Across The Pond

The morning light shone through the tree branches and Rainbow Dash started to stir. Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes only to swiftly close them and turn her head.

"Why is the sun so bright?" Rainbow asked aloud to no one in particular. She tried to get to her hooves and quickly found herself on her flank. She brought her hooves up to her temples and began to rub them.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes a little and began to look around in an attempt to get her bearings. It was then she realized she was in the woods. She had noticed it before but it was just now hitting her. Dozens of empty bottles littered the ground, many of which had labels she doesn't remember seeing last night. She couldn't remember how she got there but her panic was subsided when she felt her head throbbing with every thought.

Pinkie Pie was halfway up a tree and there were two of the Blades on the ground. One was face down in some mud by a stream, the other was sitting up against a tree.

Rainbow stumbled her way over to the tree Pinkie Pie was fast asleep in. She started to flap her wings, they moved lazily but she managed to pick herself off the ground.

"Man what is happening today?" Rainbow asked. "And what happened yesterday?"

Rainbow Dash flew up by where Pinkie way in the tree and started to gently nudge her with her hoof. Pinkie groaned and waved a hoof passively before rolling over, apparently oblivious to the fact she was in a tree and fell to the earth. There was a thud but Pinkie did make any sounds. Dash moved as quickly as she could to where Pinkie had fallen.

"Oh my gosh Pinkie, I'm so sorry are you all right?" Dash asked frantically.

A light snore from Pinkie told Dash that she was fine. Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself.

Rainbow looked around, she didn't see any identifiable land marks, just trees in every direction. There was a trail nearby but she didn't know what way to follow the trail so she went to attempt to wake the two hung over Blades that were sleeping nearby.

Rainbow trotted over to the Blade that was face down in the mud and dragged him out and flipped him over. His face was covered in a fine layer of mud. Rainbow kicked his side lightly and the Blade flinched into it. His eyes snapped open, knocking the mud around his eyes away. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when the mud fell into his open mouth.

Rainbow Dash was smiling at the Blade, holding a hoof in her mouth to stifle her laughter. When the laughter had subsided she put her hoof back on the ground and she realized she was really thirsty. Rainbow clumsily moved towards the stream and began to drink from it. She felt the cold water going down her throat and she began to feel a little better. As she started to drink faster her head began to hurt again and she pulled back.

"What is going on?" Dash asked, holding a hoof to her head.

"A hangover, and I think we are lucky it isn't worse, consider we managed to go about a twenty minute walk from the Temple and completely forget it happened. That is, unless you remember how we got this far out?" the blade with the muddied face said.

"Sorry no" Rainbow said. "But should we get back to the Temple, you sounded like you know where we are."

"Yeah it isn't far but lets wait till those two get up, I don't know about you but I would rather not carry someone on a twenty minute walk ending with a large acceding hill while hungover' the Blade told Dash laying back down, not bothering to wipe his face.

Rainbow Dash walked over to the base of a large tree to wait in the shade, away from the tyranny of the sun light while she waited for Pinkie and the other Blade to wake up.

Strillian was walking around the Temple. It seemed everywhere he looked somebody or somepony was passed out. The few that were outside and had been woken up by the sun simple grumbled and moved inside where they would just go back to sleep.

Strillian was currently contemplating whether he should wake them all or not. He was in charge and they were scheduled to start training hours ago. Though remembering the equines had never had alcohol before then it was probably safe to say they never had a hanger either. Strillian didn't want to make their first hangover any worse by making them do work so he allowed them to sleep in.

Strillian was moving past the sleeping masses on the ground, counting all of them. Strillian began to make his way to the gate when he noticed there were four people unaccounted for. When he was outside again he made his way to the gate guards. Despite the party they had drank little so they could preform their duties and Strillian was glad for their restraint.

"You didn't happen to see two of our men and two ponies leave at some point, did you?" asked Strillian.

"Yes sir, they left about midnight, saying something about needing more booze. Figured they were just going down to Bruma. Since they haven't returned I assume they either got themselves arrested down their or they are sleeping in the streets" the guard told Strillian.

"Well I'll go see, I have a meeting with the Count and will be down there anyway" Strillian told the guard as he began walking towards their stables. Strillian mounted a horse and started moving down towards Bruma.

As Strillian made his way he saw the four slowly making their way up the steep hill. Strillian chuckled to himself as he mentally crossed off one thing on his to do list while in Bruma for the day.

As he passed them he shook his head and smiled slightly as he heard Pinkie say "It was worth it."