The sun slowly rose over Hometown, the first rays of its light illuminating the forest surrounding it with an amber glow. The woods had gone quiet, as various nighttime critters scuttled back to their homes, handing their shifts over to their daytime companions. One of these golden beams, seeking to awaken one of Earth's most majestic creatures, managed to avoid every single leaf and branch, just to hit Noelle square in the face.
The deer scrunched her nose, letting out a groan as she defiantly turned to face the wall. Couldn't she sleep a little longer? She tried to relax her eyes, nestling back into her pillow, but nothing could change the fact that she was now awake.
While trying to flip herself over to faceplant into the pillow, hoping to find peace in the darkness, she felt a sharp stabbing pain spread across her skull, as if a caveman was using it to crush berries against a large rock, with the vertigo that would come from being such an instrument. Her hand instinctively shot up to check for signs of injury, while the rest of her body continued trying to sleep. She flailed her fingers about, slowly remembering where parts of her body were.
Head... Check.
Antler one... Check. Though Noelle felt some kind of residue on it, she didn't have the mental capacity to process that right now. It'd be a nightmare if she began shedding now.
Antler two... Inconclusive. Her arm unceremoniously folded under its own weight, missing her head entirely and falling onto the bedrest. She clearly needed more rest to process last night.
What happened last night, anyway?
Through the power of Nepotism, Noelle managed to convince her mother to rent out the town pizzeria for the evening, allowing for her, Susie, Kris and Berdly to stay there until dawn. While most of the town would assemble tomorrow for their high school reunion, the Lightnerds wanted to have a celebration of their own, a testament to their enduring friendship. Berdly and Kris took care of the entertainment: board games, a tiny projector, and some face paint, while Susie managed to sneak a few bottles of the good stuff out of the convenience store.
Noelle shuffled over, her headache subsiding as she rested her face on the cooler parts of the pillow.
They spent all evening partying, eating p"e"zza, and talking about their lives. Though time continued marching onward, their bond only grew stronger with every passing day. She remembered seeing Susie down an entire bottle in a few seconds, before happily crunching down on the bottle itself. She was barely phased by the alcohol, while Noelle struggled to not pass out by the time she finished her first drink. The rest of them wisely decided to keep the booze away from her for the time being. While Berdly refused to drink, mumbling something about "proliferating stereotypes", she couldn't recall if Kris ever drank— or even ate anything, but it looked like they were having fun. Seeing the way Kris squinted their eyes as they laughed made her feel like a kid again, playing with them in the tall grass, just Noelle, Kris, and...
Noelle couldn't help but smile.
Finally mustering the courage to stand up, Noelle leisurely rolled out of bed, hooves finding the carpeted floor as she straightened herself out, still wearing last night's clothing. Somehow, in the several moments between waking up and getting out of bed, sunlight had managed to fill the entire room. Before ever pondering that curiosity, Noelle's eyes fixated on the tall glass of water that stood on their bedside table. As her hand brought it over to her lips, her brain continued to fill in the gaps.
It's at this moment that she noticed it. The hand that she used to feel her antlers was covered in some sort of red paste. Her eyes found the mirror across the room, in which she saw her antlers absolutely caked in some kind of paint. Though, judging by the orange fingerprints, it came off fairly easily. Just another prank Kris pulled on her last night.
Gulp.
Kris snuck her into the manor through the back door, while Susie distracted Carol at the front. They went as far as to lay her in bed, then...
Gulp.
Did they talk about something? She remembered an argument by the door, but couldn't recall any details, echoes of that morning began dissipating into the void. She said something to Kris before they left...
Gulp.
Her eyes slowly focused on the glass in her hands. She must've asked them for water right before passing out... she really should thank Kris next time she sees them. And with that thought, she looked back at the clock that was hanging above her bed.
12:36 PM. Noelle loudly choked on the water in her throat.
The reunion was today, and it started in less than an hour.
