//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Dear Henry... // Story: Ask Stickmin // by Dragonfire2lm //------------------------------// Henry's camp was simple. Within a clearing in Whitetail Woods he'd set up a tent, a fire pit, a shovel propped up against a tree, and the human in question was sitting in said tent, a small pile of letters before him. A few were job offers, simple odd jobs around that he secretly hoped wouldn't result in any drama. He'd skimmed over those offers and set them aside in their own pile to sort out later, for now, Henry turned his attention to other letters. They were questions, he was surprised at first, no one should be aware of his history, the different timelines, any of it. But he supposed that given his rather bizarre relationship with time, space, and higher powers that it made a strange sort of sense his wacky shenanigans had followed him across dimensions. ...He wasn't quite sure how to reply to them though. Just answer if you were in person, I'll handle the rest. With a smile and a thumbs up, Henry sorted out the pile and picked a letter. Hello Henry, just testing this out to see if you get this, my question is how are you feeling about this world you've found yourself in? He blinked, putting the piece of paper down and began to sign. I'm still wrapping my head around everything, but adjusting hasn't been too difficult, well aside from the... communication issue, but I'm sort of used to that already. He paused, pensive. This place is so...beautiful, everything is so vibrant, it's like I'm in a fairytale. He smiled. I know a few people that would like it here. Hey henry, what path did you take to get here? Like was it badass ending -> Just plain epic -> gspi -> convict allies? Fond memories rose to the surface, his trusty scooter blazing a trail through the museum. the exhilaration of claiming the Toppats prized ruby to his collection, and how flawlessly he'd escaped The Wall completely unseen. A shudder went down his spine at the memory of the rapidly changing scenery, the uncertainty of where he'd end up, and the cautious relief of landing in that broom cupboard in the pony castle. He replied to the question absentmindedly. Intruder in a Scooter, Pure Blooded Thief, Ghost Inmate, Jewel Baron. Putting the echoes of the past aside, the next letter made him smile ruefully. Is there anyone or anything from your world you miss having around? Anyone or anything in the pony world you've taken a liking to? I miss my friends... Even the ones I didn't always get along with. Henry signed as he imagined the whirring of helicopter blades, the rumble of a tank, the hum of an airship engine. He smirked. I like the fact that ponies really like their gems. He pulled out a small green emerald from his pant pocket, flashed a toothy grin, and put the gem away. He shrugged. I haven't really gotten to know many ponies yet, Twilight seems... okay? I'm not sure of her yet. Dear Henry, would you like if Charles and Ellie appear to keep you company? Henry put a hand to his chin, his gut instinct was to say yes, but, he knew it was an uphill battle for him in this new world, and he wouldn't want his friends to go through this no matter how much he missed them. He blinked. It would be nice, but they have their own lives, and I wouldn't want to pull them away from that. Hello Hey Henry, do you have any gadgets that were reviewed by Gadget Gabe? Henry patted his pockets, and pulled the various trinkets he'd used across his adventures. He chuckled. I have a few. he replied. He held the next letter in one hand as he packed away his gadgets with the other. He blinked and looked up the inside of his tent, tapping the letter. To: Narrator, How does it feel to be narrating a story and trying not to get found by the local 4th wall breakers? Huh, didn't think I'd get a question. Well Discord's still in stone and Pinkie Pie doesn't have a level of awareness high enough to actually "see" me. It's less actual narrating and more presenting it as a story on my end of the multiverse, However, Henry does actually hear my voice when I talk like this. It's kind of fun really, I'm a bit of a shut-in, so this level of interaction is refreshing. Henry smiled as he added. You're certainly nicer the last entity I was stuck with. Dear Henry; I have been curious about a thing or two related to the valuable(s) you've obtained, what are you going to do with it(them) and where are you hiding it(them)? Henry pointed at his pant pockets, giggling. A week, he's been here for little over a week, and he's already nicked a bunch of gems from all over Ponyville, he's like a crow or a magpie or something, it's the small shiny things with him. Henry snickered as he opened another letter. In the event that this reaches you henry, I would like to inform you about something gigantic, you see this is not the first time the teleporter has given you a bad displacement (*in the stickmin collection if you go down one route there is only two instances where the teleporter works the other times he dies*) if you can recall there was that bunch of jetpack mech suit sort of guy's when the top hat clan was fighting the military, they are known as the Center for Chaos Containment, they monitor the world and if there is too much chaos they intervene, or if say some event in the past was in danger of destabilizing the multiverse like how you got that cake back when you were escaping the prison after you got arrested trying to break into that bank. -From a lowly space marine stuck floating in space unable to die Henry blinked. "Uh..." He cleared his throat, responding in sign. I already know about the CCC, Timelines. Thanks? Another somewhat long letter awaited him. Hello Henry, hope everything is good in Equestria. I wanted to ask, how many sentient robots have you encountered in your life. If you met a certain Gizoid named Emerl, then he probably didn't care that you were a criminal, since his aunt is also a criminal. If you have any robot suits/powerups that you gained during your adventures, I'd recommend using them to help Equestria, because hijinks and chaos will attack the denizens, and you'll be involved one way or another. Start training, get to know the locals, and just keep being you, even if you have to steal sometimes, though maybe you can explore ancient ruins, since I heard explorers can keep what they find, or sell them for money. Thank you for reading. Fireza. It was a lot to take in, confusion fell across his features as he responded. I don't know anyone called Emerl. That's a different game series. With a shrug, he continued. I don't have anything that advanced on me either. Why should I help the ponies? he faltered, glancing at his surroundings. Sure, Twilight seems nice, but as soon as word gets out that I'm not exactly a model citizen, they'll want nothing to do with me. It wouldn't be the first time I've tried staying on the straight and narrow only for it to go to pot. He sighed. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try, I don't have much of a choice. A single letter was all that remained. Are there any interesting places you've heard about that you'd like to visit?! Jack heard there's an underwater city somewhere that's still inhabited! Jack would like to see it one day! From: Jack the Yak Henry shrugged. I don't know anything about this new world, I'm still learning how to read Ponish and I'd prefer to keep out of the way until then. I hope you get to see that city one day. With the last of the letters sorted, He turned his attention to the few job offers he's received. There was one from a farm, the local bakery, a pony needed something delivered to their house... Henry looked at the job offer from the library. Twilight was offering him a part time job organizing books. With a grateful smile he cleaned up the scattered mess of letters, made sure there wasn't anything he left behind, and slopped through the trees towards Ponyville. Once inside the library, Twilight Sparkle blinked at him as he handed her the piece of parchment with the library job offer. "You actually wanted to work here? I just put that in because I wanted to help. I wasn't sure if anypony else was going to hire you." He shrugged, Henry figured that since he spent so much time at the library and was already being taught Ponish, it made sense to work there as well. He also hoped that working with books would help improve his understanding of the language.