Under the Blue Moon

Chapter 1 – Blue Moon Rising

The radio clock started to go off, and a sea green hand slaps the snooze button. “Is it that time already?”  A pair of hazel eyes looks at the clock next to his bed.

5:00 AM

The sea green boy started to wake up and sat on his bed, scratching his messy dark blue hair.  He was still trying to get adjusted to his new home.  Well, new to him at least.  As he turned on the lamp next to his bed, the door cracked opened, revealing a blue lady with purple hair sticking her head out.

“You awake, Tidal?”

“Yes Aunt Lulu,” he replied, still feeling sleepy.

“You better be,” said Luna.  “You’ll be starting at Canterlot High from this point forward.  And we still need to make sure everything is ready for you.”

“As long as Aunt Tia is up and ready.”

“NOT UNTIL I HAVE MY MORNING COFFEE!!!” yelled Celestia, who was in the hallway walking to the kitchen.

“I better make sure breakfast is ready for you.  You wash up and meet us in the kitchen.”  Luna closed the door so that Tidal can get ready.

His name was Tidal Blue, Celestia and Luna’s “foster” nephew.  And by foster, we mean that Celestia and Luna’s parents adopted his father, Sky Blue, when they were young. He moved from a small town up north to Canterlot after bullying issues went on at his old school.  Celestia learned about this and felt like he would do better at Canterlot High, since she had started to take a stance on bullying ever since the Fall Formal.  Now Tidal is continuing his sophomore year at Canterlot High while living with his sister aunts.

Luna was in the kitchen fixing cinnamon rolls to put in the toaster oven, while her sister, Celestia, was waiting at the coffee pot, waiting for the coffee to brew.  Both of them were still wearing their morning robes.  They already heard the door to the bathroom close and water starting to run in there, telling them that Tidal was in there taking his shower.  Luna saw the toaster oven ready and placed the small pan inside for the rolls to bake.  She set the timer so that it would go off when the rolls were ready.  Still worried about her sister’s decision, Luna decided to ask.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do for him?  I mean we just had the Fall Formal months ago.  And we saw what happen after-”

“Don’t even say it,” Celestia interrupted.  “Princess Twilight decided to leave her here so that the other five girls can watch and help her understand the meaning of friendship.  She’s not going to be a problem while he’s there.”

The coffee pot was brewed and ready, so she pulled it out and poured a cup for herself before placing it back on its warming pad.  She added and bit of milk and sugar and stirred it before taking a sip.  She was finally more awake and aware of what was around her.

“Besides, this was two classmates who crossed the line and got others on their side just to cause him problems.”

“But did they even use magic to make it happen?” Luna asked.

“You don’t need magic to cause trouble, which is what Sunset Shimmer did before she got the crown.  The only reason she needed magic was to control us for whatever she had planned.  Now she’s just a harmless student in the school.”

“A student that the entire school hates,” Luna added.  “I mean she’s trying to prove that she can change, but I have yet to see her make an effort.”

“All in good time, Luna.  All in good time.”

They heard the bathroom door open, and then the bedroom door close.  Tidal was finished with the bathroom and went to his room to get dressed.  Celestia decided to turn on the TV to see if there were any updates on the weather and school.

“What I don’t understand is why wait until the middle of his second year of high school to do this.  Why couldn’t Sky Blue catch this sooner?” Luna asked.

“Because it was during last fall that it all went down,” explained Celestia.  “I spent a week up there to get to the bottom of this and was lucky enough to stop it before it got a lot worse.  And all because of some group project that didn’t go as planned.”

“From what his wife told me on the phone days ago was that he always keeps to himself.  He never even bothers to make any friends,” explained Luna.

“Because he doesn’t even know how to communicate with others.  His life is spent around dragons and fantasy worlds.  It’s all he ever believes in.”

“At least he knows how to focus on what he needs to learn in his classes.  I’m guessing you got his grades from the school, right Tia?”

“I should have heard from Mr. Discord by now, unless he sent it to my work e-mail without telling me.”

Just then, Celestia’s cell phone rang.  She knew it was hers because she had “I’m walking on sunshine” as her ring tone.  She picked it up and looked at who was calling.  The name “Discord” was displayed on the screen.  So she answered it.

“I hope you have those records I requested sent to me.”

“And good morning to you too, Celestia,” replied Mr. Discord.

…

“Fine.  I already sent them to your work e-mail last night.”

“You had to wait until the last minute to send them, didn’t you?”

“Don’t blame me,” panicked Discord.  “I just got them from the school on Friday.  No wonder you pulled him out of that school.  They can’t get anything done right when you need them to.”

Celestia sighed.  “I should have known.  I guess they all were against them.”

“Now, now Celestia.  You did what you had to do.  That’s all that matters.”

Celestia had a confused look on her face after hearing that last statement.  “I never expected you to say something like that before.”

“Please.  I might be chaotic at times, but I’m not that evil.  By the way, how are the roads out where you live?”

Celestia walked up to the front window to look outside.  “Roads look fine to-” She stopped to see a salt truck go by.  “Change that.  Just saw a salt truck drive by.  Did Fluttershy call you?”

“Yes.  The roads where she lives have some ice around them.  They must still be on the main roads before going to the secondary roads.  I’ll issue a one-hour delay on the start of school.  Best they get to school safe than get hurt trying.”

“Good idea.  Maybe Principal Cinch will understand for once about the downside of the winter weather.”

“As long as she’s not giving me some useless lecture about the importance of education.  I already know about that.  And Celestia.”

“Yes?”

“I hope he does better at your school instead of his old one.”

“Thanks Discord.  I hope so too.”  Celestia ended the call and placed it back where she had it before.  She walked back to the kitchen and said, “School’s starting one hour late.  They should be getting the announcement soon.”

“And Tidal’s grades?” Luna asked Celestia.

“He got them Friday and just sent them over last night.  I’ll have to print them out and go from there.  Getting his classes ready at the last minute will be a challenge.”

“I can understand that.  We couldn’t get to the school the past few days due to the bad weather.  And for them to send them to us this late is-”

“I know,” Celestia said, cutting Luna off.  “I think they didn’t even cared about his well being in the first place.  Let’s just hope that he can get better in his life from here on out.”

They heard the door open from Tidal’s room and saw him enter the kitchen.  He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with ocean waves on the bottom and a small crescent moon near the left shoulder, blue jeans, and gray shoes.  He went to the fridge to grab the orange juice and pour himself a glass that he got from the cupboard.  He then placed the jug back into the fridge and took a seat at the table.

“I see that you’re wearing the shirt I got you for Christmas,” said Luna.  Tidal just looked at Luna and gave a small smile.  The timer went off, so Luna took the rolls out of the toaster oven so that they could settle.  “How many do you want, Tidal?”

“Three please.”

“I’ll have two, Luna.  You can have the other three,” Celestia told her sister.

Luna began placing the rolls on the plates and added the icing to them.  Celestia picked up her plate, while Luna grabbed hers and Tidal’s plates to the table.  As they were having their breakfast, they heard on the TV about the delay of the schools.

Celestia said, “Well, that should give us some extra time to get everything ready for you, Tidal.  We shouldn’t have any problem getting there while in Luna’s caravan.”

“OK,” replied Tidal.

Celestia and Luna still noticed that Tidal wasn’t as talkative as they hope he would be after the move.  He was never a conversation starter anyway.  After they finished breakfast, Tidal elected to clean the dishes and place them in the dishwasher while Celestia and Luna went to their bedrooms to get changed for work.  Tidal then fixed his own lunch, got his book bag and made sure he had his basic school supplies ready to go.  He was always organized with just about everything, which was one of the problems that the students from his old school couldn’t stand.

Celestia and Luna came out of their bedrooms, fully dressed for work.  All three of them grabbed their winter coats and made their way to the garage where both of their cars were parked.  They decided to take Luna’s dark blue caravan for today.  She got in the driver’s seat while her sister sat in the passenger’s seat.  Tidal sat behind Celestia in the back seat.  Once they were buckled in, Luna started the caravan and pressed the garage door opener in front of her.  She pulled on out to the driveway, which was deiced last night with some salt melt.  She made sure the garage door was closed before they left.

Just as they were about to get on the road, two girls were walking on the snow-covered grass.  One had mint green skin and cyan hair with white highlights.  The other had beige skin and blue and pink hair.  Both were wearing their winter gear as they were walking towards the school.

Luna rolled down her window and said, “Lyra, Bonbon, trying to get to school early?”

“Yes Vice Principal Luna,” responded the beige girl.  “Applejack called and asked if we can get there early to take care of the cafeteria for her grandma.  Their driveway is iced and they are having a hard time getting out on the road.”

“That’s right,” Celestia said.  “Ms. Smith hates to travel in weather like this.  I hope the rest of the lunch crew are able to pick her up for lunch later on.”

“Say, maybe they can ride with us to the school,” said Luna and she was motioning to Tidal.  Celestia knew what she was trying to say and nodded back to Luna.  “Hey girls, you want a ride there?  It would make it easier to get there without being in the cold.

Both girls looked at each other and nodded.  “Certainly,” responded the mint girl.  Both of them got in the back seat of the driver’s side and placed their book bags on the floorboard.  They noticed Tidal sitting in the back seat with them.

“Oh, this is our nephew, Tidal Blue,” Celestia responded.  “He’ll be attending CHS from here on out.”

“Nice to meet you.  I’m Lyra.  Lyra Heartstrings,” said the mint girl who sat in the middle of the back seat.

“And I’m Sweetie Drops.  But everyone calls me Bonbon,” said the beige girl who sat next to Lyra.

“Hello,” Tidal responded.

As they started to make their way to Canterlot High, Luna and Celestia were worried that Tidal wasn’t making an effort to make some new friends.  Luckily, it was Bonbon who broke the ice instead.

“So…where are you from?” she asked Tidal.

“Up north in New Hampshire.  It’s a small town that you wouldn’t have heard of.”

“What grade are you in?” Lyra asked.

“Sophomore.”

“Oh, we’re juniors,” Lyra responded.

“So what brings you here?” Bonbon asked.

“Just some problems with his old school,” Celestia responded.  “Our brother felt like he would do better here at CHS than his old school.”

“We never knew you had a brother,” said Lyra.

“He’s…not actually our brother,” explained Luna.  “Our parents took him in when we were teenagers after his parents died in a plane crash.  So he’s been like a brother to us.  Tidal is their only child.”

“So you’re more like a foster nephew?” Lyra asked Tidal.

“More or less.”

“Well, we know you’re going to like Canterlot High,” said Bonbon.

“As long as-” Celestia gave a quick glare at Lyra, knowing what she was about to say.  “-As you don’t encounter any problems that you went through at your old school.”

“If you ever have any problems, we’ll be happy to help,” Bonbon said with a smile.

Celestia knew that most of the students remember what Sunset did at the Fall Formal, and she wants to make sure that Tidal knows nothing about it.  All she wants is to make sure he can finally live a good life.

“So, how was your winter break?” Celestia asked them.

“It was great,” replied Bonbon.  “We really had a good time.”

“Even on New Year’s,” Lyra added.

Celestia asked, “How so?”

“Let’s just say that the sparks were flying that night,” replied Lyra.

Lyra and Bonbon have been more than just best friends.  Much more.  But only a few know of their relationship.  Celestia and Luna knew about it as well, but decided to keep quiet, since times were changing, and they didn’t want it to be a big distraction for the school, not to mention the magical incident that happened at the Fall Formal.

They finally arrived at the school and noticed that they were the first ones there.  All of them got out of the caravan and made their way to the front of the school.  Celestia got out her keys and unlocked the school’s front doors so that they can get inside and warm up.

“Well, we need to head to the cafeteria and get some food ready for the other students,” Bonbon said.

“I’ll go with you, since the cafeteria doors are locked,” Luna said.

“It was nice meeting you, Tidal.  I hope we cross paths again,” Lyra said as she and Bonbon waved backed to him.

Tidal went with Celestia to her office so that she can get his classes arranged for the semester.  When they arrived, she unlocked the door and made their way through the secretary’s office and into her own office.  Tidal took off his coat and laid it and his book bag on the seat nearby.  Celestia booted up the computer and started to look through her e-mail and found the files that Discord sent to her.  As she was getting them printed, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Celestia commanded.

In walked a white girl with smooth violet hair.  She was wearing a light blue blouse and a purple skirt and boots.

“Rarity.  I see that you were able to make it safely,” Celestia said.

“Oh please.  The roads that we travel to get here were clear as ever.  By the way, how was the Christmas party that you went to?”

“It was great.  The ‘ugly’ sweater that you made me got everyone’s attention…and made my sister jealous.”

“Well, I can see how the ugly sweater craze has become a new thing this time around.  You can thank my mother for knitting the sweater.  I just made the design and added some ‘bling’ to it.  We’ll have to do the same for Vice Principal Luna when next Christmas comes around.”  Rarity noticed the new student in the room.

“Oh, this is my nephew, Tidal.  He’ll be attending our school from here on out.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Tidal,” Rarity said and she extended her hand out for a handshake.

“Hello Rarity.”  Tidal extended his hand out and simply shook her hand.

“Say Rarity, do you think you can give Tidal a tour of the school, since we have an hour delay before classes start.  I have to get his schedule fixed up for this semester.”

“Oh I’ll be happy to do so, Principal Celestia.  Tidal, if you will follow me please.”

As they were about to leave the office, Celestia said, “Oh.  Rarity, can I talk to you for a moment.”  She nodded.  “Tidal, can you wait outside, please?”  He nodded and left the office, closing the door.

Rarity knew what Celestia wanted to talk to her about.  “It’s about Sunset, isn’t it?”

“Yes.  Has she made any attempt to make a change for herself?”

“Not really.  She’s been keeping to herself all this time since the Fall Formal.  I’m not sure she’s making an effort in trying anyway.”  She looked at the door and remembered that Tidal was outside waiting.  “If you want me to make sure that she stays away from your nephew, then-”

“That’s not it,” Celestia said, cutting Rarity off.  “Tidal has had it rough at his old school.”

“Oh dear.  How bad is it?”

“You want the long version or short one?” Celestia asked Rarity.

“The short version please.”

“Tidal had to deal with some bullies, and I think the whole school was on the bullies’ side against him.  So I had to pull him out of that school and bring him here.”

“Almost like the opposite of what Sunset tried to do here.”

“I know.  And I think it’s done some damage to his mental state.  I hate to ask, but is it possible that you and your friends can get him to open up to others?  I know you’re busy with Sunset, but-”

Rarity raised her hand and said, “Say no more.  We’ll do our best to help your nephew.”

“Thanks Rarity.  You’ve been so generous to us and the school.”

“Please.  If I recall, Princess Twilight mentioned that I represented generosity.  And I’m always willing to help out whenever I can.  Now if you will excuse me, but your nephew is in need of a tour.”  So Rarity left the office to show Tidal around the school.

Celestia hoped that things would get better for Tidal, but needed someone to find out what’s truly wrong.  She took out her cell phone and sent a text to her sister.

“Sunset is staying in the shadows, scared.  Rarity is giving Tidal a tour of the school.”

It wasn’t long before she got a reply.

“I’ll look for Sunset and see if she can help Tidal.”

All she can hope is that Sunset can learn the meaning of friendship by helping Tidal find the same meaning himself.