Chapter 1 Brave
Star woke Monday morning the same he did every Monday; lazily and reluctantly. It was Monday. The weekend had ended, school would start in about an hour, and the world beyond his toasty blankets seemed to be colder than ice. The mere thought of leaving his warm domain pained him. But, nature was calling, and she rarely left messages… except that one time. But he was a big pony now, and big ponies don’t wet the bed! So out he went, though, not without the disdain and irritation Mondays so deserved. Star hated Mondays.
Moon woke to the annoying sound of that damned tiny hammer slamming into the accursed brass bell. Three hours of sleep, time to get Star to school. Monday. If his memory served him right. Today he started at the mines at eight. Not to mention he’s starting that second job for the city. Construction. It wasn't exactly what he wanted to do, but the hours fit and the extra pay would be nice. He could finally start putting some serious bits aside for Star to go to college. The thought of digging ditches all day put a sour taste in his mouth, but he forced himself up and went about his business. Nothing he couldn't handle. Just take it one shovel full at a time. It was a weak pep talk, but it was enough to motivate him to begin the day.
With his morning business done, Star trotted his way out to the kitchen. The smell of burning bread and jams told him today wasn't going to be as awesome as he had hoped. Oh well, maybe school wouldn’t… lies. School’s boring, he hated Mondays.
“Morning Dad.” Star called out as he took his seat at the table, finding a glass of milk waiting for him.
“Mornin’.” Moon grunted back as he paced about the small kitchen. Four meals to set. Two for later, two right now. Work starts in forty five, it’s going to take ten to get Start to school, then fifteen to get from the school to the mines. Moon processed the days events to come as he quickly made two sandwiches, hay and peanut butter, and started packing the two meals away.
“Hey Dad,” Star asked while mulling over his beverage. “Can we fly to school?” He knew it was a long shot, but what’s the worst that could happen? A million no’s and a yes is still a yes, in his mind at least.
“What? No, sorry Star but I need my energy for work today. I’m starting that second job, remember?” In fact, the little colt did remember. Work, he mused while taking a drink. Yeah, 'work'. I'm on to you, you sly sly pony.
“Okay.” He replied coolly as he set the drink back down, a little disappointed. He let it slide though, it was Monday. Mondays are never fun; ever.
Breakfast came and went like the dull day it was. Soon the two of them were on their way out of the apartment to school. They lived in the middle of a tall brick building that housed countless other ponies. Well… countless to Star at least. But one stood out more so than the rest, if only because of the contact she provided.
Old misses Wickerbottom. Probably the meanest, cruelest, wrinkliest pony on the face of Equestria. Everyday they climbed the stairs in or out of the building she would be in front of her apartment, chewing some disgusting smelling substance and spitting into a brass pot. If it weren't for his father calling her ‘misses’, Star would have thought her to be a stallion. Due to the lack of hair on her head. Nothing but wrinkles and spots on that red coated pony.
Everyday, no matter how good of a start, she would glare at the two of them and chew her… whatever it was, Star had no clue. Everyday she would look down at his father and practically puke out the contents of her mouth into the pot. And every day, she would say the same thing to his father and make him frown slightly.
“The twenty fifth.” She growled, like she did every other time before. Followed by, “don’t be late again.”
“Of course Misses Wickerbottom.” Moon would reply, sounding somewhat rehearsed. The twenty fifth, rent. Nine hundred bits for rent, plus the payments from the times he had missed or under paid. His pay was crap, but if he could keep this new job for about two months he could finally afford to pay her off. Then, assuming he could keep up with the two workloads, he might be able to afford to move out of this dump. All he needed were some consistent hours and he could do it. He just needed that little strand of favor to go his way.
“Dad, can we walk through the park today?” Star begged. It was a bit longer, but was preferred by the colt. Detrot was a concrete metropolis made of brick buildings and cobblestone roads. The park was the only slice of heaven where plant life could be found, depending on your definition of ‘life’, that is.
“I don’t know, I have to get to my new job on time Star Gazer.” The older unicorn mused as they walked down the sidewalk of the busy city. He glanced down at the colt and instantly regretted it when he saw that little frown grow on his face. If there was one thing that he hated most of all, it was seeing his son frown.
Crying, he could deal with. Bored, not a big deal. But a frown, that was an entirely different ball game. He could be crying because he wanted something or fell over, either of which could be remedied quickly. If he was bored, that wasn't a big deal either. He would simply put him on his shoulders on jump around a bit. Quick, easy, and to the point. But a frown… that was so much more. That was sadness. That was heartbreak. That was disappointment. You don’t fix disappointment quickly, and it tended to weigh more heavily on his heart. Five minutes… he could probably make it in time. He had about ten minutes to wiggle around, five minutes…
He didn't say anything at first. He just kept guiding his son down the path they usually took until they came to their intersection. Go straight, or make a detour to the right. Luckily today he had his mind made up already. Once the crossing guard motioned for them to cross, they made it to the other side where Moon paused, letting Star walk on his own for a bit.
“Where you going?” he asked slyly, getting the colt to pause and look back. “The parks this way.”
“Yes!” Star cheered as he took off running towards the park. Moon chuckled and followed after him, happy to see him happy. It was a little victory, but they added up.
The park suited Detrot, in a way. A narrow plot of land nestled between two tall brick buildings made up the local park. Long strands of bronze-yellow grass covered pockets of dirt as the dysfunctional equipment swayed in the dusty wind. A pile of large boulders filled the center of the sliver of open land. Left over from a construction job back in the neighborhoods creation, the city almost literally threw the park together and did next to nothing to tend to it. Surrounded by feted tenements with less than reputable individuals, the area was not known for the laughter of children. They did not come here at night… and Star was never allowed on the rocks. Ever.
Star enjoyed going through the park tough, it was a pleasant contrast to the rest of the city. Most ponies didn't even bother to glance at you when you walked down the street. If you bumped into somepony, be ready for a quick berating and no time to properly apologize. But not at the park. The ponies here always watched Star and his father with great interest. They usually sat on the edges of the park or on top of the rocks and wore ragged, used clothing. It confused him a bit, why did they always wear clothing? Most of the time ponies wore clothing for special events, like Nightmare Night, but not these ponies. Every day, all year round, they wore those jackets and scarves no matter what.
They hardly ever bothered the two ponies on their way through the park. Every now and again they would come up to Moon and ask for any spare bits, but after his fifth turn down, they learned to stop asking. The park was Stars' little slice of heaven outside of the city. It was open and often provided something new and interesting to look at. For Moon, it was an additional five minutes to put a smile on his sons face. Both felt that it was worth the extra effort. It wasn't much for either pony, but what little it brought they each cherished greatly.
With their extra five minutes added to their walk, the two of them hurried along just in time to catch the first bell. Star hugged his father goodbye and ran to his class. Moon stayed until Star scrambled through the door before hurrying down the road to work. Usually he didn't run to work, but today was special. He didn't want to waste anytime falling behind at work, and figured that he could catch his breath while he changed. Star hurried as well, though for entirely different reasons...
"Where ya goin' Star Waster!" One of the local bullies called out as Star tried to push his way to class. It wasn't often, but the bullies of his school made it at least a weekly occurrence to try and rile him up. He wasn't their favorite whipping boy, but they made sure to never forget about him. Oddly enough, this usually happened on Mondays. Just another reason why it was the worst day of the week.
"It's Star Gazer! And I'm going to class!" He tried again to push past the bully. But, bullies tend to travel in packs. And today was no different. It was four against one, but Star didn't falter.
"Ah ah aaaah! You haven't paid the toll yet." The bully informed him, getting the others to chuckle. He stepped back and frowned at the larger colt. He never took the time to learn his name, for obvious reasons. If he told the teachers, he got beat up by other bullies. He learned that the hard way. "Give me your lunch."
It was usually at this point that Star would let his imagination run wild. In the few moments of confrontation he saw what he would do to these bullies if he were Super Dad. Maybe he'd give them The Gaze, and make them immediately apologize for being huge jerks. Perhaps he would use his super strength and force them out of the way. Maybe toss them in a locker as well, but that wasn't a thing heroes tended to do. No matter how much the jerks deserved it. Either way, Super Dad would stand up to these punks.
"No." He tried push through again, only to be pushed back by the earth pony. It was times like this he wished he knew how to use magic. Then he'd just pick up the bully an be on his way. But, until then...
"GET HIM!" Luckily today, it was quick and merciful. Four colts knocked him to the ground, kicked him a few times, and ran off with his lunch bag. It was annoying, belittling, and frustrating beyond all belief. But he never coward away from his aggressors. Super Dad wouldn't, so he wouldn't! It hurt for now, but his wounds would heal. But he knew his pride as Super Dad's eventual successor (for when he retired and went to live with the other retired super ponies) would not heal as easily. He had an image to upkeep, and he was determined to do so. Plus, he didn't get it nearly as bad as that one pegasus colt with the glandular problem.
He picked himself up and kept a stiff upper lip as him limped into class, just as the final bell ranged. He could be brave a bit longer. Once he had magic, he wouldn't need to be scared of the bullies anymore. Because then he'd be able to make a difference in the world, just like Super Dad.
Moon sat idly in the break room of the mining office, clad in his burned-out gear. Heavy, charred tyvek covered most of his body as thick rubber boots choked his hooves. It was weird to wear shoes, but he got over it in trade for his safety. The cape was an odd addition as well. It was enchanted to not only keep heat away from the wearer, but parasites as well. Caves were notorious for all kinds of dangerous critters. Burrow spiders, Calf-trap spiders, Fire Tooth spiders... There were other dangers as well, but he really didn't like spiders. It didn't help when Star went through a faze where he was fascinated by the abominations. Now he knew just how common they were, and how deadly they could be. It was of the few times he actively tried to stop his hunger for knowledge.
He looked looked down to the gas mask that he held between his hooves to take his mind off the terrible critters. The front appeared like any other gas mask in Equestria. Thick black rubber with dirty old plastic for vision. Two round drums sat at the bottom of the mask, having thin tubes go to the back of the mask. When turned on, the mask turned into a breathing mask as well. It only had a short air supply in the back, but it beat not breathing. There were also models that had larger air banks, but those models were expensive. According to the Detrot Mining Company, income was dwindling and they had to watch costs. It was a lie if he ever knew one, but he didn't openly question it. He needed the job.
It wasn't that it was the best job in the world, far from it. It was just the best job for his schedule. The D.M.C. didn't mine at night, to cut costs on laborers, and with his specialty he earned a decent amount. Eight hours waiting to be sent into a hole into the ground just to blow yourself up wasn't iconic, but it was easy. Pretty much any unicorn could do it, so management decided that meant lower pay. He still made more than the diggers, but barely. He had a lot to complain about when it came to the management, but never did. As much as he hated the forepony, he knew he didn't have anything on him that could actually gain credibility. Plus, that would put a major hamper on his income.
"Moon!" He jumped slightly from his name being yelled. He looked up to see the forepony standing before him. He was a fat earth pony with short grey hair. His bulbous rust orange fur swayed when he walked as his thick neck dripped with sweat. He constantly sounded as if he had just ran for days and sweated easily. He most likely just came from the mine entrance, a total of thirty feet maybe.
By his side is a little light blue filly with grey hair. Her and her little sister just showed up one day out of the blue. He tried asking about it once, but was nearly laid off for it. Moon don't like the way Mr. Copper looked at them though. He never heard or seen anything, but... the father just had a bad vibe about the whole situation. Why are there children working in the mines? Where are their parents? Has social services been contacted about them?
"Moon!" He brought my attention back to Mr. Copper, blinking a few times as he tried to form an apology. "If you're done ogling it's time to get to work!"
"R-right, sorry Mr. Copper! Where am I needed today?" He hated talking to him face to face. It might have been because he's fat or if it's just his face, but his eyes always seem to be wide open. Like his upper face is always yelling.
"The eastern caverns had a canary drop again. This is the third time this month! I need you to go down there and find the source of the gas. I don't want to have this talk again Moon, am I clear?" There was a tone in his voice that Moon was all too familiar with. Don't mess up, it said. Fail and you're done, it yelled. You're expendable, every meaning hit him like a freight train. There were a few incidents where he was too scared to actually detonate the gases. Unlike several of the other unicorns that he worked with, he was the only one supporting somepony else. Not to mention that most of the others were much younger than him. If they got hurt, they'd bounce back easily. For Moon, that wasn't the case. If a site was too sketchy, he'd often let one of the others take it on.
"Crystal sir." Mr. Copper seemed bemused by his response, but didn't offer one of his own. Instead he simply stormed off to his office while the little filly followed after him. A pang of worry hit the single father. He didn't like leaving the filly alone with him, but there wasn't anything he could really do. Not without jeopardizing his own son. It was a bitter and painful trade, but one day he would find the courage to stand up to him. Just... not today. Today, he had to blow himself up.