8 Years Pass
Many students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Twenty-six pairs of eyes were glued to the clock as it ticked away the seconds until their freedom from the proverbial prison that was school. Whispers could be heard throughout the class; though all of the students had finished their final, the teacher still wanted absolute silence, and the students were starting to get restless.
Clara rested her cheek on her hand and doodled absentmindedly on the black-topped science desk as she waited for the bell to ring. The graphite of the pencil stood out wonderfully, the words 'GREAT AND POWERFUL' in block letters and a drawing of a tiny magician hat hanging off the L taking over her half of the table. She smiled at the memory, and almost didn't notice the faint tug at one of her braids.
"Hm?" She mumbled, glancing over her shoulder. She gave the tugger a smile as she raised her brow. "What, Rosie?"
"What are you gonna do this summer?" The girl leaned forward to whisper to her friend, "Our first summer as High Schoolers! We should do something special!"
She couldn't help but roll her eyes, though her playful smile never left her lips. "Rosie, it's the same exact thing we've done before, it's not like it's going to feel different just because we're Freshman now."
Rosie couldn't help but pout and cross her arms. She huffed, blowing a strand of stray, dyed-purple hair from her face. "Maybe I can convince you tonight. Your mom did say I can sleep over, right?"
Clara nodded just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school year and total freedom for the next three months. Chair legs scrapped the floor--and in some cases, tipped over--as students ran into the hall to get to their bus as fast as possible. She could only giggle and shake her head as she and her friend joined the rest of the students into the hall.
Rosie dug into her jean pockets and pulled out a yellow slip. "My mom's just going to bring over my clothes later, so I can ride the bus with you."
The two of them grinned at each other before quickening their pace towards the outside doors, and onto Clara's bus for the ride home.
"Clara, Rosie, what do you want to eat tonight?" Clara's mother shouted from downstairs.
"Pizza!" The two teenagers responded, never taking their eyes off the television screen. The room was dark, save for the light from the hall and the television, which flashed in unison with Rosie's furious button taps.
"Go, go! He's almost dead!"
"Don't you think I know that?!"
Clara sat on the edge of her bed while Rosie sat on the ground, holding a game controller in her hands. Both were silent as the character on screen the repeatedly attacked a large monster. Two bars on the top screen showed each character's health, which were both at critical levels.
They took a sharp inhale.
And suddenly the character on the screen got knocked back, and the words 'YOU DIED' in bright, red letters flashed on the screen.
"NO!"
Rosie shouted and threw down the controller in a fit of rage. "I almost had him! AUGH! I was so close!"
Clara leaned over as far as she could without leaving the comfort of her bed. "Let me try!"
The purple-haired girl let out a growl and picked up the controller protectively. "No way! I can do it! Let me try again!"
"You already had three tries! I wanna play!"
"One more time!"
Clara groaned, but knew she wasn't going to get through to her friend, who took games very seriously. "Fine, fine..." Rosie paid her no mind, already reloading a previous save point. She couldn't help but smile at her friend's stubbornness.
As her friend played, she rolled on her side and reached for a sketchbook that was laying next to her bed. She flipped to a page she had been working on for the past several weeks, and smiled at what she had already done.
On the page was a minimalist-style cartoon pony, sitting on large, Vegas-styled letters spelling 'TRIXIE'. All around it were stars, moons, and wands--not unlike a certain hat and cape set that still had a place in her closet, even after all these years.
Clara, in the weeks, months, and years following her return from Equestria, found herself missing the magical land of ponies. She missed seeing how lively everything was, how unicorns and pegasi actually existed and were real. But most of all, she missed the one who took care of her and became a close friend in that short month they were together--the showmare Trixie.
When she discovered that she had a talent or the graphic arts, she decided to honor the time spent by adding a little bit of Equestria to each piece she did. Small things, things that looked normal to anyone else but that she alone knew the meaning of. Her favorite pieces, however, were the ones she dedicated wholly and completely to Trixie. She hoped that one day, she might be able to show them to her.
The night was winding down. Rosie managed to beat the monster she had been stuck on, and Clara added to her sketches. They ate pizza, played more video games, and watched a few movies. Now, with it being well past dark and Clara's mother already in bed, they decided to just sit and watch whatever was on until they fell asleep.
Rosie emerged from the bathroom in her skull-print pajamas, then flopped on the bed with a running start. She grinned playfully as Clara glared down at her friend.
"You're gonna break my bed if you keep doing that."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Clara let out a huff. As much as she loved being around Rosie, there were times when her reckless, carefree attitude annoyed her. Yet she takes it all in stride, because she cared about Rosie just as much as Rosie cared about her.
Rosie rolled onto her back and tilted her head so she was looking at her friend upside down. "You know, you never answered my question earlier."
Clara knew this was coming. She smiled and played innocent. "Hm? What question?"
"What are we gonna do this summer?"
"I don't know, Rosie."
The purple-haired girl rolled again so that she was resting on her stomach. "Maybe we can go somewhere! My brother just said he was gonna spend the summer on the beach. We should ask him if we can go."
"Mm." Clara had to admit, it was a tempting idea. To go down and have fun on the beach with her best friend, while her older, 23-year-old brother watched over them. He was pretty cool, and if they played things right, the two of them wouldn't see much of him.
She smiled and nodded to her friend, who smiled in return. They had a plan for their first High School summer vacation.
"Now are you sure about this?"
A clearly worried mother checked--and double-checked--the suitcases as they were loaded out of the car. Clara just smiled and took a bag from her mother. Ever since she had lost her daughter for that one month when she was seven, her mother had been more protective of her. Yet, even she knew that children needed her space, and so with some reluctance, gave Clara the go ahead to travel with her friend and her friend's older brother.
"I assure you, Ms. Wilkes, Clara is going to be perfectly safe with me. Both our rooms are right next to eachother, and they know that they aren't going to go anywhere without telling me," The older brother wrapped his arm around his younger sister's head, pulling her in close. "It'll be fun for all of us."
Ms. Wilkes still didn't seem too convinced, but decided that it would, ultimately, be safe. She leaned down and took Clara in her arms for an embrace.
"Moooom..." Clara acted embarrassed, though she in turn returned the gesture.
Her mother kissed her forehead and pulled away. "Have fun, you three! Call me when you get there, alright?"
"We will!" Rosie shouted, if not a bit impatiently, as she struggled to get out of her brother's hold. "Let's go! The plane isn't going to wait for us!"
Her brother chuckled good-naturedly and guided the two girls into the airport.
As they went through security, waited at their gate, then finally loaded onto the plane, the two teenage girls couldn't help but feel that they were going to have the best vacation ever.