Surprises

Part 4, Surprises

By TAB

I fumbled with the lock to the pier, my eyes clouded with frustration as tried unsuccessfully to unlock it. I let out an exasperated sigh as I stepped back, trying to find a way to calm down. With my anger partly in check I tried the lock again, this time rewarded with an audible click as the gate slid apart with a groan. I slammed the gate shut behind as I hurried through, not bothering to care if anyone had watched me come in.

The day had been worse than bad, nearly pushing me to the edge of my self-control as I forced myself to stay the few remaining hours with the little hell-spawn I had to tutor today. I saw now why his parents were paying me so much; he was a beast that would be better suited in a straitjacket and muzzle.

I plopped myself down on the edge of the pier, letting my legs hang off the ledge, trying to think about the positives of today. You made one hundred and thirty-five dollars in one day, that's a record you know. My mind reassured me, again being the voice of reason. I smiled, knowing that the money was helping me get a new computer and that, honestly, I really needed it.

I felt my anger simmer, having already reached its’ peak on my way to the pier. For once today, I almost felt kind of happy. Relaxing myself, I laid my back on the pier; my thoughts idly drifting away as I let the stress of the day slowly wear off of my tired body.

Surprisingly, the letter popped its’ way back into my head. Maybe she did actually get it. I thought, wondering how the scholarly mare would react to a letter like that. I chuckled at the thought, already knowing she would nearly drive herself insane trying to find out who I was.
It was then I noticed how late it was getting, the Sun already hanging low in the sky, gracing Chicago with a twilight almost identical to yesterday’s. I stood up lazily, feeling great for coming back to the pier again.

I was nearly out of the gate before I noticed an all too familiar coke-cola bottle washed up on the huge rocks lining the edge of the edge the pier. Guess you didn’t go far, huh, I thought, disappointed knowing my letter to her had failed.

Almost mechanically, I found myself jumping down to the rocks below, making my way to the bottle, laying only a few feet away. I quickly scooped it up, making my way quickly back to the pier. I hoisted myself back up, awkwardly regaining my balance as I got up. I made my way back to the edge of the pier, and was already about to heave it back into the water when I noticed something on the inside.

A thin purple line, nearly invisible even at this close a range, ran along the length of the page, effectively sealing the sheet into a roll. My interest was instantly piqued in the new scroll, wondering if Twilight had actually gotten the letter and replied to it. Unscrewing the cap, I could feel my heart in my throat; my hands shaking uncontrollably as I struggled to take off the small metal cap.

Finally getting it off, I took out the neatly rolled piece of paper, quickly breaking the purple seal with little affair. If the royal seal emblazoned at the top didn't hit me hard enough, the words right beneath it nearly made me faint.

“From Twilight”

My adrenaline was pumping as I burst through my apartment door, the seven blocks I had sprinted through barely even affecting me. My breathing was ragged, but I put up with enough to make my way into my study. I sat down at my desk, laying my head to its cold wood finish to try and clear my head.

I had to be losing my mind. There's no way she could have sent it from another planet, my mind reasoned, trying its best to rationalize the letter. It's a just a prank from another brony, I concluded, the only way I could even begin to believe it. I raised my head from the desk, now that my mind had acquired a rational way to explain this this letter.

Celestia’s royal crest at the top, an almost identical match to her cutie mark of the sun, baffled me as I looked at it. However, the crest seemed a bit different from how it looked in the show, displaying a certain level of detail that had obviously not been appreciated. It was hard to place, but it almost had a sort of glow emanating from it as I watched.

“Almost like magic,” I thought aloud, slightly gasping as my mind put two and two together.

As soon as I realized it, I tried shaking my head to clear it. I’m beginning to lose it aren’t I? It’s already been proven that magic doesn’t exist! ,What I really felt I needed was some good sleep, my eyes quickly flicking to the clock on the wall to check the time. 9:52. I had been up for almost fifteen hours, and the fatigue was making itself well known in both my mind and body.

I knew I needed it, but already I knew that sleep would never come with this letter hanging over my head. Instead, I just bucked up and prepared for the night that was to come.

I looked down at the handwriting of the letter. I could plainly see it was painstakingly written, and the writer was well practiced with an ink pen. That’s where things started to make even less sense than they did before. Who or what would invest this much time just to prank me, someone who he likely didn’t even know? My mind reeled, and I could feel just the lightest of headaches to form, compounding my on top of my already tired body and mind.

All and all, the letter just didn’t make sense, and my mind couldn’t even begin to explain it. Slowly, everything began to make sense.

The letter was real.

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Author's Note

A/N: I'm very disappointed with this chapter, and honestly, it feels kind of weak. It's been through about three months of development purgatory, and I think the effects of that wait are painfully obvious. More than likely, I'll end up rewriting this chapter along with chapter two.

I hope you enjoyed, and as always, I'm open to any and all kinds of criticism.