Xenotopiaby Simply SonataChaptersIntroductionDowntroddenNight SherbetChangeling TimesIntroductionPonies and other creatures are apart of our world whether we like it or not. We've grown as a species side by side, since the very beginning. No portal opened up from the cosmos. No great war or even some magical gathering. This is just how things have always been, the world didn't really change much beyond that. We still are a technology-based society, countries are still fighting over pieces of land in search of ever-growing power. And the world still doesn't care if you're a somebody or a nobody. Everything still moves forward, each passing minute we're still losing the greatest resource in the universe. Time. Everybody wants it, yet nobody can harvest it. Guess we should just cherish what we have. Downtrodden“Jinx, snap out of it!” The thunderous clap of large masculine hands snapped a weary earth mare back into her reality, ears pricked straight up in high alert of her surroundings. “Mm-hmm?” she hummed in confusion with a long strand of curly pink mane falling in front of her eyes apathetically, violet hues locked upon Mr. Ghetti in a truly serious manner. He was a mountain of a man if she had to be honest. Standing high near six feet, though he was quite rotund as well. His swollen gut pushed out from under a grease-soaked cotton shirt, pants strained from the pressure of his frame ready to burst the seams at a moment's notice. His eyes a dull grey with no sense of empathy towards his fellow man or mare. Ghetti brandished a messy goatee on his pudgy double chin, short brunette hair always a mess no matter what day it was. He was the boss at this little slice of nothing Jinx called her job, but if she were to be polite she'd say he was simply the owner of Ghetti’s Cafe. “Table six needs attention!” His crude voice spat down to Jinx with a sense of hate, traces of his warm saliva splashing against her cheek. Her eyes darted down to table six in the small claustrophobic confines of this old rundown building, “ I'm on it boss!” she noticed it was a young human woman dressed to the nines in a fancy burgundy sweater. Walking towards her next customer of this long exhausting night, Jinx could hear her boss scoffing under his breath in an air of condescending mockery. “Lazy little animal!” Cream-colored hooves soon came to a soft halt in front of table six, the echo of her heavy steps much like an eerie spectral noise haunting this dump. The young human lost in her own world of social media, typing away on her sleek phone hastily, a coy smile formed over full pouty lips. “Ma'am?” Jinx scoffed in her sweetest of tones. She had been working a double shift here since five in the morning, her hooves on the verge of exploding and her lower back on fire from an extra-long day of darting around this hellhole. If that wasn't enough of a kick to the snout, she'd been wearing the same beige waitress uniform for the past three days. Jinx just knew she smelled to stale burgers and burnt fries. The first thing on her agenda after work was a long hot bath. If the mare didn't pass out before then. “Oh, you're an earth thing?” The young brunette batted long lashes towards her with uncertainty. “Pony.” Jinx popped her lips loudly. “No offense ma'am, but is perhaps a unicorn on duty?” She asked in a faux polite tone. With squinted eyes towards this brat and a scrunched muzzle, Jinx shrugged both shoulders in place as she wasn't even quite sure how to reply at first. “No it's just me tonight, I'm Jinx Hothoof,” she spoke with a forced smile. “Well, I don't really feel comfortable having an earth pony handle my food.” The customer blurted out her reason without a care in the world. “Excuse me!?” Both of the mare's ears folded in opposite directions. “Your kind are the dirtiest of the bunch, no flying or magic.” A slender hand flaunted in front of the mare's muzzle rudely. Blood boiled in her veins like an eruption from a volcano. Teeth grinded back and forth as she fought back the urge to buck this woman right in her big mouth. “I assure you, I've taken every precaution in keeping my hooves clean at the workplace.” Jinx finally spoke politely after a few seconds of silence. “Is everything fine?” Ghetti stomped over towards this fiasco of an interaction with a look of bewilderment. “Honestly? No.” The brazen patron spoke up first, biting her lower lip as if suddenly embarrassed of her rude actions. “Well at Ghetti's, the customer comes first!” He exploded in a piercing series of loud hearty chortles. “I just don't feel comfortable having an animal near my food.” Jinx began to tune the human out from that moment, this sadly not a rare occurrence in her life. This world a constant flow of ignorant humans and sadly ponies as well. Never once had she been ashamed of her heritage, though everybody in the city has this weird stigma about Earth Ponies. They're hard-working, dependable, and loyal to a fault. But to the rest of the world, they are seen as filthy dumb animals. Jinx wasn't of earth, sky, or anything else. She just wanted to be seen as a pony. An equal. “Jinx, I'll handle this!” Ghetti slapped his meaty hands in her face once again. The pony stumbled back with an exhausted daze, ears ringing loudly from his demeaning gesture. Lifting her head up silently, she nodded and took leave from the table. Heading over to the corner of the cafe, a filthy bucket and green-tinted mop awaited her attention. “Jinx, just go!” Ghetti yelled out from behind. “But I always clean up?” she turned towards her boss with a raised brow. “Not tonight, you've done enough.” He spoke flippantly before turning his attention back to the smiling customer. “I apologize, these creatures have a listening problem. “ The amorphous man burst into loud chuckles of excitement, the mare's eyes glanced at her dingy yellow coat behind the counter. She could say something and lose her job. Though it wouldn't change a damned thing, she was a second class citizen in this aspect. The best thing to do was walk away. Tonight was bucking cold. Good thing she brought a coat. Night Sherbet“Nighttime sherbet, what has my life become?” Kevin poked his bowl of melting ice cream in a true lackadaisical fashion. Fluffy ears slid back suspiciously towards the tired young man. What exactly could be wrong with late-night ice cream? The sun was overrated in a certain mare's opinion, she much preferred the pale blue light of the moon on her back instead of the scorching sun. Then again she was a nocturnal Bat Pony, Kevin a not so social human among his kind. Flaunting a dark purple hoof towards him she decided to have a tiny bit of fun, after all, she was the fun-loving type and who doesn't enjoy a good lark?, “We always have late night sherbet, you're not becoming too good for me are you?” the mare let her jaw drop in absolute shock. Kevin nearly had a heart attack from the mere idea of somebody calling him a racist. His blonde hair frazzled out in all directions and pale blue eyes growing twice as wide in horror. “Never Nightshade, I love you!” He blurted out embarrassed. “Chill out it's a joke.” Nightshade giggled softly behind her hoof. “I love you too.” He blushed a bright red over both cheeks as he lowered his stance across the booth, trying to hide away from a certain turquoise gaze. “Not like that.” “Sure.” she poked a hoof playfully in his soon to be puddle of ice cream. “It's just we're always here.” He let out a sigh slowly, Nightshade simply lifted the hoof to her mouth lapping off the fruity sweetness, choosing the right words carefully. “Is that such a bad thing?” she sheepishly replied head tilted off to the right. “No, but you're my best friend.” He pushed his bowl of fruit soup towards the bat pone casually. “Don't forget the best darn roommate too!” she made sure to wink, lowering her muzzle into the bowl to drink deep. An explosion of fruity delight washed over her whole body in a wave of pure ecstasy. From the tip of her tongue down to the edge of her hooves, it was her own personal heaven.”Aren't you ever curious about the day?” Kevin spoke far more calmly. “Not really?- I feel that daylight is overrated.” A loud snort fired out from pony nostrils. “But you could swing a little time in the light? - No crashes?” Kevin lifted a hand casually with a quirked brow. Nightshade very well knew he was up to shenanigans.”Duh!? I won't burst into flames or anything!” her eyes rolled in place as melted sherbet dripped off the edge of her rounded muzzle. “Didn't think that just making sure you wouldn't fall asleep wise-ass.” Large ears shot straight up in absolute shock of his sudden assertiveness. “Wise-arse? Moi!?” her hoof pressed against the purple-colored floof of her chest. “I want to spend a day with you Nightshade.” Kevin leaned forward gently wiping the ice cream off her lips with his hand. “Why?” Nightshade spoke with a blush, thankful she had a dark coat. “Because I want to show you a whole different world in the light.” He chuckled with a more Kevin-like shrug of his lanky shoulders. “Oi! Just this once.” she blew him a playful raspberry across the table. “You won't regret it!” “Already am!” her ears slid back slyly. Laughter exploded from both quickly afterward, filling the ice cream parlor with joyous warmth. Changeling TimesA young Hispanic woman's pink lipstick was smudged beyond repair. She made her way over to a cracked storefront window on this late icy night. Long violet hair was a total mess, translucent blue eyes grew more tiresome by the second. Reluctantly she fluffed out her hair with bronze-colored hands, wearing her usual outfit. A pink half jacket full of sass and flair. Black bustier showing off a beautifully curvy frame, a mini skirt of the jean variety cut above the thighs. Fishnets brought in the clients, but it was her four-inch heels that made them stay. “Damn sexy, you looking for a good time!?” A lime green Cadillac pulled up from behind her reflection, a gruff but mysterious stranger spoke in a rowdy tone of voice. “Mmm, always cutie pie!” she spun around giving a most playful wink. “Well, I don't get paid until later, how about we have fun on credit!?” His smile curled into a sneer like a timberwolf on its first hunt. A blaze of green fire engulfed her feminine frame in a bright flash. A once humanoid appearance shrunk down to roughly the size of a pony, as a slender turquoise body formed giving a little wiggle of its backside. “Jesus Christ, you're one of those Mimics!” he screamed out in sheer terror. The creature lifted onto his hind hooves and popped inside the open window swiftly. “Actually, I'm a Changeling. - Mimics monopolize the voice hotlines though!” he squinted oversized pink eyes dripping with sarcasm. As if he tossed a Molotov into the passenger seat the stranger was off in a blur of panic. The screech of tires echoed down the dark abyss of the street, the scent of burnt rubber stinging the changeling’s nostrils in a flurry of raw heat. *Yeah, you better run!” he flirtingly ran a hoof down his side. “No way you could handle all this!” the creature burst into a loud snicker before giving his rump a firm slap for old times sake. As if on cue the world's saddest pony happened to cross down his sidewalk. Lucky for the tiny bundle of nerves, this changeling considered her not a complete waste of time. “Jinx, how's it kicking pop tart?” he hastily switched back to his human persona, letting a feminine giggle waft into the starless night sky. “What is it tonight, Masquerade?” Her head tilted upward clearly not amused by the antics. Masquerade could sense she had another rough night at the cafe. He swore if he didn't see this pony working her hooves to the bone, he simply didn't see her. “Ouch, what's got ya’ horses in a bunch?” his nose scrunched cutely. “Just a long...night.” a soft whiny escaped her lips. “I know that girl! - Violet is my most busy personality of the whole week!” Both walked beside each other on a path towards her apartment. “Don't you have something better to do!?” Jinx placed all her attention on this feminine imposter. “Yeah, but he doesn't get here for another thirty minutes!” the woman let herself laugh out loud in an honest moment of amusement. Jinx scoffed with the look of a genuine killjoy across her lonely innocent features. Knowing he wasn't the mushy sensitive type, she spun away breaking into a canter down the street. “Aww, c'mon! - Don't run off in a huff!” Masquerade yelled out through gritted teeth. “Why do you even care!?” She came to a complete stop ahead, her head hung low in near defeat. His body engulfed in a dim blaze of fire as he transformed back into his true form. “Because I'm trying to be the 'F’ word!?” he grumbled with ears slid back annoyed. “Friendly?” Jinx pursed her lips. “Sure, why not?” Masquerade held back a loud exhale. Jinx’s gaze locked onto his own. Her hooves dripped with the damp moisture of a rain kissed street, for a moment he could sense something fundamentally broken deep down inside this mare. That insight being completely blocked as she lifted her defense once more, her head held high and chest puffed outward. “I just want a sign.” She spoke in a raspy whisper. “Like what?” Masquerade couldn't help but quirk a brow. “Exactly…” Jinx turned in silence before walking away into the night. Sure he could chop this up to her being a complete nut. But little did he know, those words would stick with him for longer than he'd like to admit. Jinx was a leaf on the breeze of life, she drifted wherever the wind took her with never a complaint. Though deep down, she dreamed of the one moment where life would surprise her. The one sign that would reassure her… That our lives meant something. But he sure as hell wasn't the one to prove it, he had a date planned soon and needed to put back on his angel face. The one people rather see.
IntroductionPonies and other creatures are apart of our world whether we like it or not. We've grown as a species side by side, since the very beginning. No portal opened up from the cosmos. No great war or even some magical gathering. This is just how things have always been, the world didn't really change much beyond that. We still are a technology-based society, countries are still fighting over pieces of land in search of ever-growing power. And the world still doesn't care if you're a somebody or a nobody. Everything still moves forward, each passing minute we're still losing the greatest resource in the universe. Time. Everybody wants it, yet nobody can harvest it. Guess we should just cherish what we have.
Downtrodden“Jinx, snap out of it!” The thunderous clap of large masculine hands snapped a weary earth mare back into her reality, ears pricked straight up in high alert of her surroundings. “Mm-hmm?” she hummed in confusion with a long strand of curly pink mane falling in front of her eyes apathetically, violet hues locked upon Mr. Ghetti in a truly serious manner. He was a mountain of a man if she had to be honest. Standing high near six feet, though he was quite rotund as well. His swollen gut pushed out from under a grease-soaked cotton shirt, pants strained from the pressure of his frame ready to burst the seams at a moment's notice. His eyes a dull grey with no sense of empathy towards his fellow man or mare. Ghetti brandished a messy goatee on his pudgy double chin, short brunette hair always a mess no matter what day it was. He was the boss at this little slice of nothing Jinx called her job, but if she were to be polite she'd say he was simply the owner of Ghetti’s Cafe. “Table six needs attention!” His crude voice spat down to Jinx with a sense of hate, traces of his warm saliva splashing against her cheek. Her eyes darted down to table six in the small claustrophobic confines of this old rundown building, “ I'm on it boss!” she noticed it was a young human woman dressed to the nines in a fancy burgundy sweater. Walking towards her next customer of this long exhausting night, Jinx could hear her boss scoffing under his breath in an air of condescending mockery. “Lazy little animal!” Cream-colored hooves soon came to a soft halt in front of table six, the echo of her heavy steps much like an eerie spectral noise haunting this dump. The young human lost in her own world of social media, typing away on her sleek phone hastily, a coy smile formed over full pouty lips. “Ma'am?” Jinx scoffed in her sweetest of tones. She had been working a double shift here since five in the morning, her hooves on the verge of exploding and her lower back on fire from an extra-long day of darting around this hellhole. If that wasn't enough of a kick to the snout, she'd been wearing the same beige waitress uniform for the past three days. Jinx just knew she smelled to stale burgers and burnt fries. The first thing on her agenda after work was a long hot bath. If the mare didn't pass out before then. “Oh, you're an earth thing?” The young brunette batted long lashes towards her with uncertainty. “Pony.” Jinx popped her lips loudly. “No offense ma'am, but is perhaps a unicorn on duty?” She asked in a faux polite tone. With squinted eyes towards this brat and a scrunched muzzle, Jinx shrugged both shoulders in place as she wasn't even quite sure how to reply at first. “No it's just me tonight, I'm Jinx Hothoof,” she spoke with a forced smile. “Well, I don't really feel comfortable having an earth pony handle my food.” The customer blurted out her reason without a care in the world. “Excuse me!?” Both of the mare's ears folded in opposite directions. “Your kind are the dirtiest of the bunch, no flying or magic.” A slender hand flaunted in front of the mare's muzzle rudely. Blood boiled in her veins like an eruption from a volcano. Teeth grinded back and forth as she fought back the urge to buck this woman right in her big mouth. “I assure you, I've taken every precaution in keeping my hooves clean at the workplace.” Jinx finally spoke politely after a few seconds of silence. “Is everything fine?” Ghetti stomped over towards this fiasco of an interaction with a look of bewilderment. “Honestly? No.” The brazen patron spoke up first, biting her lower lip as if suddenly embarrassed of her rude actions. “Well at Ghetti's, the customer comes first!” He exploded in a piercing series of loud hearty chortles. “I just don't feel comfortable having an animal near my food.” Jinx began to tune the human out from that moment, this sadly not a rare occurrence in her life. This world a constant flow of ignorant humans and sadly ponies as well. Never once had she been ashamed of her heritage, though everybody in the city has this weird stigma about Earth Ponies. They're hard-working, dependable, and loyal to a fault. But to the rest of the world, they are seen as filthy dumb animals. Jinx wasn't of earth, sky, or anything else. She just wanted to be seen as a pony. An equal. “Jinx, I'll handle this!” Ghetti slapped his meaty hands in her face once again. The pony stumbled back with an exhausted daze, ears ringing loudly from his demeaning gesture. Lifting her head up silently, she nodded and took leave from the table. Heading over to the corner of the cafe, a filthy bucket and green-tinted mop awaited her attention. “Jinx, just go!” Ghetti yelled out from behind. “But I always clean up?” she turned towards her boss with a raised brow. “Not tonight, you've done enough.” He spoke flippantly before turning his attention back to the smiling customer. “I apologize, these creatures have a listening problem. “ The amorphous man burst into loud chuckles of excitement, the mare's eyes glanced at her dingy yellow coat behind the counter. She could say something and lose her job. Though it wouldn't change a damned thing, she was a second class citizen in this aspect. The best thing to do was walk away. Tonight was bucking cold. Good thing she brought a coat.
Night Sherbet“Nighttime sherbet, what has my life become?” Kevin poked his bowl of melting ice cream in a true lackadaisical fashion. Fluffy ears slid back suspiciously towards the tired young man. What exactly could be wrong with late-night ice cream? The sun was overrated in a certain mare's opinion, she much preferred the pale blue light of the moon on her back instead of the scorching sun. Then again she was a nocturnal Bat Pony, Kevin a not so social human among his kind. Flaunting a dark purple hoof towards him she decided to have a tiny bit of fun, after all, she was the fun-loving type and who doesn't enjoy a good lark?, “We always have late night sherbet, you're not becoming too good for me are you?” the mare let her jaw drop in absolute shock. Kevin nearly had a heart attack from the mere idea of somebody calling him a racist. His blonde hair frazzled out in all directions and pale blue eyes growing twice as wide in horror. “Never Nightshade, I love you!” He blurted out embarrassed. “Chill out it's a joke.” Nightshade giggled softly behind her hoof. “I love you too.” He blushed a bright red over both cheeks as he lowered his stance across the booth, trying to hide away from a certain turquoise gaze. “Not like that.” “Sure.” she poked a hoof playfully in his soon to be puddle of ice cream. “It's just we're always here.” He let out a sigh slowly, Nightshade simply lifted the hoof to her mouth lapping off the fruity sweetness, choosing the right words carefully. “Is that such a bad thing?” she sheepishly replied head tilted off to the right. “No, but you're my best friend.” He pushed his bowl of fruit soup towards the bat pone casually. “Don't forget the best darn roommate too!” she made sure to wink, lowering her muzzle into the bowl to drink deep. An explosion of fruity delight washed over her whole body in a wave of pure ecstasy. From the tip of her tongue down to the edge of her hooves, it was her own personal heaven.”Aren't you ever curious about the day?” Kevin spoke far more calmly. “Not really?- I feel that daylight is overrated.” A loud snort fired out from pony nostrils. “But you could swing a little time in the light? - No crashes?” Kevin lifted a hand casually with a quirked brow. Nightshade very well knew he was up to shenanigans.”Duh!? I won't burst into flames or anything!” her eyes rolled in place as melted sherbet dripped off the edge of her rounded muzzle. “Didn't think that just making sure you wouldn't fall asleep wise-ass.” Large ears shot straight up in absolute shock of his sudden assertiveness. “Wise-arse? Moi!?” her hoof pressed against the purple-colored floof of her chest. “I want to spend a day with you Nightshade.” Kevin leaned forward gently wiping the ice cream off her lips with his hand. “Why?” Nightshade spoke with a blush, thankful she had a dark coat. “Because I want to show you a whole different world in the light.” He chuckled with a more Kevin-like shrug of his lanky shoulders. “Oi! Just this once.” she blew him a playful raspberry across the table. “You won't regret it!” “Already am!” her ears slid back slyly. Laughter exploded from both quickly afterward, filling the ice cream parlor with joyous warmth.
Changeling TimesA young Hispanic woman's pink lipstick was smudged beyond repair. She made her way over to a cracked storefront window on this late icy night. Long violet hair was a total mess, translucent blue eyes grew more tiresome by the second. Reluctantly she fluffed out her hair with bronze-colored hands, wearing her usual outfit. A pink half jacket full of sass and flair. Black bustier showing off a beautifully curvy frame, a mini skirt of the jean variety cut above the thighs. Fishnets brought in the clients, but it was her four-inch heels that made them stay. “Damn sexy, you looking for a good time!?” A lime green Cadillac pulled up from behind her reflection, a gruff but mysterious stranger spoke in a rowdy tone of voice. “Mmm, always cutie pie!” she spun around giving a most playful wink. “Well, I don't get paid until later, how about we have fun on credit!?” His smile curled into a sneer like a timberwolf on its first hunt. A blaze of green fire engulfed her feminine frame in a bright flash. A once humanoid appearance shrunk down to roughly the size of a pony, as a slender turquoise body formed giving a little wiggle of its backside. “Jesus Christ, you're one of those Mimics!” he screamed out in sheer terror. The creature lifted onto his hind hooves and popped inside the open window swiftly. “Actually, I'm a Changeling. - Mimics monopolize the voice hotlines though!” he squinted oversized pink eyes dripping with sarcasm. As if he tossed a Molotov into the passenger seat the stranger was off in a blur of panic. The screech of tires echoed down the dark abyss of the street, the scent of burnt rubber stinging the changeling’s nostrils in a flurry of raw heat. *Yeah, you better run!” he flirtingly ran a hoof down his side. “No way you could handle all this!” the creature burst into a loud snicker before giving his rump a firm slap for old times sake. As if on cue the world's saddest pony happened to cross down his sidewalk. Lucky for the tiny bundle of nerves, this changeling considered her not a complete waste of time. “Jinx, how's it kicking pop tart?” he hastily switched back to his human persona, letting a feminine giggle waft into the starless night sky. “What is it tonight, Masquerade?” Her head tilted upward clearly not amused by the antics. Masquerade could sense she had another rough night at the cafe. He swore if he didn't see this pony working her hooves to the bone, he simply didn't see her. “Ouch, what's got ya’ horses in a bunch?” his nose scrunched cutely. “Just a long...night.” a soft whiny escaped her lips. “I know that girl! - Violet is my most busy personality of the whole week!” Both walked beside each other on a path towards her apartment. “Don't you have something better to do!?” Jinx placed all her attention on this feminine imposter. “Yeah, but he doesn't get here for another thirty minutes!” the woman let herself laugh out loud in an honest moment of amusement. Jinx scoffed with the look of a genuine killjoy across her lonely innocent features. Knowing he wasn't the mushy sensitive type, she spun away breaking into a canter down the street. “Aww, c'mon! - Don't run off in a huff!” Masquerade yelled out through gritted teeth. “Why do you even care!?” She came to a complete stop ahead, her head hung low in near defeat. His body engulfed in a dim blaze of fire as he transformed back into his true form. “Because I'm trying to be the 'F’ word!?” he grumbled with ears slid back annoyed. “Friendly?” Jinx pursed her lips. “Sure, why not?” Masquerade held back a loud exhale. Jinx’s gaze locked onto his own. Her hooves dripped with the damp moisture of a rain kissed street, for a moment he could sense something fundamentally broken deep down inside this mare. That insight being completely blocked as she lifted her defense once more, her head held high and chest puffed outward. “I just want a sign.” She spoke in a raspy whisper. “Like what?” Masquerade couldn't help but quirk a brow. “Exactly…” Jinx turned in silence before walking away into the night. Sure he could chop this up to her being a complete nut. But little did he know, those words would stick with him for longer than he'd like to admit. Jinx was a leaf on the breeze of life, she drifted wherever the wind took her with never a complaint. Though deep down, she dreamed of the one moment where life would surprise her. The one sign that would reassure her… That our lives meant something. But he sure as hell wasn't the one to prove it, he had a date planned soon and needed to put back on his angel face. The one people rather see.
