The moon hung low in the sky, just recently having peeked over the horizon, as a brilliant mix of pinks and purples gave way to the inky blackness above. A similarly lavender unicorn magically dipped a quill into a similarly inky liquid, pausing to softly scratch her notes onto the page.
"Achoo!"
Twilight's concentration faltered slightly, quill shaking a few drops of ink across her scroll, and a few more onto her forehead and muzzle. She was completely wrapped in blankets, sitting in a chair on her own balcony, behind her telescope, and looking worse for wear.
"Ungh. Dat's dhe dhird scroll I'be ruined, now," she whined, nose pink and raw as she levitated a tissue from nearby to blow it, wincing momentarily before tossing it unceremoniously into the nearby overflowing trash can. "Schpiiiiike! Can you make some more dhea for me, please?"
A faint rustling, as Spike climbed up the stairs with a full kettle over his head. "You know, Twilight, I'd laugh at you some more, but this is just pathetic."
"It'ssnot funny!" Twilight shot him a death glare, but her current condition made it look much more like mere pouting. At least, that's what she'd want everyone to believe.
"'Snot' is right. Here ya go," Spike offered, having held the kettle out in his claws in front of him for a moment.
*FWOOSH*
A jet of flame set the kettle whistling, and he deftly poured its boiling contents into the recently drained teapot on the nightstand Twilight had dragged out on the balcony with her.
"Thanks," Twilight replied sullenly, doing her best to lean her nose over the pot, so the rising steam would soothe it. At least, until Spike popped the lid back on and gave a mock salute, before climbing back down the stairs. The unicorn sighed and peered out into the distance across town - a faint thumping could be heard, and a not-so-faint set of multicoloured lights seen flashing intermittently out of the windows at Sugarcube Corner. The noise, she'd be fine with, but the light pollution was disrupting her studies of Barnard 33 - not that she'd ever finish a clean page of notes at this rate. Pulling out a fresh scroll, she set about the meticulous work of recopying her notes from the one she just stained with ink and possibly bodily fluids.
"Whooo, party hard!" Pinkie yelled, rearing up on her hind legs on top of a table. Her closest friends surrounded her, most dancing away almost obliviously - though 'closest friends' looked like more than half of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had taken a seat next to Applejack at a far-flung table in the corner, and both of them were nursing mugs of cider as they talked.
"I'm tellin' ya, Rainbow - she's not gonna like it if you say that sort of thing to her face."
"How do YOU know what she does and doesn't *hic* like? What aren't you telling me... Applesmack?!"
Applejack, for her part, did her best to look offended, but her expression didn't change much, as she swayed a little in her seat. "You wanna try runnin' that by me again, shugah?"
"I said, you must be hiding something from me! I know you're a... terrible, terrible liar!" Rainbow was leaning over the table, her head dangerously close to the top of her mug, but that's just the way she liked it. "You just want her yourself!"
A flash of pink popped out from underneath the table, "Who wants her now? Who's 'her'? Are you guys talking about stealing someone? Ooh, I know the best place for stealing someone! Or is that steeling yourself? It must hurt to be dipped in molten steel because then you'd be all 'Ooh, it burns!' and 'I'm melting!' but it's not you that's melting, it's the metal, but then you'd be all shiny and it'd be like being turned into a really cool statue and-"
"PINKIE!"
Both mares glared daggers at her, and she simply tilted her head. "So who is it you're dipping in molten metal? Is it Lyra? Are you gonna turn her into her cutie mark?!" Pinkie gasped, covering her muzzle with both forehooves, "You can't do that - it's mean to turn ponies into musical instruments!"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack slowly turned to look at each other, doing their best to tune out their hyperactive host. "Pinkie, how about another round for us?" Rainbow pleaded, and Pinkie grinned in response. "Haven't you girls had a teensy-weensy little bit too much of Applejack's extra special, super squeezed, extra aged, extra old, and extra spicy cider?"
"NO!" came the chorus again from both of them. If anything, the combination of Pinkie's description and her current grating antics were making them want it more.
"Oookie dokie lokie," she replied, slowly, stretched out, and entirely not convinced, but the poofy pink pony complied and brought out a fresh pair of mugs. "But Auntie Pinkie is cutting you off with this one, okay?"
"Okay," Applejack said flatly, as Rainbow glared daggers at her. "I know when ah've had too much, Rainbow, and I can see you're just about there, too," she accused, taking a mighty swig from her mug.
Rainbow, for her part, opened her mouth to object, but faulted. "Wait - you're just avoiding the question!" She raised a hoof to point accusingly, but then decided to follow Applejack's lead and take an even bigger swig of cider - a swig that went straight to her head. "The question... of... I forget. What were we argu-... aragu-... fighting about again?"
"You asking Twilight out, dummy."
"Hey, I'm not a dummy! Wow. Issht this really still cider any more?" She peered into her mug, swishing the remaining contents around in the bottom and eying her own reflection as the liquid's surface shuddered and moved, distorting it wildly and causing her to stifle a giggle at how it made her look.
Applejack sighed, drained the rest of her own mug, and started to stand up, a bit shaky, but steadying herself after a moment on her hooves, "Rainbow - I think it's time I took you home. You ain't flyin' in that state - you crash into things when you're sober."
"I do not! Well, maybe a little. But I'm totally cool; I got this!" A quick hop, and she was hovering above her seat. At least, for a moment, before the world started to spin on her and she fell flat on her side, crumpling neatly.
"Oh goodness! Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Her soft spoken words barely audible above the thump of the music, Fluttershy rushed to her friend's side to help her up. "You really shouldn't drink so much cider, and you especially shouldn't be flying like this, you know." Her motherly tone was enough to give Rainbow pause, as she stumbled a little and looked at the floor dejectedly.
"I need to talk to her. Sshhe's stuck out there, sick on her own, and we're all here. No one's taking care of her, and she's sick!"
"Spike's there - I know he'll take care of Twilight, Rainbow. You need to take care of yourself first."
"Uh, if I may, 'Shy - I don' trust Rainbow to take care of a mouse, let alone herself, and 'specially not Twilight, of all ponies! All she'd do is get herself sick too."
"Ugh! Screw both of you guys - I'm outta here. Thanks for the help, but I gotta do this." Rainbow reared up, and bounded out of the door, hopping up into the air and taking flight as soon as she was outside, leaving Applejack and Fluttershy to watch and wince as she careened sideways into a nearby building before getting up and trying again.
Applejack let out a heavy sigh, "It's your turn to pick up the pieces this time, Fluttershy."