//------------------------------// // ROAD TO RECOVERY // Story: Ten More Yards // by 5aszs //------------------------------// BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP Ugh, why does it have to be so loud?! Atomic reached out from under the duvet and eventually reached the ‘stop’ button, silencing the room again. He tucked under the duvet again and tried to get a few more minutes of sleep. “Atomic, get up now!” When Atomic didn’t reply, Tea Rose left Butterscotch in her cot briefly and went across the hallway to her son’s bedroom door. She knocked on the door loudly and pushed it wide open. “Atomic, it’s 07:30, get up!” “But I don’t have school!” “I don’t care! We’re going out!” “No! I’m not going shopping, I hate it!” Tea Rose entered the room and stood over Atomic’s bed. “I’m not gonna have you moping at home all day. And for your information, we’re not actually going shopping first. We’re gonna go somewhere and in the afternoon, we’re picking up your aunt.” Atomic sat up slowly. “So where are we going first?” “Get ready and you’ll find out.” Tea Rose left and Atomic pushed his duvet to the end of his bed. He sat up again and swung out of bed to go and brush his teeth. As he left his room, Syracuse came out of the bathroom. “Morning Atomic.” “Hey Dad.” Atomic did his business in the bathroom and then went downstairs to the living room to have his breakfast. The radio was already on and Atomic switched it to the sports news channel. “And the regular season has come to an end, which means that we now have playoff hoofball to look forward to. Your playoffs teams this season - the Canterlot Knights, Las Pegasus Flamingoes, Fillydelphia Dragons and Cloudsdale Hawks will each be aiming for the title. Guys, what are your playoff predictions?” “Canterlot Knights are gonna win it all, they’re the best team in the league and their defense in particular is something to behold; so even if La Salle has an off game, their defense will get the job done.” “I disagree. Cloudsdale have the best defence in the league, and Slate Gray in particular is going to shut down the passing game of every team.” “That’s obviously biased, everypony knows that you’re a Cloudsdale fanboy!” Syracuse came into the living room with a mug of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs with two slices of bread. He sat down opposite Atomic and began eating, glancing up at his son every few seconds. “Atomic?” “Yeah?” “Can I ask you a question?” Atomic nodded, and Syracuse put his mug down. “Are you gonna tell me why you fought Pablo?” Atomic shook his head, and Syracuse sighed. “Atomic, your mother and I both know that you didn’t get into a fight for no reason. If you tell us, then maybe we’d understand why it happened.” Atomic was torn. He knew that he had had a genuine reason to fight Pablo, but he was reluctant to tell his parents about his unrequited crush on Amber. He still couldn’t believe that Amber had chosen Pablo over him, and Atomic had promised himself to put Amber out of his mind. Ultimately he decided to meet Syracuse in the middle. “Can I think about it and decide later?” “Alright then.” Syracuse finished his breakfast and took his plate and cup to the kitchen. “Atomic, come and get your breakfast!” In the kitchen, Tea Rose had prepared two bowls of porridge for Atomic and Butterscotch. Atomic didn’t complain and took the porridge back to the living room. After Syracuse left for work, Tea Rose woke up Butterscotch and brought her downstairs to have breakfast. “We’re gonna take Butterscotch to her playgroup first and then we’re going downtown to get you some new clothes.” “But I thought you said we weren’t-” “Don’t talk back to me, mister. This is the second time you’ve been suspended this year, so you’re in no position to argue with me!” Atomic fell silent and resumed eating his breakfast, anticipating that today was going to be the most long, boring and tiring day of his life. “Good morning Butterscotch!” Tea Rose greeted the playgroup teacher and chatted with her as she unbuckled Butterscotch from her pram. Atomic led his sister into the classroom and helped her join the circle of toddlers sitting on the carpet in the middle of the classroom. The other teacher in the classroom greeted the foals and took over. Atomic left the classroom and returned to his mother. “Alright Rose, see you soon!” Tea Rose and Atomic left to put the pram back home. On their way, Atomic spotted Thunderhoof heading towards the school gates. Tea Rose told Atomic to wait outside whilst she went to the bank to take money out of her account. Atomic looked inside the bank to make sure his mother couldn't see him, before galloping towards Sycamore Oak. “Thunder!” Thunderhoof heard his name being called and turned around to see Atomic standing behind him with a huge grin on his face. They hoof bumped and stood to the side to talk. “Are you okay? I haven't seen you in forever!” “I'm okay. They suspended me for a week again and Mom’s not letting me outside to play, so I've been stuck at home the whole time. How about you?” Thunderhoof lowered his voice to a whisper. “Everypony’s been talking about you and Pablo, but nopony knows why you guys fought.” “And Amber?” “She told Miss Bellflower she skipped Science and got put in the internal exclusion room.” “Oh, okay.” Thunderhoof put a hoof on Atomic’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Atomic nodded, but Thunderhoof could tell that he wasn’t. Just then, a teacher spotted Atomic and Thunderhoof and strode over to them. “Atomic Tangerine, what are you doing here?!” “Nothing sir, I’m just talking to Thunderhoof,” Atomic said meekly. “Thunderhoof, get inside. And as for you young man, where are your parents?” Atomic turned around to look on the other side of the road. Tea Rose came out of the bank a few moments later, and Atomic watched her look fervently around her, calling out Atomic’s name. She asked passer-bys if they had seen her son, and Atomic saw her go back into the bank. “Sir, my mom’s in the bank, I'm gonna go back to her.” Atomic galloped towards the pedestrian crossing, waiting impatiently for the lights to turn red. When they did, he barged past other ponies and raced across the road towards the bank. “Yeah, he was standing outside and now he’s disappeared! I don't know where he went!” The bank manager pointed to the colt that had just come into the bank. “Is that him, ma’am?” Atomic sheepishly walked over to Tea Rose, fully expecting his mother to start shouting at him there and then. Instead, she hugged him tightly and thanked the bank manager before leaving the bank. Wow, she's actually not mad at -  “How dare you run away when I told you to wait outside for me?! You could've been hit by a carriage or snatched by anypony!” Tea Rose eventually fell quiet and the rest of the journey home was silent. When they reached their front door, Tea Rose pushed the pushchair into the hallway and folded it to put next to the staircase. Atomic went up to his bedroom, instructed by his mother to tidy up his bedroom before they left the house. Back at Sycamore Oak, homeroom was underway, and in room 7, Ms Ivory had instructed her pupils to revise quietly. At the back of the classroom, Thunderhoof gestured for Chesnut to come and sit next to him so they could work together. “Atomic was at the gate this morning.” “Is he okay?” “He said he was, but I don't think he was.” After the huge fight, Atomic and Pablo had both been suspended for a week. Things had become awkward between Thunderhoof and Chestnut, and Blaze and Mustang. Each pair quietly blamed each other for encouraging Atomic/Pablo to pursue. As a result, Thunderhoof and Chestnut spent recess and lunchtime with Stormcaller, Starburst, Banoffee Pie - Blaze and Mustang opted to hang out with each other. Amber had quickly become close with Petal and Lily, and the three friends could often be seen chatting on the outside playground or in a breakout space between lessons. Amber had not been able to speak to Atomic or Pablo, and Thunderhoof believed that she liked Pablo, not Atomic. “D’you think we’d be allowed to go to his house?” CHesnut asked, but Thunderhoof shook his head. “Atomic’s mom isn't letting him outside, so there's no point. I guess he’s gonna miss tomorrow’s match too.” Sycamore Oak were due to play Chestnut’s former school Greenfield on Tuesday at 15:30, and Atomic was definitely not going to be allowed to play. Thunderhoof knew that the match would be a lot harder without his best friend as a receiving option. Alabaster also played quarterback for Greenfield alongside the Broncos, and he would be looking to avenge the Broncos’ loss to Sycamore Oak nearly a month ago. “You guys will still play really well. I’m gonna have to get some pictures of you guys at the end of the match,” said Chestnut checking his saddlebag to make sure he had his camera. “When are you gonna have your cutieceñera?” Thunderhoof asked. “I don’t know, I don’t think I really want one.” “Come on, it'll be so fun. We'll all come round and you’ll get so many presents!” Ms Ivory looked up from her desk. “Thunderhoof, quiet studying.” “Sorry Ms Ivory.” “I’ll think about it. Are you gonna go anywhere this Hearth’s Warming?”  “Last year our whole family was at my grandma’s in Canterlot, so we’re probably gonna go there again.” “I’m just gonna be at home with my family, same as every year.” Thunderhoof and Chestnut passed the time in homeroom chatting and studying until the bell rang, and they said goodbye to each other as they went to their first lesson of the day, Maths. “Pablo Scar, get your lazy plot out of your bed now!” Like Atomic, Pablo hasn’t told his parents the real reason that he had gotten into a fight, and like Tea Rose and Syracuse, Dew Spice and Vault were furious with their son. “Yes Mother.” Pablo quickly got out of bed and went downstairs, where his mother and father were waiting for him at the door, dressed in smart attire for work. “You’re going to be spending the day at your grandmother’s house.” “But she’s so boring! I’m gonna have nothing to do the whole day!” “Excuse me?! You will speak about your grandpa mother with respect!” Vault yelled. Dew Spice went into her study and came back with a stack of papers, dumping them into Pablo’s hooves. “Your father and I have been given your schoolwork for this week. You can finish it all at your grandmother’s house.” Pablo left the house behind his parents and climbed into the taxi waiting outside. Vault told the driver the address of Pablo’s grandmother’s house, and instructed him to drop himself and Dew Spice off at Fillydelphia Central Bank first. As they drove through downtown Fillydelphia, Pablo stared out of the window, dreading the long day ahead of him. Maybe I could fly away when they drop me off before Grandma sees me. But where would I go? “And don’t even think about trying to get out of this,” Vault said, remembering what had happened the last time Pablo had been sent to stay at his grandmother's house. What’s the point of escaping?  In first-period Maths, Amber Breeze’s focus was nowhere near the work in front of her. She was the only pint in the internal exclusion room, and she pushed the Maths question sheet away and put her her head down onto the desk  Amber still couldn’t believe that last Thursday’s events were real and not a dream. She’d had no idea that Atomic and Pablo liked her, and she was admittedly annoyed that Atomic had pulled her out of her lesson for a bogus ‘treasure hunt’, thus landing her in the internal exclusion room. As soon as Atomic and Pablo had been taken away by the teachers, Amber knew immediately that she did not have any romantic feelings for Atomic or Pablo.  It’s gonna be so awkward telling them, I don’t know how I’m going to do it.  Lifting her head up, Amber picked up her quill and decided to get started on her work, just to make sure the teacher watching over her didn’t start shouting at her. Ms Ivory had given Amber a practise test as revision, and Amber turned to the first page. “Atomic, are you ready?” “Yeah, I’m coming now.” Atomic closed his door and went downstairs to the front door. At the door, Tea Rose was closing her saddlebag. “Ooh, I forgot my purse! Atomic, can you go outside and call for a taxi whilst I look for it? Tell them we’re going to Fillydelphia Shopping Center.” Ugh, so we are going shopping. Atomic went outside and towards the telephone booth at the end of Mayfield Avenue. He entered the booth and picked up the telephone, dialling the number on the advertisement for Fillydelphia’s taxi service. After he booked the taxi, Atomic went back home and told his mother that the taxi would be arriving in three minutes. The mother and son stepped outside onto their doorstep and waited. “So are you gonna tell me why you’re suspended?” Atomic sighed. He figured that if he told his mother the truth, she would be easier on him and maybe he could even convince her to buy him something he wanted. “It was because of Amber.” “Amber?” “Yeah. I……..like her, and I got an idea to tell her by doing a treasure hunt with her.” “Okay, so what happened?” “We'll, she was taking so long to finish the treasure hunt, so I went inside to check if she got lost. I found the last clue of the hunt on the floor inside…..” “Then?” Atomic was interrupted by the taxi driver beeping his horn.  “Tell me the rest when we get into the taxi.” Atomic and Tea Rose climbed into the back of the taxi, and the driver checked that the doors were locked before restarting the engine. “So you’d found the last clue on the floor?” “Yeah, and then I found Amber with Pablo in the music room. He was singing a love song to her.” “Oh.” Atomic turned his head away and took a deep breath, trying his best to force the tears back. Tea Rose put a foreleg around her son and held him close to her. “It’s okay Atomic, it'll be fine.” After a few moments, Atomic felt a little better, and Tea Rose moved her foreleg back. “You still shouldn’t have attacked that colt, but…. I do understand your reasons.” Atomic smiled at his mother and decided to change the subject, relieved thatTea Rose wasn’t angry with him anymore. “So we’re going shopping?” “Yes, but not for what you think.” Atomic looked at his mother curiously, but she didn’t give any more explanations. “Could you drop us off at gate B please? Thank you.” The driver nodded and turned left, driving slowly through the carriage park and towards the five gates - which shoppers went to call for a taxi. When they arrived at gate B, Tea Rose reached into her purse and pulled out the appropriate change, passing it to the driver. He put his change into his glove box and wished Tea Rose and Atomic a pleasant day. As they got out of the taxi, Tea Rose heard her name being called out. A tall, slim mare was walking quickly towards her, and Tea Rose smiled eagerly. “Violet!” The two mares embraced and began chatting. Atomic stood to the side awkwardly, wondering how long his mother and her friend were going to stand outside talking. He suddenly felt a drop of water land on his nose, and he looked up at the sky. Thick dark clouds were gathering and rainfall was imminent. “It's going to start raining, let’s get inside!” All of the ponies standing outside rushed indoors, crowding outside the two shops nearest to the gate’s entrance. Tea Rose resumed her conversation with her friend. “So what brings you here Violet?” “My nine year old got her cutie mark this weekend!” “Sunflower?! Wow, I remember her as a baby, and now she’s got her cutie mark!” “Yeah, it's a bouquet, so she’ll be leading the family business when she’s older. I'm here to pick up some party supplies for her cutiecenera.” Tea Rose looked across at Atomic. “We’re still waiting for Atomic to get his cutie mark, but there’s no rush.” “You should take him to the cutie mark club.” “The cutie mark club?” “Yeah, it's a small club downtown that helps kids get their cutie marks - it's the main reason Sunflower got her’s. Do you know where the old law offices are, near the bank? That's where it is.” “Okay, I’ll take Atomic there after we shop. We’re having a party today too, a surprise one for my parents, they’re coming to visit today.” Atomic looked at his mother. He was surprised that he had not been told his grandparents were coming - normally his mother would've had the entire house cleaned from top to bottom. Violet and Tea Rose walked through the mall towards Bonanza, the chain of shops across Equestria that sold party supplies. Atomic walked behind them slowly, picking out the shops he would try and persuade his mother to take him to later. Inside Bonanza, Violet and Tea Rose picked up a basket each and went straight for the back of the shop. Tea Rose picked up a banner template and instructed Atomic to get some streamers. Violet looked through the alphabetic candles and picked out the S, U, N, F, L, O, W, E and R candles to spell out her daughter’s name. Atomic found the streamers and picked out the pack containing the blue, red and orange streamers, guessing that his grandparents wouldn't be too fussed about the colours of the streamers.  He went back to Tea Rose and dropped the streamers into the basket. “What’s next, Mom?” “Balloons. Get the pack with 50 inside them.” When Atomic came back with the balloons, Tea Rose and Violet got party hats and went to the tills to pay. “We’re probably gonna go there after shopping. Does it take them long to sign kids up?” “Nope, it's pretty quick. they’ll give Atomic a questionnaire and he’ll tick the activities he likes.” Behind the mares, Atomic grumbled. He knew that hoofball was his destiny and he believed that it was only a matter of time before he got his cutie mark in hoofball. The fact that he was missing today’s match annoyed him. Violet and Tea Rose said goodbye to each other and they planned to meet up for coffee the following week. “Since when did Grandma and Grandpa want a party?” Atomic asked. Tea Rose looked around to make sure nopony was listening. The mall wasn't too busy and when two ponies walked past her, she looked around once more and bent down to reach Atomic’s height. “Your aunt is coming out of jail today. After we get Butterscotch from her playgroup, your father is going to collect her at 2 and we’ll be at home getting her party ready.” “Yes! Can I invite Thunderhoof? Please?” “Behave yourself for the rest of the day and I’ll think about it.” Atomic was now in a much better mood. When Pumpkin Spice had first arrived on their doorstep, Atomic wasn’t too pleased to see her. Over time however, he had gotten used to her presence in the house and she was the one who had organised the search for Atomic when he had been foalnapped by Marble. Atomic was a lot more excited than he thought he would be about Pumpkin coming home, and he was looking forward to the party. “Good afternoon Miss, how can I help you?” “Hi, I’m looking to sign up my son for the cutie mark club.” “Of course! Wait here and I’ll get all of the forms ready.” Across town, Atomic and Tea Rose were waiting to admit Atomic into the cutie mark club, and he wasn’t pleased. They were waiting in the main corridor and to Atomic’s left, the pictures of all the club’s attendees had been stuck to the wall. “Mom, I’m gonna be the oldest foal here! It's gonna be so boring!” “Shush, this’ll be good for you. And besides, if you want Thunderhoof to be at that party, then you’re gonna do as I say.” Atomic muttered under his breath but became quiet when the head of the cutie mark club came back to them, a huge smile on his face. “First of all, my name is Anemone and I’m in charge of the cutie mark club here.” Tea Rose and Anemone shook hooves. “I’m Tea Rose and this is my son Atomic Tangerine.” Anemone stuck her hoof out to Atomic. “It's very nice to meet you Atomic.” Anemone led the way to the office and closed the door once all three ponies were inside. “Okay, Atomic, I have a questionnaire for you here, and I want to tick all of your favourite hobbies, just so we can get to know you. Tea Rose, there’s some bank and personal information forms to fill in.” 30 minutes later, Atomic and Tea Rose were saying goodbye to Anemone and leaving. Atomic was due to come to the club the following Tuesday after school for his first session. “Now we’re going to go home and get ready for the party.” “We’re gonna miss you Pumpkin.” “Don't forget to visit!” Pumpkin Spice waved goodbye to the other mares and grinned. Four weeks in Fillydelphia Correctional Facility had been a wake-up call for her, and she promised herself that she was going to get her life together. She was especially excited to see her sister and her family as well. She’d promised Tea Rose at their last meeting that she was going to change, and Pumpkin intended to keep her promise. “Okay, we just need you to sign here and here.” Pumpkin scanned through the papers and signed  at the bottom of each page. Her personal items were returned to her and she was taken to the nearest toilets to take off her orange jumpsuit. At the facility’s gates, Syracuse was waiting for her. Pumpkin was  happy to see him but was also a little disappointed that her sister wasn’t collecting her. The guards opened the gates for Pumpkin Spice and she was officially a free mare. “Pumpkin, it's good to see you.” The two hugged briefly and Syracuse led Pumpkin to the taxi waiting for them. “Where are you going?” “27 Mayfield Avenue.” “Come on, come on,they’ll be here any moment!” Tea Rose and Atomic were setting up the table as quickly as they could, whilst Butterscotch sat in her high chair and clapped eagerly, enjoying the show. The table had been moved to face the door, and Atomic, Tea Rose and Butterscotch were going to hide behind it and jump up and surprise Pumpkin when she came in. Atomic looked out of the window as he pumped a balloon and gasped loudly. “They’re here Mom!” Tea Rose sprinted into the living room, holding 3 balloons in her mouth. “Rwe rar?” Atomic sniggered, unable to hold back the laughter. “I’m just joking Mom!” “This is not the time for joking!” Atomic got back to pumping up balloons and tied a knot at the bottom of the balloon. Tea Rose came back in holding a plate full of brownies, and she put it down next to the crisps, cookies and two bottles of fizzy drinks. “Mom, they’re here!” “Do you really think I’m going to fall for that again?!” “I’m not joking, look!” The taxi pulled up outside the house and Syracuse and Pumpkin Spice came out of the carriage. “Quick, pull the blinds down!” Atomic jumped up and pulled the blinds down before Pumpkin could see them. Tea Rose pulled Butterscotch out of her high chair and the three of them squeezed under the table. Syracuse took out his keys and unlocked the front door, stepping inside after Pumpkin. The house was unusually quiet and all the lights were off. “Is Rose out shopping or something?” Pumpkin asked, peeking into the kitchen. “Yeah, something like that. You can make yourself comfortable in the living room.” Pumpkin walked across the hallway and entered the living room. As her hoof reached for the switch, she felt a balloon bounce off her face. “Huh?” The light came on and Tea Rose, Butterscotch and Atomic jumped up from underneath the table. Behind them, a large banner hanging from the ceiling read ‘WELCOME HOME PUMPKIN SPICE!’ “SURPRISE!”