Current Events (One Shot)

>Yellowing pages of the library tome slip under your fingertips.
>You’ve been doing this several times now; Twilight wants you to check every page to make sure no damages were overlooked.
>It’s annoying, it’s time consuming, but you agree that this should be done.
>After all, you guys just got the book back from repairs, don’t want to repeat it again.
>The pages soon run out, and your thumb lands on the hard end of the book.
>Upon the cover a small list catches your eye; a small list of whos and whens the book was needed by the town residents.
>It comes with no surprise the list was quite packed, the tome was something of a compendium of all the basic utilitarian spells magic users would need in their everyday life.
>Twilight even considered ordering a third copy, since it was in such high demand.
>One might ask if it was in such high demand, why doesn’t the populace just buy their own?
>The issue wasn’t even limited to monetary problems, it consisted of-
>Well, it doesn’t matter for a simple librarian.
>Truth to the matter is- something else about the list that caught your attention.
“Twilight.” You call over. “Isn’t today the 20th?” You ask, seeing entries that should be for the day after tomorrow.
>Twilight peeks over her great wall of dusty books and gives you a questioning stare.
>”No… I’m sure it is the 22nd today- Wednesday right?” She says, as if asking for your confirmation.
“Really?” You return the tone, now unsure about your own internal clock.
“Two days seem to just disappear, doesn’t it?” You joke, grinning a bit.
>Twilight’s stare twist into an uncomfortable glare, as if something was suddenly bothering her.
>A small pause splits into your conversation.
>”So you’re saying you’ve been recording everything two days late?” She asks, her face full of worry.
>Oh.
>Oh no.
>Your eyes widen, and you freeze in place.
“I-I-“ You being to stammer. “I’ll get right on to fixing it!” You say, quickly moving into action.
>This is gonna be an awful day.

>Thanks to your little mix-up, you find yourself arriving home hours after the sun has set.
>You drop your coat and work bag somewhere in the living room, and drop flat on your couch.
>You didn’t even bother turning on the lights, the moonlight entering through the window did enough for illumination.
>You blink lazily, slowing your intervals as sleep slowly creeps up upon you.
>The outlines of furniture were clearly visible, like white strings in shadows.
>You curl up to one side, and find yourself pulling your legs close.
>You vision fades just for a second before the uncomfortable position wakes you.
>You try to return to a more sleep-worthy position; like keeping your legs straight.
>The length of your couch is just enough to fit your height, your body fitting snugly between the armrests.
>You would tell yourself off for being too space-conserving, but you are also very tired.
>So, if ignoring that- your world darkens.
>And then you wake up to the sound of tapping on your window.
>You first react slowly, as if trying to ignore to sound separating you away from your slumber.
>But you give in soon enough, and spring into a waking position.
>Your sudden appearance sends Rainbow Dash flipping mid-air from the surprise.
>She spins once in the air- looping out of sight upwards-
>And then back into view.
“Wh-“ You lift yourself to get a better view. “-at.” You groan towards the intruder, voice slightly cracking at the end.
>”What do you mean what?” She replies in that scratchy voice of hers.
“Do you have a reason to bother me on my only break day of the week, Rei?” You say, rubbing an eye.
>You move closer to the window, and open it for your friend to come in.
>A weak yawn escapes through your lips, and you move a free hand to cover it.
>”YOU were the one promised me we’d finally try that ‘catch’ game you’ve been telling me about!” Rainbow Dash says, moving into the living room.
>Ah-no, was that today?
>You do remember the promise, and cursed yourself for having such a good memory when it came to troublesome things.
>You do admit a promise is a promise, and a man is as good as his word.
>Also, you want to see how a horse would be able to catch balls with no fingers.
>You give her an agreeing nod, and rouse yourself to prepare.

>The baseball launches away from your fingertips for the seventh time.
>And lands straight at Rainbow’s nose, bounces off, hits her head, and drops to the ground.
>Oh come on Rei, that wasn’t even a throw, you just sorta lightly passed the ball at her.
>Rainbow instantly clutches her nose, and begins to howl in misery.
“This is depressing.” You say, while moving yourself into a catching distance.
>Rainbow angrily swoops to the ground to hold the ball between her two blunt hooves.
>Seeing how she’s doing her overhead throw again, you chuckle and decide to not witness that sad scene any more.
“Gotta hand it to ya, you may be awful at catching but your throwing is some gorilla-“
>You are suddenly cut off by a light tap on the back of your head.
>The ball drops and rolls gently in the grass.
>It doesn’t hurt one bit, but you find yourself frozen in place.
>”Shoot! I was gonna put in so much power in that!” Rainbow fumes behind you, her schemes failed.
>You want to turn around and snipe her nose again, but you still can’t move.
>As you finally manage to turn your head, you are overcome with inexplicable fear.
>You heart drops and begin to beat faster.
>A dull ache spreads over your chest like your heart was about to burst any moment.
>Sweat begins to pour out of your body, freezing you even in the light breeze.
>You vision begin to blur, and tears start streaming out of your face-
>”Anon!” Rainbow Dash shakes you hard.
>You quickly catch yourself on your feet, and begin to messily snatch away the tears.
>Your body’s controls are returned to you once more, and you stagger away from the pose you were frozen in.
>”What’s going on? Are you alright?” Rainbow Dash taps your back, looking extremely worried.
“I don’t know, I just-“ You struggle to find the right words, your lips silently mouthing nonsense.
“It just felt like-“ You blink. “-like something too familiar, you know?”
>Rei gives you that bothered look that spells out her confusion.
>”You are used to freezing up and bawling your eyes out in a ball game?” She asks, already reloading her banter.
>Normally you’d respond something in lieu of ‘like yours’,  ‘at least I have friends’ or anything else of the sort.
>But right now, that single moment of dread has crawled up to the back of your throat.
>You always coughed a lot when you were about to throw up- and right now, you looked like you had pneumonia.
>Saliva began to pool up behind your teeth, and you decided it was your threshold.
>You apologize half-heartedly as you flee the scene, still unable to swallow the weird gasp that is stuck in your throat.
>The blood in your head begins to grind against your brain, and a headache shoots through your mind like cracks on a mirror.
>However, the strangest part of this strange affliction was not that it was a physical pain-
>But you felt like you’ve swallowed so many words to the point they began to ball up inside of your throat.
>An immense feeling of misery, anger and disappointment attempted to free itself from within you, like prisoners.
>You begin to stumble as you walk, as rage begins to flow into your veins.
>You still have no idea why you’re feeling all of this, you note once more, and decide you need some professional help.
>You decide to get home and visit the hospital real quick.
>After all, it couldn’t hurt right?

>Your arrival home was a mess, and your call to the hospital was an even bigger one.
>When the nurse couldn’t understand your half slobbering speech, you raised your voice a bit too much.
>You promise to yourself you’ll apologize later on, but you were out of control right now.
>There has to be a reason for this right?
>You mean, fucking ponies have love sickness and anger flus and shit so you must have caught one of those right?
>Fucking Christ, your head feels like it is going to explode right now.
>You press your palms to the side of your head, as if trying to prevent it from exploding.
>But that was the moment you discovered a wound on your head.
>You don’t recall having any of those; you did almost nothing since last month.
>But it was real; you could feel a miniscule dent on the surface of your head, as if you got hit with something had and long.
>Maybe you slipped sometime and hurt your head?
>That seems like the best explanation you can give yourself.
>Hopefully a doctor can pick out what is wrong right away.
>Thinking that, you immediately prepare to visit the hospital- wanting to be rid of this headache as soon as possible.

>The trip was quick-paced; the usual ten minute walk was covered in five with your hurried movements.
>Ponies around you looked on worriedly as you passed by them, as you were groaning and swearing to yourself.
>Some even tried to ask you what was going on, but you quickly dismissed the question with a nasty case of migraines.
>What should be a simple walk across several blocks comes to you like an hour of torture.
>Finally, the hospital building comes into sight, and you almost laugh in relief.
>You don’t see many ponies accessing the building, and assumed it would be a rather slow day.
>As you near the door, you see a familiar pony inside, talking to several surrounding her.
>Her tiny white head is drooped down, and her company seems to be consoling her.
>Rarity notices you from a distance, and raises a hand to grab your attention.
>”Anony- …mous.” She calls out your name once, but cuts herself short quickly.
>You simply wave it off and hurry to your own matters.
>Meeting a friend can wait, you feel like your head would explode right now.
>You push through the hospitals doors so fast you almost shatter the glass door.
>The nurse you spoke to earlier spots you from her seat and quickly motion you over.
>A wave of relief washes over you, now you can at least figure out a way to get rid of the pain.
>You take a step forward to make your way, until you find yourself stopping again.
>The air in the room, the crowds, even the staff looks familiar. Too familiar.
>You begin to unconsciously step backwards, like a child trying wiggle out of trouble.
>The nurse was distracted for a moment, but she was now actively calling your name- trying to catch your dumb attention.
>Her voice, hell- everyone’s voice began to drown out.
>You were here before.
>You were here several days ago.
>You can’t put an exact date on it, but you are sure it was within a week’s period.
>You don’t have any recent memories of using the hospital, but it feels too real.
>You were here before, and you did not like the visit.
>Slowly pedaling backwards, you escape the hospital and walk out through the doors.
>Between your stiff movements and the nurse’s call getting louder, you can’t help but to notice more eyes are on you now.
>What felt like a brief respite in your head returns for a second helping, pounding your mind again.
>However; even amidst this chaos, an unshakable thought takes root in your head.
>You aren’t allowed in there.
>Your kind is no longer welcome to this place.
>Terror grips your heart like a sprung trap.
>Cold sweat begins to pour out of your head, and you begin to shiver.
>A primal instinct for flight takes over, and you find yourself on the move before you could even process it.
>”Anoymous!” Rarity calls for you again, with a louder voice this time.
>Her calls fall to deaf ears, there was nothing in this moment but yourself.
>You make haste to flee the scene, as if you were escaping a scene of a crime.
>Your heart is out of control again, as if was ricocheting inside your chest cavity.
>Without any other thought, you race back to your abode and lock yourself inside.

>You were at least fifteen minutes late for work when Twilight finally reached you.
>She had you wear an enchanted wristband just so she could send messages when you weren’t coming over.
>Given your rather forgetful nature, you thought it was a good idea to have some means of contact with your boss.
>A symbol forms on the band’s surface- which would mean a query.
>’Get to work’, you can imagine her whispering to herself.
>You briefly ponder about just ignoring the message and staying home for the rest of the evening.
>You never realized how safe you felt inside your own zone, you even loved the odd smell your room gave off.
>You managed to calm down over the past few hours, finally finding a moment where your body could recover.
>You’d been sitting on your couch since then, pondering on what could have caused your situation.
>If it involved the hospital, then it would have something to do with something recent.
>Seeing how your stay hasn’t even exceeded a year or so, you doubt you would forget anything that might have cause this reaction.
>Deciding you’ve collected yourself enough, you decide to go to work and be productive for once.
>Honestly, it was the only thing you could do to pay back Twilight for all the help she gave you.
>Taking a quick shower and putting on a fresh set of clothes, you leave your home.
>… That is what you were planning to do, if you didn’t open your door to face Rarity standing right in front of it.
>She seemed to be in middle of landing a knock, and your sudden appearance caused her to freeze in shock.
>The two of you stare at each other for a while, before you decide to say hello.
“Hello?”
>It took Rarity for a second to process your greeting, but she does respond with delay.
>”… Ah! Anonymous!” She stammers, and then goes quiet.
>She averts her gaze from yours for a second, as if she was thinking of something else.
“Could… I help you?” You ask cautiously, wondering what is wrong with Rarity today.
>”Y-Yes! You seem to fine, so I wanted to check up once more.” She replies still looking away.
“Was I sick or something?.” You say, unsure what Rarity could be saying. “Is Pinkie spreading some weird rumor again?” You add a joke.
>”Ah… Ah! I think- I think I mixed you up with somepony else, Anonymous!” Rarity says as she keeps tripping over her words.
>You raise a brow, now completely confused what this pony might be trying to say.
>”I’m glad you’re fine!” She suddenly speaks up, looking up to meet your eyes.
“Oooookay. I’m glad you’re glad I’m fine, Rarity.” You trail away, now wanting escape from this awkward conversation.
>Rarity is rooted in her position, standing like a statue in front of you.
>You mouth an apology as you pass Rarity and slowly head towards the town.
“Well, I’m going to work Rarity. I’m already late.”
>”Y-Yes! Goodbye Anonymous! Don’t overwork yourself!” Rarity says, as she sends you off like a mother watching her kid on first day of class.
>You turn to give Rarity a smile and wave.
“Yeah, yeah. I should get there quick or Twilight would kill m-“
>You stop.
“Kill… Me.”
>You repeat yourself, freezing in place as you let those words escape your lips.
>You hold your position, and stare silently into the ground.
>From a distance, you see Rarity running up to you, with worry spread over her face.
>”Anonymous! You alright?” She says as she nears you.
>You watch her silently, as the memories slowly return to you.

>You heard it many times; too many people swore they would kill you.
>You remember it all too well, the looks on everyone’s faces when they discovered what you did.
>No matter how hard you tried to explain your position, the disgusted stares would not go away.
>It was all a misunderstanding, dammit.
>You did your best to help, why wouldn’t they understand that?
>You lower your head and avoid their expressions.
>Don’t bother; they already made up their minds.
>It’s just a waste of breath trying to explain everything.
>Besides, it would just make you look guiltier with your alibis.
>You didn’t see it happening, you only wanted to save everyone from the blast.
>It was a spur of the moment; you just lobbed the thing in any direction you could find.
>You were sure no one was there when it landed; it was a clear field some distance away.
>You didn’t even drop the thing here; you were just passing by when some strange figure dropped the crystal.
>But you would rather forget about what happened back then.
>You would be happy if you could just leave everything about the incident back.
>You retrace your memories to today’s events.
>Your ball game with Dash was her way of cheering you up, she promised it to you when Twilight cleared up what happened back then.
>You thought it would be great to have everyone’s suspicions removed from you, but the after taste remained.
>Everyone, everyone including those you considered your friends gave you the same look that day.
>That wretched look that immediately seeks out someone to blame, someone to hate.
>Friends who seemed to care about you vanished for that moment, a fraction of a second where a silent consensus weighed upon you.
>You understood that it was normal for anyone to react that way, it was just a very normal thing to do.
>You understood it… But that look of pure contempt pierced through you.
>Every waking moment of your days since the incident was haunted with those unblinking, shining eyes that spoke of your fault in a chorus.
>It was not the fact that they were suspicious that broke your heart, but that fact that their blame was too naturally shifted to you.
>Even after all the times you’ve spent here, even after years of knowing each other-
>”Anoymous!”
>You jolt back into reality, and notice globules of tears dripping to the grass below.
>You mechanically look up to see Rarity, tears rushing down her cheeks as well.
>She puts her front hooves on your shoulders, and pulls you into a hug.
>”It wasn’t your fault, Anonymous. You were not to blame. We apologize.” She whispers, as she attempts to console you.
>You remain motionless, standing still as Rarity continues to silently apologize to you.

>Twilight was doing the same work since yesterday.
>She also had catalogues and catalogue of various books to chew through, reorganization to happen, double check the return bin, and the list goes on.
>She sent the message an hour ago, where could Anonymous be?
>Twilight worries slightly for her assistant, hoping none of the previous happenings cause him more trouble.
>Wordlessly praying the spell to keep working, she immerses herself back into her work, half-heartedly hoping she could forget what happened before.
>Anonymous comes in an hour and a half late for work.
“Twilight.” He says soullessly, as he enters the library.
>”Anon! You’re almost two hours late!” Twilight yells, looking up from her work. “Do you know how much work I had to-“
>She pauses.
>”Anon?”
“It’s kinda funny right, Twilight?” You ask gently.
>”Not funny enough to skip out on work, Anon.” Twilight chides you.
>You brandish a sad smile.
>Twilight begins to look uncomfortable in this situation.
>”Is there… Anything wrong with you?” She asks cautiously.
>You ignore her, and move onto the shipment of new books coming in today.
>Before Twilight could say anything, you rip off the receipt on top of the package and read it aloud.
“Date of delivery: twenty seventh of March.” You read. “Odd, five days just seems to fly away right?”
>”Th-that’s right, we’ve been- been working so hard and-“
>You look towards the purple pony and drop your smile.
>Twilight’s expression changes to horror as she sees yours, fully knowing what had transpired.
“Twilight. I remember it now.”
>Twilight jumps out of her seat and bolts straight to you.
“Thank you for everything, but I just can’t help-“
>”Stop Anon, stop!” She screams, her magic already beginning to charge.
“Why Twilight? Why was it my FAULT?” You scream back. “I didn’t mean for Belle to get hurt, I was trying to save you people!”
>”We’ll get you back up, we can fix this!” She says, as she tries to hold you back to the wall.
>You forcibly break free, and grab a nearby book.
“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!”
“I.”
“DID NOT.”
“DO.”
“ANYTHING WRONG.”
>You throw the book to the nearest wall, and watch it explode as the bindings break under pressure.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? I SAVED ALL OF YOU!” You continue, rampaging through the piles of newly arrived books.
“I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS; I WAS JUST ACTING ON REFLEX! WHAT DID YOU WANT FROM ME?”
>You are just screaming at this point, throwing a tantrum at the innocent library.
>Books fly right and left, knocking over other in a domino of chaos.
>You kick and scream, violently venting out the anger that festered so long.
>A book launches towards a window, and breaks through it.
>You grab a nearby inkwell and smash it to the ground.
>Black ink splashes everywhere, covering a part of your face.
>You wipe the ink with your forearm, and realize you were crying.
>Clenching your fist, you begin to punch the floor, assaulting an unseen offending force.
>Glass pieces of the inkwell embed deeply into your hands as you continue your flurry, which you promptly end with a final slam to the ground.
“I just…” You whimper. “I just wanted to help my friends.”
>Droplets of your anguish stain the floor, as you begin to cry loudly.
>You are then suddenly sent flying back to Twilight, and she pins you with magic.
>You see her hair is in a mess now, with tears streaming down her face.
>”I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry imsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorryimsorry imsorryimsorryimsorry imsorryimsorryimsorry imsorryimsorryimsorry imsorryimsorryimsorry imsorryimsorryimsorry “ Twilight goes on, repeating the apology again and again.
>You struggle and flail, doing your best to free yourself from her clutches.
>Realizing there was no helping it, you let out a maddened scream once last time.
>Twilight horn begins to glow and-

>Yellowing pages of the library tome slip under your fingertips.
>You’ve been doing this several times now; Twilight wants you to check every page to make sure no damages were overlooked.
>It’s annoying, it’s time consuming, but you agree that this should be done.
>After all, you guys just got the book back from repairs, don’t want to repeat it again.