Galen sat there, holding his breath for the inevitable explosion that would erupt. Pinkie's eyes were almost comically wide in shock and confusion, her cute little squeaks of distress ringing in the gentle ambiance of snoring ponies as she tried to pull together a coherent thought. Finally she broke eye contact with Galen and turned her head away in embarrassment, her furious blush still showing on her lower neck despite her face being covered by her curly mane. Galen felt guilty for making light of the situation and sighed quietly before he scooted over a little to place his hand on her shoulder. She twitched slightly at the contact though she didn't pull away.

“Yew alrigh', Pinkie?” he asked quietly. She nodded slightly, not turning to look at him.

“I can't believe we did that last night,” she said quietly.

“Ya sure we did?” Galen asked, concerned about her mortified reaction.

“Not entirely, but why would we be waking up together and you being naked?”

“Well, Ah'm not entirely sure, but Ah couldn't find any o' mah clothes when Ah woke up,” he replied comfortingly. “Maybe somethin' happened an' they're bein' taken care of?”

Pinkie looked back at Galen, though her blush was still there. “Maybe? Last night did get pretty insane,” she replied with a giggle as her blush began lowering in intensity, though she still had a flush to her face.

Galen snorted in amusement at that. “Ah don' have anythin' but hazy memories after drinkin' with Dash. Ah remember a few things, but they don' make much sense.”

It was Pinkie's turn to snort in laughter at that, quickly covering her mouth in a moment of embarrassment before seeing Galen chuckling with her. She lowered her hoof and joined him in their shared plight. When their quiet laughter died down, Galen looked to her and asked, “So, what now? Now tha' yer awake, it wouldn't be seemly fer me ta jus' run about unclothed.”

She blushed and giggled before replying, “I got ya covered. I'll look around and see if I can find your clothes, or a towel or blanket if nothing else.”

“Much obliged,” he said with a toothy smile. With that, Pinkie slid down the short slope of the hay pile they were on and made her way out of the barn. Once outside, she blushed slightly as she did a quick mess check with a hoof swiping quickly between her hind legs. It came back without any kind of residue, so that further reassured her that Galen had the right of things and was pretty sure nothing happened last night. Smiling to herself, Pinkie began looking around to area for Galen's clothes. She didn't have far to go before she spotted a little pile of what appeared to be severely charred rags. Rags that happened to be the same color and apparent material as his clothes. She wasn't quite sure what she should make of it, but she thought that asking Applejack for a towel would be prudent. Once she had made her way to the farmhouse, she knocked on the front door with a few heavy blows. It didn't take long before she heard a slight racket from the living room followed shortly by a weary Applejack opening the door.

“Good morning, Applejack,” she said cheerfully. “Do you have a spare towel or blanket Galen could borrow? It looks like his clothes caught fire last night, so he's hiding in the barn right now.”

Applejack's mouth quirked up in a smile as she snorted in laughter. “Ah didn't dream that up then, huh?” she said with a chuckle before continuing, “Yeah, sure, Ah got a towel he can use.” Applejack moved back, letting Pinkie in as she went over to the linens closet and opened it up, only to take a startled step back as she saw what was inside. Pinkie looked in and saw Rarity curled up in the cramped confines of the closet, several of the shelves having been taken down for room, half covered under several sets of bed sheets and towels. “What in tarnation?”

Pinkie struggled to choke back her laughter at the sight. “M-maybe we s-should j-just get what we n-need a-and let her be?”

Applejack shook her head in defeat and took the top sheet from Rarity's pile before closing the door and leading them back to the living room. “Ah swear, Pinks, one of these days Ah'll stop being surprised at the aftermath of your town wide parties. Don't mean Ah want 'em ta stop or anythin' like that, just that Ah won't be surprised once the dust settles is all.”

Pinkie giggled at that and grinned back at Applejack. “As long as everypony has a good time, I don't mind helping to clean up the mess.”

“Ya know, Galen was right yesterday,” Applejack replied. “Ya gotta stop holding yourself back so much.”

“What do you mean?” she said with a slight frown.

“Once you get a party set up, you don't really get ta enjoy it,” she explained. “Sure, you dance with us and play games with us, but you're always worrying about something that needs ta be done. You can't really enjoy your parties. That's part of the reason why we got together ta throw your birthday party like we did.”

She looked back at Applejack, a slightly melancholic expression on her face. “But that's what makes me the happiest. Making everypony, everyone else happy. It's the least I can do for my friends.”

“That may be, but your friends want you to have as much fun with us as we do with you,” Applejack said as she moved closer to Pinkie and gave her a quick hug before holding her by her shoulders. “Like last night. Ah swear, we never had such a great party, all 'cause Galen dragged you into it without takin' no fer an answer.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Pinkie replied, her eyes shimmering slightly from happy tears pooling slightly but not falling. “But Galen really needs that sheet. He's still naked in the barn.”

Applejack guffawed as she passed it over to Pinkie who was chortling at the situation with a slight blush. “Once he's decent again, come back in and Ah'll whip up some breakfast for you two.”

“You don't have to,” Pinkie replied. “There's plenty of leftovers for us to eat.”

“Ah know, but this way, Ah can get you guys up ta speed about what went on last night,” she said with a smirk that had Pinkie blushing again. She was getting worried that she would burst into flames if she kept blushing so much.

“Alright,” she said as she bundled the sheet on her back and turned to head out. “See you soon.” Applejack just smirked and nodded in reply before heading into the kitchen while Pinkie left the house. Quickly crossing the yard, she reentered the barn and saw Galen scratching his bearded chin as he tried to recall everything that had happened last night.

“I think your clothes aren't gonna make it,” Pinkie said as she walked up to him, drawing him out of his reverie.

“Ah kinda remember tryin' ta jump through tha bonfire fer luck, but Ah can't remember how it turned out,” he replied with a sigh. “At least Ah didn't wind up hurt.”

“Why would you jump through for luck? Wouldn't you already need luck to jump through it in the first place?”

“It's an old custom,” he replied as he ran a hand over his hair. “Ah made it through alrigh', but not mah clothes. There's somethin' ironic here, but Ah'm jus' not seein' it righ' now.”

Pinkie giggled at that before whipping the bed sheet off her back, covering Galen. “There ya go. When you're decent, come back to the house. Applejack said that she'll have breakfast for us in a little bit.”

“Alrigh',” Galen replied once he had the sheet off his head. “Mind turnin' away fer a moment?”

“Oh,” Pinkie said with a slight blush before doing just that. “Right.”

From behind, she heard slight rustling and patting noises as Galen stood and brushed off the straw from his body. She didn't hear much else as he covered himself and almost jumped when she felt his hand tousle her mane. “Ready ta go?” he asked as he looked down at her with a grin. She smiled back and nodded in reply before letting him lead the way. For the most part, Galen hadn't done anything fancy as far as covering himself with the sheet went as he had just wrapped it around his waist a few times before tying it off snugly on the side of his hip. Pinkie couldn't help but feel her face heat up again as she watched him walk away, the way the muscles of his back undulated with the slight shifting of his hips as he walked silently through the barn. Catching herself staring, Pinkie hurried up to match his pace but a little behind to hide her blush. Once outside, he glanced around and spotted the small pile of charred rags but tilted his head in confusion after a moment. “These all there were, Pinkie?”

“Yeah, why?”

“'Cause I don' see any remains o' my boxers.”

“Boxers? What're those?”

“Underwear ta keep mah privates privater,” he said with a smirk.

Pinkie gave an uncontrolled snort of laughter at that before catching herself with a blush. Galen gave her a grin and a low chuckle before turning back to the house. They quickly crossed the yard and walked inside the house to the sounds and smells of Applejack cooking in the kitchen. Galen walked with an appreciative sniff of the air. Pinkie followed a second behind him as she took an appreciative whiff of the slightly sweet, slightly bitter aroma of simple pancakes sizzling on a hot skillet. Applejack looked up at the pair briefly before returning her attention to the cooking food. Galen moved around the table and took a spot at random while Pinkie decided to seat herself on the opposite side. They waited in silence for only a few minutes while Applejack finished preparations for their short stacks. With her usual panache, she slid the plates across the table to rest in front of them before seating herself and pouring some maple syrup over her meal before passing it over to Pinkie.

“So?” Pinkie asked as she leaned slightly closer to Applejack. “What happened last night?”

“Eat your breakfast first,” she replied as she sliced off a good sized piece and practically stuffed her face with it. Pinkie frowned slightly but did as suggested. It would be a horrible waste to let such great smelling pancakes go cold. Galen soon was slathering sugary goodness over his cakes and began eating. They didn't last long, but the weight of the meal left them much more awake and ready to weather what was coming.

“So...” Galen began.

“Yeah, you two were nothin' but trouble last night,” Applejack said with a grin that showed she didn't mind one bit.

“Really?” Pinkie asked with half a grin.

“Well, you got it in your head after more than a few hard ciders that Galen was the 'best thing since quintuple chocolate cupcakes with vanilla filling' and stole a kiss a little bit after the contest,” Applejack said with a smirk. Pinkie just flushed with embarrassment from her neck on up, trying to hide it with her forelegs. “Yeah, Ah know Pinks. Ah was there an' saw the whole thing.”

“Such a bold mare,” Galen said with a warm grin that only inflamed Pinkie's blush further.

“You're not much better, Galen,” Applejack said with a wry smirk that only made Galen grin wider. “You just made things worse! I mean, you almost ended up mobbed when you not only let Pinkie kiss you, you kissed her back sayin' there was 'nothin' wrong with a kiss 'ere an' there between friends.' You almost got to be 'friends' with a good portion of the town after that.”

Galen devolved into snorts and full bodied laughter at that while Pinkie gave a barely audible squeak. “At least Ah'm whole an' hale. Seemed ta come out all righ' in tha end.”

Applejack just shook her head with an amused expression. “You certainly seemed ta push your luck when you tried to jump through each of the bonfires. You didn't do too bad for the most part, 'cept for settin' all your clothes on fire. You got out of those right quick, Ah can tell you that.”

“Yeah, Ah saw tha',” he replied with a chagrined smile. “Didn't find any signs o' my boxers though.”

“Oh, yeah, those,” Applejack said with a blush before pulling her hat over her face, only to let out a startled yelp and threw her hat away with an even deeper blush. Galen and Pinkie just looked at each other before fixing Applejack with a look. “What? It ain't my fault. Take a look.”

Pinkie made her way over to where the hat lay and looked inside before snorting in laughter, beckoning Galen over. He went over and picked the hat up to look inside. The contents of the hat were certainly a bit of a surprise as he pulled out his missing underwear. “Really?” he asked with a raised eyebrow to Applejack.

“Yeah, really,” she replied, still blushing a little. “You told me you were goin' native and ta take care of them before just stuffing them in there and running off as free as a lark with a gaggle of blushing mares hot on your heels. Ah forgot all 'bout 'em until just now.”

“Ya think any of them will remember anything?” he asked with a slightly worried expression. He didn't want to have to keep sidestepping any number of mares making advancements or offers to him in the following weeks.

Applejack snorted at that. “If there's more than one or two that would after a night like that, Ah would highly doubt it.”

Galen gave a little sigh of relief as Pinkie giggled at the whole situation. Galen stood back up before stepping into his boxers, sliding them up under the bed sheet without compromising his modesty. What little he had to salvage after his apparent stunt last night, anyway. He took the sheet off and draped it across the back of a chair before returning to his seat with a sigh. “So, who all else is up and about righ' now?” he asked.

“Well, Lero and the others went back ta their place to recuperate. Dash was still drunker than you would believe, so Lero had ta carry her home. The rest weren't too bad off, tired, some headaches and probably the worst mornin' breath you'd ever smell. Not too bad after a night like that.”

“Really? Ah thought she would be up at tha least,” Galen said. “She could certainly drink with tha best of 'em.”

“That she can do,” Applejack agreed. “But pegasi don't have the same constitution the other tribes have. When they get drunk, they stay drunk for a good while. She won't be back to normal until tonight at the earliest an' tomorrow at the latest.”

“She do this often?” Galen asked with some concern.

“Only when we have these big parties, but Ah ain't too worried since she has Lero and the others ta nurse her hangovers,” Applejack replied with a smirk.

“Tha's good ta know,” Galen said, relieved that she wouldn't be more than inconvenienced with some lingering drunkenness. “So, what happened ta my other stuff?”

“Ah got it stored up in mah room, so no need ta worry,” she replied.

“Got ya,” he said before he fell into a thoughtful silence. “So when does tha cleanup start?”

“In a bit,” she replied. “Not many get up 'fore noon.”

“Normally take long?”he asked, continuing when Applejack shook her head with a happy smile, “Ah was thinkin' about brainstorming some ideas 'bout what all Ah need ta start up a forge an' business 'ere. Can't go freeloadin' offa yew and yours too much.”

“Don't you worry 'bout that,” Applejack said almost gruffly, her smile removing any hint of perceived anger. “We'll take care of you and Riley 'till you get back on your feet. Ah know you'll make it up to us one way or another.”

Galen nodded with a smile. “Thanks, Jack. It really means a lot ta me tha' we have friends as open an' generous as yew after only knowin' us fer only a short while.”

“We gotta look out for each other,” she replied with a confident smile. “That way when one of us stumbles, the other can help us back up.”

“Righ' enough yew are, Jack,” Galen said with a smirk. “So, Ah don' know 'bout yew two, but Ah'm gearing up fer a nap soon.”

“That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea,” Applejack replied.

“If we end up sleeping anymore today, we'll be reaching Dash levels of sleep,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“Must mean we're getting too old fer all this crap,” she said with a snort of laughter and a half grin.

“Either tha' or we had a helluva nigh' last nigh',” Galen replied.

“I think we can agree on the second one of those,” Pinkie said with a laugh at Applejack's remark.

“Ah can agree with that,” Applejack said with a grin. “So, how about we all hit the hay fer while?”

“Sounds like a plan ta me,” Galen replied as he stood up. “Ah'll take tha couch an' Pinks can have tha guest room.”

“No, no,” Pinkie said trying to pass it off. “I'm fine with the couch.”

“Not after tha way yew reacted this mornin',” he replied. “Ah'm sorry 'bout tha' again, Ah've neva been so drunk tha' Ah've ran about naked in front of a whole town before.”

Pinkie and Applejack blushed and laughed at that before Pinkie finally agreed to the arrangement. Once Galen had situated himself on the incredibly comfortable couch, he let out a content sigh and gave a yawn that completely blocked out everything for a moment. Blinking owlishly, he rolled onto his side and settled down to sleep. It was but a few minutes later, that if he had been awake in the least, that he would have seen a red faced Rarity creeping daintily through the house in an effort for nopony to see where she had ended up. But she made good her escape and as far as she knew, nopony knew what had become of her last night.

Author's Notes:

Applejack has to remember where Galen puts his things...