The New Normal

by TheMixtapeHorse

Memories

Silence filled the air as Max found himself sitting on a faux leather couch in a familiar living room. It was obviously sometime at night, for the only light in the entire room was coming from the television. Katie was asleep next to him, her head resting on his lap. Max smiled and brushed her mane away from her face, not seeming to mind the fact that he was sitting in his old living room. All along the walls were old portraits of him and his sisters from when they were younger and human.

The light in the living room flicked on as Max’s mother turned the corner in her pony form. She turned the tv off and stood in front of him. “I like her too, Maxie. You picked a keeper.” she cooed looking at the sleeping unicorn.

“She’s my world,” Max said with a smile.

“I’ve seen.” his mother chuckled before sitting next to him. “It’s destiny you two ended up together. You’re perfect for each other. At least I think so. My shy awkward boy and an equally awkward girl.”

Max let out a troubled sigh and rested his head on his mother’s shoulder. “If only you could really meet her…”

“I will in a few centuries,” she stated. “We’ll have a big heavenly reunion and we’ll be able to share our stories. I’ve got a ton to share with you.”

Katie shuffled in her sleep, as she affectionately brushed her cheek against him like a cat. Max giggled and rested his hoof on her belly. “So cute…”

“The time capsule is still there, Maxie.” his mother confirmed. “It’s under the big oak tree in the backyard, on the side facing the river.

“It’s been three thousand years, mom. The tree can’t possibly still be there.”

His mother’s horn glowed a pale pink color as she opened the curtains, letting in sunlight that wasn’t there before. Outside the window, their old oak tree encompassed almost all of their backyard, ripping up the patio, knocking over the fences, and partially destroying the neighbor’s garage. It was also the only tree outside that still had green leaves. “It’s still there, thanks to momma.” she proudly boasted. “I learned some pretty cool things from this town south of U of I. Bunch of lunatics from California thought it would be a good place to settle. They had a school there for unicorns, believe it or not, so I used that knowledge to cast a preservation spell on the tree and a few other things I’m sure you have or will come across.”

Max’s eyes went wide as he laid eyes on the giant tree. “I keep forgetting magic exists.” he said, dumbfounded.

“I want you to find it. There’s something in there I want you to give to Katie.” she said, trying to place a hoof on the young mare, only to have her hoof move through her like she was a ghost.

“What is it?” he asked, looking back from the tree.

“It’s a surprise. You’ll know it when you see it.” His mother got back to her hooves and began walking to the front door. “Train’s arriving. Time for you to wake up and for me to go.”

Max smiled somberly at his mother as she began to leave. “Love you, momma.”

“I love you too, Maxie. I know you’ll treat her right. But I’ll still check up every now and then.”

With that, she walked out the door. The living room flashed white until Max found himself sitting in the boxcar, Katie still sleeping with her head on his lap.

The sudden screeching of the train’s brakes woke Katie out of her slumber. She yawned and looked up at her companion.

“Wakey wakey, sunshine,” Max said softly his hoof still resting on her barrel.

Katie almost seemed to purr in delight as she nuzzled his chest. With Max’s face successfully reddened, she sat up straight and brushed some dust off of her cutie mark. “Morning Maxie.” she murmured under the ever slowing clanks of the train’s chassis.

“You should go pantless more often,” he said with a chuckle. “That big jewel on your butt is pretty cool.”

“Says the nerd with a big red cross on his,” she said levitating their jackets over to them. “The pants are in the bags. It’s about time we joined the rest of the world fashion-wise.”

Max slid open the big door and looked outside. The train was approaching a bridge across the Rock River that led west to the trainyard. They would need to hop off now before the train crossed the river as Max had lived on the east side of the river. “I think we can hop off easy enough here. We aren’t going that fast.”

Katie levitated Max’s bag onto his back and fastened it before doing the same with hers. “Ready when you are.”

Max immediately leaped forward and planted all four hooves on the ground at once, keeping him from toppling over from the forward momentum. Katie followed suit but ended up falling once her hooves hit the ground. She brushed the dirt and leaves off of herself while Max helped her up. Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she walked forward toward the treeline the overlooked the river below.

Max pulled out an up to date map out of his bag and laid it on the ground. “Okay, Let’s see where we are…” He traced the river until he found the rail bridge that they had arrived at. Then, using his memory, he followed the river north until he hit a familiar bend. “Right there. That sharp turn is where my neighborhood ended… so just south of there should be where the Ralston Road bridge was… so we should be searching right…” he bit his pencil and drew a small misshapen circle on the map. “Here!”

“You figured that out all by just looking at the river?” Katie asked, puzzled.

“I was a loser in high school. I spent most of my time with Google maps.” Max answered sheepishly.

“Don’t call yourself a loser. You’re anything but.” she protested.

“I said I was, not am.” he replied, picking the map back up. “So here’s the plan. We follow the river as it makes a right turn, then a left turn, then a right turn, left turn, another right turn and we should be there.”

Max put the map back into his bag and began walking alongside the river while Katie began to affectionately rub against his side as they did.

--------------

“That is a big fucking tree.”

The words escaped Katie’s mouth as they stood in front of an oak tree that seemed almost too big to be real. The trunk had to have been at least twenty feet wide and was as high as an old cell phone tower. The green leaves of the tree stood out among the oranges and reds of the autumn forest, making it an easily identifiable landmark.

Along with the wonder and amazement of the tree, Max was also being pulled in by something else. He couldn’t explain it, but the closer he got to the tree the calmer he became.

The young stallion gently placed his hoof on the tree, the bark crunching beneath him. A soft hum filled the air around them as the ground began to shake. The ground beside Katie began to crack and collapse in on itself. As she rushed to Max’s side, a series of tangled tree roots began rising out of the ground. The roots split apart from each other revealing a weathered, but surprisingly intact capsule with the name ‘Lindenberg’ engraved on the side.

“Now that’s impressive.” Max said moving toward the earthy display holding the ancient pod. He reached out and attempted to remove the heavy time capsule...

With no luck. Katie rolled her eyes and levitated the capsule out of the roots and onto the ground.

“Show Off,” Max said with a grin. He tucked his hoof underneath one of the metal latches and flicked it open. After repeating with the other, the capsule opened with a sound not unlike a can of soda. The ancient air within rushed out and the magically preserved contents inside were within reach.

“This is it…” Max said, staring at it, unsure whether he was able to touch anything without it disintegrating.

After careful consideration, he took out a couple of folders. Inside were pictures of him and his family back before the event. He found pictures from his first Christmas with his little sister, the family vacations to Disney World, and even photos as recent as his high school graduation. Max began to tear up as he sifted through the folder. As much as he loved his new life, he longed to be with his family. The people he knew all his life were now but memories. Momentos from thousands of years ago stuffed inside a manila folder.

There was something else though. The other folder had a letter written on the front in neat cursive writing.

So you found the time capsule!

Pretty neat thing with the tree right? I thought of that myself. I knew you guys would come back here when you returned, so that’s why I put a little bit of magic into the tree. I made a promise to myself in the beginning that I would make sure you guys would have some hope in this world. I know it’s just a time capsule and a note from your mom, but I want you to know that I will always love you, no matter how far apart we may be. I just pray that you all were strong enough to make the journey home so you can read this. Inside, I left some pictures of myself and the different places I ended up wandering before finally settling down. You know, just so you know what momma looked like.

Just like I did, my final wish is for you guys to go out and make your own memories. And when you’re old and your coat is beginning to go gray, like mine is now as I’m writing this, I want you to come back here and share as many memories as possible for the next one of us that returns.

I love you Amber, Max, and Kelly. Make the most of this new world.

Love Mom.

Max wiped away the tears from his face and opened the folder to find some pictures of a red unicorn mare, most of which were marked ‘Helen.’ There were pictures of her in some old world places, most of them in some kind of state of decay. There were a few in what looked like small towns that were fairly pony accessible, and in many of them, she was surrounded by a group of friends just living and loving.

Deeper into the folder, he was surprised to see his sister’s name, Amber. Her name was sprawled across the top of a big sheet of paper in very sloppy writing. There weren’t too many pictures of her, the ones that were there were of a silver pegasus mare. After some solo portraits and some group shots, a blue earth pony stallion began to frequently appear in her photos, including a solo headshot marked ‘Aqueduct.’ The picture after that was her in what looked like a homemade wedding dress standing next to the stallion. Every photo after that seemed to be one of a little foal. Max stopped counting after ten, but it looked like his big sister made a family of her own.

There weren’t any photos or mementos of Kelly’s, so it was safe to assume she hadn’t returned yet.

Seeing the people he loved with all his heart happy and living life filled Max with hope. This wasn't the end of the world. It was never the end. It was a new chapter. He may have been kicked out of the nest with no warning, but so was everyone else. He needed to learn how to spread his wings and fly. And seeing his family successfully glide into a happier tomorrow determined him to do so as well.

Max closed the folder up right as something shiny fell out and hit the ground. Upon closer inspection, he noticed it was his mother’s wedding ring. That’s when it clicked. This is what his mother wanted him to give to Katie. She wanted him to cement his future now that he had the boost of hope he needed.

With determination in his eyes and courage in his heart, he turned and asked Katie the most important question he would ever ask in his entire life.

She said yes.

Author's Note:

And that marks the end of this first story! Don't worry, there's more to come in due time. Hope you enjoyed so far.

Comments

[Megaskullmon]

Very nice Mix. Looking forward to reading more of it.

[Normal]

There is no new normal

[PiMan]

In 3000 years, rivers change paths. Not usually to the point of no longer being recognisable on a map, but certainly to the point where bends in the river can't be relied upon.

(Also, OP mother, but I'll give you a pass on that because it gives the story more feeling and isn't outside the realm of possibility for PaP stories.)

[PiMan]

Oh, and you should probably set this as a sequel to Sin Never Dies. The link to the setting for it should be somewhere on the page for you, although I don't recall where.

[Dances With Unicorns]

8561594

However, she might be referring to a mixed train, with both passenger and freight cars linked in the same train.

Mixed train

A railroad combine car is one car that has space both passengers and freight.

Combine car

[Alden MacManx]

Still good to read after all this time. One of my favorite 'go back and read again' tales.