The Inquirer

by FictionaryThought

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Alternate Universe
Length: 992

What happens when a pony loses their cutie mark, only to get a new one? Meet Inquiry, the pony formerly known as Candy Cane, and join him in this tale of self discovery through loss.

Special talents; everypony has them. Starlight Glimmer proved she can take them away. But Inquiry, formerly known as Candy Cane, proved that all ponies have something that can't be taken from them. Not a special talent, but a true talent. This is the retelling of that tale right from the ponies' mouth.

(Cover made by myself using http://ponylumen.net/games/3d-pony-creator/)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-08 02:01:06 UTC

Prologue: Why?

Why is a word of major significance to me now. It's not just my favorite word, it's the most important word in my philosophy. And that says a lot when you consider the large words that dot my vocabulary. I can't help that though, the large words I mean. I've loved big words since I was young. Ponies don't just grow out of what they love. And if anypony tells you otherwise, they're either lying, or foolish.

        You'll have to forgive me if I get side tracked, it happens a lot with me now. Like I was saying, why is an important word to me. So it's important to me that you understand why I'm writing this. There are several reasons, actually.

        The first is a warning. Stay away from a pony named Starlight Glimmer. She is insane, manipulative, amoral, and a whole bunch of other vocabulary words that I've had to learn a second time. She is the most dangerous pony you will ever meet, and that is not an exaggeration. She will take away everything you know and love. She will try and reshape your way of thinking to fit her philosophy. She will try and convince you that she knows best. She is, in every sense of the word that I've found, evil. I'll be telling you her actions in detail as this story progresses.

        The second reason I'm writing this is to show you the copious amounts of hope we have in this world of ours. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was much worse for wear after meeting Starlight Glimmer than I was at any point in my life. And yet here I am, alive and still kicking. It's debatable whether my rebirth has made me better than my former self, but I can at least take pride in who I am.

        My third reason is to explain my rebirth as I call it. I could have called it a number of other things; recovery, revival, return to grace, renewal, and a maybe a few other words beginning with r. I could summarize what happened to me in a sentence, but it would have to be a run-on sentence. Needless to say, I can not explain any of this in any format other than a story separated into several chapters.

        My fourth, and most important reason, is to ask a question. That’s all I ever do nowadays. I ask questions. I take back what I said earlier, my fourth reason is to give myself something to do other than ask questions. I have such a massive obsession with questions that everypony agrees it's unhealthy. They might be right, but I'll keep asking them anyway. My fifth reason is to ask a question.

        So what's my question? Good question! I'd answer if we were speaking face-to-face. The question is: Was losing my cutie mark worth it?

        Yes, I lost my cutie mark. And I know you'll all immediately want to put this book down, double check the writing on the cover, and ask me to reprint it as a fictional work. But everything I'm telling you is the honest truth. You might be asking How could a pony lose their cutie mark? If you are, then I once again congratulate you for asking another great question. I guess that's my real fifth reason for writing this. My sixth reason is to ask a question.

        I apologize for using the word question so many times, but it's the second most important word I know. The ability to question, and by extension say why is what gives us free will. It's what separates us from... Come to think of it, I don't have a word for something that can't ask why. I'll be right back.

        Ok, I just got back from writing down a new question to my big book of questions. The question in question is What word defines that which cannot question things? I'll scratch it out once I have an answer. I think I've delayed my story with this prologue long enough. I wouldn't know because I don't know the average length of a prologue... I'll be right back.

Chapter 1: Who am I?

I'll start from the beginning. I wasn't always obsessed with questions. I was once a pony named Candy Cane. I was born to a family of candy makers. My mom and dad are named Lemon Drops and Gingerbread respectively. We worked in a small candy shop on a street corner in Manehatten together

To the city, I was just another pony. I got an education, and even had a job earlier than most thanks to my parents. I lived a simple life. I lived a boring life. And much like the now famous Element of Laughter Pinkie Pie, though I loved my family very much, I wanted more out of life.

When I came of age, I left home in search of a purpose. I called it my “Mid Life Crisis Pilgrimage” You might have seen some of the same sights as me. I left a few notes here and there on my journey, places with writing that said something like “On the Mid Life Crisis Pilgrimage, searching for the meaning of life. -Candy Cane” I won't spoil the fun by listing all the places I wrote that. Besides, I might get in trouble for vandalism. One pony's fun is another pony's crime I suppose.

My adventure made a horrendous turn, though, when I wound up in Our Town. And no, I don't mean a town that belongs to you and me, I mean Our Town. When Starlight Glimmer built its foundations, she named the town O-u-r *space* T-o-w-n. Our Town. The kind of town that'll leave you wondering: Who's on first?

This is where our story begins. With me, a simple candy maker with a special talent in sweets, plunging head first into the town of cutie mark removers. This could only end well.