Alcohol And Repressed Feelings
With a grunt Applejack stirred, his mind slowly regaining consciousness. A pounding headache—not unlike the feeling of a small pony bucking hard against Applejack’s brain in rhythm to his pulse—brought out another, low grunt. He forced one hoof against the bed, then another, and slowly sat up. One eye cracked open, and the bucking pony starting kicking twice as hard. Below was a blurry mess at first, but with a bit of focus he made out the general shape of a bed, but not the one back on the farm. His eye closed again to calm down his inner pony, and Applejack hung his head, finding momentary relief from the pain.
A cough came out from his dried up throat, followed by a few ragged breaths. Right... right... Ah, uh, spent the night at the castle. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. Well, ain't the worst hangover Ah've had. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled before forcing both eyes open. They looked to the one side of him then the other, and spotted a passed out, rainbow-colored pegasus next to him—Prism. Ten bits says you're the cause of this. Applejack leaned forward to stretch out, his spine letting out a few pops. A yawn sounded as he rubbed the back of his neck. A numb hoof felt its way down from the neck to his chest, hitting something wet. The hay is that? He rubbed it and pulled the hoof away.
There, across the edge of said hoof, was a thick, sticky, white substance. Being a male that has produced said substances before he recognized it instantly, and in that instant his brain momentarily shut down rather than trying to ask where it came from. Seconds ticked by as he stared at his hoof, expressionless. More time passed before finally he looked over to Prism, and back to his hoof. Oh, Solaris, no. His hooves scrambled against the bed as he slid away from Prism, hitting the edge of the bed and slipping right off, hitting the floor with a thud. What the hay did Ah do last night? he wondered as he lay there with his now sore shoulder. A few mental pictures of the party were the only answer. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he shook his head. Okay, focus. Just need a cold shower to clear out my head, and it'll come back to me. Ah hope.
After standing up, he turned and quickly walked out of the room. Right at the doorway he heard a hard snore from Prism. Applejack froze for a second, waiting for signs that Prism was waking up, but nothing else came. The hall was lined with doors. Pretty sure Dusk said there was a bathroom near the guest rooms. It oughta be right... As he scanned the hall he spotted a nearby door with a B carved into it. There. He lurched forward, staggering to the door and into the bathroom. As the shock of what he found started to wear off the pounding in his head returned, in synch with each step. Keep it together, just a bit longer. The shower was right across from the door. With one swipe of his leg, Applejack pushed the curtain aside. He stepped in, and readied himself. The knob was twisted to its coldest setting and a freezing torrent hit him, chilling him straight to the bone. Muscles tensed, and a terse hiss came from between clenched teeth. After a few quick breaths he could already feel the fog fading from his mind.
As he set about scraping the substance he'd rather not name off his chest, he retraced the steps he took last night.
***
It had started with a party the night before—an engagement party for his big sister. Berry Pie had insisted on throwing one and even convinced Dusk to let them use his castle. With over half the town attending to celebrate, it'd be the only building for miles around big enough to hold them all.
As the party kicked into full force, Applejack sat in the back corner of the dining room, his attention focused squarely on the mug of cider in his tight grasp. For a moment his eyes turned upward to the large, hoof-made banner that hung from the ceiling. A crudely drawn green apple-half was next to a series of smiling flowers, both surrounded by hearts.
Applejack pursed his lips as he quickly turned back to his drink. He raised the mug to his lips, the taste of apple and burn of the strong alcohol drowned out the party around him. Unfortunately, the party wasn't going to ignore him.
“Yo! AJ!” came a brash voice from above him. A powerful gust of wind pushed down against Applejack's hat.
Keeping his eyes down, Applejack replied, “Prism, just because the ceiling is high don't mean ya need to constantly hover over ponies.”
“Pfft. Being able to fly inside is the best part of coming to Dusk's castle. I wonder if he'd be cool with me bringing a cloud in here?” Prism’s hooves clicked against the stone floor as he touched down. “So, is there a reason you're over here all by yourself?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t respond.
“Berry noticed and sent me over.” Prism pointed over his shoulder back at a group of party goers. A pink mane bobbed up and down amongst them.
Applejack shrugged and took another swig from his mug. “Ain't in the party mood s'all.” Prism didn't react, just stood with a straight face waiting for more. Applejack let out an annoyed grunt before adding, “Look, Ah've been doing all of Red Gala's chores while she focuses on this here wedding. So yeah, Ah'm tired, sore, and ain't in the partying mood. Nothing for you or Berry to be worried about.”
Prism kept the stare-down going on for a second longer before relenting. “Alright, I can buy that.” He plopped down next to Applejack and tapped him on the shoulder. “Though the last time you talked about doing Red Gala's share of the chores, you sent me crashing into Dusk's balcony. Mind giving me a warning before doing it again?”
Applejack rolled his eyes. “Didn't Ah already apologize for that?”
“Sure, but I'm just saying—” Prism knocked on the wall beside them “—the castle is a bit harder than his old tree library.”
Applejack swirled the small bit of cider remaining in his mug before tossing it back. “You know what?” His largely deadpan expression changed to a small smile for a second. “Ah kinda wish Ah could remember what your face looked like when Ah sent you flying.”
Prism’s feathers fluffed up, but before he got the chance to respond another pony—a rather large mare—walked up to them. “Howdy, sis,” said Applejack.
Red Gala nodded. “Ya feelin' okay, little brother?”
Another annoyed grunt came from Applejack. “Ah'm fine. Ah don't need y’all trying to babysit me. Like ah just told him—” Applejack nodded his head towards Prism “—Ah'm just a tired and sore.”
With a soft smile, Red Gala said, “Ya know, if ya want, Ah can help out on the farm.”
“Ah said ah'd take care of the farm, and that's what Ah'm gonna do.”
“Last time Ah heard that, ya sent him flying into a library,” said Red Gala, looking over towards Prism.
Prism chuckled, only for Applejack to quickly glare at him. “Ah won't do anything stupid this time. If things get rough Ah'll hire on some help, or get my friends to lend a hoof.”
“Prism?”
Prism's ears turned forward. “Yeah, Gala?”
“Make sure to remind him he said that if he looks too worn down.”
Prism gave a lazy salute. Tail jerking back and forth, Applejack wrinkled up his nose.
“Ah should probably head back to Jubilance,” said Red Gala. Applejack's stomach twisted at the mention of Jubilance. “See ya later, little brother.” With that she turned and walked off.
The pair sat in silence for a moment, before Prism spoke up, “So... should I tell you now that you should get help, or wait until you're passing o-”
“Ah don't need ya to remind me.” Prism's wing stretched out and wrapped around his side.
“I know what you need.” He pointed to the empty mug in Applejack's hoof.
“More cider?”
“More cider.”
Applejack snorted. “Smartest thing you've said tonight.”
“Everything I say is smart.” Prism released his grip on Applejack and stepped forward. “Have some fun tonight and I'll stop by the farm tomorrow to help you out.”
“Alright, ya got a deal.”
Most of the evening after that was a blur, with bits and pieces sticking out. Applejack could remember Berry trying to pair up ponies just so he'd get the chance to do more engagement parties. Prism got flirty with the single mares and stallions after a few more drinks. He tried to impress them with some juggling, but it failed when he stepped on a hidden party cannon. And of course there was plenty of cider flowing. Applejack had one drink, then another, and another... eventually losing count. With the sun setting, the couple of the hour decided that they wanted some alone time and left. Not too long afterward the party thinned out; everyone began going home for the night. At the end there was only Dusk, Berry, Barb, Applejack, and Prism left, all trying to clean the place up.
After some last bits of streamers were pushed into a pile, Dusk called out. “I think that's good for tonight. Barb and I can finish this in the morning.”
“Thanks again for letting us have the party here,” said Berry. He hummed while hopping away.
“Yeah.” Prism waved at Dusk with his wing before turning around.
“Mmhmm,” mumbled Applejack. He rose a shaky hoof and stepped forward, needing to steady himself for a moment before trying that again. He would be able to walk fine, if the room would quit moving back and forth.
“Applejack. Afflejack, buddy.” Prism, who wasn't doing particularly well at the walking thing either, stumbled over to Applejack and nudged him with a wing. “Hey, Affleyack.”
“What?”
“...you're drunk.”
Applejack gave him a deadpan stare—not like that insightful comment deserved any response in the first place. From behind him Dusk cleared his throat, getting both of their attention.
“You two aren't leaving.” He turned to Applejack first. “You have way too far to walk in your condition.” And then to Prism. “And you, every time you fly while drunk, bad things happen.” Prism opened his mouth to respond only to be cut off. “Every. Single. Time.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn't that much damage the last time. I only knocked over a few lamp posts got knocked over,” said Prism.
“Right. Guest rooms are over in the eastern hall. Through the door and around the corner to the left,” said Dusk, tracing the path with his hoof. “I can have Barb show you the way.”
“Pfft, we can find it on our own. Can't be that hard,” said Prism. Dusk shrugged his wings, but didn’t say anything more to them.
“Suit yourselves. I'll make sure to have something ready in the morning to help with your hangovers.” He turned away from them and started talking to Barb in an undertone.
Neither Applejack nor Prism get lost, but it still took them awhile to find the bedrooms with their slow, drunken shuffle. Once they finally reached it, Prism pushed the door open, revealing a small room lit up by the soft glow of a crystal in a corner between the wall and ceiling. A massive bed dominated the room, and left little room for much else. “Geez, I've seen cheap hotel rooms bigger than this.”
“Long as the bed's nice Ah ain't gonna complain about the room size,” said Applejack, standing behind Prism. “Now get a move on.” He nudged the pegasus forward.
“Oh, I see how it is. In a hurry to get me in bed?” asked Prism, adding in a laugh at the end.
Applejack rolled his eyes in response.
Prism walked up to the bed and stood with his front hooves on the edge of it while his back ones stayed on the floor. With his back showing to Applejack his wings extended, showing off his plumage. “I'm just a defenseless little pegasus alone with a big, strong farm stallion,” said Prism in a faux, shy and innocent voice. He flicked up his tail, and laughed again at his joke.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Okay, first off, ya ain't little. Dang near one of the biggest pegasi Ah know. Secondly, Ah know ya just like to mess with me when you're drunk. Bet you wouldn't even know what to do if'n I did mount ya.”
“Like you'd have the guts,” retorted Prism.
In a bout of frustration at Prism's antics Applejack reacted to the taunting. He reared up and flopped down onto Prism, quickly pinning his chest to the bed. What should have followed was a simple taunt along the lines of now what? Instead as Prism's back rubbed against his chest and stomach he found an increasing desire to keep Prism against him. Applejack nuzzled into the side of Prism's neck, wanting nothing more than to feel Prism's fur as much as possible.
Something of his brushed against Prism's inner thigh, forcing a small moan from Applejack. All the movement ceased. Keeping his muzzle against Prism's neck, he breathed in the strong after-a-rainstorm scent that Prism always carried. Something stirred within him, bringing a twitch to his growing cock. With that there wasn't a single doubt within his mind of what was happening.
“Um, is that...”
“Eyep,” said Applejack. His hoof reached underneath of Prism, starting at the bottom of his chest and moved down his tight stomach. Most of Prism's fur was thick, making it near impossible to feel his skin, but right above his sheath it thinned out a bit. It was the one soft spot Applejack felt on his body. His hoof slid along the warm flesh creating a small circle. Prism jerked forward, with a sudden buck of his hips. Applejack continued teasing Prism, his own excitement rising with Prism's muffled moans. Applejack nipped at the back of Prism's neck. His hips rose and then slammed into Prism's with a thud, each time falling short of its target, brushing against his thighs instead. Heat built up inside of Applejack as his member demanded attention. Little spurts of pleasure shot through him with each touch, but it wasn't enough. “Your hole is too high.”
“Y-you're not going in my hole,” said Prism between the heavy panting.
Applejack stopped, holding Prism close, but without any more attempts at rutting him.
“Dude, just trust me. Been there, not fun for anyone.”
With a grunt Applejack placed his hooves on the edge of the bed and pushed himself upward, giving Prism the chance to crawl up onto the bed. The rubbing of fur along the way only making Applejack more aware of his throbbing penis. As Prism climbed up, his tail brushed against Applejack's nose, giving him a full whiff of that scent and sending a shiver all the way down to his penis. Just as Prism was free Applejack let his front legs collapse, his chest and muzzle falling onto the bed. Soft whines came at the loss of Prism's warmth and touch. His back legs shifted about uncomfortably with his engorged, twitching member desperately wanting to be touched again. Applejack looked up at Prism, his eyes a mix of annoyance and pleading.
Prism had turned around, now pointing straight at Applejack. His wings reached around his sides, the feathers at the end sliding up and down his shaft in a slow display of masturbation. Applejack's hips bucked as he watched the head flare outward. Everything in him screamed to pounce on Prism, his only desire being to feel his touch again. “Look, maybe I'll let you use another hole if you help me out. What do you say, willing the taste the rainbow?”
And in that instant the sexual tension of the room was shattered. “That was dumb.”
Prism gave a nervous cough. “Too much?”
“Ya almost made me retract that was so bad,” grumbled Applejack as he started pulling himself up onto the bed.
“Oh come on, it wasn't that bad.” As Applejack finally slid onto the mattress, Prism tackled him. With his back pinned he could do nothing other than kick his hooves into the air. “Hold still,” commanded Prism. He pushed his hips against Applejack, their cocks rubbing against one another.
Applejack's eyes nearly popped out of his head from the sensation. Prism kept Applejack pinned in place, hard against the bed. Applejack wrapped his back legs around Prism, desperately holding on, not wanting him to pull away again. He moaned into Prism's shoulder as he his body trembled. Prism kept the pace slow at first, pulling back only slightly and pushing forward again. “More,” came a muffled begging from Applejack.
Prism stopped and whispered into AJ's ear, “What's the magic word?”
Applejack tried to keep it going himself, but Prism was keeping him in one spot. “P-please give me more,” replied Applejack in a soft voice, and Prism gave it to him. Picking up the pace, the two writhed in pleasure. The bed shook back and forth as they reached a crescendo, then a finale. Twin milky streams shot out and painted Applejack's chest white as they splattered against him.
He stared up at Prism; in his post-orgasm, alcohol-fueled daze it was a beautiful blur of colors. The pegasus' head and wings slumped down as he panted heavily. He rolled off to the side, and Applejack's eyes followed him. He started to say something only for a loud yawn to force his jaws wide open. Applejack reached out toward Prism, still wanting him close, but the rest of his body refused to move. His heavy eyelids forced themselves closed as sleep took hold.
***
Back in the present, a damp Applejack stood by the bed looking over Prism, who lay chest-down on the top of the blanket. Under that thick fur was a body of tightly coiled lean muscle, with only a little bit of bulk sticking out by his wing joints—a body perfectly designed to explode from a standstill to incredible speeds at the blink of an eye. Prism's back leg kicked in his sleep, and Applejack just watched its movements until it stopped. His eyes moved upward, following the contours of Prism's body until he reached the face. Most of it was covered up by a messy, multicolored mane, but one prominent feature was left bare—Prism's lips, curled upward into a cocky grin.
A few seconds went by until Applejack realized that he was smiling at the sight. He quickly shook it off and let out a snort. Stop that, he chastised himself. He facehooved and winced. In that moment he learned an important life lesson. Ah really shouldn't facehoof when Ah already have a pounding headache. Ow. Trying to brush off the pain, he focused on the task at hand. Applejack grabbed his hat from the floor; it rose up and quickly came down, smacking Prism in the shoulder.
“Huh, whuzza,” said Prism, starting to rise until, “Gah!” Any attempt at talking ended when Prism opened his eyes, and quickly buried his face into the blanket and his forelegs. Some unintelligible mix of whining and garbled complaints followed.
Keeping his eyes turned away from Prism, Applejack wrinkled up his muzzle. “Quit whining.” He placed his hat back into its rightful spot atop his head. “The bathroom is just across the hall, couple doors down. When ya can keep your eyes open for more than a couple seconds go take a shower. Ah'll be in the kitchen.” Prism made some strangled sound in return, and Applejack just took it as an okay. It was either that or some type of curse word—good enough either way.
The castle was easier to navigate when one's legs were steady and would properly respond to signals from the brain. Images and feelings from the night before continued to move to the forefront of his thoughts, despite his best efforts. Thankfully he eventually found something new to focus on—the scent of eggs coming from an open doorway. After getting closer Applejack stuck his head in, and there was Dusk Shine wearing a robe and cooking something in a skillet. “Smells good.”
“Hm?” Dusk turned his head back to the doorway. “Oh, good morning, Applejack.” He lifted the pan for a second to display its contents. “Scrambled eggs. It's a good way to help cure a hangover.”
“Certainly hope so.” Applejack took a seat at the kitchen table. “Um, hey... Dusk?” He had to force the words out as his pride tried to force him to clam up. “Can we, um, talk for a bit?”
“Do you finally want to open up about what's been bothering you?”
Applejack's attention went down to the floor, avoiding any potential eye contact. “It's been that obvious, huh?”
“Yes and no.” Dusk turned his head back to Applejack. “Elusive noticed it first and told us how you seemed to be avoiding everypony. Once we started paying attention, then it became obvious. So, what's been troubling you?”
“It's my sister's wedding, actually. I-”
“Of course!” Dusk shut the stove off and pushed the scrambled eggs from the pan onto two plates. “I should have known. I actually felt the same way you did.”
“Er, ya did?”
Dusk finally turned around and floated one of the plates over onto the table, right in front of Applejack, along with a fork. “When I heard about Aegis getting married I was really scared by the idea of losing my big sister. I-”
“Nope.”
Dusk stopped. “It's not?” When Applejack glanced up he saw Dusk standing there, blinking.
“Nope.”
“Right. Is it that you think Jubilance isn't the right fit for Red Gala?”
“Ain't that either. He's been one of the only ponies outside the family to actually get her to come out of her shell a bit. Plus, far as I can tell she's really happy with him, so Ah ain't got a problem with who she's choosing to marry. The truth is, Ah'm...” He worked his jaw for a moment until finally settling on what to say, “Ah’m jealous.”
Dusk raised his eyebrows. “I'll admit that I didn't see that one coming.” He took a seat across from Applejack, and quietly waited for him to continue.
“It's just—Ah never really put much thought into it until now. Always assumed settling down with a nice mare and getting married was a thing that'd just happen later on. I focused all my time on the farm, family, and friends and didn't even think of really finding someone like that for me. Then Ah started to see how happy Red Gala and Jubilance were together, how much they loved each other. Ah realized just how badly Ah wanted something like that.” His voice trailed off as he raised his hoof and rubbed the back of his neck. “Then Ah started feeling even worse because of being jealous. Ever since Ah was little, Gala has always done her best to look out for me and Apple Seed. Especially after Ma and Pa passed away. And now during one of her happiest moments here Ah am upset because Ah don't have the same.”
“While jealousy certainly isn't healthy,” Dusk said slowly, “beating yourself up over it will only make matters worse. Applejack, if you really want to find someone like that for you, you know we'll help you. Elusive could probably set you up on a few dates.”
“That would have been all fine and dandy until last night.” Applejack let out a sigh. “Right now, Ah ain't even sure what Ah want anymore. My brains about as scrambled as these eggs.”
Dusk tilted his head, one ear twitching. “What happened last night?”
“Ah'll spare ya the details and just say that your blanket is going to need to be cleaned before anypony else uses it.”
“Huh?” Dusk Shine only grew more confused. “Why would it need to be washed? All that happened was that you two slept—oh!” His cheeks lit up as his eyes widened. “I, uh, didn't think...”
After a short, awkward pause Applejack finished the sentence, “That my barn door swung that way? Funny thing is neither did Ah. Never even considered it before last night. Though to be honest, it ain't like Ah thought much about being with mares either.”
“In my opinion, you badly wanted some type of intimacy. Last night you drank enough to remove any inhibitions, and then jumped on the first chance you had at getting some—at least getting physical intimacy, anyways. It was probably more tempting since you and Prism are already close.”
“And the fact that it happened to be with another stallion?” Applejack took a bite of the eggs. “Not bad.”
“I say that there is a fair chance that you are attracted to stallions. Though it would need to be tested more. If you really want my advice, I think the best thing might be to try going out with a stallion, and to stay away from any drinking while doing so. It's really the only way to say for sure. You could try asking out Prism.”
“Sure, I could go for that,” came a third voice.
Dusk and Applejack stared at each, and then slowly turned towards stove. Standing by a now cleaned off plate was Prism. “How long have you been standing there?” asked Applejack.
“I don't know, like a minute or two. What? It's not like I announce myself every time I enter a room.” Prism covered his mouth with his wing as he let out a long yawn. “I would still be asleep if somepony didn't wake me up.” He glared at Applejack.
“Well ya can't just sleep in Dusk's guest room all day!”
“Why not? I wasn't going to be in his way!”
“Ahem!” Applejack and Prism stopped, and turned to Dusk Shine. “Prism, did you mean what you said? You would volunteer to be a—I guess you can call it practice boyfriend for Applejack? Or more if it goes beyond that?”
“Why not?” asked Prism with a shrug. “We hang out a lot anyways, and I'd be up for more of last night.”
“What about you, Applejack? Are you willing to give it a shot? You might kill two birds with one stone here.”
Applejack looked at Dusk, then at Prism, and finally down at the floor. He let out a sigh and said, “Don't ever let it be said that Ah ran away from a possible solution to this mess. Yeah, if there's any chance that this'll make me feel better, then Ah'll give it an honest shot.”
“And Barb said I probably couldn't handle relationship issues as well as I do friendship problems.” Dusk paused, all three going silent as the realization sat in. “I said that part aloud, didn't I?”
“Eyep,” said Applejack. Prism nodded in agreement.
“I'm just going to go take that blanket to the laundry room.”
As Dusk stood up, Applejack said, “We could take care of that for ya.”
“No, it's fine. The good part of having magic is that you don't have to touch things to move them. You two can just see yourselves out while I do that.” Dusk walked out of the room. After he finished his breakfast, Applejack soon followed with Prism behind him.
The walk to the front entrance was mostly quiet until they got close to the exit. “So, are you actually up for this, or just doing it because Dusk said it'd be a good idea?” asked Prism.
“Ah wouldn't have agreed to it if Ah wasn't sure Ah wanted to do this.” Applejack pulled open the door, and a stream of fresh air flowed by them. “What about you?” They both stepped out, and Prism pulled the door shut behind him.
“Same. What about your family? They going to be cool with this?”
“Well—” Applejack looked out at the scenery in the general direction of the farm “—Ah doubt Apple Seed will give it a second thought. Can't say Red Gala or Grandpa are gonna thrilled to hear it, but it ain't like it'll get heated. Things could just be a mite awkward for a bit—not the end of the world or nothing.”
“Cool. Guess I'll drop by to see you later today or something.” Prism took to the air, hovering nearby.
“Sure.” As Applejack watched him fly off, he sucked on his lip. Once more his eyes were entranced by Prism's movements. “Hey, Featherflank!” he called out before Prism got too far away. “Come back down here for a second.”
“Ugh, do I have to? Can't you just say what you want?”
“Prism, don't be so dang difficult.”
“Fine.” He touched down right in front of Applejack, leaving them almost nose to nose. “What is i-hmph!”
Applejack pressed his lips against Prism's. His hangover faded as a rush of excitement and nervousness coursed through his body. His heart thumped against his chest as he slowly pulled away. Welp, guess that confirms the liking stallions bit.
“You haven't done that before, have you?” said Prism, with an underwhelming tone.
Applejack knit his brows. “And just what are you saying?”
“Nothing, nothing. It just gives us a reason to practice that a lot. Later.” Prism shot off into the air, a gust of wind following in his wake.
… Dumb birdhorse.