[Back home, there was no Valentine's Day (simply because there was no St. Valentine), or Hearts & Hooves Day, because the dominant species were Beorc and Laguz and not, well, ponies. But there was a festival in Melior in the spring where couples exchanged flowers, or where a potential suitor could make his intentions known to a girl. Calill had tried to set her up last year, but Nephenee had already volunteered for Queen's Guard duty for the guy who had the slot so he could spend time with his wife...It also had provided a handy, though unplanned, escape route for getting set up. Sure, the guy sounded nice, but...well, this was Nephenee, and at the time, that meant still turning into a sputtering mess when such was brought up.

Not that that much had changed in a year in that regard. She just was a mess with a suitor now.

In any case, like Earth's Valentine's Day, or Equestria's Hearts and Hooves, the Spring Flower Festival had traditions for friends too, usually involving handmade things, or flowers, yellow, the color of friendship and joy, being traditional. In Neph's case, she had decided to do both, mostly involving making chocolates like a madwoman for the several days leading up to the holiday.]

[Let it be said the farm pony doesn't go half-way in a gosh darn thing, cause everyone got something.]

[After she's done with her deliveries, the mare pops up on screen, all smiles. If you're inclined to notice, her ears now have small silver crstal studs in them.:]
H-hey, everypony! A-ah jus' wanted to say Happy Hearts & Hooves day to everypony. Hopefully y'all will be gettin' your gifts soon if ya haven't already, an' Ah hope y'all like 'em!

[Sanaki's handwriting is immaculate and elegant. She clearly has had many, many lessons.]

People of Equestria, answer me this.

What have you learned here?

I speak of both the practical knowledge of skills one picks up, the making of objects not found in one's home, as well as the personal changes that affect anyone who lives and breathes for a time.

What do you bring home from you, if you go without chance to bring anything material?

[Signed with a flourish:] Sanaki, Empress of Begnion

[Looks like another live one here, folks. This particular new pegasus seems entirely unsure what to do with herself, looking around in circles and looking down at herself in what can only be described as confusion and growing unease. But all the same, she trots toward what looks like civilization, before she sighs and addresses the scroll.]

Um... hi. I'm Itsuki Myoudouin. I'm a little confused on what's going on here, honestly - I was most definitely not a... pony? Pegasus? Regardless, I was definitely human this time yesterday, and I'm not really sure what to think. I can work with it, I just... it's weird. Really weird.

I guess my first question is, where am I? I see a lot of ponies... is everyone like this? And how do I get home? I was heading to school, and I really don't want to be late.

[Hey there, yo. There's a cute orange pegasus with a cute school uniform on looking at the scroll, with a very confused expression on her face.]

Well, given that I'm a pony again, I'm almost tempted to blame Discord for this, since at this point, that would be my luck. But on the other hand, there's no biblical apocalypse or vaguely Eastern European dictator floating around, so I'm guessing I'm not trapped in The Experiment either.

[At this, she scratched her head.]

So, um, this may sound kind of crazy, but if anypony out there who knows Mike Nelson, or of a place called the Satellite of Love? Hi. Its me again. And if you don't know me, Aino Minako is my name! Either way, I'm stuck here now as well, so if nopony minds forwarding any info they can about the situation--

[At this, her stomach began to growl.]

...and in unrelated news I could go for some food because I might have been pulled in before I could eat lunch. Any help on either of those fronts would be absolutely appreciated!

  [Shortly after one Queen Chrysalis 'graces' the journals with her visage, and a Pinkie Pie shoots off her message from the inside of a cocoon, an urgent visual message appears on the journals. One blue mare in armor and deep blue cloak can be seen with a few downed changelings behind her, and unlike normal, her countenance is anything but cheery, or even anxious. After checking to make sure the message is going out, she starts, her voice intense and determined. Have one relentless battlemaiden, Ponyville.]

Attention! This is Nephenee of Crimea, bringin' news from the battlefield!

Y'all just heard Pinkie and Chrysalis, right? Them Changelin's got a bunch of our friends, and they're sappin' 'em. We need to get rid of this threat, an' fast! We can't kill 'em, they're innocents, but we can knock 'em out, rescue our friends, and hold her 'til Princess Celestia gets here! But Ah can't do none of this by myself, so Ah ask to see who will help rescue and-or take out this so called 'Queen'! 

[Another changeling charges her, and she hangs the scroll in midair long enough to spinkick it off screen,]

Please contact me as soon as y'all can! We need folks for that an' we need folks who know a strategy for beatin' these jerks! Any help will be appreciated!

[In short, reconnaissance and fighters, and a battle plan beyond that.]

To those captured, help is on the way as soon as we can! Don't lose hope!

[She quickly ends the feed as more charge. Dang, are these things everywhere?!]

[As for those nearby, the Sentinel is fighting off a bunch of these things by herself, but with their sapping, she probably could use some assistance.]

( Private to Celestia )[After talking to Celestia:]

Does anypony here know binding magic?!

[A rather irritable-looking young foal starts talking almost as soon as she gets the scroll working. It seems she's been trying it out a little beforehand and isn't just blindly messing around.]

From the archives this scroll provides access to, I have gathered that being brought here and turned into a horse's form is not uncommon. Furthermore I've gleaned that although it is possible to return, the method is unknown at this point and thus uncontrollable.

What I must know now is how time passes while I am trapped here in this unicorn's body. I have a country to rule, and Begnion is still recovering from a war - losing its empress for any amount of time will be unpleasant, but an extended disappearance could be disastrous.

[Having nothing more to say, she ends the message.]

[Sometime after the ponies wake up, scrolls and quills suddenly start raining from the sky. Don't worry, its not the ponypocalypse, its just a squadron of flying white ponies dropping them from above.

Once everyone receives one, the scrolls suddenly glow and come to life, its surface revealing the visage of a large white alicorn with rainbow hair and a golden crown, sitting on a large, velvet-upholstered throne. She has a calm, reassuring, regal smile on her face as she speaks, though those who know her better can see the light of worry and concern in her eyes.]

Good afternoon, newponies! I am Princess Celestia.

I've heard of your arrival in Ponyville and of some of the more interesting stories that have come from it. We're...not certain how this phenomenon has occurred, but we here at the royal castle will put our efforts into solving this mystery, and I hope you will help us out as we wish to help you out!

Rest assured, no harm will come to you. Nor, as some of you have worried, are we holding you against your will. On the contrary, you're free to move about Equestria as you please, be it through Ponyville, Los Pegasus or anywhere in between. I only request that you use the scrolls we have provided you to check in from time to time, so that we know where you might be when we figure out the solution to this current situation.

If you have any questions, you are free to ask them of me. If I am not available - and, I will admit, there are times when I can be quite busy - there are many other ponies willing to help you, including the other princesses of Equestria. We are all in this together, after all.

[And then she smiles a little more. Its a much more relaxed smile. The concern is still there, of course.]

But, in the meantime, I'd also like to get to know all of you! I always like to meet new people, after all. I hear we even have a dragon?