Hi Mum, hi Dad.
Been awhile since we last talked. Almost a month, right?
Things have been great here, and I hope everything back on Earth is going well, too. Wouldn’t do for you guys to be miserable while we’re here in the land of Sunshine and Rainbows, would it?
Oh, and thanks for the box you sent! It’ll be great to have some of my old things back. I haven’t opened it yet. It’s in the trunk in our room, at the moment, but it’s good to have some mementoes, right?
Some good news on Rose’s part: She got a job as a mail-mare, helping Derpy out since the town’s grown a lot over the past few years. With a Princess and multiple national- and international, in some cases- heroes all living here, ponies and all kinds of creatures have all moved here, which means more mail, more deliveries, and more work for pretty much everyone. Pretty much every store in town has seen a boom in revenue, and most are looking to expand. Real easy to find open positions at the moment, actually.
Crystal started going to school a few weeks ago. It’s been...interesting, since she shares a classroom with fillies and colts much older than she is, and comes back home with pages of notes and a thirst for more knowledge. She’s been hanging out at Twilight’s palace a lot, reading up in the library, and I think “Aunty Twiley” has been enjoying it a bit too much. She sent Crystal home at ten last night, (when they both know bed-time is eight!) with a book almost as big as Crystal is. The poor thing was dragging it up the hill outside when we found her.
I’ve been sketching a lot recently. Mostly little drawings of the critters around here. I’ve got about ten drawings of Angel, cause the little attention whore noticed me doing it and now starts posing nearby whenever I get my sketching pad out, and I simply can’t resist the temptation. Manipulative little lagomorph.
The wedding is soon…...I’m getting excited ...and nervous ...nervouscited? I think that’s what Pinkie called it. It’s that feeling where you get all jittery, giddy and tense at once, so it’s pretty easy to identify. Much harder to name, though.
What was it like for you guys, getting married? Were you as nervous as I am?
….Probably. I think everyone is, even if they seem like they aren’t. This sort of thing is a big deal. Huge. Life-changing.
I wouldn’t give it up even if the world was burning and it was the only way to stop it.
I’d love`for you guys to be able to be here, but ...well, it would be a one way trip, and I can’t ask that of you, not even for my wedding day….heh, bet you never thought I’d be marrying a pony, or that it would be two brides instead of one, eh?
S’pose that just goes to show how much everything’s changed, doesn’t it? Two worlds, and more besides. Earth isn’t the only planet to bear life, humans aren’t alone, there’s such a thing as magic, and talking animals, and…..well, gods too. I know I never would have believed this.
On a more morbid note ...did you visit her? I want to make a quick trip over there at some point to do it, and I built a little cairn for her up on the hill behind the cottage. It looks out over the Everfree. It’s really quite beautiful. Is….is where they buried her a nice place? I know there’s no body in either grave, but it’s nice to think that she can rest in peace somewhere nice and quiet. She would have liked that. I know I would. Who wants their rest disturbed by someone speeding by in a car?
Anyway...I suppose I should finish up. We’re going to the movies tonight. The Crusaders invited Crystal out, and me and Shy are tagging along. I know it’s just movies, but those three are disaster magnets. Remember that house they built? And all the ones they almost destroyed? Yeah. Enough said. They are wonderful girls, but they are just so….chaotic- (not that’s a bad thing Discord. Yes I know you’re reading this somehow. No, I’m not telling you how.) and clumsy.
Write back as soon as you can. I….I miss you. And Josh. And Mike. And...Anna…...I don’t want to lose you all.
I, uh…..guess I’ll get going. I can hear Shy calling my name.
With love, always.
Static Thunder.
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“Come on, Mummy!! We’re going to miss it!”
“Aster, sweetie, we’re twenty minutes early. We’re not going to be late. It’s ten minutes away, and we already have the tickets, we’ll be fine.”
“But-”
“Crystal, calm down. We won’t miss it, I promise.”
“Okay…”
“Oh, sweetheart, don’t fret. Smile! We can make a game of getting there, you know.”
“Really?!”
“Yes, really. Some of my favourite games were played on the go, but my favourite is….”
The voices faded away from the cottage, leaving it empty and quiet for the first time in days. The moss that covered the roof rustled slightly in the winds that blew through the trees, silhouetted by the silver light of Luna’s moon as it rose high into the sky at it’s mistresses behest. The dark windows were cool to the touch, as was the wood beams that held up the roof, the walls and the windows. The air around it was tranquil and still, and carried the sweet scent of wildflowers that bent gently in the breeze, little animals, including birds and squirrels all retreated to their nests for the night, and peace reigned over the pony homestead.
It was not to last.
A stranger appeared from the dappled woods, her coat thick and the rack of antlers upon her head slender, resembling a crown wreathed of thorns instead of molded metal. Her ears flicked and her mouth curled into a tiny smile, her eyes narrowing as she stalked closer, the tiny sounds of scurrying critters marking her passage where she disturbed their slumber.
She moved to the house, and despite the door being locked, opened it, and stepped inside. She gazed around the house for a time, taking in the various images in frames on the walls and counter-tops, before she beheld one in particular- a photo of a Changeling Nymph and a Pony, curled up next to one another beside a fire, sipping hot chocolate and smiling broadly at the dancing flames of their fireplace, which now stood cold and empty.
She stared at the image for a time, her smile deepening to a frown, her brows down between her eyebrows as she regarded the photo. Then she reached out, and knocked it from the shelf it had been sat on.There was a lovely sound of tinkling glass, and the figure smiled. She opened the window behind where the picture had been, to make it look accidental, before she took another look around the house.
She quickly found a picture- a sketch that had been left lying on a table, half finished.
It was a face, with a small nose, rounded ears, expressive eyes, and it was rather flat looking. A young female, by the looks of it, if the long mane and soft jawline was any indication.…
The figure stared too, before her wide eyes narrowed, becoming a deeply furrowed expression of rage, though, had anyone been present, they would have noticed a peculiar thing.
It was a rage that was not directed at the picture, but rather the reaction that it had produced. There was a flare of magic, and the picture was crumpled into a ball and hurled away. She wasn’t there for this stupid mare’s nostalgia. She was here for something she needed.
She found it in the mare’s room, having stalked upstairs, making sure she did not look at any of the other pictures there, because of the irritating possibility of another reaction like the one before. It was resting in the very top of a trunk, in a small box of things that had been sent through the portal.
Yes, she knew all about those. They were part of her plans, after all.
The box contained mementos, little bits and bobs from a life left behind. A set of keys, a few scant pictures of creatures that had never set foot on this planet, a few old toys, a graduation certificate, and, lastly, her goal.
A book.
Yes, that was her goal, a book.
Retrieving the book with her magic, she paused, flipping open the front cover to read the handwritten message inside.
“To Anna,
So that you’ll always be able to read the stories you love.
From Allan.”
The Deer sneered at the little message. She hadn’t come for the book to read that. She had other uses for it.
It was time for a little deception, one that would change the course of history.
She smiled as she left the house behind, and returned to the forest from whence she came.
She strode past monsters that cowered at the sight of her, or fled from her presence. She passed by the old ruins of a castle once ruled by two sisters. She casually ignored the hut of the forest’s resident shaman. She was not even noticed by the forest’s native deer as she walked through their home.
She descended into the depths of the cavern from which she had emerged only hours before, in the center of the huge, circular depression in the middle of the forest, one bordered by a ring of hills that had seen many a rainstorm come and go.
She vanished into the depths of those caves, chuckling at the ease with which she had acquired the object of her desires.
Then she passed through the network of caves beneath, knowing them by heart and knowing the path to her destination.
The ruins stretched out underneath the forest were little more than the memory of something beautiful, scarred forever by tragedy and destruction, misery and betrayal.
Here, in the ruins of her masters enemies, would she bring about his return.
Here, she would rewrite the stories told.
Here, was where the story would end.
All she needed now was his bell.
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I suppose that Equestria hasn’t needed much in the way of security in the 1000 years of Celestia’s reign, since pretty much nothing happened in that time to cause concern. It was peaceful. Simple. Easy.
But I think that’s the part that worries me most. It’s been too simple. Too easy. That’s why a nation so reputably powerful has been nearly kicked to the curb almost half a dozen times within a decade. I should probably talk to Luna about it. Maybe we can come up with some new ways to improve Equestria’s defenses. I mean, they don’t even have an early warning system! Not even something as rudimentary as a series of beacons, or flares, or even just outposts stationed by fast flyers who can tell everyone what’s happening. It’s a major oversight in the nations defense plans, and since Chrysalis was the last major threat to rear its head, that means it’s been two years since our last threat. If the trend continues, we’re getting overdue for the next one.
I’d rather not take it sitting on my little pony tush, like a complete bellend.
Still, not exactly something to bother you with too much ...you know what, I’m scratching this out before you have a chance to read it.
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*Ding-Dong!!*
The front door of the small house opened at the behest of the ringing doorbell. It was not quite familiar to the ones ringing the doorbell. It was a nice, quiet place that was removed from the hustle and bustle of the areas closer to the city center, like their old home, but it was nearly thirty blocks away, and it’s residents were not quite how they remembered them either.
The woman who opened the door did not have the same hair colour they remembered, dyed a fiery, but slightly greyed orange, and it was no longer done up in a bun like they remembered her often doing, with her long locks instead hanging down past her shoulders in a relaxed, loose cascade.
Her face, however, remained unchanged, still kind, and wrinkled by slight crows feet, her cheeks creased with laugh lines, and her eyes brightened at the sight of them.
“Kathy!” Mary Ryder pulled her daughter into a firm but gentle hug, a warm embrace that felt like the toasty comfort of a bed in the morning. The elder woman kissed her daughter's cheek a multitude of times, as if it was the most precious thing she could ever do.
To her, that was absolutely true.
Kathy, or Rose, not quite sure which name to use, returned the hug with equal passion, while her three companions and their “handler”, waited their turn to be greeted.
Of the three, all were female, but only two were adults, the third being a young tween who was dressed in white and green, with olive coloured skin. She had a small backpack hanging from her shoulder, which, in truth, held nothing of value to her, it was just to complete the look the disguise was going for.
The first woman that Mary greeted after Kathy, was a tall, willowy woman with baby blue eyes, and her long, pale yellow hair that held several dyed highlights in it, all a rich pink colour. She was wearing a green turtleneck sweater and pale blue denim jeans, with flat shoes, though she seemed to be slightly unsteady on her feet. “And you are Fluttershy, aren’t you dear?” Mary asked with a smile, offering another hug to the shy woman, who was trying not to blush too hard, and was clutching her right arm with her left hand. Fluttershy also returned the hug, after a brief bit of hesitation, but the smile on her face when Mary let her go spoke volumes as to how much she had enjoyed it.
Mary turned her attention to the third woman. She was not overly tall, but she wasn’t short either, standing just a few centimeters shorter than Fluttershy, and dressed in a warm, red plaid sweater, black jeans and a brown shirt. Her eyes were also a bright blue, and her hair was a simple ponytail with a few bangs left hanging out. The woman was smiling widely, and made the initial hug herself. “Hi Mom.”
“Allan, honey...sorry, Static, it’s so good to see you, dear. You’re looking well, if...a lot different.” Mary flushed at the slip up in using Static’s old name, and realized she had done the same with Kathy. “How are you doing?”
“Well, these things are taking a bit of getting used to.” Static grinned impishly, as she hoisted up her breasts in her hands. “And my butt is definitely bigger than it used to be.”
“Oh, behave, you silly b- girl.” Mary admonished, getting a laugh out of her new daughter.
Then she turned her gaze to the youngster of the group.
“And you must be Crystal!” Mary beamed, crouching down to engage with the girl directly, and offering a big hug. “You know, your mummy has told me so much about you, I’m glad we finally get to meet properly, instead of sending messages back and forth like that.”
Crystal had no hesitations in accepting that offered hug, accepting it with glee. “Mummy says you’re her mummy! That makes you my Grandmare, doesn’t it?”
“Sweetie, remember that they call it Grandma here.” Static cautioned, glancing over her shoulder with a slight worried frown.
“They sound pretty the same though!” Crystal argued. “Why bother changing it?”
“She can call me Grandmare if she wants.” Mary took Statics reached over to gently pull her daughter’s head back so she would pay attention. “I don’t see why we can’t just pretend it’s a cute little nickname.”
“It should be fine.” The Agent standing in plain clothes confirmed, watching the street from where he stood behind them on the path. “Not much of an issue in the long run.”
“There, see?” Mary stepped back inside the door and pulled it wide open for them. “Your father should be home soon- he had some errands to run this morning.”
The four disguised guests all entered followed by their handler, all of them giving their thanks for the invitation inside. They stepped inside, but only the agent took off his boots. Rose, Shy, Static and Crystal all exchanged happy smiles before reaching up to their necks, and pulling off a series of crystal necklaces, and each was consumed by a glowing light.
Soon, in the place of the humans, were the familiar, waist high ponies, though in Crystal’s case, she only made knee high, even with her growth spurt. Mary had to try very hard not to just squeal like a little girl and start hugging them all again, especially when they all started shaking themselves off and ruffling their feathers and fur.
“Those things are useful, but damn if they aren’t uncomfortable to wear for so long!” Static flexed her wings in relief, before being swept up in another hug from her mother. “Whoa, whoa!!” The Pegasus flailed a little as the suddenness of being picked up of the ground triggered the instinct to resist, but then, Static managed to reign in her writhing and instead twisted around to hug her mum again, throwing her little pony arms in a loop around Mary’s neck.
“I haven’t been able to do this since you were seven!” Mary chuckled, happily.
Rose, never one to let an opportunity slide, leapt up into the middle of the embrace, wriggling her way under Mary’s arms. Fluttershy and Crystal followed suit, and the group fell over in a pile, the pony onslaught toppling the mighty mother and sending them all to the floor, where they laughed and giggled like school children at the dumb but priceless little moment that the spur of the moment action had wrought.
The usually flat and emotionless faced Agent standing outside the door couldn’t help but smile a little too.
With family reintroductions more than well under way, they decided to do a quick tour of the house, showing off some of their old childhood things to Crystal when they came across them, or deliberately unearthed them from the backs of cupboards and from inside storage boxes in the basement. The little Nymph simply adored seeing it, gasping and squealing with such delight at every little thing- especially when the pictures came out. She loved the pictures.
“Oh, and here is one of your Mommy Static when she found a frog in the garden and put it Aunty Rose’s hair!” Mary narrated, eager to share the embarrassing photos with her new granddaughter. “Your Aunt screamed so loud that the neighbours actually called the police out of concern! Oh, poor Richard, he was so confused when he answered the call and came to check up on us!”
Crystal giggled, pointing at the picture in glee. “Aunty Rose looks so funny with her face screwed up like that! Did she not like frogs? I do.”
“Yes, a trait you no doubt picked up from your mummies.” Mary cooed, flicking her eyes over to her shame-faced daughters and Fluttershy, who was also delighting in seeing the pictures.
“Oh, Allan was such a silly boy!” Shy tittered, holding a hoof to her mouth in a poor attempt to conceal her laughter. “Why would he do that?”
“Fun.” Mary responded. “He always was the adventurous one, weren’t you sweetheart?”
Static nodded, still red-faced.
“Ah, and here, we have Allan and Anna climbing a tree out in the woods with Josh and Mike. Those four were thick as thieves back then. If one of them was around, the other three were always close behind.”
“You and your friends sound like the Crusaders, Mummy!” Cryssie gasped, pointing at her mum. “No wonder you said you liked them!”
Static gave a little smile. “Anna was even more of a daredevil than I was, back then. If there was a high place to jump into water from, she was always the first. If there was a tree to climb, she climbed highest, and if there was somewhere to go, she was always running to get there.”
“Yes, Anna was the adventurous type, too. Probably why you got on so well.” Mary mused, looking over the image again. “Josh was the smart one, though. He knew how to fix anything, and if he didn’t, he’d learn soon enough. He fixed our stereo when the speakers stopped working just this Summer, actually.”
Static sat up a little straighter, her eyes alight. “Really?”
“Oh, yes. Been very busy though. Always talking about the investigations that the new agency for Interdimensional Relations and Defense Agency has been sending him on. He’s become their go to man for the job.” Mary explained. “Of course, I only heard about this when he fixed the stereo. Apparantly it’s all “Need to Know” sort of stuff.”
The three adult ponies all shared a frown. “But, if it’s need to know, why did he tell you?”
“Miss Mary, and Mister Richard have the highest clearance of any civilian.” The Agent chimed in from the doorway to the hall. “As the mother and Father of two High Value assets, and your designated contacts on Earth, they are kept appraised of most of our current operations, so that, should the need arise, they can contact you.”
“Ah….” The siblings blinked, and Shy did much the same.
“Anyway, as I was saying, he’s been very busy with his new position as head researcher. When I e-mailed him about how you were visiting, he was gutted, because he couldn’t make it out here to see you.”
“Damn.” Static cussed. “Would of been pretty good to see him again.”
“Yeah, it would.” Rose agreed.
“Still, enough of the heavy political and personal stuff, let’s get back to those pictures! See, this is Allan's ninth birthday, and the boys and Anna decided to prank him by making the cake spring into his face when he blew out the candles!”
“Awww, Mum….don’t show her that….” Static whined, while everyone else just laughed.
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Time is weird, between us. Whenever the book is open, it connects our flows of time for however long it’s open. But a day on Earth is not a day on Equus. I tried to write to you yesterday, but the book told me that it was still the day before for you, even though our times are always in sync when the book links. Odd thing to think about. Our time is passing a little faster than yours.
Strange, to say the least.
Time is weird anyway. Crystal is already almost two and a half, and the wedding that seemed so far away is only a month away now.
When did that happen? It feels like we got engaged last week, now the ceremony is gonna be in five minutes?
FRONT PAGE NEWS: Time is Whack!
It’s a little overwhelming. I’ve been trying to take my mind off of it, but the only thing that comes to mind is that joke I need to tell Shining and Cadence, and that time Twilight dumped me in Applejack’s pond for not taking notes properly. Okay, I was also teasing her a little, but come on!
I think….
I think it’s time for a prank war….
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