//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three - Calm Before The Storm 
// Story: A Changeling's Legacy 
// by DeltaFlame 
//------------------------------//

	Echo looked on in awe, unable to fully comprehend the sheer vision of beauty that sat at the table several yards away. His heart literally skipped a beat, he suddenly felt dizzy, and he found it hard to stand, yet was unable to move. At that point, he knew; he was in love. He had never felt love before, but one didn't have to learn about it in books or classes to know what it felt like. Echo, disguised as a black and green pony, simply stood there for the next ten minutes or so and just watched her at a distance; his train of thought was interrupted, however, when the beautiful mare he was mindlessly staring at suddenly turned her head to look at him, giving him a scornful glare. Blushing more heavily than he had ever blushed before, Echo suddenly turned right and walked away. He wasn't paying attention, however, and ran face-first into the outer wall of the café the mare was sitting at. 

Humiliated and already hating his first few minutes in Canterlot, his new home, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the unknown mare, not wanting to look back to see that intimidatingly defensive expression plastered on her face. "Maybe I'll see her again someday, maybe she'll have forgotten by then...." Echo said to himself as he walked on, trying to calm down from the awkward moment. He then decided that he should take a look around some of the shops in the plaza and try to get to know his new home better, know where everything is in case he needs it. He found his way into the Equestrian National Library, wandering through the two-story high bookshelves. "If only I understood the Equestrian language... then these books might actually be useful.." Echo thought to himself as he eyed the millions of books he could learn from. He wanted to know as much as he could about Equestrian culture, but he had to understand its language first. 	

Wandering again through the library, he came upon a tan-yellow mare with a long straight brown mane, calmly reading a hardback clopfic novel and grinning slightly at the risqué content it obviously held. "Um... excuse me... if you could maybe.. help me..?" Echo asked as quietly and politely as he could to her, unaware of what she was reading. ".....Hm?" The earth pony asked, not taking her eyes out of the book. "Um... I was wondering.. if you could... teach me how to...." Echo asked, blushing a little. "Hm, yes?" The yellow pony asked mischeviously, taking his nervously-asked question a little out of context. "Read." Echo finished, ashamed that he didn't know something as simple as reading. "...Oh." The mare responded, looking a little dissapointed. "Uh, sure, one sec..." She continued, putting a bookmark in her "special" book. She then went to a nearby shelf and pulled off an educational book on Equestrian language, sitting down at the table with Echo. "By the way, what's your name, dude?" The mare asked, rather casually. "...Echo." Echo responded, figuring his name was nothing too abnormal for a pony. "Echo, nice. I'm Iron Heart." The mare held her hoof out to him, shaking his hoof before he could even react. "So, lets start with reading basic words..."
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

They both left the library together several hours later, getting ready to part their their separate ways. "Thanks for everything, it was really helpful!" Echo thanked Iron Heart, grateful that he now had at least some basic knowledge; with that, he could now learn to read on his own. "Hey, no prob, Echo." Iron Heart smiled back at him. "Maybe we'll meet again someday. But for now I gotta get to my brother Delta's performance, he's an actor. Well, see ya!" Iron Heart said as she trotted off into the large street traffic of sophisticated ponies. Echo looked o for a while after she was out of sight, glad to see that there were so many kind-hearted ponies in Equestria, a much friendlier atmosphere than the dark war-obsessed hive he once called home. He thought about home a bit more as he walked through the streets of Canterlot in search of a place to stay for the night, feeling fortunate that he had the guts and the opprotunity to escape that dreadful life. After a while, he came upon a hotel that seemed rather fancy and expensive, but then again there was hardly anywhere in Canterlot that DIDN'T look extravagant. 

Walking in casually, Echo asked the hotel clerk, "Is there any way I can get a hotel room for a while and put it on a tab or something?" "Well, yes." The clerk replied, "that's kind of how a hotel works. You pay at the end of your stay for how many nights you stay, with whatever extra room charges there are, of course." Echo smiled. "So how much is it per night?" "Seventy bits." The clerk replied matter-of-factly. Then Echo's heart dropped to his stomach. "Seventy.... seventy bits?" Echo thought to himself, his head spinning. "That's a fairly decent price." The clerk added, noticing Echo's disbelief. "I... I'm sorry, I don't think there's any way I can afford that..." Echo stammered, a little heartbroken. "Sorry," The clerk said, feeling genuinely sorry. 

"I wish I could change the price for those who are desperate, but rules are rules. If you have no money, I suggest getting a job... wait a minute, I have an idea! You can work here! We've needed a bagboy for a while now, since our last one quit because of back problems. Wanna take the opening? You'll just work off your stay here, and if you like it, maybe you can work here as a permanent employee! What do you say?" The clerk offered Echo rather enthusiastically. 

Feeling a little overwhelmed with all the new info, Echo simply replied, "Heh, sure. Sounds great." The clerk smiled widely. "Oh, wonderful! Here, I'll get you your room." The clerk walked Echo to the elevator, where they then went up to one of the top floors, giving Echo a gorgeous view of the city and the vast land surrounding it. The clerk set Echo's bags at the door as Echo walked to the balcony, marvelling at the incredible sight. "Well I hope you'll be ready to start work tomorrow! Good night!" The clerk said as he got back into the elevator and disappeared. 

Echo smiled to himself as he changed from his new pony disguise back into his normal changeling form; he stood on the balcony and looked down on the beautiful city lights below. "Everypony here is so.... good." Echo said to himself. "I think I'll be really happy here." He then walked to his bed, closing the balcony doors before drifting to sleep, thinking about all the events that the day had given him. "An education, a steady job, shelter... the relationship one still needs work." Echo mumbled as he slipped into unconsciousness, exhausted from the eventful day. If he had stayed awake at the balcony longer, he might've noticed pitch-black clouds form as an ominous green thunderstorm appeared on the horizon...