The Pen Pal

by Jesse Coffey

Letters/Looking for a Pen Pal

It is spring cleaning in Ponyville, particularly in the Carousel Boutique - though you'd guess that's based on Rarity's thirst for cleanliness.

In fact, it's Rarity who asks, "Sweetie Belle, would you like live up to your first name and find me my feather-duster?"

Sweetie Belle goes to look for the feather-duster. "Couldn't find it!", she says, adding, "But I happened to come across these, if there's any consolation."

Rarity says, "I wonder where they came from darling." Sweetie Belle then informs Rarity that they came from a stallion named Cecil Rogeras, who lives somewhere in Marexico. Sweetie Belle recalled writing to him when she was 7. Suddenly, Rarity got hit by a stack of dust and -- that thing she was looking for, unknowingly. Whilst this is going on, Sweetie Belle is looking at the letters she had received from Mr. Rogeras, finding some of them to be humourous. A photo of him even slips out of one of the letters' envelopes! Sweetie Belle, by this point, had just covered the floor of the Carousel Boutique designer's room with letter after letter after letter from Mr. Rogeras. Rarity is shocked to see this pile and says, "What's the meaning of this?" Sweetie Belle just sighs. "I did it as a hint of nostalgia. I loved writing to Mr. Rogeras."

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PONYVILLE SCHOOL
PONYVILLE, EQUESTRIA

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"Cheerilee. Cheerilee. CHEERILEE!"
Bemused by the yelling of her name, the teacher goes to Sweetie Belle and politely says "What?"
"Is there any way in which I can get a pen pal?"
Cheerilee replies, "Of course. Such things are facilitated in my personal desk. Come around it."
Sweetie Belle comes to the back of the teacher's desk, and Cheerilee opens up a drawer with a set of cards containing contact information about foreign students. One of them has the address of an Indian by the name of "Alfo Ajmer." Another has the address of "Toshiro Song" of Japan. Still, there are two more, a Bulgarian named "Sofia Tanashev" and a Griffon named "Gregor."

It turns out that the only other student in the room is Apple Bloom; this happens to be her room. Eying the fact that the name "Gregor" is attached to a Griffon, Sweetie Belle asks Bloom if she knows anything about Griffons.

"All I know about Griffons is that they are half-ponies, half-birds, and that the most harmless ones are right here in Equestria."

That's where Scootaloo comes in. "Hey Sweetie Belle! Check this out! I just picked up a copy of the new Daring Do comic book! Mwah! Do you want to read it? It has lots of things about Griffons in it!"

Sweetie Belle says, "OK. I'll borrow your copy. Thank you."

Scootaloo says, "You're welcome!"

Scootaloo says, "Well, what do you think? Do you want to write to Gregor?"

Sweetie Belle says, "Um...OK!"

Author's Note:

[go to the next chapter to read the excerpt; come back here to finish this section.]