//------------------------------// // A Dreadful Change // Story: The EK // by Magi Tail Welkin //------------------------------// Away from Ponyville in the Equestrian Capital of Canterlot events took place which would have a small effect on the future of the Everfree Kingdom, but no-pony knew it at the time. The figures within this story will appear occasionally, between the other main player, and biggest player in this smaller story isn’t even a living being, but in fact the railway. The central figures are the Waterbury Family. Your average middle-class Unicorn family, not any-pony who would appear constantly in the Equestria Daily or the magazine every-pony read, not like Photo Finish, Hoity Toity, Sapphire Shores or Fancy Pants and his mare-friend Fleur Dis Lee, and far too sensible to be featured in the Liverypool Street Herald, no they simple lived a happy life, in the background. And in this happy but simple Canterlot life they did not have a real connection to the railway, nor did they really give the railway any thought, except as a means of getting to the theatre and zoo. An ordinary suburban family. They lived in an ordinary irony bricked fronted villa, with coloured glass in the door. Usually their dog Potts, named after a friend of their grandfather, from his time in the Royal Guard, would sit on the front step. He would be let in and would walk along the tiled hallway. The family would have big fires, in big fireplaces, even a gas fire in the breakfast room. A servant’s bell board. Indeed, every modern convince. Three foals sat on a sofa before a camera, the photographer, a student of Photo Finish told them “Sit up!”, and they did. Two fillies and one colt. The photographer came over and began adjusting their special clothing and their manes and tail to make it picture prefect, a joke on his part, for he called his business Picture Perfect and Company Limited, Canterlot. Established 995, or at least the sign above his shop said so. The Waterbury Foals are the most central to the story. The eldest, coming close to her teenage years, Firelight Waterbury, often call Flame, sometimes Lanky, very tall for her age. And yet so far with her age, no cutie mark, but in Canterlot with its more elite mindset they didn’t encourage foals to simply run around and do practically anything, unlike in Ponyville. The second eldest, the other filly, Autumn, she means well. Again, no cutie mark. And the colt, Stone Waterbury, he does have a cutie mark, a shiny cogwheel surrounded by a cloud of steam, he knows it relates to engineering, but not quite sure what area. The photographer returned to the camera “And don’t forget to watch the Dicky Bird.”, he referred to the wooden bird on the flash provider. He checked the image on the view screen and nodded. Held up the flash, with its small amount of firework pounder “Watch the birdy!” FLASH. He blinked and then shut his eyes grimacing as the bird caught fire and burned away. The foals laughed. The mother, Scribble Waterbury, who wrote short stories as a hobby and sold a few to the magazine publications, devoted herself to her children. She did not spend all her time in paying on dull calls to dull mares and sitting dully at home waiting for dull mares to pay calls on her, she always spent time with her children. Morals Waterbury, the father and patriarch of the household worked for Princess Celestia in the Foreign Office, around the time the story of the Waterbury family began he and his colleagues in the department worked on treaty between Equestria and the Reformed Changeling Kingdom, Princess Celestia chose her former student Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship to deliver it to King Thorax, accompanied by her assistant Spike the Dragon, the first true friend of the new Changeling King. But the work would time. At home Mr Waterbury acted as a fun loving, enthusiastic stallion who loved every-pony of his household, wife, foals and staff. And he often spoke his mind and could be very loud indeed. On the day, the events this story will detail started, the Heath’s Warning Day of 1002 of Celestia’s Rule, or CR for the family went to one of the smaller Canterlot theatres to see a play, not the tale of the Founding of Equestria, or the Health Warming Tale, important as they are the Waterbury family at the time found them rather tiresome, so instead they went to see a play adaptation of a children’s fairy story. Indeed, one of the Foals’ favourites, seeing it being performed or reading it became a Waterbury tradition many years before. The main character spoke out to audience “Her lights going dim, and if it goes out that means she’s dead, she says she’ll get well again if foals believe in fairies.” Fairies in this case are simple made up based on ancient interpretations of Breezies. The main character addressed the foals of the audience “Do you believe in fairies?” “Yes.” They all spoke out. “That’s not load enough. Do you believe in fairies?” “Yes!” “Still not load enough. Do you believe in fairies?” “YES!”, the audience shouted. The Waterbury family sat in a theatre box directly next to the stage. The three foals and Mrs Waterbury sat at the front and Mr Waterbury stood behind them lightly sipping a glass of fine cider, after the audience shouted yes, he decided enough of the stalling on the actor’s part and shouted the loudest of all “YES I CERTAINLY DO!” The theatre erupted into laughing cheers. After the play the family returned home to enjoy their traditional family meal at lunchtime, a nut roast, and all the vegetable additions and a flaming pudding. The meal became a real party, cracker and balloons, noisemakers, parlour games and merriment abounded with sensible chaos. Mr Waterbury start carving and took in the scent and hummed in delight “Smells gorgeous, cooks really outdone herself this year, it’s fabulous, absolutely fabulous.”, the family took their drinks, cider and apple juice and toasted Equestria, a happy future, the Princesses, and of course themselves. Potts, who wore a ribbon around his neck joined the cheers with a few barks. Then the flaming pudding. Mr Waterbury gave the order “Although together. One, two, three.” The five of the family and the two maids blew together and the pudding no longer burned. Much rejoicing came out of this. Mr Waterbury laughed and clapped “Well done every-pony.” After the meal, Firelight took some of the left overs and gave them to Potts, who gladly scoffed the bits down. Then Mr Waterbury went to the tree. In keeping with a tradition from Scribble’s side of the family he dressed as Snowfall Frost to hand out the presents. Husband and wife embanked “Happy Hearths Warming.” They said together, kissed and presents exchanged. Mr Waterbury called Firelight and Autumn up, he gave Firelight a special dairy, and Autumn a new doll. One of the maids passed by with the plates from the meal, onto which Mr Waterbury put her present, quite surprising her. Then Mr Waterbury gave the elder maid, Star with hers, which she curtsied with her thanks. When they left, Mr Waterbury looked to his son “Stone my boy, come over here.”, Stone walked up slowly confused and wondering what his present would be. Using his magic Mr Waterbury levitated a finely made toy train. The front of a steam locomotive, a tender engine, but without the tender, a 4-2-0, a four-wheeled bogie at the front, in the middle large pair of driving wheels, complete with outside coupling rods and motion, but no wheels under cab. The polished brass boiler shone in the multi-coloured light of the tree and the light from the roaring fire. The freshly painted cab looked spotless in its handsome livery of green with black stripes. Stone too shocked to use his magic took it in his hooves. He stared down at it silently, then slowly looked up at this sire “Dad,” he whispered, tears formed in his eyes “its prefect. It’s more prefect than any-pony could ever dream of.” He glanced down at it again, returned to his father and gave a small smile “Thank you Dad.” You would think the Waterbury family would be very happy, and you would be right, but they didn’t know how happy they themselves were, not until life in Canterlot came to an end, and they lived a very different life. A very different life indeed. The dreadful change came quite suddenly. Stone could not resist playing with his model, which worked exactly like a real steam locomotive. The model came with a straight length of track which took up the length of the nursery. Stone lit the firebox and after a few minutes the little engine started moving, and at quite a pace for a little thing. It made it about two-thirds up the track, then suddenly, gave an odd rattling sound and stop. Steam started leaking out with a whistling hiss. The Foals backed to the wall. Potts looked nervous. The engine hissed again, and again. BOOM. Potts took off. He ran out the nursery door, down the stair and out the front door where the maids cleaned the hall. Star shouted, “You’re a heaving brute!” Potts ran across the road, into the brushes and out of sight. The Waterbury family did not see hide or tail of poor Potts after that day. Unaware of this the children showed the blown-up engine to their father. The brass and paint stained, the cab roof nowhere to be found, coupling rods seared from their cranks and one bent, the funnel cracked in place and almost ready to collapse. Stone held one brass part in his magic. Mr Waterbury spoke his mind “What a wreck.” He gave a small chuckle and took the brass bit from stone to see where it fit, appearing to be from the top of the boiler, maybe the dome? Stone spoke “Is there any hope?” “Hope?” Mr Waterbury asked “Of course, it’ll want hope, and a new safety valve, I think. I’ll tell you what I give up Saturday afternoon to it,” he looked to Stone and his wife “And you can help me.”, Scribble looked surprised. Outside the door as the snow fell two dark figures stood, one rang the doorbell. The other turned to the other and spoke in a hushed “I hate doing a job like this, especially at Hearth’s Warming.”, the other nodded. The ringing of the bell caught the families’ attention. Mr Waterbury turned to them all “Who in the wide world is that? And Equestrian stallion’s house is his castle, but I do wish they’d build them with moats and drawbridges.”, they all chuckled and giggled. A knock came at the door. “Come in.” The door opened and Star appeared from it “Please sir,” she curtsied “there are two gentle-colts wishing to see you. I showed them into the study sir, I hope that was alright.”, Mr Waterbury sighed. Put the model train on the table, excused himself from his family and left the room, Star glanced back at the family before leaving them and shut the door behind her. Mr Waterbury slowly walked to the study, he entered and turned to look at his guest, his eyes widened and he quickly shut the door. In the dining room Firelight spoke “I wish we did have a moat and drawbridge. Then if we did wont any-pony to…” The loud arguing of Mr Waterbury stop her and they all looked to the door “What? Who are you? I’ve never heard it before. Where? Who?” Stone looked to his mother “Why is Daddy shouting?” Scribble frowned “I don’t know dear.” A knock came from the door, Scribble called “Come in.” Star entered again, Scribble asked “Yes Star?” The head maid curtsied, but she looked very sad and unsure. “What is it?” Mrs Waterbury asked. “Please ma’am, the Master wants you to just,” she put on a smile “step into the study.” Mrs Waterbury narrowed her eyes. She stood up and quickly exited the room. Star glanced back at the now lonely foals, said nothing and shut the door behind her. Scribble slowly walked to the study, not knowing what to expect and wondering just why her beloved Morals would want her to join him, just who are these strangers on Heath’s Warming Day? As she approached she heard her husband speak again “Look I am not at all interested at anything you say, I haven’t done a thing.”, she stopped and gulped, before she knocked, Morals called to enter. She opened the door and walked in on the argument, her husband protested “I will not! Let me see the papers.”, her eyes widened at the scene and she quickly shut the door behind her. The Foals leaned out of the dining room door tied to listen in the conversation, their father seemed quieter now, so whatever he said got muffled by the heavy wooden door. Firelight jerked her head to the other and they tip-hoofed out into the hallway and started hearing a little more. “Preposterous!” their father shouted, “I’ve never heard of such nonsense.” Firelight pointed to and curtained archway and they ran behind it. “Lies!” Mr Waterbury yelled, a brief pause and he said “Oh, if you insist.” The Foals leaned out of the corner and watched. The study door opened and their father slowly and smartly walked out. He stopped at the coatrack and took off his coat. Their mother came out, closely followed by two Bat Ponies mares, from what the Foals knew Bat Ponies in Canterlot only worked in two professions, the Undertakers or Princess Luna’s Night Guard. What came up must be serious, but just how serious? Mr Waterbury took his hat, kissed Mrs Waterbury on the cheek, put his hat on. Mrs Waterbury opened the door and Mr Waterbury between both Bat Ponies walked out into the coal snowy night. To the foals the idea of a white Hearth’s Warming would have filled them with joy, but tonight, the snow did not look inviting and ready for fun, no it looked cold and harsh, and their father just step into it. The beat of hooves sounded, they must have taken a cab, but to where? The Canterlot clock chimed. Mrs Waterbury shut the door. She leaned back on it looked shocked, her coat turned a shade or two lighter. The Foals slowly came out of their hiding place and walked up to her. Scribble stood straight and greeted them “Bedtime.” She said, “Star will put you to bed.” Autumn protested “But you said we could stay up late, Daddy was going to play with us.” Scribble Waterbury expression shank slightly “Your Father’s been called away on, on business. Go up at once darlings please.” The Foals saw their mothers saddening state and did as told and started up the stairs. Firelight at the back stopped at the bottom and turned to her mother “Wasn’t bad news, was it Mummy? Is any-pony died?”, her mother looked at her and gave her a sad smiled “Oh, no, no-ponies died, I can’t tell you anything about it tonight. Up you go.”, Firelight said nothing before she went upstairs, not she knew whatever called her father away must have been truly important for two of the Night Guard to come and collect him personally. After watching them go Scribble walked back to the study door and leaned on the ajar doorway and lowered her head. Up in the fillies’ bedroom Star brushed Autumn’s mane “…ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine. One-hundred.” She patted her on the head. Autumn got out of the chair and climbed into her bed. Star turned out the light and walked to the door “Well, goodnight then.” She left the bedroom and turned to go further upstairs when a whispered sounded “Star?”, she looked back as stone in his pyjamas walked up “What’s up?” he asked quietly. Star looked at him unimpressed “Ask me no questions and I tell you no lies.” She grinned “You’ll know soon enough.” After an hour, and sure her Foals slept soundly Scribble entered the bedrooms and gave each of them a tender kiss. Firelight however got woken up by a faint sob and the shutting of the door. She sat up and whispering called her sister “Autumn?” “Yes?” she asked sleepily. “If Mummy doesn’t want us to know she’s been crying, then we won’t know, that’s all.” “Alright.” And the two tried to get back to sleep. At breakfast the still didn’t get any answers. And in fact, their mother didn’t turn up either. When the foals asked Star simply said “She’s gone into Canterlot, that’s all I know. Now just you eat up.” When the head maid left, Firelight spoke her mind “Some dire calamity is happening, I just know it.” Mrs Waterbury returned late. She walked down the street dressed in her hat with her bag and parasol by her side. The foals watch from the window. She walked alone, and seemingly unaware of those around her, some-pony even tipped his hat in a greeting, which she, quite uncharacteristically ignored. Her eyes didn’t convey much, but her movement seemed very loose, like she could fall apart at any moment. When she reached the gate, the foal rushed to the front door where one of the maids opened it for her, they greeted one another. Mrs Waterbury shivered “Oh, it’s so cold. Let’s get to the fireplace, come along.” And the family of four went to the breakfast room. Inside and sitting next to the gas fire, Scribble explained the best she could “My darlings those Bat Ponies last night did bring very bad news and, you Father will be away for some time.” Firelight asked, “Is it something to do with the government Mummy?” “Yes,” Scribble nodded “yes, it is.” She looked at her pocket watch “Now it’s bedtime my darlings.”, sadly the foals got up before they left Scribble said, “Don’t worry, it’ll all come right in the end.” Autumn replied, “Don’t you worry either because we’ll be as good as gold.” The three left and Scribble’s expression saddened, water gathered in her eyes. Up in their bedroom Firelight and Autumn sat down and wondered “We used to say life was so dull and nothing ever happened like in books. Now something has happened.” “Yes, it has. And it’s made mother unhappy.” Firelight stood up “Everything’s horrid, just horrid.” Star grumbled as she climbed the many floors “Stairs, stairs, stairs.” Everything continued to be perfectly horrid for some weeks. Mrs Waterbury spent most of her time out of the house without the Foals. The between maid, Sara, her name coming for the Saddle Arabian word for Princess, being originally born there from a military family. She got sent away. She cried profusely as Mrs Waterbury regretfully shook her by the hoof, kissed her on the cheek and gave her the suitcase. More tears burst as she stepped through the door. And then, Mrs Waterbury’s elderly aunt, Whole Emerald, came on a visit. She came with have a dozen bags and cases, including a birdcage with a parakeet. Whole Emerald herself dressed in white finery with an umbrella and pith helmet. Star looked quite surprised when she answered the door. Emerald said nothing to maid and simply stepped in and pointed to her luggage. The Foals having heard the doorbells came to see what caused it, and were more pleasantly surprised at their grandaunt’s arrival. Emerald looked about the hall and spotted her grandnieces and grandnephew at the turn in the stair, peaking through the banister staffs, she smiled “Good afternoon children.” They smiled back “Good afternoon Aunt Emerald.” They stood up and descended the stairs, she explained “You’re Mother sent for me in her distress. And I’m here for a while, but not for long, I’m off to Saddle Arabia as a governess, and as I shall be busy preparing for my arduous journey I require you to be seen, and not heard, preferably to be not seen and not heard, children should be kept in their proper places, you understand?” They nodded, the fillies curtsied and Stone bowed and they said together “Yes Aunt Emerald.” “Excellent.” She grinned “You may kiss me, if you wish.” She leaned her winkled muzzle out expectedly, Stone’s nose scrunched up and glanced at his sisters. Autumn looked back at Firelight and then to Aunt Emerald and gave her a small peck on the cheek. In the kitchen, the cook stood on the table singing with a bowler hat on her head. The foals joined in with the song using the kitchen utensil to make music. Star opened the door and trudged in, she yelled at them “I have asked you not to use them utensil in that manner.” She quickly grabbed them from the foal as she continued ranting “I was up since four o’clock this morning cleaning them. As if I haven’t enough to do, what if the between maid leaving and now your aunt asking me to heave blooming great boxes about like I was as farmworker or something…” “Star,” Firelight said “There’s not need to be so rude. Cook was just trying to cheer us up.” She looked to her siblings “Come on you two.” The foals quickly left. Star looked up at the cook very unimpressed “Well! I’m very surprised at you cook, where’s your dignity? And take that silly hat off!” she sighed “And get yourself dressed properly, I don’t know, I seem to do all the work around here.” In the bathroom, Stone stood on the cabinet and steadied a bucket of water over the ajar door. Despite being a Unicorn did not yet have the training to even to basic magic. Firelight and Autumn stood close to the bath, Firelight spoke up “We should really Stone, she’ll get soaked.” A door slammed and Stone peered around the bathroom door. He quickly turned to them “It’s too late! She’s coming.” He jumped down and joined his siblings. There heard Star descended and grumbling “Stairs, stairs, stairs. I hope you’re ready and undressed Master Stone! I have got all night you know.” Stone gulped “Yes Star.” “Good.” The maid said as she appeared at the door, she would have said more but upon opening it, she, her uniform and the towels she carried got drenched in cold water and the bucket clattered onto the floor. She wailed and brushed herself down. Then she saw all three Waterbury Foals standing there. Both Firelight and Stone looked scared and regretful, but Autumn looked almost ready to laugh. Star looked to Stone, she knew only a colt would do something like this, she made sure her expression matched the phrase, if looks could kill. She stalked forward, bottling up her rage until the right moment. She simply glanced from left to right and back again as she slowly approached. Her prey and his sister bunched up together but the bath stopped them going any further back. Star gritted her teeth. He left hoof took hold of his shirt. Her right hoof smacked him hard. She grabbed him with both hooves. Shook him violently. Yelling in his face “You’re a nasty little limb you!”, the fillies cried for her to stop but Star took no notice and she stallion-handled the colt about “If you don’t mend your ways, you’ll go where your precious father’s gone! So, I’ll tell you straight!” she raised her hoof again. “STAR!” came a shout from the door. Every-pony turned. Mrs Waterbury looked very stern. Star, dressed in her best attempted at finery, trudged down the stairs to the front door. Mrs Waterbury opened it. Star paused and turned to her, huffed and trudged out. Scribble slammed the door and slapped her hoof together, finally rid of that beastly mare. Clapping started from the stairs. She looked around and up at the three foals. They slowed and stopped, their happy faces fell. Scribble sighed, shook her head and tutted repeatedly. She turned away and head to fill in for Star’s duties, but as she did so she smiled. A few days later Scribble sorted out breakfast and gave her foals important news. “We’re going to have to play at being poor for a while.” She said levitating the plates off the table, she didn’t need to exercise her magic like this in years, she found it before tiresome but also very enjoyable. “We’re moving to darling little house in Ponyville.” The girls questioned this and she looked to Stone “I know you’ll love it.” She turned back to the address all the foals. “During my last trip into Canterlot I managed to get an audience with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I told them our situation and they agreed to have us move to Ponyville while things get sorted out. Princess Twilight has kindly found a good house for us.” Stone asked, “Is Aunt Emerald coming?”, they all turned to her and their mother said “No Stone unfortunately not. She’ll be leaving for Saddle Arabia about the time we leave for Ponyville. I want you all packed up by the afternoon so we can catch the evening train, then I’ll be a few hours to Ponyville.” At the station a team of porter pushed Aunt Emerald’s luggage to the last carriage. She hugged Scribble and Autumn gave her a small peck on the cheek then she bordered the train to Bridle City Port, where she would catch her ship and sail south to Saddle Arabia. They waved her goodbye. Then with their trunks and suitcases they waited for the train to Ponyville to arrive. It arrived late. The little tank engine pulled in, got uncouple and quickly ran around the coaches, time waited for no one. The porter and the guard help the family with their bag, the porter asked if they wanted to go to first class but Mrs Waterbury said they bought economy class tickets, this rather astounded the railway staff, the family looked like first class. Scribble leaned back on her seat to speak to the passenger behind her. A mint green Unicorn with a heart shaped harp cutie mark, a thickly packed saddlebag beside her. Mrs Waterbury asked, “Is this the right train to Ponyville?”, the Unicorn smiled and nodded “Yes, I’d recognise this train any day.” She turned around on her seat and offered her hoof “Lyra Heartstrings, I live in Ponyville.”, Scribble took her took and shook it “Scribble Waterbury.” Lyra’s eyes widened slightly and she frowned, Scribble leaned in and whispered in her ear “I don’t want my darlings to know. Maybe you can tell your friends and pass the news around the town.”, Lyra nodded. The locomotive whistled and the train jerked forward. The foals fell asleep on the journey. Scribble smiled softly and with Stone in her forehooves she kissed him on the forehead. Lyra smiled and looked out the window, she blinked and got off her seat and spoke “You’d better wake the little ones up. We’ll be reaching Ponyville soon.” Scribble nodded and shook Stone lightly, the colt groaned and rubbed his eyes. Scribble smiled and them tapped the fillies awake. She explained they would be arriving soon. The train slow and a lisping voice shouted “Ponyville Station, Ponyville.” Lyra grinned “Sounds like Parcel Post’s on Night Porter duty.” Scribble looked at her, Lyra “Every-pony knows every-pony else here, Parcel used to be the Post-stallion, now he’s doing odd jobs about the village until his idea of beekeeping pays off. Hope to Celestia it works, Luna knows what he’ll do it if it doesn’t.” The group alighted the train and the family walked to the last carriage where the lanky brown Earth Pony handled the luggage and the mailbags. The Waterbury family looked at the suitcases coming out and they smiled “Those are ours.” Parcel smiled “Well, that sorts that out.” He slung the mailbags and a large crate onto the trolley and pushed it out of the station. The Waterbury family followed. Parcel stopped the trolley short of the edge. Another Earth Pony, average size, but with a spiky mane, bowtie and hourglass cutie mark trotted up “Ah my crate at last. What kept the train?” “Haven’t a clue Doc, maybe an earlier through train got delayed.”, together they moved the crate and lugged it onto the bizarre looking cart. Stone blinked “That looks interesting.” The shorter Earth Pony nodded to Parcel and the lanky pony slung the mailbags onto his back and walked into the village. Mrs Waterbury walked up the other Earth “Excuse me, we want to go to the house on the hill, the Three Chimneys? Do you know the way?” The Earth Pony “Of certainly I pass it when I go sort wind the clock tower.” He offered his hoof “I’m Doctor Time Turner. Timekeeper, clockmaker, scientist and inventor, not necessarily in that order.” “Scribble Waterbury.” She shook it “Me and my darlings our moving to the Three Chimneys, can you give up a lift, in your?” “Oh, you like it?” He turned and smiled proudly “My best invention so far, the Lorry.” Stone’s eyes widened and he smiled, exclaiming “You built this?”, Time Turner turned around and looked at him then at his cutie mark “You’ve got an engineering cutie mark? Fantastic! I could use a hoof in the cab stocking the fire.” Stone turned to his mother “Can I Mummy?”, Mrs Waterbury grinned “Okay Stone dear, but do be careful.”, Stone almost bounced as he went to the front. Time Turner help Mrs Waterbury on the fillies onto the back of the Lorry along with their luggage. He pushed the tipping side up, lock it into place and went to the cab. In the driver’s seat, he looked to Stone and began telling him how the Lorry worked. Opened the regulator, the pistons pumped, the flywheel revolved and the Lorry trundled through the sleeping town. They reached the hill, about halfway up in fact. On the top of the hill stood a clock tower, when the Lorry stopped before the house the clock ticked to quarter passed nine at night. The doctor help the three mares down and shook Mrs Waterbury by the hand “I just want to say before Miss Pie does, Welcome to Ponyville.” “Thank you, Doctor. You’ve been very kind.” “Oh, don’t thank me, this is what Ponyville is all about.” He pointed to the large crystal tree on the outskirts of the town “We don’t have the Princess of Friendship living in are town for nothing you know. By the way, did you message the Princess about your arrival? I can tell you’re from Canterlot she must know about this.” Scribble gulped “Yes, she in fact arranged us to live here. I posted a letter saying we’d be here tonight, so we’ll probably have visitors either tomorrow or in the week.” Time Turner nodded “Well, I’d better get home. I’ve got ideas buzzing about in my head ready to be made. Bye for now.” He trotted back to the Lorry, started it up and did a tricky turn and headed slowly down the hill. Stone watched the Lorry go with admiring eyes “Maybe I can learn about engineering from him.” Firelight smiled and looked to Autumn “Maybe we’ll get our cutie marks here.”, Autumn smiled and nodded. They then struggled with their boxes, trunks and suitcases through the narrow gap in the wall, very different from the gate of the villa. Scribble found the door key under the doormat she glanced back at her foal and smiled, perhaps thing would turn out right in the end. But right now, she needed to open the door, get herself and her children inside, she if the caretaker, reluctantly she could only hire a male Pegasus, named Starry Eyes who lived close by, got the house clean and prepared supper. At first, she wondered why no later shone from the house, but then she remembered the train arrived late so he probably went home. She locked the door and stepped in, she charged her horn for an illuminating spell. She heard a squeak and a mouse scurried by on the floor. The door led to a kitchen and dining room. Around the table chair sat and on said table plates and in the centre a basket with dozens of sweet confections. Scribble walked up to it and found a note, written in crayon she read it out “Surprise. Exclamation mark, exclamation mark, exclamation mark. Welcome to Ponyville. Love Pinkie Pie.” Scribble sighed as she looked around “At least Miss Pie was looking out for use Mr Eyes doesn’t appear to have done anything. He’s probably taken the money and not given us anything to eat. I’ll definitely be speaking to the Princess if she comes.” The foals put their cases down, Scribble smiled softly at them “But let’s not worry about that, let eat and enjoy the evening darlings.”, they smiled.