Thursday, March 10, 2016

2015
2016
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH





APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Your hero complex is going to get you in a lot of trouble one of these days.

Early Morning

Before breakfast, Twilight, Pinkie, and Sonata gather in the hall. I'm just getting ready to head to the shower when I run right into them.

"That Black Butterfly app is...really really hard to figure out," Pinkie says.

Twilight shrugs. "I managed to figure it out. I'll show you later." She looks at Sonata. "What about you?"

Eh. I'll figure it out.

Sonata beams.

I got a crossbow!

"That's an...interesting choice of weapon," Twilight says. She looks at me. "How about you?"

"I'm sticking with what I've got for now," I say. "I don't really care what I'm wearing when we go in."

"Aww, but that's boring!" Pinkie whines.

Yeah! Alternate costumes are the best!

"...you girls do realize we're not playing a video game, right?" I shake my head. "Gotta shower." I gently push past them and head for the bathroom.

Lunch

Octavia walks up to me on my way to lunch. She looks miserable.

"Are you coming to Music Club today?" she asks. "I...I'll be attending on Thursdays from now on as well."

I nod. "Sure. What happened the other night?"

Octavia shifts. "I'll...I'll tell you about it later..."

After School

All through Music Club, Octavia is sitting by herself, morosely picking at a bass.

After everyone leaves, I walk over to her. "So what happened?"

Octavia puts the bass down and sighs. "I took Vinyl home, introduced her to my mother, and...and told her that we're...seeing one another." She plays with her hair. "She...she hit the ceiling. She started screaming at me about how much time and money she's wasted on me, how I'm throwing away all the careful plans she's made for my future. She...she started saying horrible things about Vinyl...we all ended up screaming at each other.

"I asked Mother..." Octavia looks down at her lap. "I asked Mother...if she even loves me, if she's proud of me...if she wants me to be happy...or if...or if she just sees me as an achievement, as something she's created and shaped into what she wants..." She sniffles and looks up at me. Her eyes are full of tears.

"She...she couldn't answer."

"Oh God..."

"Vinyl called my mother..." Tavi pauses, face beet red. "...something analogous to a disgusting cow, and Mother, well...she said Vinyl is never to come anywhere near the house again. I...I left." She hugs herself. "I took Vinyl home and...and stayed at her house." She sighs heavily. "I haven't been back home since. Vinyl's mother is very graciously allowing me to stay, and she's very upset about...about the way my mother acted, when we told her about it." She wipes at her eyes. "I...I know I'll have to go home...soon...but I just can't face Mother right now..."

The door opens, and Principal Celestia walks in, accompanied by a severe-looking woman with ash-grey skin, the beginnings of wrinkles, stormy black eyes, and fading black hair tied up in a stiff bun. She's wearing a charcoal suit.

Octavia gasps, eyes wide. I don't even need to ask. This must be her mother.

"Ms. Melody," Celestia says. Her eyes are compassionate but firm. "Your mother tells me you haven't been home in two days."

Octavia looks down.

"Now, I hope you understand that...that you can't do this to your family," Celestia says. "You...you have to go home, or you'll legally be considered a runaway..."

Mrs. Melody folds her arms across her chest. "Octavia," she says, "I expect you to come home with me immediately. I'll have no more of this foolishness."

Octavia's eyes squeeze shut; tears stream down her cheeks. "Y-yes, Mother," she says. She starts to stand up...

I put a hand on her shoulder and face Mrs. Melody. "You never answered her question."

Mrs. Melody blinks, then stares at me as though I'm an insect that just crawled out from under her stove. "Excuse me, this is none of your business."

"I'm making it my business," I say.

"Flash..." Celestia says in a warning tone.

"No," I say. "Octavia told me about what happened Tuesday night. She asked you a question, ma'am. You never answered it. Don't you think you should?"

"Young man, I'm warning you—"

"What?" I ask, standing up. "What are you going to do?"

Mrs. Melody falters, taking a step back. "I'll have you know, I—"

"I don't care," I say. "Your daughter asked whether or not you love her, and you didn't answer her. I'm sick of watching my friends' parents fuck them over for bullshit reasons. You're going to answer her question, or she's not going anywhere."

Celestia blinks, then turns and gives Mrs. Melody a hard look. "Mrs. Melody? Would you mind explaining what this young man is talking about?"

Mrs. Melody's mouth works for a moment.

Octavia stands up. "It's a simple question, Mother," she says. "Everybody can see that but you." She sniffles.

"Flash," Celestia says, "I believe we should give these two a minute." The look she gives me brooks no argument.

I glance at Octavia. She swallows and nods. I follow Celestia out into the hall.

Once we've put some distance between ourselves and the club room, she rounds on me. "What the hell was all that about?" she asks.

I explain to her everything that I know about Vinyl and Octavia, including what Octavia was telling me before Celestia and Mrs. Melody walked in. When I'm finished, Celestia is pale and shaken. She frowns. "I knew Mrs. Melody was a severe and intimidating woman, but..." She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I should have seen the signs, shouldn't I? I didn't want to think...any student of mine would have one of those kinds of parents..."

We hear a loud shriek, followed by a crash. Before we can react, the door to the Music Club room flies open, and Octavia runs out, pushing past us. She's sobbing.

Celestia and I look at each other, then rush to the door. Mrs. Melody is lying on the floor, tangled up in an overturned chair.

"Call Nurse Cadance," Celestia says. She kneels down next to Mrs. Melody, checking her. I pull out my phone and call Cadance.

A few minutes later, we have Mrs. Melody in a chair. She's conscious, but stunned, and has a nasty cut on her face. Cadance is dressing the wound.

"Mrs. Melody?" Celestia asks. "What...what just happened?"

"She slapped me," Mrs. Melody says in a detached voice. "She...she called me a bitch, told me to go to hell, and slapped me. I...I never..."

I pull out my phone and hurriedly text Octavia, then step out in the hall and call Vinyl. I tell her about what just happened.

"Yeah, Tavi just called me," Vinyl says. "I told her to take a cab straight here. We'll take care of her until this blows over."

"Do you think this is gonna blow over?" I ask.

Vinyl sighs. "I dunno, dude. I dunno. Tavi's mom is a total cunt."

Cadance leans out of the club room. "Flash...you should go back to the dorm now. Would you please text Shiny and tell him I'll be home late?"

I nod. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"She'll be fine, but...we're going to sit down and have a long talk with her."

"Good."

Cadance frowns. "Do...do you know where Octavia went after she left here?"

"Yes." I turn to leave.

"Flash! Where did she go?"

I look back. "You know where she went." I turn to walk away...

"Flash? You...you forgot your guitar and your laptop..."

I smack my forehead. Cadance hands my stuff out to me, and I leave school.

Evening

I've just gotten back to the dorm when I get a call from Octavia.

"Is...is Mother alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Just...stunned. When I left, Principal Celestia and Nurse Cadance were handling her."

"Good." Octavia sounds shaken. "I can't believe I did that...I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?"

"I don't know. Probably."

Octavia sighs. "I'm sorry you...had to get caught up in all that."

"I hope your mom wakes up after this," I say.

"So do I...anyway, I'm...I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I just hope...everything works out."

I try to start on my homework, but I'm too tense to concentrate. I lie on my bed, trying to just empty myself out.

There's a knock at my door. "Flash?" It's Twilight.

I look up as the door opens. "Are you alright?" she asks.

"No."

"Oh. Well...are you coming down to dinner?"

"I'm...not really hungry."

"What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "Why are there so many kids in Canterlot with asshole parents?"

Twilight walks in and sits down. "Your parents again?"

I shake my head. "Octavia's mom."

"Octavia? Melody?"

I nod. "It's just...she just had a bad fight with her mom." I tell her about it. Twilight pales and covers her mouth.

"That's horrible," she says.

"Yeah." I sigh. "I just...I'm all tense..."

There's a knock on the door frame. "Flash?"

It's Principal Celestia.

She walks in and sits down in my desk chair. She sighs heavily. "Mrs. Melody has agreed to allow Octavia to remain...elsewhere. I've arranged for them to meet with a family counselor. They need professional intervention."

"Good."

Celestia looks at me. "I should give you detention for what happened back there," she says. "You spoke out of turn and...well..." She shakes her head. "But...I understand where you were coming from and why you did it, and...I have to say, I'd have done the same thing in your place. Ms. Melody is very lucky to have a friend like you."

"All I did was get pissed and blow my top," I say with a shrug.

"And you tend to do that a lot," Celestia says. "But...your heart is usually in the right place." She stands. "Anyway, I just...wanted you to know what happened after you left."

"Thanks."

Celestia leaves. Twilight pulls me into an embrace and holds me. I'm shaking all over...

I don't know how long we just sit there like that before my eyelids become too heavy to keep open.