Something flying this way comes
It was another Monday in Manteo, and Mondays in Manteo had a remarkable habit of all being exactly the same, no matter what changed or what variation there could be. This usually consisted of people getting on with their lives and preparing for the big celebration at the end of the year. With it now being September, it was now only a matter of time before Christmas arrived, and Christmas being on the horizon. Of course, normally the streets would be full of people dismantling the old and bringing in the new, all in preparation.
Sadly, Covid 19 had put a hold on all that, and most people were mercifully indoors. Although some big fish and crab festival was coming up towards the end of the month, most people in Manteo were electing to stay indoors to avoid spreading the virus, and indeed, most people were very sensible indeed and didn't want to spread it, unlike some idiots who seemed to think that they had the right to run about as they pleased because 'making people wear masks is equivalent to persecution', or some other nonsensical argument.
Jimmy, as usual, was Jimmy, as usual, was Jimmy, as he looked down from a window to see the floor, and nobody about. He'd gotten used to the status quo. He'd been planning a big overseas trip to many places, but mainly to rediscover his roots (his mother had been of Scots descent, and as a result he wanted to find out how Scottish he was, although having been Merida in the past meant the answer to that was extremely Scottish indeed). So, Jimmy had planned all that, only for it not to happen. So he was stuck indoors, with only an occasionnal TF to entertain him every now and then for his time.
And even those seemed to have laid off. The last one had occurred in August, and then it had stopped. Admittedly, meeting yourself was always an odd experience, but yet a fun one, but alas alack that was in the past, and on the first of this month (September, for anybody reading this post September) nothing had happened at all. It was all rather strange, really. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it in any way.
Jimmy decided to switch to talking to somebody before he headed out. To which end, he dialled his brother. "Hello?" he asked.
"Nice to hear from you again," said a moustached voice from the other end of the telephone line. "Anything going on down there?"
"Up there, you mean. No, nothing really. Still locked down."
"Are your voting machines still working? In Memphis, the USPS has been ordered to remove mail sorting machines and remove mailboxes in several places- curiously, in districts that vote Democrat. They're not being removed from Republican ones."
"It's almost as if the Republicans are trying to cheat!" Jimmy answered. "A mailbox vanished a few days ago, but local pressure caused the USPS to put them back. I also saw a news report stating that workers have rebuilt a machine at Charlotte sorting office."
"Good on them. I got my ballot done a few days ago, drove to the nearest Republican district, and dropped it in the mailbox. It'll almost certainly go in."
Jimmy nodded. As he knew well, it was hard being a Democrat in a Republican dominated state. "Well, nice chatting with you, but I've got stuff I need to do. See ya!"
Bye, little brother. Watch the bubble wrap!"
Jimmy groaned and rolled his eyes. "Very funny, David." The call ended and he went outside, remembering to open and close the door first as otherwise it would result in a needlessly broken door for no good reason. And off he went into the high street, then turned onto the low street, before sliding to a stop as his phone went off again. "Hello? Jimmy speaking?"
"Ahh! Jimmy!" said a British voice on the other end. "Remember me?"
"Tom! How're you getting along?"
"Things are fairly good here, though Katrina's getting homesick and lockdown's getting lighter. The two aren't connected, by the way, but my parents have asked me to look after Rebecca for a bit."
"Rebecca? Oh, your little sister! I'd love to meet her, she's adorable!"
"How would you know that? You've never met her."
Jimmy laughed. "Based on what you've said about her. When's she coming up?"
"Tomorrow morning, which is why I'm getting the sofa sorted out. This place was designed for two occupants maximum, and with me and Katrina fulfilling that role, it's going to be a bit of a squash."
"Well, I hope it all goes well."
"Cheers. I would request that you vote Democrat this time, but that's a silly request as you vote Democrat anyway. Katrina's requested her ballot form, but given the mess the post is in at the moment, it may take a while."
Jimmy looked at the sky, the threatening clouds closing in like clouds full of clouds. "Sorry, but I've got to go. Got to leave you all behind and face the truth."
"Best of luck. Cheerio!"
The call ended, and Jimmy was on his way. The street continued to roll back and away as he strolled gently along, and there was a distinct odour of fish for some reason. He ignored it and went onwards with his day, when his lack of preparation became very apparent indeed.
His lack of preparation was very apparent indeed as the rain began to fall from the sky, blanketing everything in wetness, the roads turning into rivers and the sidewalks becoming very slippery as raindrops bounced off them. Jimmy went to find shelter under a tree, which seemed to work in reducing the wetness, but suddenly a great bolt of lightning arced out of the sky and collided with the tree. The bolt flowed through the branches and out into Jimmy with a bang, surrounding him with a bright light.
And once the light faded, he was no longer there. In his place was a dark blue pegasus with a white mane and tail, complete with a crescent moon surrounded by two white blobs for a cutie mark.
"How did I get here?" she asked, confused. Everything was too big and strange to be home. So she took to the skies, thundering through the storm and looking for a way back to Equestria.
Author's Note
This character appears in Starlight's village early in Season 5, and appears throughout the show in the background. Curiously, they are only ever named in episode credits, never on screen.
To avoid confusion, here are some pointers.
This story occurs in the 'main timeline' of the TCU, as opposed to the alternate timeline shown in these two stories;
EThe First Gala Transformation
How can a simple tiara do something that curious? Well, Jimmy has just found out what it is.
Discord The Narrator ·
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An attempt to find somebody reveals a bizarre truth...
The Blue EM2 ·
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This is why Jimmy's mother is referred to in the past tense above, as in this timeline she is sadly no longer alive (RIP).
The title is a reference to Something Nasty in the Vault, an episode of the classic BBC sitcom Dad's Army.
