Changing Worlds Chapter 1: Letters

Scout banked left, feathers the color of the Autumn leaves around him making minute adjustments to keep him in the air. With the wind picking up, he needed to finish his route, and fast. Ever since Derpy had taken a few days of absence to spend time with Dinky, he had taken up her position as the mailpony of Ponyville. Personally, he thought he was getting pretty good, although a few errors had slipped through. It was taxing, and secretly he hoped that she would return soon. He knocked on the oak door of the library. A violet unicorn answered.

"Hello, Scout!

"Hey, Twi. Got a package for ya"

"Package?"

"Yeah, from Davinport's. He said it was a set of quills you'd ordered. Also tried ta sell me a sofa for 20 minutes," He rifled around the bags at his side, pulling a long box out. A purple glow enveloped it.

"Tell me about it. The only reason I have a pull out sofa is because I felt so sorry for him," She put the box away. "Well, I won't keep you any longer, I sure you've got quite a bit of work left"

"Actually my route's ended. You're the last stop," He looked backwards when he heard a sound. A newspaper was being tossed violently against the ground, flying by in the wind. "Yeesh," He turned back. "Since I'm done, can I come in? At least until the wind dies down?"

"Sure," She stepped away from the door, and he walked in. He shed the mail bag on the ground, which made a clunk against the floorboards. "I thought you said your route was finished. It sounds like a lot of stuff is still in there"

"Oh, dat's not mail, it's my stuff"

She opened the flap, and true to his word she spotted the items he had brought with him. A battered aluminum bat with the BLU sticker emblazoned on it, a second headset identical to the one he was wearing, and other items concealed by a blue blanket covering them. "Why are you carrying everything with you?" She looked at him, cocking her head in confusion.


"Paranoia, I guess. I don't really like bein without my stuff if I don't have to," A purple dragon walked through the doorway to the kitchen. "Oh, hey Spike!"

"Uh... hi. Do I know you?"

Scout remembered for a second. Spike wasn't around when Twilight had introduced the team. His mind started racing, trying to find an excuse why he would know the dragon. "Uh..."

"Spike, meet Scout!" Twilight chimed in before he could make up a story. "He's one of the ponies I met on my trip"

"Uh... Yeah, Twilight's told me all about you," He nervously said, laughing slightly. 'Good thing Twilight thinks on her feet faster than I do'

Spike looked at the pegasus, then shrugged. "Okay, nice to meet you," The dragon took a bite out of a cupcake in his hand. "You staying for dinner? Cause I gotta start cooking soon"

"I guess I can, if it ain't too much trouble," Scout cast a glance at Twilight, who nodded. Spike wandered back into the kitchen. "Guess I kinda put my hoof in my mouth there, huh?"

"Well, I don't think Spike caught anything out of the ordinary, so we should be okay," She turned her attention away, placing the new quills in an orderly fashion on the desk. "I just think we need to be careful. I mean--"

"Yeah, I know, don't tell anyone about the human thing," he sighed. He really didn't want another lecture right now. "I'm just not used to it. It's like I'm in a really weird dream. It doesn't help that I know a lot about you guys"

"I meant to ask you about that," She started, casting a glance to the kitchen. "But lets eat first. I don't want Spike having some existential crisis from finding out he's on a T.V. show in another world. We can talk when he's asleep"

-----

The plates on the tables were clean except for a few petals from the sandwiches. Scout had to admit, though he was still getting used to eating flowers, Spike did know how to cook. The dragon rubbed his eyes and yawned. Twilight led him upstairs, tucking him into his small bed. She trotted back downstairs.  

"Thanks for the meal, Twi. I haven't eaten that well for a while," He smiled. "Heavy's good at making sandwiches, but there's only so much ham I can take"

"Not a problem, Scout. It looks like Spike enjoyed having someone to talk to other than me"

"I dunno, I've seen the stuff you guys go through. Gotta be a lot of good stories"

"True. There's a lot of crazy stuff that goes on. But Spike writes my letters, I don't think he enjoys hearing the same story over and over,"

"I would, I've seen every episode more times than I can count"

She giggled, laying down on the floor. He sat across from her. "So what have you seen?"

"Ah, tons. My personal favorite is the Sonic Rainboom, although the one where you lose your mind when you couldn't send the letters was..." Twilight gave him a half lidded look that suggested he not finish that sentence.

"Lovely. THAT little escapade," She shook her head. "Anyway... So what exactly are we? I mean, you've said we're a TV show, but why were you watching? Why did... Mr Hale was what Ms Pauling called him, I think... Why did he know who we were?"

"I'm not sure. I only caught you guys on the tube. They didn't exactly give us any contact with the outside except a TV. But if ol' Saxton knew who you were, I'm willin' ta bet that it's not just me that likes it"

The two discussed at large their respective stances. Twilight didn't know much about Scout's universe, except for the few bits she had acquired from Dash. Scout, on the other hand, knew an uncomfortable amount about Ponyville, asking questions that even Twilight didn't know the answer to.

"So our universe is fictional in your universe, but yours is fictional in ours. That would mean that every fictional universe has it's own dimension where it's real," She shuddered at the thought, not wanting to think about the implications of some of the stories she'd read being real.

"I guess, I'm probably not the best to discuss it with. I'd think Engi would be better suited ta all that alternate universe time mumbo-jumbo. Never really was the smart one," He said. A chill went up his spine, and he shivered. "Is there a draft in here?"

"It's getting dark, and I think one of my windows isn't fitted properly since the last time Dash crashed into my house. Hold on a second," She stood up, placed a log in the fireplace and ignited it. Scout trotted over to his belongings, pulling the blue blanket around him. As he did a picture fluttered to the ground. He carefully scooped it up, looking at it quietly. Twilight looked at him, noting the reverence of how he handled the photograph. "Scout?" She trotted over to him, casting a peek over his shoulders. She didn't know what she expected to see, but a family in an all-out brawl while wearing colorful sweaters was certainly not it.

Scout let his mind drift. "It's funny, after all this I started rememberin' more about that day..."

-----

"But mooooom!" Scout tried his trademark whine again, but the woman dragging his sleeves wasn't phased.

"I said no, Scout! A picture isn't going to kill you!"

"If I'm wearin this, I'd rather it did! I look like a stoplight!" The sweater was red on the top, with yellow and green underneath. The colors were eye-searingly bright, and he swore that the fabric physically emitted light.

"If I had to wear them when I was your age, so do you! It's one picture, and only Nana is going to see it!"

He started wrestling against her grip again. For a split second, she lost her hold. That was all he needed. He burst away, running at full tilt. "No way!" He shouted back.

"Damn it Scout!" Her voice faded behind him. He dashed home, taking alley after alley. He knew Boston like the back of his hand. Whenever he was bored he pretended to run the city in his mind, over rooftops and fire escapes. The city grew used to him landing on their fire escapes and using them as springboards. Even at twelve, there were few souls that could outrun him. He hit the door, and stopped to catch his breath. "I ain't gonna be caught dead in this thing" He opened the door. An arm wrapped around his chest and lifted him off the ground. "What the!?" His mother held him under her arm. "But how did you...!?"

"You think... you're the only one... that knows this city?" She panted heavily. She dragged him back to the photo shop, plopping him down next to the rest of his brothers who were sitting in front of a winter backdrop. Joey, the youngest besides himself, snickered. "Have fun, Scout?"

"Shut up Joey"

"Whoa, hey, no need to get mad at me, You're the one dumb enough to run, Scoot"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" The two started arguing. A portly man poked his head from behind the camera, looking irritated. "Look, lady, I got other customers. I'm takin the picture in 30 seconds, ready or not"

She scowled, looking between the two boys. She placed a finger on each side of her lips, then let loose a shrill whistle. Scout clutched his ringing ear. After he could hear again, he begrudgingly took his position, putting on a fake smile.

Joey leaned over. "It's okay. You'll be a good runner someday, Scoot"

"That's it!" A mean right hook caught Joey's jaw. The two started brawling again, the family trying to seperate them.

The cameraman glared. The camera snapped. "NEXT!"

-----

A wistful look came over his face. "Ma grounded me for a month after that"

The two looked at the photo for a while, silence prevailing. Finally Scout spoke in a whisper, as if he didn't want to be heard. "I just wish I could tell 'em I'm ok..." He slid the picture back into his bag with care. "Twi, I'm gonna hit the hay. Thanks for letting me crash," He sounded saddened by the memory. He pulled the bed out of the sofa, lying down on it. Twilight trotted up the stairs, forming a new idea.

The morning came and went. Scout respectfully left before breakfast, preferring to get an early start on the mail duties. As she watched the copper pegasus fade from sight, she set to gather her supplies. Some quills, and enough parchment to go around. "Spike, I'll be back tonight" She called out, heading toward the hotel where the team had taken residence.

The walls were in a sorry state, peeling paint and missing chips from the years of neglect. It had been a decent building at one point, but when the owners left no one took it. She walked into the dilapidated building, looking for the team. Instead only two ponies were there, cleaning. Heavy was sweeping the floor, one brush in his mouth, the other across the room being operated by a purple glow. Ms Pauling was cleaning the rafters, angering the spiders who's webs she wound up with the duster.

"Ah, Miss Sparkle!" Ms Pauling glided down to Twilight's level. Twilight looked around the building. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Kind of. Where's everyone else?"

"Job search," She said in an offhand manner. "Why?"

"Well, I had an idea last night. Scout told me this story about his old home life. He sounded so homesick" She pulled out some paper from her saddlebag, "I was thinking that maybe writing a farewell letter could help. And if Scout is that homesick, I'm betting at least a few of the others are too"

"Letter writing, eh? I like it!" Ms. Pauling's eyes lit up. "It could be excellent catharsis, and I believe that the stress relief would do a world of good,"

Twilight smiled at the word catharsis. It was nice to speak to someone with whom she didn't have to use the lower reaches of her vocabulary. As much as she loved Spike, there were many words that the dragon simply didn't understand.

"Hey Heavy!" The large unicorn put down the brooms and trotted over to them. "Did you hear all of that?"

"Da. I would like to write letter to sisters, but only if I can write in mother language"

"Of course. This is for you. Write it however you want," Twilight wrapped a piece of parchment and a quill in magic, levitating them in front of Heavy. He grabbed the quill and began writing. Twilight watched over his shoulder.

'Саша и Наташа,' she decided to leave him to his letter, realizing it was pointless to try to read it. She trotted over to the purple pegasus.

"Since you can fly, I think you should go find the others and tell them about this," The lavender unicorn gave a stack of parchment by Ms Pauling. "I'll tell anyone who comes back here what's going on"

Ms Pauling grabbed the papers and flew out the door, looking for the team

-----

One by one everyone was told of Twilight's therapy method. They each took paper and a quill, writing to the families they left behind. Whether they were small families, like Sniper, Demo, or Medic, or large, like Engi, or even an indeterminable size (Pyro and Spy refused to reveal who they were writing to) soon they were all writing back at their new living quarters.
Only one refused.

"A soldier has no use for family in a war, cupcake!" Soldier shouted, turning down Ms Pauling's offer in the rudest way possible. She didn't try a second time, instead electing to fly back to the building.

"I think that's it, Ms. Sparkle"

"Did you find Scout?"

"...No"

Twilight sighed, grabbing a few sheets. "I'll go find him, just collect the others letters once they're done. Maybe you can even write one yourself," Ms Pauling nodded at this, and Twilight searched for the crimson pegasus.

She didn't search long, calling him down from the skies after about five minutes of searching. She explained her intentions to an unusually quiet Scout. He nodded slowly as she finished and writing intently. He didn't stop or say a word until he finished. By the end he had scrawled across two sheets, addressing each and every one of his brothers with varying lengths of apologies and comments. He began his final paragraph, and his hoof shook

'Finally... To Ma'

After a few more minutes, he finished the letter and gave it to Twilight. He didn't speak, but his gratitude shone in his eyes. Twilight trotted back to the building with him as the sun started setting. Ms Pauling met her at the door, handing a pile of letters to her. Twilight graciously took them and headed home."Don't worry, guys. I'll take care of these. If you ever want to have another look at them, just ask me"

"Spike, I'm home!" She laid her saddlebag, filled to the brim with the others rolled up letters, on her desk. She walked into the kitchen, while Spike came down the stairs. He took a look at the letters in the bag.

"Must have had the other girls write some letters," He opened one, and scowled. "Geez. I don't know why Dash insists on writing her own letters, her hoofwriting is awful. I can't even read this, it doesn't even look like Equestrian. Is that 'N' backwards?" He sighed, then with one breath sent them to their usual destination, Princess Celestia. Twilight walked back into the library, a daisy sandwich enveloped in a purple glow.

"Spike, what was that noise?" She took a bite out of the meal.

"Oh, I just sent those letters of yours out. Tell Dash to work on her hoofwriting next time"

Twilight gasped, then choked on the sandwich. "You did what!?"

-----

Celestia watched the green smoke waft in, dropping a whole slew of letters. Twilight had been cranking out letters ever since she had returned. While she loved to read her most faithful student and her friend's letters, the princess was starting to wonder if all Twilight had done for the past few days was write. She opened a letter, and the different hoofwriting caught her eye. Nothing like Twilight, or any of the others that wrote her letters. She read it intently, trying to figure out who had written it. It didn't address her, and apologized to a large family. It ended plainly, with 'Love, Scout'

The light bulb in her head went off. She read through the papers, each one for families instead of her. "I think there's someone who should hear about this," She gracefully stepped to the edge of the room, pulling a cloth off a body length mirror. Her horn glowed and the mirror grew a cloudy blue. As the clouds cleared, a picture of a large Australian man came into view, holding two RED Engineers by their collers.

"I'll teach ya to clone yerselves!" He punched them.

"Mr Hale?"

He dropped the two limply to the ground. "Do my ears deceive me, or..." He turned and faced the ruler of Equestria. "Well if it ain't Celestia! I haven't seen you in ages!"

She giggled. "And a fine how do you do to you, as well"

"Hey, did you know that some of your ponies came through here about a week ago?"

"Not until they returned. I wish I had known, I could have tried to help them"

"So how've you been, Celly? Why the contact?"

"I have a favor to ask," She held up the letters. "These are from the team to their families. If I transported the letters to your world, Could you get them transported to their proper destinations?"

"Hang on, let me check," He pulled out a large phone and punched in a few numbers. "Mr. Reddy? Do we have the adresses for the former BLU team? ... Great! Send a helicopter, I have some mail to be delivered to their families ... Half that time or you're fired! ...  Well then find a way to do it in twenty minutes! ... And bring me a snow leopard to fight! ... I didn't ask if it was endangered, I said bring me one!" He hung up the phone. "He'll be here in twenty, so send those letters over"

Celestia's magic glowed brilliantly as she teleported the letters one by one. Even with her incredible magic skill, it was draining to send anything across the dimensions. By the end of sending twelve or so pieces of parchment she was exhausted. As she finished the last piece the roar of helicopter blades came into her hearing. "Just in time, it seems"

A rope with a basket attached lowered itself to arms height. Saxton gathered the scrolls together. "Reddy! Read these and figure out where they need to go!" He placed them in the basket. "And send down my leopard!" The basket rose, and a vicious snarl introduced the cat as it fell. Saxton started fighting the cat. "Don't you worry, Celly! Those letters'll get where they need to!"

"I'm holding you to that word, Saxton! Take care!" She closed the portal and smiled.

-----

Deep in the heart of Boston, the doorbell of a house rang. The woman that opened the door cringed at the man who stood there. He handed her a scroll of all things, then left. She unrolled the paper and began reading. She fell to her knees and cried and her sons surrounded her. Except this time, unlike the last instance that man had brought news, these were tears of joy. She held the letter tight as she turned on the TV. She flipped though the channels until she saw it. On screen, a crimson pegasus was in a race. A pegasus that wore the earpiece and dog tags she knew all too well.