{"id":34562,"date":"2023-06-16T18:02:47","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T23:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/?p=34562"},"modified":"2023-06-16T18:02:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T23:02:47","slug":"chapter-7-arrivals-departures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/2023\/06\/16\/chapter-7-arrivals-departures\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 7: Arrivals & Departures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis is going to be so much fun!\u201d Elaine bubbled over with enthusiasm. \u201cI’m so excited to be here! I can’t wait to start tomorrow!\u201d She had just arrived in Misty Hollow earlier that evening, freshly independent of academia and ready to start life as a practicing veterinarian.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can take some time off to get settled, you know,\u201d Thomas pointed out, putting his foreleg around Tabby\u2019s shoulder and drawing her closer to him on the couch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elaine smiled to herself. Though the siblings had been glad to be reunited, Thomas was clearly getting impatient with his sister\u2019s continued presence in Tabby\u2019s living room as the night wore on. Aloud she said, \u201cI’ve been in school how many years, and I’m not going to put off seeing patients as a board-certified vet any longer!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re so eager to get started in the morning, maybe you should think about getting some sleep,\u201d Thomas said with a pointed look at the clock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy, look at the time,\u201d Elaine said innocently. \u201cI’ll just, ah, be going to my room. Don’t stay up too late yourself,\u201d she said with a smirk aimed at her brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet out of here,\u201d he said good-naturedly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Elaine grinned as she walked off. She would be underhoof, certainly–she wasn’t sure either Tabby or Thomas had fully considered the ramifications of another pony living under Tabby’s roof. Having a roommate <\/span>did<\/span><\/i> sacrifice a certain amount of freedom. Who knew, maybe it would become tedious and she would move into her own apartment. But for now, Elaine was just looking forward to starting this new chapter in life, and fully unconcerned about being in the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThings are going to be different at the clinic now,\u201d Thomas said when they were alone. This was a topic he had avoided broaching with her, uncertain of how she would take it and not entirely pleased with it himself, but it needed to be done. \u201cWith Elaine being licensed for magic, you\u2019ll be able to assist her. I want you to be her primary assistant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Tabby was taken aback. \u201cBut we\u2019re a team! Belen is going to be Elaine\u2019s assistant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a business perspective, it doesn\u2019t make sense to keep a perfectly competent magic user benched,\u201d Thomas pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a sports analogy? Because those go right over my head,\u201d Tabby protested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight. Um. Well, I did promise Dr. Appleshine that I wouldn\u2019t hold you back, and with this opportunity it would be negligent not to make some adjustments based on compatible skill sets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re replacing me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, technically, as my assistant, yes; but it\u2019s not as dire as you\u2019re making it out to be. We\u2019re still going to be working together, it\u2019s just the work teams will be split up a little differently than we\u2019re used to. You know I can\u2019t replace you in my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHmph,\u201d said Tabby.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

Elaine\u2019s enthusiasm carried over into the next day, as she and Tabby stepped out into the street to begin the commute to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLook at the flowers in that garden! What are they, crocus? They\u2019re lovely\u2026 ooh, that\u2019s a nice tree. What a darling little river\u2026 what would you call that, a creek? A stream?\u201d All the natural wonders were of note to the city-bred mare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tabby listened with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t you have any natural features in the city?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot like this!\u201d Elaine insisted. \u201cEverything is so\u2026 so <\/span>magical<\/span><\/i>! Oh, look, a butterfly! I\u2019m glad Thomas took this opportunity. I mean, besides the obvious of finding you, of course; he’s always wanted somewhere to truly belong, I think,\u201d she prattled on. \u201cMom would talk about her life growing up, and it sounded so idyllic, everyone knowing each other… or at least, all the ponies allied with her father’s company.\u201d Elaine lapsed into contemplative silence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDid Thomas talk to you about the new team structure?\u201d Tabby changed the subject. \u201cI guess I\u2019m going to be your primary assistant.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re disappointed that you\u2019re losing out on time with him, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Elaine giggled. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it will give me a chance to fill you in on all the embarrassing moments of his life. Anyway, have you two been making any plans? Any big announcements coming up that I should know about? I’m joking\u2026\u201d Nonetheless Elaine kept a close eye on her companion\u2019s face, which suddenly took on a very alarmed appearance. \u201cUnless there is! Oh my gosh, you’ve talked about it, haven’t you? You’re getting married!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cM-maybe\u2026\u201d Tabby stammered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it!\u201d Elaine exclaimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn’t so long ago you were counseling me to run the other direction.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well, I was misinformed at the time,\u201d said Elaine with aplomb, \u201cand I’m happy to accept that I was wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut don’t say anything! It’s a secret!\u201d Tabby said pleadingly. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026 I need to mentally prepare myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have my word,\u201d Elaine promised, choosing not to go into the details of the bride-to-be\u2019s decision at this time. There would be plenty of time. \u201cOh, we’re going to be sisters! Isn’t this exciting?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“Hi, Tabby. Hi, Elaine. What’s exciting?” asked a rather morose-looking Strawberry who came up from behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Why, Strawberry, what’s wrong?” Elaine, always very in tune to the emotions of those around her, immediately turned a concerned eye on the mare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strawberry spoke through sniffles. “Oh, it’s nothing–it’s just–last night–Vanguard told me…” But here she broke into tears and was unable to continue. Elaine found a tissue in her satchel and handed it to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He told you WHAT?” asked a thunderous-looking Tabby.<\/span><\/p>\n

“That we won’t be married this summer–“<\/span><\/p>\n

“That cad!\u201d Tabby seethed, obviously overcome with strong emotion. \u201cHe promised me–and I believed him–I’m going to kill him!” and she teleported off in a fit of rage.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Oh, Strawberry,” said Elaine consolingly, and trusting Tabby not to do anything too rash. “I know this is hard. But–“<\/span><\/p>\n

“He’s been asked to do an exchange in Vulcanoplis,\u201d the distraught mare was finally able to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Oh!” said Elaine, understanding. “So the wedding isn’t completely off; it’s postponed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Right,” said Strawberry tearfully. “And that wouldn’t be so hard, if he was still here. But he’s going to be <\/span>gone<\/span><\/i> for six months!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You poor thing,” said Elaine, nonetheless sympathetic. \u201cWhen does the exchange start?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s starting with the summer session–he leaves next Friday!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese months are going to go by so fast, though. I promise you,\u201d said Elaine, remaining upbeat. \u201cWhat if you visit him? Surely they have semester breaks over there. That would help break up the separation. I\u2019ll make Thomas give you the time off, so don\u2019t worry about that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I could,\u201d Strawberry fretted. \u201cOh, dear–Tabby went off to see him, didn\u2019t she? I\u2019m not sure she got the whole story.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019ll work it out,\u201d said Elaine with great optimism.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGive me one good reason not to smite you here and now!\u201d Tabby shouted, barging into Vanguard\u2019s office and planting her forehooves firmly on his desk, her horn crackling with pent-up energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanguard looked up at her with pained resignation. \u201cI see where you’re coming from,\u201d he said diplomatically, holding up his hooves in a placating manner. \u201cI do. Believe me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d Tabby demanded. \u201cWhy did you do it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanguard sighed, leaning back in his chair. \u201cWhat did Strawberry tell you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat you\u2019re leaving, and the wedding is canceled!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> true, but it\u2019s not what you think,\u201d Vanguard said. \u201cThe wedding is off for this year. I’ve been called to do an exchange abroad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, tell them you can\u2019t do it,\u201d Tabby scoffed. But she did set her hooves back on the ground and took a more relaxed stance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is… fulfilling a debt I owe,\u201d Vanguard admitted ruefully. \u201cBelieve me, I’m not any happier about it than you or Strawberry. I wouldn\u2019t even consider it, only\u2026\u201d He gazed contemplatively into the wall before focusing on Tabby again. \u201cHaven\u2019t you ever done anything really stupid, something that you came to regret?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMe? Never!\u201d Tabby said quickly. \u201cWell\u2026 okay, maybe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing this as a favor for one of my old professors, who helped me out of a tight spot academically. I owe it to him. Putting off marrying Strawberry is the price I have to pay for my poor decisions of the past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re making <\/span>her<\/span><\/i> suffer too, though. It\u2019s not just about you,\u201d Tabby pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. But I <\/span>am<\/span><\/i> coming back, and we\u2019ll get back on track. This is just a temporary setback.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m watching you,\u201d Tabby said with a significant look.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/span><\/p>\n

Emotions seemed to be running high for everyone at the clinic that day, and Thomas hadn\u2019t quite worked out what all the issues were and how they were connected. But Strawberry was close to tears, Elaine was wound-up, and Tabby was missing in action. Only Belen was keeping a level head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTabby told me everything!\u201d Elaine announced, striding into her brother\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d Thomas asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the wedding, of course! Actually, she didn\u2019t really tell me anything. I just guessed, and her facial expressions gave me the answers I needed,\u201d said Elaine, smiling widely.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn that case, I can ask, will you be my attendant?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course!\u201d said Elaine, beaming. \u201cOoh, I can start planning the bachelor party!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? No,\u201d Thomas protested, \u201cI just meant, stand up in church and sign the marriage certificate, that sort of thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t worry about a thing! I got this!\u201d and she went off in a rush. But not a second later and she poked her head around the doorframe. \u201cAnd give Strawberry whatever vacation time she needs!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, maybe someone would tell him what was going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not long after, Tabby showed up, in something of a mood. She let herself into his office and paced wordlessly back and forth in front of his desk.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d Thomas asked, not sure if she was still smarting from their conversation last night.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I just had to deal with Vanguard,\u201d she said with a grim look.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas frowned. \u201cIs <\/span>he<\/span><\/i> okay?\u201d Still, it directed her ire in a new direction, and for that he was grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked things out,\u201d Tabby demurred. \u201cWe\u2019ve come to an\u2026 understanding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas made a mental note to check in with Van later and see what damage had been done. \u201cDoes this have to do with what Strawberry is upset about?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Haven\u2019t you heard?\u201d Tabby asked incredulously.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is running around doing their own thing and being very vague with details,\u201d said Thomas with just a bit of petulance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Yeah, well, he\u2019s leaving. I mean, he\u2019s coming back. It\u2019s for an exchange or whatever academics do,\u201d Tabby said disparagingly. \u201cBut he <\/span>will<\/span><\/i> be gone when they\u2019re supposed to be getting married, so that\u2019s not happening when it was supposed to be happening.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAhh,\u201d said Thomas, vaguely following her roundabout language.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway, we definitely can\u2019t let anyone else know about the engagement now,\u201d Tabby said, resuming her path of pacing, \u201cbecause it would be like rubbing Strawberry\u2019s face in it when she\u2019s down, and I\u2019m not going to do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I suppose not,\u201d said Thomas contemplatively. \u201cAs long as Elaine doesn\u2019t let anything slip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t\u2026 would she?\u201d Tabby looked at him inquisitively.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince she spilled the secret of my Ritz cracker apple pie, I wouldn\u2019t put anything past her.\u201d Thomas frowned.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Tabby\u2019s forehead crinkled in confusion. \u201cOh, wait, never mind, you can\u2019t tell me because we\u2019re not working together–don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll just get the story from Elaine.\u201d She flounced off.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis is going to be so much fun!\u201d Elaine bubbled over with enthusiasm. \u201cI’m so excited to be here! I can’t wait to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1071],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34562"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34563,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34562\/revisions\/34563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fakiespaceman.com\/toyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}