Monday, May 9, 2016

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Today's Horoscope (Virgo): A name you haven't heard in a long time may be dropped unexpectedly today.

Morning

During homeroom, Principal Celestia makes some announcements.

"Good morning, students, and happy Monday. Don't forget that voting for Prince and Princess of the Spring Fling starts Wednesday. Be sure to see the event planner if you want your name on the ballot.

"Also, I'd like to congratulate our girls' tennis team for winning Regionals this weekend. Qualifiers for Nationals are coming up on Saturday and are being hosted here at CHS for the first time ever, so be sure to come out and support the team!"

Lunch

Our usual lunch crowd is a little bigger today; Coco has joined us, as well as Chrysalis' daughters, who have started eating with us from time to time.

Applejack is a bit tense; she's looking around the cafeteria with a distasteful grimace and is barely eating.

Fluttershy leans across the table and whispers, "I can tell you exactly who said what if it'll make you feel better."

Applejack shakes her head. "Thanks, but...Ah think Ah'm better off not knowin'."

"So, Coco, are you excited about Saturday?" Pinkie asks.

"I'm nervous, mostly," Coco says. "I mean, Regionals was nerve-wracking enough, but this is Nationals!"

"Technically it's just the qualifier for Nationals," Rainbow points out. "The real pressure comes after you qualify."

"Thanks, Rainbow, that really helped," I say sourly. I smile at Coco. "You'll do fine. Everybody believes in you."

Coco sighs. "Thanks, but...what I'm really worried about is Suri."

I frown. "Suri? What's she got to do with anything?"

"Haven't you heard?" Pinkie asks. "After Coco trashed her, Suri moved clear across country and started at a new school! Her team's headed for Nationals too!"

"I'll...I'll probably have to face her on the court," Coco says. "And...I'm nervous about that."

"It'll be a grudge match alright," Rainbow says. "But hey, you took her down once, you can do it again!"

"Thanks...I think..."

"So, how was your Mother's Day?" Twilight asks Chrysalis' daughters.

"We had a lot of fun spending the day with Mom!" Katydid says.

Papillon sighs. "I guess...Mom was pretty happy this year," she says resignedly.

I glance at her. "What's wrong?"

Papillon glares at me. "Like you don't know," she says. "Thanks to you, I've gotta have my mom for a teacher next year!"

"Oh, don't mind her," Cricket says, rolling her eyes. "The important thing is, Mama's happy."

"So she talked to you all?"

Cricket nods. "She told us all about what went down with that jerk Sombra and...and how she feels about going back to work." She toys with her pudding cup. "She told us how tired she really is, and how what she's doing now makes her feel like a different person, and how she can't even stand the thought of going back to her old life." She laughs. "Even Skeeter relented. He didn't realize how tired and stressed Mama really was."

"Probably because he's a walking stress bomb himself," Katydid adds.

"So, who's everybody going to the Spring Fling with?" Cricket asks.

The conversation changes to the upcoming dance until the end of lunch...

After School

I have a ton of homework, so I go straight back to the dorm after school to hit the books.

Evening

After dinner, Apple Bloom asks me to help with her homework.

"Ah got way too much catchin' up t' do," she complains. "Mah teachers cut me some slack after...after last week, but Ah still gotta make up th' work."

"How are you holding up?" I ask gently.

She sighs. "Honestly?" She looks up at me with teary eyes. "Ah..."

She chokes back a sob. I wait patiently.

After a long moment, she lays her head flat on her arms. "Y'know how Ah didn't wanna go see Papa th' last couple weekends before he went?" I nod. "Well, that's..." She looks up at me with teary eyes. "It's because Ah...kinda...in mah head...decided he was already gone.

"See, Ah...Ah couldn't take seein' him like that. Ah didn't wanna spend th' rest of mah life thinkin' of him as a wasted old man, all dried up an' his hair all fallin' out. So..." She takes a deep breath. "So Ah jes' decided...mah Papa was already gone, an'...an'..." She breaks down crying. "Ah'm jes' terrible!" she wails.

I reach out and take her hand, squeezing it. "I think he'd have understood," I say. "I think Applejack understands too. Have you talked to her about it?"

Apple Bloom sniffles and shakes her head.

"Maybe you should," I say. "If you don't, it'll eat away at you."

Apple Bloom sighs. "Maybe." She casts her eyes to the side. "Goin' back t' school wasn't easy. Even with mah friends there, that little whore Diamond Tiara kept tryin' t' git under mah skin."

"Ignore her," I say. "All she can do is make noise. Does anybody even listen to her anymore?"

"Not really," Apple Bloom says.

"Then let the little bitch bark her head off."

"Heh...you're right," Apple Bloom says. She sniffles and wipes her nose. "Ah got more important things t' worry about. Like...like how Ah'm gonna help mah family."

After she takes a minute to compose herself, we get back to work on her make-up homework. It takes until past ten to get it all finished, by which point I'm exhausted. I head for bed and pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow.