//------------------------------// // Chapter I - Where Did These Come From? // Story: A Changeling's Christmas Catastrophe // by AizakkuHorooee //------------------------------// Well, another day, another visit from Pane.  She isn’t here yet, but when I wake up, the sun looks to have been up for a little while.  I guess I was awake for a little longer than I remember. Looking at the clock in my room, I notice that it’s currently about eight thirty.  Well, I can’t be too surprised Pane isn't here.  But it does raise the question of whether or not she’s on her way now, just getting up or what. Hmm... I didn’t recall any dreams when sleeping for the second time.  Must’ve slept a lot better after that talk. Hey, wait a minute.  ...as soon as she can come... so does Pane have other things to do at the moment? Suddenly, the main entrance’s lock starts to make a few sounds before the door opens.  Pretty sure that’s Pane. “Carve?” Yep.  I levitate my door open and dash into the living room.  But then, it looks like Pane is levitating a piece of well rolled paper. “Hi Pane.  So, what’s that you have?” “Well, I don’t know who it’s from, but the writing looks about on par with the Foal Free Press in Ponyville.” “Hey, let me see that.” I use my horn to take the paper out of Pane’s aura and unveil it. “Hmm...” To Carve, or whatever your name is: Hi.  It’s Roman.  Carina probably told you about me, because she just told me about you, so I thought I’d have her send this letter to you.  I wanted to see how you felt about coming to my friend’s house for Christmas.  According to my niece-in-law, Sophie, it’s about the same day as Hearth’s Warming.  Apparently, Aita’s been excited for quite some time about you coming over for Christmas.  Well, I hope you do have the time this year to come to Wisconsin.  Everybody’s looking forward to seeing you. Roman Bagley “...Roman Bagley... I recognize that name.” ”Jon Vibe, Roman Bagley, Sophie Handy, Dan Bell...” “That was one of the names Carina listed when we gave Chrysalis her hive back.” “Really?!?  Who’s Roman Bagley?” Pane asks. “Roman must be one of the members of Carina’s makeshift family... and so must Sophie.” “So, let me get this straight.  Aside from Aita, Carina doesn’t have her own changeling family?  And has to rely on those we once called ‘earless creatures’ to fill that gap?” “Well, I don’t know about her changeling family.  No one ever told me about that back when I lived in the hive.  And that was because it was no one’s business.” “But what about the Wisconsinian tribe that’s Carina’s other family is a part of?” “Oh, like Roman and Sophie?” Pane nods. “Yeah, uh-” “They’re kind of humans,” a familiar voice interrupts into our conversation. “RUSTY FLASHLIGHT!!!” The both of us rush over to the stoop when we see the pegasus we know.  For a lack of better words, we have a moment of reunion unlike any other in the past. Suddenly, I’m the first of us to notice a strange item Rusty Flashlight has in his saddle bag. “Hey, what’s that?” “Oh that?  This thing?” His wing unveils the saddlebag, prompting Pane to levitate this mysterious item over to the front of my hooves.  So, when I put it in a studyable distance from my eyes, I notice that the silhouette on what I presume is the top depicts a sort of card that’s a little torn at the flat end.  On the other end of this “card”, there’s a bit of a slit in the form of a half circle, although I wouldn’t really know what the slit is for.  Below that card, there appears to be a saying of four words.  WOW! what a difference! “Hmm... what is this?  Where’d you get it from?” “Oh.  I got this from a rental store up where Roman and Jon live.  But that’s not all I got.  I mean, what’s the use of this baby, without this!” Rusty Flashlight pulls out a sort of case.  It says on the front: Blockbuster Video.  Containing the name is exactly the shape I saw in the silhouette of the other item he brought home. “So, uh, what are these?” I ask. “These babies I got from Roman and Jon are actually from a VERY rare store.  As you can probably guess, it’s Blockbuster.” I study the case a little bit more and find a sticker near the top of the front, as if it’s a label. “So, is this case an actual recording of a Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant?” I inquire. “Well, not the actual case itself.  But one of the segments of the case’s content contains that.” “Content?  Rusty, that doesn’t really give us an idea of what this really is, since neither Carve nor I have ever seen anything like this before.” Pane levitates the case over to her and opens it, revealing something somewhat similar to a vinyl disc, at least in shape.  However, unlike the minimal aesthetics I’ve seen of vinyl discs, this kind of disc has absolutely amazing artwork, and it’s unbelieveable how much of the artwork can fit.  It depicts Pinkie Pie, joined by Rainbow Dash and some random baby alligator, in front of a background within Equestria.  And in that background, the Equestria train can be seen moving to the left.  On the left, below the train, a bunch of logos can be vaguely seen, all under “Disc 2”.  Finally all of that is under a perfectly readable logo, named My Little Pony. “Whoa.  So this actually has a Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant in it?” “Sure does, Carve.  It’s the entire reason why I got all this for the six of us in the first place.  But this is a one week rental, so once we finish the festivities here with Carina and Aita, I’ll have to go with them back to Wisconsin.” “Thanks for solving the whole pageant problem up there.  Carve and I owe a lot to you.” Couldn’t have said better myself, so I decide to join in on a hug.