Sunday, April 24, 2016

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Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Appreciate the things you take for granted today, and be a friend to those who aren't as lucky as you.

Daytime

A heat wave is settling over the area late this afternoon.

We all got up at dawn to help with the morning chores, then packed up our campsite. We decide to work around the farm until lunchtime, eat lunch with the Apples, then head back to the dorm.

While we're working, Applejack calls us all out to the barn.

"Sorry Ah was so short with y'all yesterday," she says. "An'...sorry if Ah was kinda..." She shrugs and makes a vague gesture with her hands. "Y'know...kind of a bring-down."

"We understand," Twilight says.

"Yeah, totally," Rainbow agrees. "Don't sweat it."

Applejack smiles. "So, uhh...about all this monster-fightin' stuff...whut's next?"

"That can wait until we're back at the dorm," I say. "We took out Taurus, and..." I glance at Twilight. "Do we have any idea who Gemini will be?"

Twilight shakes her head. "I need to research that," she says. "Fluttershy probably needs to help me...she'd have a better idea of who might be on Sunset's shit list."

Fluttershy snorts. "Who isn't on her shit list?" She shakes her head. "But yeah, I'll help."

"In the meantime..." I dust off my hands on my jeans. "We usually train on Sundays. Obviously we won't train today. Not while we're all still recovering from the other day and that fucked-up truck might still be hanging around."

"Ugh, that thing," Pinkie says. "We didn't finish it off, so..."

"We'll probably see it again," Fluttershy says. "And...it disturbs me that she was able to create a Shadow copy of one of Flash's Personas. I have no idea how she even did that."

"We'll worry about it later," I say as I glance outside. "Big Mac's headed this way, we need to get back to work."

We finish up with the chores, then head inside for lunch. After that, we all pile into the SUVs and head back to the dorm.

Evening

By the time we left Sweet Apple Acres, it was already getting unseasonably hot. The air conditioner in the SUV is on full blast all the way back and we're all still sweating and panting.

After I settle in back at the dorm, I decide to call my parents before bed.

"Hi Flash!" Mom says. "How are things?"

"Pretty good. Just got back from Sweet Apple Acres. That's Applejack's family farm. Her birthday was this weekend, we went up there for a party."

"That sounds like fun."

I shrug. "I guess. We did some chores on the farm, slept under the stars. It's the second time we've gone up there this year."

"They put you to work?"

"We put ourselves to work." I explain the Apple family's situation; when I'm done, Mom is close to tears.

"That's terrible," she says. "You know, your great-grandpa died in a nursing home. I was only seven. I remember my mother taking me to see him..." She sniffles.

"I...didn't know that," I say.

We spend a little while longer talking. When I hang up, I get ready for bed.

As I doze off, I have a horrible mental image of my own parents, wasting away from cancer in some cold, sterile nursing home...