private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

This thread has been closed for inactivity. The contents are preserved below.

 

OOC thread: https://mlpforums.co...tural-exchange/

@

 

Though Swift Message handled hundreds of letters every day, rarely did he receive any letters of his own. It was even more rare that he had the opportunity to write one. The flyers he had delivered around town had intrigued him, and he decided that participation would be a good way to see the world and hopefully make a new friend. He submitted his description and was paired with a unicorn living in a place called Nightvale. He thought the name sounded familiar and after asking around a bit he remembered hearing about a town so odd that despite being within the borders of the Trojan Empire, it had been granted full independence, apparently the government wanted nothing to do with it. He supposed it would certainly be an interesting experience and a good diversion from his standard routine if anything. He was given the unicorn's address and instructed to introduce himself via letter. With a smile on his face he quickly wrote out a letter, hoping to make a worthwhile first impression.

 

Good evening Mr Hoofer,

 

My name is Swift Message and I was selected to be your pairing in the cultural exchange. To tell you a bit about myself, I am a 20 year old pegasus living in Deltrot, Troy. The nation that surrounds the town you live in. I have a greyish coat and a short silver mane and tail. My mark is a letter with a letter opener and I deliver the mail to a full third of the town, and I sometimes have to make delivery runs through the desert. Thus I have become experienced in close quarters combat in that I have had to defend myself against the local bandits and the occasional sand scorpion. Despite its proximity to the capital not much is known about your town, perhaps you would be willing to tell me about it? I would be happy to answer your questions about Troy in exchange. I look forward to hearing about you and I can't wait to show you around.

 

-Swift Message

 

With the letter taken care of he ensured that it would go out on the next mail run to Equestria. He went back to his life, eagerly awaiting a response.

 

(You receive a notification from the Cultural Exchange program stating your acceptance and informing you that you have been paired with Swift Message, a 20 year old Pegasus in the surrounding nation of Troy, it instructs you to watch for a letter from him and to respond in kind when it arrives. You receive Swift's letter the very next day.)(Questions can be asked in quotations or in the OOC thread)

Edited August 8, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Vulcan 3,256]

Cecil was sitting idly on his old office desk , taking a sip of coffee from his favorite scarlet mug when a large blind bird crashed through his window, smashing hard on Cecil's floor. He looked at the black creature and smiled. It was an 8 winged courier Raven with an envelope tied to it's  left leg.  Cecil untied the letter from the Raven and read it anxiously on his desk. "The Cultural Exchange" Cecil thought, finishing the letter as he plucked a dark feather from one of the Raven's wings causing it to wince a bit. He tore a sheet of old papyrus from his walls, placing it flat on his desk before dipping  the feather in a dark puddle liquid found on his desk. He quickly began writing his response.

 

Good Evening....or perhaps it's....Good Morning?

 

I must apologize for the confusion, the Sun hasn't risen in our town for days and the City council has recently banned the the ability to  tell the time, So I am quite unsure of how I am to greet you, On to the focus of my response, My introduction, I am Cecil Gershwin Palmer, an average Unicorn from the Dessert town of Night Vale, I like to describe myself as a pony that's not too tall and not too short, not too fat yet not too thin. My Cutie Mark is a....well....currently...I don't have one, not that I'm a blank flank of course, but this morning (or at least, I assume it's morning), much of the town including myself has awoken without cutie marks, isn't that funny? It'll probably sort itself out eventually. It usually does.

 

I must say you seem like a very capable pegasus, I ,myself, am not very proficient in the art of fighting, or really, surviving in general,you see, as much as I love my town, not a lot of interesting things happen here for me to require learning such skills, perhaps you could teach me some of your moves on the day of my visit? I would love to learn a thing or two about combat. On a different matter, I'm quite surprised that your government freely allows ponies to deliver mail  throughout your nation, not to bash on your profession, of course, but here in Night vale the delivery of Mail of any kind using our Blind courier Ravens, tends to be a ....oh, how should I say it....One way delivery? 

 

Now on to your request, "Night Vale is a peaceful dessert town, where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass over head as we all pretend to sleep", at least that's how our town slogan describes it, which is much more accurate than our previous slogan , which just seemed to be mindless chanting of garbled words and whispers. In my opinion, It's quite a friendly town, in fact many who stumble into it never want to leave, perhaps you'd feel the same way if you ever have a chance to by? I'd love a new neighbor, my current one likes to carve large wooden statues of ponies frozen in a state of fear on the front yard and he also likes to use my wifi,without permission, which is quite rude. 

 

I  have a lot of questions, you see, I work as a journalist and announcer of Night Vale Community Radio, and I'm sure my listeners would love to hear about the nation of Troy, our records of the nation, rather, any nation in general, haven't been updated in hundreds of years since our government tends to be a bit...old fashioned. ,anyways, how is it like to live there? your government? your history? your culture? any facts would do and I will be sure to mention you in today's broadcast. 

 

Eagerly awaiting your response,

 

Cecil Gershwin Palmer

 

With his letter finished , Cecil signed his signature above his printed name and rolled up the scroll, he then took a candle, the shape of a rabbit, from under his desk, lighting it before using the melted wax to seal his letter. Cecil grabbed the raven once more and tied the scroll to it's foot before setting it off through his window. 

Edited January 2, 2016 by Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

Swift did not know what was weirder about the situation, that he found his reply strapped to a blind raven sitting at his door, or the contents of the letter. No wonder the empire wants nothing to do with this place. After reading the letter a second time to ensure that it had not changed he set aside the disbelief that his respondent was simply toying with him and he sat down to write out a response.

 

Evening Mr. Hoofer, or is it Palmer?

 

Your description of your home town strikes me as quite odd, certainly not your normal town. I can see why neither of the local larger governments, being Troy and Equestria, have been inclined to making your town part of them. I do hope your mark returns to you, and being unable to tell time must certainly be a bother, but you sound resourceful in your own right and I'm sure you've already acclimated yourself.

 

As to my profession, the mail is not so freely delivered as it may seem, sure anypony can deliver their own mail within the city, but any mail going out or coming in to the city must be inspected and delivered by a trained postal carrier like myself. There are many who would try to intercept or alter the mail as it passes between cities and thus protecting it is our top priority. I would be happy to teach you some of what I have learned, though there may be some difficulty in adapting my moves to those without wings.

 

As pleasant as your town must be, I have some obligations that would prevent me from moving there permanently.

 

To answer your questions, I find it enjoyable to live here. Personally I don't really have a basis to compare to as I haven't lived many other places. Deltrot is a very peaceful town, it is far removed from the busy Trojan Grand Marketplace, and it isn't as loud as the mining town of Omarega. Deltrot is a town of artisans and crafters, the majority of the population works to produce high quality luxury goods and services, and the rest of us keep the town running smoothly so productivity stays high. We have one of the best smuggling teams in the nation to transport their goods into Equestria despite their embargo. The Trojan government is an elected democracy with each town having an elected council and representatives in the supreme council. Every two years we hold elections for Consul who is in charge of the council and ultimately has the final say in the council's decisions. We also have a collective of judges that judge each action of the councils to ensure that it supports our founding statement, "The government is to prevent the freedom of one from restricting the freedom of another." basically it means you can do what you want so long as what you do does not prevent someone else from doing what they want.

 

Our culture is a long and interesting affair, tied deeply to our history. Troy first came about over a thousand years ago, before Nightmare moon first appeared, Trojan horse founded a small settlement out in the mild west as a sort of trading center. Caravans could come to troy to trade and sell their wares directly to each other instead of making the entire journey to the other nations. It was a community of cooperation between many different races and cultures. Eventually a town began to form as creatures came to buy and sell directly to the foreign caravans, getting better prices than by working through the local traders. as the town grew there came the creatures that keep a town running, the food service workers and the builders, the farmers and the governors. the town grew as a symbol of inter-species cooperation, uniting the ponies, buffalo, griffons, zebras, and deer in the common goal of trade. As the success of Troy grew other towns were founded around nearby oases for the different sorts of goods and services. At its height Troy out-shown the capital of Equestria in wealth, Celestia sent nobles to upset our way of life and form of government, the unicorns took over the councils and began to oppress the other races and species. But many plotted revolution, they knew that this was Celestia's fault and she would do nothing to fix it. When Nightmare Moon first appeared the oppressed seized the opportunity and overthrew their oppressors, declaring their independence soon after Nightmare moon's fall. Since then we have always respected the night and the moon, we decided that we would never let what happened be repeated. We were a nocturnal society before this of course, it is hot in this desert during the day but it is nice and cool during the night. Our independence thanks to Luna only solidified our respect for the life the moon provided for us.

 

I hope these answer your questions and I'm sorry if I seem to be ranting a bit. I really shouldn't be writing letters so early in the morning.

 

~Swift Message

[Vulcan 3,256]

Cecil walked out of the postal office,  His clothes ripped and tattered and his body covered with bruises. It had been a few days since he had read Swift's reply and it had been 2 days, since, that he had been sentenced to the dreaded postal office. He immediately rushed towards the forest fronting the building and searched frantically. Hours later, He found what he had been looking for in a small nest on an old wiken tree, It was a baby courier raven. Snatching the bird, he plucked another feather and inked it with the blood dripping from the wound on his lip,one of the injuries he had sustained during his sentence, and began writing his response on a piece of tree bark.

 

Dear Mr. Message,

 

          I deeply apologize for my late response to your letter. It turns out, the city council heavily screens the messages passing in and out of this city and they did not take “kindly” to my queries of the outside world. As such I have been preoccupied,  or rather… sentenced, to the night vale postal office,  quite a dreadful place if you ask me,  too many knives and classical music for my taste, but, thankfully, my sentence has ended and I have luckily survived, it's a bit unfortunate for those who did not, but one must always look on the bright side. ( I would also like to add that from now on we must trade messages through this baby Eksfid, to prevent my government from finding out)

 

In other more interesting news, Your letters have become the talk of the town! .The townsfolk loved your facts and history about troy and it's inhabitants. So much in fact, that the network had added a new segment to our broadcast titled “Mysterious Messages from Mr. Message”, unfortunately however, in light of recent events, it has since been cancelled. A few of our listeners were so enraged that they sent angry letters to the city council.They have since went missing. Maybe they went on a group vacation. That sounds quite fun.

 

I also loved the read,  Troy sounds like a wonderful place filled with creatures of all races cohabiting and working together. I’m sure my neighbor could learn a thing a thing or two about such a nation and perhaps, I could as well. My favorite part was the one about Mr. Trojan Horse, I’m sure he must’ve been a great stallion.

 

There were however a few points I'd like to bring up,  for instance, I'm curious as to how the princesses are doing, most of our statues and tapestries have them depicted as a young filly and a mare doing battle with a draconequus, though It is not known what happened after that battle.

 

I'm also curious if there are any historical monuments and landmarks in your nation.We have a few in Night vale,  A notable one is Big Ricco’s Pizza,t they have the best pizza in the world. This is actually why equestria nor it's neighboring nations have never taken over our town, any envoy they send to check this area usually choose to stay in night vale forever after they visit the pizza place. EVERYONE has to try it at least once. EVERYONE.

 

As to your confusion with my identity, Mr. Hoofer is my name but I tend to use Palmer as an alias to my listeners. I've used it so many times that I sometimes use it subconsciously . anyways, I prefer you call me Cecil,  Mr. Hoofer sounds rather old and formal and I think of you more as a friend.

 

I've also regained my cutie mark! It's a logo of a radio tower with a large Egyptian eye just above it.  It turns out it was there all along!  Some pegasus from downtown had been painting the flanks around town to look like they were blank as part of some cult. Thankfully, he had since been sentenced to the Night vale dentist. Oh the horrors he will face. I dare not imagine.

 

Anyways, enough about me, I'd like to know more about you,  For instance, what's the most dangerous mission you've ever been in? and what is currently going on in your life?. I apologize if it's too personal but those were the two most asked questions from our listeners and I'm quite curious about it myself

 

Eagerly awaiting your response,

 

Cecil G. Hoofer.

With his letter finished Cecil tore a piece of cloth from his tattered suit and used it to tie the letter to the young Eksfid’s leg before sending it off.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

When swift received the message he sighed deeply, more deeply than any of those around him thought was actually possible, though it is understandable when a small bird lands on your head, causing the bark tied to it's leg to hit you in the face. Yes, this was shaping up to be a very fine day. At least this guy responds, I should at least be grateful for that. Upon reading the letter though he was a bit less confident.

 

Evening Cecil,

 

To be perfectly honest, the whole situation of your town terrifies me. I fear for your life, and mine should I ever visit. I will be sure to use this bird to trade messages as I don't want to see you put in any more danger (I'm glad my post office is nothing like yours). I suppose I am glad that some others enjoyed hearing about the history of Troy, but I am worried to hear of their disappearance, again the power that your government holds scares me, I almost wish one of the larger nations would take over if only to improve the actual safety and rights of its citizenry. 

 

Moving on to less dark matters, if you are sure of your safety than I won't mind continuing our dialogue. Many say Trojan was a great and kind stallion, he died over a thousand years ago so it is difficult to find someone who has actually met him. Equestria has been more or less the same for the past thousand years, they have not really developed much as a society since nightmare moon. Their architecture is predominantly medieval though some cities are a bit more modern, they have some advanced tech yet the majority is almost archaic by our standards. The only place that they seem to have actually developed is their social policies, and even then the changes have not been significant over the years. But that's not all you asked about, I don't know much about Equestrian history but I'll do my best to fill you in. After the battle the sisters reigned Equestria for a few hundred years before the nightmare moon incident just over a thousand years ago (Like I said, I don't really know much).

 

As to monuments and landmarks, we do have a few notable constructions in the area that have gained a bit of fame abroad, but being a desert there are not many natural wonders to be found. Some of the more impressive works are the Trojan Grand Marketplace, surrounding the oasis in Troy it is one of, if not the, biggest marketplaces in the world with vendors from nearly every nation buying and selling all kinds of goods, millions of bits and other currencies pass through the Grand every day. Another notable sight is the Luna Radio Broadcast Tower, the largest known radio tower, and the nexus of the largest radio rebroadcast network as it services every city in the empire. They provide news, music, and double as an emergency broadcast system as well as facilitating communications between the bases of our military. The third thing that comes to mind is our city walls. They stand over ten stories high and are about four meters thick of sandstone and marble, they are curved outward at the top and bottom to redirect wind coming towards the city up and away from it, this also provides a powerful launching station for pegasi, allowing them to get high in the air with great speed.

 

To answer your more specific questions, The most dangerous mission I have is to blend in. I sometimes need to move about without anyone knowing what my presence really means, the mail is quite important and I can't let it fall into the possession of the wrong people. My current life though? This exchange is the most significant thing presently going on, Illiad's off on his own exchange right now so until he returns I don't have many other friends to hang out with, so I mostly do my job then just wander about town when I'm not writing these letters. Yes, my life is fairly boring, but I prefer it this way. Simplicity seems to resonate with me.

 

So how about you? What's the most dangerous thing you've had to do? what's going on in your life? what's the history of your town if you don't mind me asking?

 

Hoping to hear from you soon,

 

~Swift message

 

Having completed the letter he returned his attention to the bird who had remained on his head for the duration of the writing, he realized that he currently lacked the dexterity to tie something to it's leg. After ensuring that the windows were closed, he changed his forelegs into griffon forearms and tied the letter before quickly changing them back to his normal forelegs. he opened the door and let the bird out, hoping that it knew what it was doing.

[Vulcan 3,256]

A large  old eksfid  with a scar on its left eye delivered a box to Swift message. The package contained a dozen muffins and a  letter resting above the pastries. 

 

Dear Mr. Message, 

 

How are you doing this fine day?  I'm sorry that my response was quite late, I believe it's been about a week, but I was recently having a vacation in the alps and there were no routes of communication. 

 

Your historical facts about Troy have caused an uproar in my Town. Stupid people began thinking that change and freedom are much more important than peace and security. Thankfully my government has placed it under control. 

 

In lighter news, I've bought you a gift, In my package I have sent you some of Night vale’s prized black berry pastries. They are just to die for. The berries are picked fresh from Uncle John's Vineyard and the recipe itself is a closely guarded secret. I'm sure you will love them. So go ahead and take a bite. 

 

Awaiting your response, 

 

Cecil G. Hoofer

 

 

 

Hours later a baby eksfid delivers another letter,  this one with a piece of hard stone attached to its other leg. 

 

 

Good morning Swifty… or would you prefer Mr. Message? 

 

Good news! The sun has returned and we are all  basking under its warm glowing light. It was a close call too, as much of our crop had started to die off from lack of sun light. I don't really know the reason as to why the sun had disappeared in the first place but I suppose it's better to celebrate the fact that it has returned rather than question why it had left.

 

In regards to your comment,  you need not worry for my life or for yours. My town is quite humdrum and not a lot of interesting things happen around here. In fact, according to the city council,  We have one of the lowest crime rates in Equestria. There are however a few dangers in this town but they could  easily be avoided if you follow the rules and regulations here. So relax, I'm sure you will love it here.

 

I am further intrigued by your knowledge of your nation and Equestria, I am now however interested in this "Nightmare Moon", that you've spoken of quite a few times now, It sounds like a threat that Luna would take care of , her being the princess of dreams and the moon after all. or perhaps it a threat even she could not handle? 

 

I would definitely love to visit those places when I visit! Carlos would definitely love a trinket from the market place and I'm sure I could learn a lot from visiting your radio tower! those walls must have had such a history! , those things don't get built overnight and definitely not without pony labor. I also wonder the initial reasons for building such walls.

 

Your life sounds much more interesting than you let on , It sounds like you live the dangerous life of a spy. I'm also flattered that you consider this exchange of interest in any way , after all my life and my town are quite boring, your town is much much more interesting,

 

I suppose the most dangerous thing is this exchange, I'm usually sa boy scout in my town , following the rules to prevent any incidents , but I've chosen to remain in this endeavor despite it's dangers because frankly , I find your life and town very interesting. I suppose that also answers the question as to what's going on in my life, that and my job and weekly dates with Carlos. 

 

My Town has many histories as there are many different sources with varying information, but my favorite is a bed time story I've been read to as a child:

 

"A long time ago, in a distant land, Discord , the shape shifting master of chaos, unleashed an unspeakable power that ravaged the lands but a foolish unicorn soldier wielding a magic horn step forth to oppose.  The battle was hard fought but in the last brief moment Discord threw open a portal in time , right in the middle of the soldier's home town. despite the soldier's victory , All the chaos that had been dispersed was now concentrated into a single village, the soldier's village, Nightvale."

 

Before I end my message, I would like to add that I've sent you a gift, the rock you see tied to the Eksfid is a telling stone, hold it close in your hands and it will tell you an absolute truth. The truths vary from person to person and becomes progressively grim with continued use, so I suggest one uses it with moderation, as the truths get quite terrifying ,  in fact just this morning a pegasus came screaming through the streets shouting  "we are all just figments of a roleplayer's  imagination! We are not real!"  As for whether or not such  info came from the stone is up for debate. I myself have used the stone a day ago and it whispered that a friend of mine was a changeling! I wonder who it could be? I bet it's my intern Dana, she does seem a bit shifty.  

 

 

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

 

Cecil G. Hoofer

Edited January 8, 2016 by Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

To put it simply, Swift was worried. The only thing he felt sure about  was that only one of these letters was real, and the other was not from Cecil. The longer one had the most similarities to prior letters and thus he felt confident that it was the real one. He'd just have to ignore the other bird for a few days if it didn't fly off on it's own. He took one of the muffins and fed it to the larger bird before writing his response letter.

 

Evening Cecil,

 

In the most pressing news, it seems that someone is trying to impersonate you. I just received two letters from two birds of differing ages and both were signed with your name. I assumed that this one is the correct one, and I hope it is true.

 

On to your letter then, I prefer Mr. Message to Swifty, but I would prefer it if you just called me Swift. 

 

It's not crime that worries me, I can deal with violence. It's the government control associated with that low crime rate that has me worried. I worry that I will unknowingly break a law.

 

As to Nightmare Moon, we don't really have the full story as we didn't experience it directly, but from what I have gathered it was the manifestation of an internal struggle within Princess Luna. The effects of a disparity between what she had to do and what she felt was right, combined with Celestia's utter disregard for Princess Luna's feelings and needs.

 

The walls are indeed an impressive work, they were built for a few reasons, the main one being to keep the wind and sand out of the city, leading to its distinctive concave shape. It was also to protect the caravans while they did their trading so they wouldn't have to worry about bandits while in the city. In addition, the best time to build defenses is during peace, I don't think that a real war will happen, but there is a distinct possibility that it will if relations are not improved.

 

I suppose each of our respective towns seem boring to us because we've grown used to them. After all, we both consider the other's town to be interesting, and I'd hope neither of us are wrong.

 

That certainly sounds like the sort of thing Discord would do to spite someone. It's unfortunate but I suppose it could be worse.

 

As to the rock, I'll be sure to try it soon, I wonder what it will tell me, if anything. As to which of your friends is a changeling, I'd hate to see you go on a mad hunt and ruin the relationships you have in your town, so I'll admit. It's me. If you don't want to continue knowing that then I understand. I only ask that you tell no one else, or I'll have to leave.

 

Hoping you are well,

 

~Swift.

 

He sighed as he passed the letter to be delivered. He felt conflicted about this whole scenario and wondered if he was getting himself too deep into something he couldn't pull himself out of. After checking on the larger bird's condition he held the rock in his hooves, wondering if it would tell him anything.

 

Meanwhile...

 

I got up from my universe editor and moved to my little window, watching the snow fall lightly from the sky. "It seems I've been realized, but I'm not the only one in control here. It's your move."

[Vulcan 3,256]

@@Illiad Easle, 

 

Cecil sat quietly on his bed, The doors and windows of his home completely shut as loud synchronous voices could be heard from the outside. He set aside the eksfid’s feather with a smile and tied his response to the bird’s leg with a piece of woven cloth he had found in his bottom drawer.

 

Swift....This explains so much!,

 

To clue you in on recent events The council had proclaimed that they had finally  silenced the menace that's been poisoning our town with dangerous ideals and horrific lies of the outside world. I assumed that they had been talking about me. Nevertheless, I hope for your safety and fully understand if you no longer wish to take part in this exchange.

 

If you so choose to continue I have quite some rather interesting news,  A grand parade had once again been  organized by the Night vale boy scouts in honor of their founder Jeremiah price. It's a yearly event that goes back hundreds of thousands of years. It starts with a speech by Jeremiah himself at the centre and ends with a  3 kilometer dash around the city. In accordance with tradition The scout leader has already warned the citizens to stay inside their homes and keep all windows shut for the duration of the festivities .

 

I myself found it quite a dull affair as we stayed indoors and ignored the monotonous chanting booming from the streets outside but I suppose everyone is entitled to an opinion.

 

The baby Eksfid that we’ve been using to ferry our responses had recently been attacked by a much larger bird on his route to my home. I’ve been nursing to poor thing for days and thankfully It’s now up and ready to fly back to you.  I now worry that the council has caught up to our little exchange, I certainly hope not.

 

So the walls have been placed preemptively, better to be safe than sorry I suppose. I find it quite interesting that they also use it as a shield against the elements, I’m sure such a grand structure would have taken your city quite a long time to build. If it’s anything like our pyramids It must’ve taken at least a hundred years. I would very much like to visit it when I arrive.

 

 

In regards to your confession, I completely understand!  After all you would not want to be swamped by autographs and the cheers of screaming crowds. You don't have to worry about me though I'm not part of the masses that follow your kind like gnats. Though I must admit even I myself  have a few changeling plushies lying about my abode. I now wonder how a changeling would get wrapped up in the postal business, I’m sure it’s quite an interesting tale.

 

I do hope the telling stone will be useful in your endeavors and if it’s not too personal , I would love to know what truths It shows you.

 

before I end my message I’d like to know how you’ve been in the past few days, I hope you’ve been well.

 

eagerly awaiting your response,

 

Cecil G. Hoofer

Edited January 12, 2016 by Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

Swift didn't really know what he had expected, it seemed with every letter this town grew more strange. He considered his options and decided that it would be best to continue the exchange of letters, with more caution, and see if conditions improved. He had begun training himself with defensive and armor spells in case the city government decided to try a more extreme measure of silencing him. Especially since the last attempt turned the bird to dust, then had the dust burst into flames. He decided he'd hold on to the rest of the pastries in case they were useful later. As he read the letter he made sure to take everything with a grain of salt, as some facts seemed subject to change, he didn't doubt that these boy scouts existed, just that they had been around for a hundred thousand years.

 

Evening Cecil,

 

I can protect myself here, so long as you think this exchange of letters is safe I will continue to write to you, though we may want to hold off on an actual meeting. I can host you here in Deltrot if you'd like, but I fear your government may be a bit more bold in silencing me were I to enter your town.

 

Those by scouts of yours sound, interesting. It is impressive that it has stayed around so long. It seems an odd festival to me where most are unable to participate or even view the proceedings. But it is clear that our towns are quite different from each other in many regards.

 

I did notice that the bird seemed a bit down, I hope he doesn't run into further trouble. I'd especially hate if he were intercepted, it seems clear that your government doesn't like me and they are already aware of my current address. I hope they continue to think me dead.

 

The walls did take a long time to build, but they were absolutely necessary for the cities to be built. The walls of Troy are the largest as it is the most prone to attack by bandits and it has had the worst sandstorms. The other cities, with the exception of Æther, each have smaller walls of different shapes depending on the city. Deltrot for instance is a pentagon and Alphyns is a hexagon. Troy's wall is a circle to minimize weak points and provide a smooth edge to redirect wind with. The walls do take a long time to build, but with the cooperation of many different races it goes by a bit faster, especially with the machines that the deer have constructed. That is why the other walls are smaller than Troy's, for now.

 

It seems we have very different views of changelings and changeling life. If you would, what color are the eyes and backplates of the changelings in your town? Here in Troy, and to a larger extent Equestria, Changelings are not entirely accepted into the standard culture, we wear disguises to integrate ourselves into civilization and harvest the emotional energies given off by those around us. I became a mail carrier so I could cultivate a lot of appreciation, one of my hive's preferred emotions the citizens hear really appreciate a mail carrier who cares about them and is careful with their work.

 

The past few days have been interesting, the other bird that came just before yours has died by the pastries it brought with it, no doubt that it why your council thinks me dead. It was odd to watch, first the bird turned to dust, then the dust burst into flames until no dust remained. It seems clear your council wanted to ensure no trace of me remained. The rock you sent me has yet to tell me anything, so it currently sits in a corner, I can feel it judging me. Work has been good nonetheless, through the relationships I've formed with the creatures on my route I can harvest a good amount of appreciation each day or two, I keep enough for myself and the rest gets sent to the hive to help sustain it.

 

I hope too that you are safe, I would hate for you to suffer more just for this exchange.

 

~Swift

[Vulcan 3,256]

The young eksfid flies back to Troy, tied to his leg, a letter, a map and a box of sponge cakes.

 

Dear Swift,

 

Quite a hectic day I’ve had, first the network tells me they’ve CAPTURED my likeness into a small bronze statue in which they would place in the middle of our office and the next thing I knew they’ve FORCED a co host onto my broadcast! , can you believe that? a co host! I quite enjoyed working on my lonesome without some two bit newbie stealing my show! ...but I digress. I suppose it’s only a matter of time until I’m replaced!

 

Now then, on TO your letter,

I would very much prefer it if you were to arrive here! don’t worry about security I’ve made sure to keep all the precautions to ensure your safety, In fact, As I WRITE this LETTER, I’ve already prepared a safe route for your visit, I do hope you don’t find my enthusiasm rude in any way but I feel you will just love ESCAPING your responsibilities , even just for a few moments, to spend some time in my CITY. I’ve enclosed a map in which you may follow , I’ve already place quite a lot of effort in preparing your visit , so I do hope you accept!

 

Changelings aren’t accepted in your society?! I find that quite shocking, after all , your kind needs love and affection so much that you’ve become masters of the arts of creating it. In my town, changelings are the greatest of entertainers! they serve as amazing actors! superstar singers! and comical comedians! In fact, my favorite changeling, the best comedian I know, Jerry Seinhoof, will be ARRIVING in my town very SOON. I DO hope you will be here by then.

 

Lastly, I’ve enclosed quite a delicious gift for you,

 

I do NOT want to brag , but my town makes the best sponge cakes in the world. Once you EAT them , you will instantly remember a very fond moment of your childhood.They call them nostalgia cakes and I’ve ordered them ever since you’ve sent me your first letter, they’ve finally arrived and I’m sure you will love it! They only come in CHOCOLATE though, so I hope you don’t mind.

 

Eagerly awaiting your arrival,

 

Cecil G. Hoofer

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

It took a while for Swift to notice the pattern in the capitalized words, but once he did it wasn't too hard to figure out what he was trying to say. "I guess I'll be answering this letter in person, but I wonder where he would appear." He didn't want to risk sending entry instructions by the bird as he didn't know if the bird would go to the office or to Cecil. So he had to wait and hope that Cecil would show up in Troy first so he could get customs out of the way before arriving in Deltrot. Swift used his network of contacts to make sure someone would be watching out for Cecil in Troy and the other cities in case he showed up there. They would then help him get back to Swift safely.

 

Swift worried as he waited for word to come in about Cecil, it seemed they had delved too deep and the Nightvale government had decided to fully step in. Swift put the sponge cakes with the pastries, he didn't know what these would do and he didn't have any enemies to test them out on this time.

[Vulcan 3,256]

The rain hits hard on the dark streets of Night vale. Hooded figures and strange lovecraftian beasts walk among the citizenry as the yellow moon smiles from above . Among the bustling crowd, a purple unicorn, his clothes torn and his body filled with bruises, blitzes through the street like a mad dog running for his life, the passersby who see the colt show neither fear nor panic at the sight. Strange things were always an occurrence in the city and ponies have learned to become indifferent.

 

“Come on Cecil just a bit more” Thought the Unicorn, the satchel around his neck rustling about, as he continued his dash. He had to run. He knew he didn’t have much time. The council had known all along about his exchange and he had paid dearly for his foolishness.

 

*THUD*

 

Cecil felt something large and blunt strike him hard on the back of his head as his eyes began to fade to black. In the last moments of his consciousness he could see a towering hooded figure with large piercing blue eyes and a beak like that of an eagle looking down upon him.

 

“I….can’t….die...now”

 

“AAAAaaagh!”

 

Cecil thrashed himself awake. He was in what appeared to be a moving caravan ten times the size of what one would see in an average marketplace. The clothed roof was a dirtied white and the floors were made of fine Cedar wood. The sound of the wheels could be heard moving through the desert sands. In front of him , a griffon with the same eyes he had seen before his black out.

 

“Where am I?!” Cecil screamed as he hurried towards the griffon and grabbing his mane with his hooves. “On a Trader’s Caravan heading to Troy” The griffon remarked with a gruff and proud voice as he brushed off Cecil’s hooves. “You’re acting quite rude to someone who just saved your life”

 

“Eneroo! We’ve reached the Walls of Troy!” Called the rider driving the Caravan from the front.

 

“Perfect” Eneroo remarked as he turned his attention back towards Cecil.

 

“The price for your rescue can be discussed later, for now…” He frowned with a hint of worry in his tone as the caravan approached the gates.

 

“You will have to speak with the guards at the entrance, I doubt they would let a Night valian into their city”

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

As Cecil emerged from the caravan he immediately noticed how surprisingly cool it was on the desert in the evening, There was a slight breeze towards the city, it's walls towering above him with how close he was. The city gates stood open and were no less impressive than the walls they split. Standing over three meters high the wrought iron doors provided an impressive level of protection to the weakest part of the walls when closed, and were quite a beautiful sight when open, even from a distance. A guard came over to him while others inspected the caravan, The guard was wrapped in white cloth that had quite a bit of sand on it, the cloth covered most of the guard's body and face, and he wore goggles likely to keep the sand out of his eyes. His forelegs had layered steel plating on them and he carried an impressive pike. He spoke with an even tone, betraying no other emotion than official curiosity. "Are you Cecil? I've been told to be on the lookout for a pony of that name and you match his description fairly well."

[Vulcan 3,256]

Cecil was initially flattered that someone outside of Night vale knew his name that was...until he remembered his current status among the council and their wide reach of Equestria. Immediately and without hesitation he magically formed a large unearthly beast out of the ether, the creature was a horrid site, indescribable and nightmarish as it hovered above the curious guard. "You'll never take me back to the council!" He screamed , his deep silky voice hinted of anger and fear, as he stood his ground, secretly , he knew the creature he formed was no more than mere illusion but it's not like that guards knew that. 

Edited January 20, 2016 by Ghost Boy

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

The guard's face grew serious as he drew a piece of cloth to cover his mouth. The appearance of the beast was a bit more that startling to the guard as he swung his pole arm at Cecil's horn. Cecil managed to pull off an impressive dodge, landing him in a defensive position. The guard was nervous but did his best anyway. "I'm not here to hurt you, come peacefully and I'll make sure you're kept safe from the council." The guards who had been inspecting the caravan noticed that there was a bit of a commotion with the other guard, and they were moving to investigate.

[Vulcan 3,256]

Cecil stepped back for a brief moment, he grit his teeth knowing he had not much choice on the matter as he unchanneled  the beast, the glow on his horn dimming as the large monstrosity faded into the ether. Cecil breathed deeply before staring back at the guard, "He seems nervous" Cecil thought as he noticed the hint of fear in the guard's eyes, an agent of the council would show not have  shown such fear, they have always been known to be proud folk.

 

*sigh*

 

"Alright"  Cecil conceded as he walked cautiously towards the guard.

 

"Lead the way"

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

The guard was surprised at Cecil's words and actually took a step back. "You're actually coming peacefully? That never works, guess you must be the one I was told to look for after all." The other guards took positions on all sides of Cecil as they led him towards the gates of Troy. As they entered the walls the sheer immensity was evident by the thickness alone, the walls were a good 6 meters thick at this point, and had likely been wider at first due to erosion. They emerged on the other side of the walls and immediately turned into a guard station before Cecil could really see what Troy looked like on the inside. Inside the guard station they took a picture of him and placed him in a holding cell with the same guard he talked to standing outside. "Since the one looking for you said you came from Nightvale well need to scan you to see how corrupted by Discord you are. Given his only recent return, traces of corruption would mean that you are either from Nightvale or Ponyville, which would corroborate his story. Sit tight, the scanner will be here soon then we'll ask you some questions and release you to the one who had us look for you, they're on their way now."

[Vulcan 3,256]

@@Illiad Easle,

 

 

 

The other guards took positions on all sides of Cecil as they led him towards the gates of Troy. As they entered the walls the sheer immensity was evident by the thickness alone, the walls were a good 6 meters thick at this point, and had likely been wider at first due to erosion.

 

 "The walls must have been quite difficult to construct" Cecil thought as he gazed in awe at the sheer size of the walls. "One might think it a bit over kill for mere dessert bandits and winds" He wondered , thinking if there was a hidden purpose behind it's construction. 

 

 

 

They emerged on the other side of the walls and immediately turned into a guard station before Cecil could really see what Troy looked like on the inside.

 

Cecil was brought into the station as the guard pulled out what appeared to be a trojan camera and immediately protected his face in panic, the appearance and structure of the device was similar to one in his village that manipulated the minds of it's victims.

 

 

 

they took a picture of him and placed him in a holding cell with the same guard

 

 

As the flash went off Cecil was surprised he still had control of his body/ "perhaps the machine is defective?" He thought as they guided him into the holding cell.

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

The guard watching Cecil was quite surprised by his cooperation thus far, he certainly had an odd reaction to the camera, but he supposed that he had never seen anything quite like it before.

 

It was not a long wait before the scanner arrived. He was a beige unicorn in a white lab coat with an emblem that said TrUST on the shoulder. He looked over Cecil cooly before running a scan, the magic tingling oddly through Cecil as it passed. The scanner's expression shifted to one of surprise as he looked at Cecil closer. "How are you so corrupted, yet stable and compliant? You should be absolutely insane at this point yet... " The scanner turned towards the guard. "He's nearly 100% corrupted, he'll need a powerful chaos wrap if he is to remain within the city walls, and even with the wrap it would be best if he did not cast magic to prevent risk of contamination." The guard nodded as the scanner left, he moved towards the front desk to talk with another guard there before returning with a bolt of cloth that had been heavily infused with magic as well as a dampening ring. "We've been told that Swift is on his way here to retrieve you, he should be able to confirm your identity and them you'll be free to go. You are welcome to remain within the cities of Troy so long as you wear these whilst within the walls. You've been thoroughly corrupted and we don't want it to spread to others. This cloth will reverse the corruption as well as prevent its spread while you wear it, if your wore it constantly it could heal your coruption in as little as five years, but in your case it would likely take closer to 15." he passed the bolt of cloth and the ring through a slot in the bars. "Do you know how to wrap a toga? or do you need someone to teach you how?"

Edited February 6, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Vulcan 3,256]

 

 

"How are you so corrupted, yet stable and compliant? You should be absolutely insane at this point yet...

 

"Insane?" Cecil thought, It definitely wasn't  the first  time he's heard that before.....

 

 

 

"Do you know how to wrap a toga? or do you need someone to teach you how?"

 

"I think I can manage" He answered with a hint of doubt, Cecil had seen Togas before , mostly in the Carvings of ponies found at the Night vale Museum.  "Alright....I think...this goes here....and that goes...there?" He said fiddling around with materials. "Done!" He smiled proudly ,  It wasn't perfect but It looked to be a pretty good effort for a first try.

 

"Not too shabby right?" He smiled , thinking he looked rather dashing in his new ensemble, perhaps he could start a new trend of Togas when he get's back to Night-...oh right....Cecil had almost forgotten that he may not be able to ever return to Nightvale, the very thought of which made him quite sad< Night Vale wasn't perfect , But It was definitely home.

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

The guard looked at him with a slightly askew face, moving from side to side to get a better angle. "I mean, I guess you could do it that way. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll be good to go." He waved over a unicorn guard who adjusted Cecil's toga to ensure that it covered all that it needed to before returning to wherever it is they store guards when not in use. "That should do it then. Deltrot's not far so Swift should be here shortly to collect you. the toga should not have a noticeable effect for a few days, but you may notice your corruption going down slowly over time. I hope you enjoy your stay here." The guard then left, likely moving to the end of the hall so he could watch all the cells instead of just his.

 

It was about half an hour later that Swift arrived at the guard station, proceeding back to Cecil's cell after confirming who he was. He looked quite similar to the way he described himself in his letters, it not a bit exhausted from the journey here. "Well, I guess I wouldn't know you by having never seen you before, but I'll ask you a question from one of our letters which you would know the answer to if you are the Cecil I've been writing to. What is my job?" 

[Vulcan 3,256]

The guard looked at him with a slightly askew face, moving from side to side to get a better angle. "I mean, I guess you could do it that way. Just a few minor adjustments and you'll be good to go." He waved over a unicorn guard who adjusted Cecil's toga to ensure that it covered all that it needed to before returning to wherever it is they store guards when not in use. "That should do it then. Deltrot's not far so Swift should be here shortly to collect you. the toga should not have a noticeable effect for a few days, but you may notice your corruption going down slowly over time. I hope you enjoy your stay here." The guard then left, likely moving to the end of the hall so he could watch all the cells instead of just his.

 

"Corruption?" Cecil wondered in the back of his mind, his body feeling slightly heavy all of a sudden as if the energy that had been giving him the strength to move were suddenly being sapped away.  

 

 

 

It was about half an hour later that Swift arrived at the guard station, proceeding back to Cecil's cell after confirming who he was. He looked quite similar to the way he described himself in his letters, it not a bit exhausted from the journey here. "Well, I guess I wouldn't know you by having never seen you before, but I'll ask you a question from one of our letters which you would know the answer to if you are the Cecil I've been writing to. What is my job?" 

 

 

"I dunno who you are" Cecil replied in his smooth voice. " You look like a guard...are you a guard?" He implied taking a short break as he sat down and gave a good look at the "pegasus" in front of him. "Grey coat ....well not too grey more like "Greyish"..." He thought , shifting his eyes to his mane. "Silver mane and Tail...." 

 

"I must say, you look a lot older than you described in your messages, Swift" He grinned a sly smile at his friend. 

Edited March 18, 2016 by Obito Uchiha

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

Swift gave a slight grin back, "That's hardly the best way to make a first impression, you really had me scared with your last letter. Did you make it out of Nightvale ok?"

 

Seeing the recognition the guard opened the door to the cell so Cecil could leave.  

[Vulcan 3,256]

Swift gave a slight grin back, "That's hardly the best way to make a first impression, you really had me scared with your last letter. Did you make it out of Nightvale ok?"

“I’m a little banged up, but I can walk” He smiled softly at his winged friend, as he stepped limply out of his cell,Despite his tone, He was a lot more injured than he was letting on, his body still covered with bruises fresh from the Nightvalian “Dentist” and his left eye still shined a tint of black from Eneru’s “tatical distraction. "How have you been?" He asked, he hadn't messaged Mr. Message in quite awhile , so he was quite curious.

 

Vulcan stepped out of his universe editor, staring into the flickering computer screen that stood on his desk, his mind still a little jet lagged from his flight back to his hometown.The universe entitled “A Cultural exchange”, at least the version he had been a part of, had been going on and off for awhile. “It’s summer now” He grinned, stretching out his arms as he cracked his fingers. “I hope you’re ready Mr. Easle” He chuckled , typing this last sentence into the screen and hitting submit.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Vulcan

[Illiad Easle 3,228]

@,

 

Swift smiled at his comments but winced at his obvious injuries. "Lets get you somewhere safe so I can get you patched up, while you may be able to walk you won't be able to enjoy the scenery while you're in so much pain." He beckoned as he turned towards the entrance. "Come on, I know a place that can patch you up pretty quick." 

 

Meanwhile...

 

'Dark and cloudy and they call this spring? One more month and I'll be back home again.' I returned to my universe editor from the window, switching between active universes until I found the one I wanted. Like little science platters I watch characters move about their lives blissfully unaware that I control them. "I'm ready  oh player of many changing names, can you handle my response times?" I certainly hoped so, it would be interesting to see this world move a bit faster.