The pony emerged from the building. It was about four or so stories tall, made of black glistening glass. It was slick and smooth, like the humans that had spun such wonderful lies for him. He sniffled, a box of his effects balanced on his back. His work, destroyed. His dreams, scattered.

He turned to look at the unfeeling building, its comically upbeat logo another stab. He had expected so much, come prepared to make new things...

But Google had cancelled his game, and cancelled him. They were moving in a new direction, and that direction had no need for a pony programmer that was still learning how to program.

With heavy hooves, he plodded away from their campus. He didn't work there anymore. He would be trespassing if he stayed... A fresh sniffle overwhelmed him. The people in there had been friends, coworkers, and even family just the day before. To become an unwanted intruder, just like that? He wiped the tears from his big eyes, unable to hold back to sad little whimper.

Worst day ever.

"Excuse me." Another local tech human. They had a certain look. He wasn't wearing Google themed anything though. "Sir?"

The stallion pointed at himself.

"You, yes. Do you have a moment?" The human waved the horse over. "I hear you're back on the job market."

The stallion blinked. "How? That just happened today."

"We people keep in touch." He leaned in. "And a friend of yours knew you'd need someplace to land. He didn't want you just thrown out on the street."

The stallion began to smile at that. One of his friends? They hadn't just all abandoned him?! "Can I work on my game?"

"Ooo, no..." He waved a hand negatively at that. "That game is Google's property, and they're going to bury it, along with all their other dropped projects. You'll have to start something new, but I'm ready to offer you a position to do just that."

"Oh." His heart felt heavy, knowing all that work was going up in smoke. "I was really proud of it..."

"Take it as experience." The human snapped. "And make the next one even better. You learned, didn't you?"

"I learned so much," gusted the stallion, angry a moment. "What works, and what does not... I want to make a human quality game, for ponies."

"And I want to see that too." He adjusted his glasses. "So, come with me? We'll pay your bills and you can get right to work. We got a team trying to break into that market already, but having a pony actually on the team? They will be so happy to have you."

So he followed a new human, hoping it'd turn out better than the first time. "Oh, what company is this? I, uh, should probably know that."

"Right you are." The human patted his new pony hire lightly. "Microsoft Games. We finish our projects, usually." He shrugged. "I won't lie, there is no such thing as 100% certain, but we have a better track record than those guys." He hiked a thumb back at the company they were leaving. "So it's a risk, but life usually is. You'll get paid. Google was paying you, right?"

The stallion blinked. "Oh, yes! I'm still... really sad the game's just... gone... I wanted to make it."

"That's the sort of attitude we love to see. You're passionate, love it." He patted the stallion on the back, a thing most ponies were alright with from people they were alright with. "To keep up the honesty thing, it isn't, ultimately, up to me. I'm not your direct manager. I'm just a recruiter. I get people in the building. I know how it works, but I won't be the one you work with or report to."

"Hm." The stallion was perking up a bit as they went, slipping into a car. "Thank you for being honest. I could use some of that right now... Um, so... if this new game is cancelled, will I get warning?"

"We try to do a better job about that." He fired a thumbs up. "Also, if you're in a permanent position, you're likely to be offered another position, instead of being kicked out the door." He shrugged. "Unless it's a big layoff thing... Let's hope against that. I doubt they'd go after our one pony employee."

"Um."

Human work culture was a strange thing, and so he moved to Los Angeles instead of Silicon Valley to resume work on a pony game, by a pony, for ponies.

"Your name, it was fabricated, right?" The female president watched the former president, still changeling.

"Correct." He set his folded hands down in his lap. "Nice to meet you."

"In person," she finished. "I'd rather it be in better circumstances, but here we are. They told me, once you become president, you're president forever, title or not. You're proving that right."

Paul smiled awkardly at that. "Not the way I would have wanted it, but I do love this country."

"This country you weren't born in, or should have led." She tapped a pen gently against the desk, there in the Oval Office. "But that's a complicated story you already know, and we aren't here for that. Agents that don't share your love are moving against us. We can hear them, like whispers, and it's coming from more than one direction."

Paul sat up firmly at that. "What directions?"

"This is why you needed clearance." Which he had, after a long stint of waiting and interviewing. "As you should know, that doesn't mean I can tell you everything. Need to know basis, top to bottom. There are things even a president may not know. By the way, mildly off topic... But if you had any written correspondence with your old employer while you were a sitting president, that is legally required to be turned in for archiving."

Paul blinked at that. "But... That would be letting a lot of angry cats out of otherwise secure bags. Do you want that?"

"Well, were there any?"

She asked that in such a blunt tone. "No."

"Good." Dropped just like that. "I had to ask. We're handling things as best we can. I think your particular talents are best used on dry land, with creatures you can fit in with."

"Other changelings?!"

"No." She raised a hand at that. "They haven't come up, probably for the best. Start with the Abyssians, cats?"

"I know them." Paul pushed up to his feet. "What should I be looking for?"

"The gentleman outside will fill you in." Just like that, she made it not her immediate concern. Delegation was a big part of presidenting. "Good luck."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He left her to her work and found an, almost alarmingly, chipper looking person waiting for him. They didn't fit the general feel at all. "Are you the one I'm reporting to?"

"Roger." He waved for Paul to walk with him. "Changeling, huh? Always wanted a few dozen of those on the force."

"Which force would that be?" Not that Paul couldn't guess a few that could work out in.

"CIA. The way I hear it, most changelings are unfit for duty."

Paul frowned at that. "Haven't met many of them. but they're also not American."

"Half the problem, but not a fatal one." He flicked a finger at Paul. "We have you. You're way..." He trailed off. "Wait, gauging your age by looks is stupid. Mind if I ask?"

"Old enough to drink." Paul stepped out of the White House, bouncing down the stairs with his new handler. "So what's the itinerary?"

"Too old to be born American," concluded the CIA agent. "No matter, you come highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to it." He pulled out a map, not of Earth, they weren't there. It was a map of their new world. He pointed at a part, a moderate continent. "This is where the cats live, and we lost contact with them. The sattelite drop didn't help. We need to know what's going on. They aren't super friendly, but they weren't hostile either. We want the lay of the land. Simple?"

"Hm." Paul examined the map only a moment. "How do you want me to get there?"

"Great question. Commercial flights have stopped, another reason to be concerned. Ships are still moving, tourism, still booming. A curious contradiction, don't you think?"

Paul considered the meanings. "Whatever scared the planes out of the air didn't want to stop the tourism."

"And we'd like to know why." The handler folded the map closed. "We'll get you a ticket on a boat and you can get over there and report what you find. Got it?"

Paul raised a finger. "One question, why not send anything official that could get there faster than a cruise boat?"

"Because then we'd have to chat with the cats. Those lines are down, and were never properly up to start." He shrugged at the idea. "They own their waters like we own ours. We can't just pull up on a navy boat and expect them to not be upset about that, good intentions or not."

"But the commercial boats..."

"Already have permission." He slapped a tiny folder with a few tickets in it against Paul. "Got it?"

"Got it." Paul got the folder into a pocket quickly. "When am I going?"

"Tomorrow."

Paul started. "Short warning."

"This is an active situation." He nodded faintly at the pocket Paul had put away. "There's a burner in there, my phone's already on it. Call with any updates, assuming cell service is cooperating."

"Right... Right." Well, he had signed up for it. "I'm on the case."

"I knew I'd like this." He gave Paul one last pat on the shoulder and went off in another direction.

Paul returned to his hotel and got to checking out for the next day. He wouldn't need it... "Thank you." He shook hands with the nice person at the desk and retired to his room. Bored and, perhaps, a little agitated, he couldn't just lay there. Digging out his phone, he got to checking various news blocks and social media threads, but that didn't hold his attention for long.

He got to writing a text instead.

I'll be out of communication for a while. I thought I should give a bye before that and let you know that I'm entirely alright. Just got a new job, is all. No reason to panic, I'm just making more money.

I'll let you know when things clear up.

"I read it."

"Of course you read it," huffed out the satyr teen. "I don't like it even a tiny bit."

"And there's nothing we can do about it." He flopped on his bed, phone held up to keep talking. "He's a big boy now. We have to let him go."

"I'm not ready to let him go! My empty nest!" They both laughed at the shared joke. "Seriously... He's a friend and I'm worried. Is that wrong?"

"It's right until you consider storming in on him," argued her boyfriend. "So keep that thought out and enjoy being right."

"I already have a dad, dad."

"Yeah yeah." He flipped the hand he was holding the phone with. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" She sat up sharply. "Something happen?!"

"Something good. I did a lap."

She blinked with growing confusion. "A lap?"

"Around the pool, on my own, with a decent time." He extended a finger with each part of that. "And without swallowing any water."

"You jock," she laughed out into the phone. "I'm so proud of you! Next time we go to the beach, no more freaking out. We'll have such a fun time! You already having fun?"

"It was fun, once I got past the start..." He put the phone down, switching it to speaker. "Like most things, right?"

"Like most things," she agreed. "Glad you got past the sucky part. Time for the fun part!"

They got to planning the next water-based date.

Author's Note

Remember that pony? I did.

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