//------------------------------// // Prologue: A Letter from Uncle // Story: My Little Griffin: Comradeship is Magic // by Scorched Beats //------------------------------// “Hmm... I will never quite understand that officer...” I mumbled to myself. Stamping across the catwalk to the downstairs factory floor I looked over the motor pool. Hmmm... Nice to see the guys are still hard at work. Walking across the work area, narrowly dodging sparks and metal shavings I approach Jag. “Hey Jag, how you doing man, hows the project?” I asked, looking down at my friend's legs sticking out from under the rough metal frame of the newest project sent in from Capital. “Oh, hey Blowtorch, didn't see you at all, you know with being up and under the job, you know I can see well but not that well.” He always we a cocky one. He sat up after sliding out from under the big metal... whatever it was and sat up holding his claw out for help up. I clasped it and yanked him to his feet, almost throwing him over the other way. “You always were stronger than you knew!” He joked patting me on the shoulder and eliciting an eye roll from me. “Yeah, yeah, hows your new project going? Anything problematic come up?” I asked, turning to look at him. He shifted and shrugged. “Nothing? Man you get all the easy breaks! All my crap comes down in ruins.” I whined. “Oh, yeah about that by the way...” Oh no, that can't be good. “There is a courier for you waiting from the Office of Menial Labor.” I am right its very not good! Nodding I kept my cool and waved as I rushed to the door. Please not reassignment, please not reassignment! Standing outside of the door was the courier. He stood lazily, slouching a little, not looking all to interested in being here. To be fair though I am pretty sure I am the only one actually interested in being at the motor pool. To be fair though I am sorta a nut when it comes to making things so I guess that makes sense though. “Are you comrade Macksis Specklefeather?” he asked me, clearly lacking all interest into whether I was or wasn't. “Yes.” I said, staring down the letter he held in one claw, its red and orange striped border almost mocking me. “Here you go, may the State help you, so you may help... eh...” He trailed off during the formal farewell and started to fly away. That however was not at all of any interest to me. I pulled at the seal of the letter and it started to peal, each second grating by. Please, please, please! It finally popped open and my eyes screamed across its lines. Dear Nephew, How long has it been! I really have been missing you! Ever since they relocated me into the city it has been all hustle and bustle what with the send these workers here and those ones there. Makes you really miss life down on our little farm. Your aunt has been fine and well quite frankly I don't think she has adjusted at all she keeps insisting on tending a garden but you know her, always working. 'We don't need a garden!' I tell her but she keeps saying about how are we gunna get food and I keep telling her that we will get it from the OML distributor. How has work been down at the factory? I know I wasn't looking forward to working in such a dreary looking place, ever since they built it out there on the edge of town. But you always seemed to like it well enough. Still making any friends? I know you aren't exactly the most social of people but you know maybe there would be others with a noggin' like yours in there working hard just like you. Speaking of work by the way, the other day the Commissioner of OML was talking to me, such a nice gentleman and I started talking about you and well he had been looking for good hard working personable citizens to be good examples in a new embassy in the pony lands. So well he liked the sound of you, quite a lot in fact. So you are being transferred, have your things ready by tomorrow, and you will be escorted to docks. May the State help you, so you may help the State. Sincerely, Your Uncle, Blackclaw P.S. You must come visit in the city there is quite a good amount of fine dames, sometimes I think your aunt catches me looking! Well I mean that was really nice of him to write and all, I don't often hear from him. I mean I have missed him pretty badly since he was moved away, but that's just the way it works. Heh, aunty never was very good at adjusting to anything new I bet she isn't taking to the city well. Yeah I have been liking the factory work so I mean its good but- wait... what was that last part?! You are being transferred. “DAMNIT!” I shouted from the doorway. Everyone inside stopped to look at me, numerous visors being lifted and grinders falling silent. “Just uh... transfer notice.” Countless rolling eyes and the place roared to life again. I walked back to my little house, well they were all little compared to the factory, to be fair though that place was a little bit of an eyesore. It was a nice little farming village, I remember helping my uncle plowing the fields while my aunt made us lunch. I pushed open the door to the little one room house and walked over to the bed. Sitting down I looked about and dropped my head, “They are sending you somewhere else, Blowtorch...” I guess that was it for this remaining in the family, after I move then it will just be another housing assignment to whoever else moves in. I grab a dufflebag from under the bed and slide it out. It held that same insignia, a claw holding a hammer above the letters OML. Lifting the standard issue bag onto the bed I put in a small picture of my family and my tool belt into it. Honestly, I don't have much else. While I was sitting there, I watched the brass doorknob roll across the floor and hit my paw. Damn thing must have fallen off again. I picked it up and looked at it. Aunty used to have my hide if I didn't get these shining. Standing I began to walk over to the door to put it back on when I looked at it again. Guess something will stay in the family... I walked back over to the bed, stuffing it into the duffle too. “You're the Office of Maintenance and Repair's problem now little friend.” I jumped onto my bed and started to wonder about just exactly what it is I will be doing as I drifted off to sleep.