Complacency's Deep Grazing Check-in

In the very present There was an unfamiliar tense air filling the interior of the Spring household, in the otherwise pleasant and sunny dawn of a weekend day. A gnarly-looking bandage on the upper half to shoulder of Ephemeria's left leg appeared to be the main contributor to the awful mood. Odd enough, her current frustration and gloom laid particularly on the immobilising part of the injury. Any more than a minute and the pain left her panting and burning up. The admittedly funky and cool metallic crutch provided would make quick trips much easier… but that leads to even more questions and attention. Three weeks to a month for the cavity and muscle damage to properly heal after the initial magical regeneration until she was expected to move around with a level of reduced inconvenience. Longer if any bone had been nicked, which thankfully in her case had been spared. That much time was too long for the countless overprotective worries towards her shop's business despite the emergency measures prepared by her one family member with far better knowledge of the same process. Unfortunately, this was not another ailment that one can be powered through without immediate longer short-term consequences. It was the second day since then, and she had to check in Ponyville's small papers once more in the hope it DID NOT get covered. The front and back page seemed clear, with updates on trade and the small achievements of locals. Next page, her heart paused, skimming through the multiple small articles on the second and third pages until she caught a name she did not want showing up in the middle of it. A small section, nevertheless there. ------------------------------------------------------------ Commotion in Spring's Field Flower Store ------------------------------------------------------------ The details were limited due to it being from a third party, though just enough to tell the story and be credible given, well… the place had been locked down conspicuously for the day with a window broken with a clear pierce through it. They left out the… whole, crossbow, ordeal, it still stated a mare working the shop had been attacked before the later caught perpetrator ran off and blindly sent something through the window though did little otherwise. A similar mare then rushed in where emergencies quickly followed minutes later, though the injured appeared to be coherent and stable. Gee, thanks observer, great help watching out. A mental joke to lighten Ephemeria's mood. It helped until her anxieties returned in a huge wave as the curse of an active mind kicked in. The article exists, therefore for all to see and speak about with the publication having a fair number of copies located out of town. It would be just another day for other locations, except rumours and gossip spread especially quick in a somewhat tight-knit community like Ponyville, to begin with, a small fraction of the town would no doubt at least subconsciously register the events. Her aunt knew by being present, and breaking it to her active shop hire stung deep from her worried reactions. Her friends and closer acquaintances should know too, potentially active business contacts, however… She didn't want to trouble anyone, don't want to leave stress on their minds, didn't need to be a burden like that. Just let her heal on her own and be the one to worry about others, this struggle will pass by quick, a tiny small matter solved with a healthy dose of resolve. No. They needed to know from her and not through terrifying ambiguous newspaper details should stars align and they catch notice, yet every attempt of the day to reach for the phone left her mouth dry and composure wavering exponent to her progress, seeking the attention of either cat to recover. Maybe if she had been more cautious and kept an eye out, she could have dashed away preemptively and let the volatile robber free reign of the minuscule register. At the same time, the situation acted as a crazed over a decade-old grudge against her fierce aunt for essentially smashing him down during a similar attempt, mistaking smaller not-entirely-identical Ephemeria Spring as a Cherry Spring through deluded and wild eyes. A one-time misfortune destined to never repeat. Her mind felt different about it - the incident was a haze and it concluded it to be a result of terrible carelessness. Damn it. How could a phone be this intimidating?