“They liked it, Surprise, you were right.” Train Wreck Pastel smiled sadly as he spoke. “It made the cover, even. I was going to let Diane read it too, but it turns out she had her own copy before I did. She ambushed me with it this morning. She cried. Z cried some too. I didn’t cry. There may have been some liquid pride, but I didn’t cry. I promise… I Pinkie Prom… no, I can’t tell a lie that big, not to you. I’ve submitted the first five chapters already, I’ll submit the rest one week at a time until it’s over. This is your story. I know you dressed it up in my equestria, but we both know this is your’s and Charlie’s story. And that’s okay. We promised each other from the start we weren’t going to be jealous of ghosts… and…”
The giant took a moment to regain his composure before changing the subject. “Zillia is growing like a weed. She’s twice as big as she was when she hatched. Z keeps insisting on calling her ‘Face Hugger’, and it’s kinda stuck. My poor daughter’s just stuck with that now. Zillia Face Hugger Pastel.” Train Wreck laughed a little bit, then became more somber. “Rock Solid’s gone. It… I’d rather not talk about it. Maybe if you see him, he can tell you. If it works that way, tell him Steady’s okay. He’s staying with us now.”
A single copy of “The Pony Dreadful” landed on a humble grave in Canterlot cemetery.
-=-=-=-=-
“Is something wrong sister?” Luna teased reading over her sister’s shoulder, “I have to say, that is a rather clever likeness of you. For such a seedy publication they certainly hire a truly top rate art staff.”
“You understand I did not intend any embarrassment towards our prince,” Celestia sighed heavily, “I simply felt it was a story that should be told.”
“I understand all too well.” Luna bowed her head sadly. “An entire world was summoned from the ether, only to fade away like the dream it was. With Surprise gone, the only thing to survive its destruction is the nameless nightmare that stalks the malformed nightmare our ponies call The Unspoken. But the wounds are yet too fresh. Given time our Prince will be more open to allowing the world to see that side of things, not as some abridged fiction, but as the awkward and uncomfortable truth that is a part of who he is… it would have helped had our grandson, Moonbeam not been caught reading of it.”
“Night Watch is still furious.” Celestia couldn’t help but giggle even as she rolled her eyes, before shaking her head. “But, at any rate, it is done. They have canceled the story. They’ve made me seem something of an overzealous nanny of a mare for stopping it, but perhaps I deserve that…”
-=-=-=-=-
“Lyra!” Bon Bon fumed, “I can’t believe you sold the story of how we met David to a penny dreadful! How could you!”
“But it’s not just a Penny Dreadful Bonny, it’s THE Pony Dreadful, and look, we made the featured stories! We’re even listed on the cover!” Lyra beamed in reply.
“That doesn’t make it better,” Bon on huffed angrily before giving up entirely, “At least we didn’t do anything TOO embarrassing with the future alicorn prince…”
-=-=-=-=-
“Rainbow Dash, check it out! The new issue of Pony Dreadful’s in, and they published another one of my stories!”
“Heh, good for you Scoots, although I wish you could make things a little less… physical… between me and Jake,” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with one hoof in embarrassment as she hovered in mid air.
“What,” teased Jake, “The most we did in the story was huddle together for warmth in the ice temple of Yak Yakastan last issue. Are you saying you would let me freeze to death in an Ice Temple?”
“You two stop being weird, it’s just a stupid story!” Apple Bloom interjected.
“Tell ‘em about the letter!” Sweetie Belle broke in.
“What letter?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
“The ‘Layout Editor’ wants to meet me!” Scootaloo beamed with pride. “It turns out he’s a big fan of my stories. He says he likes the way I wrote the ‘steamy parts’ in the last chapter… which is weird since it was set in an Ice Temple. Maybe he meant this chapter, jungles are steamy right?”
Rainbow and Jake shared a glance, before replying together, “So how old did you tell this magazine you were again?”