Characters of Two Moons Past:
Jinx: Human extraordinaire and trouble-maker
Twilight Sparkle: Student of Celestia
Fluttershy: Shy with a hint of pegasus, kind
Rainbow Dash: Pegasus with a hint of loyalty, Jinx’s right hand mare
Applejack: Strong and honest, the big sister
Rarity: Pish-posh and Jinx’s favorite target
Pinkie Pie: Nobody knows…
Cutie Mark Crusaders: Bundles of joy, look up to Jinx literally and figuratively
Characters of Two Moons Present:
Christopher: Curious but critical, ready to learn
Lucas: Dad jokes galore, and emphasizes the dad
Luster Dawn: Princess Twilight’s student, open minded
Twilight: Ruler of Equestria, teacher of foals
Rainbow: Captain of the Wonderbolts, still full of mischief
Applejack: Rainbow’s wife, still strong and honest
Rarity: As fabulous as ever
Pinkie Pie: We still haven’t figured her out?
Fluttershy: Discord's marefriend, kinder than ever
Cutie Mark Crusaders: Still a bundle of joy
"It's not that your son isn't smart or anything. In fact, he's one of the brightest kids I have. Very curious and a fast learner, but there's one thing that has been concerning me lately."
Lucas rubbed his hands together, breathing in slowly. It was parent-teacher conferences at the old Carnegie High School. It had been a long time since he'd been here, back when it was called Golden Lake High. Normally a trip down memory lane is smooth and sweet, but so far he's only been hearing the same thing from every teacher, like a disappointing broken record:
"But he's just not very social."
There it was. For nearly the past 8 or 9 years that was the only problem he had ever had with his son, Christopher, was he couldn't get him to make any real friends. He was perfectly fine at home and with family members. He wasn't exactly the life of the party but he was talkative enough. But hearing this from 5 different teachers was a major problem for him as a person, seeing this kid not making any friends nearly his entire childhood, and as a father, knowing the problems that this could create in the future. "I know, it's been like this for a little bit now. I've been doing everything I can, but it's just the way he is."
"I understand. Chris, would you mind explaining to us why we seem to be having trouble socializing with our classmates."
They both looked over at Christopher, who had just been listening to the two adults talking. He looked at his dad, then over at Mrs. Oakes. He just shrugged. "I don't see why it's so important. I get good grades and I follow the rules. And I do all my group projects without complaining."
His teacher nodded slowly and sighed. "That may be true, but in those same group projects, you do all of the work yourself and tell your group to use your research however they want so it was made 'equally'. You're not as clever as you think you are, Chris." Mrs. Oakes glowered at the teen. Lucas frowned, and turned towards him only confirming what she said when Chris' eyes widened and he sucked in his breath. He grumbled and turned back towards his teacher.
"Well, other than that, are there any other issues in class?"
"No, not that I think of. He's a joy to have, especially with how respectful he is. A much needed break from most of my kids." She said smirking, slumping back in her chair. He chuckled and rested his hand on Chris' shoulder.
"No problem. Good to know he's not being a punk. Thanks for your time, Mrs. Oakes. We'll see you in a little while." They shook hands and brushed their clothes off, making their way out of the high school. The air felt particularly chilly as the two young men walked out, Lucas shuddering and holding his coat tighter. Eventually they got into the car, an old '08 Honda Pilot. He closed the door and just gripped the wheel, staring ahead and sighed heavily. Lucas chuckled and looked over at his son, who looked back worriedly.
"Seriously? You did their work too?"
"I wanted a good grade! It was hard trying to get them to work with me." Chris exasperated. Which was kind of true; it's pretty hard to work with your classmates when you barely talk back with them. Or start a conversation. Or just plain leave the class towards the library. He rubbed the back of his head. He knew he shouldn't, but it's not like anyone was hurt in the end afterall.
"Okay well cut the bull, young man. You and I both know you just didn't want to do anything that involved actually talking to a person in real life." Lucas shook his head, steering the car lazily. "Look, I know it's tough and kinda scary when you make new friends, but they're a major part of your life. There is a certain magic to friendship that you can't just ignore or live without. It's all around us. Did I ever tell you how I met your mom? She's the one who told that magic is in the air, in the sea, in the-"
"Smallest of bunnies to the biggest of dragons, friendship is always there to guide us and blah-de-blah-de-blah-de-blah." Chris said, rolling his eyes. "Dad, that's so corny. Like something straight out of a cartoon or dollhouse or something. And yes, you've told me the story over and over and over again. No offense to Mom, I just don't wanna make friends. It's just distracting from what I want to achieve. Why waste time on that stuff when I can just get straight A's and actually do something with myself?" He propped his head on his chin and stared out the window at the darkening sky, the sunset peaking through the trees. Lucas looked over surprised to hear what he was hearing. He could feel a small tug going on with his heartstrings. Things were quiet for a little bit. You could almost choke on the tension in the air. Eventually he nodded and breathed heavily, biting his lip and thinking.
"Well, I suppose we can have our own opinions about this. How about some food?" Chris turned, nodding at his dad. They both smirked as they turned into the McDonald's drive thru.
They were back home, a nice 2 story house with about an acre of land for mandatory outside dinner parties and backyard games. Christopher was upstairs, organizing his many trading cards. His father was downstairs in his study. A nice quiet little room, with soft lamps and books hugging every inch of the walls. At his desk, he was writing a message on a scroll, refilling using the inkwell given to him. His brows were furrowed as he moved the quill nervously across the parchment. He was anxious, and he wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't written calligraphy in over 10 years or because he was anticipating the disappointment of the person he was writing to.
...ease ensure that he truly understands friendship. There's only so much I can do on my end. I have my full faith in you.
Yours forever,
Lucas Pierson.
P.S. We still on for dinner next Friday at 7? As long as it's not another 'surprise party' dinner. :)
He kissed the bottom of the parchment, then with a guilty sigh, held it to the candle's flame. The letter was consumed by a green fire that soared out into the night.
"Well, good morning my little ray of sunshine." Lucas smirked as he drank his coffee. Chris came down in his pajamas, a scowl plastered on his face. He was not a morning person, a fact his dad loved to remind him of.
"Hmph." He grumbled, sitting down at the table. Lucas chuckled as he slid his son breakfast. He took the liberty of preparing some soft boiled eggs and toast, a favorite for the two of them. Seeing the dish certainly woke him up, grabbing a fork and nearly eating the bowl with it. "Thamkz a bunmh Dad." Chris said as he scooped more and more into his gullet.
Lucas furled his brow as he went back to checking his phone. "Dude, Chris. Watch the manners at the dinner table." He took a double-take at his son. "Oh, and I need you dressed and packed before the hour. We're going to take a little trip today. Pack some clean clothes and your toiletries and what-not."
"Wait what?" Chris asked, swallowing his food. He raised a brow at his dad, who had a blank expression. "We weren't doing anything today, it's spring break? We got a week off to just relax and do some homework."
"Yeah, I'm aware. Fun fact, as a dad I gotta know this stuff. But I made sure to arrange that you get some fun and time in for work. Plus, it's a train ride too. So bonus points for creativity, eh?" His dad said, sheepishly smiling. Chris frowned. This was supposed to be a week of classmate-free activities. Organizing his cards, cleaning his room, playing the family PS2 every now and then. To any other person, it sounds boring. But to the anti-social butterfly that was Christopher, it was as close to paradise as it got. And now all of that got its ass kicked out the window.
"Well what is it?"
"It's a surprise."
"Come on, Dad. Actually what is it?"
"I don't know. Did you have any plans today?"
"Yeah, March 1st."
"Oh, sorry lemme just-." His dad said, standing up and marching around the table carrying an air-trombone. "So, did you have plans today?" Chris' body compelled himself to face palm at the dad joke. Even if it was a good one.
"Yeah, I was gonna work on my science then do some cleaning. And that's not the first time you've done that joke."
"I know, I've got a whole dad-a-base full of these bad boys." Lucas grinned, laughing as he marched down the hall. "You got 20 minutes kiddo."
Christopher groaned, running his hands through his sandy hair. Welp, he may as well make the most of it. Knowing Dad, it's gonna be a 'new and invigorating experience about the joys of friends and family.' He swore it was like a religion to him. Chris finished his food and went to go pack his bags.
The movement of the train rocked Chris like a lullaby. He closed his eyes to the endless forests and imagined what the day had in store for him. He thought about the people going to be there, or the 'group activities' he'd no doubt be a part of.
He thought about his father Lucas. He was talking a lot during the car ride over and the morning right before, but his talking was few and far between since they got in the train car. On occasion he'd smile looking outside, but for the most part he'd sit with his eyes closed, trying to nap. Unfortunately, the tracks weren't too nice and jolted him awake a few times.
Chris' goading his father to tell him about their impromptu vacation was almost useless, but eventually he got a few puzzle pieces to work with. He described it as brightly painted buildings, bustling townsfolk yet quiet enough to relax nearly anytime you wanted. Smooth and sweet. And then he'd go back to falling asleep, to no avail. And as he did, Chris tried finding comfort in the little puzzle pieces. Remembering the shape of the words, how they all linked together to form a story. It was just one of the ways Chris liked experiencing the world, one puzzle piece at a time.
He reached into his backpack that used to have all his school stuff, but now had a few toys and other stuff. A small binder of trading cards, a couple snacks (specifically, some oatmeal raisin balls he and his dad made), and a small compass his mother had bought him. The only issue is that a working compass only pointed north. With his, the arrow zigged and zagged every which way. It wasn't even an old compass, it had the date and make on the inside: A.Y. 2006. His dad said he wanted to get it fixed, but reasoned that "she knew where he was going anyway."
"Dad, how much longer is this train gonna be? I feel like we've been riding for hours." Lucas frowned, looking down at him. He flicked his son's nose and turned his gaze back to the window.
"It's been, like, an hour. Just be patient. Any time now the cond-."
He started as the compartment door slid open. The conductor came into the car. "Kirkwood, next stop."
"Well, there's your answer." The five-forty-five train was going to be right on time. Chris' dad stood up, groaning as he stretched his arms and back. "Well, I'm going to go test their plumbing. Sit tight kiddo." Chris laughed and wrinkled his nose at the old man, who simply laughed and went through the compartment door. Conductor's only gave a few minutes' notice, so he grabbed his backpack and got his suitcase ready. It was about time too, it would be dark in about another hour, so they'd have time to find their way around. At the last car, he waited, listening to the clickity-clack of the tracks. Listened to the way the tracks matched his heart beats. Bum-bump, clickity. Bum-bump, clackity.
Then the tracks didn't sync with him. Instead, they started speeding up a bit. Chris looked up as the train lights flickered and jangled, the train picking up speed fast. It went so fast that he nearly lost his balance, the lights breaking and sparks falling down. Chris' eyes widened as he hyperventilated, gripping onto the leather seats of the couch. "D-Dad! Help me!" He screamed at, looking frantically as the windows passed by faster and faster, the forests slowly starting to blur together, a white light instead shining in. Chris whispered curses as he grabbed his backpack and white-knuckled the seats for dear life.
Gasping and shutting his eyes tight, Chris stayed like that as the train kept going faster and faster, making him sick to his stomach. "Oh dear God, someone help. Dad, Dad, Dad… What the fuck's going on man?" He said, until he felt the train slowing back down. He waited a second before he opened one of his eyes slowly. The light's started flickering back to their normal self. He could see the white light outside the windows starting to fade, and eventually could make out houses and trees rushing past them. He opened his eyes fully and carefully stepped forward, testing the floor with his foot just in case. Nothing happened. He got up and grabbed his luggage, and sat back down. It was then he realized this wasn't the same train car he was just in. The leather seats were replaced with a softer, cushioned kind. The lights looked more eccentric, and it was much more colorful than last time. He shook his head and looked towards the train car.
"Oh my God, Dad!" Chris rushed towards the door, throwing it open. "Dad, are yo-" He stopped. As the compartment door opened, he did not see another train car. Instead it opened up to reveal the outside. Hills and mountains were straight ahead, with the tracks going on towards them. He blinked, stammering before he closed the door and turned around. And as he remembered, this train car only had one door since it was the last one. "What the hell…where is everybody?" He started hyperventilating again. "Okay, this is fine, it's fine, we're all fine." Chris muttered, grabbing his stuff and pulling it close to him. He stared at the door and tried swallowing the fear in his throat. No luck.
He opened the door, stepping out and dusting himself off. Not even 10 feet ahead of him was a small wooden sign hanging from the station roof. Welcome to Ponyville!
"Welcome to…Ponyville. Okay, this is uhhh, doable. Yeah, let's go with that." He turned around, looking at the station next to him. "Dad, you in there somewhere?" No response. Chris nodded and sat down on the station bench. He looked around, and saw that everything was unnaturally colorful. There were also some buildings and houses, but they looked old. Like, Three Little Pigs style old. The roofs were made of straw, and the houses looked made up of wood beams and stuff. Chris sighed heavily and rubbed his neck. "So, it's an old timey, rough-it-up in the woods kind of vacation. I should've brought more supplies."
"Don't worry, you won't need anything else. What's your name?"
Chris jumped and yelped, grabbing his stuff again and hugging it to his chest. And as he swiveled towards the voice, his jaw dropped at what he was seeing.
Author's Note
A new story I'm trying out, one that I'm confident in completing. Thank for reading!
Edit May 30: Didn't realize the characters list wasn't up there. Updated to reflect that change.
