Illusory Reporter set a flash drive onto the desk, where a mare glared at the changeling with an obvious disliking. He spoke to her. "I've got you the last story I could find. I almost felt like I was selling dirt to an earth po-"
"SHUT UP! I don't care. You've been whining for the past month about the dimming amount of stories. But you have a job to do, it being your talent. And you are going to do it. Unless you think there's something else you can do with your life?" The mare cruelly smirked at the poor changeling.
"News Abuse, you'd be surprised how versatile changelings are. I was named that because I am half pony raised in a changeling family. It's meant to be an insult to ponykind, even though how useful I have proven to this town. Might I need to remind you if I wasn't here during the assassination plot on Twilight and Luna?" Clearly, Illusory was fed up with the mare's antics.
"I told you to stop calling me that! My name is Publisher Featured!" She was clearly losing her cool from this, as Illusory turned and walked towards the door, an envelope being pulled out and set on her desk. "Where are you going?!"
"The envelope tells you everything you need to know." He exited and went to the schoolyard, where he saw the upper-class scholars, murmuring and glancing at him as usual. He heard a large burst of wind slam into him in the side, and he looked up. Starlight versus Rainbow Dash. Of course.
To Illusory
I stood up from the wind, as I felt a hoof touch my back, and I rolled my back to shove the hoof off, then turned to stare at Starlight, whom her apologies fell on deaf ears. "STARLIGHT, YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD BY TWILIGHT HERSELF TO STOP RACING RAINBOW DASH UNTIL SUNSET, WHEN STUDENTS ARE NOT FRANTICALLY RUNNING ABOUT FOR THEIR ACTIVITIES!" Of course, the counselor was stunned, but she's pulled this act before. Every time, a student is injured, causing their race to be a flop. I assume it's because the speeds, causing brute winds, or because Professor Dash o' Salt realizes she is losing. She rarely or never cheats, so it must always be something very important if she does it on purpose. Anyways, now done with Starlight, I walked off. Already in a bad mood considering my resignation I turned in. She ignored what I said, I'm just a student, after all.
A week later, I slammed my hoof into my pillow, crying loudly, but the walls enchanted so it sounds like something else, to give me privacy that would otherwise be impossible. I'm given too much attention for saving half of the royalty with my big scoop and bust. I'm not even a cop.
The reason I'm crying though, is because of some issues that have occurred over the past week. I resigned, my choice, because the boss was a bitch to be with. I give a good story and she hits on me, I point the need for a more lenient schedule and she threatens my job. But then the following events. My parents both died, they were poison. The guards were to protect my family for five years, during the time there were only two attacks. Two too many, but that's the cost of saving the mare who comforts you when you face your demons, alongside your headmaster who protects the school and helps with grades.
Of course, this had to be the most minor issue. I have seven months to live. There's no more big stories for me, at least as far as I can tell. No publisher will hire me due to the current crisis. Because of my composition, I inherited genetics that made me resilient, but not immune like my parents, to certain poisons. So whilst my mother died of one, my father died of another. Just to screw me, the pooch in this. The poison will slow down my body, and an antidote for both poisons don't exist. If it was one poison, maybe I'd live. small doses of both? Perhaps lose a few years of my total lifespan. Every transformation causes the poison to act faster on my body. So, I don't care. I can't be saved, aside from monthly blood withdrawals and implants, which'd be so expensive and risky that I'd lose possibly everything just to live. And who wants to be unable to do anything but walk? I wouldn't have the earth abilities, the flight abilities, the magic abilities, to transform, or anything else. I'd be a living being with no abilities.
When my tears settled, I noticed a knock at my door and knew who it was, they were knocking from inside the room. "What, Professor Pie?" I called her out grumpily, then looked at her. She looked at me, half smiling half pitying. And set a pumpkin muffin next to my head.
"I wanted to give you this, hoping it will cheer you up! Also, that you won't have to worry about your poison! Headmare Twilight has a project that she will be posting forms for signup for experiments tomorrow! She has laid the facts that death is a possibility in this job, or loss of contact with this whole world. So she won't garner anypony willing! Just so you know!" Pinkie spoke in her usual tone, giving me the final story to go out on, or the branch to a new story. Clearly, there will be a lot happening if this succeeds. Perhaps... yes! A possible way for me to live! I don't care about death, it's coming for me already after all, isn't it? I nodded to her, softly smiling, tearing up at the prospect, and unraveled the wrapping on the muffin.
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie!" I finished the muffin, and slid down, transforming into my pony form, and tightly squeezed her happily. Yes, some guys don't show appreciation in loud applause, but I'd say that dying at the age of twelve makes a person very grim and reserved. Her face lit up, and when we stopped, she dragged me to her office, where we had a light chat, alongside some small jests that didn't get anybody's skin. She is a great teacher, laughter is hope. That's what she taught first and last, every year.
It was two weeks later, and I alone was standing in Twilight's castle in Canterlot. I was waiting for my appointment with her to begin. Soon, a guard who wasn't in the regular color grabbed me. Orange coat, blue mane sticking out. Very unlikable, But Twilight for some reason liked him I guess. He brought me to the throne room, well, a throne room. Not THE throne room, based on the way it looked. Then, he was gone. Illusory scripting, because reasons. I shook my head and looked up, meeting Twilight's gaze. She seemed conflicted. "Yes, I want to do this Twilight, yes I know the risks involved, no I will not be refuted. When you gaze down the barrel of Death, you'll learn to stop caring for the risks of sooner death, if you might be able to get more time. I am the best candidate, and if Pinkie is right, the only candidate. Whilst my relationship with her is close to a teacher's pet, as I did run all my stories by her, except your story, and loved her class. The lessons were important, even though I'm not the best at showing it."
The headmare got very pitiful whilst looking at me, and I stepped up the steps, and transformed into alicorn-me, stared her directly in the eyes, and hugged her. "I have no idea how it works, or if I can return to this Equestria, but it'll at least be a long time to never that you see me again." I pulled out two flash drives and handed them to her. "There are three stories, one is if I maintain contact, the other two are on the same drive, and summarize either my ability to never be seen again, or my death. Two final stories, one opening of a new chapter. Let us proceed and see the results." I let go of her, and inhaled. I was fed up with my hand, and we were playing ace no face, so I called it. Stepped up to the machine, and let Twilight to the rest. Oops, I wasted some of my lifespan. But does it matter?
