A "Quiet" Library Visit

Crystal was never one for reading. She was more of a "look out at the beautiful world and see all it has to offer" kind of mare, not a "let's stare at a piece of paper and make up things in our head like lunatics" one. But, recent events had driven her to desperate measures, and she needed to learn how to take care of birds. Or at least find out if the tangled, probably injured heap of feathers she found and accidentally developed a slight emotional bond with even was a bird.
She carried the thing in her saddlebag carefully, keeping her large wings away from her back as she flew to prevent jostling it. The strange half-flap was slow and clumsy, but it was better, she reasoned, to go a little slow than to kill it. Since when did you start rescuing baby animals, you softie? She poked fun at herself. This wasn't typical Crystal behavior, but she would feel like even more of an asshole than she already was if she just left it there to squawk and die alone.
So, she was headed to the nearest library to read up on birds. The Ponyville library, in fact. Ponyville didn't have an animal shelter, or vet, as far as she knew. It was such a vanilla town, but she liked it enough. Enough to give it a chapter in your eventual autobiography? Chapter 16: Ponyville. The first and last time I read a book was in this Celestiaforsaken town. What a mistake.
She spotted the overgrown tree soon enough, and began her descent. It wasn't that hard to miss. In a town of thatched, candy-colored rooftops, why in Equestria would you suddenly decide to make a tree into a house? Doesn't wood rot? Is anyone here sane?
She landed less-than gracefully, with one wing extended away from her body slightly on the bird's side. She trotted inside (with some difficulty, as her wings were large when not folded against her body, and the door was not built for ponies carrying injured birds. Once she fit inside, she took a moment to admire the place,and craned her neck around to find shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books.
"Can I help you find anything?" A stocky, long-limbed stallion looked up from his desk next to the door.
Crystal looked quickly at him, surprised to find someone there. "Yeah! I was wondering if you had any books on birds?"
"Biology section, second row under B," He responded with ease and sureness. Clearly he knew his way around this place. "Is your wing doing okay there?"
She glanced at her wing, and noted that it did look like she was in pain or something."Yeah, it's fine! No worries, thanks." She flashed a grin and trotted off to find her book.

Recurve wandered about Ponyville looking for something to do. He felt extremely bored and needed to stretch his limbs out. He'd been doing nothing but cuddle and kiss his marefriend for months. It was starting to get boring for him. His evil side was starting to grow again. He didn't feel vengeance anymore. He just thought it seemed fun to mess with someone's day. Time sure changes a stallion. A kind hearted foal to a brooding stallion to a sappy love addict to a petty devil.

He entered the library, but was quickly shunned out to place his bow outside while in the tree full of literature. He groaned and left his trusty bow that he got his name from outside. When he stepped back in, he literally felt a small tug on his heart as he left it. It was like he left a small part of himself outside. "Maybe it'll make me nice again." Thinking about that made him chuckle out loud and he wandered around the library.

"Looking for anything specific, sir?" The librarian stallion asked.
"Nah, I'm just browsing." After saying that he spotted a mare with an injured bird with her. A dark grin flew to his face and he sat down, slyly observing them from afar

Jessi awoke quickly with a start. She'd had the same nightmare for about three months now and she was getting paranoid by what it meant. She then got out of bed with an angry snort and rhetorically stated, "T' ain't nuthin ye scardy pony!" She gave a small chuckle and slowly made her way to the shower where she sat for about thirty minutes going over every detail of the nightmare in order to find a connection, but every time she thought she made a connection, something would come up proving it false.

She grumbled quietly and got out of the shower, dried off, brushed her hair, rolled it into its natural curl and delicately placed her, well worn, hat on top of her head. 'Just n'other ordinary day...' she thought as she grabbed her saddlebag and tied her horn knowing her special talent would, indeed, cause her havoc if some pony made a tiny wish. She couldn't put her hoof on it but she just had the feeling that something bad would happen but sighed it off, ate her breakfast and went out into town.

The sun blared down on her as if it wanted to burn her alive but she held strong and ignored it only to stumble upon the large oak library. 'Ye know, this might be tha place to find more out about that dream o' mine.' She thought shoving open the door and stepping inside with a quiet clop of her hooves against the wooden floor. She carefully wondered over to the librarian and asked about books on dreams and was directed to a wall on the far right of the tree. She tipped her hat to him and gave a slight bow to thank him and began to browse.

Crystal trotted over to "Biology"--helpfully marked with a sign perched over a carved wooden shelf--and scanned the rows until the titles more or less all began with "B".
Birds would come after "Beehive Structure" and before "Boars: An Evolutionary Wonder", she reasoned, and after that breakthrough in research it wasn't hard to find the bird section. She pulled out a few at random and brought them to one of the tables fashioned from tree stumps. Crystal brought the bird out of her bag, resting it carefully on the table. It was resting, and although its feathers were slightly rumpled, it didn't look dead. Yet. Shuffling her body to shield the bird from the view of the librarian, as she was sure there was some rule about bringing animals into a place of quiet learning and research, Crystal opened a book at random and started to read whatever came up on the first page she turned to.
Now she was beginning to feel a little bit dumb, because she was in no way a veterinarian, and she absolutely did not know how she was going to start the healing process after learning about the mating habits of fowl or whatever she was currently reading about on this random page, and maybe she should have gotten some water for it first or whatever, and what was she doing? I definitely did not think this through, she groaned in exasperation.
She set the book aside for a moment to actually take a look at the thing. Lifting up both wings carefully one at a time and comparing them to diagrams of what she hoped were the same type of bird's wings in the book (she was no expert, but it looked like a song sparrow), she didn't think anything was broken. Thank Celestia, because she definitely didn't have anything to mend bird bones. Then what's wrong with it? She huffed and layed her head down on the table, tired of reading.

Recurve sat at the table, looking around. Man, libraries are really boring. He was already falling asleep, and he just got in. The weird library smell was keeping him up though. The musty, dust, old book scent. Now he remembered why he rarely went into libraries.

Peering past a few of the shelves he saw a mare with a book on her table. Which is standard in a library. But it looked as though she kept looking back and forth between the book and something else. She also looked slightly panicky, then eventually calmed down. Figuring what she was doing could be more entertaining than what he was doing, he quietly trotted over. He tried his best to stay silent so he could spook her.

Books about Astral projecting for unicorns, books about alien visits, books about almost everything but dreams... She began to think she was looking in the wrong section and bit her lip. She surely didn't want to look like some fool, 'speaking of fool'... she thought glancing up at her horn oddly wrapped in the strange cloth. A deep sigh rushed out of her as she sat, facing the wall full of books slowly wondering if it would attract attention or cause some scene...

She gulped quietly and glanced around her nervously wondering what would happen if she removed the fabric... Would her horn light up? Would it explode granting an unspoken wish? She then glared at the wall, "What am ah sayin'? There ain't no way yer thinkin' of takin' it off... are ya? Ya could burn down th' entire establishment with one spark if'n summon wished it... Anathan' could hap'n and Ah ain't gonna be th' one ta do it!" She quickly removed her hoof from it, which had grasped the cloth by slipping the end through an opening in between her horseshoe and actual hoof.

She slowly shook her head "T'ain't worth th' trouble." As the hoof descended back to the ground, it hit a book in the way down which fell out of the shelf and landed in front of Jessi, face up, with a loud crack. The thunderous crack of leather hitting the wooden floor startled her enough to where she let out a very loud, high pitched "EEP!" She quickly covered her mouth with both hooves as her face turned as red as a cherry. She kept her eyes glued to the shelf in front of her staying as still as possible, hoping no pony noticed...

Eventually, she dropped her hooves and glanced at the book in front of her which read: 'Dreams and Their Meanings, by Dr Astral Dream.' This had to be fate and she knew it! She quickly bent down and picked up the book carefully with her teeth and walked over to one of the empty tables only to notice two other ponies, one 'o them blue 'shiny' ponies staring somewhat wickedly at the blue pegasus. Jessi tilted her head slightly as confusion spread its way across her face. Then it became clear to her that the 'shiny' stallion would startle the blue pegasus mare.

"Do they know each other? Is this some sorta gag they pull a lot?" She asked herself quietly as she watched them.

Crystal sighed in defeat. She should have just left it where she found it, or maybe flown over to the next town where there was a veterinarian. Or maybe, she scolded herself, maybe you should stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.
There wasn't really any backing out now, though, so she opened up yet another book and flipped to the chapter marked "Dietary Habits of Common Fowl". Feeding it seemed like a good place to start, and she was willing to dig up a worm or two if it meant that she could get this problem off her hooves.
The bird chirped suddenly in apparent agreement of her thoughts, startling her a bit, and she jumped to place a hoof softly over it to silence it. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the librarian curiously observing her general area to find the source of the noise. Crystal's heartbeat quickened slightly as she turned back to shush it, noting that this whole dilemma was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

Recurve noticed the mare was getting anxious. That will make it even easier to scare her. He also heard chirping coming from nearby. He looked over her shoulder and saw a bird laying on the table. It had an injured wing. If he freaked her out with would freak the bird out and get them kicked out.

He tapped on the mare's shoulder and spoke in a lower, gruff voice "No birds allowed, ma'am..." Simple, but very potentially effective. It was better than shouting which would get him kicked out. And he can't be as devious to this mare on the outside than the inside.

Jessi let out a sharp gasp upon hearing the chirp of a bird and began wondering why on earth that blue Pegasus mare would be doing with the bird in here... She could have left her pet at home and she wouldn't be in this much trouble. It appeared that the blue shiny pony worked there, seeing as he was the only pony to mention it to her, quite angrily too. Jessi kept watching them completely forgetting about her book.

"So, they ain't friends judgin' upon that stallion's grumpy expression..." She muttered under her breath. She couldn't put her hoof on why, but she felt slightly uncomfortable vibes coming from the shiny blue stallion. Something was defiantly off about him, but Jessi shrugged if off as him being just rude prankster.

"No birds allowed, ma'am,"
Crystal gave a short yelp, twisting away from the voice. She was startled to find a blue-coated stallion with his hoof on her shoulder. His voice was low and serious, and it interrupted the panicky silence she had been wallowing in for the past half-hour with a start.
"Keep it down," The stallion at the front desk warned.
"Sorry," she whispered to him, and then turned back to the stallion beside her. Realizing he was not wearing a name tag like the pony at the desk, her surprise and panic turned to annoyance. "You don't work here, what are you doing?" Her eyes narrowed as her voice lowered. "Leave me alone, this really isn't your business, okay?"

Recurve snickered a bit at how well each of them reacted. The librarian was catching on, and it shouldn't be long until he gets tired of the mare's shenanigans and throws her out. Which could potentially leave the bird harmed as well. Unless she finds a vet somewhere. That would take a while though. You can't really get away with much in Ponyville, it seems.

Recurve looked back at them with a light grin on his face, gently leaning on the bookshelf, with a few gleams of light coming off of his crystalline coat. "I'm just a concerned stallion who appreciates this library and doesn't want any animal to cause trouble to any patrons, the atmosphere, or the inventory. You know how it is."

Jessi let out a low, gruff snort now weighing her options. She could jump in there and help the mare out, but the stallion knowing about her "special talent" or being curious why her horn was covered would definitely cause more havoc than she could handle so she decided to stay out, for now. She quickly opened her book up to a random page and set it up in front of her, just in case they looked her way.

As this continued on, Jessi's common sense meter in her head was continuing to bug her. She quickly glanced at her horn and quickly withdrew more magic proof fabric from out of her bag and wrapped it behind the book. Taking a deep breath, she slowly got up from her table, set down the book, and walked over to the two determined to set things right. She threw her arm around the mare's shoulders and quietly whispered "Jus' play along...", making sure to avoid the saddle bags, and, in a low voice, said, "Well howdy, mah friend, ah was just lookin' fer ya! Ah, see ya still got that automated bird whistle ah got ya a'while back! But ya really shouldn't have brought it in here. Eh, we can all forget some times!" She finished throwing on a fake smile.

Crystal was getting extremely tense--this was exactly the type of pony that would not hesitate to tattle on her if she didn't play her cards right.
"Okay, look, I'll be out of here really soon. Just--"
A mare surprised her once again by jumping up behind her and whispering something quickly in her ear. Celestia, does it ever end?
"Jus' play along..." said the pony with a thick, buttery southern accent. Crystal Plunge wasn't a stranger to different accents, being moderately well-traveled, but she couldn't help but poke a bit of fun at the thicker ones in her head.
"Well howdy, mah friend, ah was just lookin' fer ya! Ah, see ya still got that automated bird whistle ah got ya a'while back! But ya really shouldn't have brought it in here. Eh, we can all forget some times!"
Crystal looked up at the mare with curiosity. She was a tan-coated unicorn with swirls of white and purple in her mane, and Crystal quickly noted the bit of fabric tied around her horn. She stared, mouth slightly open, at her before her quick improv skills kicked in. Being a street performer had its perks.
"Woah, haven't seen you in a while! How've you been?" Crystal glanced back at the stallion leaning against a nearby bookcase, then back at the unicorn before she continued. "Yep, just uh--trying to fix it up a bit. It's been getting a bit noisy lately, and you know me! I don't know the first thing about these magic little trinkets. Celestia help me, I couldn't get a whistle to shut up if it was screaming in my ear at the crack of dawn!" She cleared her throat. "That is, of course, what it has been doing, so that's what I'm doing here. Reading. About birds." Crystal motioned to her stacks of books.
"Anyway," Crystal looked back at the stallion, flashing a quick grin. "I'll be out of your mane soon, so if you could do me a favor and leave the two of us to catch up, that'd be fantastic." Crystal looked up at the mare behind her once more, giving a desperately thankful look.

Recurve raised an eyebrow at the two, not seeing how those two could have a connection. He pushed himself off of the bookcase, which teetered a bit when he did. He looked at the bird, wondering how the mare managed to sneak the bird in.

"Well, I do wish for your bird to be healed sooner rather than later. I suppose this can slide." He trotted back, but then the idea of those two mares knowing each other was still hard to believe. He wanted to test them with that. He came back and engaged the two. "Just to be sure. If you two mares really know each other..." He looked at the one with the unfamiliar accent. "Tell me, what is birdmare's name?" He pointed to the mare with the bird.

((You can skip me because I have no idea what to do here.))

The stallion seemed satisfied with their story, and to Crystal's relief started to trot away. She turned to the mare beside her, about to whisper a word of thanks, but her heart stopped when he hesitated and turned back.
"Just to be sure. If you two mares really know each other..." He looked pointedly at Crystal's savior. "Tell me, what is birdmare's name?" He motioned with his hoof towards the pegasus.
Crystal's temper snapped. All worry about the librarian kicking her out left her head in a brief instant as she stood suddenly, her chair toppling over. "It's really none of your business, alright?!" She spoke in an aggravated, harsh tone. The librarian looked up quickly, his brow furrowed and his mouth half open, but she jumped right back in, even louder, annoyed at his persistence.
"I don't know what your deal is! I didn't ask for you to come over here and start bothering me, and I definitely wasn't bothering you, because all I saw you doing was walking around trying to start something!" Crystal's wings began to rise as she got heated, her feathers flaring up. "Now if you would please go the hell away, I'd really appreciate it, because you're really getting on my nerves!"
Crystal had no time to realize how big of a mistake she had made with this outburst as the librarian at the desk rushed out of his chair and approached her. "Young mare--!" he began, but she gave him a death glare as she scooped up the bird, quickly placing it in her saddlebag.
"Save your breath, I'm leaving," she spat, turning away and heading for the door.

As Jessi watched the events unfold, she turned back to the stallion with a glare, grabbed Crystal's book, and went to check it out at the counter. Once that was done, she trotted off to try and catch up with the blue pegasus. "Hey!" She yelled in an attempt to catch her before she got too far. "Ya forgot yer book! Ya know, ah did notice a new veterinary clinic open on the outskirts o' town! Ah could show ya tha way if'n you'd like!" She stated confidently pointing a hoof in the direction of the new clinic.

(Asha has left the RP due to no longer having any interest to RP.)

Crystal stormed out of the library with her ears pinned back to her neck in anger. She had no idea where she was going but she was going there fast, since she definitely had no intention of sticking around.
I just need to cool off, I need to calm down, I need to leave, she repeated over in her head, her emotions and thoughts a flurry of panic and exhilaration. Her internal turmoil made her hyperaware of all her surroundings rather than distracting her from them, and suddenly everything was too loud, too colorful and she needed to get out of here right now or Celestia help me.
She braced herself and spread her wings to take off in one swift motion, and the cool air on her back after her wings were raised from her body was a welcome relief from the angry heat quickly spreading throughout her body.
She was just about to leave the ground when a voice called out behind her. "Hey!"
Crystal turned, really hoping that the familiar accented voice wasn't directed towards her this time, but of course it was. The same mare that had been her savior not five minutes earlier was now the last pony she wanted to see. She didn't want to see anyone at all, she just needed to leave, Celestia, couldn't anyone understand that?
The unicorn was holding the same book she had been looking through when she had been interrupted, Crystal noted, as she continued to speak in her thick, warm accent. "Ya forgot yer book! Ya know, ah did notice a new veterinary clinic open on the outskirts o' town! Ah could show ya tha way if'n you'd like!" She directed a hoof in the direction of what Crystal Plunge could only assume was the clinic she had just mentioned.
Crystal's brow furrowed in frustration. She definitely wasn't going to accompany this pony anywhere, no matter how welcoming and kind she seemed to be. She folded her wings back in, trotting quickly over to where the mare stood by the library door. Taking a deep breath and softening her expression, she began to speak.
"Hey, you're really great, you know that? Thanks for what you did in there. But right now I'm seriously not in a mood to go anywhere with anyone, no offense, but really. I found this bird in the woods hurt. I don't know how to take of it, or what to do with it, but if you wanted to do me one last favor, like you would be the greatest pony ever if you did this, could you take this guy to the clinic place you were talking about?"
Crystal was surprised at how well she kept herself together during this swarm of words despite her crumbling resolve, the only betrayal to her nerves being how quickly she spoke. She turned to her saddlebags and carefully but hurriedly retrieved the animal, offering it to the mare. "You've done enough for me already, but this guy might seriously die soon and I don't have enough money to pay for whatever it might cost to help. You might not either, but in case you do, please look after him. I really have to go." She placed the bird carefully on top of the book the unicorn was holding, leaving her with no choice but to take him in. Crystal admitted to herself that it was kind of an asshole move, but so were basically all her moves. She turned then and was off the ground in seconds, speeding off over the tops of nearby trees and refusing to let herself think about the past ten minutes until she was far enough away to land and calm down.

((Okay, sorry for the long wait and long reply!! Crystal's going to be going to the clinic later to check on what's going on regardless if Jessi chooses to take the bird there or not, so don't think that I'm closing it here haha.))