Things that Change

by Steambirds

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure
Length: 594

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Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-13 20:38:57 UTC

Prologue: Part One

It was a cold, wet, rainy day almost all throughout Equestria. Wind whipped at every building, tree and pony in sight. A lone unicorn mare was walking down the street in Canterlot, wearing a massive brown trenchcoat. Slogging through huge puddles several feet across, she came to a stop in an alleyway, glad to get a break from tirelessly leaning into the wind so she could walk. Due to the high wind, the entire interior of the alley was bone dry, save for water running from the sidewalk into the alley.

"I have a few choice words for whoever scheduled this storm," the mare grumbled, reaching into her coat and pulling out a waterlogged map of Canterlot, the shiny coating on the thick paper having slid off into the rain an hour ago. A gust of wind blew into the alley, sending the sheet of paper flying from the Unicorn's magic, behind a cardboard box. She trotted after the map, her coat dripping a trail of water as she moved. When she finally reached the cardboard box, she found a baby pony munching the sheet of paper, mint green eyes fixed on it.

She levitated the baby pony onto her back, taking the soggy, half-eaten map from the pony's mouth. At this point, all of the ink on the page had run off, leaving a colorful mess that could easily be mistaken for a piece of modern art. She took the lid off of a nearby garbage can, and tossed the now useless sheet of paper away. When she turned to look back at the baby pony on her back, she realized that it was only pony in its shape.

It had hard, chitin-based skin that was an ashen grey color, constant across its entire body. Its eyes seemed to be comprised of a single mint-green color. A single fang poked out from its snout, a piece of the map impaled on it. Its hooves had several holes in them, and they were so large and numerous she wondered how he could even walk with them. He had a crooked, jagged horn jutting from his forehead. Tiny insect wings were just beginning to form on his back. It smiled at her, revealing more sharp and pointy teeth, buzzing its wings at the same time.

"I don't suppose you have any parents," the mare sighed, desperately attempting to hail a carriage. Few were out, most just kept moving, the ponies pulling them not giving a single notice. She admired their hardiness, almost on par with that of the Postal Service. She finally hailed a cab, climbing into the (mostly) velvet lined interior of it. The red seats were already soaking from previous passengers, her coat just made it worse.

The entire trip the baby... creature was a distraction. He/it frequently climbed upon her head, making odd buzzing noises with its tiny wings. She had named him Mints, after his eyes. To her, they looked like two huge mint colored candies. Sometimes Mints made vocalizations, making tiny squeaks whenever he slid off of her head and onto the seat with a thump. She was worried he'd hurt himself, but he was very persistent.

When they finally arrived at her house, she ushered Mints inside, trying to avoid having him in the rain as much as possible. The interior of the house was simple; A kitchenette sat in one corner, while the rest of the house was devoted to an office with a typewriter and a living room with a fireplace inside, crackling.