me that kind of job? … That kind of job … Kind of job Something doesn't seem quite right, and you wrinkle your face in irritation for a moment as you try to figure it out. … Job... Career... Profession... ... Work. Your eyes fling themselves open as the realization of what plagued your brain hits you. You have to go to work today, which meant that you wouldn’t be getting the chance to sleep in as you so wish you could. You let out a low grumble, irritated by the thought of having to work for a living. Ugh... Why couldn't I have been born as Prince Blueblood? You roll over onto your back and shift your eyes to either side of your position. In addition to your initial disdain of working and waking, you also realize that you were alone in bed, with not a mare to speak of lying beside you. Then again, never in your life had there been, and as far as you knew, never in your life would there be. For the time being, it was just you and your dreams –both pitiful and explicit- dreams. You heave a sigh, feeling slightly put off as you momentarily reflect upon your ‘lack of love’ life. Again, why couldn't I have been born as Prince Blueblood? But enough of that. Work is a-calling, so you had better get yourself 'a-crawling' as it were. Of course, however, things are often easier said than done, and you find yourself still glued to your mattress, hardly even attempting to pry yourself out of your state of comfort. You lie there for another minute staring and thinking about nothing in particular before making the decision to at least turn on your bedside lamp to illuminate your fairly darkened room. After a fair bit of fumbling around for the switch with your left hoof, you manage to connect with it; the sudden brightness of the lamp causing you to squint your eyes and flutter them open and closed a few times as you adjust to the change. You then turn your head to the left and look at your arch nemesis, the alarm clock, undamaged despite the countless amounts of times your hoof violently connected with the snooze button atop it. Perhaps it was designed with heavy-sleeping, hoof-smashing consumers in mind, you ponder, checking the time as you do. 6:05am You reach over and flip the alarm switch into the off position before it can continue with another set of dreaded beeps. With that now taken care of, the next task at hoof became getting out of your ever so comfortable bed, which was arguably the most difficult part of your mornings (the term arguably, though, as you weren’t too sure whether or not having to get out of bed was worse than being rudely awoken by the sounds of your alarm). Nevertheless, you push yourself into an upright sitting position at the edge of your bed and stare into the mirror situated above your dresser. “Yeesh… I better get cleaned up…” Getting to your hooves, you step into the bathroom and switch on the lights, then head to your shower to turn on the water. A quick passing of your hoof through the water soon finds it to be of proper temperature, and you fully step in afterwards, letting the warm droplets immerse you, turning your mane, tail, and body darker shades of their respective colors. After a few minutes of showering, you turn off the water and dry yourself off with a towel, neatly folding it over a rack once finished. As you stand in front of your bathroom counter grooming yourself, a chuckle escapes you as you think about your previous day's work at the "Green Leaf Cafe", one of Ponyville's most popular eating establishments. You recall two mares sitting at a table; one with her face buried in her hooves as the other one droned on about these things called ‘humans’ or something of the sort. You figure the topic was brought up fairly often, as not every day do you see somepony react to a conversational topic with such utter disdain. At least she didn't decide to drag you into the 'discussion' though. After a quick brushing of your teeth and a combing of your mane, you turn out your bathroom lights and step back out into your room. You trot over to the window on the opposite side and pull back the curtain, revealing the morning sun as it begins to peak over the mountains. You recall yesterday’s pegasi weather report for today saying something about minimal clouds and a temperature in the mid to upper 70’s, accompanied by a gentle breeze. In other words, it will once again be a perfect day weather-wise, and you can’t help but smile at the thought of it, even if you will be forced to enjoy it from the confines of a cafe.