Local

by Seer


Pain

When Twilight woke up, she got a measly few seconds of peace before some unknown assailant brought down what must have been a 3 kilo lump hammer on her head. She groaned and clutched her temples. The room swam. She opened her eyes and then shut them immediately against the brightness of ten million suns. From the distinct lack of comfort and stiff pains in her back she could at least ascertain that this wasn't her bed.

Over the course of several minutes Twilight managed to properly open her eyes, finding herself on one of the library settees. Why the hell was she here, and why did she feel like she'd just lived through eighteen sequential brain surgeries? She rolled over as much as her nausea would allow her and saw the two bottles of red wine with less than half a bottle's worth left between them on her table.

Oh.

Had last night really been that boring? Her mouth felt like it was lined with toilet paper and, even in this much less cramped room in which she'd slept with no bedclothes, she was still damp with sweat. She looked down to see a piece of ruled paper on her tummy, and cringed at the way it peeled from her coat when she retrieved it.

'Hey Twilight, good 'walk' last night? ;)

Me, Pinkie and Rainbow went to the arcade, I think we can go one day without opening the library. We would have asked you whether you wanted to come but...

Well anyway have a good day!'

She scowled at the letter, half from embarrassment and half from more general hangover-induced irritability. Did it make her a bad pony if she secretly missed the days when Spike acted like a nervous foal instead of this annoyingly always-correct ball of sarcasm? Right now she didn't care whether she was a bad pony or not, she just wanted to stop feeling like death.

Twilight squinted and tried to think about what had gone on yesterday. She'd gone out, met Rarity for lunch, things had gotten a little strange, she'd come back here to study and then... gone on a walk? That didn't sound like her. It didn't matter, it'd all come back to her at some point, it always did. Such was the dictionary definition of a blessing and a curse.

She sat up at a glacial pace, then rewarded herself five minutes of sitting very still with her eyes scrunched up while the room stopped with its incessant spinning. Eventually, she managed to get to all hooves and trudge to the kitchen. One, two, three, four glasses of water were all drained before her mouth began to regain some semblance of actual moisture. With step one, 'prevent imminent death from dehydration', complete Twilight could focus on step two. Getting showered and her teeth brushed before anyone she knew came by and discovered the sweaty, halitosis-riddled, wine-stinking embarrassment.

Twilight looked at the stairs and mentally braced herself for the journey. Taking a glance through the kitchen window she could see the air shimmer with a summer that still hadn't seen fit to end, and all around the library was an expanse of grass that separated her from the rows of cottages. The gentle breeze made the green pasture dance. It looked like waves.

Twilight sighed.


Once showered the unicorn felt life return to her body. Granted she still had a thumping headache and was prone to recurrent episodes of overpowering nausea, but even this was an upgrade on how she'd awoken. Twilight looked at her bedside clock as she towel-dried her coat, and grumbled in annoyance when she saw it was half twelve. She hated oversleeping.

Once she was finished, and looking more presentable, she trotted downstairs and found her mess from last night suspiciously minor. Whenever she woke up with a hangover it was generally divvied up into a few discrete categories. One, she'd been out with the girls and had too much. High on the endorphins left over from whichever of Ponyville's handful of establishments open past midnight, this would usually lead to a minor mess as she knocked over a few things on her way to bed.

Two, she'd gotten really into her studies and stayed up into the wee hours. To unlock some creative energy and add to the excitement she'd cracked a bottle of wine. This would create a bit more mess in the form of screwed up paper and illegible research notes that only made sense when partially inebriated.

Three, another book from one of her favourite series had been released and she'd had a few celebratory glasses that turned into many celebratory glasses. This would invariably create an unholy mess in the form of mindmaps, noteboards covered in webs of string and indecipherable flow diagrams as she let her fandom get the better of her.

So where was the mess? Her most anticipated literary releases had hit something of a drought at the moment so that wasn't it. There were no books or notes around and, considering how she'd felt when she'd woken up, she thought it very unlikely she'd had the presence of mind to put her study materials away. So that wasn't it either. Finally, she was acutely aware that her social prospects had been slim at best last night.

But still she'd apparently decided to drink almost two bottles of wine. Seemingly after this walk she'd inexplicably thought it a good idea to go on. What on earth had happened then? She'd remember, she always remembered. But why hadn't she remembered yet? Sweat beaded on her brow, her heartbeat sped up, she felt on the spot. Like something was watching her. But it was so stupid! Why should she feel so anxious?

Oh Celestia. You did something embarrassing, didn't you?

And as the worry reached a fever pitch, something in her peripheral vision snapped her out of it. Twilight's eyes flicked over to the door and she saw a letter on the ground. That hadn't been there when she woke up, she was sure of it. Consciously aware of her own relief at the distraction, she trotted over and immediately clutched her banging head. She then tiptoed over instead. Twilight decided that levitation probably wouldn't help matters, electing instead to very slowly stoop and grab the letter.

It wasn't in an envelope, it was just a folded sheet of paper. When Twilight opened it up she saw calligraphy so fancy that it almost sang at her.

'Hi darling,
I stopped by but I think you were in the shower. Wanted to know whether you wanted to do lunch again? I had so much fun yesterday! If you're interested just come by the boutique.
-R x'

Twilight lowered the letter and scanned the room, totally pristine aside from the bottles and slightly messed-up settee. She did want to go out. She didn't want to sit here all day alone. She didn't want to have to keep trying to remember what had driven her to have so much wine last night.

By the measure of her infuriating ticking clock, it was coming up to quarter to one. At roughly half past the slow drip of 'regulars' would begin. The more literary inclined of Ponyville's octogenarian population round to peruse books and subject Twilight to dull, idle gossip, sure as death and taxes. Mrs Candlewax would stop round first, she always did. Then Mr and Mrs Sandlewood, Big Scoop, Caramel Glaze and Sugar Glaze and so on and so forth. They'd stop by one after the other for the next few hours like clockwork, Twilight often wondered whether they'd formed some sort of orderly, elderly line outside the library.

They'd probably be the only customers the library would get. It was part of their routine. More than that, it was part of the Town's routine, because if Mrs Candlewax didn't come round for twenty minutes everyday then Bronze Strike at Ponyville's resident greasy spoon, literally entitled 'The Greasy Spoon', would have the to rejig her rolling booking for late lunch. Then who knows how they'd make it work at the salon?

So much knock on, so much in the way of preserving the natural schedule of the small town. And here was Twilight, the lynch-pin of it all, the librarian expected to keep it all chugging along while ponies whispered and stared, while they wouldn't let her off her island. Of course she couldn't go to lunch today, Ponyville needed her to keep the ship going after all. Just like she was expected to. Just like Night Owl had done before her. She wondered for a second whether her predecessor was happy with this arrangement.

With a scowl Twilight strapped on her saddlebag and put the 'closed' sign in the window. She stormed out of the library, slamming the door behind her.


What is wrong with you?

What was wrong indeed. It was sweets, nothing sinister, nothing evil, it was literally just sweets. The window display had caught Twilight's eye on her way to the boutique. She hadn't quite been able to take her eyes off it.

It was horrible.

It wasn't a discernible pattern, neither discrete shape nor symmetry could be picked up in the chaotic swirls and non-euclidean lines of confectionery. Colours shifted before you were even aware of it, design was noticeably present but pointedly insane. This was no aesthetic accident. A mind had clearly created this with intention. With drive. Twilight supposed that made it worse.

Was it the hangover that made the display seem so shockingly unpleasant that Twilight could barely look away? Or was the hangover amplifying said qualities in the confectionery's arrangement? Twilight's headache was so much worse now and the nausea crashed in waves. And yet, even knowing that she could feel so much better if she'd stop staring at it, Twilight remained rooted in abject horror. It gave her flashes of a drunken anger, a hoof rubbed through lines of chalk.

"Darling?"

She snapped towards the sound of the voice. Rarity was stood to her side, sunglasses cocked up onto her head showing the confusion in her expressive eyes. Confusion and... amusement?

"Like my display that much dear?" she asked without laughing. Why wasn't she laughing? Twilight thought she was being playful, she sounded like she was trying to cover up how funny this was. Why would she need to cover it up? Couldn't they laugh together?

Am I really that pitiable?

"You made this?" Twilight gasped, feeling like she'd nearly drowned.

"Of course darling, I was talking to Bon Bon about it yesterday... is that not why you stopped here?" Rarity asked, again seeming to suppress a desire to grin.

"Yeah! Yeah of course I did. Sorry Rarity I just...," Don't tell her you got drunk for the love of Celestia. "Long study session last night?"

"Study session eh?" Rarity quipped, a raised eyebrow conveying her clear disbelief.

"Sure was!" Twilight trilled, then winced at the volume of her own voice. Rarity kept staring, Twilight felt too hot. She looked around in an attempt to seem nonchalant, but she ended up looking too far up and had to immediately shield her eyes to the glare. Even someone like Twilight would've been able to tell what was really going on here, Rarity probably had it worked out from the first word out of her mouth.

"Well darling, I always found the best cure for 'Long study sessions' was a lunch as big as it is unhealthy," she said with a wink, not waiting for permission to put a hoof over Twilight withers and usher her away from the sweet shop. She chattered away in Twilight's ear, who found herself embarrassed at the way Rarity seemed to consciously lower her volume.

Twilight craned her neck around to get one last look at that window display. Even at this distance, she found her stomach churning again as she saw it. It was a pattern that shouldn't have been, and it reminded her of something.

Everything she creates is usually so beautiful. Why would she make that?

Just before they were too far away to make out detail Twilight saw something behind the sweets, something she didn't notice before. It was understandable, the coiling, headache-inducing tangle had been the only thing worth looking at after all.

So Twilight could only hazard a guess at how long Bon Bon been peering out from within the shop. Her eyes locked on Twilight's and an unsettling smile on her face.


Twilight rubbed her thumping head and once again made a genuine stab at reading the menu. When the words wouldn't focus and it felt like someone was punching her in the eyes she let it fall to the table and groaned. The one time she wanted to order something different to her usual and her brains were too fried to even let her read. Why didn't she know? She'd been here so many times. Sunny Pastures. Back to Sunny Pastures. Always, inevitably, perpetually back at Sunny Pastures.

Rarity hadn't stopped talking, Twilight suspected she was just trying to fill to space. She was clearly more than aware what the librarian's issue was and likely knew she didn't want to talk. So instead she took on that duty herself. Twilight was grateful. Granted, she wasn't listening to a single word Rarity was saying but she was grateful all the same.

"Ah! I think we'll each have a cola darling." When had the waiter turned up?

Twilight pulled her head up and squinted to make out the form of their server. With a fair amount of relief she recognised that it wasn't Snowdrop. She was certainly in no mood for the overly chatty filly. In her stead was a bleach white pegasus who seemed to be about the same age as Twilight. They were scribbling down their drink order and staring at Twilight. Their face betrayed no discernible emotion. She'd normally attempt to make some polite conversation but today she didn't quite have it in her. She couldn't really blame him for staring.

"Another daffodil sandwich for you today darling?" Rarity asked.

Not this again. How many times would she be damned to live through this infernal little quiz? She didn't want to repeat whatever mistake she'd made yesterday, but she literally had no idea what else this place did. Aside from Rarity's order from yesterday and ordering that would have been about the most pathetic thing imaginable.

She didn't know whether it comforted her or not that the chances were she'd end up getting to replay this situation a thousand more times. By the law of averages she'd get it right at some point. But then would Ponyville accommodate change? She didn't fancy her chances, least of all at this cafe. It was more likely they'd all make the same mistakes in the same place until the day they died. Wasn't that what ponies did here?

Twilight supposed it was fitting, considering how she felt, that they'd ended up at Sunny Pastures. After all, there were about five places they could go total and this had been the nearest. That would have been it. Rarity saw what a state she was in and decided to take to the nearest place. This was in no way a comment about Twilight being boring and one-note and so congenitally unadventurous that she couldn't handle going to a different restaurant.

Actually, Twilight didn't know whether that was actually better than the worry she had, because she knew that wasn't true. She was fully aware she wasn't unadventurous and if her friends thought she was then she could always show them how wrong they were.

On second thought, if it wasn't just simple distance, she outright hoped Rarity thought that. Because the idea that this was it, that her life in the one place she'd ever had true friends was going to be a series of dinners at the same place, eating the same food and feeling the same, ever-present alienation made her want to hyperventilate.

She'd probably erred in leaving the house, she felt a million times worse after the walk. It was very difficult to get her head in the right state. She could hardly say she needed more time to read when she couldn't even read at all. But just before the pause became unbearable the answer screamed out to her. Rarity had given it to her only ten minutes ago.

"Rarity," she groaned while attempting to affect some pretence of casualness which only served to make more obvious the state she was in, "You said you knew the best cure for... anyway. Dealer's choice."

Was that something ponies said? Was this the right context? Am I trying too hard?

It seemed to work in any case. Rarity gave her a playful grin and set her menu down. She propped her head on both forehooves and stared at the unicorn. It almost seemed like she was getting the measure of Twilight.

"A deep-fried hayburger, blue-cheese and barbeque sauce and twice-fried chips for my friend here. I'll have the same."

The waiter noted this down and wordlessly took their leave. Rarity kept peering over at her friend, while Twilight didn't even bother attempting to chat. Rather she slipped into an almost trance like state. Suspended on the precipice of feeling tolerable above the chasm that was publicly vomiting.

The waiter's dull grey hoof abruptly slammed down her pop in front of her with enough force to make her cry out in shock. Twilight's face burned red as she scanned the garden only to find that no-one had noticed the outburst. Aside from Rarity and the waiter over at ground zero of course.

Not quite ready to meet Rarity's eyes after yet another embarrassment, Twilight grasped her drink in both forehooves and took several gulps. Ice cubes bunched against her upper lip and the tangy liquid burned the inside of her mouth. And yet as she drank more and more the fog in her head finally started to clear. Nausea was chased away and replaced with genuine appetite. Maybe it was ridiculous and over-dramatic but Twilight felt reborn.

"Oh Celestia," Twilight gasped, "That's amazing."

"Haha, that's because it's full sugar darling." Twilight laughed, Rarity still had her head propped in both forehooves. The waiter had gone.

"By our god, you really need that!" Rarity giggled, "So what were you studying last night darling? Fermentation products?"

"Yeah yeah fair enough," Twilight relented with a wave of her hoof, "I suppose I didn't exactly hide it well."

"Well I hope you're not so delicate that you can't make it out tonight?" Rarity replied.

"Tonight?"

"I suppose you've not spoken to any of the girls today. Rainbow got a letter this morning confirming her place in this year's 'Best Young Flyers' competition! We were planning a few celebratory drinks! I think we're starting at the Royal Cross but I'm sure we'll be able to convince everyone to move onto somewhere a little more exciting."

Twilight involuntary winced at the word 'drinks', something she was certain wouldn't have gotten past Rarity. Tonight, she couldn't think of anything she wanted less than to do more drinking. Still, given her recent complaining of the lack of things to do in Ponyville, it seemed hypocritical not to snap up an offer of a night out. In any case, the Royal Cross was a nice pub... wasn't it? She felt hot again, the thought of going to the pub made her nauseous.

Have some more to drink, Twilight. It's just the hangover.

"Sure Rarity I'd love to!" She made herself to sound as cheerful as possible, then winced at the high pitch of her own forced enthusiasm.

"Have a few more sips of that and then you might end up meaning it darling," Rarity replied lazily.

"There's not much that gets past you is there?"

"Well I'm a bit smarter than I look dearie." said Rarity, looking down at her drink to take a sip. Twilight watched her for a moment.

"Why?"

"Hmm?" The seamstress cocked her head up, large blue eyes searching, "Why what darling?"

"Well, saying you're 'smarter than you look' is just saying you look less smart than you are. Why do you think that?"

"Well I... hmm," Rarity began but faltered. Her brow creased as a forehoof fiddled with her straw. Twilight allowed herself some slight satisfaction at finally stumping the seemingly unflappable unicorn.

"I suppose ponies don't tend to think of fashionistas such as moi in terms of their intelligence Twilight. I need to look beautiful and sound cultured, but not so cultured as to be intimidating or unapproachable.. A sort of faux-sophistication that can be achieved by needlessly inserting words like 'Moi' into otherwise normal sentences. It's hardly my favourite part of my job, but there you go."

"So why do it? I thought you always said the first rule of fashion is 'go your own way'." Twilight pointed out, to which Rarity laughed, with a striking hint of bitterness .

"I do say that darling, but the problem is that there is in fact as many 'first rules of fashion' as there are ponies who work in the fashion industry. For better or for worse my industry is one in which walking the walk is very much dependent on talking the talk."

"Tonnes of ponies looking at you in a way you don't want... doesn't it ever get to you? A fashionista can be fiercely intelligent, an entertainer can be a reclusive introvert," Just say it, what's the worst that could happen? "A librarian can be adventurous."

If there was any recognition of significance in this statement on Rarity's part, she did a good job hiding it. She did a good job hiding most things really. Instead she leant forward, affecting a flirtatious, dreamy look.

"Oh darling, you think I'm 'fiercely intelligent'?" she purred.

"Well I can't think of anyone else I get this level of verbal sparring practice with.. maybe Spike." Twilight replied. Their waiter walked up with a trolley and placed their plates down in front of them. She barely registered the pegasus' hooves setting her cutlery and napkin down as she stared, transfixed at the enormous burger. The pop must have done its job and banished Twilight's nausea since her stomach growled appreciatively at the sight.

"So many complements today dear, was I wrong to tell Snowdrop we weren't on a date yesterday?" the seamstress teased, totally unfazed by the waiter's presence. Twilight was only half-listening at this point, she couldn't wait to tuck in. Still, she didn't want to be rude, and she absentmindedly grasped around for some kind of reply.

"Any idea where Snowdrop is today? I haven't seen her."

Background noise only became conspicuous in absentia. Twilight knew this, it felt like second nature. The ponies around them didn't seem to act any differently on the face of it, they carried on looking where they had been looking previously. But when you scrutinised, they had stopped eating, they had stopped talking.

It reminded her of her last visit to Sunny Pastures, but last time they seemed to stare. Today was more insidious, they were trying to watch her without watching her. Why? She hadn't done anything weird, she'd only said...

Snowdrop.

Why in Celestia's name would mentioning that empty-headed teenager lead to anything of consequence? Surely it couldn't, so logically it wouldn't. But then why would asking Rarity if she was doing anything lead to a group of random ponies acting like this? It was sadistic, if this was truly the villagers punishing her. Keeping her behind the two way mirror and glaring through, every word another unknown misstep.

"Why dear? Looking for her?" Rarity's voice was like the eye of a of a hurricane. Muted yet full with an assurance Twilight could only grasp at. She was once again untouched by the stillness around them. Her intimidating confidence back in full force as the waiter dutifully topped off her drink. Twilight watched this stranger fill Rarity's glass perfectly to the brim without ever needing to look, watched the restaurant's patrons act out their disturbing, soundless marionette show.

She watched Rarity, a Venus fly trap blooming from a crack in endless, featureless concrete, shining so hard it made her eyes hurt. Was it possible for someone to be this beautiful and for it to terrify her as much as it did now? Or maybe it wasn't possible for someone to be as beautiful as Rarity was without it being terrifying. The base of Twilight's skull itched.

It must have been the hangover, that was the only explanation. Whatever placebo effect her coke had had on her was banished and she was thinking silly, stupid things about everyone around them when the much more likely reality was that they simply didn't care about Twilight. She wasn't someone who subscribed to foolish hysteria. Celestia had always taught her better than that.

What I wouldn't give to have you with me now Princess.

"No haha it's just, I thought she worked here and I... erm... just haven't seen her today," Twilight replied to Rarity's question after far too long a pause. Her head must have been worse than she'd thought, to let her imagination get the best of her this much.

But why wouldn't it? Because here she was again, thinking malformed thoughts in Sunny Pastures cafe. Eating with Rarity, frozen in a summer that would never end. Not developing or growing as she thrashed against the limbo she couldn't escape. A limbo that never grew or developed either. All the while did her square peg rub and splinter in a hole she'd never fit. Paralysed and laid bare before the crowds by her own words, desperately trying to sound out a language she'd never know. Rejected from the host, forced back into her lifeboat and knowing all the while how little any of them probably cared and how they couldn't be looking over and how it was ridiculous and all of it, always at Sunny Pastures Cafe.

"Rarity... I'm sorry to be so rude," Twilight exclaimed abruptly, rummaging around in her saddlebag for her share of the bill, wheezing with inexplicable and crushing breathlessness, "I think I might take this home if that's okay. I'm still pretty out of sorts and I don't think I'll be very good company."

"Oh?" Rarity looked at her with eyes that contained no where near the level of concern her voice seemed to contain, "Well if you think that's for the best dear."

The waiter wasted no time in seizing her meal. They rooted around in their trolley until they found the requisite materials to box it up, which they did very expediently. Or was mechanically a better descriptor? Twilight placed her money on the table and tactfully declined Rarity's polite offer to pay. She surprised even herself with how quickly she got to her hooves and collected her food. She just wanted to get home, she really wanted to get home.

Must have been the hangover.

She and Rarity bid their goodbyes after Twilight agreed to meet her at Carousel Boutique before they went out tonight. She hurried out of the seating, keeping her eyes forward. She pushed stupid ideas of ponies stopping eating to watch her out of her mind. She was being silly.

I am being silly.

"See you later darling!" Rarity called after her, and Twilight turned to give her a wave. The seamstress didn't wave back, but she was eating so Twilight didn't mind. How she managed to make scarfing down such an enormous burger seem so refined and graceful utterly mystified Twilight.

Other ponies in the garden carried on with their day, as they clearly had always been doing. Why would they be doing anything else? No one payed her any mind, aside from the waiter who was still by Rarity's side. The same waiter who hadn't said a single thing throughout the entire meal. The same waiter who had replaced Snowdrop.

They stared at Twilight and she stared back. Twilight couldn't help but think how striking they looked as their deep red coat shone in the afternoon sun.