Preview of the Next Chapter of All-American Girl · 2:44am Feb 4th, 2015
Because I've tortured you guys long enough. 
Twilight looked to the sky, then out to the nighttime sky and the ebon ocean beyond, listening to the waves lap the shoreline. She was on another world, and it had been three years since they’d started their search for Sandalwood. This world had turned out to be a no-go, mainly because it was an oceanic world, and as the group spent their last night on the largest landmass – an area only with the square mileage of Ponyville when Twilight had first moved there – they were enjoying some downtime while those back at the Project Headquarters fine-tuned the portal for return to Earth.
“You’re quiet,” a voice said. She turned to see Sweetie Belle walking up to her. When Twilight discovered how safe this world was, she immediately called for her apprentice, if only to give the teen mare some experience in unusual situations. In fact, Sweetie wasn’t the only apprentice here, as all the mages assigned to Alpha Team had called for theirs. “Why don’t you come back to the campsite?”
“Needed some time to clear my thoughts,” Twilight said, smiling with a welcome she didn’t feel. “It’s just that…well, tonight reminds me of what I’d lost in the past.”
Sweetie remembered instantly. “He hurt you, Twi. He wasn’t worth it.”
Twilight continued to look at the stars. “And yet…I miss him. I would do anything, even after five years, to be back with him.” Twilight tore her eyes away from the stars and said, “You’re lucky. You and Pip have something that you’ll share for the rest of your life. I never will, not again.”
“Don’t say that. You know you will,” Sweetie insisted.
“You know, it would be so much easier if we were like every other race out there,” the elder unicorn stated, changing the subject. “All the other races? They have an estrus cycle – they have an overwhelming urge to mate once a year, and then the rest of the time? It’s just who they want to be with. But with us? We’re menstrual – we have to work at getting a mate, because nature doesn’t dictate that to us. Heck, even our earliest ancestors were estral; somewhere along the line in our development, we changed.” Twilight chuckled at the irony. “Only other species on our world that has a menstrual cycle are vampire fruit bats and a small type of shew that lives on the Great Eastern Continent.”
Sweetie wondered how the talk had turned into a biology lesson, but she sensed that Twilight needed her, so she let her mentor ramble on. “I wonder why that is?”
“I read a book once, A Need for Socks, by the cosmologist Grand Theory, back when I still lived in the Ponyville Library. Racy title aside, it was a pretty interesting book. The author theorized that ponies switched from estral to menstrual because he believed that one day we would need it, because we would fall in love with a species that truly understands what it’s like to be pony. I’m not sure what he meant by that, though – however,” she said with a grin, “Lyra Heartstrings did borrow the book, and she insisted that it was humans that Theory was referring to.”
Sweetie laughed. “She would, wouldn’t she?” Granted, Lyra was a great asset to the project, but even after all this time no one believed her about the mythical creatures. Twilight, however, sat quiet and with the conversation ending, Sweetie wanted to both leave her alone, but wanted her mentor and sister royal to know she would never be alone. “Twi, I’m heading back. But get some sleep soon, okay? The maintenance period will be done about six in the morning and we return soon after.”
“I know.” The answer was hushed, and the younger unicorn wasn’t sure if it was even directed at her.
Sweetie did the last thing she could: a hug. “We’re family, Twi. I will always be here for you, just as you were for me.” The teen filly felt hot wetness fall on her head and knew whatever emotions had released a torrent within Twilight Sparkle, it had to be painful. Celestia rarely showed emotion when it came to hard decisions of leadership and Twilight would obviously emulate her.
Finally, the tears ended and the mare wiped her eyes. “Thanks, I needed that. I don’t think I’ve cried for him in a while,” she sighed. “I needed to get that out.”
“Do you feel better?”
“No, but I’ll manage.”
Sweetie yawned. “Then we’d better get some sleep while we still can. We’ve only got about seven hours of sleep time left, and while we’re used to burning the midnight candle, even I don’t want to fill out endless reports while on very little sleep.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Twilight said, taking one last look at the sky and the dark, endless sea, then getting up from her seat and walking back up the hill towards the campsite.
If they had walked 300 feet to the west, the pair would have found a weathered plaque, having tumbled from the top of the small island long ago, now half-buried in the sand. The metal was pocked and partially corroded, but the words even now were still readable:
ON THIS SPOT IN 1953 HILARY AND
NORGAY FIRST SET FOOT ON THE SUMMIT
OF MOUNT EVEREST
it is done.
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Oh, so you're saying the story's done and I don't need to do anymore?
So flooded world, like in wind waker
Im happy theres a new chapter but....sweet baby jesus your profile pic is fucking terrifying me, man.
Nice preview though I saw the title of the blog post on the notifications and then the user icon next to it and I almost did a spit take from the sudden dissonance.
That user icon just gives me the shivers....
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Actually....
That ending/not-ending (please let there be moar!)
well not 1500 yota hertz but I take it
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no, our cyber bully, incessant whine forced you you release a preview.
Now cease this silly Hasbro toy promo and get back to the literary genius that is All American Girl (tm)
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Hasbro should be begging us to sell their toys.
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Yeah, I'm sure the Vibe Action Playset would sell well.
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With real "Rarity-breaks Blueblood's Nose" action!
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how about DJ the Groove pony pegasus Action figure with DFLAC player
Waterworld. Where all the ice melted, raising the sea level to where only Mt. Everest is above sea level, yet Mariner can swim down a few hundred feet and reach the ruins of cities.
Hmm, this is a nice birthday present.
Still a nice gift regardless though, hehe.
The homage to the movie Waterworld is nice, but I do hope you realize that the basic premise of Waterworld makes no sense: even melting every gram of ice and draining every lake in the planet wouldn't raise the oceans a half kilometre. And even if it did raise the 7.2km needed to make sure that nothing but the Himalaya remained afloat, humanity would likely take centuries before it died off. Furthermore, considering that you mention that there are several islands other than the Everest, then the Everest would still be a mountain (for Lhotse alone to be above water, Everest would have a minimal prominence of 332m above sea level), thus have the area of a small county rather than that of a small town. And lower the sea level just a little bit more and suddenly Everest and Lhotse connect, forming an island larger than Manhattan.
Shin-man, please: don't rush out your writing. You are better than this.