Of Gears and Magic

Ticky laughed at Iccy before she hiccuped herself. It only made her laugh more as she hiccuped and fell back with hooves flailing like a giggling maniac.

Icarus blushed again, Shaking his head. "O-Oh dear... W-We're d-drunk, aren't w-we?" As if to prove his point, he hiccuped at the end of that sentence.

Ticky chuckled and snorted with laughter. "Hehe. Y-*hic*-Yup!" She poured another glass and started to work on drinking that too. She felt so mellow and happy right now. Nothing in the world could bring her down right now.

Iccy hiccuped again, smiling softly. Seeing Ticky Happy made him happy. Not sure why.

Ticky began to finish off her drink, leaning back further and further until she fell backward with a crash. The combination of falling back and being drunk knocked her out. She looked so peaceful as she laid there, breathing softly.

Icarus hiccupped a bit, heading toward Ticky. "Y-You oka--?" The Question remained un-answered, as Icarus ended up tripping, and fell with a CLUMP on the floor, out like a light...

BANG BANG "Ugh..." BANG

As White knocked the door with her hoof, her brain knocked the side of her skull. It wasn't the result of a morning after a fun night this time, rather it was the rather violent lecture she received for letting Ticky stay at a unknown stallion's house where alcohol was.

"Seriously, they're treating her like a filly," she muttered to herself, then shouted, "Hello? Anypony in there? Ticky? I'm here to make sure you're okay!"

BANG BANG BANG

Ticky sighed softly as she began to rouse from her sleep. The banging was annoying and she tried to ignore the sound that only made her head ache.

Icarus groaned weakly. It felt as if each bang was a Drum, being hit with a Steam-hammer, Was smashing out his brain. Was this what they called... a Hangover? He mumbled, and snuggled closer to the warm... breathing... thing... next...

...

Icarus went as pale as a sheet, daring to open his eyes. "... U-Um..."

White was seriously getting worried. She started slamming on the door, harder and more frequently.

Oh Celestia surely the creator didn't do anything of Ticky why did I even think I thought Ticky gave me her she trusted argh I was stupid why did I didn't even ask his name stupid stupid I'll kill myself if something happened if her parent doesn't kill me first stupid argh open open please tell me that she's alright and that she hasn't been raped or murdered or both oh please what have I done....

Usually she would have been more patient, but the words that were shouted at her the previous evening were starting to take hold of her mind.

Ticky groaned, clearly annoyed with the sound. She grabbed the nearest thing she could to cover her ears and whine as the sound made it feel like explosions were going off in her head.

Icarus tried to sneak away from Ticky as gently as he could, Heading to the door. "C-Coming!" He said, wincing slightly.

The door opened, and Icarus looked Death Straight in the eye.

From outside, Icarus Looked like a mess. His hair was pressed to his face, and there was a rather nasty bump on his head. His vest was wrinkled and there was a button undone.

"... H-Hi, M-Miss w-woods." He greeted quietly.

Oh. Dear. Celestia.

"Hello. Sir," White said through teeth set in a frozen grin, "Is my dear cousin alright?"

Her eyes traveled up down, surveying the noblepony. The image of unkempt-ness formed made White form the conclusion that was set for her the previous evening. She was going to die, she was sure of it.

It was a pity she couldn't strike a creator without facing execution. Though if she was going to die anyway...

Ticky rolled around a bit, trying to get comfortable again on the floor, but the broken bits of chair were making that rather difficult. She solved this by throwing them across the room, some clattering past the hallway behind Iccy.

Icarus nodded fearfully, halfway freezing when he heard the clatter, stepping back. "S-She was a-asleep..." He explained weakly, Feeling the anger roll off her in waves.

He had an idea what she thought they did last night. and he hoped they didn't do what she thought they did last night. He couldn't remember anything since his first sip. Ugh, his head...

"I see. I also see that you two had an exciting evening," White managed to say through her frozen face, "Pardon me."

She pushed past Icarus into the house towards her cousin. Standing over the prone figure, her grin died and became a mask of pain, sorrow and anger. She lowered her head and whispered in her ear. "It is ten minutes past the eighth morning hour, cousin, I suggest you wake up."

After saying that, she went to the kitchen, opening drawers to try and look for oil and and frying pan. She hadn't had breakfast, and she couldn't think properly on an empty stomach. Nor could she properly express how angry she felt.

The time. That got Ticky to wake up. She immediatly whined and was on her rump with her hooves rubbing her head. A headache with references to time did not do her any favors. It took her several moments to comprehend where she even was.

"Wha-....White? What happen?" She said, looking to the broken chair around her.

Icarus shuffled his hooves. How Angry Ticky's cousin seemed, plus the clattering in the kitchen, Made it obvious that she was getting a weapon.

At least, obvious to Icarus' Scared mind.

"G-Good m-morning, T-Ticky..." He said quietly, looking up.

Breaking eggs without the use of magic was simple with enough practice. Soon, they were sizzling on the pan. Bread was also sliced and placed on plates, along with an assortment of vegetables.

Soon, three suitable breakfasts were served.

Then White poked her head out of the kitchen. "You two. In here. Now."

Ticky knew that face a little too well. She would not defy it. She glanced at Iccy before quickly running into the room and taking a seat, not even daring to touch her food until she was told to. Doing anything without her sister being alright with it now would probably worsen things.

Icarus went into the room as quietly as he could and sat down. Miss Woods hadn't come after him with a knife, so she didn't get a weapon like that to kill him. Unless the breakfast was to kill him. Would be smarter than a knife. He gulped to try to calm his pounding heart. Wouldn't do to spoil her plans by keeling over by way of heart attack, would it?

Taking her place at the table, White nodded. "Now I seem to recall last night saying an instruction regarding drinking." She clapped her hooves together. "But goodness gracious, I seem to have forgotten what I exactly said. Can one of you remind me? If you remember, of course."

She started eating.

Ticky shrank in her seat, staring intensely at her toast. She was almost trembling to herself in fear. Of what happen and what her sister would think. This always happened to her. And this was why she could never really live on her own. If it weren't for her, she would be in that place all by herself where the crazy ponies go.

"I...I'm...Sorry....I just...wanted to have some fun...." She said, holding back tears.

Icarus glanced over at Ticky, and seeing her hold back tears...

"I-It w-was m-my f-fault. I-I s-should have s-said no."

Well, If He died, at least He didn't feel as bad about it.

White glared at Icarus. "Yes. You should have."

She turned to Ticky and her glare deepened. "While you were having 'fun', guess what I was doing? Go, go on, guess." She drew herself up. "I was trying to convince your mother that you could take care of yourself. Trying to calm her screams of 'It's just going to be like me and her father!' and 'I thought I told you to take care of my baby!'. Trying to stop her from drinking herself to a stupor and trying to dodge thrown bottles! I covered for you, because I thought that you had the sense to control yourself! I trusted you not to get yourself into a position where you can be taken advantage of! Then I return early the next morning, one or two hours of actual sleep, and what do I find? You, in the aftermath of a binging session, snuggling with a stallion that I just met yesterday!" She pointed at Iccy, but her angry gaze was kept on Ticky.

"You are one year older than me, for crying out loud! Why do I have to treat you like a little sister? You have no proper job, you're just a flower filly! You are not that age anymore Ticky! You can't just rely on the kindness of strangers anymore! Nor can you just rely on handouts, cause perks are hard to get in my actual, honest-to-Celestia, paying job! The same goes for the rest of the family! We love you, but you can't be going on like this! I can't- I goddamn trusted you Ticky! Why did you have to betray that trust?"

White slammed the table, upsetting her plate. Crying, she didn't care. "I covered for you, I fucking covered for you, even when they screamed that their precious Tickyclock would be spoiled for marriage because of me! And now that they're actually right, who are they going to blame? No, of course not precious Tickyclock, the little flower filly of lillies, so pure! So innocent! Look at her puppy dog eyes! She can't be at fault! The shit is going to be on my plate, all because I thought you could fucking control yourself for one, fucking, evening!"

She slouched in her chair, rant over and done with.

"By the way kind sir," she said, grabbing the champagne bottle she picked up from the living room before entering the kitchen, "I'm going to help myself to a drink."

White threw her head back, drinking straight from the bottle. It was over quickly, as there wasn't much left.

"One drink," she said darkly, "You called that one drink."