There's a Monster Pony Outside My Window

by Halira

Chapter 25: Cartoons in the Car

How do you keep three kids occupied on a drive through Nebraska?

"#My Little Pony, My Little Pony
#Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh…

#My Little Pony
#I used to wonder what friendship could be
#My Little Pony
#Until you all shared its magic with me

#Big adventure
#Tons of fun
#A beautiful heart
#Faithful and strong
#Sharing kindness!
#It's an easy feat

#And magic makes it all complete

#You have my little ponies
#Do you know you're all my very best friends?"

Wendy gave Charles a long-suffering look as he sang along with the song.

He grinned sheepishly at her. "What? It's a catchy song."

Wendy rubbed her head and leaned back. Miss Newman had a lot of videos saved on that tablet of hers. Among those was a cartoon series based on the adventures of some ponies from another world, ponies who were real people— or maybe aliens. That made these cartoons technically educational. Wendy was doing her best to follow along, even if she couldn't see the screen, but she was getting very tired of that theme song.

"Why are these ponies important again?" Wendy asked as she listened to the ponies getting ready for some dance or party at the castle. Most of the episodes had been mundane things like that, with some hijinks and lessons mixed in. It was safe enough content for kids but didn't seem to be teaching any meaningful history if that was the purpose of the cartoon.

"These are very abridged to remove prohibited information— certain villains they fought or certain actions that were taken. So a number of their more important adventures never made it to the show. A very sanitized version of events made even more kid-friendly where they could," Miss Newman explained. "It still has some valuable life lessons, and if I remember correctly, the next two episodes after this one does have them confronting a major threat, Discord."

"Do you know Twilight Sparkle?" Charlotte asked.

"I know Twilight, and I've met Rarity. I've only seen the rest in passing," Miss Newman answered. "I get along fine with Twilight these days, but Rarity and I don't care much for one another."

"Why not?" Charlotte asked. "She's pretty and nice."

"I insulted her qualifications as a mage, and she insulted mine. We've never really gotten around to apologizing to each other for it," Miss Newman explained.

"She doesn't seem that special a mage," Andrea said as she watched. "She just floats stuff around and makes dresses."

"She's gotten much better over the years, able to outperform what Twilight could do early on, although Twilight is well beyond mustache spells now, and she is magically powerful enough to crush me like an ant if I ever had to go toe to toe with her, but she's still a seamstress at heart," Miss Newman said dismissively. "She and my eldest daughter get along well. They both enjoy fashion. Fashion isn't my thing."

"She's pretty and nice, and you should make up," Charlotte insisted.

"I'll admit that she has a pleasant curve to her flank and gorgeous fur and mane, all of which I could happily sit admiring, and the cartoon does no justice, and I'm sure she is a very pleasant mare once you get to know her, but I'm not going to go out of my way to track her down and apologize."

Charles stiffened in his seat. "Wait...are you attracted to her?! Are you afraid to talk to her because she's pretty?!"

"Charles!" Wendy hissed.

"What?" Charles asked, clueless.

Kristin started rhythmically clapping. "Miss Newman and Rarity sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n….wait… Charlotte and Miss Newman are the same person."

"Charlotte likes girls!" Andrea announced and started laughing.

"I don't! Stop being mean!" Charlotte yelled while starting to cry.

Wendy wanted to strangle her husband. Charlotte was probably years away from any such realization, and this would make her feel all the stuff Miss Newman felt growing up. They were supposed to head this off, so it didn't become a problem. Now how were they supposed to deal with it?

She looked back and saw Miss Newman was sitting with a stone face, not saying anything, and Wendy could imagine the woman was trying to conceal her anger. Charlotte was crying, even though Andrea and Kristin had stopped and seemed to have realized they'd done something wrong.

Wendy took a deep breath, still unsure what she was going to say. "Andrea and Kristin, that is your baby sister you're laughing at. I'm not saying who she likes, but I am saying that it's your job to stand up for her. If when she is older, she decides she likes girls, it's your job to be happy for her and to punch anyone in the face who would dare pick on your little sister for it."

"Well, maybe not punch them in the face. That might be going too far, but still defend her," Charles suggested. "You would rather spend time with who she really liked than try to fake liking someone else because she was afraid of what people would say, right? Do you want to force your little sister to be unhappy?"

"No, I don't want to force her to do that," Andrea replied, crestfallen.

"Me either," Kristin replied in a small voice.

"But I don't like girls!" Charlotte protested.

"Miss Newman does," Kristin muttered, then went wide-eyed and held up her hands defensively. "I'm not picking! I'm just pointing it out!"

Miss Newman finally stirred. "And like magic, I think this is a subject Charlotte isn't ready for. How about you drop it?"

"Okay," the two older girls chorused.

Miss Newman turned her attention to Charles. "And to answer the question with full honesty and dignity, I'm attracted to many people, both humans and ponies, but that doesn't impact my dealings with them. I haven't been on so much as a date in seventeen years. The reason I don't seek Rarity out is that she literally lives in another universe, and I'm not going trekking across that kind of divide just to give an apology for being rude. If it will make everyone feel better, next time I see Twilight, I will ask her to pass along my apologies to the fashionista."

Kristin, who had the computer in her lap, frowned. "We missed most of the episode."

Miss Newman reached over and did something. "We can't have that. Let me restart it for you. That episode has Rarity getting treated like garbage by her date."

"That's not vindictive or anything," Charles remarked.

"She's dating Blueblood in this episode; Blueblood's a creep that she should be glad she didn't hit it off with. The bastard wanted to seize large swaths of the US as an Equestrian protectorate," Miss Newman replied.

They sat listening to the cartoon for a long time after that. Nebraska wasn't a particularly thrilling location to drive through, and the sounds of pony hijinks were a welcome distraction. Wendy had listened carefully during the Discord episodes. As a cartoon villain, he was...a cartoon villain, but when you considered him a real creature capable of what he could do in the cartoon, he was terrifying. The same could be said when they later listened to the episodes involving the pony Sombra.

"Who's that other princess, the dark one?" Andrea asked as they crossed the state line back into Colorado.

"That's Luna," Miss Newman replied.

"Why does she never say anything?" Andrea repeated.

"Because this cartoon took out most of their adventures involving her. The government censors didn't like the subject matter," Miss Newman answered. "And no, I won't tell you why."

"Is she mean?" Charlotte asked.

Miss Newman shook her head. "She can be a little harsh sometimes, but she's a good mare. She's my mentor."

Charlotte gasped with excitement. "You've got a princess for a teacher like Twilight Sparkle?"

Miss Newman sighed. "She teaches me a little, but she's mainly concerned with my personal development, trying to help me be the best pony I can be. Although, I have heard she isn't above bragging about my skills and knowledge. It's nice to be recognized."

"How'd you end up with that arrangement?" Wendy asked. "You didn't mention it last night."

Miss Newman was quiet for a moment before answering, which was never a good sign.

"I hit rock bottom. Everyone was afraid I was going to do something to hurt myself. They did an intervention, and part of that intervention was having her come in and start helping me believe I was worth a damn. I had to start sending her weekly friendship lessons. Luna has a soft spot for helping people with checkered pasts turn themselves around. The other princesses have sympathy for such ponies, but Luna has empathy. She sees herself in us."

"What kind of past? What did you do?" Charlotte asked, barely above a whisper.

Miss Newman looked at her. "I was a fool. A fool who believed foolish things. A fool who got a lot of people hurt. A fool who got a lot of people killed, including someone very important to me that I loved. I still cry about it, and it will never stop hurting. You don't want to be like me, child. Learn your friendship lessons now, and keep them in your heart. Maybe then you won't have to go through what I did. Maybe then there won't be ponies that hate you so much they are willing to go back into the past just to try to murder you as a child. I'm going to keep you safe, girl, but you need to do better."

"Is anything ever good with you?" Wendy asked in exasperation.

"Just my friends and family," Miss Newman answered. "At the end of the day, they're safe and happy, and despite everything, they love and treasure me. I love being a daughter, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a friend, a student, and a mentor. I love seeing them celebrate the big moments in their lives. I love seeing them find love. I love seeing them pursue what they love. I even love seeing them getting into mischief. I am always ready to cheer them on, give them a shoulder to cry on, or give advice when they feel lost. Being one of the greatest mages is nowhere near as important as being loved and giving my love. That is what gives me value."

"Have you ever saved anyone?" Charlotte asked. Wendy knew why. Miss Newman had said she had gotten people killed.

"A few," Miss Newman answered. "And by the end of this week, it will be a few more."

Comments

[harts fire]

things are being shown the light of day,
but how much of it will come to fruition now that the time line has changed?

a grate chapter.