“Melody!” A voice shouted, followed by someone pounding on the door to the bedroom. “Melody Bell Sharpe, get up this instant or-”
“I’m up, I’m up,” another voice called from beneath the covers of the bed. After a moment, the door opened just as Melody sat up.
“Joder, mamá, usted no tiene que golpear la puerta con tanta fuerza. (Fuck, Mom, you don't have to hit the door so hard.)” Melody, a young anthro thestral, yawned as she sat up and stared at her mother.
“Cuide su lenguaje! (Watch your language!)” the human, a middle aged woman with light tan skin, snapped, making her daughter tense up. The woman held an annoyed expression for a moment, before sighing. “And if I didn’t, you never would’ve woken up on time.” She raised an eyebrow. “Or did you forget what day it is?”
Melody blinked several times before her eyes widened. “Oh crap,” she whispered, twisting and trying to jump out of bed, before yelping as she got tangled in the covers, causing her to fall face first into the soft black carpet below. “Ow,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the carpet.
Her mother sighed once more before turning around. “I’ll be making breakfast in a few minutes, come down when you’re ready,” she said as she closed the door and made her way back down the stairs back to the kitchen.
“What am I going to do with her,” she muttered as she poured a cup of coffee.
“You’ve done just about all you can,” her husband, a gruff thestral stallion, said from his spot at the table. “She’s a grown mare now, we don’t have to spend all our time making sure she makes the right choices in life.” He pushed himself from the table and trotted over to her, wrapping a wing around her as he stood on his hind legs. “You’re still worried about what happened back in middle school, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” she said, looking at her husband. “Shield... what if it happens again? Last time it took her so long to get over it.”
Midnight Shield looked down for a moment, before answering. “Maria, you have to remember, not only is she going to one of the greatest interspecies schools in the country, she’s not going alone.”
Maria sighed and turned to him, offering a weak smile. “You’re right. Her closest friend will be there with her. He was there for her when it happened last time. And if, God forbid, it happens again, I’m sure he, or even some friends she might make while at school, will no doubt be there for her then.”
Midnight Shield nodded and pulled his wife into a hug, the human returning the gesture. They held each other like this for a moment, before the sound of hooves hitting the hardwood floor caught their attention as Melody, still in her pajamas, stepped into kitchen trying to carry two suitcases.
“Okay then. Looks like I’ve managed to pack everything, I’ve got enough clothes to last the first couple weeks in these cases, and the rest, save for what needs to be washed, have been packed in boxes, along with my books, games, CDs, etc.,” she said, walking past her parents and dropping her bags by the doorway, before shrugging off her backpack. “And I made sure to pack all the paperwork and the supplies I’ll need for my time at the academy.”
“¿Todo? (Everything?)” her mother repeated. “Toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash?”
“Sí mamá,” Melody sighed.
“Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturiser for your wings?”
“Yes,” the teenager repeated, before adding under breath “I won’t even need the moisturiser till winter, though.”
Her mother ignored her last comment. “Your medications? Aspirin? Eye drops? Anxiety meds-”
“Mom!” Melody exclaimed, her tail twitching in annoyance. “I’ve got everything, I packed it all yesterday, checked last night, and checked again just before coming down here. I can follow a simple list mom.” She tossed the pack on top of her other bags. “Besides, it's been a couple years since I last had an anxiety attack.”
“I know, but you still have little ticks here and there, especially when you’re in crowds,” Maria said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. “The doctors said that while it might not be necessary, it’d be better to at least keep your prescription on hand just in case.”
Melody hesitated for a moment, before sighing as her shoulders slumped. “I know, it’s just… I hate the thought of taking them. They make me feel so weak and… helpless,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper at the last word.
Without a word Midnight Shield wrapped a forelegs around his daughter, catching her off guard. “That is the biggest load of horse apples I’ve heard in my life. You aren’t weak, and you certainly aren’t helpless.”
“Your father’s right,” her mother added, joining in on the hug. “You’ve always managed to overcome any obstacles you’ve faced in life, and if it was too much for you to handle on your own, you always had friends to stand by your side and help you along the way.” She smiled down at her daughter warmly. “Always remember, you are many things, but you are neither weak, nor helpless.”
Melody smiled at her parents as tears began to form in her eyes, before throwing her arms around them. “T-thanks,” she stammered, tightening her grip. “I love you both.”
“We love you too,” Maria said, holding her daughter for several moments before finally letting go and looking down at her. “Now then, I’ll finish cooking breakfast while you go get dressed, okay?” Melody nodded and grabbed one of her suitcases before heading back upstairs.
Once back in her room Melody quickly tossed her suitcase onto her bed and threw it open, withdrawing a change of underwear, jeans, a plain white shirt, and a simple charcoal jacket. Tossing her old clothes in the hamper, Melody quickly dressed herself, taking care to prevent her wings from catching on anything. Once she was done, she gave herself a quick once over before nodding and turning to the mirror placed by her closet. With a sigh, she grabbed her brush and turned slightly to bring her tail into view.
"Lucky ponies," Melody muttered for what had to be the thousandth time. "They don't have any trouble reaching their tails." She finally managed to twist herself in a way that she could grasp her tail while running the brush through the black hairs, wincing at a few stubborn knots that had formed since the last time she had brushed it. “Even humans have it better, they don’t have to worry about something like this,” she muttered, letting go of her tail. She flicked it back in forth a few times turning back to the mirror and bringing the brush to her head.
Thankfully, her mane was not nearly as difficult, and she was finished in just a few minutes. Setting her brush down, Melody smiled at her reflection. “To think, just a few months ago I graduated high school, and in less than an hour I’ll be on a train to one of the best academies in the country.”
“Melody!” Her mother called from the base of the stairs. “El desayuno está listo! (Breakfast is ready!)”
“Bajaré en un minuto! (I'll be down in a minute)" she responded, poking her head out the door. Her mother nodded before heading back down the hallway to the kitchen. Turning back to the mirror, Melody gave one last, small smile before grabbing her suitcase and the hamper and heading back downstairs.
“Here’s what needs to be washed, should only need one load,” she said as she reentered the kitchen, dropping the suitcase beside the other two bags and heading into the laundry room. Dropping the hamper on the washing machine, Melody turned around to find her mother giving her a skeptical look. “What?”
“...Is that really what you’re planning on wearing?” she asked after a moments pause.
“Yeah,” Melody replied. “Is there something wrong with it?” She looked down at her choice of clothing. While she had decided to leave the jacket open, it wasn’t much different from what she wore every other day.
Her mother shook her head. “No, just thought you might look better in something a bit more… formal? at least a nice dress.”
Melody sighed as her ears drooped. “Mom, you know I don’t like wearing those kinds of clothes. I mean, they’re fine for a dance or important event, like uncle Antonio’s wedding last year. But, this is pretty much an idea of what I’ll be wearing most of the school year, and most of my dresses are made for warmer weather.” She gestured to the window, the light of the recently risen sun revealing a small number of fallen leaves scattered about the lawn. “It’s Fall, the air’s pretty cool right now, and most of the dresses I have don’t even have sleeves.” She pointed out, before adding in a slightly hushed tone. “Not to mention I only have a handful of them, since it’s such a pain to find a dress maker that can factor in my wings and tail properly around here.”
Her mother hesitated for a moment, trying to find some way to counter her daughter, before giving a resigned sigh. “Fine… Now come in here before your breakfast gets cold,” she said, her expression brightening after a moment. As she turned back to the kitchen, Melody smirked before following her mother, grabbing a plate with a small chicken and vegetable omelette and a bowl of fruit before sitting down at the table. Looking at her parents, she gave a small smile before digging in.