//------------------------------// // Homecoming Things // Story: The Things Tavi Says // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// The crystalline blackness is behind me. There was a time when this would be a source of relief. Right now... I feel hollow... ...and more than a little bit confused. None of the guards glance at me as I make my exit. If Flash Sentry is around to see me trot away, I can't spot him. But—then again—I have my head bowed. I don't want to see anypony's face. I don't want to witness... or even imagine how many Ponyvilleans are staring at me as I make the lonesome trek across town. It's a small village. Who here doesn't know a thing? Who here won't know a thing? I've already been blacklisted at Carousel Boutique. So what if Ponyville Central is added to the list? I've only had to pay super important visits to Nurse Red Heart there over the past seven years. My goddess... Nurse Redheart... Will she even speak to me anymore? Not like it matters. I haven't bothered with any of my much-needed checkups over the past several months. Even after Dr. Clark. I can get by. It's what I do. It's what cockroaches do. A sigh. I coast through the magenta wave with a grace only I can witness. Just what is Opulence up to now? Probably sipping wine by the fire. Like father, like daughter. Sure, part of me—a very morbid part—wishes to believe that he's deeply entangled in the mire of his own emotional depravity. But such a psychological bloodlust is diluted by the absurd dollops of shame being poured into my chest vacuole at the present. I'm not sure what hurts more... Twilight Sparkle's words or the blue tint in her voice as she forced herself to say them. She obviously didn't want to suspend me. And yet, she had to. As bad as I want to feel for myself, I can't stop thinking about her... about the lonely black hovel of a Castle that she's locked away in. What an ironic fate fit for a true princess and a truer damsel, now more than ever. It must be a terrible thing to make friendship your job. Maybe I'm lucky this way. Maybe I'll be even luckier if the Council decides to eject me for good. Maybe I'm... Tavi... A tight breath bubbles in my chest. I nearly trip over my own legs. Octavia... She'll be the only one, now. Instead of two minstrels, there'll be one. I try to imagine her now. Alone on her stage—parallel to an empty booth... ...trying to perform her strings to an audience of fill-in-the-blank delegates. We work best as a team. We've always worked best as a team. How will she manage without me? Yes, she has talent... far better talent—as a matter of fact... ...but that doesn't change the fact how lonesome her position will feel now... and how tainted the air of the ballroom will be after I've soiled it... soiled everything. Or... maybe... She might quit, just to make me feel better or just to spite the Princess. I wince. Hard. Oh Goddess, please don't let that be the case. Please don't let that happen. First, I wreck Octavia's dad's face... ...next... her career? Oh Celestia... Celestia alive, please don't let it come to that... Swallowing a lump down my throat, I stare up at the cottage ahead of me. There's a wagon parked in front of it. I already recognize Bon Bon's favorite colors painting the wooden finish and wheels. She and Lyra must be here. As I approach the door, I hear voices from within... yellow... gold... and purple. She's home. Goddess... she's home... And she's healthy. That's what matters. I smile. That's what matters and everything else be damned. Approaching the door, I hear the orange purr of Scribbler. Home is both poison and perfume after where I've been... and who I've been listening to. So many good and bad things have happened. I think of the warmth of Twilight's hug... the sheen to Flash Sentry's words. Somehow I know that the healing has only begun. Be strong for her. That's what she needs. That's what she's always needed. So, with a firm breath, I push the door to my home open and I step inside.