Friday, April 15, 2016

2015
2016
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL





MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST

Today's Horoscope (Virgo): The decisions you make have far-reaching consequences. Don't let others make decisions you believe would be wrong for you and your loved ones.

Afternoon

The test I've been studying for all week was brutal, and I barely finished with five minutes to spare, but I think I did alright...

After School

Tennis practice...

After practice, I catch up with Coach Chrysalis before she leaves. "How's it going?" I ask.

She sighs. "That guy from Saeki keeps pestering me," she says. "And..." She trudges over to a bench and sits down; I join her.

"This whole thing's got me thinking lately, and..." Chrysalis looks down at her lap, a rueful, wistful look on her face. "All those years I struggled my way up to the top, all the years I commanded respect and power in the corporate world..." She shakes her head. "I tried never to lose sight of my family. I made all the time I could for my children. I love my kids. They're my life. They're why I worked so hard for so long.

"But...now that everything's changed, I...I've realized something." She looks off into the distance. "Now that I have more time for my kids..." She chuckles softly. "My kids don't have time for me." She shakes her head. "It's like that old song. You know the one? About the dad who was never around, and then when he retired..."

"I know the song, yeah."

"I mean, all my kids are still in school, even my oldest," Chrysalis says, "but they've all got their own things going on. Even my littlest. They have friends and tee ball and stuff..." She sighs. "I have so much time now, and...and I've started memorizing TV schedules." She snorts. "I hardly ever watched TV when I was still CEO." She shakes her head. "Of course, I'm also taking online courses to get a teaching certificate so I can take over the Economics class here this fall, but..." She shrugs. "The more I think about it, the more attractive Saeki's offer is starting to look." She looks down. "In the end, all my kids need me for is to earn obscene amounts of money for them so they can have comfortable, full lives...and I'm not sure if coaching high school tennis is enough for me." She looks at me. "Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying being here, but..." She shrugs. "I just...don't know if it's enough. I don't...I don't know if I can live without an office and the stress of corporate life and lots of people to yell at." She laughs mirthlessly. "God that sounds pathetic..."

"I guess...it's a matter of what makes you the most happy." I gesture with my hands. "Either way, you have something to lose. You just...you just need to decide which loss you can live with."

She glances at me. "That's a pretty wise thing for a kid your age to say."

I look down at my feet. "It's just...I understand," I say. "Because...this summer, I have to go back to Seaddle...I won't get to graduate with all the friends I've made here, and I don't have anything waiting for me except a lonely house back there." I feel my eyes getting hot. "Everything I've built for myself here in Canterlot..." I shake my head. "It'll all be gone in a few months."

"I...didn't know," Chrysalis says. She sighs. "That's a shame." She shakes her head. "I guess everybody has their problems..."

"Do you think your kids want you to go back to work for a big company?" I ask.

"I...haven't spoken to them about it, actually." Chrysalis looks away. "I guess...I've been scared to mention it. They're just now getting used to the way things are now..."

"Maybe you should talk it over with the kids then."

"Heh. Maybe."

She sighs and stands up. "I need to get going. Thanks for the talk. And...I'm sorry to hear about your situation."

I shrug. "It won't be forever. I mean, after graduation, I can come back here for college. Or go wherever Twilight ends up going. I just..."

I gather up my things and head back to the dorm. My shoulders feel heavy.

Evening

At dinner, Pinkie brings up the subject of Applejack's birthday.

"So, Applejack, got plans?" Pinkie asks. "You know we're gonna throw you a party."

Applejack chuckles. "Heh...'fraid Ah won't be here," she says. "Next Friday, Big Mac'll be pickin' me up after school an' takin' me an' Apple Bloom back t' th' farm fer th' weekend. We're gonna do mah whole birthday thing on Saturday."

"Aww," Pinkie whines.

"Just you two, Granny Smith, and Big Mac?" Rainbow asks, frowning. "That's gonna be kind of a sucky birthday."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity chides.

Applejack sighs. "Yeah...whut with Papa an' all..." She picks at her dinner miserably.

"I have an idea!" Pinkie declares suddenly. "What if we all went up to Sweet Apple Acres for the weekend again? That way you can have a birthday party with all your friends!"

"Hey, that's a good idea," Twilight says. "How about it, Applejack?"

Applejack smiles. "Aww, c'mon now...Ah wouldn't wanna impose..."

"Oh, it'd be no imposition at all, darling!" Rarity says with a smile. "We'd simply love to!"

"It'd be a lot more fun with all our friends," Apple Bloom says.

"Heh..." Applejack chuckles. "Shoot...why not? Ah'll call up Big Mac after supper'n tell 'im." She grins. "Shucks, y'all..."

We're just starting to clear the table when the doorbell rings. Luna moves to answer it.

"I wonder who that could be this late?" Twilight wonders as we carry plates to the kitchen.

"Who knows?"

As I'm getting ready to start washing dishes, Luna pokes her head into the kitchen. "Flash? Could you come here a minute, please?"

Twilight and I exchange a glance, then dry our hands and head out into the lounge.

As soon as I see who's standing there, my blood turns to ice.

"SURPRISE!" Mom and Dad yell.

"Mom? Dad? What..." I shake my head. "What are you doing here?!"

"Our project's timetable got cut short," Dad says. "Things like that happen when there's a government coup."

"So we decided to surprise you!" Mom says with a smile. "We got in this afternoon, did the customs thing, got settled into a hotel..." She gestures vaguely. "All that stuff."

"We're going back to Seaddle tomorrow," Dad says. "Bet you can't wait to go home, huh?"

What. The. Fuck.

I shake my head. "What?"

"We're going home tomorrow," Mom says. "All of us. It'll take a couple of days to get the house back in shape and everything, but we'll have you back in your old school in no time!"

I stare at her, feeling every bone in my body trying to melt all at once.

"Hey, what's goin' on in here?" Rainbow asks from the entrance to the lounge. "Who're these guys?"

The others are starting to filter in too; it dimly occurs to me that Twilight, Luna, and I were alone with my parents until now.

I look at Twilight. She's gone several shades paler, and her eyes are wide. She looks from me to my parents and back. Her lips are moving soundlessly.

Luna looks between me and my parents, then clears her throat. "Girls? I believe we should give Flash and his parents a moment alone..."

"I'm not going anywhere," Twilight says quietly, latching onto me with a painful grip.

Luna frowns. "Alright...the rest of you then. Out."

The lounge swiftly empties. Luna is the last one out, casting concerned glances back at us.

I feel like I can't stand up. I stagger over to the sofa and sit down heavily. Twilight sits next to me. My parents sit down in recliners.

"Are you okay, Flash?" Mom asks. "You don't look so well..."

I stare at her. "You and Dad just showed up out of nowhere," I say.

"Well...we wanted to surprise you," Mom says.

"Yeah, you surprised me alright."

Twilight clears her throat. "Excuse me," she says. "You can't just...just show up unannounced and pull Flash out of school and transfer him back to Seaddle in one weekend."

"Oh, it's not that complicated," Dad says. "Sure, we'll have to deal with unenrolling him here in Canterlot by phone and settle up on the fees, but his records back in Seaddle—"

"That's NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Twilight shouts.

Dad frowns at her. "Look...your dorm mother asked you to clear out with everyone else, so..."

"I'm his girlfriend!" Twilight says.

"Oh," Dad says. He shrugs. "Well...sorry, he's leaving town tomorrow."

"I know you're probably upset, but it'll be okay," Mom says with a reassuring smile. "I mean, you knew he wouldn't be staying in Canterlot, right?"

This isn't happening...

Looking at Mom and Dad, seeing how oblivious they are...

My blood starts to boil. I let go of Twilight and stand up, balling my fists.

"I'm not going anywhere," I say.

Mom blinks at me. "Flash, sweetie...you have to go home with us," she says. "You know that, right?"

"Why?" I ask. I glare at her. "What possible reason do I have to go back to Seaddle?"

Dad frowns. "Because it's home, Son."

"No it's NOT!"

Mom and Dad look at one another in confusion. "What...are you talking about?" Mom asks. "Of course it's home. Our home, your home, is in Seaddle. It's where you were born, it's where we raised you, it's where all your friends are..."

"No, Mom. THIS is where all my friends are." I take a deep breath. "You never noticed because you never gave a damn, but I didn't have friends. Ever. Every day I went to school and I came home and I played my guitar and that's it. I didn't have anything." I glare at them. "Except two parents who were hardly ever home and don't care enough to remember anything I tell them."

Mom gasps. "FLASH! We care! We're your parents!"

"Oh yeah?" I point at Twilight. "What's her name?"

Mom shakes her head. "I don't know, I've never met her!"

"She just told you she's my girlfriend!" I say. "I've told you about her over and over again! If you ever actually listened to me, you'd know her goddamn name!"

"Don't talk to your mother that way!" Dad says, standing up.

"SHUT UP, DAD!" I yell. "I've had it! I'm sick of it! You two never pay any real attention to me! As long as I have money to buy food and clothes and stuff, that's fine, right? You don't bother to remember stuff I tell you!" I take a deep breath. "You're never around even when you ARE around! You don't LISTEN! Any time one of you actually remembers something I told you, it freaks me out! That isn't normal!"

Mom and Dad stare at me. Mom's mouth is open wide in shock.

I'm not done yet.

"Look, you going off to Zebrica or wherever for a year to do whatever? I was fine with that! It's not like it'd be much different for me either way! Whether you're home or on another continent, you check in with me about once a week to make sure I'm okay, forget anything I try to tell you, and put money in my debit account so I can take care of myself!" I start pacing around the lounge. "Shipping me off to Canterlot? I was fine with that! It's not like I had any real attachment to Seaddle!" I stop pacing and turn to face my parents.

"But see...it's different now. I have friends here. I have a life here. I have somebody here I love. I'm practically already part of her family.

"I had a real family Thanksgiving and a real family Christmas for the first time in my entire LIFE with Twi and her family. In my ENTIRE. LIFE." I give Mom and Dad a hard stare. "What does that say about us as a family? Huh?"

Mom starts to fidget uncomfortably. Dad frowns.

"I've got stuff going on here. I've got a whole life...something I never had back in Seaddle. And now you just show up out of the blue and tell me that's all over?" I throw my hands in the air. "No. We're not doing that. Give me one good reason I should just throw away all the friendships I've made, my girlfriend, the life I have here in Canterlot." I cross my arms and glare at them.

Mom gives me a sad, pleading look. "Flash...honey...don't you want to come home and be with me and your Dad?"

I stare at her.

"Son...we're your parents," Dad says. "You belong with us."

"What, so you can ignore me some more?" I shake my head. "I've had sixteen years of that, Dad. I'm sick of it."

"Excuse me."

Luna walks in. "I'm sorry to interrupt...and for eavesdropping..." She faces my parents. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Vice-Principal Luna."

Mom blinks. "You're the vice-principal and the dorm mom?"

I facepalm. "The school nurse is the dorm manager, Mom. Vice-Principal Luna is just here sometimes." Under my breath, I mutter, "I've told you this before..."

Luna coughs. "I think everyone's just a little...on edge right now," she says. "After all, your arrival was rather sudden and unexpected." She regards my parents coolly. "Surely, as scholars, you're aware that transferring a student in the middle of a term is disruptive to their education."

Dad frowns. "Well...that's true..."

"Also...as you've just heard...uprooting your son right now, without even giving him time to say goodbye to his friends from school, would be traumatic. He's clearly upset at the thought of leaving his friends and his girlfriend behind." She pauses for a breath. "I would suggest, at the very least, you not ask Flash to move back to Seaddle until summer. That will give everyone time to think and talk and decide what's best for your family and what's best for Flash." She looks between my parents, me, and Twilight. "Does that sound sensible?"

Mom lets out a shaky breath. "I...I guess so..." She looks at Dad. "What do you think?"

Dad sighs. "Well..." He scratches his nose. "I think we should sleep on it. We'll be back in the morning to talk some more about this." He stands up; Mom stands up as well. "Son..." Dad starts, then shakes his head. "See you tomorrow."

They head for the door and leave.

"Flash..." Twilight says. Tears are gathering in her eyes.

I squeeze her hand, then numbly head upstairs. Not bothering to undress, I throw myself onto my bed face-first. I feel like something's gnawing on the inside of my stomach...