As I checked my watch the sun began to set over Canterlot, I stood by watching the elevator doors to Rainbow Dash's penthouse. Wondering if anyone would show up. If you don't remember me, my name's Peter Pageturner. I was the resident comic book fan turned hero who fought a wanna be Hugo Strange, my own step dad who though cosplaying as the Green Goblin (and I do mean cosplay in the worst possible way) would help us grow and bond, and I've generally been living the life of my funny book heroes.
So after what feels like an eterinty, you must thinking, 'so what's comic book boy up to tonight? Is there some great disaster on the hoizion? is some anti matter force trying to merge Equestria and this world plus all other worlds in some, multiverse into one? where worlds live, worlds die and where nothing will be the same again?....
Nope; truth be told, I'm just waiting for my friends and class mates to show up cause I want us to hang out. I wouldn't say I'm throwing a penthouse party like they day back in the days when being a swinger meant being being hip and cool, but I am hoping that once the elevator doors open a lot of people will show up.
I gave myself a last look in a mirror making sure I looked good, my brown crop of hair groomed nice and neat, my best polo and khakis casual by stylish, and my smile bright enough to lighten up a room. Across the apartment, the elevator doors slid open to welcome the first guests. "Dashie! Hey...you brought your friends too!" I said welcoming the six girls in. Rainbow herself strolled in like she owned the place...cause she did; Twilight (The one from my universe) was courteous but casual, Rarity held her hand out like the "proper lady'' she was, which I delivered a respectable kiss too, Applejack wandered right over to a chair and sat down with that Stetson over her eyes, Fluttershy was as cautious as one of her wounded animals, and Pinkie? Well...She rolled out her party cannon and began blasting the apartment with its loaded rounds, a pointed hat and noise maker rattling away as she did.
I smiled seeing them be the first ones here, the most popular girls who seemed to have all the "fun." The first guests at my party, I decided to play host for them. "So we got snacks and drinks in the kitchen, help yourselves girls. I said to them as they did just that. Soon other guests began showing up too; from Spitfire and Soarin still in their Wondercolt track team uniforms, To my girl Gilda in her brown jacket and jeans, "heh always under dressed for the occasion are we Gilds?" I asked as she swaggered in with hips swaying side to side.
My good pal Johnny Sweetstuff entered the room about an hour in, looking like a high roller right from an episode of Mami Vice. He had a pressed white jacket and pants with black loafers and a black shirt under the open jacket. His girl Adagio Dazzle clinging to his arm like a cat on a scratching post. She was dressed up for the occasion too; a velveteen violet skirt with a tank top and white ermine jacket. a Prada handbag on her shoulder and white go-go boots squeaking softly with every step she took.
"Uh you two do I said this was a casual event right? Not a lobsters and champange pastel suit fling? Yoyu didn't have to show up dressed like a Miami Heat reunion." Adagio let out a little chuckle as did Jhonny.
"Hey come on Pete, you gotta live it up when you can right?" He said as he took the can of coke I offered him as did his date.
"Yeah, I have introduced my little lap doggie here to the finer things and an appreciation for them, Come on fido let's mingle." She said as they made their way over to Vinyl Who was setting up her DJ setup to get some tunes going. "Hey Vy how's the tunes coming along? Wait don't answer that I'll tell you how their going..." I watched as Adagio begain to fiddle with her set up. Vinyl was too taken aback to even really do anything about it.
"Just like our Dagi eh Aria? A famillar soft and playful voice said from the elevator doors. Sonata and Aria had gone up after Adagio and Jhonny, Sonata wore her Sgt. Pepper style jacket and pleated skirt, her sister had added a lether jacket with rhinestone sequins to her usual outfit and a thickker coat of blackish purple lipstick than usual.
"Yeah always gotta march in to a party thinking she's the Queen of sheba...what's up Pete?" She casually switched the subject as i offered them both snacks.
"Just trying to make the most of things you know?" Was all I said as I went to the other guests and served them. I took in the way everyone just...seemed so happy, together as the best of friends...really made me contemplate the real reason I wanted them all here. I just had to know, would this...all of it, would it last? Would the seven girls who everyone admired as the nicest, prettiest and given all they'd been through bravest of friends in school. Would they still be who I saw them as that night in a year? Two? Five? Would I still be looking at the small city that I called home from the same apartment in that time with her? My girl Dashie? I had to know something, or at least get clousure on how I felt.
"Hey Pete oh man this is some party!" Pinkie said as she rattled a noisemaker, snapping me from my thoughts for a second.
"Yeah..it is pinkie." I said with as much as enthusiasm as someone getting a root canal and a mouth of wisdom teeth removed at the same time. Pinkie took notice of this, and true to her nature tried to see what was wrong.
"You okay Peter? You seem a little off." She said placing her hand on my shoulder softly.
"Pinkie, you remember the day you friends met at the freshmen formal right?"
"It took some time, but yeah. That day...untill the fall formal some time ago.."
"Some time ago? Pinkie look at us, we're not kids anymore and hardly teenagers at this point." I said just letting it all out. "What's gonna happen to us in the near future? We've done all kinds of things since that one school sponsored party and now it...it's almost the start of the biggest days of our lives." i said burying my face in my hands and letting out a soft soft. "Look at what the future can do to people who start off as such great kids, full of life and potential. A few years give or take and there's no telling what happens to you, Pinkie...I...I just want us to.." She pulled me in for a closer hug, her friends circling around me and all eyes on the broken host.
"I know, nothing is ever clear as it seems Pete, that's why you gotta make the momments you do have matter and keep every one important close."
"Can that even be possible? Pinkie...what if...What if everyone here slowly but surley starts to just...drift away...and all the things we did become footnotes in the annuls of our lives? Mine; yours and yours." i said to her friends.
"Hey come on, don't say things like that." Twilight said getting on my other side taking over for Pinkie for a bit. "I used to be the same way, always focused on the future but the never the here and now. I think it's why I never had many friends until I started going to C.H.S. and no matter where we go after that, we'll always our memories there and each other...I promise Peter, Canterlot High seems more than a school, its like it's...trying to make sure we stay together.
"i hope You're right Twilight...I hope you're right."
"And that....was the best day in your old granddad's life kiddo." I said to the younger man sitting beside me, a spitting image of me but with his mother's eyes and grandmother's blue tint. I'm old now...the doctors will tell you im pushing seventy but I stopped counting to only fool myself years ago. my hair held up only know almost completley white with shades of the brown it once was here and there, my skin has held on too mostly from taking care of it especialy in later years. You quit drinking, never smoke sans that cigar when your first child then grandchild is born, and replace the sugary sodas with v8 and ensure and you look good for your age..
"Wow grandpa, you had all those friends when you were my age?" My grandson asks he hops down from the chair he'd been listening to my story too. Heh his age...eighteen actually but hes a decade off, I saw his father get that far...I fear the same can't be said for him.
"Oh yeah, your granddad was quite the cool kid back then kiddo...I still wonder just what happened to the old crew...I mean your uncle John isn't really your uncle, but he's the only one aside your grandma that stuck by me to the bitter end...isn't that right Johnny?" I said across the room to old man Sweetstuff. Like me John had aged gracefully but we both felt it was soon time to join the others we knew lost...my wife...his wife (guy had to pick only one, outta all the marriages that got legalized, polyamory wasn't one) and many others.
He looked up from his copy of 'Heart of Darkness' and would flipped me off had my grandson not been there. I chuckled as I reached under my pillow for something I'd been saving. "Here kiddo...I want you to have this I think you're old enough to handle it." I hand him a black one piece out fit, it's like a spy catsuit with some small pouches attached and a flashlight over the shoulder.
"What's this grandpa?' He asks naively.
"You're aunt Twilight made it for me, when she did, it used flexible graphine, the stuff you see in body armor today. It was new tech top of the line at that time." I handed the out suit to him, still a bit big but I was sure he'd grown into it someday..."Now go run along, granddad needs his rest." I hated lying to my grandson, but I didn't want him to see me as I felt my eyesight fading....He ran out with one of he last relic's from my youth, I never saw him again.
"Which one do you miss the most?" I asked my roommate prompting him to look up and shrug, we hadn't changed much since those days...but only a just.
"Hard to say, my luck was just...beyond any man's but...I'd have to say the one I put the ring on." He said holding up his left hand with the gold band still there, his right had two regular rings but they had Sonata and Aria's birthstones for gems. I could I almost see ghosts of the two as we where in those sweet, idealistic times. Aria would roll her eyes, Sonata would give a snooty huff and pretend not to care. "Ada, If I could only just see you one last time. To stroke that wild mane of orange hair, to feel your warm breath on my neck one last time..."
"If I wasn't so tired, I'd throw my pillow at you old friend." I said but I was only half teasing. It was then that I noticed the "shades" Of Aria and Sonata still in the room, I rubbed my eyes trying to clean what I thought was the old noddle playing games with me again, and then I realized it wasn't my imagination. The shady forms of The Dazzlings, as young and lively as the night of that party all those years ago...stood there looking at their old boyfriend...Adagio soon joining them, but taking place beside her husband.
"Hey Fido." She said softly planting a glowing golden hand on his forehead, as she did the affects of time seemed to reverse as if the were never there, lines smoothed out, eyes perked up, cheeks became full and vibrant.
"Dagi, it's been so long." The voice I hadn't heard in many moons said as she held in her hands a pair of golden sisscors. It was then that I noticed Johnny seemed to be closed up in a golden glow that cascaded and enclosed around his body like a body bag. I also noticed the heart monitor started to slow.
"Fido...Jhonny, it's time, everyone's waiting for you." Was all Adagio said as she seemed to reach out a grab a handful of the golden aura around him as if it was a plastic cover, John only nodded softly as Adagio pirced it with the golden sisscors. She began to cut the aura length wise until he was freed from it. I only watched as the newly young and rejuvenated John stood up as spry and energized as when he really was that young.
"Hoo wee thanks babe, it was getting stuffy in there." Said making Sonata Gigle, even Aria cracked a smile at seeming him the way he was again. Yet I was still old and not part of their little group because of it. Slolwy the real world began to fade back, the images of the staff trying to brink him back, John never cared much for a DNR. I heard cries of getting the defibullator out and all that. As I got my last few images of the old friends I'd known, Adagio left me with only one word...
"Soon."
It's getting late, getting too tired to write...This is Peter Page Turner, last living member of the Canterlot High Class...and my final entry in my journal.
