//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Back Story (revised) // Story: The Binding Contract // by Mani-Roar //------------------------------// The wine had gone to my brain, so to speak. Although I had not consumed any wine at the party. Mostly bourbon and some beer. At this point I had lost track of how many drinks I had consumed. At first, I had been keeping track so that I could make a mental note on how it affected my senses based on the volume of drinks, the alcohol content by volume, and how much time had passed between each drink. By my calculations at the time, the results thus far were "a lot" and "a while." At first, I had been distracted by the fellows in the hoofball team offering me drink after drink as the night went on. I tried to explain that I was inexperienced in such consumption. Apparently, that was cause to encourage more drinking, according to them. By the time we got to playing beer pong, I had noticed a significant decrease in the efficiency of my motor skills. Fortunately, I was able to compensate with a little concentration. In fact, I found myself concentrating harder on the most basic of tasks just to compensate for the loss of sobriety. Others seemed to be satisfied embracing their less than optimal inebriated states and just allowed their movements to be sloppy. I simply could not bring myself to indulge the situation to that extent. Although, I did enjoy the euphoric feeling all over my body. When Twilight dragged me downstairs, I was at a complete loss as to what she was upset about. I had stayed away from her the whole evening just as she asked. It was her who sought me out. She stood in front of me by the stairwell, looking angry as if I had just insulted her. "What the hell is your problem?" My "problem" was apparently multi faceted. One such aspect being that I had no idea what she was talking about. "I don't understand." A phrase I anticipated Twilight would hear from me many times in the near future. "You get into a fight, you disappear, you scare me half to death, I spend most of the party trying to find you to make sure you're ok and then I find out that not only have you been having fun with the hoofball guys while I was worried, but you've been gossiping with them about me the whole time? What did you tell them exactly?" Twilight slid her waist into that crooked hip position. She held out her hoof like she was proposing a deep philosophical question. "Being exact is going to be a little difficult for me as my brain is quite fuzzy at the moment." I rubbed my scalp. I noticed my mane was a disaster. "Oh that's real convenient. Why don't you give me the cliff notes of it, Mr. Editor?" She got into my face close enough to smell her breath. She had been drinking as well. In retrospect that was not exactly a startling revelation. "While I appreciate your concern for my well being, I fail to see why you are so upset over being brought up in casual conversation." "There's a difference between being brought up and being the talk of the evening. It's a breach of trust." "I apologize, I didn't realize that our association was privileged information. Shall I keep everything about us a secret? Would that be the problem? Are you too ashamed to have everypony know that we are friendly with each other?" My emotional state was elevating. I was having difficulty thinking straight. "Oh don't be such a drama queen, you know it's not like that." She shifted a bit and looked away for a second. I felt like I was winning. What I believed I was winning exactly, I will never be quite sure of. "If that is the case, why did you send me away from you and your friends. You wouldn't even introduce me to them." "See, that sounds like something the hoofball kids would say and they don't understand the dynamics of our situation. Which is why you don't blab to every open ear about stuff like this." "At least they aren't afraid to be upfront with me and don't judge every minute detail of my existence." Twilight gasped and stomped her hoof. "I have always been upfront with you from the beginning. You're the one who's a cryptic weirdo" "I am not cryptic. I am precise and efficient. That's how I wrote such a pristine contract for our business arrangement." I couldn't keep up with what I was feeling. There were so many conflicting thoughts that were unclear. "Exactly, you write up friendship contracts to force ponies to talk to you like some kind of sick, pathetic loser!" She closed her eyes when she shouted. I pressed my lips against hers. I just wanted her to be quiet. The yelling was making me dizzy. After a second, she pulled away and slapped me across the face. Obviously I had gone too far. I was about to offer an apology when she grabbed me from the back of my head and pulled my lips back to hers. She slid her tongue into my mouth. It had always baffled me as to why ponies did that. Being inside somepony else's mouth always seemed repulsively unsanitary to me. However, in that moment, it was perfectly clear to me why it was done. I could not think of anything else I would rather do than passionately kiss Twilight Velvet. It was some time later that we gently pulled ourselves apart from each other. Twilight rested her forehead against mine as our horns made a tapping sound against the other. The look on Twilight's face made me feel warm and content. She smiled at me with yet another new type of smile from her. This one was very low key and more subtle than usual. It seemed to be inviting me back in for another kiss. I acquiesced and gave a small one on her lips. "What am I going to do with you Night Light?" She ran her hoof through my mane. I did not care to be reminded how messed up it was. "I have to admit, that was a unique and fascinating experience. I will have to study this type of... experience further." "Mmmm, such poetry. You sure know how to make a girl feel special." Her smile returned to a more familiar sarcastic one. I hoped I would get to see the other one again. Suddenly, my vision blurred and it felt as if the room was spinning. "Night Light, are you ok?" Twilight tilted her head and appeared to be concerned. "I seem to be somewhat disoriented. Please allow me a moment to collect myself." Twilight let go of my shoulder. Unfortunately, It seemed that her embrace was the only thing that allowed me to have perspective of my surroundings. Without her, direction and distance were too difficult to discern. I did not even notice I was falling until I hit the ground. "Night Light!" Much of what immediately follows is blank in my memory. I do not remember saying the words, but according to Twilight I kept babbling nonsense such as, A starry night sky is all I could imagine. A leaf blowing in the wind underneath the moonlight sonata of a brilliant theory of magical conjuration. As Star Swirl's account told us, the dreams of many are representative of the dreams of one so as the dreams of a nation coincide with the needs of us all. A single star is bright enough to burn for thousands of millennia but is often burnt out by the time our eyes can perceive its ancient light. Asleep at the wheel of a great vehicle, a vessel that will guide us into the future by understanding our past. Twilight's mouth tastes like fermented grapes and soda pop but that is not indicative of an industrial society. Do all girls taste like fruit? Maybe that's why they like to wear scented sprays and lip gloss, to accessorize their natural fruitiness. I wonder what other girls taste like. Such a peculiar sense obscured by preference. Preference is subjective and relative. Ein-Stallion's theory of relativity functions as follows... I just kept going and going apparently. "Feels like you're finally awake. Now can you please stop wiggling? I'm trying to walk here." I awoke to find myself draped over Twilight's back. She was walking us down the empty streets of Canterlot near where the school was located. "What is going on?" I rubbed my head. There was an intense pain located in my frontal lobe. "You drank too much and passed out. I'm trying to get you home. Are you in the north dorms or the south dorms?" Twilight continued looking forward as she slowly trotted down the street. "North dorms. Why does my head hurt so much?" I rubbed my forehead again "You drank too much." "Why are you carrying me?" Twilight stopped walking and looked at me. "You drank too much. Are you starting to recognize a pattern yet?" "I can walk on my own." I struggled to climb down from Twilight. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I gave up trying to balance my descent and just collapsed onto the street. "Oh this should be good. Also, you're welcome by the way." I managed to stand up, but it took every bit of discipline I had to not fall over again. My vision perceived the world around me in a rotating circular pattern. My senses were almost worthless. "Is the world still spinning?" Twilight looked amused. "In actuality, no. According to my perception, yes. Unless you are referring to orbital rotation, then in that sense the world is always spinning." I spread my front hooves out to feel more grounded. "Shall I carry thee again m'lady?" Twilight teased. "That may be the most prudent solution." Refusal would have been preferable, but I did not have the faculties to continue on my own. "Well hurry up and climb on or we're gonna get caught by..." "Hey you kids, stop right there!" "...security." Twilight had been interrupted by a uniformed campus guard. He trotted over to us and spoke into a radio attached to his shoulder. "Zero two two niner, I've got two students out past curfew, be advised." He stood towering over us as I did my best to look as sober as I possibly could. My mane probably wasn't helping my case. His flashlight was shining directly in my eyes. "Just what do you two think you're... Twilight Velvet, what are you doing out here?" "Third Watch? Oh my gosh, how have you been?” Twilight and the pony named Third Watch embraced for a hug and then continued talking. Obviously, the two of them were acquainted. “I’m great. After graduation, I got a job as a security guard for the school.” He proudly pointed to the cheaply manufactured badge on his chest. “Holy Celestia, I didn’t even know you were working with the school. What about the nightclub job and your dad trying to make you go into politics?” Third Watch finally decided to lower the light from my gaze. It would take at least 90 seconds for my vision to fully adjust to low light again. “Well, I got a better offer from the school after Mr. Lumination put in a recommendation for me.” “Oh that is just like him, I knew he would come through for you if just asked.” Twilight tapped him on the shoulder. One of her many conversational ticks. “Yeah, I finally worked up the courage. And as for my dad, I ended up confronting him as well about the politics thing.” “And how did that go?” Twilight was now resting her arm over his shoulder. “Well he kicked me out of the house and told me never to come back. But now I have my own place and this job pays alright, so I’m doing pretty good all things considered.” “I am so sorry. I can’t believe your dad would just cut you off like that.” “Yeah well I guess he just…” Their delightful conversation was cut off by a loud voice coming through Third Watch’s radio. I cannot explain why, but I was happy that their exchange had ended. “Third Watch, we copy your zero two two niner. Do you need assistance in bringing them in? Also, I’m gonna need the names of the apprehended students in violation of curfew as soon as you have a second.” Twilight and Third Watch both developed a terrified expression on their faces. “Aw crap, hang on Twilie, I’ll take care of this.” ‘Twilie?’ I had yet to hear somepony refer to Twilight by that nickname. He picked up his radio with his hoof. “False alarm on that zero two two niner. It was just a couple of Canterlot citizens I mistook for students.” The radio crackled for a few seconds. Twilight looked at the radio with her eyes open as wide as they could go. I was unsure as to what she was so anxious about. “Copy that. Please be a little more discerning in your identification, Third Watch. I already called in a two oh two and now I have to cancel it.” The voice on the other end of the radio seemed slightly annoyed. “Copy that. My bad, Gilded Sentry.” Third Watch put his radio back on his belt. “That was a close call.” Twilight sighed. Now I was confused. Perhaps my intoxication was preventing me from understanding even simple concepts. “I do not understand. What exactly was a close call?” Twilight looked away from me. “You, my friend, might have been expelled if it weren’t for Twilight here. They’re cracking down on underage student drinking these days. A curfew violation with a drunk and disorderly infraction might have gotten you kicked out of school.” He looked at Twilight and put his arm around her so they were basically holding each other. “You guys gotta be more careful, girl. I mean, he is clearly toasted and you’re involved too.” Something about the way Third Watch held onto Twilight was disturbing to me. He appeared to be holding an object in his possession rather than embracing a friend or loved one. “If that is the case then thank you, Third Watch, for your intervention. I suppose we should head back to our respective dormitor…” I had moved my hoof to begin walking forward and immediately lost my balance. I had forgotten that balancing was a nearly impossible task for me. It seemed that alcohol affected my short term memory as well. I wondered if there was any other pertinent information that had eluded me. “Woah, buddy. Hold tight there, I gotcha.” The weight of my body mass was propped up against Third Watch. “Um, Watch, I hate to trouble you, but would you mind…” Twilight began but was interrupted by Mr. Watch. “Yeah, I got him. It’s no problem at all.” I felt my body being hoisted into the air. I landed sideways with my stomach draped over Third Watch's back. He was tall enough that my hooves still didn't touch the ground. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about how nauseated I felt as we traveled back toward the school dormitories. "So how long have you two been together?" Third Watch's voice sounded far away. Perhaps I was losing consciousness again. "What, me and Night Light?" I heard Twilight's condescending giggle. "We're not together. We're just... good friends. I had to watch out for him tonight." I do not know why Twilight needed to hesitate before mentioning our friendship. And as I recalled, I "looked after" myself for most of the evening. "Whatever happened to that one guy you were with for a while. I can't seem to remember his name." "Oh, yeah, well, you know... people move on I guess." I could here a certain nervousness creep into Twilight's voice. "I swear it was on the tip of my tongue." "Eh heh heh, does it really matter that much?" Twilight sounded almost annoyed. Perhaps it did matter after all. "It'll bother all night if I can't... Fancy Pants." Third Watch tapped his hoof triumphantly. "That was his name. What happened with you and Fancy Pants?" Twilight sighed deeply. For some reason she did not want me to know that she and Fancy Pants dated at some point. Why that needed to be kept a secret from me, I was unsure. "Fancy was great and all but... I don't know. I guess I just wasn't his type of girl." "Oh no, don't tell me you gave him the 'I'm not the mare for you speech.' I'd have figured you'd at least come up with a new story for the next guy." "Hey, I did not give him the same speech. It was a completely different situation with Fancy... perhaps the thesis was the same, but still a totally different story." "Calm down Twit Spit. I was just messing with you." "I hate that nickname you know." Twilight grind-ed her teeth. Third Watch laughed. "Yeah I know." They were silent after that for a while. It was bizarre, to say the least, learning so much about Twilight's personal past from other ponies instead of her. The information presented so far had left me with several inquiries. However, I decided to just let them speak uninterrupted. Besides, attempting to speak may have triggered an unwanted response from my digestive system. "Third Watch, listen, I'm really sorry about how things went down back then. You're so great and you really deserved better." "Hey, don't worry about it. All water under the bridge now. Besides, if it weren't for you, I never would have worked up the courage to confront my father." "Really?" "Yeah, you used to get on my case about letting him control me. Sometimes I felt like my life was being run by the two of you instead of me. Which is why I finally, uh, brought it up to you that one time." "Oh my Celestia, I remember that day. Yeah, we got pretty heated at each other." "Heated? I'm surprised I don't still have a scar from that hit you gave me." Twilight gasped. "I completely forgot about that. Oh gosh, I am such a bitch aren't I?" "Don't be too hard on yourself. After that day I realized that if I was brave enough to confront my girlfriend about it, why should my dad get off the hook?" "Well, I'm pretty sure I hit harder than your dad." "You joke, but that's actually pretty true." "Oh my Celestia, you don't mean..." Twilight stopped walking and help her hoof to her face. She looked like somepony had told her that Armageddon was imminent. "Calm down, it's nothing like that. We used to box together a lot. My dad's right hook comes out like a sick filly." Twilight exhaled a sigh of relief. "You scared me there. I thought things were about to get all weepy and dramatic about your tragic abusive childhood or something." "Nah nothing like that. We don't have time for that anyway. Gotta wrap this up." "Why is that?" "Isn't that your dorm hall?" "Oh right. I kinda lost track there for a second." "You still in the same room?" "Yeah, I figured it was easier than moving off campus. Also cheaper." We moved inside the large dormitory. We walked down a long hall in relative silence as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I thought I heard more talking but I couldn't make it out. I felt myself get placed on the floor of a room. "Well Twilight, it's been a real pleasure catching up." I turned my head on the floor and looked up at the two of them. "I agree. I'm glad we ran into you." She looked down at me for a moment. "For more reasons than one." "You take care of yourself, ok?" He leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the cheek. My vision blurred as my eyes slowly shut. When I woke up, I was still on the floor in Twilight's dorm room.