Celestia and DealerAnon Pt. 12

''Mmphfsh, five minutes mmpfh.''
>You wake up, not to the sound of pots and pans, but to a beat that sounds incredibly familiar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQAh9j5CtQU [Embed]
>Alright, it's familiar, despite being muffled
>You sit up, feeling the mixture of nausea and headache hit you, like so many times before
>Fuck never drinking again, you'll just drink first thing in the morning again
>A beer would sound damn good right now
>Anyway, who's thinking they have the right to wake you up at 9 AM
>You throw on a beater and some sweats and head downstairs

''Hey C.''
>You mutter, feeling worse than shit
''Well, hello there, Anon.''
>She sounds slightly nervous, to say the least
>She keeps her eyes glued to the frying pan
>You walk up, trying to catch her attention
>You fail
>You decide to grab a cup of coffee instead
>Filling the 'Best Dad in the World' cup, you break the awkward silence
''Why you like this? I mean, what'd I do?''
>She throws a nervous smile your way
>''Oh, it's nothing Anon. You were just a little drunk.''
>Oh fuck
>You cradle your head in your hands and sigh
>This is the last thing you need, whatever it is
''What'd I do?''
''I didn't-''
>You rub your eyes, trying to make sense of the situation
''I didn't… Do anything to you, did I?''
>Whether it's the hangover or something else making your mouth dry you don't know
>What you do know is that your voice sounds hollow
>Distant, with an undercurrent of fear
>''Oh, no, nothing of the sort. You just, well, came onto me.''
>You chuckle despite yourself, relief flooding your brain
''Came onto you? What, you mean like, literally?''
>She looks confused for a moment
>''What do you mean, lit-''
>Her eyes flash open as understanding dawns upon her
>''Oh, n-no, nothing of the sort!''
>You give a small laugh and grin at her blushing face
''Just messing with you, C.''
>''Oh. Well, I guess it was kind of funny.''
>Honestly, she looks more embarrassed than amused, but messing with her is kind of fun
''Yeah, yeah, sure.''
>You loudly slurp your coffee and continue the conversation
''But hey, C. If I said anything, like, offensive or some shit, I'm sorry. I just get that way sometimes, you know?''
>She gives you the first genuine smile of the day, eyes briefly lit by a slight twinkle
>''Oh, you didn't say anything offensive, you just came on a little strong. Apology accepted.''
''Who's 'Alittle Strong'?''
>She tries to conceal the snort, but fails
>''That was bad.''
''I know. Sorry.''
''Anyway-''
>You gesture towards the living room door
''What's up with the music? You turning into a gangsta after one day in Slate?''
>''Oh, well, it's kind of catchy, I guess.''
>She shrugs and gives you a small smile
>''And the beat is pretty good.''
''Hell yeah.''
>You raise your hand for a high-five and give her a grin
''Come on, don't leave me hanging now.''
>''Oh, sorry.''
>She clumsily high-fives you and chuckles
>''You know, it's been so long since I've done that.''
''Can't be that long. You don't look that old to me.''
>She runs her hand through her hair and sighs
>''Thanks. I just feel so old sometimes.''
>She chuckles to herself and takes a seat opposite you
''How so, if you don't mind me asking?''
>''Well, it's a long story, and I don't think I can really put it into words. Besides, I'd hate to bore you.''
''Come on now, I've got all morning.''
>She chuckles and shakes her head briefly
>''I'm sure you have more important things to worry about than my senile ramblings.''
>You grin at her, the fog of the hangover beginning to lift
''Oh come on, you don't look that old to me.''
>''Thanks. I just feel-''
>Her eyes narrow and she grins broadly
>''Ooh, you sneak. You almost got me there. Nice try.''
>You shrug and give her a small snort
''Couldn't hurt to try.''
>You finish the rest of your coffee and pour yourself a new cup
>''So, Anon, how does your face feel?''
>You absent-mindedly touch the bandages on your face and chuckle briefly
''Like I won't be shaving any time soon.''
>''Very funny.''
>Despite her tone, you see the corners of her mouth being tugged upward
''I try. But honestly, not even close to as bad as I'd imagined. Guess you really have a magic touch.''
>''Oh, I try.''
>You sit carefully onto your seat, not wanting to damage your ribs further
>Something on the small kitchen table catches your attention
>It's the local newspaper, The Canterlot Bugle
''Wait, you actually bought a newspaper? Jesus, I can't even remember when I'd last seen one.''
>She smiles at your reaction
>''Well, I had a bit of time to kill while waiting for your lazy butt to get up, so I went out to get one. No offense.''
''None taken. You know, only thing that surprises me more than finding this is that people actually still sell newspapers.''
>You take a short sip of your coffee, and fold open the Bugle
''Anyway, how were the streets looking when you were out?''
>''Seriously? White and empty. According to this-''
>She sharply taps the paper in your hands
>''There's bound to be some heavy snowfall today.''
''Great. More snow.''
>You mutter, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in your voice
>While skimming through the paper, one headline in particular draws your attention
>'Mysterious Lights Spotted Again, Bystanders Bewildered'
''Mysterious lights, huh?''
>She perks up at the mention of the article
>''Yeah, I remember there being a lot of fuss about something similar last fall, when we had the dance. And the, well, 'incident', so to say.''
>You hear the quotation marks neatly fall into place
''Incident, huh?''
>''Well, whatever you call it when one of the biggest bullies in the school somehow blows up most of the front lawn and main hall.''
>You whistle between you teeth and put down the paper, focusing your attention on the ex-principal opposite you
''No shit? Why she do it, though?''
>''Why and how are still the two biggest questions I have about the whole thing. What's even weirder is that no-one was killed, or even seriously hurt.''
''Whoa.''
>She leans in closer, taking a conspiratorial tone
>''And, even weirder, no-one has given any reliable information on the whole thing. Almost everyone present seems to have developed some form of amnesia, like they were drugged or something.''
>Her voice is now little more than a whisper, and she is clearly tense
''Nerve gas or something? Anyway, what do you mean by 'almost'?''
>''The police tested them all for drugs, nerve agents, everything. Everybody came out clean, except for a couple kids who had been smoking something recently.''
''Oh.''
>She is now extremely close, her hand movements getting more frantic
>''The only ones who could testify were this group of six girls, and you won't even guess what they claimed it was.''
''This is getting weirder by the second.''
>''Magic. They claimed it was magic, of all things!''
>She laughs nervously for a moment, and leans back in