DEC 25 Monday.

I sit under the pavilion and slowly inspect the medium ruby me and Entropy Imbued with shadow magic yesterday.

I fished this gem out from the fake stump in the pavilion as it was time to finally find a better location to store it. So we Imbued it yesterday and spent the night here to let Entropy rest and Recover from the ritual. After waking up and going about my normal activities I'm ready for the next step.

I need a shadow to store this gem inside, and after a lot of thought, I think I've found a good one. Inside my apartment is the wooden carving of Luna that Celestia gave me. It's both unique and memorable so me and Entropy are unlikely to ever forget its location.

I also plan to put the carving inside my shack here just to be safe, I don't want anything to mess with it so it's safer here, which is why I'm currently holding it in front of me and second-guessing myself a little. I want to make sure I pick a good location so I've been rethinking it a bit more before committing.

I could change the location from time to time but I think complicating its hiding spot is a little dangerous, this gem is very important in case anything happens to me. After a little more thought I nod and turn to Entropy, "Place it in this shadow Girl." I make my choice and she does as I ask.

Once she's done with that I walk back and place the carving on a small table inside my shack. It should be safe here, that won't stop me from being paranoid and checking on it from time to time though. I leave the carving alone and move over to the other items on my small table.

It contains my efforts in this winter's crossbreeding. I've made both the Frost Tomato and the Frost Leek, nothing groundbreaking but it's yet another crop that can be grown during winter so it's worth the effort. Right now I'm collecting enough seeds to pass off to Celestia so they can be added to the others.

I tie another bag shut and add it to the small pile that will have a few pounds of seeds for each plant. But my work is interrupted by the familiar feeling of space bending and shifting. A moment later Philomena appears inside my shack with two wrapped boxes. "Thank you, Philomena." I thank her with a few treats and scratches before moving the boxes over to the small table.

The two birds play fight like normal and teleport to a different place a moment later, leaving me alone with my gifts. I look at the tags and see that one is from Cadance while the other is from Celestia, it seems I have another pony that will be sending me gifts this year.

I did end up getting a small gift back from Twilight, it was a few stacks of notes on runes that she copied from the royal library. I think she meant to send me more advanced knowledge of runes, but I'm already more advanced than most of what she sent me.

Still, it's a nice gift, and a few small things in the notes that were of use to me, and as corny as it sounds it's the thought that counts the most for me. It's not like she could have known the information would be of little use to me, I'm still happy with the gift anyway.

After a moment I decide to open Cadance's gift first as I'm rather curious what she got me. Inside is a complexly cut ruby in the shape of a heart, very on-brand. I also noticed a small note inside, I'll tell you where to plant the tree later, for now I hope you like this, it's a nice trinket I thought you might like. Happy Hearth's Warming.

I smile at that, she probably struggled to get me anything, I know I'm not the easiest pony to gift shop for, but it's a nice gift regardless and I can think of a few fun things to do with it. Maybe another illusion like the planet? It might be fun to mess around and make something for the sake of it looking cool.

I move over to the other box and open it to see a smaller box and a singular book. I pick up the book and look at the cover, only to smile like a maniac while seeing just what she sent me. Gem Cutting By Sunny Solis. I flip the cover open and see a signature in neat careful writing on the inside.

I smile widely as it seems I've gotten yet another book from Celestia, once again written by her. The signature has a message under it as well. This is the original copy that I wrote, I hope you like it. It seems I've gotten Celestia to join me in the madness of having a fake identity, or depending on when she made this I could be joining her. Either way, I got the master copy of the book Twilight would be so jealous.

It is an amazing gift from her, to give me another book she herself wrote, it's also a very thoughtful thing to give. I'll need to see when she actually published this book under this fake name. It was probably a while ago though so it might be hard to find information on it.

I'll have to ask about it next time we meet. I gently place the book to the side, careful not to damage it as a master copy signed by the author, and is a true treasure to cherish. I move onto the small box and open it to see a necklace that makes me smile like an idiot.

The chain is a simple chain of interlocking rings that has a pendant hanging from it. All the metal looks like silver but the color is a bit off and I'm not sure if it's right. The pendant is of a tree and is a bit thick, with a good amount of weight to it, the trunk has a few tiny topaz gems embedded in its surface while the tree top has emeralds.

I smile at the beautiful craftsponyship of it and I can tell it's very high quality. I notice another note in the small box and unfold it after marveling at the necklace for a while.

Happy Hearth's Warming Shade.

I've seen you with that necklace you've had for years now and thought it was about time to get something more fitting for you. I also know you have some important spells on the diamond in your necklace pendant, so I had this necklace specially made.

It's made from magical silver and that by itself should hold a decent amount of magic, but maybe not enough. So I also cut a diamond to form a flat square piece that has been embedded inside the pendant, it's already enchanted and linked to the necklace so you can just add whatever enchantments you like to the pendant itself.

I hope you like it as much as I liked the necklace you gave me, and thank you for the lovely gifts you sent. The tea is amazing and the illusion is beyond even the wild expectations you've set for yourself over the years. I'll be a bit busy after the new year but I'll send a letter when we can meet next.

Your friend, Celestia Solis.

My eyes widen along with my smile as I read through the letter. Magical silver has a few names but it is known to be a great metal to gather magic, but it's structurally weaker than mithril which is why I didn't use it for my weapons. I take a closer look at the pendent after putting the letter away carefully.

The pendant is three inches tall and two inches wide, along with being a quarter inch thick. It looks like somepony took a metal plate and cut out a tree shape from it, with a trunk, treetop, and roots mimicking the treetop shape at the bottom. It has those small gems I noticed to add some color but it doesn't use many of them.

Five tiny emeralds and six tiny topaz gems give color and a theme to it without looking overly flashy or expensive. The entire necklace looks like something you can buy from a slightly more high-end jewelry store, but not something that you'd spend an absurd amount on.

Basically, it looks cheaper than it actually is, the magical silver alone would cost a good amount but the jewelry work also costs a premium. But the result is something magically powerful and nice to look at without drawing too much attention from other ponies.

I can't help but smile widely and feel a warmth in my chest while looking at it again. She really knows how I like things, simple and effective while not being loud. I take off my old necklace and put on my new one, feeling the lighter weight and the better-built chain that rests comfortably on my neck.

It seems I might have actually been outdone by her this year, then again I think she cheated with the magical metal. Still, I absolutely love the gift, it has so many good thoughts and feelings behind it that just make me happy to have it. I'm also excited as it genuinely looks nice and is helpful to me.

I activate my bracelet to look through a few notes and find the spells I normally have on my necklace. I quickly find what I need and enchant my new necklace with the same spells as my old one had before taking the old necklace and putting it in the box the new necklace came in.

The new necklace definitely has more magic than my old one so there is no concern bout it not having enough magic for the Emotional Shield spell. I can also now add more spells to this necklace as well, it's something I'll need to think about and test but it should be an interesting project.

I smile happily and start to grab the things needed to make some tea so I can spend some time reading through the new book I have. It's not a subject I can see myself needing to do all that often, but knowing the theory behind gem cutting could be useful at some point so why not?

I get ready to head home to be somewhere more comfortable, but I quickly remember Entropy is somewhere else. I stretch out my senses and notice her and Philomena in the Vita Tree. I whistle loudly and a moment later she appears near me, "Hey Girl, can you take us ho- ... Actually, can you take us to Ponyville? I think we could use some lunch."

I make a snap decision to go and visit the small town for the first time in a few months. After my last trip, I decided to stay away for a while but it would be nice to visit and I wouldn't mind having lunch instead of cooking. She tilts her head and bobs happily. "Hungry." She agrees and a moment later the Void greets me.

When we reappear it's at the new spot I found during my last few visits, it's overlooking Ponyville a little from and an out-of-the-way area. After a moment I cast the wing spell while Entropy activates her illusion and takes flight, with me doing the same a moment later.

As I fly to the town I notice another pony flying above Ponyvile, I can't really make them out but I'm going to guess it's probably Fluttershy as not many pegasi live here. I leave the thought alone and land at the edge of the town before deciding to look around for somewhere to eat, I could just go to Sugar Cube Corner but I don't feel like dealing with Pinkie at the moment.

After a bit of walking, I end up at a tea shop, it's smaller than a lot of restaurants but looks well-kept. I walk past the windows and see an earth pony slowly reading something behind a counter while a scant few others are drinking something and talking to each other. Maybe someplace for next time, I need something more filling than tea.

I continue down the street for a while and eventually decide to just buy some fried bread from a food stall, maybe not the best for a full meal but Entropy and I both enjoy it. Eventually, we find ourselves in a small park area, it's mostly just a playground with a bench along with some grass and trees surrounded by buildings.

I take a seat on the bench and happily eat my food with Entropy as I slowly and carefully flip through my new book. There is some snowfall right now that I block with my wings as I enjoy the cool air. And the peaceful feeling of ponies going about their day in this sleepy town around me, but much like many other park visits, the peace never lasts long after I arrive.

At first, it's not that noticeable, but then the weather goes from cloudy to much more clear skies pretty quickly. After a few minutes I notice what's causing it, a very fast light blue pegasus is flying around quickly gathering clouds and moving them. It takes them a few passes for me to get a good look but what I see nearly makes me curse a bit.

I've had an accident-prone history with parks, I've met several ponies I wanted to avoid while in a park, and it seems like fate isn't changing that any time soon. The light blue and rainbow maned Rainbow Dash files around above me quickly changed the weather around.

After a few minutes, I decided to just stop paying attention and focus on my book instead. I have a feeling that much like the times before this I'm not going to need to go and seek her out, and if she doesn't bother me why worry about it? It's not like I need to meet her for any reason.

It is interesting to see her here though, and it's something I make a mental note of. It seems my little visit and check-in was well timed. I guess that means I've seen all six of them as well, and that time is still marching forward. On the topic of time, I've been thinking about a trip I could go on after the new year, I'm not sure where to go though.

I know I'm not going with Cadance again, I've had my fill of politics and I really don't want to deal with that stuff right now. So I've been thinking about an odd option and a potentially dangerous one. I've been thinking about going to the Dragon Lands.

It's definitely not a simple choice but I think it could be useful in several ways. First and foremost is my overwhelming curiosity about Dragons, we know so little about them and I'd love to learn a lot more. There is also the fact that they may have some useful gems and resources to buy or trade for.

It could also be useful to know a few dragons in general as they are powerful beings that could prove to be good allies. That's not to say it's as easy as befriending them, but it's possible and I know I can at least get along with a few of the younger dragons.

I will need protection though as they are dangerous and I could get hurt if I'm not prepared and careful. Still, it's something to think about and I could also try to pay back that one dragon if I find her, she was rather chill after all, and helped me a lot. My thoughts abruptly cut off as I noticed something.

Turns out that while I was thinking a certain pegasus had decided that this exact park I'm currently in is a great place to take a breather. As Rainbow Dash lands in the park looking a bit out of breath and taking gulps from a flask while resting herself and stretching out her wings.

She's less than a dozen feet away because the park is very small, and because fate has had it out for me for years now she apparently decides to take a rest on the same fucking bench as me. :Fuck you too fate: I just ignore her for now and try to be positive, it is interesting meeting another element bearer and it's not the worst thing to meet her.

Entropy apparently agrees as she looks at Rainbow Dash from atop my shoulder and tilts her head curiously. "Hey, nice bird. I know a pegasus with one just like it. What's its name?" Her confident tone says abruptly and I force myself not to sigh out loud. :Looks like I'm doing this then, fuck it:

I stop slouching and sit up to my full height before turning to her with a neutral face. She's larger than normal for a Pegasus but is still much smaller than me, she does have a well-built body though, and clearly stays in shape. She also has this very relaxed body language.

It's at this point I remember that I forgot to dismiss my wings and that Rainbow Dash might have started a conversation for other reasons beyond Entropy. She looks me over with focused eyes when I turn to look at her and I'm once again questioning my own intelligence.

She blatantly looked me over and I even noticed a very quick glance between my hindlegs. :I'd say fuck today, but I've gotten some good gifts so I can't: "Shadow, or Entropy. Either works, Miss." I say softly with a level tone, I turn back to my book but she keeps staring at me. "Can I help you with something?"

She blinks for a moment and then gives me a confident smile. "Nope, I just don't recognize you. I may be new but I'd remember another pegasus around. Especially one as large as you, you're built like a wall. Are you visiting?" She seems intent on starting a conversation, and I see the familiar signs of a mare talking me up.

I nod after a long moment of silence. "Shade, Nice to meet you." I decided to start off with a proper introduction. "And yes, I pass through from time to time. I'm just visiting for the day." I cancel the wing spell after a moment of thought. "I'm not a pegasus though," I add hoping she'll stop trying to talk to me with such blunt interest.

Her eyes widen as my wings vanish. "Rainbow Dash, the best flier this side of Cloudsdale. And wow! You can do that? Wait, you're an earth pony? And you can do, that?" She asks curiously but seems to drop the questions immediately. "Pretty cool either way, I don't think I've ever seen an earth pony fly before, at least not with wings." She chuckles a little to herself.

I just shrug a bit. "Magic is an amazing thing, and there are many useful spells. Flying here takes a lot less time." I say answering the question even if she looks like she doesn't really care about an answer all that much. "Were you the one fixing up the weather?" I ask knowing the answer and just hoping to make some small talk.

She gives me a slightly cocky smile. "You bet I am, I could have done it faster though." She brags a bit and I just hum in agreement. "Have you ever gone racing? With those wings I mean. I could use a good challenge, even if you might be a bit slower than me." She sounds confident and a bit arrogant, but her words come off as more of an observation than an insult.

I can see her words insulting other ponies but I've dealt with far worse than a few badly worded observations so I just nod. "I haven't and I am pretty slow anyway. I didn't have the best teacher, but I don't really need to go all that fast, I just use them to travel and endurance is more important than speed for that."

She seems a bit disappointed but shrugs like it doesn't matter. "Sure, but if you even want to try your luck I'll be around. Not that you'll be winning." She jokes a bit and I chuckle a little at the idea. I'm sure as hell not racing her, if I want to lose something I'll go gamble with Maple. "Anyway, I got clouds to move, nice meeting you. Happy Hearth's Warming." She salutes with a wing and a smile.

She doesn't even give me time to respond before she kicks off of the bench and in an admittedly impressive display flaps her wings to get into the air immediately. I do take notice that she moves her tail to the side unnecessarily, and I have to look down quickly. She's out of sight a few moments later leaving me a bit stunned at the quick end to our conversation and the display. :I guess that makes an even six:

She was about what I expected, a bit boastful but not unfriendly and always one to take up a challenge. Still, even with my luck springing another interaction on me in a park, it was nice to meet her. I don't really have much to say about her though, like I said she's about what I expected.

Entropy turns to me. "Fast. Rude?" She caws out as more of a question than anything. I'm honestly not sure myself, I don't think she's trying to be mean, she kind of reminds me of a Griffon. Griffons can be very blunt and while it may come off as rude they normally don't mean much by it.

I wonder if Gilda rubbed off on her that early in life? I'll have to check my notes but I think they knew each other from relatively early in life, at least before Rainbow Dash moved here. I don't suppose it really matters to me, I'm more than capable of dealing with her words and how she talks.

I sigh after a moment and open my book again to find the place I left off at. :Well, if nothing else fate can't surprise me with meeting important ponies anymore... I just fucked myself didn't I?: I sigh again and try to enjoy the rest of my day. "Yes, she might be like that, but she is very loyal." I joke to entropy, who fails to get my joke.

I smile at the interesting book and spin the pendant of my necklace a bit. Today was certainly interesting.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 995

Well, there we are, all six at last. I decided to add in Rainbow Dash here because I wanted to finally add her to the mix. We probably won't see too much of her like the others though.

I also decided to make it a short little meeting as I like the idea of Rainbow Dash knowing the least about Shade, it make things fun someday. Tell me what you think, I might have made her a little too arrogant here.

Anyway, I'm taking tomorrow off, I'll see you all Monday.