Dear Jet Set
I don’t even know why I bother with these messages to you any longer. Maybe it’s because you might regain some spark of our romance when you read these letters to yourself, the same way we spoke all those years ago. I know it sounds like false hope nowadays, after so much time spent in each other’s company, but can you blame me for indulging in a little nostalgia?
I know, I know. You almost definitely won’t read this letter, no matter how I try to get it across to you. Maybe that’s part of the problem, that we’ve spent so much time face-to-face that we’ve forgotten how to treat each other as new, exciting additions to our lives, the same way we treated each other all those years ago…
I’m afraid I must ask you to ignore any stains you might find on this roll of parchment; those are only the remnants of a potiological mishap, and certainly not as a result of any emotional tumult
It’s just that the memory of reading your first letter to me
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If I knew how
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I lov
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I’m so sorry. It’s just that I miss you so much. I miss the feeling of you nuzzling yourself against my neck, of you being with me when we share a night in bed, of you comforting me in my darkest moments of my life. Where has our life together gone? It feels like just yesterday that we were content with only the company of ourselves, and damn the rest of Equus to the fiery pits of Tartarus! Please tell me, my Settler! Where have our lives gone? Why am I not the mare you fell in love with all those years ago? Why are you not the stallion I fell in love with?
I miss you so much, dear Jet Set. Please come back to me.
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Addressed to Lord Jet Set
Unfortunately, the First Minister has declined my generous offer of food alleviations in exchange for extraction rights. They have made it clear to me that the Free State market is closed off to us for the foreseeable future.
Yours faithfully,
Lady Upper Crust
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Master High Roller of Shallow Shade,
I have reason to believe your enmity with Sir Nocked is about to reach its boiling point. The city of Las Pegasus will very soon become hostile to personalities such as ours. I suggest you move your indemnities elsewhere as soon as possible. Perhaps you could offer your services to the new Free State in exchange for umbrella? I hear they’re in a spot of trouble at the moment, which shouldn’t be too much bother to fix up.
Your loyal servant,
Pockmarked Ditch
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Addressed to Celestia Morningstar – Diarch of Equestria
Priority Mail
Celly,
Hey again. It’s me. I know I haven’t gotten a letter to you for a while now, and I’d like to apologise for that. I’m afraid I’ve been busy with First Minister duties for a good chunk of time over here… something I still haven’t forgiven you for, don’tcha know. I know I was perfectly content reading crappy adventure novels from the far-flung reaches of Equestria before my life became one!
Anyway. Things are still going tough over here. Rationing is tough, overcrowding is tough, running around trying to fix all the little, and not-so-little, issues we have here is tough… I’ve spent more than a few days working the fields myself, before I just plain ran out of steam for it. Had to resort to getting some other ponies doing it for me. I got Construct to finally set up some kind of foraging program around here, since I figured the forest would have at least something for us poor sods to eat…
Oh, and as for housing… well, we’ve had to bunch up a little bit, so to speak. I had a couple ponies of my own sleeping the night in my kitchen and hallway – although Construct did put her foot hoof down and get them out as soon as she could. Here’s hoping our brand-new commieblocks are a temporary solution; the aesthetic just doesn’t work with wood.
I’m sure you aren’t too interested in the minutiae of the Free State’s goings-on, though; you’ve got all of Equestria to manage yourself, after all, which is, of course, so much larger in scope than my own piddly nation. No doubt I must sound like a whiny teenager, pissing and moaning that things aren’t going my way, and that therefore the entirety of the universe must somehow be rigged against me in some sort of cosmic comedy
I’m rambling again, aren’t I? I really should compare notes with that student of yours someday; I suspect we might have much to talk about, once I get over my crippling lack of free time. And not just because I considered myself something of a scholar at some point, earlier in my life Please, please, please don’t let her see what I’ve just written here…
Anyway, I’m sure you must be a very busy ruler, and I’d hate to take your precious time away from the whole ‘running an entire civilisation’ thing you’ve got going on over there… besides, have you finally gotten around to re-opening that favoured pastry-shop of yours, just off Commiseration Ave. two blocks down? I seem to recall you ranting and raving about the egg-custard buns from that place… why haven’t you done anything about that yet?
Oh damn it, now you’ve got me hankering for some amazing egg-custard tarts again, Celly. Thanks so much.
I’d better leave you to your work, before you get overtaken by a hankering of pastries again. I think we both know how you get, after all… (Seriously. Don’t skimp your duties just to invite me to your favourite place again. You know how cranky your people get when you do that. Although, I wouldn’t exactly complain, if you were, hypothetically, to do that…)
Yours,
Adam Inns,
First Minister of the Free State of the White Tail Woods,
your friend
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To Lieutenant Hothoof,
Congratulations on your well-deserved promotion! I never had any doubt in your capabilities to see it through to the end. I know that the usual process for selecting COs these days is pretty rough on ponies like you and me, and that exercise must certainly have tried your patience at points, but I’m glad to see you’ve persevered through regardless! Here’s hoping you get assigned to us, here, so we can whip these sorry mudflingers back into shape again!
Don’t forget that you make more than me now, Hothoof! You’re picking up the tab at any bar we both find ourselves in now, yeah? I promise to try not to drink Equestria dry on your expense… how about starting off with just Vanhoover, first?
Sergeant Treated Polearm
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For PIDC Eyes Only / Confidential
Addressed to the Chancellor of the Office of Public Information Dissemination and Control,
CP: ‘Colorless purple ideas grieve ingloriously.’
Response negative for Operation Peeping Tom.
Addendum Alpha: Operatives placed in AoI: Free State are at risk of termination, as confirmed by First Minister. Possibility of Class-Brook incident. Proceed with extended caution.
Addendum Beta: First Minister is a confirmed anti-thaumaturgical entity. Intensity unknown, assumed moderate. Extreme caution is advised during close-mission encounters involving Invariable assets.
Additional note: resident of Free State confirmed to share physical/psychological characteristics of PoI: Plucked (including coat color, mane color, cutie mark, behavioral patterns (theoretical)). PoI likely in a close relationship with First Minister. Strong personal response as a result of re-acquisition of PoI is unlikely – relationship is observed to be one-sided (PoI-to-actor). Addendum Alpha must be considered during PoI extraction regardless of threat/observation level; First Minister was observed to be unusually protective of PoIs/actors deemed under its protection.
Count Gilded Hoof
Court’s Eye
Count Hoof of the Manehattan 2nd Industrial Zone, MSE, EQEI
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Wow so many new chapters in days
If "Plucked" is Lyra as I suspect, then I'm really scared for her safety.
Was the first letter from Upper Curst or another mare? Very interesting for you to write all these different letters… I wonder if Celestia will have a sweet shop open at the Free State
Not sure who this Pol character is so it’s interesting we’ll see a situation going to happen soon. I guess Inn’s needs to start building apartments soon since there’s probably not a lot of houses that can fit every pony.
Gorgeous. Now the overall picture proves even more strongly all the problems of Equestria and the ignorance (naivety) of ordinary citizens in it.
11581625
My guess on who PoI: Plucked is, based on this, is Lyra, cause she's the only pony that is really close with Adam, and its looking to be that she might be a love interest for Adam.
11581691
That makes sense. Man, poor Lyra… she has to challenge Celestia to have Adam for herself wait… what happens if Construct falls for Adam? Poor Adam, clueless to the mares falling hoofs over manes for him
I assume Lyra is the daughter of Lord Heartstrings (who was connected to the Equestrian Spy network) and she went to the Free Nation to go into hiding and escape and that's why she hasn't mentioned her last name
.... Inns's letter frustrates the hell out of me and I really, really wish Celestia had punched him when she learned of how badly he messed up. Moving on...
Did Gilded Hoof seriously write that a strong personal response to Lyra being "reacquired" from Inns was unlikely, and then follow it up by saying that he was unusually protective of those under his care? Does he not think those two facts should be mutually exclusive? Or is he one of those people that thinks that friendzoning is a personal insult?
11581613
It's surprisingly easy, actually. I come up with about eight or so headlines first, for what might reasonably happen in Equestria considering what's happened so far in the story, and write the articles around them. I'd say it's about half-and-half of articles relevant/related to the plot and articles that are just there for flavour or worldbuilding. Assuming, of course, I don't retroactively turn them into foreshadowing for a future chapter or something like that.
11581982
A few things. One, there is a difference between personal and professional responses when it comes to interactions between people in positions of power.
Two, Gilded Hoof has about twenty, thirty seconds worth of observations to draw his conclusions from, regarding Adam and Lyra anyway - not exactly a sound interpersonal analysis, I'd say - and his view of Adam's leadership is essentially confined to his speech, his apparent dismissal of Crust's deal, and whatever he can glean from looking around the settlement and talking to its residents.
Three, I think it was pretty apparent Gilded Hoof is not a terribly competent spy - as much as I hate to default to 'X character is an idiot' as the only explanation, he did just tell Adam who he was.
“Count of Hoof of the Manehatten 2nd Industrial Zone” Never thought I’d see a noble who’s dominion is an industrial park, though it’d probably have to happen eventually if a feudal aristocracy oversaw industrialisation.
*twitching of eyebrow* Oh Sun Face...
*commence inarticulate roars of rage, screams of a mare in pain, sounds of steel-reinforced titanium bat hitting flesh, and much profanty* Now, are you going to get your head out of your plot and at least TRY to fix your damn nation, or do I have to administer additional negative reinforcement?
*somewhere in a pile of bruised, battered, and bloody fleshing a whimper*
Its official. Equastria is going to become a failed state barring massive intervention. It's like someone took the worst aspects of a monarchy, a republic, a dictatorship then added in the sort of capitalism that made Marx a name. Adding to the horror is a sauce that resembles of Iranian "morality police", Gestapo, NKVD, and a few religious fundamentalist groups.
Its no wonder the ponies stayed with Adam. Chance starvation before a harvest with a leader that cares enough to try something. Otherwise die for sure in a few years of malnutrition and exposure in a realm where the leader doesn't care to try and ones holding actual power are part of the pproblem. Assuming the secret pony police don't kill you for questioning the status quo.
Viva la Revolution I say.
PS
Oh and let's not forget that when the ponies gave feedback he actually LISTENED. Speaking from experience, that is a huge factor in keeping people (and one assumes ponies) loyalty.
11582310
well the equivilent of 'martial law', given this is set about a year before nightmare moon returns is understandable, even though the public wouldn't know why...she's preparing for what she might expect is a rematch of the civil war.
11582268
Japan