//------------------------------// // Letter Home // Story: Twilight's Kingdom of Steam // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she stared up into the sky. Lying on her back on a bed of clouds she was able to get the perfect view of the endless blue, flawless sky before her. Barely any wind was blowing today. With these conditions it was the perfect day to either practice her flying or just lay here on this bed of clouds until she fell asleep. Not that the latter would be difficult with how quiet it was. Below her, the ponies of Ponyville were going about their day without a care in the world. There were no screams of terror as a home was destroyed by a monster that got loose from the Everfree Forest. Discord wasn’t turning the streets into pudding. No evil unicorns were bent of conquering Equestria. No freaky magical accidents to cause a panic. It was just a nice, quiet day like so many others had been happening recently. Which was exactly the problem! Every day was turning to be exactly like the last, turning the town into Boringville for Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash! The biggest thing to happen around here was the competition to see who would carry the Ponyville flag for the Equestrian games. Turning over to her side, Rainbow began thinking of how this odd calmness was affecting them as well. For starters, Applejack had been less willing to compete with Rainbow Dash. The last time they had done anything together was a ‘bravest pony competition’ which had ended with the two of them covering parts of their faces with bees. After that, she told Rainbow they would pick it up later and went back to the farm. There Applejack’s work had become a tad sloppy, missing trees and having to go back to them. Then there was Rarity who was suffering from some sort of inspiration block. Since Spike was gone, she had to look and dig up the gems all by herself but they all laid in her home untouched. More than once Rainbow had seen the fashion loving unicorn looking frazzled as she made her way to pick up more supplies, yet nopony had seen anything new in her shop. As for Pinkie Pie, she was still doing all the things she normally did but with less of a bounce in her trot. Ponies around could tell that there were less streamers in the parties she provided and less confetti in her party cannon. Lastly there was Fluttershy who had been seen less around town. Maybe she was working more with Discord or something. Letting out a sigh, Rainbow wondered what had happened to the town. What had changed to make a place that dealt with so much on an almost weekly basis to become so quiet all of a sudden? Was it- “Rainbow Dash!” screamed a voice from below, causing the prism-maned pegasus to jump to her hooves. Quickly looking down, she saw Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down while being surrounded by the rest of her friends. Faster than you could say ‘20% cooler’ Rainbow was off her cloud bed and in front of them with an eager look on her face. “What happened?” she asked excitedly as she looked around. “Has Princess Celestia summoned us to face some new threat? Has a monster from Tartarus escaped again? Has the Equestrian Games been moved to Ponyville? Are the Wonderbolts coming?” “No,” said Pinkie as she held up a scroll. “I just got a letter.” Rainbow made a face. “That’s it? You got a letter?” As she said that, everypony around her began to either shake their heads or facehoof. “What?” “Darling, the letter is from Twilight,” said Rarity as she rolled her eyes. “It appeared in my shop thanks to Spikey-wikey.” “An’ we all thought it would be mighty nice ta read it together,” continued Applejack. “Unless of course you don’t want to,” finished Fluttershy. “Of course I want to!” said Rainbow as she began to smile. “It’s been awhile since we heard from the egghead.” “Ok!” said a chipper Pinkie Pie as she held up the scroll in front of her. She then cleared her throat while a hoof pulled back her mane which instantly turned it into the same mane style Twilight used. When the pink pony did speak, it was in a very good imitation of Twilight’s voice. “To all my friends. I hope that this letter finds you well. Sorry for not writing to you sooner but there has just been so much to do around here. Between learning about the history of Thunder Valley, learning their culture, and trying to work out some of the issues they have been having, both me and Spike have been exhausted. “There is so much to tell you all that I don’t know where to start! I guess, for starters, I should tell you all about my position. I had sent a letter to Princess Celestia about this so I don’t know if she told the Equestrian press. Well, in case she hasn’t, my role as the ruler of Thunder Valley is sort of up in the air. My rule is on a trial period for the foreseeable future.” Rainbow Dash frowned when she heard this. According to what she had heard from ponies who regularly read the Canterlot Times, the only thing to be mentioned about Twilight since her inauguration was that she was heading to Thunder Valley to become Queen. After that, the closest thing relating to Twilight that the rainbow maned pegasus had heard was about was that a railroad was going to connect them to Thunder Valley. To her, it seemed a bit odd that the princess hadn’t told the press about this trial thing. Or heck, sent a letter to them about what was happening to their friend. Rainbow racked her brain as she tried to figure out why she would do this with the best answer being that she wanted Twilight to be the one to tell them. That or her letter got lost in the mail which could have happened since Spike was no longer around. As for the trial thingy, it sort of made sense to her. After all, you don’t get to be a Wonderbolt without going through a number of trial periods. They wanted the best of the best after all so there were many things they had to look at. So, in a way, she could understand why the thestrals were doing this: they wanted to make sure they had the best. How they measured the best, Rainbow had no clue. Of course, Rainbow wasn’t worried about her old friend Twi. She was an over organizing egghead who had earned the right to become an alicorn! If there was any pony who could get through this trial thing than it would be her. “I’m also meeting a lot of…interesting ponies,” continued Pinkie Pie in Twilight’s voice. “Most of them are friendly and have been supportive in helping on my journey to becoming Queen. For example, I have my own bodyguard.” “Ohh,” went Rarity as starts appeared in her eyes. Quickly her hoof went up into the air before landing over her heart in a dramatic fashion. “Probably some dashing stallion who is very dignified like Shining Armor. Perhaps there will be wedding bells in her future!” “Her name is Overkill,” continued Pinkie, ignoring Rarity as she slumped a bit. “She can be a hooffull at times. Especially in the mornings…” -x- Twilight snoozed peacefully in her bed, the thick curtains blocking out the sun’s light so that she could sleep. When she had moved in, Twilight had thought that this was a room dedicated to mirrors since they seemed to dominate its entirety. Nearly every inch of the walls, the ceiling, and even parts of the floor were covered in mirrors of every shape and size Twilight could imagine. It was only due to the fact that Count Raven had informed her that this was the master bedroom as well as seeing a rather large four poster bed that told her this was her room. Knowing that she would be unable to sleep in here with so many mirrors about, Twilight had used her magic to take them out before ordering that they be put into storage until they could figure out what to do with them. As for the bed it was far too elegant for her tastes, mostly made of black marble except for the mattress which was thankfully very soft. However, Twilight was glad (as well as surprised) that the bed didn’t have Alabaster’s face carved into it or that it had been replaced by a white marble one. It would be one of the many things she would just have to get used to. On the floor of her bedroom laid many books, stacked up into neat piles. So far, Twilight had been unable to get any proper bookshelves in her room. Well, to be more accurate, she was unwilling to do so. Right now she had very little time for personal reading or studying as well as lacking the grits to get the amount of bookshelves needed for her personal collection. Add to the fact that she didn’t know if she would be staying here for very long and it seemed like a bad idea. So for now her books were on the floor along with Spike’s bed. The only other thing in her room was her pet Owliscious’ stand where said owl was snoozing peacefully along with the rest of them. That was until a soft ringing could barely be heard in the room next to them. But Twilight’s ears flickered and her eyes opened just in time as several shots were fired, dampened thanks to a spell she had cast on her room. Right above her head three small holes appeared in the wall followed by small spheres of metal being implanted in the wall across from her. Once the ringing had been silenced, Twilight got out of bed and trotted out of her room. Calmly she moved to the room next to hers which she opened without knocking. With a deadpan expression, she looked in to see Overkill on the ground. Before the thestral mare were three long pieces of cloth which held the pieces to her weapons, carefully laid out as she cleaned each and every piece. As for the mare herself, she was spotting a major bed mane with strands poking in every direction while still covering her one eye. Briefly the mare looked up at Twilight while a hoof reached over to grab the large battle axe next to her, but pulled back when she saw who it was and went back to her work. Sighing, Twilight looked around the mare’s room. Hanging on most of the walls were various weapons from all eras of Thunder Valley’s history. Some looked like they would fit right in with Equestria. Others were clearly the more high tech type that Twilight had come to expect from this land. Then there were those that looked like a fusion of the two. For example, there was a large axe hanging on the wall that had a few gas chambers on it which connected to tubes running towards the blade as well as the other side. According to what she had been told, this weapon was designed so that with a flip of a switch the blade would heat up while creating a burst of steam to help add additional momentum to the blow. However it required expert timing and was difficult to master. So in the end it was deemed a failure. The only spot in Overkill’s room that did not have any weapons on it was the side with a long dresser. On top of the dresser were the remains of an alarm clock. With a sigh, Twilight’s horn lit up to allow her magic to not only fix the clock but also repair the damages to the wall. -x- “Overkill might be a little extreme sometimes, but she has a good heart,” read Pinkie as the rest of Twilight’s friends stared at her with open mouths. “She has taken a real liking to Spike asking him all sorts of questions while I’m busy with my lessons with Count Raven. As for Spike, he’s given her one of his scales to act like a target to help with her training. Since dragon scales are really tough, it hasn’t even dented a little since he gave it to her.” “Golly,” said Applejack. “An here ah was thinking Rainbow Dash was reckless.” “Hey!” cried Rainbow Dash with a glare towards the farming pony. “It’s true,” said Applejack calmly. “Just thinkin’ of all them times you went out there ta practice a stunt before ya went flyin’ through someponies window, wall, or apple tree.” AJ then shook her head. “Ah don’t know what Twilight was thinkin’, but it sound ta me that mare is a few apples short of a dozen.” “She sounds positively barbaric,” exclaimed Rarity. “But at least we know she likes Spike,” interjected Fluttershy softly with a hopeful smile on her face. “I mean, from the sounds of it she hasn’t tried hurting him. And if she ever did, Twilight would do something about it.” “I have also become acquainted with a stallion named Wild Theory,” said Pinkie Pie as she continued to read the letter in Twilight’s voice. “His official title is Royal Scientific Advisor. As can probably guess, it’s his duty to help me understand the technology in Thunder Valley. Both the old as well as the new. So far he has been a wellspring of information… -x- “Hello, hello, hello!” sang Wild Theory as he entered Twilight’s private office. The stallion looked a bit ruffled, probably thanks to the guard down the hallway that had frisked him before informing Twilight on the comm system that he was here to see her. It was something that annoyed Twilight, that he couldn’t just walk in to her office even after she had extended the offer that he could see her whenever he liked. Then again, if he DID do that, Overkill would have shot him or chucked a grenade at him the moment he entered unannounced thinking he was an assailant or something. Smiling, Twilight gestured towards the seat that she had moved there as soon as she heard that he was coming. While it hadn’t been going on for long, Wild Theory had been making it a habit to visit her around lunch time each and every night since she had extended the offer. Perhaps it was done this way to ensure that he wasn’t bothering her while she was doing anything important. Or maybe it was just his lunch break as well. Nevertheless, Twilight was glad to have some additional company. “How is your night going so far?” asked Twilight as the stallion sat down. As he did so, Twilight took in a spoonful of her lunch which was a simple vegetable stew with some bread. “Wonderful!” cried the stallion with a bounce in his chair. “The latest news from the Black Snow Academy up in the northern border of Thunder Valley just came in! The professors there are working on a brand new model of an auto-pony: one that can actually fly! This is simply amazing, amazing, amazing news.” “It does,” replied Twilight with a small nod. “Do you think it will work?” “Well…that depends,” replied Wild Theory as he crossed his front hooves. “I have yet to look at the specs for their designs but I can deduce a few of my own theories as to how this might work. If I had to guess, they will be using a lighter frame while adding in specialized gas chambers to allow it gain some lift. With added wing motions from the auto-pony, it would be able to fly. However, there are a number of issues that will need to be taken into account. For example, in order for this to work they will need to put in a furnace system in order to heat up the gases. This will produce a duo of issues: the weight of the furnace will more than likely make it too heavy to get off the ground while the proximity to the gases will increase the chances of an explosion. My, my, my. I do hope they think of that. “In fact, now that I think of it, any design they go with will no doubt be heavier due to the need on an interior heating system. Should it run out of fuel, it will more than likely crash to the ground! Maybe glide to the ground, but there will still be a crash. Oh, so many problems to address.” “Yes,” said Twilight with a sigh. “It does sound like they would be more trouble than they are worth.” She was silent for a moment as a thought came to her. “What sort of jobs could they do?” “Well the military could find some jobs for them,” grinned Overkill as she stood behind Twilight, munching on some stick like military ration that she had brought with her. “Put the right combination of gases in them or, better yet, a massive bomb and then send them on their way towards an enemy outpost. Less fun for me but it’ll get the job done with a big explosion.” Wild Theory frowned at that. “Why is it your type of pony always wants to weaponize every new discovery?” he asked while rolling his eyes. “If we could get this to work, we could-” “Put more thestrals out of a job,” stated Overkill, causing the two other ponies in the room to stare at her in amazement. “What? You think thestrals out there won’t use them to replace their employees? Sure it might be boring jobs like window washing or delivering mail or some dung like that, but those are still jobs that ponies need. Most ponies out there will do anything to save some grits, meaning that if this works there will be plenty of bosses out there figuring out if it’ll be cheaper to buy a dozen of these things or just to keep the ponies they already have. My grits are on them being replaced. Spend a chunk now and save grits and headaches in the long run.” She paused to bite into her food. “At least my idea doesn’t replace anypony.” “…Well maybe new laws could be put in place to prevent something like that,” said Wild Theory, his cheeks turning red. Twilight could feel her own face burning as well for not having thought of that. “I guess,” shrugged Overkill as she finished her meal. “But seems like it would be better to just let the military have them. That way, more lives could be saved.” “That’s assuming that they could get them to do any sort of task,” sighed Theory. “Most auto-ponies can only do the most basic of tasks.” “Could they…pull chariots?” asked Twilight. She saw Theory tilt his head as he looked at her, prompting her to explain. “Back in Equestria, some ponies can hire pegasi to pull chariots through the sky in order to travel long distance. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that there are auto-ponies pulling land based chariots but no flying ones. Perhaps these flying auto-ponies can provide that role.” “Ah, why not just make a smaller zeppelin?” asked Overkill. “Because even those would still be too big!” said an excited Wild Theory as he jumped out of his seat. “We have something similar here, but instead of chariots thestrals pull carriages! If they could get those flying auto-ponies to work, whole new business could open up! Building a more compact means of traveling without the worry of traffic jam! This could work, work, work!” Twilight nodded. “But only if they manage to get the prototypes working,” she said with a smile, happy to see him so excited. Not that she wasn’t excited as well. Not even after years of hard work had Equestria’s best minds figured out how to make a flying golem. This would be history and she was living it right this moment. “That’s right,” said Theory as he began to pace back and forth. “Perhaps this research might aid in other fields. Like, for example, auto-limbs! Right now the problem with them is that they are simply too big and too heavy for flight. If these professors manage to get that auto-pony into the air, then there is a chance their research might…help…them.” It was as if somepony had thrown water into the fire that was Theory’s excitement. The stallion seemed to stop dead in his tracks before a hoof went to touch his bad wing. While his head was turned, Twilight and Overkill exchanged a meaningful look. Neither of them knew what had happened to his wing. According to what she had learned during her stay here, losing a limb or body part happened from time to time. Be it a lab accident, a fight gone horribly bad, or something far darker that they had not gone into details with Twilight. While most auto-limbs could at least allow some form of returned mobility, wing auto-limbs could never give back the gift of flight making them more decorative than anything else. Due to this being a tribe where everypony could fly, it was considered rude to inquire into how one lost their flight unless they were intimately close. Similar to how most unicorns found it rude to have ponies staring at their chipped, dented, or broken horns. It was simply a sore spot that nopony wanted to really bring up. As Overkill scratched the back of her head, Twilight spoke up. “Well, we’ll keep an eye on this and see where it leads. Now I heard that you have been working on some theories on how the thestrals might have had ties with the other pony races.” Twilight’s attempt at changing the topic seemed to have the desired effect of Theory. He brightened up considerably, bouncing back into his seat with a face full of glee. “That I have!” he exclaimed. “You have to agree that there are so many, many, many similarities between us and you. There has to be a reason for this; some sort of connection between us. So in my spare time I have been bouncing off ideas onto Chalky to see what he thinks. Normally he tells me to shut up so he can work on his cooking, but I have known him long enough to tell the differences between the tones he uses!” Twilight said nothing as she listened to him talk, slowly eating her stew while enjoying the remainder of her lunch. -x- “Well he seems nice,” said Pinkie Pie, breaking from the Twilight speak as her mane went back to normal. “Y-Yeah,” agreed Rainbow with a wince before looking over at her own wings. She could remember the times in her life when she had been unable to fly due to an injury. The feeling of confinement as she was stuck to the ground, the lack of freedom she was used to had been almost unbearable each and every time. Thankfully she always healed and was ready to go back to the sky where she belonged. It was a sad reminder that not everypony healed; never to return to the place fliers like them belonged. “A bit odd, but I suppose he is good company for Twilight,” said Rarity as her horn lit up, the glow surrounding the letter as it left Pinkie’s hooves and floated over to her. “Perhaps when she comes to visit us she’ll bring the dear along. If it’s not too soon I could make him a marvelous outfit to distract from his injury.” She then looked down at the letter, her eyes trailing down the inked lines. “Now let’s see when she going to visit. Perhaps it will be during the…oh.” “What ‘oh’?” asked Applejack as she raised an eyebrow. “Well, according to this letter, Twilight doesn’t know when she’ll be able to return for a visit,” said Rarity with a sad sigh. Shaking her head slightly she rolled up the letter. “She had tried to get them into the Equestrian Games, hoping to represent Thunder Valley as well as a good excuse to see us again. However she was denied so-” “Wait!” shouted Rainbow, her wings outstretched. As she marched over to Rarity, the others of the group took a small step back. “What do you mean Twilight’s not entering the Equestrian Games?!? She has to!” “Well it’s just like it says,” replied Rarity as she gave the scroll to Rainbow Dash who quickly ripped it out of her magical hold and opened it. “Something about them missing the registration deadline and not even having a team ready to compete. I will admit that it is a pity, but an understandable one. Just means that we will just have to continue to wait. I am sure that Twilight will do her best to try and schedule something in the near future.” Rainbow was only half listening to Rarity as she spoke; her eyes glued to the lines Rarity had just talked about. It was there in dark black ink written most likely by Spike that they would not be able to attend. And that would not do for Rainbow Dash! The Equestrian Games were a really, really big deal. Her buddy should not be denied the chance to have her country’s finest be represented in this great event. It was practically a crime! Also, what was with them not having a team picked out already? Didn’t they have athletes like the Wonderbolts around? Or at least something close? Oh, what if it was a nation full of eggheads like Twilight? As the others said their goodbyes and walked away to go back to whatever they were doing before, Rainbow continued to stand there looking at the letter. Now she realized what was missing that made their lives so exciting: Twilight. Didn’t all of their adventures start when she had first arrived in Ponyville? Wasn’t it because Twilight was so close to Princess Celestia that they were called in by the princess to help out? Realizing this, Rainbow’s eyes widened. Would those same dangers follow Twilight to Thunder Valley? Would she have to face them without her friends? Well, not if Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash had anything to say about it! Sure, she might have something like the Canterlot Royal Guards to help protect her and junk, but the six of them have been able to stop some of the biggest bad guys ever! Twilight would need all the help she could get! Even if there wasn’t any danger going on, there was no way Rainbow could let Twilight have a country devoid of awesome ace fliers like herself. Her friend deserved to have the very best at her hooves and that’s what she was going to get! With that in mind, Rainbow Dash shot up in to the sky to prepare. -x- Elsewhere, a tired thestral general was looking over various documents. Before him were evaluations of each of the first year cadets. At the top of each document was a black and white photograph of the cadet with the gender, coloration, and cutie mark of said cadet written next to it. Below was basic information about each cadet’s progress. Any emotional issues or behavioral problems that that cadet might be having. How many reps the cadet could do now vs how many they did when they first entered. If their accuracy had improved. At the very bottom of each was a space for the General to write his own notes. As he moved his bullet shaped pen across the paper, his eyes quickly flicked over towards the small two way communicator in the corner of his office. The square, copper device sat upon a small table with the only break in its ten inch frame being a single large gear sticking out of its side. Besides the gear, the only other thing that really stood out was the metal mesh of wire in the middle which formed a circle with a few switches next to it. This communicator sent wavelengths on a special frequency that only its twin could pick up on, making it perfect for the assignment at hoof. Ever since the General Steel Trap had sent Overkill on this mission, he had found himself checking it every day. When the sun had risen and every thestral was asleep the General would be in his office later than normal in case Overkill had something to report. There were no set dates for reports which was slightly irksome, but it was standard protocol for all Specialists out in the field. Making regular reports while surveying the target gave more chances that a pattern in their behavior might be detected and thus risking death. It was when his eyes had returned to his work that he heard a clicking sound. Stopping what he was doing, the General looked up to see the large gear beginning to move slowly while static could be heard buzzing from the speaker. Quickly setting down his pen, Steel Trap moved towards the device as the gear began to move faster and faster. Once he was in front, the General flipped one of the switches causing the static heard to lessen considerably. “This is Specialist Overkill reporting in,” her voice whispered, barely audible over the low static. “I repeat, this is Specialist Overkill reporting in. General, do you read me? Over.” “This is General Steel Trap,” the stallion whispered back. “What do you have to report?” “Well sir, since beginning my investigation, I have noticed plenty of things about the princess,” began Overkill. “She usually gets up at around five in the afternoon…but that could be more because of me. You know how I like to silence my alarm. But it is pretty cool that she can repair it with her magic. Anyways, she goes back to her room after that and comes out about half an hour later or so before going to breakfast along with the tiny dragon. His name is Spike, but I’m sure you knew that already. At breakfast she…” For the next several minutes, Overkill began to talk about every little thing Twilight did during the course of the first meal of the day. How many times she asked for some sugar. How many times the dragon claimed to miss something called haybacon. That one time Twilight had a panic attack because she thought she missed a memo. “Overkill,” hissed Steel Trap. “Condense! Important information only!” He could almost see the mare rolling her eyes. “Sir, this could be useful information,” she said. “Besides, you wanted me to report everything so that’s what I’m doing.” “I meant information that I couldn’t get from my normal sources,” snapped the General, almost allowing his voice to rise slightly. “What have you found out about the dragon?” “This one doesn’t seem to be a threat,” began Overkill. “Acts more like a spoiled or ignorant foal at times, lying around reading something called comic books all day. But there are times he seems to want to be of use to the princess, willing dropping everything he is doing just to help her out with only a bit of snark. So far he has been willing to tell me anything I want to know about the outside world. The other dragons, however, are an issue. From what Spike has told me, they seem to go and do whatever they want. Adult dragons are huge, growing up large enough to fix one to five thestrals in their mouth before swallowing them whole.” The General paused for a moment. In his head, he saw large dragons flying through the sky as they knocked the zeppelins out of the air. Taking a breath, he spoke again. “If they were to venture into Thunder Valley, could we take them?” “I’m…not sure,” admitted Overkill, causing the General’s blood to run cold. “If I were to take everything Spike has been telling me at face value, they seem to be able to swim in lava. Freaking lava! I also convinced him to give me one of his scales so I could shoot it. All my bullets did was scratch it. Pretty sure a cannon might have some effect, but this little fella is just a baby. Those scales might get a lot tougher as he gets older. Maybe that blasted magic them unicorns have can be used against them or maybe they know a weak point that we don’t. Right now, all I can say is that if just one adult were to make it into Thunder Valley we’re going to need the entire military to deal with it. More than likely some serious losses.” Steel Trap stood there for a moment or two not saying anything. Their weapons would be that ineffective against such a threat? All their achievements being rendered useless to an ancient creature? Just how powerful were unicorns? “Understood,” said Steel Trap finally. “Is there anything else to report?” “Oh is there,” replied Overkill. “Let me tell you what I found out about a race called the Changelings and how they almost took over Equestria.”