Keeping Fantasia: The Third Book of the Fantasia Series

Chapter 2: One Autumn Day

Chapter 2: One Autumn Day

One autumn day –

Actually it was not autumn. Not precisely.

It was early September, which meant there were several weeks until the official start of autumn (September 21st). However, school had just started, the leaves had already changed, and coffee shops were featuring pumpkin spice lattes; so the Fantasians said goodbye to summer and hello to fall.

It hadn't always been that way. Not long ago, the first of autumn, spring, summer, and winter were considered magical holidays. However, that tradition was less popular with the younger generation; seasonal equinoxes and solstices were "older" holidays that "older" Fantasians observed. 

(And by "older," I mean "not 15." Take it from me, 30 is not old – especially since most Fantasians live over 150). 

In any case, older generations celebrated the first of every season religiously. The younger generation did not.

Why the discrepancy? Why did the older generations consider the seasonal firsts magical, while the younger generation considered them random days off?

Well, if you were to ask Master Merlin (the high school magic teacher), he would say: "The younger generation is coddled!"

If you were to ask Archimedes (Master Merlin's educated owl), he would say: "The younger generation is full of pinheads and gullyfluff!"

If you were to ask King Arthur (the king), he would say: "The younger generation did not fight our wars."

If you were to ask Headmaster Mickey (the high school administrator), he would say: "The younger generation has never known Fantasia's guardians."

If you were to ask Edna Mode (the royal seamstress and all-around-Awesome-Sauceness), she would say: "Dahlings! It is because the older generation is fabulous."

And if you were to ask Flynn Rider (Eugene Fitzherbert), he would say: "Wait! When did we become the older generation?!"

All of those answers are probably true. You see, Fantasia (in all honesty) used to be a wreck. 

Currently, Fantasia is quite nice. Everything is chill. Life is a fairytale. The reign of King Arthur Pendragon and his steward Chief Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III could not be more 'copacetic.'

(Copacetic: a deceptively long and threatening looking adjective that means 'in excellent order, fine, absolutely satisfactory, cool.' Also a slang word used by the younger Fantasian generations to drive the older folks crazy. For example, a gangster might say "Yo yo, we all cool? We all copacetic or whaat?")

Regardless, as I said, Fantasia used to be a wreck. And it was wrecked by magic. The country's relationship with magic could be defined as 'love-hate.' With the exception of the current states of affairs, Fantasians always seemed to be either (1) employing, (2) micromanaging, (3) banishing, or (4) slaughtering their magical citizens (and usually in that order).

Every age fought a 'magical' war. Some of the wars were fought against magic. Some of the wars were fought for magic. Some of the wars were fought because one too many magic tricks went awry. It was a peculiar dynamic. Throughout history Fantasia couldn't seem to make up its mind – did it like magic, or not?

Take for example, the two most recent wars: The Battle to Take Fantasia and The Battle to Give Fantasia. Both of these battles had been fought to (1) destroy magic and (2) welcome magic.