Parallel's Path

It was a long journey from Las Pegasus to Canterlot. Parallel and Midnight ended up spending two whole days on the train. Luckily, food was provided for them along the way. Parallel had been contemplating just how smoothly her quest had gone for her up to this point. When she was preparing for it, she expected rough mountain trails, some bumps and bruises, or at least one or two aggressive ponies who wanted to get in her way. Instead, all she got was free rides and excellent hospitality, and from total strangers, no less. She was wondering if maybe the vest and hat she was wearing were the cause of all her fortunate turns of events. She remembered that Midnight mentioned how she had given Equality some lucky clothes when they were in class together, and finally got the courage to ask her.

Parallel found Midnight reading the newspaper in the dining car, and asked her,

"Excuse me, Midnight. You remember how, back when we first saw each other on the train, you mentioned how my vest and hat looked a lot like your lucky clothes?"

"Now that you mention it, I did say that. I had a gray vest and hat, very similar to yours. Whenever I felt like I was in for a rough time, or if I needed the courage to do something important, I would put them on, and everything would always turn out well for me."

"That's interesting, because I've been wearing these everywhere I went since I started my quest, and I've had nothing but lucky breaks ever since. I mean, two ponies let me stay in their homes for the night, I get a VIP train ticket at no charge, I get a free ticket to the Equestria Surf Classic, and my first ever stay at a hotel results in me getting a top-floor luxury room. I swear, I expected a hard time, but I've had nothing of the sort since I left Ponyville."

"I wonder, can I see that hat really quickly?" Parallel had no reason to say no, so she gave the hat to Midnight, who flipped it over, and saw some faded writing on the underside. It read,

"Equality, I'm sure you will make great use of this." Midnight recognized this as her hoofwriting.

"Well, I'll be. You're wearing the same clothes I gave to Equality all those years ago. And, like they did for me, they've given you nothing but good luck."

"Wow! Maybe if I never take them off, I'll get the best luck ever." Just as soon as she said that, the train experienced a bump in the track, and it broke down. Both ponies were startled by this, and the conductor announced,

"We apologize for this inconvenience, passengers. Unfortunately, the train is experiencing some technical difficulties. The closest town to where we are is Ponyville, so unless you want to stay on the train, you can come back here at sunrise tomorrow, and we'll depart then. Midnight decided to stay on the train, as she had no reason to depart from the train. Parallel, on the other hand, thought she could take this opportunity to see how her father had fared since her departure. She told the conductor that she would be staying in Ponyville for the night, and he reminded her to return at sunrise the next day. She agreed to this, and left the train, after saying goodbye to Midnight.

Since the train had to stop about a mile away from the station, and she was the only one on the train who decided to head to Ponyville, Parallel had to find another way to get back. She thought about how trying to use the vest and hat for their luck may have jinxed her fortune, so she said to herself,

"Maybe I shouldn't try to force my luck. I mean, it's one thing to take every good opportunity that comes your way, but trying to create one seems like it's pushing it. I'll just try to walk home, and see if Dad is alright." She found a dirt trail close to where she had gotten off the train. She followed the trail, and saw Ponyville from under the hill she had been standing on. She ran down the hill, adhering to the trail, and after about 20 minutes, she found herself in town. As soon as she recognized where she was, she started walking again, when a stallion bumped into her. Having not seen her there, the stallion could only say,

"Oh my, I apologize, little filly. I really must watch where I am going." The stallion spoke in an accent similar to that of Rarity, and Parallel spaced out as soon as she heard him. "Um, hello, are you there? Strange, why would a filly just space out like that?" Parallel finally came to when the stallion had disappeared from sight. She felt like she had seen that stallion before, but couldn't tell where from. Nevertheless, the continued along the trail, and found herself at Sweet Apple Acres.

She was starving by this point, and had no money or food with her, so she tried to look for somepony to help her. Luckily, Apple Bloom, who was now fully grown, had been working in the field, when she caught sight of the lost filly. She walked to her, and said,

"Hey there, stranger. You looking for something?"

"Actually, yes. You see, I was on a train to Canterlot, when it broke down for whatever strange reason, and I had to walk the rest of the way to Ponyville just to find a place to stay before the train comes back tomorrow morning."

"Oh, well, I can tell you're hungry, so here, take this basket of apples. I'm sure my sister won't mind too much. She said we're having a surplus of apples anyway. By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, right. How rude of me. My name is Parallel."

"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Parallel. My name's Apple Bloom. Say, your name seems kinda familiar. Would you happen to be the daughter of that stallion that works as the new teacher at the schoolhouse?"

"Yes, you must be talking about my father, Equality. What makes you bring that up?"

"Well, you see, I started as a student there just after he graduated. Some of the underclassmares told me about him, and I was confused. I had no idea who he is. I ended up graduating myself, when I heard that Miss Cheerilee would be having a new assistant teacher. From what I heard, the new teacher's name was Geneva or something like that."

"Geneva? That name seems familiar to me as well. Not sure why, though."

"Anyway, fast forward a few years, and I was walking through town taking care of some chores, and I heard some students talking about how their teacher, Mr. Equality or something like that, had been reading his daughter's letters to the class. You seem like you've been on a journey of some kind, so I guessed that maybe you were the daughter he was talking about." Parallel blushed. She now knew that he had, in fact, received her letters. She was now more energized than ever to see her father again.

"Do you happen to know the way from here to the schoolhouse?"

"Course I do. I'm done with my work for today, anyway, so just follow me." Parallel went with Apple Bloom, who had remembered the way to school from when she was a filly.

They eventually reached the school, and they parted ways there. Parallel remembered that her home was not too far from the school. She walked along the road, and found a house with a letter by the front door. She could smell a soothing aroma from the letter. She knew this must be her house. She knocked on the door, and heard her father's voice.

"Who's there? I'm not expecting any visitors." The filly replied with a smile,

"Not even your own daughter?" There was no response for a few seconds, until the door opened. That's when she saw her father, Equality, whose huge open grin only meant that he was elated to see her.

"Hello, Parallel, my daughter." the stallion said, as he reached out for a hug. The filly walked to him to accept his loving embrace.

"Hey, Dad, I sure have missed you."

"I've missed you too. I've been getting your letters, and I have to say, you've been on quite the adventure already. I'd never even heard of the White Tail Woods, or Las Pegasus. What were they like?

"The White Tail Woods were just beautiful. Nice brown-leaved trees everywhere, a variety of woodland creatures, and the clean air were all just divine. As for Las Pegasus, it was just exhilarating. The vast city lights, the ponies everywhere, and all the attractions. The ocean there is also beautiful. It's like a paradise for urban ponies."

"Well, I'm glad you came back. By the way, didn't your last letter say you're going to keep going on your quest?"

"Oh yeah, I guess it did say that."

"Well, how come you came back here?"

"Oh actually, speaking of letters, there was one at the door. I think it's for you." She gave Equality the letter. It read,

"Dear Equality,

It's me, your old friend from school, Midnight. I've been meeting up with your daughter, Parallel, on the train a few times lately. I just thought I should tell you that we were on a train en route to Canterlot, when it broke down. Everypony on board was given the choice to either stay on the train, or leave for Ponyville. I chose to stay, but your daughter, unsurprisingly, chose the latter. She seemed like the type to not confine herself to one place, so I didn't try to stop her. Anyway, I hope you're in high spirits, as well as your daughter, who I assume has already made it back to you by the time you read this. Maybe we can see each other again sometime soon. Best wishes!

Sincerely,

Midnight"

"I guess that answers your question about why I came back."

"It sure does. I'm glad you're safe. A train breaking down en route, and you having to find your own way here, I'm just glad you made it here without a scratch. Say, how did you manage to get here safely, anyway?"

"I met up with one of the ponies on Sweet Apple Acres. Her name is Apple Bloom. She was kind enough to show me the way to the schoolhouse, and I just found my way here from there."

"That was really nice of her. So, now that you're back home, you need something to eat?"

"Actually, I brought a basket of apples with me, so I should be fine."

"How about I cook something up for you, with those apples?"

"Sounds great to me." Sure, apples had been a part of almost every meal of Parallel's lately, but she knew that anything her father could make would taste fantastic. He ended up making apple coleslaw for her. She remembered this dish. It was her favorite dish out of all the things Equality ever made for her. She finished the whole thing, and couldn't be happier.

The sun was starting to set, and Parallel was feeling sleepy. Getting home on foot really took a lot of energy out of her, so she decided to go to bed early. She remembered where her room was, and got herself into bed. Before she fell asleep, she asked her father,

"Dad, can you try to wake me up before sunrise? I have a train to catch early in the morning."

"Well, I wouldn't want your quest to end here, not after everything you've already been through, so no problem."

"Thanks, Dad." the filly said as she fell asleep. Before he walked out of her room, Equality said quietly,

"You really are something special, Parallel."

The next morning, before the sun had risen, Equality came into Parallel's room to wake her up. He said to her,

"Wake up, Parallel, you have a train to catch, right?" She quickly got up, and put her vest and hat on, not wanting to waste any time.

"Is the sun up yet?"

"No, not yet. But you better hurry, it could come up any minute. I made a sandwich for you as breakfast. Feel free to take it with you." He didn't have to tell her twice. She was never the kind of pony to miss out on breakfast. She quickly ran into the kitchen,  grabbed the sandwich on the table, and gave her father a kiss goodbye, before running out the front door. He could only smile, knowing that she was on her way to her next big adventure. As Parallel ran toward the train station, she saw Apple Bloom walking through town, gathering supplies. The two locked eyes, and Parallel nodded at her, as if to thank her again for helping her find the way home.

Parallel finally made it to the train station. The train was set to depart in five minutes, and she couldn't be happier that she made it in time. She presented her ticket to the conductor, and boarded the train, then walked to the luxury cabin, where Midnight was waiting for her. As she came in, Midnight said with a smile,

"So, looks like you made it back after all. I was worried you'd miss the train."

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss out on this for anything." The mare chuckled in agreement, as the conductor announced the train's departure. Now Parallel was really on her way to the next part of her quest. She felt like it was going to be a humbling experience, and she couldn't have been more right.