The Price of Change

by Feather Scratch

Rating: teen
Tags: Queen Chrysalis, Slice of Life, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance
Length: 5472

A poor, lost soul remembers how her life lead to this.

My entry to the "May World Building Alliance" contest.

When a Windigo meets an extraordinary young filly, she is faced with a choice that could change her life and effect the course of events for generations to come.

Published 2013-05-16 17:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-16 17:10:01 UTC

The Price of Change

The Price of Change

By Feather Scratch

Hatred is bitter. It’s sharp, painful, and makes clarity of thought impossible. It can rise up out of nowhere and vanish just as fast. It can turn allies against each other and turn reason to desperation. Hatred is like a winter storm. Hatred is a Windigo.

~~~

The cold never used to bother me. Why would it? I was a creature of winter. The barren months were what my kind lived for, what we thrived in. But, then again, until a few days ago, I had only ever seen winter. I had never experienced its chill for myself.

Now, here I am. Naked trees stand, scattered in all directions like the skeletal claws of monsters reaching to escape their icy tombs. Snow rises up to my knees, slowing my already listless trudge. My grotesquely blackened limbs ache in ways I never thought possible, and what little hope I had of seeing the next sunrise faded more and more with each step.

Just as I was contemplating trying to fly for a while to give my legs a chance to thaw, I took a step and yelped as my hoof sank into a buried rabbit hole. I landed face first in the snow with all the grace of a sack of rocks, my sunken hoof twisting to an unnatural angle with a dull crack. Tired, hungry, frustrated, and now hurt. I rolled onto my side, cradled my injured limb, and just sobbed.

What was the point in going on? My kin were gone. My only friend in the world was gone. I’d starve long before I ran into anypony who could help, and in the state I was in, anypony I could find would just as soon chase me away with pitchforks as help me.

I just wanted to sleep, to let the snow claim me and erase any evidence that a mistake like me ever existed. Curling up in a ball, I clenched my eyes shut and waited. This must have been what Ponies felt like after we... after they were done with them. I just wanted to sleep.

Nopony would miss me. Nopony would even look. This land was dead. Everypony and everything that once called it home had abandoned it in the hopes of greener pastures in the south. The only noise for miles was the wailing of the wind, calling to stragglers to hurry and escape, or the next time they slept, they would never wake. Or at least, that should have been the only sound.

My ears perked up as I heard another noise. It was tiny, fragile. Had I been walking, it would have been drowned out by the wind, but, with my head right at ground level, I caught it. Something nearby was chirping, a lone voice calling out for help that would never come. I lifted my head and opened my bleary eyes, trying to figure out exactly where the chirping was coming from. I had no reason to care. My life was over. What did the life of some insignificant animal matter?

“Be quiet!” My voice rasped, tongue and vocal cords weak from lack of use. If I was going to die, I at least wanted to die in peace. It would just be irritating to have the last thing I heard in this life be the death cries of some random woodland critter who didn’t have enough sense to get out when it had the chance.

Much to my annoyance, my reprimand had the exact opposite of the desired effect. Rather than silencing the little beast, it seemed the realisation that it wasn’t alone only encouraged it. The chirping grew louder and more fervent until I couldn’t take it anymore. “Alright, alright! I’m coming.”

Wincing at the pain I knew I should have been feeling, I rolled onto my belly and hoisted myself up onto my three good... my three working legs and scanned the ground for any traces of the creature. Nothing stood out against the pure white snow. I lowered my head back down to the ground. The chirping was still there, still manic at the prospect of being found. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and slowly lifted my eye line until I was just level with the top layer of snow. Directly in my line of sight was a tree. I looked up. In the branches was a nest.

“Urgh, stupid bird.” I hobbled over to the base of the tree. Sure enough, at the bottom of a hole, right below the nest, was a little, fluffy chick, its bright orange plumage a vivid contrast to the snow. It looked up at me expectantly, its big, shiny eyes filled with nothing but hope. I scowled. “Would you please be quiet so I can die in peace? Your momma’s gone. Nopony’s coming to save you.”

It blinked and gave one soft chirp. “There’s no point looking at me like that. I can’t help. I’m in worse shape than you!”

Chirp. My ears splayed and my vision blurred as my eyes filled with tears. Stupid adorable bird! “I guess... we can at least keep each other company.” I reached into the hole and scooped out the chick, holding it close to my chest in the cradle of my foreleg. I lowered myself down and leaned against the tree for support. Much to my surprise, the little chick was incredibly warm. My chest tingled where it sat, and I revelled in the tiny modicum of relief.

I gave a wan smile and leaned in to nuzzle the little guy. “Is it wrong to be grateful you were left behind?” A tiny chirp was my only reply. “Yes, you’re right. It isn’t nice being left behind. It’s funny. Just a few days ago, I had everything going for me. I had a big family, I was well-fed, and the day I’d been waiting for my whole life was just around the corner. How did it all go so wrong?”

~~~

“Attention!” Commander Hurricane landed with a muffled thump in the square of Wing Shear Outpost. Startled by the sudden appearance of her commanding officer, Private Pansy, the only other Pegasus present, let out a strangled yelp and jumped a full two metres into the air before landing on her rump and snapping off an urgent salute that caused her helmet to fall down over her eyes. “Commander Hurricane, Sir! How did it go, Sir?”

“Horribly!” Commander Hurricane bucked a passing cloud to vapour and snorted in frustration. “The Earth Ponies are now refusing to give up the food they owe us unless we solve our weather problem. How dare they insinuate dishonourable conduct on our part?!”

Marching over to a polished shield mounted on a cloud pillar, she scowled at her own reflection and stomped a hoof in frustration. “It must be the Unicorns. They’re always up to some form of trickery. I’ll bet this is all a ploy to weaken our defences!”

Private Pansy’s nervous visage popped up behind the Commander’s in the shield. “B-but Commander, how could it be the Unicorns? I thought only Pegasi could control the weather.”

“Don’t be so naive, Private! These are the Unicorns we’re talking about! If they can lower the sun with their freaky magic, how hard do you think it would be for them to lower the temperature?!”

Private Pansy’s reflection lowered her head. “Oh, I see. When you put it like that, it does sound... possible. So... what happens now?”

The Commander rubbed the bridge of her nose and growled. “There’s to be a summit of the tribal leaders this time next week to discuss the problem. If we can’t come to a resolution by then, drastic action may have to be taken.”

“Oh dear.” Private Pansy visibly slumped. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Grow a backbone soldier! This is the Army. I will not tolerate lack of resolve in my ranks! Now spread those wings and give me twenty laps. Forward, fly!”

As the Pegasi flew off to waste their time and energy on pointless drills, neither noticed that their reflections in the shield failed to follow. I smirked. Wearing Commander Hurricane’s face was always fun.

The reflection of Private Pansy turned to face me, snorting in amusement, all traces of fear and trepidation gone. “If they can lower the sun, they can lower the temperature? Really?”

“Hey. It worked, didn’t it? If anypony could have gotten the Commander to see reason, it was Pansy. Good thing she’s so yellow.”

“Hardy-har.” The Private’s reflection rolled her eyes and slid off the shield, reappearing on a polished torch holder. “You’ve done well so far Crystal. Actually managing to turn that simple-minded Pudding Head against the other tribes was a work of genius, and with the Commander, that makes two. Just one more to go, and you’ll have broken through. But don’t get cocky. Fail now and you will not get another chance.”

“Relax, Facet.” I polished my Hurricane-shaped hoof on my armour and casually inspected the shine. “Last on the list is prissy Princess Platinum. She once banished their royal chef for forgetting the parsley with her omelette. By this time tomorrow, I’ll have her ready to rip the other leader’s throats out.”

~~~

Of all the places in the entire world, for a creature like me, there was nowhere easier to get into than a Unicorn stronghold. Sure, they had high walls, strong gates and powerful warding spells, but they were meant for lesser creatures. Their proclivity towards gems, jewels and arrogant displays of wealth practically begged me to visit.

I jumped from the eye of a passing traveller to the polished helmet of a gate sentry. From there, I hitched a ride in the ruby broach of a noblemare. Once I reached the inner sanctum, I just hopped into the silver trolley of one of the many chamber maids and waited to be taken straight to where I wanted to go, the Princess’s personal apartments. I had to be patient for a while. A servant has many duties after all, but eventually, I made it. My unwitting accomplice took me straight to the Princess’s bedchamber with its oh-so-convenient vanity mirror. I jumped from the trolley and settled in to wait for my greatest meal ticket to arrive.

~~~

I decided I hated royalty. There was only so many hours a mind could take playing Eye-Spy in the gaudy travesty of a princess’s bedroom before the metaphorical eye gouging began. What was taking her so long? The sun had just about set. If I didn’t leave soon, I’d be stuck here overnight!

Just as I was about to make a break for the window and try my luck tomorrow, the sound of approaching hoofsteps caught my attention. Finally! I took my place in the mirror, braced myself, and jumped into the image of... a filly?

The little pink pony wore a raggedy, blue scarf and seemed to be searching for something. Strange. From what I had heard, I always imagined the princess to be... taller. Not to mention more stylish.

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she let out a whine of frustration and turned to look at her reflection, me. “Oh, where is it? Miss Clover’s going to be so mad if she finds out I lost my scrub brush, especially if the princess finds it first.”

So, she wasn’t the princess. She must have been the chamber maid I hitched a ride with! This was the last thing I needed, some little foal getting in the way of my big moment. I reached out my magic. “You shouldn’t be here. You should leave.” She blinked, a look of confusion flashing across her eyes. As far as she was concerned, she had just reprimanded herself.

Her ears pinned back and her eyes briefly flicked towards the door. She looked ready to run but stopped short. She clenched her eyes shut and gave her head a firm shake. “No. I know I shouldn’t be here at night, but I’d be in worse trouble if the princess found a dirty, old scrub brush in her room.”

I strained to listen for approaching hoofsteps. I didn’t have time for this! I added another layer to my magic. “Forget the princess. What has she ever done for you? She should be grateful for all your hard work, not whine about a misplaced brush!”

The filly gasped and recoiled, covering her mouth with a hoof. That was probably a little harsh, but I was in no mood to be subtle. She leaned in close and squinted at me. I was the perfect copycat, allowing her to move me like a puppet on a string. After a minute of close scrutiny and a few silly faces, she leaned back and cocked her head. “Why did I say that? I’d never say that. I don’t hate the princess.”

I reached out with my magic. Huh, she really didn’t. She didn’t even provide a single spark of tasty hatred for me to snack on. All of a sudden, I was curious. Everypony hates their leaders at some level. I’ve never gotten nothing back for my efforts before. I decided to poke a little further. “What would Miss Clover think if she heard you talking like that? If she’s the kind of pony who’d get mad about a missing brush, what would she say if she heard you complaining about the princess? She’s so unfair.”

Nothing. Not a spark! What was wrong with this filly? She just frowned and cocked one ear towards me.

“Now, if there’s one pony who’s always been fair to me, it’s Miss Clo- LADY BUGS!”

“Now, if there’s one pony who’s always been fair to me, it’s Miss Clover.”

Oh crud. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “You’re not my reflection.” Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud what did I do? I got cocky and slipped up! This had never happened before. Why me? Why today of all days? What was wrong with this filly?!

I toyed with the idea of just playing along like nothing had happened, but something told me the filly wouldn’t be fooled again. I needed to make a break for it. There was just enough light for me to catch a reflection in the window. I could be down onto a guard’s helmet and gone before she sounded the alarm. Odds were, nopony would believe her anyway but best not to take any chances.

For a second, neither of us moved. We stood poised, each waiting for the other to blink first. She did, I ran, but I didn’t get far. Just as I jumped from the vanity mirror to a hoof mirror facing the window, the filly’s horn flared. In a split second, the drapes were closed and the lanterns snuffed. The room was plunged into darkness, and I was trapped. Without light there were no reflections. Clever filly.

I heard her fumbling around in the darkness, felt her pick up the mirror and slip it under her scarf. The next few minutes were filled with a lot of jostling and the rapid clatter of tiny hooves on stone. I couldn’t see where we were going, obviously, but the sound of stone giving way to wood told me we had reached the servant’s quarters. Great! Servant’s quarters meant underground with no shiny escape routes.

I heard a creaky door open and close, felt the mirror being placed, carefully, on a desk of some kind, and, with a flash of magic, the filly lit a candle, and my fears were confirmed. The room was no bigger than a broom closet. There were no windows. The walls, roof, and floor were dull wood, and a little pile of straw and blankets lay, neatly piled, in one corner. Other than the desk the mirror and candle were resting on, the rest of the room was bare.

My pint-sized, pink captor sat down at the desk and shot me what I assumed was meant to be a defiant glare. It was really more a mix of terror and fascination. She pointed an accusing hoof at me. “I know what you are.” I kept my borrowed face deadpan but swivelled my ears forward and cocked an eyebrow. “You’re a... Draconequus!”

Whatever rebuttal I may have been planning died on the tip of my tongue. She could have accused me of being a ghost or a djinn or a demon. She could have even defied the odds and actually guessed what I was. I could have handled those or a dozen like them but... “What’s a Draconequus?”

The filly stifled a squeal with a hoof. “Oh my gosh, you can really talk by yourself!”

“Uh, yeah. I kinda figured that’s why you foalnapped me.”

She looked horrified. “Foalnapped? I didn’t... Well I guess I did but... I didn’t mean any harm. You just caught me by surprise, and I didn’t want you running off before I could ask you some questions.”

I sighed and rubbed my temples. This simpering little pony was actually worried about hurting the feelings of the mysterious apparition she found lurking in her princess’s room. “How did you know I couldn’t run off if you turned out the lights?”

“Well, I didn’t, for sure.” She lowered her head to her chest and began to scratch circles in the floor. “But I always have trouble finding my way in the dark. When I saw you jump from the big mirror to this one instead of straight out the door or window, I figured you must need to see where you’re going.”

My jaw dropped. She didn’t have all the facts right, but her logic was flawless!

She looked back up at me and swivelled one ear forward. “So... What was a Draconequus doing hiding in the princess’s mirror?”

I growled. “I’m not a Draconequus. I don’t even know what a Draconequus is!”

“Oh.” A sheepish smile crossed her face. “Honestly, I don’t know what they are either. Miss Clover talks about all sorts of magical monsters. She once said something about trickster spirits called Draconequus, and I figured, since you were hiding in a mirror and copying me, you must have been playing a trick.”

I frowned. This “Miss Clover” was starting to sound like a problem. “Did Miss Clover ever talk about Windigos, by any chance?”

The filly scratched her chin and frowned at the ceiling. “I think so. They’re like... snow ponies or winter spirits who like being mean, right? Miss Clover never spent much time on the more obscure monsters.”

“Obscure?!” I couldn’t keep the indignation and a rather fillyish crack from my voice. “We’ve been around easily as long as ponies, and we’ve kept close. You should at least know more about us than some random tricksters nopony’ll ever meet!”

Her ears splayed, and she recoiled at my outburst. I half expected her to burst into tears. “‘M sorry.”

We sat in silence for several awkward minutes. She stared at the floor and rubbed one foreleg with the other. Great. Not only was she unnervingly hatred free, she was a cry baby. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. If I was to have any chance of getting out of here, I’d need her to take me. My usual tactics wouldn’t work. With nowhere else to jump to, if I made her angry, and she broke the mirror, I was done for. I grit my teeth and adopted what I hoped was a friendly tone. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Why don’t we start over? My name’s Crystal the Windigo. What’s yours?”

The filly looked up from beneath her bangs, her eyes still glistening with barely restrained tears. “I’m Cadence, just Cadence.”

I beamed and gave her a jaunty wave. “Nice to meet you, Just Cadence!”

She giggled. “No! I’m Cadence!”

Well, that was easy. Now that she wasn’t crying, I could work on gaining her trust. “So, I believe you had some questions for me.”

Her ears perked up, and a big smile spread across her face. “Oh, yes! Well, I really only had two. What are you, and what were you doing in the princess’s room? But now that I know you’re a Windigo, I’d like to change my first question to, what’s a Windigo?”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. There was no harm in talking to a filly. While we didn’t go out of our way to advertise our presence, Windigos weren’t exactly a secret. Besides, it would be gratifying to know we weren’t the most obscure monsters in Miss Clover’s library anymore. “Okay. Do you want the long version or the short version?”

“Long version!” She said, without skipping a beat.

“Right.” I scratched my chin. “First of all, we aren’t ponies or spirits. We’re reflections. Whenever a foal sees their reflection for the first time, they will think it’s another pony. But the second they realise they’re looking at themselves, there’s a spark of emotion. Joy, fear, confusion, it doesn’t matter what emotion it is, just that it causes the spark. The spark magically binds itself to the reflection, and, just like that, the reflection is alive.”

“So, you’re like a magic copy of me?”

“No.” I scratched the back of my neck. “That part’s a little tricky to explain. We can wear the face of anypony who looks in the mirror. It’s how we interact with the real world. In our natural state, we don’t actually look like anything. We’re just... living ideas or... emotions with magical life.”

She cocked her head to one side. “So, I’m talking to emotions... wearing my face?”

“Hey,” I shrugged. “I’m talking to a filly who just foalnapped a mirror. It’s a funny world we live in. Do you want me to go on or not?”

“Right, right, sorry.” She held her hooves up apologetically only to drop them a second later and frown. “Hey, hold on. When Miss Clover talked about Windigos, she mentioned them making snow and running around on clouds. How could reflections do that?”

This time, it was my turn to look sheepish. My ears folded, and I sunk down in the mirror frame, trying to imagine what Facet would say later. “Most can’t, and after tonight, I probably never will either.”

“What do you mean?”

“First of all, I should talk about how Miss Clover says we like to be mean. We don’t. It’s just that we feed on emotions, hatred specifically. We use our magic to alter ponies’ perceptions, make them think they’re talking to themselves when really, we’re talking to them. We make them angry, make them hate each other and then feed off that hate.” I frowned a little and cocked my head to one side. “For some reason, it didn’t work on you. Why is that?”

She just shrugged and said, completely earnestly, “I dunno. I guess I just don’t hate anypony. I knew something was wrong because those things you said were things I’d never say.”

“Huh, weird. You’re one-of-a-kind, kiddo. Just my luck, I ran into you tonight of all nights.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You were wondering why I was in the princess’s room. It’s because I was trying to be like the Windigos Miss Clover told you about. It’s kind of a... rite of ascension or adulthood for my kind. By making one pony from each of the tribes hate each other simultaneously and feeding off those different sparks coming from three sources at the same time, a Windigo can force their way from the mirror world into the real world where we can feed off emotions in their purest state until one of the three ponies feels better and the door closes. It’s like... emotional triangulation.

“That’s what I was doing in the princess’s room. If I could have turned her against the other tribal leaders, then I would have broken through. But, now that you caught me, I failed. The elder Windigos only allow one chance. I’ll never get into the real world now.”

“That’s horrible!” Cadence jumped to her hooves and looked at me like I had just kicked her pet.

“Thanks for your sympathy.”

“What? No! I mean... I’m sorry I spoiled your triangle thingy but, everypony’s really suffering right now. It’s freezing, there isn’t enough food to go around, and you were trying to turn the tribes against each other just when we need to stick together the most?!”

I winced and looked away. From the mouths of babes. “Well, when you put it that way, it does sound kinda horrible.” I probably shouldn’t mention how the cold was caused by crossed over Windigos pulling heat and energy out of the air so they could retain physical forms. “But try to see it from our perspective. We feed on hatred. The more ponies hate each other, the better fed we are. If you could create a feast just by saying a few words, wouldn’t you? If everypony was suddenly nice to each other, my kind would starve.”

The horror drained from her face as quickly as it had arrived. Her whole body slumped as she considered what I said. Though I couldn’t see her face, I could see the internal struggle going on in her head. Her body trembled and tears dripped down, soaking into the floor. Eventually, she sniffed and looked back up at me. “I just don’t want anypony to suffer anymore. I wish there was a way nopony could be hungry.”

“So do I, kiddo.” I found, deep down, I actually meant it. “But that’s just not how it works.”

We sat in silence. Not an awkward silence, like before, more a dull melancholy. She allowed her tears to flow unimpeded; I wallowed in my own self-pity. After what felt like hours, long after Cadence had cried herself dry, she spoke, her voice low with just a hint of desperation. “You said you feed on emotions, right? Does it have to be hatred?”

“That’s the way it’s always been.” I sighed. “We reflect the emotions we feed on. Just like hatred, we’re insubstantial, powerful and cruel; we hide behind the faces of even the most harmless looking ponies and don’t think twice about the others our actions may effect. I don’t know what would happen if we tried switching to another emotion. All I know is... we’d change.”

“Is change really so bad?” A hopeful smile flitted across her face. “If you fed on a nice emotion like... love, then everypony could work together and nopony would go hungry.”

I frowned and thought about it. It was a ridiculous idea. Love was the exact opposite of hate. Who knew what could happen? I could turn pink and sappy, just like Cadence, for all I knew! The others would laugh at me if I even suggested it. What would love even taste like? “It’s too dangerous. I don’t know what love would do to me.”

“You may not have a choice.” Cadence glanced at the straw of her bed with a longing that transcended mere fatigue. “If things keep going the way they are, all the ponies will starve. With no more tribes to hate each other, the Windigos would too.”

My pupils shrank to pinpricks, and I felt like a lead weight had dropped to the pit of my metaphorical stomach. “Things can’t be that bad, can they? I mean, a famine wouldn’t surprise me, but what you’re talking about is...”

“The Unicorns are almost completely out of food. From what I hear, so are the Pegasi. The Earth Ponies aren’t sharing the food they have left, and, if this cold keeps up, when they run out, they won’t be able to grow any more. I don’t think I’m exaggerating. If things don’t change somehow, it’ll mean four tribes are going to disappear instead of three.”

My ears fell. All of a sudden, failing my rite of ascension seemed so... petty. There was a crisis brewing that my kind was largely responsible for, and if it didn’t stop... There were other tribes out there for us to feed on, Gryphons, Minotaurs, even Dragons. But adapting to them would mean just as much change as switching emotional diets, and really, it would just prolong the inevitable. They would waste away just like the ponies. Then it would be our turn. “I suppose... it wouldn’t hurt to try. But I wouldn’t know where to begin trying to get love.”

Cadence beamed and bounced on the spot, all traces of melancholy vanished. “I can help! Start with me! If I just think loving thoughts, you’ll be able to taste it, right?”

“Uh... Right.” I wished I shared her enthusiasm, but frankly, I was terrified. Cadence clenched her eyes shut and stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth. I gave a soft, involuntary whine before reaching out with my magic. The lack of hatred in the air still unnerved me, but I did my best to ignore it. I could feel Cadence’s aura radiating bright and vibrant against the stillness of the room. Tentatively, I drew a little in.

~~~

“It was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted. Hatred was always sharp and refreshing, like splashing cold water on your face, but love... It was warm and rich and sweet. It was relaxing and exciting at the same time.” I smiled down at my little, orange companion. He just sat there in the crook of my leg, listening to me talk. I doubted he could actually understand me, but just having someone to talk to made me feel better. It also helped that just holding the little guy was like having my own personal sun. My body had become wonderfully warm and, all of a sudden, life didn’t seem so bleak.

“I spent every second I could with Cadence after that. She comforted me when I told her how the other Windigos laughed at the love idea. I did my best to be a sympathetic ear when she told me about her life, how she’d been found as a foal in the wreckage of a caravan and taken in by Clover the Clever. When I told her I was retrying the triangulation, only with love instead of hate, she practically bounced off the roof with joy.

“But then I succeeded, and this happened.” I examined my blackened, hole-filled hoof and winced. “It was like... Everything went from perfect to horrible all in a single moment. I knew the changes caused by love could be drastic... but this? My family couldn’t bear to look at me after that. They said that if I wanted change so badly, then I could go find it by myself. And do you want to know the kicker?” I gave a single, harsh laugh. “When I went back to the Unicorn castle to find Cadence, she was gone. They all were. All the tribes had left in the night. She didn’t even say goodbye.”

Tears fell from my eyes, and I hugged my little friend close. “It’s not nice being left behind.”

“Yes, yes, this is defiantly the right direction.”

Was that a voice? My eyes snapped open, and I spun around in the direction of the sound.

“It feels like we’re goin’ in circles.”

Yes, voices! Voices meant ponies, ponies meant help! I nestled my little friend snugly between my ears and galloped towards the voices as fast as my three working legs could carry me. Catching sight of a familiar, bickering pair of Earth Ponies, I quickly pulled on the face of an unassuming Earth Pony from memory. At least I could still do that. I trotted the rest of the way, just as the orange pony was flattening out a crumpled map. “Excuse me, please? I need help. I’m lost and don’t know where anypony is.”

Thank the stars for Earth Pony hospitality. Seeing I was one of their own, they patched up my bad leg and eagerly welcomed me to join their expedition to the south. “So, what did ya say yer name was?”

“Oh, I’m Crystal... the Less.” The Less, one last parting gift from my elders. A fitting brand for daring to strive for more.

“Well Crystal... Less, it’s great to have you with us. And who’s this little guy?”

I looked up and smiled at the little critter that saved my life. “This? This is my Knight in Shining Armor.”

There’s always a price for change. It’s never easy, but sometimes, with the right friends to help you through, it could be worth it.