How well can Air Vent adapt into a changeling society? Just give it time.
Air Vent, daughter of Air Wiff, lives in a town full of changelings. She and her mother aren't changelings themselves but they've gotten by without much trouble until now. Air Vent will not only learn about how big of an impact her past has been, but will learn that sometimes it's better to have more than one pony or changeling to look up to.
“Only take the photos that will lead to the best outcome. Never follow the hoofprints that cover those photos.”
-Mom
Mom said that when I was only six. I never knew what it meant until I asked a couple of my friends. They’re kind of older than me even though they’ve lived the same amount of time. Somehow, how Mom said what she said came from the time that she lived in. I was told there was a place called Equestria during her time, and it fell because of an earthshake.
For over fourteen and a half years, I was raised in a world of changelings. After I got a mention for the artwork I did on the radio, I got very excited. I’ve loved to draw since I was only four, so it’s practically a dream come true that I’m now on the radio through my art. The only thing is, how did I get on the radio?
I asked Mom how it happened, and that’s when I knew she was hiding something.
“How should I know? It’s your art.”
Definitely a lie. And that was coming from the same pony that said never to follow hoofprints that will get you down or something like that. Plus, who would take someone’s belonging and call it their own? That’s just plain wrong. Okay, true it’s my art, but I swear something seems off about “how should I know”.
So, today, I walk up to my old street from back (what?) ten, eleven years ago. When we left, we had to buy every last thing to replace all the items lost on the old house. We lost a lot of money. Past the crosswalk, the sign simply says, “No trespassing.” What should I do, go to Mom and ask her to get inside the old house? As far as Mom’s concerned, we don’t own the house anymore, Changico does.
After reading the sign, I walk home to ask Mom if I can get permission to check out our old home.
“Yeah. Point of advice though, ask Queen Shell.”
Wait WHAT?!? Queen Shell owns the house now?!? She must be really lucky to own more than her castle, or home, or whatever anypony calls it! It might just be that much easier to get to my old house.
So, Mom and I take a trip over to Queen Shell’s home, and holy joy is it huge! It might as well be a castle!
“I’ll just be out in front. I’m sure she won’t mind.”
So, I’m doing this on my own. If it were any other changeling, I’d be as nervous as any of them would be! But this is Queen Shell, somepony who raises the sun and the moon every day! That alone is amazing! I’m getting even more hyped now that I’m doing it on my own! My excitement is no holds bar now! But I have to focus. I don’t want to go all fangirl on her now, would I?
“Hello subject. What can I do for you?”
“Hey Queen Shell. Who owns the house my mom and I lived in before her last move-in to where I live now?”
“And what is your name?”
“Air Vent.”
“Ah, yes. Daughter of Air Wiff. As far as I remember, you two were not the only ones to move out at the time. We pulled a move similar to what Yakyakistan did up to twenty years ago.”
“And what’s that?”
“Reserve an area for urban exploration.”
“Urban exploration?”
“When you learn about houses no other changeling or pony ever dares to go. No one lives in your old home (really, no one’s supposed to), but the government of Changico does own it. And as queen, I grant you permission to visit this house to learn more about building such a structure you wish to visit with a better knowledge of what to do.”
I thank Queen Shell and we hug. In the inside, I’m dancing with glee. On the outside, I choose to savor the moment. This is the only time I’ve gotten to see Queen Shell, so I better make it last.
Suddenly, I barely hear yelling coming from outside, who sounds like Mom. I gasp in realization that Mom might be in trouble. After telling Queen Shell my goodbyes and that I have to get outside, I zoom to the front of the “house” to see two changelings in what I think is a police force uniform, cuffing Mom’s wings together.
“What are you doing!!!”
“Air Wiff is under arrest for public loitering.”
“NO!!! You can’t do that!!! She’s my Mom!!! She was waiting as I was getting permission from the queen to visit our old house!!!”
“Your old house? If you were granted clearance to visit a place that is filled with asbestos…”
“If Queen Shell gave me permission to visit my old house, which she did, then I’m sure she’ll be fine with ponies waiting for others.”
“Good point. The only thing is Air Wiff could’ve waited at home.”
“Sirs, Air Vent still doesn’t have the mobility to cross any streets, so how is she supposed to get around without me?”
“If that’s the case, then she’ll be off, living in foster care.”
Seconds after Mom and I shout “no” from the top of our lungs, Queen Shell zips out here.
“What is going on?!? (Gasp) Officers!! What are you doing with Air Wiff?!?”
“We are only doing our jobs, ma’am.”
“That is not the right way to do it!! It is unconstitutional to arrest someone in the country who has done no wrong!! What has she done?!?”
“All I was doing was waiting for Air Vent! Was that too much to ask for?”
“Public loitering is against Changican law, and given your location, you were doing just that.”
“You never read the Changican Constitution, did you? ‘It is considered to wrongly arrest for the following crimes and they will be limited to a lone fine, whose weight depends on the frequency of said crimes: jaywalking, littering, public loitering and any publicly shunned daily activity.’ I know Air WIff. She attempted to clean an entire city while I escorted Hut to her. She’s free to go.”
Queen Shell takes the cuffs away from Mom’s wings.
“Take these back to where they belong until you find any criminal doing worse than waiting for their child.”
The two changeling officers walk away in shame with the cuffs levitating between them.
“Thank you Queen Shell. You’re a real lifesaver,” Mom says.
“Police force these days, I tell you. They might as well be illiterate. And parents tell us to trust them.”
So, after that, Queen Shell gives me a map before escorting Mom home. She even went as far as to poke holes on the map in three places, Queen Shell’s home, my home, and my old home. The only problem is, I don’t have a horn, so I can’t just have it in front of me like Queen Shell and Mom can. Suddenly, Queen Shell puts a hoof on the top of my head, in which, feels more magical than it did before. In fact, I feel like a horn was added to my forehead.
I have no idea whether or not I have a horn, but when I feel like grabbing the map, I suddenly see it float, losing its previous green glow. Instead, now the map has a golden glow to it.
When I used to live in the northern part of Changico City, the house was beautiful. It was filled with nice, clean walls and windows. The door was perfectly closeable. And all of our belongings were in great shape. But when I finally got here for the first time in ten years, things have changed.
No longer are the walls completely white, but they’re chipped with paint in some areas, and in others, it’s filled with that stuff younger changelings like to look at on the walls of restaurants. Whole drawings are there as if it were from a professional who did this for a project before the grand opening of said restaurant. But it’s not a restaurant. It’s my old home.
The second thing I notice is that it looks as if there are no windows and that the door went missing. Did somepony take them out? I don’t know.
I start hovering over the ground to safely explore the house. As I start getting closer, more of the details come in with parts of the windows still there and the door fallen inside.
When I finally get inside, it’s a true mess. The ceiling is barely present in some parts. It smells very funny inside as well. I have no idea where the smell is coming from but I know it’s one I’ve never smelled before. Every single door is out of each frame. Finally, all of the belongings Mom and I had over here are completely destroyed, on the floor and where they had belonged had fallen onto the floor.
After a couple of puffs coughed, I hover upstairs, where it gets even worse. First of all, the sun is blinding from the position that I hover. I don’t really know what the term is for this kind of thing, but some parts of the floor have sunken. The frames that once contained photos are now naked of that and have also fallen to the floor.
Then, it hits the hardest in my room. Not only did the floor sink beyond belief, not only is there no ceiling, but everything else in the room was exactly how I left it. It was a given it was covered with the ceiling.
But then, something catches my eye. On the middle of the sunken floor is a Smarty Pants doll. Aura Draft had once given it to me. She said it was the last one ever sold in Equestria.
I still can’t believe it. My belongings still look (sort of) good for being left alone for ten years. They were left exactly as they were when Mom and I left. The only thing that’s not covered in fallen ceiling is a watch though, the kind I’ve never seen before.
I suddenly get the idea to take the watch and the doll with me as I head out. Thankfully, my room has lost its window from the looks of it, so I plan on leaving through that. But when I prepare to move to the non-window, I start to cough harder and harder. I move back to the hall and set down the doll and watch. Suddenly, looking at the watch, I see a lid on its main side.
I float the watch, flip the lid and shove it into my lips. Breathing in, I lose the next few puffs of cough, the rest weakening. The coughing lightens up afterwards as I figure out that I’m going to need this watch. The only problem now is, I’m getting too tired to fly off the dirty, weak floor.
Mom told me to take the day off today, although it’s the last day of school for me.
It started as I woke up about my normal time, on the living room floor. Apparently, I had carpet dust across the left side of my body. It was probably from when I fell asleep in my old house.
Now, it’s been an hour since. I look to my left, where I see Queen Shell’s map and the watch. Then I look to my right, where I see my Smarty Pants doll. At first I thought I was flown home, but then I realized I sleep levitated.
Then I ask myself, can I still levitate? I think of floating the map, but it doesn’t float. Why isn’t it working? Why isn’t the magic Queen Shell gave me working? I try harder and harder to float the map, but it’s in vain.
I realize I’m normally supposed to leave by now. So, I ask Mom why I can’t just go to school and that I feel just fine, if not for still being a little tired. But hey, I’m almost always a little tired at school.
“I had a doctor look at you at midnight. He said that your blood vessels were too far expanded to keep you awake, and that they wouldn’t return to normal until the next day.”
Okay, that does worry me a little. I guess that watch came too much in- wait a minute, where’s Mom going? Oh no, it’s the area I woke up.
“Air Vent, what are these?”
I show Mom the map first, then the watch, then the Smarty Pants doll.
“Okay. I could almost understand how you found your old Smarty Pants doll, but a whitewatch?!?”
A what? Is that was this watch is called? No wonder I’ve never seen it before.
“Handling a whitewatch is no walk in the park, Air Vent. You have to be careful what you do with it. Did you use it yet?”
I nod, which scares Mom. I tell her I needed an inhaler to stop my huge coughing spell and the whitewatch, as she calls it, was the quickest way I could stop it.
“I have to get you to the Emergency Room.”
What?!?
So, Mom gets me to the Emergency Room all because I used a whitewatch only ONCE. Yeah, I don’t really see what the big problem is. So, a bunch of nurses attempt to take my pulse, as they call it, and they all succeed after ten seconds each.
The average heart rate they come to is apparently thirty four beats a minute. I hope it explains why I’m still a little tired. Suddenly I get moved to another room where I get my (I hope I say this right) blood pressure. Once taken, they find out that it’s apparently way too low, at least for a changeling. I think I might know what I might want to have. Speaking of, I sure could go for a drink of water right now.
What the nurses come up with up is that my readings would only be this low if I had a “depressant”. So, I’m given some medicine to take and- finally, a cup of water. So I take the pill and drink the water. Suddenly, I can’t get enough water.
So afterwards, taking the medicine home with me, I get to bed and read a book called “Field Sign”. It’s a comedy book, where one half is about the Fields and their misadventures and the second is just the title character making me roll off the bed on the floor. However, when I read it today, I just smile. That’s all I can do. Smile.
I dash off to get a reusable water bottle and come back to continue reading. This time, I look through my little bookshelf and find a book named “Cobble and Mile”.
I remember this. I haven’t read this book in five years. I haven’t touched it since because it was so beautiful. It was about these two sisters named Cobblestone and MIlestone. Cobblestone got accused of something she didn’t do, was found guilty and had to spend the rest of her life in jail. But Milestone stayed by her side the whole time, going as far as to defend her in court.
After one read of this, I have to go to the bathroom to get some tissue because I was crying all the way through the beauty. Then I grab the rest of the roll and walk back to bed. So, I start to wonder why I cry when reading Cobble and Mile, what it is about that book that makes it stick out in my mind.
After several minutes, I try to forget about it, taking out a book of truly old work, this one hundred and fifty year old book named “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone”. My getaway fails as I can’t concentrate on the part where Daring Do is getting chased by cats or something like that and has broken her wing, hoof, I don’t know.
I come back to Cobble and Mile, trying to see what’s so special about this that I come back to it.
Milestone wraps her hoof around her sister. “If she’s going, I’m going with her.” The crowd gasps.
“But you haven’t done anything,” the judge says.
“Not yet. I want to be there for her if she goes to jail, so I’m going with her. It doesn’t matter if she done wrong or not; she’s my sister, and nothing could ever change that.”
“While the defense has some dedication, I’m afraid you can’t be there for her unless you were convicted of a similar-”
“Oh I can’t take it anymore!”
I grab another piece of tissue and wipe my tears. Suddenly, I think back to when I moved out. I wanted to keep living in the house, but Changico City wanted to keep the entire street abandoned. It’s so much of a random thought, I go to a previous page of the book.
“Everypony may think you’re guilty, but I don’t.”
I fast forward back to the where I just was.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way stay with you. I know I will.”
My... god... that was me when I was four, when Mom and I had to move out. No wonder I kept crying. Not counting yesterday, I hadn’t visited the old house once. And the fact Milestone kept her word made me all the more depressed.
How did my school not ever do this book for a unit? It would be absolutely amazing!
Finishing my water, I get back to the kitchen to refill the bottle until I hear a knock on the door. Mom zooms over to get it.
Two changelings are at the front door, who my mom knows. Wrench and Hut, right?
“Hey Air Wiff, I got some news for you.”
“Yes, what is it Wrench?”
“How’d you like to go to Yakyakistan, bringing Air Vent with you?”
“Hut... are you involved with horrible advertising?”
“No, for real! We’re going to Halma and you can go if you want.”
“Halma? As in the capital? As in where Endy lives?!?”
The two nod, causing Air Wiff to cheer. Well, looks like I’m going to meet some yaks for the summer.
“Not only that, but Queen Shell is going too.”
Suddenly, I fall to the floor. The very changeling I look up to is going. When I look back up, I see one watch on each of the changelings’ left forehoof, and they look like the one I found on the floor in my old home.
At Queen Shell’s home, I come up to her throne in excitement.
“Is it true? Are you going to Halma?”
“Yes, but for the reason you might not expect.”
“What do you mean?”
Looking at Queen Shell, I can see sadness buried somewhere beyond her calm form.
“You’ll see.”
Following the queen, I hear a heavy sigh.
“Are you sure you want to go to Yakyakistan, Air Wiff?”
“Well, I’m ready now.”
“Okay. I’ll be sure that Golden Treasure knows you’re coming.”
Golden Treasure? That sounds like a pony’s name.
This is completely unlike Queen Shell. I’ve seen her as someone who’s tough and comforting through the thick and thin. But now, it’s as if she lost something she could never live without. It’s rather hard to see her like this.
Mom turns to me with concern about Queen Shell.
“Are you still sure you want to go with me and the others? I’m sure I could get Aura Draft to hang with you if you want. But if you want to still go, I hope you understand that you treat the situation with care.”
“I understand. So, when would I expect to see Aura Draft?”
“In about an hour.”
I nod at Mom, who extends her wing to my back and pulls me in. We hug before she, Wrench, Hut and Queen Shell all leave the home.
-----
Who do you want to contact?
“Aura Draft.”
Au-
“Call.”
Calling...
“Air Wiff?!?”
“Aura Draft, where are you?”
“Tiholena. What’s going on?”
“I’m going to be at Yakyakistan with Wrench, Hut and Queen Shell and I need you to watch over Air Vent.”
“Got it. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thanks.”
Air Wiff turns off the video feed on the whitewatch and catches up to the other three.
-----
I get back home and find another book out of the shelf for a blast from the recent past. I find a couple of Daring Do books, the Sky Bound trilogy, The Newbie and the Hovercraft Foals series. Then, I jump to a knock on the door. Arriving at the door and pulling the handle to open the door, I see Aura Draft.
“Hey Venty.”
I wave hello and offer a hoof bump, which Aura Draft accepts.
“Say, how long is Air Wiff going to be gone?”
“Until tomorrow at least.”
“Okay. If you want, I could take you to the grand opening of a new arcade, tomorrow.”
I nod to the sound of that. At least it would get my mind off of Mom and Queen Shell.
“Did you hear what happened to me?” I ask.
“No, what happened?”
“I went to the emergency room. All because I found that watch in my old room yesterday.”
“Your old room? Wait, did you ask Queen Shell if you could visit your old house?”
I nod, heading to the kitchen to get my water bottle. Refilling the bottle, my eyes start to water, thinking of the sunken parts of the floor upstairs, the artwork, the non-windows, the fallen in doors, the complete mess of a first floor.
I come back to the living room, drinking my water along the way.
“Air Vent, what’s the matter?”
“I made a connection of what I did in the past to something i read.”
“What’d you read?”
“Cobble and Mile.”
“Yeah, that was quite a beautiful story. Air Wiff and I read it when we were about your age.”
“Really?”
“And that dates back to sixty years ago.”
My jaw hangs as I blink. How long ago was Cobble and Mile made? I know Daring Do has to be a series that dates back a century and a half, but how old is Cobble and Mile? Then, something comes to mind.
“Hey Aura Draft?”
“Yes?
“Have you ever seen Queen Shell sad before?”
“No.”
“I did... before I got home. It was worrying Mom but I didn’t know what it was that made Queen Shell feel the way she felt.”
“I have no clue. But I could probably give Air Wiff a call.”
Who do you want to contact?
Did that watch just talk? And what was that sound afterwards?
“Air Wiff.”
Air-
“Call.”
Calling...
I’m confused now. I did that watch just do?
“Hello?”
Oh no, not Mom too.
“Air Wiff, what’s wrong this time?”
“It’s about Endy.”
Aura Draft gasps.
“You don’t mean?”
The call goes on for quite a while longer as I head to my room until I hear noise on the watch. Aura Draft comes to my room.
“So, what do you want to do now?”
“I have no idea.”
“I got some music on my whitewatch if you want to listen to some.”
Finally! The grand opening! It started a little bit after lunch time. I spend my time playing ice hockey, pinball, and the only Daring Do video game ever made. I had such a hard time finding an arcade in Changico that had this game until now.
Aura Draft says there’s an arcade in Tiholena that has it but I already looked. I guess there’s more than one arcade in the city and I missed the other one. Oh well, too late now.
Suddenly, I hear a song coming from Aura Draft, who is sitting at one of the tables, when playing ice hockey. I tell the competitor that I have to have time out and come to Aura Draft, who just so happened to call me over when I did.
“Air Wiff, you home?”
“Yeah, but where’re you?”
Okay, first she was very sad, now I can barely understand what she’s saying. What is going on?
“The new arcade. Air Vent’s with me because we wanted to go to the grand opening.”
“Alright, get her home as soon as you can.”
“Okay.”
I instantly gallop back to the hockey table to see that the competitor I had for the game I was playing left.
Back home, Mom has fallen asleep on her bed, but as if she was previously waiting for us. I try not to wake her up, but Aura Draft does. With Mom stirring, I do my best to hold back a laugh. It is so adorable to see Mom stirring like that.
Suddenly, Aura Draft and I see Mom’s forehooves shake back and forth quickly, almost like flailing, except it’s not tense. Aura Draft just drops her jaw, but I try wake Mom up, thinking she’s just having a nightmare about her time perhaps. Her hooves slow down.
“Mom!!! You have to get up!!! You’re only in a nightmare!!!”
Then they stop. Why won’t she wake up? She’s usually a very light sleeper. Oh, just forget it.
“I think we ought to let her sleep. There must’ve been a lot to do at Halma.”
“Are you sure she’s sleeping?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course she’s sleeping. How could I not be sure?”
“I suggest we feel her chest.”
“What do you mean? I want to let her sleep. I know she’ll wake up.”
“Okay, we’ll leave her alone, but I’ll call a doctor. Here’s a fifty. Just go get a supper for yourself.”
I nod to Aura Draft and gallop over to downtown Changico City.
What do I chose? The hayburger joint? I can’t really be there without an escort unless I turn twenty, like Mom, Queen Shell and Aura Draft. Cloud’s Ice Cream Parlor? No, that’s not supper. Tune Toast? Actually that’s a good idea. I’ve seen a changeling as young as ten enter on their own in there. I’m definitely old enough to go in there on my own.
When I enter, every changeling is changed into somepony. Of course, I’m the only real pony, and I accept the fact that I’m the only real filly in school. Everyone has changed into a variety of races including pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies and two alicorns.
One of the two, the younger, is sitting around five other younger changelings who’ve changed into what appears to the naked eye a rainbow. The only thing is that the color is not that right, especially since green should be in place of white, like how red should be in place of pink. But it’s a given since the colors are particularly light.
The second one of them is incredibly tall, kind of like... Queen Shell.
I come up to the second alicorn and wave hello. She waves back.
“Would you come with me for a second?”
I follow her outside before she changes to Queen Shell.
“Do you remember how you became able to temporarily levitate?”
“I remember that I felt your hoof in my head and it felt more magical than any other time I’ve felt it.”
“That was part of a spell that I have been working on. Today is the first opportunity I have to try it out.”
“A spell? What is it?”
“You’ll find out on your own.”
Huh. I guess it has something to do with levitation. Well Mom can levitate, Aura Draft can levitate, since they have horns. All my classmates have horns... horns... levitation... so am I getting a horn?!? Am I going to be an alicorn?!?
“I think I might have already.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Then come with me.”
Queen Shell and I come over to her home for privacy.
“Oh, goodness. Did you have supper yet?”
“Hmm. I never did have that, did I? Well, I have a fifty.”
“How did you get such an allowance?”
At that moment, a high wind comes from three changelings going to the right of the entrance.
“Aura Draft gave me money for supper while she called a doctor.”
“Well, I could take you over to the hayburger joint. I’ll stay with you.”
“You would? Thank you Queen Shell.”
“The only thing is, before we go, Air Vent... or, from here on, Vent...”
Why was I being called just Vent? I’m referred to as Air Vent.
Queen Shell lights up her horn and gives me a hug before resting her hoof on my mane, feeling more magical than when she originally granted me levitation. When she moves away from me entirely, I get surrounded by a green fire that loops. Suddenly, without moving my wings, I’m up in the air while the fire turns into flowing glass.
I get a pain in my wings and teeth and air starts to flow through my hooves. Afterwards I start to get a sharp headache. Finally, after all that, I start to shiver as if all the fur was ripped off my aching coat. I have a glow in my eyes and I suddenly faint.
An hour later, I wake up to Queen Shell worried about me. I have no idea what happened, but I’m here now.
“Vent? How do you feel?”
Seriously, why is she calling me Vent now? Why is it kind of cold in here compared to when I was first here, especially in the hooves? Why don’t I have as much control over my wings as I used to?
It looks like my entire coat is burnt, and it feels kind of like a mix of paper and metal. When I look up, I see a black horn.
I stand up and... I feel taller. I’d probably say that I’m as tall as Aura Draft now.
I look at Queen Shell one more time before realizing that I didn’t become an alicorn. Becoming an alicorn wouldn’t be that painful and shiver inducing.
“Remember, no changeling will hear of this spell. You will simply go as Vent.”
That’s not my full name, you know, Queen Shell. Isn’t it AIR Vent? Oh well, no harm in keeping with the times I guess.
“I’m probably going to have to get used to being called that.”
“I know Vent, but our full names are one word names. That’s why I took off Air in Air Vent. You will fit right in.”
Yeah, that makes things so much easier for me.
Because a name changer is one thing that I need while I’m waiting for Mom to wake up, much less a transformation.
When I get home. Mom’s gone. I guess she did wake up and she went with Aura Draft, because she’s gone too.
Well, I guess it’s time to get a good night’s sleep. I’m glad Mom actually did get up. She must’ve had some dream. Last I saw her, she was stirring and everything.
I do get some sleep... for about an hour. I wake up to Aura Draft screaming that there’s a changeling on my bed. So, wait. I’m a changeling? I’m of the kind I’m around every single day?
“What’ve you done with Air Vent?!?”
“So, you’re asking me what I did with myself?”
“What you- ugh! Okay. Where was Air Wiff from Friday to Saturday?”
“Halma, Yakyakistan.”
“Do you know where you used to live?”
“Yes, it was in the northern side of Changico City, where the street my old house is on is owned by Changico and Queen Shell.”
“Describe the house in detail.”
“It went from beautiful white walls on the outside full of windows, and completely closeable doors to walls partially chipped with paint and full of... graffiti, was it... It barely had any window left and the doors fell in. When I went in, it was a mess on the first floor and the second floor had sunken parts of the floor. My room in particular had pretty much no ceiling. Afterwards, I could’ve sworn I had an asthma attack. I looked for an inhaler and the whitewatch was-”
“Okay, I get it. You’re Air Vent.”
“You’re not the only one not to get the names of changelings. Queen Shell insists that she calls me Vent instead of Air Vent.”
Then, the big question comes.
“Is Mom at the hospital?”
“No. She was at the hospital, but they never checked her in.”
“They never what?!? How come?!?”
“Remember when you were trying to wake Air Wiff out of her ‘nightmare’?”
“Yeah, and when I heard her on your whitewatch, I barely understood what she was saying.”
“Yeah, about the whitewatch. How about when you stayed home on the last day of school?”
“Yeah. The day before, I needed an inhaler and the whitewatch was the closest thing I could find.”
“Yeah, that spray thing you used that got you to sleep for almost an entire half of a day. The spray in the whitewatch is a powerful depressant. You came back because the spray in the whitewatch you used was almost a decade old.”
Aura Draft starts to tear up.
“The nurses say that she used it from a brand new whitewatch.”
“So what happened to her?”
“I’m afraid she’s gone.”
Aura Draft hugs me, bursting into tears in the process. I hug her back leaving a trail of my own tears.
“But how did I wake up from what I lost Mom to?”
“Venty, you inhaled a ten year old depressant; it’s not as powerful as one that was brand new.”
“So, was I lucky?”
“Yes, you were. I really hope you’ll go to Yakyakistan this time. I better let you rest.”
“I’ll be there. So, when are we going?”
“Early tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. Goodnight Aura Draft.”
“Goodnight, Venty.”
Aura Draft closes the door in the room. I think of turning off the light and it turns off. Afterwards, I close my eyes and try to get to sleep again.
So, now that I’m a changeling, could I change back to my former self? Waking up, I think about this and try to find out. So, as it looks like, I can change into my former self; it just takes a little practice.
So, Aura Draft comes back to my room as I change back to my presently natural form as a changeling.
“Hey Air Vent. Ready to go to yakyakistan?”
“So, should I stay the same way I am now when I go or change into my former self?”
“Definitely former self. You don’t want to cause a disturbance in the crowd.”
“Okay.”
I change to my former self again, this time more accurately, and head out of the room.
Queen Shell comes with three changelings behind her.
“So, Dry Stone contacted me and she said she’ll be going to Yakyakistan this time. And so are her other friends.”
“What about the nine changelings that helped us out during the New Dust Ride?”
“Yes, they will be attending.”
Queen Shell, at that moment, spots me.
“Vent, I know this may be hard for you. But I’m still here for you, and so is Aura Draft.”
I give Queen Shell a hug, who hugs back and rubs my back.
“So, where are they?”
“They are already on their way over to Halma.”
“Oh. Then should we go now?”
“Correct, Vent.”
Queen Shell leads me, Aura Draft and the three changelings out of my house.
At Halma, I see a huge graveyard. Looking at the tombstones, this one hasn’t been used for a while. I could barely read any of them. Suddenly, I come across a long box and everyone stops. After six other changelings and seven ponies we’re waiting for come, we gather around the box.
After we talk about everything we miss about Mom and how amazing it was to have her around, some stirring within the ponies begin to arise about me. When i look down, I see I’m in my natural self instead of my former self.
When the changelings and Aura Draft leave as I’m behind them, one of the ponies calls me over.
“Who knew one changeling could destroy the reputation of their entire race.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll find out sooner or later.”
-----
I get home and change into my former self until I realize I accidently changed to my natural self when I was holding back my tears.
Changing back once again, I get to bed. After a long walk to Halma and back, it’s time I took a rest. Two hours later, the door bursts open in the living room and the bargers make so much of a racket, I fall off my bed from them thumping.
Finally, the bargers reveal to be three changeling officers when they barge into my room. Suddenly, my wings are locked in place.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?”
“Ma’am, you’re under arrest. You will remain earthbound and silent until you arrive at court.”
No! I’m being accused! I haven’t done a thing wrong!
We make it to the Changico City Detention Center and I wait for any changeling that will stop by to say hello at the very least. If I’m lucky some changeling could represent me.
Moments after my thoughts flare, someone comes in front of me.
“Air Vent.”
“Aura Draft?”
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I wish there was a way I could get you out of here.”
“Well, there’s one way.”
“To represent you?”
“Yes. You used to come over whenever Mom was out, so you know the most about me.”
“I’m up for it if you are, Venty.”
“Thank you so much Aura Draft.”
Most of the time I thank Aura Draft for something, it’s usually something I don’t need like going out for supper or a piece of candy. This time, I really really need it. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me, so I need all the help I can get now.
Today, I’m getting out of the detention center; it’s not because I didn’t do anything, but it is because I’m getting a trail. I always wondered what it was like to see a trail, and I get the front row seat to one. So, I’ll be sitting in the defendant’s chair, as they call it, as the trial goes on.
In the lobby, I wait for Aura Draft while observing the abundance of changelings present in the room.
“Venty!”
Aura Draft comes to me and gives me a hug.
“So, what’s going on?”
“I was permitted to represent you, but under the condition that I have to only call you Vent, which is just complete insanity. That name just doesn’t sit right.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“Wish me luck. It’s going to be smooth sailing.”
So I pay attention for what I’m being accused of so that I know where any of those ponies were coming from.
So when the trial begins, words cannot describe what happens. The only thing I can say is that Aura Draft was right.
“On Saturday, June 9th, Air Wiff had died after returning home from Halma, Yakyakistan. The cause of death was by the intake of a powerful depressant. But this wasn’t just any intake. This intake was forced by another. Afterwards, the same exact day, Air Vent had mysteriously went missing. Then, the morning after, witnesses saw that a changeling was impersonating Air Vent during a service at Halma. No one knows about this changeling, but what we do know of her actions is far beyond how low our reputation used to be before the reign of Queen Shell.”
“Before I give anything away, I want to be sure you’re confident of your opening statement. So, my first question is... who caused the death?”
“Th- didn’t you hear me?!? It’s the changeling that intoxicated Air Wiff!!!”
“Okay. Second question. Who caused who else to go missing?”
“Air Vent went missing because of the changeling!!! I can’t believe you’re asking these questions!!! Did you even listen to the opening statement?!?”
“And I can’t believe you’re not noticing emphasis in my questions. But I’m done with the questions for now. The first point I would like to bring up is that if she was murdered, she wouldn’t have called Vent and I when we were at the grand opening of an arcade.”
“Wh- what’s an arcade have to do with a murder?!?”
“I’m not talking about relevance here, I’m just saying that if it was a murder, like you say it was, I would not’ve gotten a call back from Air Wiff on my whitewatch. The fact Vent was even with me when I- Okay, just see for yourself on the whitewatch.”
“Bailiff! Can you announce any calls kept on record in the whitewatch?”
“There were three calls. Two on June eighth. 1:42 P.M. and 3:01 P.M. One on June ninth. 3:25 P.M.”
“So, what time did the arcade open?”
“The arcade had opened on June ninth at 2:45 P.M., according to the invoice I strangely got when I was trying to get information about the defendant.”
“That invoice you ‘strangely’ got about Vent includes the information about Air Vent. And what’s the reason that this information is about both Vent and Air Vent?”
“Uh oh.”
“I see you caught on.”
“How is-”
“I don’t know how, myself. But I do know that Vent and Air Vent are one and the same.”
“I-”
“The two birds are down. Since Vent really is Air Vent, it negates how Air Vent could’ve gone missing because she wasn’t missing at all. And to clear what happened to Air Wiff, Vent was with me during the grand opening of the arcade when Air Wiff called for the last time. Vent could not’ve murdered Air Wiff because she was with me.”
“NOOO!!! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!?”
“I already know the truth. I’ve been with Vent, for the most part, ever since Air Wiff was in Halma for the last time.”
“Well, I’ve seen enough today. So, it’s time I lay down my verdict. I declare the defendant, Vent... not guilty. Court is adjourned.”
I look at Aura Draft with a smile knowing that I’m free.
The crowd of changelings start to walk out of the audience benches.
“Aura Draft, are you coming to lobby with me?”
“I’ll be there, Venty. I just have something to do in here.”
Well, Aura Draft really was the best choice for defending me. I’m amazed that she didn’t need any physical evidence like that one changeling. I don’t know her name. But I do believe the term for her job is a persecutor. Oh, wait. No. It was prosecutor.
In the lobby, I wait for Aura Draft while I walk around. The whole time, changelings hug me left from right. I’m not entirely sure why, but it probably has something to do with Mom being gone.
After getting hugged by twenty different changelings, Aura Draft finally comes.
“So, the judge said I would have to talk to Queen Shell about letting me stay with you. Now, how ‘bout we take a trip over to her place.”
I nod and follow Aura Draft all the way to Queen Shell’s home; however, when we get there, she’s not present. After waiting fifteen minutes or so, Queen Shell finally comes up to us.
“Aura Draft? Vent? What can I help you with?”
“Hey Queen Shell, I was figuring out what to do now that Vent is free.”
“Well, first of all, what I want you to do is get what items you value most in Tiholena and bring them home. Then, there’s certifying yourself as a legal guardian to Vent and restarting your record account for Changico City, both of which take about a day to do in total. In the meantime, Vent is welcome to stay with me.”
I give Queen Shell a smile and hug her to thank her for giving me a place to stay for a night while Aura Draft gets ready to be my new mom.
“So, I hear witnesses had seen you change back to your natural self, do I not?”
“Yes. In fact, I actually did get scared of them a little bit. I had no idea what they were talking about, but now I know. Secretly, their expressions so far have been what I went through. I’ve cried enough to know that Aura Draft will still be here and so will you, right?”
“Exactly, Vent. WITNESSES!!! Come forth this hour!”
Seven ponies come to me and Queen Shell with tears in their eyes. The one up front crouches.
“Please!! We’re sorry!! We didn’t know she was actually Air Wiff’s daughter! How could Air Wiff give birth to a changeling?!?”
“Dry Stone, calm down. I understand you. It would be illogical for Air Wiff to have a changeling for a daughter. But I will be firm on this. NO OTHER CHANGELING will hear about my explanation.”
Dry Stone gets up.
“Okay. We’re ready.”
“Perfect. The reason why Vent remains this-”
“Vent? Don’t you mean, Air-”
“Quiet, Mud Stick!! As I was saying... the reason why... ahem... VENT remains this way is due to a spell I completed and cast two days ago. It was a spell that changed any one pony into a changeling. I cast the spell on her in case she wanted to live with me. It was convenient in the long run because she could always change to her former self if she wanted.”
“Oh. Well everypony, I think we owe someone an apology.”
The other six nod at Dry Stone in agreement.
“Vent, I’m sorry we accused you of murder and foalnap. We never knew that it was you all along.”
“I long forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
Dry Stone and I hug and give each other hoof bumps.
So, throughout the rest of the day, I have supper at Queen Shell’s home with the queen herself while Aura Draft gets ready to move in with me to where I continue to live. I still miss my mother like no tomorrow but I think that with Queen Shell and Aura Draft, I think I might just get by perfectly fine.
So, it’s been a year since Mom’s died. Today, I look at my visitor status and see if I can go to Yakyakistan today. But as it turns out, I can only go if I have a chaperon because I was accused last year as well.
Aura Draft decides to take me as my chaperon to Halma. I think of all the times Mom and I had together over the fourteen years I saw her. It’s amazing how fast time can go sometimes. I remember moving into my new house like it was yesterday.
I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Aura Draft though. She knew her well before I was born. So, if I shed a tear one by one with the memories I bring up in my head, Aura Draft should’ve burst into tears minutes ago. But all she gives is a heavy sigh. Suddenly, Aura Draft pulls me under her wing right wing and gives me a hug.
After returning home, Aura Draft takes me to the town she used to live in, Tiholena. When we get to town hall to speak with the mayor, we get clearance to visit Aura Draft’s old house. Finally, we arrive at a house that is in good shape if not for an unusual amount of plant life.
“This... is where I used to live. I’ve lived here ever since you were born. It holds too many memories for me to count. And considering how long it’s been since I lived here, it might go down a very brutal path.”
I walk up to the main entrance with Aura Draft behind me. To me, the house still looks amazing on this inside through the screen door. When I finally go inside, I hold it open for Aura Draft, but she looks hesitant to go. When she waves to me a certain way, while having tears in her eyes, I see it as a signal to close the door.
This is it. It’s time to show what I’ve learned.
“Aura Draft, it’s okay to be reluctant to go inside. When I went into my old house, so was I to be like that. But I explored the house anyway, no matter what shape the house was in. It hit the hardest when I saw my stuff pretty much where I left it when I moved, but I went in there anyway.”
So, Aura Draft steps towards the door rather slowly, then reaches her hoof to me.
As we get further inside, Aura Draft starts crying into my left shoulder, and I take it all. I deserve it all after the lengths she went through to make sure I made it out fine, but it’s the right thing to do.
As we explore, the first room to come across is probably what used to be the kitchen. The counters are still there along with the cabinets. But everything else in the room is gone.
Taking a right, I see open space in the hall on the left, an empty room straight ahead and what used to be the bathroom on the right. Just like the former kitchen, the counter is still there, but everything else is gone. With an unusual abundance of darkness in the bathroom, I feel like flipping the light switch, and... it’s a bust.
Aura Draft stops and takes a look at the former bathroom. After looking at it, she hugs me again and continues resting on my shoulder.
Taking the left path, I come across the one room with anything more than counters. In the empty living room is a lone calendar.
“Aura Draft?”
Aura Draft stands up away from my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Is that calendar for 2144?”
“Yes. But we better leave it alone. Neither of us know where it’s been, so...”
“I take it that Equestria used to exist before that year?”
“Yes.”
I look about the empty room.
“Small one, isn’t it?”
“Mhm.”
“Well, now that we’re finished with exploring your house, I should probably show you how my old house turned out.”
“Okay.”
About an hour later, we come to Queen Shell’s home and get permission to go to my old house.
When we arrive, there’s the colorfully painted house that lacks any windows or doors.
“Whoa. What happened to your old house?”
“Time. I noticed changelings might have walked around and wrote on the best portions of the walls.”
“But what about the windows and your front door?”
“They’re still there, just not where they’re supposed to be. In fact, you could still see where they used to go. But I don’t want to stay in there too long, or else I’ll get an asthma attack like I did when I last visited.”
“Okay.”
Hovering over the remains of the house, I lead Aura Draft up to my bedroom. There they all are, everything that I have left in the house is still there even after a year. The only difference between this year and last year when I visited is that the entirety of the second floor has sunk as opposed to depressions in the floors. I barely shed a tear looking into my room and give a heavy sigh.
Suddenly, I start to cough slightly, signifying that I should go.
“I have to get out of here, Aura Draft. Not to do anything with the house, but my asthma’s kicking in.”
“I understand.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“Eh, why not?”
So, afterwards, I feel like taking a rest in bed while Aura Draft goes out for supper. I guess I’m the first changeling that ever helped a pony out with their past. And they said changelings had a bad reputation.