What makes someone super? Is it all just our naive perceptions of those we put on pedestals? Can doing the most you can be super as well?
Moon Gazer is a single father trying to provide for his son. He works in dangerous conditions for little pay and sometimes wishes for the days when he worked in the field of his dreams. Those days are gone now, replaced by the needs of his five year old son. He doesn't complain though, so long as he's happy, he's okay with a little sweat.
Star Gazer has a secret. Not many know this, he could be the only one in fact! His dad... is a super hero! He knows this to be true, and longs to join him as his side kick one day! It'll be awhile until then, as his father tells him. There are a lot of requirements to become a super hero. A GED, going to college; he thinks he's joking when he talks about pretty mares, but he's not entirely sure. One way or another, he'll join him and help defeat his sworn nemesis, DOCTOR OVERTIME!
Star Gazer lived a typically normal life for a five year old colt. Every day he’d wake up in the morning to the smell of pancakes or fried hay. Nothing else seemed to be able to wake him, not that he complained though. Those smells were the signal to a great day, and they happened to be his favorite foods. But, let’s be serious, what’s not to love about warm, savory pancakes with a side of some crisped hay?
His days are filled with everything that you’d expect from your average colt. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, avoid the bullies, get home, do homework… yeah… homework; all of this before going back to sleep just to do it all over again. The weekends provide a change from the weekly grind, and there is one constant he can rely on to help make the days worth getting up for. Moon Gazer, his father.
Moon Gazer, to the untrained eye, appeared to be your average unicorn. His body wasn’t too toned under his dark grey coat, and his bushy blue hair was nothing to take note of. He wasn’t taller than the average pony, and he may not be any smarter. Star wouldn’t know for sure about that, seeing how most ponies seemed to be smarter than him. Yes, to everypony in Equestria, Moon Gazer appeared completely average, but not to Star Gazer. You see, this little unicorn colt has learned his father's greatest secret.
His dad… is a super pony!
How could that possibly be? There is no such thing as super ponies. And that may be true most of the time, but Star has found enough proof to say otherwise.
First off, he fights monsters everyday. Under the bed, in the closet, even the ones in the dark! Every night before bed he clears every dark crevice before tucking Star in… and reads a chapter from Daring Doo. But that’s not really super, that’s just awesome.
Secondly, he has a the whole alter ego thing that every super pony in every comic Stars ever read. At day, he’s just your average unicorn dad. But at night, after his practice with the monsters, he puts on his super pony costume and takes off to fight crime! He has a cape for when he flies and a mask to hide his secret identity. And to top it all off, he has a full body suit made with ‘special materials’ to help protect him from danger!
And lastly, he has a nemesis! The dreaded Doctor Overtime! Scurge of the underworld and master of time! Moon Gazer has to battle him every night and the fight seems to be a stalemate time and time again. When he returns home he has practically no energy to do anything more than make breakfast or walk Star to school. The battles rage night after night and every week it seems like Moon is going to lose, until he takes a day to recover his strength. Then he’s back in the fight, no problem!
For these infallible reasons, Star has determined that his father is a super pony. He hasn’t told anypony about this yet, in an attempt to keep his secret identity from Doctor Overtime. It’s his secret to keep with his father, and together they plot to overcome their oppressive over lord. Moon tells Star that if his studies real hard and gets good grades, he’ll be able to apply to something called a University and learn how to become something even greater than a super pony. He could really make something of himself and do better than he does. Star strives for that dream, but doesn’t believe it’s possible to reach. Nothing could ever surpass his father, superpowers included.
-o--0--o-
Moon Gazer has fallen on some hard times recently. Back before his son was born he worked in the observatory in the castle. It was a great set up for him. He interned during his college years and landed the job practically unchallenged. It was great! Good pay, working the field he loved, and he got to visit the castle every day! He even met Celestia once… well, he stood near her while his boss spoke to her, but that still counts! Everything was going great for him… until he met her.
Morning Star. The earth mare that ruined his life by stealing his heart. To him, it was story book when they first met. He’d been sent out to deliver a message to one of his coworkers homes when they bumped into each other. She was a sight to behold. A pristine white coat with golden curls coming down to her shoulders. Her thin form swayed with elegant poise and she wore a smile that exuded confidence. A sword stuck into the ground eclipsed in the rising sun marked her well formed hips.
They bumped and swapped their apologies, Moon helping her to her hooves like the gentlecolt he was. She tried to just walk it off, but Moon asked her to meet for lunch. She told him she’d think about it. Three weeks later Moon found himself in the area again, completely by chance, and bumped into her…
No stalking was performed, so he lies.
He went through the ropes and asked her out again. She gave an adorable chuckle and agreed for lunch later that day. Moon was overjoyed by this. He ran home, washed three times, made sure to have enough money for what ever happened, and made it to their meeting point thirty minutes early.
Six hours later, he finally decided to go home.
It crushed him, and he didn’t know why. He only met her twice by this point, but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. As the days went by food started losing its flavor, the stars didn’t shine as much, the spring in his step seemed to diminish with every step. He had to find her again and give it at least five more tries, he had too!
Some more time passed before one fateful day he had to make a similar errand to that home again. Along the way he passed an alley where he caught a glimpse at the mare of his dreams, running and quickly followed by three stallions. Leaving any rational thought behind, he charged down the alley to confront the assailants and save the mare in distress. If this didn’t work, nothing would.
“Hold it right there scumbags!” He yelled from behind the three stallions as they cornered her. “Leave her alone and I won’t hurt you!” As the last words left his mouth, he realized how doomed he was. First off, he wasn’t a fighter. He didn’t know a single combative spell and was on the weaker side, even by unicorn standards. And now he faced an earth stallion that was easily twice his size and two pegasi, both larger than him.
“Go buck yourself pansy!” One of the pegasi yell back, barely looking back to the smaller stallion. Moon managed to get a glimpse at Morning Star’s fearful eyes and did the only thing he could think if.
He levitated a trash can over and dumped it onto the three stallions. Luckily for him though, it happened to be filled with broken glass. The shards fell down on the three stallions and cut them over their bodies, even scoring hits in vulnerable places. As they scrambled around, they cut themselves even further on the glass. Not wasting a golden opportunity, Moon levitated the mare over the mess and ran off to safety.
Once safe, Moon went to ask is she was okay, but was stopped when he felt something press against his lips. He wasn’t familiar with the feeling and didn’t quite know how to process it until two hooves draped themselves over his shoulders. That’s when he realized was currently kissing Morning Star! After another system reboot he returned the kiss, lost completely in the moment.
Morning was lost for words with this selfless act. She didn’t understand why this stallion that she didn’t know, that she had completely stood up before, would risk his neck for her. She didn’t understand it, but she was grateful for it. And so, she thanked him… right there in the middle of that street. Then again at lunch that day… and then again for the rest of the night at his place.
Now, most ponies don’t ever prepare for things in their entirety, either from lack of experience or resources. Sometimes they play a game and they don’t have… the right gear. And sometimes, it’s… risky, to play this ‘game’ without the right gear. Because sometimes, you play the game and get pregnant.
Now, in Equestria, it is not uncommon for two ponies to meet and… play the game. With mares going in heat every month and hormones working against the two sexes, it happens. But, what society does care about is who it happens with. Especially for the ponies in Canterlot. A unicorn lowering himself to… mingle with a dirty earth pony, how uncouth! Even worse, there was the problem of her being from The Shadows.
Canterlot resides on the side of a mountain and can be divided into three portions. There’s the Castle at the top. It houses the Royal ponies as well as any important dignitaries. Below that is Golden Gate. This is where most of the ponies of Canterlot reside. This is where you find all of the businesses, middle to upper class homes, or anything worth going to. It sits around the castle for the most part. After that, are the Shadows. This would be considered the slums of Canterlot. Compared to most slums it's not the worse. But it's not the best place to find yourself either. Ponies from the Shadows don’t really ever leave that part of town. It’s not unheard of, but is rare.
Moon was considered part of Golden Gate, while Morning was Shadowed; as they called it. When his coworkers found out… it gave him that notoriety that would plague him to this day. He started being seen as a sexual deviant who spent his spare time in the slums with less than worthy ponies. The posh ponies of Canterlot spoke poorly about him behind his back and made it very apparent that they did not approve of his life choices.
At first Moon didn’t care. He had a foal on the way and loved spending all his spare time with Morning. But, the same could not be said for Morning. She had moved in with Moon and was taken out of her element. The ponies in this area treated her poorly and would whisper ill tidings behind her back. She enjoyed Moon’s company… but, it was only company for her. Nothing more.
To attempt to salvage Moons reputation the two of them decided to get married. It seemed like the right thing to do, but was thrown back in their faces. Another pony who had lost the job to Moon had started the rumor that it was a cut throat wedding and they didn’t value the traditions of marriage. At the same time, Moon’s boss was working a deal with some of the Royal family and didn’t want to chance looking bad. So, he was fired. After a month of job searching the two of them decided to move to Detrot and try again there.
The only job he was able to obtain was as a purifier for the local gem mines. His job was to go into the mines and burn out the gas that would build up. This was incredibly dangerous and required him to wear uncomfortable gear. The cloth he wore didn’t breath, to keep it from catching on fire, and had a cape that was fire resistant. His mask, when charged, could provide him with two hours worth of clean air. The pay wasn’t very good, the danger was immense, and the hours were horrific. But, it put food on the table and was the only job that would hire him. So he did it.
This was his life for several months. He worked all night, came home and crashed from his physical exhaustion, then took care of his pregnant wife three minutes later. He didn’t mind it all though. Because as her bulges on her sides grew and grew, so did his excitement. He was going to be a father! Everything he had to put up with would be worth it at that point.
Then, one day after a particularly hard day of work, he came home to a note.
Went into labor, get to the hospital!
Thirteen hours of labor later, Star Gazer was brought into the world, and Moon couldn't have been happier. He was a father! This was the greatest moment in his life, by far! The same could not be said for Morning though.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love the foal or hated Moon. She loved her foal and… liked Moon well enough. He was a good stallion and did his best. But… she didn’t feel ready for the responsibility of raising a foal. She was young and felt that there was so much more she could do than sit at home and change diapers. Moon would ramble about things like ‘planned mortgages’ and ‘college funds’ and these things terrified her. She didn’t plan things. She went with the flow and things just… solved themselves. But, she couldn’t just leave Moon with a foal that needed her to survive.
So she decided to wait. Once Star Gazer was old enough to feed himself and go to preschool, she left Moon a note saying she was getting groceries and jumped the first train she could find. It was a long train ride for her, one filled with many tears and much self loathing. She had left her foal behind for her own selfish desires. Just the thought of that made her terrified to return. Lost, conflicted, and unsure of where her future laid, she found solace in the knowledge that Star Gazer was in good hooves. Hooves far more capable than her own. So she continued on, never looking back, but always regretting.
Moon waited hours for her return, but soon realized what happened. There wasn’t anything he could do about it though. He couldn’t just leave Star alone, and it wasn’t like he even knew where to begin looking. He asked the authorities for help, but they shrugged it off. Ponies abandoning their spouses wasn’t that uncommon in Equestria, with how many end up together. Not to say they didn't sympathize with him, it's simply too common to fret over. It’s why there are more single parents then there are couples. So, Star did the only thing he could. He worked the mines at night, stayed up all day watching his son, and hoped that one day Morning Star would return.
It wasn't the life that he thought he would be living, far from it, but it’s what he has to do to provide for his son. And that’s good enough for him.
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.
School was not Stars favorite subject. Recess and P.E. were good, but everything else was just... boring. Math was slow and tedious. Science was just overly complicated. Writing and arithmetic was for old ponies and business ponies, and Star was neither. In his mind, he was a super pony in training. He should be learning to jump from building to building and fighting crime! That's how he felt about it though. His father, on the other hoof, thought differently.
School was important to him. He wanted Star to study hard so he could go to college one day. It was his dream to watch him walk down to the professor and accept his diploma. That didn't make sense to the young colt, but he didn't question him on it too much. Moon went to college, and he's a super pony now! He summarized that when he said 'college', he meant 'super pony training academy', like the X-Ponies! So he tried his best in school. He wasn't a straight A student, but he didn't have issues with his studies either.
"... and that ends our lecture on the Cabbage Revolt of three eighteen." Mr. Guidelines droned on as the class behind him attempted to stay awake. It was history hour, and the little foals were trying their best to listen to their teacher. He was an old stallion, grayed by his years. His monotone voice didn't help the epic tale of feuding farmers from old Equestria. In his younger years he was far more enthusiastic about teaching. But in his later years his luster had faded tremendously. Now, he taught his lesson by the pre-made lecture guidelines. He was very much a 'by the books' pony. "Does any pony have any questions?"
THUD
"Somepony please pick up Mason before he drools on the floor." This got a few chuckles from the foals. He may be old, but he still knew a thing or two about regaining foals attention. "Recess will begin -*RING*- shortly." All of the colts and fillies cheered as they ran out for their thirty minutes of freedom, racing to either their other friends or favorite playground location. Among the hoard of screaming children, Star Gazer raced to his friends' usual meeting location; the swing set.
He smiled as he saw his few friends meeting up at the spot at the back of the playground. His smile fell though when the bullies from earlier were also walking up to that same location. He came to a stop when he realized their intentions were less than desirable. He could easily turn around and go play tether ball. This didn't have to be his problem, but that's never how it goes for the heroes.
Full of gusto, he charged towards the group of bullies with little to no plan beyond 'save the day!' In hindsight, maybe if he had paid a little more attention about the Cabbage revolt of three eighteen, he would know better than to charge into a fight with five to one odds. But, duty calls.
Moon Gazer breathed heavily as he marched through the dimly lit hollowed gem mines. His sight was narrow, the suit over his body was making him sweat profusely, and he had little to no hearing beyond his breathing trapped in the gas mask. This wasn't the first time he had to march his way down these tunnels. But with every day of digging, his treks became longer and longer. It would eventually get to the point where he would have to wait in a halfway room to be deployed any further; as his breathing mask could only hold so much air.
He hated the halfway houses, commonly called Digger Dens. No matter how much vulgarity he surrounded himself with, he was a Canterlot pony. He rarely swore, never spoke of is former love affairs, and hated spitting. The miners there were crude, lewd, and practically vomited the contents of their mouths, both literally and figuratively. He tried to make friends with them from time to time, but they were simply of different cloth. He would ask of family and home, where they would ask of bedded mares and alcohol consumption. He wanted to fit in, but refused to lower his standards.
He slowly came to a stop at a fork in the tunnel and pulled out his map. Even though he knew where he was going, he always double checked his map. It never hurt to be sure of where you were going, especially when getting lost meant suffocating. After a quick scan of the markers on the wall, he made his way down the right turn. He had to swallow his fears as he entered the lower depths of the mine.
He was scared, for obvious reasons. He knew his destination was quickly approaching and dreaded what it would entail. There had to be an easier way to deal with the toxic gas beyond blowing yourself up. Perhaps a collection spell that would suck the gas up, or perhaps a dampening spell that would stop it from exploding! But, for reasons beyond his educated mind, sending a unicorn to blow themselves up was the common practice. He didn't like it, he wish it would change, but it gave him a job outside of his mark. So he did it.
The beating wasn't too bad. He lost, obviously, but not before busting two noses and bucking one unfortunate colt clear off his hooves. Even better, the teachers have no clue what just happened. All they know is that three colts are injured from 'playing'. His bruised side and swollen lip would heal quick enough, but the ego boost from defending his friends would last forever.
"You didn't have to do that." News Break, a grey and white earth colt, scolded. "All they wanted was our lunches."
"Yeah, but it was cool seeing that one jerk fly!" Blockhead, an ash red unicorn colt with cement grey hair exclaimed. "Hows the lip?"
"I've had worse." Star recalled nonchalantly, examining the back of his hoof as he swung from the swing softly. "Besides, if nopony stands up to them, then they'll never leave us alone."
"You've been saying that all year. At this point, I think they're too beaten to learn to stop." Blockhead grumbled, joining his friend on the other swing. "Maybe we should just start bringing two lunches and give them decoys."
"That won't work for me. I get lunch here." News mused as he took the last swing.
"And I don't think I can get my dad to give me two lunches every day of school. Not without getting questioned." Star's father just had a way of knowing things without Star saying. Telepathy made the most sense. "If they want something from me, they'll have to come take it from me!"
"Wish I was that strong." News muses, making Star beam with pride. "But I guess I'll have to settle for not being beat ta heck."
"Yeah, you just keep taking the hits for us Star." Everypony laughed at Blockheads comment. On the inside though, Star was exhilarated. He may have lost the fight today, but he's slowly getting ready for the fights tomorrow. Soon, he'd be as strong as a pony as Super Dad! The rest of recess was spent with his heads in the clouds, dreaming of what the future would entail for him.
Drips and tiny slashes echoed down the dimly lit tunnel as Moon made his way into the suspected area. First things first, he had to find the canary in the tunnel. The poor birds were used as a cheap tool to identify deadly gases in the air. There were spells and enchanted items that could do the same thing. They were safer and far more effective than killing dozens of birds a year, but, they were specialized items. And anything with that specific word usually also came with a higher price tag. So, the D.M.C. has stuck to the old ways in an effort to cut cost.
"Poor guy." Moon muttered as he walked up to the bird cage and levitated out the dead bird. He pitied the thing, but it's death was his (and to a greater extent, his sons) survival. He was the only one to ever take the birds out and bury them. Now all he had to do was find the cause of the gas and deal with it properly.
This was also somewhere he differed from the other miners. Many were fine with doing the bear minimum down here. The owners were always cutting cost, so why would they do the work as efficiently as possible? This way, they created more work for their fellow workers. Moon did not share this sentiment. Most of it was his pride as a Canterlot pony to do the best he could. That, any work he did would be a reflection of himself and should be to the standards he wished to be held to. On a lower level, he hoped that doing the best job would guarantee him more hours.
As of now, he averaged forty hours a week doing this job. Most of the time he was on standby, waiting to be sent in. This earned him about the same amount of pay as the other miners. Plus, they usually had something for the stallion to do while waiting, whether it be cleaning tools or sorting gems. But, more often than not, somepony had to be sent in to deal with the gas buildups. Most of the time he did a satisfactory job. He wasn't the best, but he wasn't the worst either. Realistically the only thing holding him back from being the best was the fact that he had to come back to an area he cleared out recently, again.
He couldn't understand why there was a build up again. He cleared it, twice now, but it came right back. He checked the gauge strapped to is right hoof and noted that he was an hour in. He could spare ten, fifteen minutes before having to turn back. He checked the miners log and made a mental note of where they were doing their digging before hefting his way further into the tunnel. He was going to clear this Celestia forsaken tunnel for good this time. He refused to have to come down here again. He simply couldn't make it again.
Lunch was an odd time for Star. Most of the time he would eat his lunch and play with his friends. He would say that was the case four out of five times. With his weekly run-ins with the local bullies, he would find himself in one of two situations. Either he would sit with his friends and watch them eat, or play by himself.
When he sat with his friends he had a myriad of questions. Why did News get lunch at school and he didn't? Why was it consistent that he would lose his lunch once a week? Why didn't the teachers ever stop the bullies? They were very obviously against bullying, if the lectures and bulletins were anything to go by. But, they were never there to do anything about it. And whenever he, or another student, tried to bring up past mishaps, it always ended the same.
'What did you do to them? They say the same thing, so whose at fault?' Because they're never caught in the act, they make up stories about how Star and his friends bully them as well. It wasn't fair to Star, but that was a part of being a Super Pony. You can't just imprison somepony because one pony is asking you to. You need evidence, compelling testimonies, and a business suit. Well... unless he went the vigilante way, like Batstallion. But he didn't have the money to be like that, so he would have to stick to the facts.
This is how he spent his lunch. Lost in his thoughts as he friends ate around him. They didn't think to offer him any of their food. It wasn't that they were trying to be inconsiderate. But with this being a weekly event for the four of them, it was just normal. Some day this week one of them would be in the same position. It didn't help that they also had the mindset that he would just get a bigger meal at home, as was their case. Their families were better off, so getting a snack without asking was second nature to them. Their families didn't worry about where every bit went, so losing one meal wasn't that big of a deal. But, Star powered through it. It was his duty, or, soon it would be. For him to suffer so others wouldn't have to. One could even say it was his calling. Star wouldn't,mainly due to the lack of a insignia on his butt.
"This has to be it." Moon mumbled to himself as he made his way into a dark section of the mine. Typically speaking; the darker the area, the newer it was. And with this spot being nearly pick black, this had to be the location.
Before he did anything further, he checked his oxygen levels. He was just past his last third in his reserves, meaning he had to work fast. Reaching out with his magic, he brought up a flash light and started inspecting the walls. More often than not, the gas leaks came from pockets in the ground. He had to try and find the area that had exposed one of these pockets and burn out the gas before the miners could come back to work. Well, he didn't have to. He could just ignite it now and call it a day. But, with this being the second time he had to come down here, he ha to make extra sure that the job was done right. So he began the arduous task of searching for the leak pocket.
He started to pace up and down the narrow passageway with his flashlight lighting the wall. There was obvious work being done here, but none it seemed to be the area he was looking for. He saw plenty of gems in the walls though. He knew better than to try and take a few though.They were very thorough about that. Before you could leave the mine they made sure to check you over completely. The ponies in-charge of this were very loyal to the forepony, thanks to the handsome salaries they made.
Crevice by crevice, gem by gem, he marched down the tight tunnel before he came to a stop near the end. He stepped closer to the small opening in the wall as he spotted something that simply ruined his day. Hanging from a jagged gem inside a crevice was a fluffy grey substance Moon knew all too well about. Kerosene Cotton, as it was known by. A fluffy, cotton like substance that formed in dense pockets of gas build up, hence the name. It wasn't necessarily a natural substance though. It usually only grow in a large pocket of natural gas that was trapped in a vein of gems.
If lighting natural gas wasn't bad enough, this was adding fuel to the fire, literally. Back in the day, way back in the day, ponies would gather these up into balls and use them in their catapults to destroy cities, whether they be on the ground or in a cloud. Due to their gem like nature, they burn for hours at a time at high temperature and are extremely volatile. It took a skilled unicorn to handle the substance. Sadly, Moon was not that skilled a unicorn.
Moon had two options. He could go back and tell the forepony what he found, forcing him to deal with the problem in a safer manner. Or he could back up to a somewhat safer distance and light it himself. If he did it himself and didn't do it correctly, the mine would be shut down for weeks. The fire would burn too slowly and heat up the mine to a point where it would be shut down for weeks. If he went back there and told the forepony what he found, he could very well lose his job. With little air left in his tank, he had to make the choice quickly. Attempt to deal with the issue himself, or call it in. End the issue without causing any problems, or cause himself even more problems.
He didn't have much time. Quickly, he rushed back a few feet until he felt confident he was a safe distance away. Before anything else, he checked his suit to make sure that it was sealed properly. One false latch and he could burn half his coat off. Once done, he started to check his surroundings. In case something went wrong, he may have to make a run for it. So he would check to make sure that there wasn't anything to trip him before doing his duty. It was time. He hated this job. He hated everything about this place. He especially hated having to blow himself up. But, he had to do it. There wasn't any other way for him to provide otherwise. He reminded himself of this every time he had to do it. Otherwise he wouldn't do it.
Fire is beautiful, albeit terrifying. As the hot flames danced around Moon, he could only watch in awe as the bright colors blinded him. And he could only wait for the inevitable. In the few seconds it took him to cast the simplest of spells, his fate was sealed. A tear in his uniform could sear his body. A crack in his breathing apparatus could suck all the air out of his mask. Or, even worse, the cave could collapse on top of him. To any non-unicorn, they would shrug the last one off.
'Couldn't you just teleport out if it started to fall apart?'
Yes, because in the span of mere seconds he could think of a new location, charge his horn, and teleport away safely. It was ignorant thinking to believe that a single pony could act faster than nature. That, somehow, he could just know when something was going to go wrong and take the correct actions. It was ludicrous to him. It wasn't some massive tremor that would give him plenty of time to react. A majority of cave-ins happened in mere seconds. It was only a few seconds between the two spells, but they made all the difference. He would have to make a run for it the second he could get his vision back. Never before though. Running straight into the wall was... ill advised.
FWUUUUM
His vision came back the same way it always came back. A bright light, sudden darkness, and finally the hazy remains of what was once a gas filed chamber. As soon as he could make out the difference between the walls and the floor he started to trundle back towards the surface. He had little time to make it back as it was. If they would simply stock the extra air canisters in the Digger Dens, he could stay down longer and double check his work. But, that would cost more in terms for labor and hardware, so it would never be done.
CRA-THUD
Without warning, a large section of the ceiling came crashing down behind him. Without a single thought Moon started to run down the narrow passageway as more and more of the tunnel began to come crumbling down. He kept his eyes forward though, never looking back. If you looked back, you'd get scared. When you're scared, you hesitate. He had one mission; to run. Run as fast as he could. Even as the dust raced ahead of him, obscuring his vision, and as chunks of debris hit the backs of his legs he had one goal. He had to make it out of the cave.
A dark figure raced above him. At first he thought it was a shadow of some sort, but its movements were too erratic. Too quick. When a large chunk of earth came crashing down beside him, he knew what was happening. Like he feared, the cave was crumbling in on itself.
It had only been a few seconds, but he knew where he was going and he had his magic. In the blink of an eye he would be back on the surface, safe. There would be yelling for sure, but he'd be alive. With that thought alone, he charged up his magic and sent himself to the entrance...
THUD
... or, so he thought.
Moon didn't know how long he was out. It couldn't have been too long, since he was still in the cave. His head was throbbing and his vision was hazy. Something had hit him on the head, that much was clear. But, he was alive, at least. He attempted to stand up, but faltered and fell back down. Nothing felt broken, his head was spinning too much to remain balanced. He allowed himself a moment to catch his breath and try to calm the pulsing in his mind. He looked back at what was once the mine shaft and gasped from the view.
It's completely sealed off. What appears to be a large, mossy, root covered boulders fell through the roof of the cave, sealing off the flames. A dark cloud settled around the boulders, giving the cave an eerie feeling to Moon. He tried again and succeeded in standing up. He walked over to the boulder and rested a hoof on it, feeling the dry mold under his boot. Had this thing fell a few moments earlier, he would have died. The days down here weren't usually this dangerous, but there were plenty of stories out there. Moon was simply glad that he wasn't one of them this time. Giving one last glance to his air tank, he ran off for the entrance of the cave.
"... and I told you to double check your work! If you were at least half as competent at your job as the other idiots in your position, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Mr. Copper screamed into Moons ear. As if his voice wasn't bad enough, his headache only made matters worse. But, he had to take it. He knew he wouldn't get fired for this. The cave-in was much worse than he thought it would be. Because of that, the mine is going to get bad press. For Moon, it was great news. Nopony would be crazy enough to sign up to replace him, not now at least. He just bought himself some extra time here.
"I'm sorry sir, but there wasn't any way I could have known that all of those veins were connected." There were actually. There were several ways for him to know via magic. But, there simply wasn't room in the budget for that. There probably was, but Moon doubted Mr. Copper was willing to allow for such things.
"I don't want to hear your excuses! You're on thin ice Moon! Thin ice! Leave your gear here and report to gem cleaning duty!" Moon bowed his head and did as he was told. He was lucky it wasn't early. Mr. Copper was never a morning pony. But, in his hurry to leave his office, he failed to notice something, something that Mr. Copper did not fail to notice. "That pick head! Broke his damn breathing mask. I'll have to take it out of his pay check!"
With work at the mines finished, Moon had to hurry to his new job on the edge of town. A construction company is building new apartments and they need unicorns that can lift large amounts of bricks and tools. It's a more strenuous job than the mines, but the money would work wonders for him. So, he hurried along, stopping for nothing along the way.
Detrot was a lot like Manehatten, in certain aspects. You walked down the path with little to no care of those around you. Not necessarily to be rude, but there were simply too many ponies to take note of. That, and most ponies had their own things to do. If Moon stopped to talk to even one pony along the way, he'd most likely be late. He had a strict schedule to adhere to, so he made sure to cut any unneeded luxuries. For himself at least. Star was another story altogether.
He wanted to nurture his curiosity, expand his mind. He's still young, but Moon is counting the days till Star picks something to engage in. He tried to engage him in astronomy, but it didn't stick with the colt. He was interested, but there was a certain luster he recalled from his youth that he just didn't see in Star. It didn't matter though. Whatever he chose to follow in, he would support him as much as he could. Though, he did secretly hope that it wouldn't be anything sports related.
The construction site was a sight to behold. A marvel of magic and engineering at work, though Moon was certain that nopony here would think that as well. Machines rhythmically pounding away in synchronized harmony, powered by magic. Moon was always that sort of stallion. There was always a moment to pause and take stock of everything around. Most of the ponies working here didn't think about what was going on here, but Moon could see it. He could see the revolution taking place before his very eyes. It wasn't something that he would spend much time thinking about, but his educated mind would always see things for more than they were.
"Moon Gazer?" a stocky earth stallion with a rusted coat and neon work vest asked. The white hard hat on his head forced his sweaty brown mane down, but Moon could tell that it was probably more of a mess without it. "I'm Galvanized, you ready to get started?"
"Yes sir!" he responded happily.
"Good, go ahead and join squad seven over in the ditched on the east side. Hard hats and vests are by the offices on the way." Moon had to pause before responding. This wasn't what he signed up for.
"Um... sir. I think you're mistaken. I was signed on to help levitate material, not dig ditches."
"Yeah? And I was here to survey! If you don't want the work, then let me know and I'll find the stallion that does! If ya ain't lifting, then yer diggin'! Understand!?" Moon had no choice but to nod to the large stallion. He needed this job. The pay wasn't great, but it was extra money. He couldn't afford to let this chance slip by. "Good, now get to work. When the bell rings it'll be lunch time. Afterwards make sure you talk to Ingot in the offices to make sure you get on payroll."
"Yes sir!" Moon responded, running to get started.
It didn't occur to him at the time. In the loud and dusty environment of the construction zone, it didn't concern anyone really. But little did Moon know that, as he started to wrap his vest on, the beginning of the end announced itself.
"*cough cough*"
Tuesdays were almost as bad as Wednesdays, at least to Star. If Monday was the farewell to the weekend, Tuesday was the reminder that you still had an entire week to endure before Saturday. Tuesday was the day most of his classes started their new lessons as well. Monday was review day; Tuesday was new day. That's how he remembered it as least. He had to commit it to memory in order to will himself to stay awake. Wednesday usually brought new stuff as well, but half of it was usually learned the day prior. Thursday was typically filled with review and payed extra attention to bring everyone up to speed with what was learned. And Friday was the biggest twist of them all.
Why was the day before freedom test day? Star never really understood why it was that way. Friday should have been the fun day! The schools should have used that day to say goodbye, or at least teach them something fun. Maybe they could have used that day to teach the foals how to play fun new games or go on field trips. This was the way Star saw it at least. He didn't even mind if they had to take a test as well, just show them something more than numbers or words on the page. Imagine how excited everypony would be if at the end of every week of school there was an adventure they did together! Or they got to see something new and exciting! Being confined to a small desk in a dusty, old room was practically choking him. Thank the sisters that they at least got recess.
"... and then you carry the five and add it to the seven, carrying the one over to the-"
Well... assuming he made it to recess, that was.
R-R-R-R-R-R-R-RING
The explosion of foals out of the school’s front door was always a danger to the city of Detrot. Their excited little hearts didn't realize the horrors they brought on the city. Road would become backed up due to the parents waiting for their children to come out. Cross walks would triple in occupancy as foals walked home. And the ensuing business at the local markets would congest business to a near standstill as the young ponies took their time counting out each bit they had. The ending of school was a true burden to the city, one that it took in stride each and every day.
Star rather enjoyed the chaos that ensued every day after school. It was a sight to see! Whistles blowing from every corner, cart drivers yelling here and there, and the teachers trying to control it all; there was nothing like it in the world. Even as Star followed the same routine as he always did, and saw the same sights as he always did, there was always something special about it. He tried to ask his friends about it before, but they didn't see it as he did. It was like one of those lame orchestras his father would always listen to, only exciting.
The bell would ring, the children would scream, and a wave of noise would follow in beat. Whistle next, followed by pattering hooves. A yell or a scream would punctuate here and there. He didn't understand how others couldn't see it like he did. To them it was just noise and chaos. But it wasn't chaos, it was harmony. It all had a rhythm to it, and Star saw it for what it really was.
He told his father about this once, and he was ecstatic. He thought Star was going to be some great composer or a musician of some sort. He would bring him down to the music store and let him try out different instruments and even bought some classical records for him to listen to. But... something wasn't there. He lost interest in playing any single instrument and simply didn't want to learn to read music, often complaining that reading in it of itself was hard enough. The music Moon played bored him to death, and more modern music never really held his attention. It amazed Moon that Star could make an observation like this and have no interest in music. But, after talking with the store owners and music teachers at his school, it was painfully obvious that he wasn't going to be a musician. Which was fine! It was just another check off the list... the very long list.
"Hey dad!" Star cheered as he embraced his father. "Why are you so dusty?"
"Hey there champ," he greeted, ruffling his mane before leading him home. "I started that new job, remember."
"Oh, riiight. Your new job. How was it?" Star was smarter than that. He knew what was really going on. A new villain had come to town, and they had their first real fight! He could tell at first glance. Moon was sweatier, dirtier, and was slightly short on breath. Clearly this was the work of some new villain in Detrot. Star had to know more.
"It was... not what I was expecting," Moon had to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to worry his son that he was doing even more physical labor. He thought he was going to just cast spells and move equipment. Instead he spent a good portion of the day digging ditches. He wasn't even done. He had to walk Star home and run straight back to work. He'd eat lunch on the way, an agreement he and the manager came to when he explained the situation. He was grateful for it, but it wasn't ideal. Star was old enough to be home alone for a while, and he'd be home in time to make dinner.
"What were you expecting?" Star pressed on, giving Moon his complete attention.
"Well... I thought I'd be casting more spells than I actually am, for starters." THE NEW VILLAIN IS RESISTANT TO MAGIC!? How will he manage this? "But, it's nothing a little elbow grease and a can-do spirit won't fix!"
"Um... what's elbow grease?" Star asked, examining his own elbow for grease. That got Moon to chuckle.
"It's a phrase son. It means that you have to put a little more physical effort into something than it would usually take."
"Oh..." That still didn't make sense to Star. He had to work harder on a villain that could resist magic. But work harder at what? "What is it you do?"
"Well... a lot. I'm helping build new homes for ponies to live in. Sometimes I'll have to move equipment. Other times I'll have to... dig trenches. I do a bit of everything really." That answer didn't give him the information he wanted. There had to be a way to learn something from him about the new villain. But what?
"Does this new job have a new uniform?" Star asked.
"Yup. I get this really strong helmet and a neon vest. The helmet keeps my head safe from anything that falls and the vest is so others can see me more easily." So, he had a flashy new uniform that gave him extra protection. Where had he heard that one before?
"Like the Green Prism!?" Star asked excitedly. Moon stared at him in confusion, getting the colt to dig through his backpack in a hurry. "She's an earth mare on the Harmony League that has a prism that can create anything she can think of! Her costume is all green and her prism helps her in her fights, see!"
Moon stared at the comic that Star shoved in his face. True to his word, there was the mare flying in the air with some sort of green... prism, on her forehead. He didn't understand the correlation between himself and this scandalously dressed mare, but he didn't have the time to question it. There were times he questioned his son's fascination with these comics. If he spent half as much time reading real literature instead of these fantasy stories, he knew he'd become quite the academic. But, sadly that wasn't the case. At the very least they fueled his imagination.
"Sure... something like that. Come along, we need to- *cough cough* -oh! Excuse me. We need to hurry along."
And hurry along they did. Star was content with everything his father said. He assumed thiswhite helmet was something similar to the Green Prism, giving his father the power to take on this new threat. In a way, he was right. Sadly, it was the threat of what he knew, not of what was yet to be.
The day came and went for the two of them. It was just as any other. Star went to school, came home, and did his homework. With the idea of a new villain for his father to fight, he didn't question him leaving so early; or coming back so tired. It made sense to him. For Moon, it was tiring to say the least. But it worked. If he could keep it up for a time he could save enough money to get back on track. No longer would he work from pay check to pay check. He could get ahead and start to make real plans. Plans he could afford. He came home late that day. Tired, but optimistic.
Wednesdays were miserable for both Star and Moon. It would seem that the middle of the week was the time for the work loads to increase dramatically for the two of them. Whether it was more studying and reading for Star, or polishing gems and setting gas on fire for Moon, both would usually come home tired and with little to say. Not that they were upset. If that were the case the other would notice it immediately. Having so few others to distract them in their lives, they were keen to changes in the others. Like when Moon tried to change his mane style to impress a mare at the mines a few years ago. Star was convinced that he was ponynapped and replaced with some goofy looking clone. Sadly, he had to change back to his current hair style to convince him otherwise.
It was just the two of them, for the most part. Star never really thought about it that much. He figured having friends at school was enough for a social life. He never hung out with friends afterwards before, why would he now. For Moon, it was simple. He worked, he raised his colt, and he slept. He didn't have time for anything else. It didn't help that he was an intellectual as well. The ponies he did interact with were... simpler. They didn't think the way he did. It wasn't a problem, and he could speak with them if needed, but they mostly kept it work related. He told himself it was fine, but there were some lonely days. Those were the times that he would try talking with his coworkers. But, it never went far. Young stallions don't have much to say in regards to the future of the colts of one stallion.
It was a recurring problem with Moon. He chose to work only to raise his son. But, because of that, all he could ever talk about was his son. And ponies more often than not don't want to hear about your foal. He understood, but that didn't help his dilemma. Ponies he thought were his friends back from the Canterlot Observatory all but scorned him now. And he couldn't relate to the ponies he mingled with nowadays. All he had was his son, but that was enough.
It was a tragedy set in motion. Several of his coworkers noticed his cough, but didn't pay much mind to it. Miners coughed, it wasn't that big of a deal. No one knew him well enough to recognize the change. And those that did only noticed him from polishing gems on occasion. Most didn't even know his name. Though, truth be told, ponies in the mining industry weren't the ones to learn names of temps and scabs. Not that he was either, but due to his lack of socialization, several assumed that he was. He was an outsider that worked full time.
*Cough cough*
"You okay Dad?" Star asked from the kitchen table. It was close to bed time, but he still had some homework to finish. Moon would often stay up with him so he could help out if needed. It also gave him time to do chores around the house. Tonight, it was dish duty.
"Hm? I'm fine, why do you ask?" Moon asked, oblivious to his changing condition.
"You coughed. Only sick ponies cough." Moon thought about that statement for a moment. He didn't realize that he was coughing at all. It was too sporadic for him to really notice. Before he could form an answer Star left the table and approached Moon, pressing a hoof to his forehead. He checked a few different spots before sitting back down. "You don't feel warm. But you coughed."
"Ponies cough son, it's a perfectly natural thing to do," Moon tried to tell him, but he wasn't convinced.
"But you don't normally cough. You only cough when you get sick. And you diarrhea too. Did you diarrhea?"
"Star, that is not something you can just ask somepony," Moon chastised, blushing slightly from his innocence. He was only concerned for his well being. But there were some things that he refused to speak to him about. Stool was one of those topics.
"What? You ask me if I do that when I get sick. Why shouldn't I ask you that when you get sick?" His logic was sound, to him at least. He was too young to fully understand the social norms of personal boundaries. Especially with Moon. Truth be told, he could talk to him about anything. But that didn't stop Moon from being weirded out by the forwardness of his son from time to time.
This conversation felt small to Moon. To him, it was just another night of school work and Star getting distracted by anything. He might have coughed once, but it was nothing. He felt fine. He couldn't think of anything that would have caused him to get sick. Until, he realized that there was a major change in his daily life that could. It was simple enough, and it would get him back to his studies. Which, he believed, were far more important for him in the long run than him getting the sniffles.
"You know, maybe it's because of my new job." And with the mutter of those simple words, Star had his total attention fixed on Moon.
This was his chance to learn more about Super Dads new villain! He wondered what his or her powers would be. He knew magic was practically useless against them, but what else could they do? Moon saw the eagerness in his son and knew he would have to elaborate. He had a certain look of curiosity that wouldn't allow for any distractions. Even if it were his very important studies.
"Yes... well... there was a lot of labor involved. And the dust from it must have irritated me. Who knows, I could have been coughing all day and not have even noticed!" Star thought about that for a moment. It must have been a brutal fight! Hoof to hoof combat! Maybe he had to take it out of the city. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about injuring anypony.
Scenes of intense physical combat played in his mind. Though, if he had thought more thoroughly, he would have noticed he was stealing scenes from his comics and inserting his father in the part of the hero. But to him he was the hero. And this was his story to tell. But his secrets were the endless obstacles that he would have to constantly try to out think.
"So... why was there so much dust?" Simple questions, lead him to what you wanted. That's the game he always played. It got him pretty far usually. But there would always be a point where his father would catch on and end the conversation. This was Stars game. And he loved to play.
For Moon... it was bittersweet. He just wanted him to do his work. But he didn't want to squash his imagination. There wasn't much he could give his son, but his mind could fill that void! It's partially why he allowed him to read so many of those comics from the library. If he was reading, it was good enough. Even if the stories were silly. And he didn't much care for the way some of those mares were dressed.
"Well... in construction there's a lot of dust. You can't make a building last without giving it a strong foundation. And that requires a lot of digging. So, naturally, there would be a lot of dust in the air. That must be why I coughed."
It was too honest of an answer for Star. There was something he was hiding obviously. It almost sounded like a real construction workers line! But his father was far too important to be some lowly worker. He was Super Dad! The greatest super pony in the world! There was more to the story, and he was determined to find it! But he knew his father too well. He wasn't going to just give him the answer, as he just proved.
"What are you building?" Any lie doesn't have a strong story behind it. Poke and prod in the right spots, and you'll start to see it for the facade it really is. His own lie would have to be twice as good as his though. Slow pencil marks. Only glance at him when he isn't looking. Play the part of the innocent foal.
"It appears to be an apartment complex. Though, I'm not entirely sure." Moon actually didn't know what they were building, he realized. It looked to be an apartment, but it was hard to tell. Star didn't know what to think. It was too real of an answer and left little to no room for his imagination to run with. But that was impossible! Why would he be building something when he has hero work to do? "It actually might be an office building, now that I think of it."
And with that little seed of doubt, Star had it. If he couldn't identify what he was building, then he obviously was trying to lie about it. And the truth was in his lie.
It started out as an apartment building. A place were a lot of ponies live. But then it turned into an office, a place of work. So the two must be related somehow. But what sort of building houses ponies that work there that are also super ponies?
"Champions of Equity..."
"What?" Moon looked back to ask what he had just said, but the colt was gone already. The clacking of his hooves leading towards his room. He was about to call him back, but he noticed the school work on the table. Upon closer inspection, it appeared completed, so he let it go. *cough cough*
Star ran to his room as quickly as he could and went straight for his stash of comics. The old and worn out box was on the brink of total annihilation due to the over crowded stacks of comics. But by some supernatural force it held on though. The comics inside were a completely different story. Each comic had its own plastic cover to protect it. And aside from a few lesser books being forced in the sides, each one was in pristine condition. But, nopony really cared that much for Aquamare.
He took each book out with practiced care and set them aside in a neat pile. He was looking for a specific series, but was still mindful to not damage the books he so cared for. That, Sans would be furious with him if he damaged any of them. He ran the local comic shop and had a very set of specific rules for the books. He said it was to maintain their resale value, but Star had no interest in selling his books. But he also didn't want to anger the pony who ran his favorite store, so covers and care were the game.
And then he found it. Champions of Equity. It was a mega series from the big brand Wonder Comics. Champions, as it was shortened to, was comprised of several heroes that were part of their own series. They would come together and fight the biggest villains together. They had a fortress together called the League of Champions, and that's what he was looking for.
This was his research. He remember a bit about the League of Champions, but now he had reason to go back and scrutinize it all over again. To his father, who was peering through the doorway, it would appear that he was just really excited about reading his books. Which was fine, albeit, odd. The most random of things would set his son off. But he didn't want to crush his curiosity. So he never questioned it.
Star spent the rest of his time awake reading through the Champions series. In his mind, it helped everything makes sense. It's what his father was calling his second job. He was Super Dad and a Champion of some sort. He joined a group of like minded heroes to fight even bigger villains that the likes of Overtime! But what sort of villains would be worse than that?
As he read through book after book he began to form even more questions. Who were these other heroes? Were they more powerful than Super Dad? Who started this group? What was the group even called?
He stayed up as late as he could searching for all the questions he would need to answer. A long list was formed in his head. To keep it safe of course. With a goal in mind, he would start the next day drill his father for answers. He was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. But, it was a long night of research. And try as he might, he was bound to fall asleep sooner or later.
Ten PM sharp, it never failed. Moon came into Star's bedroom and tidied up a bit. His son wasn't the cleanest of ponies, but he was learning. At least he knew to take care of his literature. He laughed at his son a little when he found him dead asleep with his face buried in one of his comics. Maybe he was going to be an artist, like these comic creators. He certainly had the imagination for it. He just hoped his creations wouldn't be so... silly, as some of these books appeared. But, his son was a bit silly, so maybe that would be what he loved to do?
He tucked him in and turned out the lights, as he did countless nights before. It was normal. Mundane. He tucked his son in to sleep and went to bed himself. Sometimes he would stay up a bit longer, but he was tired today. Two jobs. Both physically demanding. He was sure there were to be plenty of nights just like this. But it would be worth it in the end. That, and he only had one job over the weekends, so that would be his rest period.
His son was happy. He was starting to make decent money. They were both fed. They slept indoors. What more could he want? What else could he distract himself with? As long as he stayed the course he would reap the benefits. Nothing else mattered to Moon. This was it. And he knew how good they had it. There were plenty of others that had it worse than they did, and he was grateful that they were in a decent position. Given time, they would only go up from here.
He took his place on the couch and proceeded to pass out. It wasn't the most comfortable of couches, but it beat the floor. And it was free, so he wasn't complaining. His alarm would be going off in about seven hours and he would have to do this all again once more. It was just another Wednesday. Nothing was special about it. All that changed was that the workload was now doubled. But he could handle that. It was worth it. His son was worth it. He even played with the thought of having a third job. But that was only a thought. He was barley going to make it now. Though, he would play with the thought some more. For now, Wednesday was over. It was time for Thursday, and all the trouble that it would bring.
