Parental Problems

by Speven Dillberg

The Morning After + Just Out Of Town

When Twilight woke up the next morning, she immediately wished that she hadn’t. Her first hangover had been bad enough but this... what she was experiencing at that moment was some exotic flavour of pain that the greatest torturers would give up their racks for. Aside from the feeling of her horn being forced into her brain, her eyes felt like they had been left out in the sun for six hours, her throat felt like she had swallowed a glass of broken glass and her legs may as well have been switched with logs.

She tried to pull a pillow over her head but encountered resistance in the form of something weighing down on it. She rolled over as slowly as she could, which still proved too fast for her hangover-affected brain, and failed to realise the significance of the pony currently sharing her bed.

It was only after ten seconds of staring at this pony that she recognized both who it was and what their presence most likely represented. She let out a startled squawk that woke up this pony, who rolled over and met her eyes. After a few moments, Twilight’s bed-partner managed to speak. “Twilight?” Rarity croaked. “Why are you in my bed?”

The purple unicorn raised her head to see that, yes, she was indeed in Rarity’s bed and, by extension, Rarity’s house. “I don’t know,” she responded, her voice just as croaky. “I can guess...”

It took but a moment for what she was saying to penetrate Rarity’s hungover thought processes. “You mean we - ?” Twilight nodded. “But but I don’t remember anything!”

“Neither do I, but I can’t think of any other reason we’re in the same bed.” Twilight tried to stand but the pain that shot through her head ended all thoughts of continuing that course of action. “Ooowww...” she moaned.

---

Applejack pulled her head out of the bucket of water and shook it vigorously. It wasn’t much, but it helped with her hangover. “What was Pinkie Pie thinkin’?” she muttered as she toweled herself off. She trotted off, going to wake her older brother so they could get a start on the chores that had to be done around the farm.

The Apple family were among the hardiest ponies in Equestria. That meant that they were able to bounce back from almost anything with ease. The hangover would have been crippling to any other earth pony, but to Applejack it was simply a minor inconvenience. She did move a bit slower that morning that she was accustomed to, but that was the extent of its impact.

She got to her brother’s room and started banging on the door. “Hey! Big Macintosh! Up and at’em! We got work ta do!” After a few moments she opened the door with the intention of shaking her brother awake. “Get movin’ ya dozy -”

The reason she didn’t finish her yelling was what she saw. In the bed was her brother, but there was also another pony. The soft pink mane and butter yellow coat were recognizable anywhere. It took a moment for the farmer to find her voice. “What in tarnation is goin’ on?” she asked, Big Macintosh and Fluttershy blushing profusely, looking anywhere but at Applejack. “Why is Fluttershy in yer bed?” Applejack asked redundantly, already knowing the answer.

---

“Ow, my wings,” Rainbow groaned as she landed heavily.

Postie alighted next to her with a thud. “You too?”

“I’m getting out of shape,” she said as she dug her head into her saddlebags. “Probably something to do with you.”

“Hey, it’s your idea to stay in bed for so long,” Postie retorted. “Though that is good exercise.”

“Yeah, but the wrong kind,” Rainbow replied. She pulled her head out, a bottle grasped in her mouth. She pulled off the lid and gulped down half the bottle before passing it to Postie. As he emptied it, she looked at the horizon. “We can probably walk the rest of the way. Shouldn’t take more than half an hour.”

The stallion passed the empty bottle back and folded his aching wings. “Well, what are we waiting for?”

The Equestria-Aquileon border was to the north, past Canterlot and the city of Stalliongrad. It had taken a full day’s flight from Ponyville without rest, and the further north the pegasi flew the colder they found the weather becoming. Of course, part of being a pegasus was the fact that they could quite comfortably live in the higher altitudes where temperatures were often low. Even though it was only early autumn, they had caught sight of a small amount of snowfall, though it was typically confined to small areas and with barely enough mass to construct a halfway-decent snowpony.

From what they had seen of Hippogriff from a distance, it was a small town, smaller than Ponyville. The buildings weren’t as colourful or stylized as Ponyville’s either, a result of the influence of griffons’ more practical, subdued design aesthetics. At first glance, Hippogriff seemed like a dreary, uninviting place. As they approached, though, the sounds of life drifted towards them. Then a griffon flew overhead, carrying what looked like a bag in its talons. He (Rainbow had explained to Postie how to tell them apart) had, just like every griffon, the rear half of a lion and the front half of an eagle. The eagle portion was incredibly muscular, and the beak was quite large and dangerous-looking, as were his talons. The rear end was just as threatening, with sharp claws and muscles that seemed to rival those of Big Macintosh’s.

As the tercel flew into the distance, Rainbow and Postie noticed what seemed to be a pony atop a small hill, cursing loudly. They couldn’t catch the words, but judging by the tone the pony was far from happy. “What’s his problem?” Rainbow asked.

Postie gave her a look. “You expect me to know?” he asked. “I’ve been here with you the whole time. How am I meant to know?”

Rainbow was not amused by his attitude. She had just spent a whole day flying and the exhaustion in her body, her wings in particular, was not doing her any favours. She smacked the stallion in the back of the head with a wing. “Let’s just get over there and see what’s wrong with him.”

As they got closer, they could see that it was a pegasus, a rather well-built one at that. His coat was the same colour as an angry storm cloud, and his mane and tail was a mix of electric blue and bright yellow and, somehow, the shape of a stylized lightning bolt. Postie had long since given up trying to understand in any real depth how Equestria worked. “Complete waste of bits...” they heard him mutter.

“Uh, are you okay?” Postie asked, having gotten to him first..

The stallion looked up, startled by his sudden audience. “AH! Don’t sneak up like that!” Up close, he was quite large, muscular and intimidating. Postie would have been a little scared if it weren’t for the most ridiculous little mustache he had ever seen. The stranger blinked when he saw Rainbow Dash crest the hill. “You got here quick,” he commented.

Rainbow blinked as well before cracking into a wide smile. “Dad!” she cried as she rushed in for a tackle-hug.

The stallion began to laugh. “You need to visit us more often, Dashie. Your mother worries.”

Rainbow snorted as she stood on all fours again. The size difference was quite incredible. Postie stood maybe half a head taller than Rainbow, while her father stood a little taller than Big Macintosh. “Postie, this is my father, Thunderhead. Dad, this is my coltfriend, Post Haste.”

Postie gulped, finding himself in a truly foreign situation. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

Thunderhead started laughing as Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Do I look like one of the Princess’ guards to you? None of that ‘sir’ stuff, you got that?”

“Right, sorry.”

“Come on,” Thunderhead said as he slipped a cord with a small box attached to it around his neck, presumably the source of his earlier complaints.

“Dad, what is with that mustache?” Rainbow asked as the group made their way to the town of Hippogriff. “You look ridiculous.”

“I do not!” Thunderhead answered loudly, his pride hurt.

---

Author's Notes:

A shorter chapter because I don't want this to stagnate and become forgotten. I'm a little paranoid like that. Also, sorry for the massive delay.

“Tercel” is the proper word used for referring to a male falcon or peregrine, but I think I can make it work here. Unless someone can tell me what word they use to refer to male eagles?

Comments

[derpy von muffins]

well it could have been worse, i mean dash's father might have looked like this

google.com/imgres?q=godfather&hl=en&biw=832&bih=464&tbm=isch&tbnid=PcCr4eulsv_OeM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20192586_20440975,00.html&docid=gJJiYEXEaMPO9M&imgurl=http://img2-3.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080417/Al-Pacino/Godfather_l.jpg&w=400&h=300&ei=xKc3T872IobxrQfrufzVBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=463&vpy=162&dur=307&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=130&ty=92&sig=118291165728839202210&page=2&tbnh=126&tbnw=173&start=11&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:11

[Swokk]

Nice.

[AliCentaur Br0ny]

I've seen "Tercel" used for male griffons in other stories (or at least one other) before too, so I think you're O.K. with using the term here.
Also: Dat 'stache.

[Meta Knight]

great

[Pegasus Lightning]

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