Thursday, May 19, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Sometimes, the world's greatest treasure is a good night's sleep.
After School
Music Club...
Tensions over the Spring Fling voting have risen to a fever pitch. Music Club is effectively disrupted entirely by the two couples present taking their campaign "on the road"—Vinyl, Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon invaded the soccer field, with Vinyl and Octavia driving around in the Scratchmobile blaring electric cello dubstep and Lyra and Bon Bon doing all kinds of random, crazy stuff that doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything.
This shit goes on for almost fifteen minutes before Vice-Principal Luna rushes out to kick everyone off the field. Music Club quickly disbands for the day after that.
Evening
When I return to the dorm, I discover Fluttershy in my room, spread out on my bed, working away on her laptop and eating multigrain chips.
I cough. "Hey."
She looks up. "Oh. Umm. Hi. Sorry, I'm borrowing your room for a bit."
I put my guitar and laptop bag down and pull out my desk chair, sitting down. "I can see that. Mind telling me why?"
"I'm avoiding Rarity," Fluttershy says. "I don't want to get into another stupid, pointless fight with her, and right now I'm just too worked up to deal with her shit."
I snort. "Okay, I admit Rarity can be overbearing, but—"
"I just...don't even think I'm going to the Spring Fling," Fluttershy says.
"Why not?"
She shrugs. "I don't really see why I should. I mean, there's not a single guy at CHS I'd even consider dancing with, let alone actually going to the dance with on a date, and..." She sighs. "Every time I look at the people around me, all I see are the disgusting things they say on Canterbook. You think seeing that stuff floating around in Zodiac is bad? It's worse for me, because I've been dealing with it longer and I usually know who said what." She blows out a long, tired breath. "There are 617 students enrolled in CHS, and 543 enrolled in the junior high. That's 1,160 kids using Canterbook. That's not including the faculty at both schools." She takes a deep breath. "1,380 active accounts on Canterbook. Wanna guess how many don't go total dickwad?"
I shake my head.
"Two hundred and four." Fluttershy brushes her hair out of her face. "There are two hundred and four kids and teachers between the two schools I couldn't ruin with the press of a button. What percentage of those are just genuinely nice people, I couldn't begin to guess." She looks up at me, sadness and pain in her eyes. "Flash, I used...I used to believe if I was kind to everybody, everybody would be kind to me. I want...I want to believe that again. Really, I do. But..." Tears gather in her eyes. "How can I believe that? How can I ever be the kind, gentle girl I used to be before?
"That's what Zodiac has taken from me, Flash," Fluttershy whispers. "It's taken away my innocence." She starts to sniffle. "I...I can't ever get that back."
She buries her face in her hands and starts to cry. I sit on the bed and gather her up in my arms. Over her shoulder, I glance at the screen of her computer.
My stomach clenches.
It's an upskirt photo of Sweetie Belle.
Apparently, some kid at CJHS is passing it around...
I reach out and close the laptop, then let Fluttershy cry herself out.
The Fluttershy Social Link of the Priestess Arcana has reached rank 6!
Your power to create Personas of the Priestess Arcana has grown!
"Sorry," she says hoarsely after several minutes.
"It's alright," I say. "Maybe you should...go wash your face, get yourself together before dinner."
She nods and stands, heading out.
Once she's gone, I pull out my phone and call Principal Celestia. I tell her about the photo of Sweetie Belle that's being passed around.
"I'll call the principal of CJHS," Celestia says firmly. "I promise this will be dealt with."
I thank her, then start on my homework. I have two quizzes tomorrow...
After dinner, I study for an hour, then go to bed.
