The box was bright blue, its white polka dots twinkling in every pony's eye. The silver ribbon shined in the light, reflecting each color in the bow that held it tight around the package. It was work of art, the size of a postage stamp, and it captured every pony's attention as it sat in the center of a round table in Twilight Sparkle's library.
"So do we open it?" Spike asked, reaching for the delicate paper.
"NO!" Rarity shrieked, almost throwing herself at the young dragon. "It's a work of art," she smiled, composing herself. "We must admire it. It's not like there's an address or anything."
Just then, a tiny slip of tan parchment flew out from the tiny package. Everyone except Rainbow Dash darted backwards in fear. She read the neat, black writing on the paper as a stack of books Fluttershy hid behind toppled around her, only scaring this nervous filly even more.
"It's from a fan of the Mane 6? What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked, passing the parchment to Twilight Sparkle. She examined it very carefully using a magnifying glass she'd conjured with her magic.
"It's not from this world, at least the ink isn't. And this is no magic I've ever studied. It's as if someone outside of this room is controlling every aspect of this moment...," she trailed off, her eyes glazing over with thought.
"Ah!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, sending Fluttershy outside the building entirely. She peered in through the window as the ponies studied the package and its new appearance. It was purple now with gold diamonds instead of white circles. The ribbon was the same color, its bow far more intricate than before.
"Can any of y'all explain this tomfoolery? I've never seen anything like this in all my years, and I've never heard of any story like this either, and y'all know how Granny Smith is. If it happened anywhere in Equestria, she has a story for it."
"Even I've never seen anything like it, and I know everything about parties," Pinky Pie bounced, sending streamers and confetti into the air. Rainbow Dash dodged the decorations with ease while nodding in agreement.
"Twilight, will you tell us what this is before poor Fluttershy dies from fear?" Rarity pleaded, eying the shivering filly. She was now across the street, but Rainbow Dash would fix that problem. She sighed, flying outside and dragging back her friend by the tail, all while Fluttershy screamed in protest. Once she was inside, Rainbow Dash and Rarity say on top of her to keep her inside.
"The only thing that can provide the answer is the box itself. I have no answers, and I doubt Princess Celestia would," Twilight Sparkle explained, approaching the box again. "Please, tell us what you are."
The box exploded as pages rained down. The ponies tried to read them all as they piled around them, all of them squealing as they saw their names appear. Some reeled as they read of horrible scenes involving unspeakable acts between various ponies and their loved ones. But they were happy again as they saw millions of other adventures these mystery writers sent them on.
Once the pages had started to spill out the door, they came down in smaller numbers until only one smile piece of parchment fell.
"'From the fan fiction writers of the world, honoring Equestria with our words and creating friendship for all'," Twilight Sparkle read with a smile.
Suddenly all the pages were gone. Each pony lay in their separate beds, awakening from the same strange dream. They'd remember it always in their hearts, the gifts the fan fiction writers gave them, and they'd cherish the memory always.
~End