Metal springs creaked as Twilight Sparkle stirred in her bed. She groaned as an imaginary screw began to tighten into her skull. Then she became aware of the snoring.
Bleary eyed and head swimming, she at first couldn't put the pieces together and when she tried to focus her eyes, the early morning light from the window came in and made her head worse. She rolled back over and came face to back with a red wall.
"Oh, shit," she breathed. A lightning bolt went through her and she shot upright. "This is not my room. This is…" She turned to the mountain rumbling next to her. "Big Macintosh? That's right, I-" She gritted her teeth and pushed her head into her hoof as the screw tightened again. "Damn it, this wasn't how I wanted this to happen," she muttered woefully.
Twilight turned and slid slowly to the floor. Maybe if I can just sneak out, she thought, slinking to the door. Maybe he won't remember anything either and I can just pretend this never happened. She stepped out and closed the door softly.
"Twilight," called an agitated voice from behind her.
She turned fearfully slow to face the green-eyed earth pony.
Applejack glared straight into her. "Ah invited ya over ta help with the harvest, not help yerself to the moonshine and fornicate with my brother."
"Well I did help with the harvest," Twilight countered with a nervous grin. "That is definitely one of the things I remember doing." She squeezed the sides of her skull as another wave of pain came over her. "Ugh, I'm sorry, Applejack," she groaned. "I have to go."
Apple Bloom stuck her head out the crack of her bedroom door just in time to see Twilight disappear down the stairs. "Twilight spent the night?" she muttered.
Applejack turned with a start at hearing her little sister but smiled best she could. "Oh, uh, she was just too tired yesterday to make it home is all."
Twilight fled the farm in shame, frustrated with herself. She tried to trot down the dusty road back to town with her eyes closed to block out the harsh sunlight. It was a miserable slow going. Somehow she made it back to the Golden Oak Library and staggered through the door where Totality was waiting on the couch, reading.
Since Spike's untimely demise in a lab accident four months ago, Twilight had been mired in depression and alcohol. It wasn't long before the house and her research got away from her, and then there was the loneliness. Though she hated to think of replacing Spike, especially so soon, it had become unavoidable.
Her new assistant, Totality, was a charcoal gray unicorn with square frame glasses and a frizzy yellow and orange mane. She was a moody and bookish highschool student from… Manehatten, was it? Twilight hadn't paid much attention. She knew she was about to enter her senior year. She had aspirations about going to Canterlot Academy and viewed her stay as some sort of internship, thinking Twilight could help her get in. Twilight agreed to help but honestly didn't care. She couldn't find extra care to give right now in her life. She just wanted the house clean, and admittedly having somepony else just being there again was nice, even if it would only last two or three months.
Totality put a bookmark in her book when she saw that Twilight enter, disheveled and distressed.
"Sooooo, where were you?" she asked carefully, eyeing her up and down.
Twilight squinted and tried to moisten her lips to speak. She fumbled for some nice lie to feed her but was coming up empty, and the sudden attempt at creative thinking was making her hangover worse. "I got into the booze and woke up in Big Mac's bed," she admitted, just wanting the question to be over.
Totality's eyes widened. "Oh… so... yay?"
"No," whimpered Twilight. "Not 'yay.'"
"Isn't he the stallion you like, though?"
"Yes. Which is why I didn't want to screw things up and make it weird and then I did. And also I don't even remember... how it was." Twilight cringed. "I shouldn't be having this conversation with a high school student."
Totality shrugged. "If you were too drunk to remember, it probably wasn't your best work."
Twilight turned away to head for her bed. "Just another reason to hope he doesn't remember," she muttered to herself. "I have to go lay down. Will you get me water and pain meds?"
"Yeah," sighed Totality.
Twilight went upstairs and crawled into bed. Totality tailed her with pills and a glass of water which she set on the nightstand with her levitation magic.
"Thanks," whispered Twilight. She eyed her temporary assistant's cutie mark as she turned to leave.
Totality's flank had a potion flask with green liquid in it. The flask was upside down, which would have been fine if the liquid was pouring out of the neck or something, but instead it appeared to be defying gravity, staying up in the bottom with a level surface. It didn't make any sense.
"Am I still drunk or is your cutie mark on upside down?" muttered Twilight.
"Probably both," she replied absently. "You're seriously just now noticing it?"
Twilight ignored the question. "How do you get an upside down cutie mark? I've never heard of that."
"I don't know," shrugged Totality. "I was just happy it came at all. I'll just um, finish the sweeping downstairs. That's quiet."
"Okay," whispered Twilight. She melted into the mattress and tried to clear her mind of the fresh crop of bad feelings she'd churned up in the last few hours. Moments later, she rolled over and groaned at the sunlight coming through the window. Twilight squinted, trying to pull closed the shade with her magic, but instead dislodged several books from the shelf which thudded on the floor. She tried again but ended up smashing a vase against the wall, unable to focus through her hangover.
"Damnit!" she shouted, slapping a pillow over her face.
"You rang?" droned Totality, appearing at the stairs again.
"Could you block that window, please?" Twilight gestured feebly at the glass.
Totality just walked over to move the shade and couldn't help glancing out the window. "Uh-oh."
"Yeah, I know I broke it," grumbled Twilight.
"No. Guess who's here for his midmorning booty call."
"What?" shrieked Twilight.
"He's the big red guy, right? He's coming up the walk."
Twilight pulled up the covers over her head. "I'm not here! Whatever he wants to talk about, I can't handle it right now."
"Fine." Totality groaned, heading back down the stairs.
Twilight shut her eyes and rested until she heard the stairs creak softly again. "Is he gone?" She breathed.
"Eeyup." replied Totality.
Twilight opened one eye. "Hey, don't make fun of him."
Totality pawed at the floorboards. "I'm not. It's just fun to say. I asked if he wanted me to give you a message. He said no, he should tell you himself."
Twilight cringed. "Sounds potentially hazardous."
Totality cleared her throat. "So, don't forget you have a wedding rehearsal tomorrow and, not right now obviously, but maybe later today if you're feeling better, you could help me with my thesis?"
"Yeah, yeah," muttered Twilight dismissively. "That works."
"Okay, great," nodded Totality hopefully as she left her once more.
Twilight spent the rest of the day sleeping.