//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Eris and Umbra: Borne on the Wings of a Dragon // by ZephyrStrife //------------------------------// Once again, Eris finds herself in Umbra’s living room after deciding to let herself in. For once she’s actually reading a book, while sitting upside down on her favorite couch. “Why, Eris, I’m surprised. You’re actually doing something productive while waiting for me.” Her left ear flicks a little. “Yeah… I decided to get a few ideas… you’d be surprised how hilarious some of these books can be.” She poofs herself back into a regular sitting position. “This book I’m reading is called ‘The Hangover’... I never thought that three friends could have so much fun without remembering a bit of it.” Umbra starts a bit. “‘The Hangover’, huh? That’s a movie in my home world, my real home world, that is… I guess more than a few things carried over…” “Maybe…” She starts, pausing for a few seconds before snapping her fingers, “Applejack’s hosting a cider tasting later this week! Let’s go to it together!” She exclaims happily. “...” Umbra is at a loss for what to say for a moment, but quickly recovers. “Don’t you remember what happened the last time you touched even the slightest bit of alcohol? I don’t think so, you and any form of alcohol is a bad idea…” She waves her paw dismissively, “...Luna got over that video… everyone already thought that it was fake because nobody could get that deep into the Lunar Tower without getting surrounded by Thestrals.” “...wha? I was referring to how you went on a rampage and blitzed your way across the country and ruined so many bars so badly that I had to fix them. Oh, and you tried to cuddle with at least six hundred different ponies, some of them mares… including Luna… and Cadence… and somehow Chrysalis…” Those poor bar owners still hadn’t made back their profit yet. “Well… Maybe… But Cadence loves to cuddle…” Eris replies. “And I did not break those bars, that was that weird robot-guy that you brought with you.” She turns away a little and pouts. “Nevertheless, I am refusing to let you go anywhere near Applejack’s place that day. I’m putting my foot down on this one. No. Way. In. He–” Later that Week “How the hell did you manage to talk me into this? No, why did I let you talk me into this in the first place?” A very exasperated Umbra is currently walking beside his best friend, desperately trying to keep her from any alcoholic drinks and purging her system of foreign contaminants whenever she managed to actually slip away. And desperately trying to hack her alcohol tolerance into a higher level at the same time. Eris rubs her cheek against his arm, “It’s because you find me adorable… And that Daddy invited you to go with us.” She chuckles. “Curse my unfailing need to accept invitations from people I associate with.” Umbra dips his head, feigning mock-depression to hide the small smile that slashed its way across his face. “It’s just too bad Rarity and cousin Blueblood are still not on speaking terms… despite how much he’s tried apologizing… He loves cider…” Eris sighs with a slight frown. Despite said ‘sad’ event, the atmosphere around the pair is warm, ponies gathered in groups with ciders of various alcohol content grasped in magical auras and forehooves. A light murmur of conversation fills the background, somehow adding to the atmosphere. Eris managed to slip away again, appearing at one of the drinking games and challenging Snowflake to a drinking contest. Panicked, Umbra flashes over, startling a few of the other booth-goers. Grabbing Eris, Umbra offers a quick apology to Snowflake as he drags Eris away. “Jeez Eris, I know you wanna have fun and all, but I don’t want you to go through the same thing as two years ago...remember that hangover you had the day after?” Umbra smiles apologetically, almost tenderly, down at Eris. Eris starts to pout again, “Aww… just one game? P-p-please?” She asks, giving him filly-eyes as she pleads for the chance to get plastered. “Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…...FINE. One game. ONE. And I’m purging your system straight after… I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay?” Umbra has decided to play the lovestruck fool today, apparently. She squees and hugs him before going back over to challenge Snowflake, the pony with the second-best constitution in Ponyville, the first being Berry Punch, and who was currently tied with Big Mac. “C’mon Snowflake! I bet I can drink your sorry butt under the table!” At that very moment, every single pony in earshot moves into a crowd formation so fast, that even Umbra has trouble keeping up. The two contestants are seated in the middle of the path, a table between them, both with a pyramid of Applejack Daniels Hard Cider-Whiskey barrels stacked to their sides. Umbra knew that as soon as the first drop hit Eris’ tongue, they were all doomed. Thus, he changes Eris ingrained protocols, just a little, barely enough for good luck to scrape out a win, really Eris smirks and Snowflake cracks his neck a little as the first two mugs are poured. Berry Punch saunters past with a sign saying ‘ROUND 1: FIGHT!’ over her head… many a stallion’s gaze soon left the match to find purchase on her… cutie mark… yes. Snowflake is the first to bring his mug up and down it all in a gulp and a half. He slams the empty mug down and exclaims with a mighty roar, “YYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!” “Ouch… my non existent ears”, Umbra mutters in the background, partially hidden by the wall of visible caps-locked text blasting from Snowflake’s roaring mug. Eris simply smirks as she wraps her tail around the handle of the mug and downs the drink in a few gulps, slamming the cup down and licking her lips with a smile. “One for one…” She says. Umbra gulps, and hopes that his slight mods to Eris’ code will hold out against her Chaos magic long enough for her to win… or at least pass out. --- Five rounds later both the contestants are swaying quite a bit in their chairs as they drain their mugs at the same time. Five mugs Applejack Daniels will do that to anyone. Not shots, not glasses. MUGS. Eris licks her lips sloppily, “You know… you… you got… like… small wings… like Scootachicken…” Eris starts, at least until Scootaloo’s angry “HEY!” reaches her ears. “...So… How can you fly… and like… she can’t?” Eris finishes asking. We regret to inform you that Umbra can’t give a good explanation currently due to the fact that he’s trying desperately to not think about how attractive Eris currently looks to him… and failing hard. ‘GAH! Bad Brain! Stop thinking about Eris’ cute blush and her adorable drunk attitude and her really pretty mane and… FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!’ We will never hear another scream so packed full of rage ever again, mentally or out loud. Meanwhile, Eris and Snowflake have finished off their tenth rounds, both now leaning heavily against the table and trying to keep their balance… and also sorta failing. “Y- *Burp* -Yeahhhhh….” Snowflake cheers with slightly less vigor than usual. “...D-das… Das not answ- ans… and… uh…. No… That… Das not da word…” Eris slurs as her eyes seem to shift a bit in size. She nearly falls out of her chair as she slowly reaches for the final mug… a slow, epic grab that would either seal her victory, or seal her defeat! With a look of sheer determination, Snowflake reaches his mug at the same time, shakily bringing it to his lips and wearing more than half the mug before he collapses onto the table. Eris slowly brings the edge of the mug to her lips… hesitant to tip it as she takes another whiff of the alcoholic apple beverage. Umbra notes this, and reluctantly lowers her blood alcohol content. Honorable as he may be, he is no Auric or Ben 10, and thus feels no guilt at all in cheating to help his (probably in the future) girlfriend win a drinking contest. Umbra himself is banned because he can’t get… anything really. Unless he wants to. Eris finally tips the drink and lets the bitter liquid wash itself down. She lets the mug drop from her paw onto the ground with a soft *Thud* before collapsing out of her chair. The crowd roars at Eris’ victory, the sheer sound enough to wake the Undead Baron of the Frozen Wastelands. Eris shakily straightens herself and sits up against the chair. “U-Umbra…?” She mumbles. Umbra, despite the crowd cheering loud enough to wake the Undead, manages to hear her and instantly teleports over. “...Yes, Eris?” She throws her arms around his neck and hugs him. “I luvz you…” She slurs with a drunken smile. “I… have a deep, personal regard for you as well, Eris…” Umbra decides to (Probably mis)quote Mr.Peabody and Sherman… just to get out of copying Han Solo… and avoid an actual confession as well. “Nah… I… I mean… Like… I really… Love… You… You’re so… Funneh… an… Smart… You make me… So happeh.” Eris mumbles as she nuzzles where his chin should be. Umbra merely smiles, his entire body for once going from pure shadow into a fully rendered grayscale human as he smiles tenderly down at her. “Your drunk Eris… why don’t you just take a nap for now, eh? And… I… love you too.” ‘Oh god, I just said it! Oh… she’s asleep already’ And indeed she was, having conked out as soon as he’d said the word ‘nap’. Umbra merely smiles, his body fading into shadow again as he kisses her forehead. “Gods, you’re too damn cute for your own good sometimes, you know that?” Eris continues nuzzling him in her sleep, making little purring noises. “Well… I think she likes you…” Discord chuckles as he comes into view. Umbra barely reacts, only lifting Eris into a modified Bridal Carry. “Yeah… I think she does…” Discord chuckles again and pats Umbra’s head, “Just make sure you don’t keep her up too late and make sure you’ve got everything covered… or…” His smile fades as the world around them stops moving, his usual smile replaced with a deep snarl, “You will REGRET hurting her…” He growls inches from Umbra’s face. Time seems to start moving normally again as his expression is happy again, “...Kay?” Umbra, though not intimidated, replies with an affirmative nod. “If I ever do hurt her… well… you’ll never find enough of me to fill a thimble…” He turns to leave, “And by the way… thanks for the invite.” WHOOSH And the two are now back at Umbra’s house, the sudden transit hyper-metabolizing the alcohol in Eris’ system, causing her to awaken with the second (and second worst) hangover she’d ever experienced. Still delirious, Eris squints in pain and snuggles deeper into the soothing darkness of Umbra’s torso area. “Eris...We’re back at my house… do you want something for your hangover?” Let it never be said that Umbra is incapable of being the ‘caring boyfriend’ kinda guy. Eris slowly shakes her head and nuzzles into him with a grimace, “Shh…” She mumbles, “Less talkie… more… sleepy…” “Oh, you are just a treat. Silly draconequus...here we go, one queen sized bed, ultrasoft, with a nice canopy to shut out the light.” Gently placing Eris down, Umbra places a glass of water and some aspirin next to her bed-stand (for indeed it was hers; Umbra took the Master Bedroom and turned it into a lab, he doesn’t own a bed… Eris actually has her own room in Umbra’s house, though she doesn’t stay the night often). She feebly nuzzles him again before letting out an adorable yawn and curling up around one of the pillows. “Nyah~...ZZzzzZZzZZzZzzZzzZZzZZzz….” ‘MAN, she’s so cute… I guess that’s part of why I fell in love with her after all...’