Starlight's Return

by Erina Tail Yellow

Chapter 5- They're gonna clean up your looks With all the lies in the books

Chapter

5

Vinyl Scratch

Uniforms were handed out during lunch. That was a welcoming change from complex musical numbers even if it was uniforms. We sat on the far end of the cafeteria with our trays. I never understood this school, they gave out complete vegan meals even though most of us aren’t even vegan. I enjoyed the fruit anyways, even if it wasn’t filling enough.

“So where did they end up putting her new office?” I asked. It wasn’t really directed at anyone but I received an answer nonetheless.

“They put her back in one of the private study rooms in the library.” Aria said as she passed our table. “I stood outside her office waiting for about half an hour before lunch.That line was bullshit.”

She moved on without another word. “I still can’t believe they actually went through with transferring here. After all they did to us they still came here.” Bon Bon said.

On the other end of the cafeteria a girl with a propeller cap on got up on a table and pulled a modified T-shirt cannon out from behind her. She fired it at a girl with icy blue hair and the contents of the cannon hit her in the back of the head. “Hey what the hell is wrong with you?! She’s blind!” I shouted, defending the freshman who I’d never even talked to. The propellor capped girl shrugged and loaded the cannon again.

I picked up the thing that had been shot from the cannon. It was a uniform. She was firing uniforms at people. “Hey, are you okay?” Octavia asked the freshman gently.

“I… uh… I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” The girl said.

“What’s your name?” Lyra asked.

“Snowdrop, I do ice sculpture work for a party planner.” Snowdrop said joyfully.

“Cool well nice meeting you. We’re gonna stop that crazed lunatic now, before she injures anyone else.” I said smiling at the kind girl. A freshman with a full time job for a party planner. I’d assume that party planner would be Pinkie as she’s the only person who hires freshmen.

As we got closer I noticed that this girl’s eyes were strange. I really shouldn’t be one to say much seeing as my eyes are red but this was weird. She had purple eyes but instead of pupils she had a white swirl through the purple. She had a light purple skin tone and a pink button up shirt with a pin of a screw and ball on it. As well she wore khaki cargo shorts.

Overall she looked out of place. Almost like she had gotten dressed in the dark with a blindfold on. Although I don’t want to judge her, it was so easy. I got up on the table grabbed the offending weaponry in my hands and unloaded the uniform currently packed inside. I chucked the cannon over to Pinkie, she caught and put it on her table. “You injured a blind freshman.” I muttered slightly upset. “Now please go ahead and hand out uniforms like a normal person.” I said as I patted her on the back.

“Um… just, who the hell are you exactly?” Berry Punch said gesturing at all of her in an annoyed fashion.

“Screwball’s the name. I don’t exactly have a game. Ms.Lueur told me to hand out these uniforms to the students. I saw it fit to hand out uniforms like this because it would be fun.” The swirly-eyed girl said.

“That was not fun by any means.” Rarity said. It looked like Sunset was trying to calm her down with a massage. Everyone at their table looked confused and immediately stopped all productivity.

“Extra hands are always helpful. That’s how I get most of my work done at the bakery.” Bon Bon said. She seemed upset but willing to help if it got this over faster.

Octavia gave out a set of uniforms to each of us. We had them out to everyone in no time and no one was hurt in the process.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of day went normally. Other than all of our free time being spent assessing the damage to our hangout. The door was going to be extremely expensive. Ms. Lueur had offered to pay for Octavia’s cello to be fixed. Though she hadn’t offered to clean my records or replace any of Lyra’s Mangas. Only two of my records were ruined, not to a point where I couldn’t use them, but to a point where they needed to be retired.

When Octavia and I got home that day I retold the day’s events to Long Play over a dinner he had prepared himself. He had made grilled cheese sandwiches and put out potato chips for us to have with them.

“Sounds like a lot for just one day, sis.” Long Play said after I had finished my story.

“Long Play… Don’t call me sis. I know who I am.” I said tersely.

“Oh right. I don’t know why I felt the need to say that.” He said, slightly embarrassed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around seven o’clock when we got done eating. We had agreed to meet up with Lyra and Bon Bon at the mall. The mall was crowded, that was to be expected for a friday evening.

Octavia and walked in with the rest of the crowd only to be surprised that there were very few people actually here, compared to what it looked like in the parking lot. Lyra was sitting on a bench by the escalator playing her lyre. Its case was sitting next to her and had a considerable amount of cash in it.

“So I assume you’re buying us dessert at The Sweet Shoppe tonight.” I said as I walked over eyeing the cash and change in the lyre case closely.

“I know you make twice that much from one club gig by itself.” Lyra said.

“Fair enough. I see you’re doin’ much better than you once were.”

“Ok so what’s the plan for tonight?” Octavia asked more casually than she usually speaks.

Bon Bon walked out from behind the escalator. “You may wonder why I’ve called you all here today.” She said slowly.

“Bon you didn’t call them here. We meet here every Friday.” Lyra deadpanned.

“No seriously what’s the plan?” Octavia asked impatiently. “We aren’t doing anything here.”

“Well we need to do research on our new counselor. That name seems familiar.” Lyra said. “It sounds like a writer’s pseudonym.”

A few moments later we were in the fantasy section of the bookstore. I didn’t recognize a single title or name there. “Vinyl remind me again why we don’t like Ms. Lueur?” Octavia asked skeptically.

“There’s something I just don’t like about her.” I said frowning. “Lyra you found anything yet!” I shouted over at her.

Lyra holding her dad’s most recent book in his longest running series. “Uhhh… Nothing yet.” She replied slowly. She put the book down and began looking at other titles. She picked up another a book with a sour expression on her face. “This Bob Hitchens person is trying to run my dad into the ground. Everything he writes just a rip off of someone else’s much better work.” She threw the book back down on the shelf.

“Thomas Michelakos’s work is selling better than ever. Why are you so worried?” Bon Bon asked.

“Why did you say his full name?” She replied.

“Felt like it. Vinyl do you see anything?” Bon Bon said.

“Nothing more than these books being way out of place.” I said moving a stack of bibles to the historical fiction section an aisle over. “Hey why are author psudo whatever’s so weird.”

“Vinyl it’s a pseudonym. And why did you just move that stack of bibles?” Octavia said confused.

“They were in the wrong section. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Vinyl they’re made up names they don’t have to make sense.” Lyra answered for Octavia unexpectedly. “My dad just so happened to like the name he chose. Oh wait her name sounded French. Do we know anyone that speaks French?”

“That was a quick realization Lyra. How did you get there?” Bon Bon said. Lyra simply shrugged in response. I looked at Octavia and she smiled at me. “At least you’re not going about other things.” She sounded disgusted.

“Okay so we’ll save that for later. So I’ll take that as a no on French speaking friends Lyra.” I said putting an abrupt end to Bon Bon and Lyra’s argument.

“Actually, Rarity speaks French. At least the fashion aspects of it. She’ll be of partial help at the least.” Octavia said.

“Good idea. I totally forgot that she would know quite a bit of French. We’ll talk to her on Monday.” Lyra stated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey do you think I can wear my jacket over the uniform?” I asked, pulling on the equal sign emblazoned blazer.

“Vinyl the point of the uniforms is to show unity. So that’s probably a no on your jacket.” Octavia replied.

“That’s bullshit! At least I can still wear my glasses.” I said, slipping on my shades. The world went from vibrant and bright to purple. Octavia walked into my room wearing her uniform. She looked virtually the same as me. Black skirt, white button-up shirt, equal sign emblazoned blazer, and her signature pink bowtie.

She leaned forward and pulled my shades off. “You’re eyes are so beautiful. I wish you wouldn’t hide them behind these.” She put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

I for the first time took my shades off and set them on my bedside table. “Are you happy now?” I said jokingly. To my surprise I received a kiss. My eyes widened in shock before returning the favor. We pulled away just as my brother walked up to my room.

“Well I was about to say you two should get goin’ but I’m just gonna walk myself out.” Long Play said as he slowly backed away from my door.

“He’s right.” Octavia said unhappily.

“About walking himself out or getting to school?”

“School, Vy.”

“You don’t make nicknames work, Tavi”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once we were at school I noticed that everyone wore their uniforms with a signature. Everyone other than me. My face felt bare. Good thing I had a spare pair of shades in our hangout I thought.

Berry Punch sat against the front wall of the school ready to greet us. Once again she had her black shades on and a stainless steel coffee mug in one hand. “g’mor’ng.” She slurred.

“I take it you had a good night.” I said.

“wher’ yu,” she groaned and clutched her head, “th’ sha- the glas’s? Wher’ dey?”

“Okay so I think you asked about my shades. They’re at home.”

“Oh, okay. I-ye’ dat goo’ I like purple. Wher’ my coffee?”

“Hey gu- Vinyl you don’t have your glasses on!!” Derpy said as she walked over. Octavia was helping Berry to look for her coffee mug, that was in her hand. “Woah! Your eyes are red. Like, Vinyl that’s crazy.”

“Just calm down. Don’t tell everyone. I only did this for Octavia.” I whispered.

“Don’t tell me what?”

“No. You misheard that Vinyl doesn’t want me to be loud about her not wearing her shades.” Derpy responded cheerfully.

“Vinyl. How many times have you come to school without your glasses?”

“Not once. The only time anyone has briefly seen my eyes was when Twilight and her friends did that elaborate musical number in the cafeteria and Applejack pulled them off for no reason.” I frowned remembering that.

“No need to be upset. I love you and that’s what matters.” She gave me a peck on the cheek and blushed not something I was familiar with doing outside of home.

I coughed and smiled. “Keep it at home Tavi.” She smiled as my blush subsided. Lyra was walking towards our small gathering. Berry finally took a drink of her coffee and immediately snapping back into reality very briefly. Only to eek out part of a sentence before being crushed once again.

“Hey look Lyra’s her-” Berry stopped and clutched head.

“Oh another bad hangover Berry?” Lyra asked sympathetically. “And why is nobody looking for Rarity?”

“Oh right we’ll look.” I said grabbing Octavia by the hand and pulling her with me.

Author's Note:

Hey! Woah I'm not dead. Crazy right man I love this. 2 and a half weeks later we have the long awaited chapter 5. Man it was a rollercoaster of writer's block and inspiration and not being able to pull things off and being grounded it was crazy. I hate to say this but it would be nice to see some feedback from ya'll. Oh yay now you have to listen to my editor's incessant whining. Oh boy good luck sorry 'bout her language. She's a bit hungover or a dick I can't really tell. (pardon my French) Lyrics from Teenagers by My Chemical Romance.