A Journey of a Stranger

Skyla leads Leon to a blue store with 2 masks (a pony’s face and a shiny eagle’s face) as a sign.

Leon asks Skyla, “Is that a new sign?”

Skyla responds, “Well, half of its new. The griffon use to be a dragon, but it use to scare away customers, instead of bringing them in. Anyway… Welcome to Double Face costume shop, ‘the shop where the other you is waiting.’”

They go into the shop and see costumes of famous ponies, normally used customs, and accessories for custom costumes.

A white and brown hyppogryph, with a pony and an eagle face (back to back)  greets Leon and Skyla, “Welcome to the Double Face…”

Skyla explains, “I already did that, Dawn.”

Leon inquirers as he looks at Dawn, “Mind if I check the quality of the costume.”

Dawn and Skyla give Leon permission to touch the costume. Leon touches a few parts of the costume. He felt real feathers and fur, even the beak and mouth felt like it you could eat and talk with them.

Leon says, “I think I should go to girls for my clothes.”

Dawn remembers something, pulls Leon’s arm and suggests, “We have to show you to Shinx.”

Skyla says, “Clam down, Dawn. He can get there by himself...”

Leon looks at a nearby rack of griffin costumes and says to the girls, “Give me a minute. I want to check out another costume.”

Skyla replies, “Sure.”

Dawn says, “Don’t take too long.”

Leon goes up to one of the griffin costume and feels it. The feathers and the beak seemed a little off, and the fur that was lower quality. He wonders if it’s an older design but wonders why it looks so new.

As Leon goes to meet Shinx, he notices big shards of pink crystals in middle of the room and scattered across the walls.

A blue unicorn with reddish hair, directs to Leon, “Hello sir may I help you?”

Dawn points, “That’s him, Shinx.”

Leon ask the mares, “Do you girls have anything that goes with this…?”

Leon pulls a secret flap of his armor, to reveal a greenish blue badge with a silver crown with a few holes in it.

The mares have shocked looks on their faces, and Shinx quickly recovers and says to Leon, “We have something in the back. Hey, Skyla, can you help me?”

Leon, Skyla and Shinx go to the back, while Dawn tends the store. They go into the storage room, and lock the door behind them. Skyla and Shinx change into changelings.

Skyla explains, “It’s good to meet another changeling, but I never expected a royal guard to come here.”

Leon responds, “Sorry to disappoint you. I’m not a changeling. but I am one of the map makers who work with the royal changelings.”

Shinx questions Leon, “Why do you look like you’re going to kill somepony?”

Leon replies, “It's very dangerous in these times. You don’t what’s behind a corner and if it will kill you or not.”

Leon clears his throat and replies, “Don’t you girls need me for something?”

Shinx says, “Oh, yes that!”

Shinx uses her magic to get the plastic and metal for the mannequin.

Skyla changes back into her pony form and states, “See you two in 30 minutes.”

Shinx responds, “You, I hate it when you put…”

Skyla quickly goes out the door and closes it. Skyla grunts in frustration.

Shinx gives Leon a pair of boxer with a belt and she asks him, “Take off your armor and wear this… it’s easier for me to scruple you more accurate manikin.”

Leon agrees, “Alright.”

Leon swaps his armor for the boxers with a belt and tightens the belt. While taking off his armor, it revealed barely healed scars, burnt marks, and bruises all over his body. Shinx sprays Leon with a scent covering spray.

Shinx asks, “Leon, do you want me to add on your… battle souvenirs?”

“No thanks,” Leon replies boldly.

“Are you sure?” insists Shinx.

Leon confidently said to Shinx, “I’m sure.”

Shinx continues, “This will take me a few hours in this form but I have a form that can finish this in a half an hour or 40 minutes tops, but it’s not a pretty sight.”

Leon explains, “I think I can handle the sight of that form you’re talking about. I have to get use to it considering what I see in my job.”

Shinx warned, “Alright remember I did warn you.”

Shinx’s body is growing bigger; more limbs are coming out of it (each one made for a part of the manikin process), a second head comes out of the body and goes over Leon’s head and 10 eyes come out of it to get different angles.

As Leon witness Shinx’s from, he tries resist the urge to grab his ax and hurt Shinx out of fear. He closes his eyes, takes some deep breathes and lifts up his arms and stretches his fingers.

Shinx’s 2nd head shouts, “Stop! That’s a great pose, hold it.”

Two more eyes come out of that skull to catch the detail of the arms.”

Shinx’s 1st head says with confidence, “Oh yeah, I’m doing 2 models.”

She uses her magic to get more plastic and metal and grows copies of her limbs, and a 3rd head.

Shinx asks as she gets to work, “So, how  did you get that seal?”

Leon explains as he tries to ignore the eyes, “Well, I got if from the Princess Willow.”

Inquiring, Shinx says, “I would like to hear how that happen but your head moves too much when you talk. So can you stand there and be silent until I finish your head and torso?

Leon who was motionless said nothing, and holds his pose.

“Thank you,” Shinx says gratefully

Shinx blends and shapes the metal with fire, claws, muscle, and water and chips and smoothes the plastic into Leon’s body parts. Leon’s eyes look around the room to witness the organic machine at work. She quickly, but expertly makes Leon's heads and torso.

Shinx’s 2nd head explains, “You can talk now. So how do you know our princess?”

Leon continued, “Since you probably have a lot of things and you’ll be done soon, I’ll try to sum it up. It was my 1st trip with my folks to map out a mine. When we got there, it turned out to be a changeling hive. Queen Chrysalis wanted my folks to map out her hive since the hive had a lot of tunnels and her changelings kept getting lost. My parents went along with it for the pay and not to angry them.”

Leon clears his throat and continues, “I think I was in their version of a park. The rules they gave were simple; stay in the park and don’t disturb the princess. The princess has 6 legs so I pictured her as a scary creature so I stayed away from her.”

Shinx stops and her eyes angrily look at Leon.

Leon explains, “I was a… a hatching.”

Shinx says upset, “Just be careful of what you say next.”

She goes back to work and Leon takes a deep breathe.

Leon continues, “Umm… oh yeah, I saw a chubby looking changeling playing dress up. We quickly became friends. On the 3rd trip I found out that I was hanging out with the princess after she ripped one of her costumes and the 5th and 6th legs came out. We somehow stayed friends and when I was getting old enough to go on my own, she gave the seal so I can visit her without getting my flank kicked by the guards.”

Shinx says, “I’m done, do you like them?”

She puts the arms and legs on the torso and connects one of the legs of each model to their base. Both models have a pose, one a gentleman’s pose and the other, a warrior pose.

Shinx’s body goes back to her normal changeling form.

Leon carefully looks at the completed models. He is impressed at the accuracy and poses.

Shinx responds, “It’s been great to make these models with my best form.”

Leon shakes his head, and then puts on his armor.

Before Leon leaves the room, Shinx says while she is lying on a makeshift bed, “Oh, Leon tell my sisters, I’m going to be taking a nap.”

She instantly falls asleep, and Leon walks out of the door, and closes it silently.

Leon sees Dawn and goes up to her and says, “Your sister is taking a nap after her ‘special’ work.”

Dawn gets a small bag and gives it to Leon and explains, “Here's payment for being a model and we have some ideas and we might have some prototype clothes by tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” confirms Leon.

Leon rushes out of the door, jogs to the farm, and hopes he can get some work before his appointment.