Hangovers! Hangovers Everywhere!
Pinkie's eyes opened as she stretched her legs. She had slept well after the Welcome home party she had thrown. Only a few knew that her excuse was true, her closest friends. But nobody really showed up for it besides them. Only Ditzy Derpy Doo, for the new muffin recipe. Her new friends hadn't taken the trip back very well and had fallen asleep. Spike had been introduced to the pastime of alcohol, when he was under age, way under age. She was wanting to sleep more but Bits weren't hoofed to her whenever she wanted here, she had to earn them again.
-Sweet Apple Acres-
Applejack paced in her room, letting her mind wonder. How did Scaleblade get there? At the party she asked what and who they brought with them. Rainbow had brought InvisibleScale, Twilight; Spike, Rarity had brought gems that she could call rare and exotic. Pinkie had returned with recipes for Tamrielic treats. Fluttershy brought a butterfly, a rare breed she found beautiful.
"Why did he come with us?" She pondered aloud. "Ah couldn't have been thinkin' of him, all the things he did fer me, openin his home, teachin me about the differences'tween our two worlds." During her pondering her brother happened by the guest bedroom unbeknownst to him was populated by Scaleblade.
As Scaleblade tossed and turned, he struggled to stay asleep. "No... Don't... Fus Ro Dah!" The unrelenting force shattered the window beside him. To which Macintosh responded with a glance at his coffee and another at this guest. Macintosh decided the plants needed the caffeine more than he did.
-Fluttershy's Cottage-
InvisibleScale was awoken by his own head pounding more than the ceremonial drums. He thought of the previous night, when the Governor Generals insisted he help them get their money's worth of the Mead. And regret those orders he did. "My head feels like it was trampled by the whole army." He knew not where he was or what had happened after his contest with the Generals. He tried to come to his full senses as he massaged his temples.
"So you're awake?" He heard Fluttershy's familiar voice from the other room. He stretched his back and a series of cracks echoed throughout the house. "Rainbow Dash wanted to take you to her place, but she remembered you can't walk on clouds, so she'd have to leave you down here for the time being."
"Uh huh." He was too busy focusing on his problem than his predicament.
-Twilight's House-
"OOOHHH My head hurts!" Spike moaned and writhed in pain as he clutched his head.
"Well, that's what happens when you drink too much of that stuff," Twilight was yelling at him on purpose. "You think you'd have learned this when you ate all that ice cream!"
"I'll never drink anything again." Spike's pain had brought him to tears.
"That wouldn't be a bad idea!" Twilight hollered. "Now come on, we have to get to Sugarcube Corner, and send the report Pinkie wrote up."
"But My head hurts!" Spike whined.
"Too bad, you'll get no special treatment because you feel bad after you did something you shouldn't have."
-Carousel Boutique-
It had been a long time since Rarity had awoken to nothing burning, she had a free morning. "Sweetie Belle must have gotten up early, and left already. Oh how wonderful, I don't have to wash out bowls of burnt juice." She set her eye cover neatly on the bedside table and made her way to the vanity table. Her eyes glanced over her reflection as she brushed her mane. She managed to see the clock. it was three minutes from half after nine. "I slept in!" It was a big trade off, Sweetie Belle not cooking meant no smoke alarm clock. She rushed to finish her morning routines. "How could you not eat breakfast on a Saturday Sweetie Belle?"
-Sugarcube Corner-
Pinkie was making sure that the counter was clean for the rush when Twilight dragged Spike through the door. "Hey Guys! Ya wanna,"
"Shush it, loud stuff hurts." Spike interrupted clutching his forehead.
"Hangover huh? Yeah I've had my fair share, wouldn't wish it on anypony." Her deep blue eyes shone sympathetically toward him. "So what can I do for you guys, you're just in time to beat the breakfast rush."
"I just thought, Spike could send that report you wrote up." Twilight was interrupted by Spike's latest symptom, nausea and vomiting. "Once he's done with that.
It had only been an Equestrian day, since the six had journeyed into Tamriel. Scaleblade had tried his best to adjust to his new line of work, but he was too fatigued to do any jobs that brought forth progress. Macintosh had a tough time thinking of anything a sleepless pony could do. Just that day Scaleblade had told of Valenwood, a land of moving trees. This Gave Macintosh an idea. "Make sure ours don't." Scaleblade took this order and barely carried it out. Almost uprooting one when it failed to comply. His behavior worried his gracious host.
It was midnight, and Applejack's nerves got the better of her, as she found herself at the door to his room. She quietly tapped the door with her hooftip. Nothing. She knocked harder, No response that time either. She turned the knob and pushed the door back.
Upon opening it to a crack nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Someone was asleep in the bed. But upon opening it fully something was off. Last night Scaleblade had been quite the hard sleeper. Now not even a single turn. She trotted toward the sleeping mass and as she did she found not Scaleblade but an abundance of pillows. "What in Tarnation, He's snuck out."
Rays of light peered through the boarded window, a sign of movement in the barn. Hoping it was Scaleblade and not a thief, she made her way across the farm. She could hear pacing hoofsteps and hushed whispers. Unable to place the conversation, she walked in. Scaleblade turned on instinct with the closest thing to a weapon he could find. He pointed the pitchfork at the intruder before realizing it was his friend. "My apologies, I had thought you would be asleep by now."
"What're ya doin out here?" She asked, her drawl giving the innocent question a feel of seriousness. "Is this why you can't help round here?"
"Nothing you need to worry yourself about, I've trouble sleeping is all." He assured.
Applejack sat next to him, understanding what he was going through. "Well C'mon, a lot's gotta be done tomorrow, we need all the horsepower we got." She looked around. "Unless you're too sissy to get your hooves dirty."
"I'll show you," Applejack had struck a nerve. "Vaermina will not plague me tonight," He growled. "Then you will see, you are the sissy one." He made his way back to the farmhouse, followed by Applejack.
-Not to far south-
Rainbow Dash and InvisibleScale looked into each others eyes as the moonlight illuminated them through the leaves of the apple trees. Reminiscent of their times in the Imperial Province. Not a care in the world, and nothing on their minds but each other. Invisible's horn began to glow, as an apple drifted from the branch above to his mouth. "Where should I start looking for employment?" He asked after swallowing. "What would I get the most out of my talents doing?"
"Well, what talents you got?" She replied, intent on helping him, loyalty was her element.
"Well I have dabbled in the restoration school of magick, I have accounting knowledge, as well as a strong back and mindset to farm." His responses gave him quite the versatility in her eyes, giving her a few ideas.
"Well Equestria's magics are limited in that respect, but Twilight might not like you taking credit, for something she would want to do."
"I see, we wouldn't want to undermine her self esteem." He replied.
"What about the bank?"
"I know my way around Septims."
"Bits."
"Well whatever you call them here," He shrugged as he reached into his bag. "Meanwhile, I thought you might want a taste of Tamrielic Literature." He pulled out a rather thick book, titled Nereverine; Hero Of Morrowind.
-Farmhouse Guestroom.-
Scaleblade had finally drifted to sleep, lulled by the soft caress of the midnight winds breezing through the window he had shattered the day before. He found himself back home, watching his loving family as the bard seraenaded them with a happy tune. But it turned from happiness, to something much darker. Their smiling faces turned to him, as the room's warmth began to become an intense heat. Their smiles melted away as their expressions turned to fear and pain. The entire house erupted as if under Mehrunes Dagon's gaze. He watched, unable to move, as their screams and the house faded into black.
His eyes burst open as he threw himself onto the floor. "Why? Why in Oblivion didn't I go back?" His eyes overflowed onto the hardwood. "Why must the world be so cruel, I'm the Dragonborn, I should have been smarter." He blamed himself for his loss. "Everything was good, we were happy." He thought aloud to himself. "Get it together, a warrior doesn't cry." He sucked up the tears in his eyes, and wiped the ones from his face. As his heart rate slowed to normal he glanced to the time. 2:27. He was only under for ninety minutes. He sighed. It was going to be a long day for him.
Applejack sat next to Scaleblade at the breakfast table, tapping her hoof impatiently. Granny Smith and Macintosh remained silent which was out of the norm, at least for Granny. Scalblade mumbled something incoherent through a spoonful of Apple Jack's namesake. Applejack probably thought it was something about his lackluster sleep habits. Slowly his hoof balanced chin caved and his face slammed into his bowl splitting it. Granny was the only one shielded from the explosion. AJ and Macintosh made their way to the sink to clean themselves off.
"Listen," Macintosh said with the big brother tone she knew too well. "Your new beau is, well worse than a stick in the mud."
"He's not my beau, and he's one of the best stallions I ever met."
"All he's done is sleep, and make more work for me to clean up. He screamed the window to pieces, uprooted a tree, and he almost broke the table."
"He's just... oh you wouldn't believe me if I told ya."
"Oh you hush up," Granny stepped through the doorway. "She'll date who she wants, ain't nobody got time to argue bout it."
"We're not datin, I'm just puttin him up til he can buy a new house." Applejack yelled.
"THAT'S ENOUGH OUTTA BOTH A Y'ALL!" Granny shouted in anger. "I don't have any more medication, so you two stop fightin er dear old Granny's gonna pop you upside the head. Now go find yer sister, she's been gone for three days straight, I'm startin to get worried."
"You've gotta be kiddin', she's been out for three days? Usually it's just two at most."
"And she still tells us,"
"Is something wrong?" Scaleblade asked still drowsy and damp.
"Go'on Get, don't come back without her!" Granny pushed the three of them out the door.
-Carousel-
Rarity was just starting her morning routine when she was interrupted by a knocking on the downstairs door. She had hoped for a quiet day, Sweetie Belle was back home, and she opted not to turn the closed sign around. She rolled her eyes seeing her disdain in her reflection. "Coming!" She forewent the rest of her routine to answer the door. "I made sure to notify the mayor that I would not be taking customers today," As she got to the bottom of the stairs the knocking rapidly increased. "Un minute s'il vous plaît!"
Rarity lighted her horn, and almost yanked the door off it's hinges. "The sign says..." She paused after seeing her parents. "I'm so sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night, I was occupied." Rarity plastered on a false facade. "Why are you here so early, and why knock? did Sweetie Belle lose the key I gave her?"
"Is she here? She forgot her things." Pearl asked.
"No I haven't seen her since Friday, she left before I woke up on Saturday." Rarity tumbled over her words with a questioning inflection. "I could have sworn she went home."
-Ponyville Campgrounds-
Invisible slowly opened his eyes. "Rainbow Dash..." He paused to take in a breath. "Rainbow?" As his eyes focused he found he was alone. "Damn, always happens." He thought he was used to the pain of running off another mare but still felt sad. Then he noticed a familiar cyan hoof part the tent entrance. "Good Morning."
"Nothing's great about it. I can't find her..."
"Who?" Invisible was still groggy.
"Scootaloo, I told you I'm responsible for her."
"Okay calm down, give me a minute and we'll get going."
-Golden Oaks Library-
Twilight had been studying the shrine that magically, without explanation she might add, teleported them home. She'd rather not touch it for fear of returning without a clear way back. She noted the designs had slightly changed from the Tamrielic version, they were rounder and more soft. In Tamriel they had sharper edges and clean cuts. It was engraved in a combination of ancient Equestrian, a mixture of Dragon, and Daedric. Then she noticed something else out of the ordinary. Evidence of foul play, three distinct hair colors laying on it.
"Weird, Fluttershy knows fur, maybe she knows." The nine strands, each three of a different color, were levitated in a purple aura and dropped into a manila envelope. as she locked up on her way out to Fluttershy's
-Town Square-
"Hey Kid!" Rainbow shouted.
"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity stopped her Pegasus friend. "You lost Scootaloo as well?"
"Don't say lost, you make me sound like a bad parent, and whadaya mean as well?"
"You've misplaced her then, and Sweetie Belle isn't with her parents."
"Hey you guys seen Applebloom?" Macintosh stayed quiet while Applejack and Scaleblade went up to ask.
"From what I gather these three are good friends, maybe they are together somewhere..." Invisible pondered aloud. It may be beneficial to form a scouting party, than to split up, if I knew more about them I could help more."
"Why didn't I think of that? Oh well shall we search together?"
-Fluttershy's Cottage-
"What do you think Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"It's fur..." The butter pony stated, examining them through a microscope.
"I know that!"
"I'm sorry, Discord just left, and he's a little overbearing."
"You still didn't answer me."
"I was sure you'd have figured it out, you have read every book in that library seven times each." Fluttershy was simply pandering at this point. She looked toward her lavender friend's angry face before feeling sad and sighing.
"I may have an encyclopedia or three in here but it takes time to look anything up."
"I'm sorry," Fluttershy took a deep breath. "By the looks of it it's Pony fur, filly, not to fresh maybe two or three days, since shed."
"We don't shed."
"Of course we don't, we're older, we shed occasionally we never notice, we're too preoccupied with our daily lives to notice." As Fluttershy paused to take a breath, Rarity burst in without knocking, throwing her out of her skin. "Don't do that, you know I scare easy!"
"My apologies, I was just wondering if you had seen my sister anywhere."
"I haven't sorry, what about you Twilight?"
"No I've been busy... Hold on... Rust, yellow, and white, same colors as theirs..." Twilight's rational mind returned to the helm. "Pinkie Pie!"
"Speak of the Deadra and she appears." Pinkie waltzed into the den from the kitchen.
"We have a big problem, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, they might have, maybe, possibly."
"Spit it out!" The three steaming sisters shouted in unison.
"Be in Tamriel."
The Pink pony pounced around the room. "We're going back, we're going back, we're going back..." Pinkie stopped mid air and put on a somber smile, before slowly landing. "I must put on my war face."
"Going back where?" Macintosh asked.
"Home..." Scaleblade said with a somber tone.
