A Life of Change

The Special One

It was late at night in the midst of the Everfree forest. No owls cried out, not a noise was heard for miles.

On the side of a lake lay a cabin that sat adjacent to a large farm. The entire farm stood still, as if in a trance. All was silent, when a single scream pierced the night, bringing to life what sat in wait.

Inside the cabin, an earth mare lay on the floor. Next to her lay a newborn filly.

The marewas light purple, with a mane of dark purple with streaks of pink. Her eyes were a light blue. On her flank was a single image of a butterfly. She was a rather small mare, who looked rather weak, tired, and sweaty.

The filly was a dark grey, with a tuft of black fur with stripes of dark blue, which would soon grow to be a mane. He opened his eyes, and they were a dark blue to match his mane. He was a rather small filly, yet seemed somewhat large next to his mother.

Overall, he was a normal filly. Except for two small stubs protruding from his back, upon closer look his mother noticed they were the start of wings.

His mother was excited, for there had only been one Pegasus in the family before, her own great grandmother.

She instantly knew that he was going to be special.

The Decision

It was a bright day on the farm. Birds were chirping, fish were splashing, and the crops were ready to harvest.

Skuggor lay on the side of his pond just staring into the mysterious cloudiness of the water, wondering what mysteries it held.

He was still a young colt, with a sleek yet muscular build. A little less than average height with his two wings folded to his sides. His flank was still blank, for he did not know his purpose.

"Hey!" His father yelled from the fields, "It’s harvesting time!"

Skuggor looked towards the fields and groaned. Reluctantly, he rose from his daydreaming and unfolded his wings. They spread out and cast a shadow underneath him, yet, much darker and harsher than would be expected.

He flapped his wings, smooth, and majestically. He rose to a full-grown colt’s height above the ground, and began to fly towards his father’s voice.

He reached the fields and approached his father. He was a large muscular colt, almost twice Skuggor’s ‘‘height. He was a light brown, with a short, dark brown mane. His brown eyes full of hope and strength. On his flank was the image of an ear of corn.

"Mornin' sport" he exclaimed to Skuggor, in his deep southern accent. "Ready to harvest?

"Sure dad, it’s gotta get done at some point." He replied, though really, inside he resented the idea of flying up to the corn, and dropping it into the trailer his father would pull.

"That’s the spirit son!" His father nodded, and together they went towards the field.

After almost all morning of tedious work, Skuggor’s mother cried out from the house, "Stark! Skuggor! Would anypony like a lunch break? "Why of course Liv! We would love some nice hay and corn!" His father, Stark, replied.

As his father ran towards the house, Skuggor thought to himself, "This work is so boring; we do the same thing every harvest season, and nopony else even lives around here."

It was then he realized that he was not meant for this life, and that he must find his own purpose in the land of Equestria.

The Leave

After lunch, Stark had decided to head out to the barn and get some eggs and milk.

Liv stayed inside to clean up the house, while Skuggor flew outside to the same old spot by the pond.

The patch of grass by the lake was completely pat down, in the shape of Skuggor’s sitting position.

He softly landed on the patch, and folded his wings to the side, then rested his head on his fore-hooves.

He began to stare into the cloudy waters, searching for an answer to his questions.

Who was he?

He stared into the water for what seemed like hours, and began to doze off.

"SKUGGOR!" At the sound of his mother’s voice, he startled awake, to see it was getting dark.

He sluggishly rose and shook his head. "How long was i sleeping?"

Looking around he assumed it was just getting dark, and he had been sleeping for a couple hours.
"Oh well, so much for planning my leave."

As he unfolded his wings, a reflection on the water caught his eye. Looking up, he saw what looked like a Pegasus in the sky.

The strange Pegasus began to pull the stars and move them.

Confused, Skuggor watched the Pegasus. Soon he began to recognize constellations.

"So that’s what happens."

Satisfied, yet still questioning, he slowly flew towards the cabin.

The old building was small, yet suited the family’s needs. It needed a new paint job, yet nopony felt like actually doing it. The paint that was there was a cracked and peeling dark bluish color. Skuggor’s father told him it was once a vibrant blue, but years of dirt and weathering turned it into what Skuggor now knew as a "home".

Approaching the front door, he landed and folded his wings against his back. His mother did not like him flying about inside.

Opening the front door a draft of sweet smelling corn cascaded over him.

He stepped into the four-room cabin, and saw his mother already setting up the food.

The dining room was a mostly empty room consisting of just a table and a candle. The walls had a flower print wallpaper that his mother had chosen a few years ago.

His mother stood by the table setting up food. "Look who decided to wake up." She chimed as she saw her son walk in the door. "Morning mom." He replied as he always greets others, even in the evening.

Skuggor walked to the door on the right and stepped into his room. It was a small room, with a bed and some books in it. The walls were painted a darker blue. A single window was on the wall with a view to the lake, as Skuggor had a strange attachment to the shadowy mysteries of the waters.

Skuggor jumped onto his straw bed and started thinking of where he would go and what he would do. He WAS still only a young colt after all.

Doubts started creeping into his thoughts, but he quickly pushed them aside, as he was a determined colt.

"Skuggor! Stark! Food!" Came a cry from the dining room.

Skuggor sighed; his thoughts interrupted, and sluggishly walked out to the table.

The family talked about how the harvest was going well so far this year. Throughout all of dinner, Skuggor tried not to show any shakiness or stress. After dinner, everypony went in a different way. Liv went to the kitchen to clean, Stark went to bed after a long day of work, and Skuggor went to his room to think.

In his room, Skuggor decided he would head west into the forest, in hope of finding some kind of place to go. He listened for when his parents went to bed. Soon later, he heard his parent’s room door close, and he began to slowly make his way around his room.

He waited a couple of minutes, and slowly opened the door. The candle had been put out, and the room was quiet. He slowly crept through the room to the door, and went outside.

He slowly unfolded his wings and flew towards the lake.
He knew he would miss the lake and its mysteries. He never really did find out what was in there.

Giving the lake one last look, he turned west, and headed into the forest.