“EEE!” Rarity squealed.
“AHH!” I yelled.
“No, no, no! I’m squealing in excitement!” She explained as the scroll was caught mid-air with her magic. “Look!”
Blue aura and all the letter was pressed against my face. The parchment appeared to be from another time or place, and the writing looked like it was done in a hurry and sloppily. Quick angled lines made up the language which looked surprisingly like English.
“Rarity please be alive if you are respond to this message asap.” I read the letter out loud.
“Don’t you see what this means?!” Rarity asked and shouted as the letter was tore away from my face.
“That you’re alive?” My sense of humor answered.
“NO, you fool! It means that they can contact me but I have no way to answer back! I don’t know the spell to be able to send a letter across whatever rift in time or space I came through to be able to communicate with my friends and Family! I’ll have to get letter after letter from my friends and family until they finally stop sending them because they’ll think I’m dead! Don’t you see?! This is the WORST! POSSIBLE! THING!” As she spoke her eyes became more intense, more focused, and at the end of it all her arms popped out in a flourish of movement above her.
Then the air distorted, fizzled, and another scroll popped into existence. Though this time Rarity caught it with her hand as it fell and tore it open, holding a blank piece of parchment in one hand and a phial with some sort of green sparkling substance in the other. I wondered off hand if I should invest in a Geiger counter before Rarity squealed again.
“Ow.” I commented, rubbing one of my ears.
“Spike sent me a blank scroll and a phial of dragon fire – I’ll be able to write my family!” She did a little jump for joy then asked, “Quickly, do you have a quill handy?”
I stared at her for a moment slightly dumbfounded. I knew enough about history to know what a quill was and what it was used for, but the fact that she was asking for it was slightly off putting. I opened my mouth to say something and closed it again a few times before turning on my heel, walking to the kitchen, pulling a ball point pen from the junk drawer, walking back to Rarity and holding out to earn the same incredulous look that I assume I had given her just moments before.
“What is this?” She asked, clearly annoyed I hadn’t gone and found an eagle whose feather I would pluck.
“It’s a pen, you write with it.” I said simply, “Pointy end down.”
“Thank you, but I think I know which end goes down even if it doesn’t have a feather.” She quipped and hastily wrote something down on the sheet before rolling it up, and turning her attention to the phial full of what was clearly radioactive material.
“Dragon fire, if this works I swear I’m going to kiss spike when I get back to Ponyville.” Rarity uncorked the phial and poured the apparent fire onto the parchment, which jumped for her hand while burning into nothing. Then, in the reverse way that the letters had appeared the ash from the paper swirled about a moment before disappearing with an audible pop like when the letters had appeared.
“What just happened?” I asked, trying to make sense of what I was watching.
“Baby Dragon fire can be used to send messages long distances, no one is really sure why but the Princess utilizes it heavily to supplement her own abilities for communication.” Rarity said, leaving me more confused than when I started.
“But I – with the – I mean – what?” I managed to stumble out when there was a fizzle and pop and another letter fell into Rarity’s awaiting hands.
“Oh good.” She sighed in relief as she read the letter, “They are glad I’m alive, me being here was a complete mistake.”
“Glad we got that sorted out.” I said and Rarity gave me a look as if lasers were going to come out of her eyes.
“Anyways, Twilight is already working to get me back but she needs to know where exactly I am.” Rarity said and turned the sheet of parchment over holding it and the pen with her magical blue aura so she could write, apparently.
“And where is that again? Mone-tawn-ahh?” She asked.
“18 Mountain Point way, Dillon, Montana, 59725, United States of America…um…Earth?” I rambled off everything I thought would help as the magically gasped pen flew across the parchment for longer than the words that I said.
“What’cha writing?” I asked taking a casual step forward to peer at the parchment.
“I’m just relaying my situation and the stallion named Ash who is graciously letting me stay with him until this is figured out, with any luck I’ll be out of your hair before sundown.” She said.
That would be something to cap off this weird day. Have a woman appear in my shower and disappear the same day by magic. I wondered if somehow my memory would be harmed in the ordeal. Heck, maybe I was actually taking that Nap I was going for right now and would wake up sometime soon to discover my bed was covered in dirt and melted ice from working outside. But I wasn’t… I knew I wasn’t. I could feel the beat of my heart I could see Rarity’s reactions and smell her perfume. No, I was defiantly, undeniably, unfortunately awake. I was also very aware of the fact that Rarity had sent a letter, and received one with a larger bottle of dragon flames – she had used the last of hers – while I was staring off into space. The difference was that this letter appeared to have had a seal of some sort on it.
Rarity meanwhile had looked confused at the bottle of dragon flames then opened and read the letter that was sent. As her eyes flicked left and right I watched her expression soften, then drop completely. Her eyes began to water and her lip quivered enough for her hand to rise up and cover her mouth. I didn’t know this woman very well, and I don’t want to make assumptions about anything but…there seems to be a large difference between melodrama and things that actually matter to her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked and Rarity simply handed the letter to me, telling me she couldn’t finish reading it and covered her face with her hands the bottle of dragon fire glowing softly in her lap.
“Dear Rarity.” I said out loud, looking at the young woman and when she didn’t respond one way or the other, I kept reading.
“It seems there has been a complication in getting you back to Equestria because it seems you are no longer in Equestria or even our world. Twlight is trying her best to research a type of portal or teleportation spell that will bring you home but in the mean time you should probably find a place you can stay. I don’t know how long it will take Twilight to complete her research and find a solution, it could be tomorrow, and it could be a few weeks. Spike, your friends, your family, and I will work to keep her from driving herself crazy while she works. Your sister feels very, very bad, and has been told it is not her fault, but I think she would rather hear it from her own sister.
“Please take care of yourself, Rarity, we will keep in touch as our research progresses. I will also personally contact the one who you said you are staying with to ensure you are safe and cared for.
“Hoping to see you again soon,
“Princess Celestia.”
At the exact moment I finished reading there was another fizzle and pop above my head and a scroll bearing the same seal as Rarity’s letter bounced off my head and fell to the floor. I ignored it for now, I had an idea of what it said but my eyes were still focused on the woman in front of me. Her eyes watered a bit as she stared at the ground trying to reign in what she was feeling, she was wringing her hands between her knees as her breath came in short, erratic bursts.
Now, I’m not what you could call a sensitive man. I’m a farmer, by trade, I raise cattle to be impregnated, birthed, milked, and sometimes shipped off to a butcher when I needed meat. I do what needs done and I’m not afraid to say what needs to be said. But my father raised me to always be respectful of women and if a woman was in distress or needed help with something, to drop everything and help her. So while I didn’t know what to say if my life depended on it I at least knew what to do in this sort of situation.
I awkwardly patted her on the back.
Suddenly, Rarity was clinging to the front of my shirt and bawling into it as I blinked, then carefully wrapped my arms about her shoulders. Well this was something I’d never encountered this quickly with a woman – usually it took three or four dates before I could manage a hug like that. But then, I suppose I’d be all shook up if I appeared in someone’s shower and not even an hour later was informed that I was stuck there for an indeterminate amount of time too. After a few minutes she began to calm down, at least enough so that she stepped away from me a few paces to compose herself. Drying her eyes and re-foofing the curls in her hair before she locked eyes with me again.
“So…the spare bedroom then?” She asked dejectedly and I nodded once before turning on my heel and waking back down the hallway with Rarity in tow.
Now, I’ll be honest. The spare room was the one room in the house that I never went in since…well since three years ago happened. I could count the number of times on one hand that I had been in that room since the accident. No, I won’t tell you exactly how many times, I’m not a weirdo that keeps track of that sort of thing but I know it hasn’t been many and there’s a good reason for that.
My house has three bedrooms in total, counting the master, and two baths. Since the accident there was one room that I visited every day, the room that used to belong to my daughter. I would dust, make sure things were arranged just as they should be for a growing girl and then leave after sitting there and taking it all in for a few minutes. And no, that isn’t weird. But the spare bedroom…ugh…the spare bedroom. I opened the door – which squeaked a bit from lack of use – and found that everything was still setup exactly as it had been the last time I dared look. There was the spare bed for guests off in the corner under the window, light red curtains that matched the flowery bedspread hung from above. My wife picked those out. Off in the corner opposite the bed was her creative station complete with a Singer sewing machine, digital edition with a keyboard built in for automatic pattern selection. It had been a wedding gift. Farther down the long creative desk were several shelves and small drawers full of beading and stamps and other random tools for scrapbooking or other creative endeavors. My wife loved her creative time – usually she took it after lunch and chores when I was taking a nap.
“Here we are.” I said as something tightened around my heart. “Umm…there’s a feather duster in the hall closet, second shelf, if you need it I…I don’t come in here much.”
With that I took a few steps away so she could look beyond the threshold – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it – and after a moment’s study the closet door glowed a light blue, and the aforementioned feather duster flew to Rarity’s side where it hovered by her shoulder. I also was able to make the observation that the glowing aura on her forehead had a shape inside of it that spiraled inwards, becoming larger from its point until it connected with her skin. It almost looked like the negative impression of a horn. Huh, how ‘bouts that.
“I assume there’s a reason why it looks like no one has used this room for several decades, yes?” She piqued an eyebrow.
An awkward silence set in for a few moments.
“Yeah…” I replied lamely and after another moment of silence Rarity huffed.
“Well, thank you all the same.” She said. “I know this situation I’m in isn’t ideal for either of us and usually I’m the one on the giving side so sometimes it can be hard for me to accept gifts and—”
“Don’t worry about it – and feel free to rearrange if you want, or use the sewing machine or whatever, just – yeah – make yourself at home. I have a letter to read.” I said stiffly as the tightness in my chest continued and walked briskly past her. The poor thing looked confused when I passed her but I heard the door shut a moment later so I suppose she didn’t take offence.
Back in the living room I picked up the letter addressed to me, undid the seal and unraveled the parchment.
Dear Sir,
You do not know me, my name is Princess Celestia. I am one of two rulers and goddesses that reside in the kingdom of Equestria. Yes, goddess. It seems that one of my subjects, Rarity, has by no fault of her own ended up in your world and care for the time being.
I ask that you please take care of our Rarity, she is very special to many ponies in our land and we would like her back in the same healthy condition in which she left. We very much appreciate your generosity in this matter, sir, more than you know.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia of the Royal Kingdom of Equestria.
P.S. Bear in mind that if you harm her in any way, I don’t care who or what you are, I will find you and teleport you to the center of the Sun where we will have a nice little picnic made of FIRE.
PAFF!
I blinked several times as the letter suddenly engulfed itself in flames and disappeared in a puff of smoke, illustrating the point.
“Huh, well that’s nice.” I thought out loud and went into the kitchen to wash the soot off my face.