Jumping Through Hoops
Jason pulled the door to the library open and stood in the entryway, looking for Twilight. The door shut behind him, then a few moments later, he heard somepony muttering upstairs. “Twilight, that you up there?” he called out, cocking his head to the side.
“Yeah, come on up!” came Twilight’s voice.
Jason heard a particularly large book slam shut as he jogged up the stairs. He made his way to the back and found Twilight looking at him, sitting at the desk. “Mind if I sit down?” He gestured at the couch he sat on yesterday.
“Sure, go ahead.” As Jason sat down and relaxed, Twilight stood up and walked over to the other couch. She lay down on her side and let her front hooves dangle over the edge. “So after doing a good bit of research, I’ve formulated a list of questions that I need you to answer truthfully, okay?”
“Um... okay? To be honest, I wasn’t expecting an interview sort of dealio.” Jason chuckled and scratched his shoulder.
“Well, if you still plan to adopt a foal, you have to expect the unexpected. Also, I...” Twilight bit her lip and glanced off to the side for a few moments, her gaze resting on the scroll she had written for him yesterday. “I wrote that document for you rather hastily yesterday and...”
“Woah, hold on here... You going back on your word?” Jason asked, pursing his lips.
“No, no! Of course not, like I said, I just need to ask you some questions. I don’t know if you know anything about writing or not, but there’s this little phrase that says that showing is better than telling. Do you...” Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she inspected his face for any sign of recognition. “Do you know what I’m trying to say?”
Jason nodded and relaxed back into the couch. He crossed his right leg over his left, then said, “Yeah, I do. Back where I come from, we say that actions speak louder than words.”
Twilight smiled and let the tension melt from her shoulders. “Exactly. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to ask you some questions, and then we’re gonna go over to your house for a quick inspection.”
“An inspection of my house?” Jason sat up and rested his chin on his fists. He propped his elbows up on his legs and sighed. “Why do we have to do that?”
“Well... you have to show me that your house is suitable to raise a foal. If I’m to give you this document, I need to be one hundred and ten percent certain that you’re qualified to adopt somepony.” She slid off of her couch and started pacing. “In my research, I found a few issues that could prevent you from adopting. Your answers to my questions should clear things up.”
“Uh, okay?” Jason asked nervously. “Like what?”
Twilight lit her horn and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from her desk, then stopped in place and held it up before her. “Well, the first question I have on my list is pretty easy. Do you have a job with a steady income? Having a job with a steady income is crucial to be able to adopt somepony.” She lowered the document just enough to catch Jason’s eyes with her own. “Do you have a steady source of income?”
Jason nodded twice. “Sure do! Well, it’s not steady like a twice a week paycheck, but I do get some good business every now and then.”
“Define every now and then.”
Jason shrugged. “I mean, somepony always comes knockin’ on my door asking for help to repair something of theirs or to commission me to build something for them. I’ve built cabinets, shelves, bed frames... you name it, I’ve probably built it. I do get enough to live comfortably on, and I do have a significant amount of money saved up, too.”
“Okay. So would you say you’re a carpenter, then?”
“Yeah, I suppose. My friend had hooked me up with a construction job building houses back on Earth, and they started me off with some of the more easier things, like building the things I already mentioned. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at it, too.”
“Great, that sounds good.” Twilight checked off the first box. “Do know that Princess Celestia does give out a monthly stipend to help take care of the adopted foal, and even though it’s not a large amount of bits, it still helps. Now, this next one isn’t a question, but I still need you to answer nonetheless.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Adopting somepony is a big financial commitment. You should expect to pay double your grocery bill every time you go shopping for food.”
“Gotcha. I had already thought of that last night, and it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Perfect.” Twilight checked off another box. “So have you thought about schooling?”
“...No? Is that bad?” Jason laughed and scratched behind his ear. “You know, that is a good point. I probably would have to put them in school... The one here in Ponyville is good, right? I don’t know much about it.”
“Yeah, it is a good school. Miss Cheerilee, the teacher, does a wonderful job. Anyways...” Twilight glanced back down at the parchment for a brief moment. “So you’d put them in school?”
Jason scoffed at that. “Yeah, of course!”
“Alrighty... Now would you be able to be home when they’re done with school for the day, and on the weekends? They would need constant care and affection as they adjust to their new life, and you being absent from that would be detrimental to their development. They would need their own room, plus furniture. Are you able to provide all of the above?”
“Definitely,” Jason said with a smile. “So... what’s next?”
Twilight bit her lip and took a deep breath. She scribbled something down onto the parchment and looked Jason right in the eyes. “I already know how you got here, but could you please just reiterate it for me so I don’t make any mistakes please?”
“Uh... sure?” Jason folded his arms and thought for a moment. “Well, after a particularly long day of working, and lemme tell ya, we were out in the sun for the entire day. Heh, I was pretty roasted... anyways, let’s get back on topic. I didn’t have any form of transportation, and since I had offered to clean things up after everyone had left, I decided to just cut through the forest to see if I could get home faster. My feet were absolutely killing me from standing all day, and the weight of my toolbelt wasn’t helping things at all.” He scratched the back of his head. “Twilight, you have no idea how exhausted I was. It was really dark out, and I had left my flashlight back at home that day. I closed my eyes for just a few moments as I trudged through the forest, and when I opened them, I saw a bright flash of light suddenly appear in front of me. Something made me trip, and I fell into the light. I felt like I was falling from a fairly high distance, and then I felt nothing. I guess I either fell asleep, or something knocked me out. You know the rest after that.”
“Yeah... I’m still sorry that I couldn’t figure out a way to send you home,” Twilight said with no small amount of regret. “The portal you came from, which has rarely been documented in our history, only appears at random times in strange locations. At least, that’s what one of the oldest books in Celestia’s library said...” Twilight bit her lip and glanced away for a moment. “I just wish I was able to see it.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t appear in the bottom of the ocean,” Jason said with a laugh. “Anyways, my home is here now. I didn’t have much back on Earth anyways, but here? I own an actual house, I get paid pretty well for what I like to do, so... I guess things turned out okay in the end. Have any more questions?”
“Actually no, that’s it for the questions. Just give me a couple of minutes to write this all down. Even though I know how you came here, the adoption agency has to know as well.” Twilight stayed silent as her quill darted all across the parchment. “Now we have to go to your place. Part of this background check requires a household check as well. Since I’m a princess, I can technically perform this household check for you. Since my word can be trusted, my document will get you past the first inspection, which could take months before the orphanage would be able to send somepony out to inspect your home. If you still want to adopt somepony, you could take this document into any orphanage and walk out the same day with a foal of your own. However! The orphanage will still send somepony down to your home at the end of the first month, and then three months after that to check up on things.”
“Gotcha. So how long is this inspection of yours gonna take?”
“Oh, not long at all, I promise.” With that said, Twilight turned and trotted towards the stairs leading down to the first floor of the library, levitating her saddlebag onto her back. She tucked the document and her checklist inside of it, then buckled the strap. “You coming?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Yup!” Jason stood up and followed Twilight out of the library. “Is the library going to be alright with you gone? I mean, what if someone needs help or something?”
“Spike’ll take care of it. He’s off cleaning the back room. So... which way is your house again?”
“This way,” Jason said as he pointed behind him. “Come on, it’s not far.”
The two of them walked in silence for a minute before Twilight spoke up again. “So are you sure about this? Making the commitment to adopt somepony is a really big decision.”
“Yeah, I gave it a lot of thought. Wondering what it would actually be like to have someone else living at my home kept me up pretty late last night. I know that I want this because I’ve never felt so strongly about something in my life before, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I did a lot of cleaning, and after doing some calculations with my finances, I saw that I have enough money saved up to live for two full months without working, and that’s with me and a pony.”
“That’s good to hear.” Twilight said as she and Jason stepped up to his house. Jason unlocked the door, and the two of them walked inside.
“If I knew that I’d have company over, I’d have done a better job,” Jason said sheepishly. He hurried over to his couch and straightened the pillows that sat in each corner.
“Oh, it’s perfectly fine!” Twilight closed the door behind her and glanced around. “Now, could you please give me a little tour? Like I said, this shouldn’t take long. All I have to see is that your home looks suitable for a foal.”
“Yeah, sure. As you can see, this is the living room. I got a comfy couch, a solid coffee table, and that’s about it for this room. The kitchen is just through that entryway, and further down the hall is the bathroom, then the two bedrooms.”
“Can we start in the bedrooms first and work our way back?” Twilight set her saddlebag on the floor and retrieved her checklist and quill.
Jason shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” As they stepped down the hall to the master bedroom, Jason heard Twilight’s quill scratching against the parchment. “Say, how are you writing without an inkwell?”
“Oh, I placed a spell on this so that it’d never run out of ink. Funnily enough, the spell wears off after a day or two, so it’s not like I have unlimited ink at my disposal.”
“Heh, I was gonna say...” Jason opened his bedroom door and gestured for Twilight to go first.
“Say what?” Twilight cocked her head to the side as she stepped in.
“Never mind, it was just a saying us humans use back home.” Jason leaned against the open door and crossed his arms. “So yeah, this is my bedroom. The closet is pretty empty, save for some old clothes of mine. All of the windows in my house have locks, same with the front door.”
“Good, good... The inspector would be happy to see that when they come down.” Twilight checked off another box on her checklist. “I’m curious... Why is your house so empty? You don’t have any pictures, you don’t have any rugs... I guess you don’t really like to decorate, huh?”
“Actually, I’ve just been trying to save up as much money as possible. Living frugally was something that my parents taught me from an early age, and it’s been a bit of a hard habit to break. I think it’d be fun to have some help decorating the place with a foal to raise, ya know?”
Twilight smiled and chuckled. “Totally. So what about the second bedroom?”
Jason pointed back down the hall and to the right. “Yeah, right here.” He uncrossed his arms, took a few steps, and opened the door for her to stick her head in. “I don’t really have anything in here. No furniture, the closet is empty, and, well... yeah,” he finished lamely.
“Hm... okay. I would suggest outfitting this room with the proper furniture before you adopt. Bringing somepony to their new home, only to give them an empty room would be a little... cruel. Getting their hopes up only to have them dashed when they see this wouldn’t be fair, and it’d be a bad start to your relationship with them.”
Jason frowned, then smiled a couple of moments later. “Hey, what about this? What if, when I get back from Canterlot or wherever there’s an orphanage, I take them furniture shopping so that they can pick and choose what sort of furniture they’d like for their room? It wouldn’t just be a present, it would show them, without any doubt, that they’re about to embark on a new, better life. I think the thought of actually being in a family would mean so much more than getting some present.”
“Yeah, I like that! I’d do that as the very first thing you do when you get back to Ponyville, though. Having the colt or filly sleep on the couch would most likely make them feel like a guest in a stranger’s home, and we definitely do not want them to feel like that.”
“Exactly. And if we can’t find something that they need, I can just build it myself!” Jason lifted his hands up and wiggled his fingers. “Also, I think it’d be a good idea if I included them in the building process, too. Probably’d be a good way to bond, right?”
“Yeah, that can work...” Twilight rubbed her jaw as she sat down. She looked up at him with a smile and used her magic to check the last box off on her checklist. “Now, I think I owe you a certain piece of parchment!” She trotted back to her saddlebag near the front door, opened it up, pulled out the rolled-up document, and held it up in the air for Jason to grab. “Well, after careful consideration, Jason, I am pleased to say that you have passed my inspection. Just be sure to buy some furniture for them as soon as possible,” she said with a small giggle.
“So all I have to do is show this to the pony in charge at the orphanage, and everything’ll be taken care of?”
“Well, not everything, but yeah, it’ll get you through the more tedious parts. And...” Twilight turned to look back at her saddlebag, then pulled out another piece of parchment. “Pack your bags, because you’re going to Canterlot! The train leaves in a half hour.”
“Oh wow, uh... you serious?” Jason asked in disbelief. He grabbed the train ticket and saw that it was indeed for the train scheduled to leave in a half hour, just like Twilight had said.
“Yup! There’s only one orphanage in Canterlot, and since it’s already late in the day, I was thinking it’d be a good idea for you to go and find a hotel there tonight, and then go check out the orphanage tomorrow morning!”
“Huh... yeah, okay.” Jason glanced between the train ticket and the document, then looked back at Twilight. “Looks like I’m going to Canterlot!”
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Looking foward to the chapter when the soon to be father and daughter meet.
Good plan.
So Jason lives frugally, no better way to challenge that then having a kid. He should do alright with money but he should look for a 9 to 5 job to begin with. He has a good heart but I think he is rushing just a bit but he will adapt pretty fast. Looking forward to the next chapter!
You sir are very good at leaving certain readers hanging(me)
I still love this story though.
Keep it up!
I'm really liking this story. good pace and development. always looking forward to a new chapter!
I've noticed there's not another chapter already up to go with this update...this saddens me greatly.
That aside, I eagerly await the next chapter.
Really good chapter. Can't wait for them to meet.
MUST. . . . READ. . . . MORE so good
So... Twilight thinks he should take some time to get furniture and whatnot... But already has a train ticket for him?
looking forward to the next chapter, i like this story. It's a lot more optimistic than what I normally read.
oOoooo can't wait!
MORE MORE MORE........pretty please with bacon on top?
This may be the first time i will post this kind of comment, but.
I
NEED
MORE
Looking forward to the next chapter, I feel as if Twitter is giving in a bit to fast, but he seems like he'said got everything under control.
Marvelous, keep up the good work.
I miss ur profile picture of Sweetie Belle, but this one is better! :D
OOOHHH MY GAUD!!! Awesome! I hope its not AS long till the next chapter but all things considered its totally worth the wait. Hell I would wait a month per chapter if I absolutely had too.
Also this was a simple yet awesome chapter with great things going for it. I give this story my highest respect as it comes from one of my favorite authors on the site. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!
Great chapter and I'm glad they went through some sort of process instead of just going on Jason and Twilight's word. Have to say I'm super excited for the next chapter and this story is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! As always, thanks for writing and I look forward to read more of your awesome work.
6871496 I see you point there, but it's Twilight. She could have already assumed James had these things or just had the ticket as a show of good faith, in her friend.
6871496 That, is a good point...
AHHH I NEED to see the d'aww moment when Nightshine and Jason finally meet! Please please please make it soon.
YES U UPDATED but damn I want more of this damn you Damn you.......ahem good story
I know it's building to the "first meeting" but dang it! I want the warm and fuzzies now!!!
More fazter please?
Nice leeway! I'd just love to see where this'll go next!
6871496
Some tickets can be recycled.
Albait I agree, I don't think Twillight would have planned it like that, knowing that Jason's place might need certain accommodations before passing.
haha would be great if you made twilight and Jason a coulpe
am i weird for wanting more already?
I can't wait till you post the next chapter.
6871858
"Star Mommy is best Mommy!"
now i really want that next chapter....... write it fast or else you will be cursed with the no cuddles curse..... if thats okay with you
6871930 hehe
6871858 Eeeeeeeeeeeeenope.
6871966 I'm already cursed with the no cuddles curse.
I love where this is going
6871988 heeeeeyyyyyy Don't shot med Down so Hard
Ooooo, he's on his way to Canterlot already? That was quick. I love the idea of letting Nightshine pick out the furniture for herself. That will make her room feel so much more like, well her room. A place that's actually hers, and not just what Jason happened to have.
So does he meet her in the next chapter, because I am so eager to see that. Her scene in chapter one positively broke my heart.
6872033 Eeeyup! And yeah, they do get to meet in the next chapter.
Oh, this story is punching me in the feelbox...
All of my yes, moar, meme's that express my anticipation.
I really want to see them meet. Like, a lot. All the good for Nightshine, banish her sads to the lunar surface!
6871865 i don't think so cause i am.
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6871988
I don't get it. Why does everyone always put an "E" in front of a Big Mac's "nope"? I don't recall him ever saying "e" but rather drawing out the letter "n". Meh, just a little pet peeve. Don't worry about it.
6872184 I'm not imitating Big Mac, and I don't really know what you're talking about. That's just me talking.
6872060 loved this chapter!
Can hardly wait to see them meet.
I need more of this story.
My anticipation of this story made me "break my don't read till it's finished rule" Now having finished chapter two I'm suffering without more to read.
awsome
New chapter?
Pours beer in glass, click's on chapter...
My only complaint for this story:
I WANT MORE!!!
I swear to god, the minute I saw this had updated I squeed in joy. Keep it comin' boss man.