A sharp pain in her snout and an all-body ache accompanied Twilight’s awakening that morning. She spent some time trying to figure out why her bed had all of a sudden become so horrifically uncomfortable. She found her answer when it became clear  that she was not in a bed at all but was, in fact, lying face down on a table, her body slumped over from a stool.

A thin strand of saliva stretched from her hoof to her mouth as she lifted her head to survey her surroundings. She soon recognised her library foyer, being no stranger to waking up slumped over a stack of books in its center. She did however, notice something out of place, a strange grinding noise which did not usually accompany her as she woke up down here. Glancing towards its source she found Trixie, snoring ferociously into one of the pillows of her makeshift bed. A pool of her own drool was forming in the pillow, her mouth filled with a clump of her silver mane. Hooves randomly poked out from under a blanket, which lay tangled in the rest of Trixie's body.

Twilight was overcome by a sudden mirth upon seeing Trixie’s ridiculous state.  She shook her head with a giggle and hopped off her stool. Approaching the unconscious magician, she extended a hoof to Trixie’s shoulder and began to gently shake her.

“Trixie, wake up,” she whispered.

“Nnnnnnngh...” a mumbled response followed by random shuffling.

“Trixie,” Twilight said louder, allowing her shaking to become more vigorous.

“Huzzah, wah...” Trixie mumbled, her eyes creaking open a fraction. She shielded them with her hooves as if the morning sunlight was trying to attack her. “Am... am I dead?” the dumbfounded unicorn asked. “Are you an angel?” she asked, squinting at Twilight.

“Hmm, not quite,” Twilight responded with a chuckle.

“I know that voice... you-” Trixie's revelation was cut off as her stomach suddenly lurched.

Twilight shrieked as Trixie gagged, lunging forward from her pillow stack. With lightning reflexes Twilight grabbed the bucket laying next to her with her magic and placed it in front of the stream of undigested material which Trixie had just jettisoned from her body. It made a sickening thump as it hit the back of the bucket. Trixie fell back onto her pillows with a miserable groan.

Gingerly placing the soiled bucket back on the floor, Twilight looked down at the pathetic mess that currently represented The Great And Powerful Trixie.

“Feel better?” She asked.

“I feel like I’m dying,” Trixie croaked.

“You probably weren’t far off.”

A few moments of silence passed as Trixie breathed heavily, laying on the pillows on her back, fore hooves sprawled to her sides.

“Here, drink some of this.” Twilight levitated a glass of water over to Trixie’s mouth,  who struggled to swallow the liquid from the position on her back.

“Could you do me a favour?” Trixie asked upon choking the liquid down.

“That depends,” Twilight replied, eyebrow raised in suspicion as she moved the glass back to a table.

“Would you rub my belly?”

“What?” Twilight replied with a deadpan stare.

“I could really do with a belly rub right now.”

Twilight just stared in awe, the sheer absurdity of her current situation causing her rational brain to short circuit.

“Pleeeeeeeease?” Trixie asked with wide eyes.

“You’re still drunk aren’t you?”

“Does that change the possibility of me getting a belly rub?”

“Not really, but you did say please, which for you means you’re probably still not in your right mind.” Twilight sighed, and once again felt a pang of empathy for the usually well groomed and dignified mare that now lay before her in a mess. “Alright, I’ll rub your belly,” Twilight conceded. "But it better not cause you to vomit again.”

“Can’t make promises.”

Shaking her head once again, Twilight proceeded to pull the covers down to reveal Trixie’s stomach. She then began to gently rub her hoof in a circular motion around the unicorn’s stomach.

“Mmm...,” Trixie hummed in response.

This is ridiculous, Twilight thought to herself.

“Thats... niiiice...” Trixie's voice trailed into another snore.

“Are you really falling asleep on me again?!” Twilight snapped, her voice rising with anger. Her only response was more snoring.

She threw her hoof to her face and shook her head once again, which by now was threatening to fall off her neck. With a deep sigh, she retreated to her own bed.