//------------------------------// // 1 — Dear Twilight Sparkle // Story: Letters From a Friend at the End of the World // by alexmagnet //------------------------------// Chapter 1: Dear Twilight Sparkle Knock. Knock. Knock. Twilight looked up from At the Edge of Space and saw that there was someone standing at the door. She could barely see a blue cap perched atop a tawny mane through the tiny window near the top of her door. I wonder who that could be. Three more knocks came, slightly louder than before. “Just a minute!” Twilight called. She slipped one of her many bookmarks into the open book and set it aside on a small table. Her horn glowed as she trotted towards the door. With a tiny burst of magic, she opened it. As it swung open she saw a stallion. Standing there in the threshold, with a blue cap covering his tousled brown mane and a matching blue uniform strapped tightly about his chest, the mailpony held an envelope in his mouth. Written on the dull, white envelope were the words, ‘Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville’. “Can I—” “Miss Twilight Sparkle?” he asked. His voice was gruff, but it had a professional air to it. She blinked a few times, then nodded. “That's me.” She pointed to the envelope in his hooves. “Is that for—” “Letter for you, ma'am.” He dropped the letter into his hoof and extended it, offering the envelope to her. A familiar light consumed the letter as it moved to Twilight. It was heavy and bulged slightly at one end. “Thank you,” she said, eyeing the letter. Her brow creased as she examined the envelope. That's funny. Usually the Princess doesn't send letters by regular mail. She paused. Wait. This isn't from Princess Celestia. “Excuse me, do you know who sent this?” she asked. He shook his head, tossing his mane about. “Couldn’t say, ma'am. There's no return address on it, but it looks like it's come a long way.” Twilight cocked her head to the side. “Flip it over; on the other side, you'll see that it's been stamped by every town it's passed through.” The envelope’s weight shifted as she flipped it around. He was right. There were at least a dozen, probably more, stamps on the back. “You don’t know anything else about this?” He shook his head, then shrugged. “I just deliver the mail, ma’am.” He gave a short nod, spun around with all the grace of a mailpony, and then began trotting off. After he had gotten a fair distance away, Twilight shut the door and turned her attention back to the envelope. Twilight turned the letter back over and examined the hoofwriting. She didn’t recognize it. Though, admittedly, she probably wouldn’t even if she knew who it was from. Upon closer inspection, she saw there were even more stamps than she realized. Ponyville, Emerald Falls, Hoofington, Ebonwood, Smokey Mountain, Tall Tale, Vanhoover... the list went on and on. How many places has this passed through? Despite its apparent travel distance, it seemed no worse for the wear. The edges were a little rough, but that was about it. I wonder who sent this? I guess there’s only one way I’ll find out. Twilight carefully slit the top of the envelope open with a thin blade of magic. She slid the contents out and tossed the empty shell next to her book. Inside, she found a letter tri-folded and roughly cut sapphire trimmed with faux gold. Her name was printed in violet ink on the outer fold. As she unfolded it, her eyes automatically moved to the beginning of the letter. It was dated nearly a month and a half ago in delicate cursive. She definitely didn’t recognize this hoofwriting. August 13, 1001 Dear Twilight Sparkle, It's been a few weeks since I sent my last letter. I've been a little busy lately, sorry about that. I'm getting closer though. I can feel it in the air, and I can see it in the wildlife. It's become increasingly cold since I reached the Crystal Mountains, and it’s only gotten worse since I passed them. You'd think, that once you had reached the point where even your saliva starts to freeze the moment it leaves your mouth, that it couldn't possibly get colder, but it does. Believe me, it does, and it continues to do so. I really hate the cold. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that before, but it’s true. I hate this stupid cold. Why'd this thing have to make its home so far north? Why couldn't it have lived on a tropical island or something? I swear, this wind will be the death of me. Oh well, at least I’ll make a nice ice sculpture. Maybe then ponies would come see the great and frozen Trixie. That would be a sight to see. Did I mention that I hate this cold? I think I complain too much. Anyway, you're probably wondering why my brooch is in this envelope. Then again, maybe you aren’t. Either way, there's two reasons for that. One, the darn thing keeps falling off, so that’s really annoying. Ever since my run-in with that timber wolf—you know, the one that ripped my cloak in half—I've never been able to keep it on straight. I knew I had to get rid of it after it fell off and I tripped over it. You’ll see once you put it on. It’s deceptively heavy. Anyway, it's not worth very much, so, instead of selling it, I decided to send it to you. I’ve had it for so many years that I can’t imagine just throwing it away. I'm hoping that you can keep it for me, so that when I get back we can take it to your friend—the one whose mane I turned green—to get it put on a new cloak. If I remember right, she was the one who made that beautiful dress out of my stage curtains. I'm sure she can do something about this cloak too; it's beginning to look a little... lived-in. Of course I'll pay her for her time and all that. Now, where was I? Oh, right, reason two. And two, I want you to have it. At least until I get back, that is. I can't think of anypony I'd rather have taking care of it. It may not be worth much, but it means a lot to me. I know it'll be in good hooves with you. Plus, if you ever need somepony to talk to, it’s a good listener. I know that probably doesn’t make much sense, but that’s okay. Just make sure you keep it with you, okay? I wanted to write more, but it looks like the caravan is moving out now. I'll write again soon. Sincerely, Trixie Lulamoon Mouth agape, Twilight stared at the letter, unable to formulate any coherent thoughts. She quickly re-read it. Then, she read it a third time, and then a fourth time. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on here? It was like someone had loaded a shotgun with questions and fired it at her brain. Trixie? But, why would Trixie be writing me? And why’d she give me her brooch? What’s she doing so far north? What’s she looking for up there? And why is she— Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud and the sensation of being flung across the room. By the time she had regained her composure, she found herself lying on her back ten feet further from the door than she had been. She tried to stand but found herself pinned to the ground by a soft, heavy something. “What the...” she said, groggily. “Heh heh, sorry, Twi. Didn’t see ya there.” The weight lifted off her chest as Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. She hovered in mid-air with a silly grin on her face and a hoof running through her rainbow mane. “Sorry about that. Oh, lemme help you,” she said as she saw Twilight struggling to stand up. After she had been helped to her hooves, Twilight brushed herself off and gave Rainbow a reproachful glance. “I guess knocking would be too much to ask.” Rainbow Dash floated lightly to the ground like a feather, in stark contrast to her entrance just moments before. “It kinda looked like the door was already open from far away.” “It wasn’t.” “And I didn’t think I was going that fast.” “You were.” “Plus, I thought I woulda had plenty of time to slow down.” “But—” “But, you were in the way.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Didn’t mean to get in the way of your flying.” Rainbow shrugged. “How was I supposed to know where you’d be?” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it and said, “I assume there was a reason for your, ahem, visit?” Her eyes lit up like she had just remembered the answer to a test. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She began searching around frantically, scanning the shelves and countertops. “I heard you got the new Daring Do book.” She lifted into the air and began flying up and down the line of books. “AJ told me,” she said, answering Twilight’s unasked question. “Oh?” Twilight said, cocking her head to the side. “Is that all?” Rainbow stopped suddenly and fired a wide-eyed glare at Twilight. “‘Is that all?’ Do you even hear yourself? This is Daring Do we’re talking about! The coolest and most awesome pony of all time.” She threw her hooves in the air. “Daring Do, Twilight. Daring Do!” Twilight couldn’t contain herself; she burst out laughing, much to the chagrin of Rainbow Dash. After a moment, she calmed herself down. Wiping a tear away, she said, “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just, I didn’t think I would ever see the day when you got so excited over a book.” “Not just any book, Twi. This is—” “Yes, yes,” Twilight said, waving a dismissive hoof, “this is Daring Do we’re talking about.” She allowed herself another chuckle before continuing, “Anyway, AJ was right. I was in Canterlot a few days ago and I bought it while I was there.” She walked over to one of the many neatly organized shelves adorning the walls of the Ponyville library. She mumbled quietly to herself as she ran a hoof across the spines of the books. “Ah, here we go,” she said. “Sweet!” Rainbow cried as Twilight levitated the book into her hooves. She hugged it to her chest tightly. “Oh man, this is gonna be so awesome.” Twilight smiled warmly. “I’ve already finished it, so you’re welcome to borrow it.” “Awesome. Thanks, Twi. I’m gonna—” She stopped suddenly as something caught her eye. She was staring at the far end of the room where she had crashed into Twilight. The brooch, overturned and next to the letter Trixie had sent, had sparkled for the briefest of moments and grabbed Rainbow’s attention. Ignoring Twilight’s confused look, she glided over to it. “What’s this?” she asked. “What’s what?” Rainbow leaned down to look more closely at the letter. The letter lay on its back, with the words inside clearly visible. As she began to make out the words, Rainbow’s eyes shot open. She backed away quickly and said, “Oh, umm, I just remembered. I’ve got weather duty right now.” “But what about—” Twilight began. “See ya later, Twi.” Without stopping for so much as a second, she shoved Daring Do and the Search for Magrathea into her saddlebag and rocketed out the front door and into the sky. Twilight shook her head. “Well that was weird.” She saw that the brooch and letter were still lying on the ground. “Oh, almost forgot about you.” The two objects were surrounded by a purple light as Twilight lifted them up and brought them to herself. “Where was I?” She tapped a hoof to her forehead. “Hmm, this definitely isn’t the first letter she’s sent me, but why is this the first one I’ve gotten?” “Who’s sending you letters?” asked Spike. He stood in the threshold of the doorway, holding an envelope in his scaly hands. Twilight’s eyes shot to the letter in Spike’s grip. “Oh, and speaking of letters, that mailpony guy said that he forgot to give you this.” He waved the envelope in his hands. “By the way, was that Rainbow Dash just now?” Ignoring him, Twilight's eyes widened. She snatched the letter away from him in a flash of lavender light. She stared at it like she had just gotten the newest issue of Astrology Quarterly. Spike tapped his foot impatiently. “Wanna fill me in, Twilight?” She paid him no mind and continued to examine the letter. With a careful incision, she sliced open the top of the envelope and emptied the contents into a small magic field. Spike cleared his throat loudly. Twilight snapped out of her trance and looked up at him. She blushed slightly, not looking up from the letter. “Oh, sorry, Spike. I'm just... I need to read this first. I need to figure out what the hay is going on.” She delicately opened the letter, unfolding it and flattening out the crease as gently as she could. Dear Twilight Sparkle, I’m getting close now, at least, I think I am. The others tell me it’s not far now. I don’t know. It seems like we still have a long way to go. I haven’t even seen this town everyone is talking about yet. Frostvale, I think it’s called. Well, either way, my journey is almost at an end. It’s taken me almost a year, but I’m finally about to reach the End of the World. I can’t wait to be back. It feels like forever since I’ve seen anything but snow and ice. I’m looking forward to the green hills and sunny pastures of Ponyville. It's kinda funny that I'm talking about Ponyville like it's my home. I've only ever been there that one time. Maybe it’s just this cold that’s making me long for warmer places. Maybe it’s because I've been writing you so much? I don’t know. Anyway, I can't wait to be back. I hope you've kept all of my letters. I want to read them again. I'm sure we'll both get a nice laugh at all the ridiculous things I said before. Isn’t it funny how much things can change in a year? I never thought we would be friends, for one. Speaking of that, is it weird that I think of us as friends? I've been writing you for almost a year now, and even though the conversation's been decidedly one-sided, I still think of you as my friend. Maybe it’s just a side-effect of writing the same pony over and over again for a year straight. Do you think of me as your friend? I suppose it doesn't matter what you think of me as; I'll always consider you my friend... as weird as that may or may not be. Well, just wanted to give you a quick update on my progress and all that. I should be done here in the next few days, assuming all goes well, and then I'll be on my way back. I'd guess it'll be about three weeks or so before I'm back in Ponyville. Who knows, if I'm fast enough, and lucky enough, maybe I'll even beat this letter back. I’m sure you’re probably worried about me. I’ll be fine though. I am the great and powerful Trixie after all. What was it I said? “The greatest equine who has ever lived”’. That sounds like something I would’ve said. Hope to see you soon! Your friend, Trixie Lulamoon Once she had finished reading, Twilight placed the letter to the side. Her eyes moved to the brooch. It bobbed slightly in the magic bubble, caressed by a magenta glow. She plucked it from its stasis and examined it closely. It was cut haphazardly, giving it a finished appearance from far away, but a rough one when looked at in more detail. The gold trim was scratched, and the sapphire inside wasn’t much better off. Scuffs and scrapes criss-crossed the gem and dulled its sheen. Without the proper equipment it was nearly impossible to tell its age, but it certainly looked old. Even harder was trying to figure out how long ago it had been set into the brooch. However old it was, Trixie was probably not the first owner. “Well?” Spike asked, after waiting patiently for a few minutes. “Sorry, Spike,” Twilight replied. “I’m just having a hard time deciding what to make of all this.” She shook her head. “I mean, what the hay am I supposed to think when a letter from a pony I only met once shows up out of the blue?” He raised an eyebrow. In response, she floated the pair of letters into his claws. Answering his question before he even asked it, she said, “They're from Trixie.” Spike opened his mouth. “I don't know either, Spike. That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” she said, cutting him off. “Go ahead, read them. Maybe you can make some sense of all this.” Wordlessly, Spike unfolded the first letter. He read it slowly. When he was finished, his eyebrow raised a little higher, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just read the next letter. Another few moments of silence passed as Twilight watched him read. Finally, when he had finished, he said, “I don’t even know where to begin.” Twilight laughed. “You’re telling me. Suddenly I start getting letters from Trixie saying that she’s looking for... something north of the Crystal Mountains, and that she’s giving me her brooch.” “Yeah,” said Spike as he ran a claw across his head, “and it seems like these aren’t the first letters she’s sent you.” “I know, Spike. That’s what I was wondering about, too. It doesn’t make sense.” He put one claw on his hip and the other under his chin, with his thumb and fore-finger forming a ‘v’ shape. “I'm pretty sure the only letters you get are from Princess Celestia, and I should know.” He patted his stomach. “Those things aren’t always pleasant to deliver.” Twilight shook her head and shrugged. “I know. I don’t know what to make of all this.” Violet light washed over the room like a wave as she levitated the letters, brooch, and Spike into the air. Placing the letters and brooch in her bag and Spike on her back, she said, “I think we need to go to the post office and try to figure out where the rest of those letters are.” As he wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck, Spike said, “Maybe that dude has the other letters too?” She sighed softly. “I hope so, Spike. I really do.”