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// Chapter: Interlude(?̷̢ ͜͟) 2151818152354209135 of Harmony 
// Story: The Dragonfly Effect 
// by Ichiro Sato 
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“Sometimes I’ve theorized ‘time’ exists because our minds cannot comprehend everything at once. But I also have theorized all we do is the dream of a sleeping god and my aunt Pinkie’s mane and tail are candy floss. These theories usually occur while drunk and trying to pick up mares.”
-Professor Vanguard Sparkle when asked on time travel magic


Twilight Sparkle held nothing but respect for her mentor and kingdom’s monarch (though she supposed diarch now), and nothing could be said or done to change that, especially in the scope of all the great things Princess Celestia had done for her and her friends - both old and new.

Could it be denied she had her eccentricities? No, especially not after seeing her drunk off her flank just the night before and donning the clothing of some of the partygoers just to get up on the table and do a strip tease. (Twilight also wouldn’t deny that Celestia looked damn good doing it.)

But in this instant, with her head pounding, hot railroad spikes being driven through her eyes and into her brain, the slightest noise causing her agony, and her mouth tasting like she had been eating rotten fish and sawdust with a hint of fruit, and all this while the sun shining right into her face made her want to telekinetically (if magic probably wouldn’t hurt like getting hit by a train) rip the star out of the sky and force it up her teacher’s urinary tract. Followed shortly with copious amounts of crushed glass.

With a monumental effort, Twilight forced herself to her hooves, ignoring the powerful wave of nausea hitting her and the mild tilt in her balance that made it difficult to walk. Slowly, she labored herself over to the library curtains, careful to step over her friends who were still out cold on the floor, and finally, closed the blinds, sighing with relief.

“Hangover blues, young Twilight? Try this herbal tea and let go the consequences of last night.” An earthy but still painful voice spoke up from the new darkness. Twilight slowly turned and saw a serene looking Zecora with a tea set, casually sipping away.

“Zecora? When did you get to the party last night? I don’t remember seeing you when Spike and I got there.” The unicorn mare’s curiosity managed to override the pain.

“You would not, I arrived when every pony was already drunk. I joined in the revelry anyway, and for being a thousand years behind, Princess Luna has got funk.” Zecora explained while pushing the tea forward which Twilight accepted. “I apologize that I was late, I was still busy trying to investigate.”

The tea was a brown cup of miracles - while the scholar still felt hung over, the worst of the pain washed away the moment the hot tea rushed into her mouth and began to mingle in her bloodstream. She now could think clearly enough for Zecora’s statement to sink in without (much) pain. “Investigate what? The thief?”

Zecora nodded affirmatively while other ponies began to slowly groan and rouse themselves.

“Stop talking so loud…” Lemonhearts muttered, her voice muffled with her head stuck inside a large pitcher.

“Do not worry, I checked and she can still breath, but how she fit her head into the pith is a mystery to me.”

“She’s squeezed her head into tighter spaces.” Twilight chuckled then winced. “I’m gonna go wash up. By the way, have you seen Spike, Lyra, or any of the Princesses?”

“Your dragon friend went off this morn to get some headache cures so your friends would not feel so forlorn. Your bardic friend abstained from the drink, so she departed earlier with a smile and wink. The Princesses seemed immune to alcoholic consequences, so they left to attend to their royal matters with clear senses.” Zecora listed off, ‘counting’ on the same hoof multiple times over.

The sorceress pony nodded and gave a small smile. “Well, thanks for showing up when you did. I should go wash up before every pony takes over the bathroom to hurl,” She said and began trotting up the stairs.

After running some hot water over herself and drying off, Twilight Sparkle felt better than she had before she had accepted the princesses’ proposal that legal drinking age would be waived for the sake of the party.

She made a mental note to ask Zecora for the tea recipe the same moment a knock on the door alerted her. “Hang on, I’m almost done. This is my place anyway, isn’t it?” Twilight asked with a bit more crankiness than she had meant (maybe she wasn’t completely free from the hangover). A few more raps on the oak made her hurry, tossing the towel aside rather than bothering to hang it up and  threw open the door.  “All right, but you get a damp towel- Oh, I’m sorry, honey,” she said while looking down at the small unicorn colt with a blue mane and purple coat.

“It’s okay, mom. I know how cranky you get when you stay up too late reading,” Vanguard smiled, looking so much like his father.

“Did you need the bathroom, honey?” Twilight asked, not questioning why he didn’t use the one adjoined to his room.

“Twilight?” Spike’s voice suddenly snapped her attention to a far corner of the room outside the bathroom, standing there with three large bags of groceries. “Who are you talking to?”

She looked down, expecting to see somepony there.

But she couldn’t say why.

“I… I don’t think I was talking to anypony?” She slowly quirked a brow.

What had he been talking about?

“I thought I heard you talking to someon-pony,” Spike self corrected that odd quirk in his speech.

Twilight shuffled through her memory and ultimately shrugged. “I don’t know, I must have thought somepony else was at the door and needed to get in. I might still be a bit hungover from last night,” She also considered that something in Zecora’s tea may agree better with zebras than ponies. “So, take a note for the future: alcohol is not allowed within a hundred feet of this castle,” she ordered and turned back into the bathroom with a tall stride before shutting the door.