Disclaimer: I do not own Hasbro, My Little Pony or any characters, places, or events in the extended cannon, although it would be awesome if I did.
Chapter One
Market Day
Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
-Sun Tzu
Twilight
Twilight knew something was up. Every week, a strange stallion showed up on Tuesday, bought more groceries than one pony could possibly need, packed it into a cart, and left. Every week, for Tuesday only, everypony in town had amazing luck. At first, she had thought that it was a coincidence, but after the fourth week she decided to breach the topic with her friends. Rarity had made a large sale every Tuesday the past month. Rainbow Dash had gotten a raise last Tuesday. Applejack and Big Macintosh had bucked twice as many apples every Tuesday for the past month, and were probably going to finish a week earlier than usual. They had all remembered seeing this stallion at least once. Turns out, of all of them, only Pinkie had somehow never seen this stallion. She did not take this fact well.
“How have I not seen him? I welcome everypony to Ponyville!” Pinkie sobbed with a very Rarity level of melodrama.
That was on a Sunday. The next day, Twilight resolved to confront this stallion. Today was Tuesday. As most ponies did, he always entered from the East due to the Everfree Forest being to the West. Today, Twilight was watching for him. Little known to her, so was a not very happy pink pony.
* * *
Change
Frequent Change was grumbling to himself. Why did he always have to get supplies? Sure, he was lucky, but if he was seen too much around town, it spelled nothing good for the Haven. Send Brick, or Ironhoof! Brick blended easy with the populace of this ‘Ponyville’ place better than he did! Ironhoof was great at bartering! No, instead, send freaking mute Change every freaking week. Let him pull the heavy cart through the Everfree two times a day. What’s he going to do, complain?
He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice that he was being approached until she had started talking to him. “Excuse me?” His head snapped up to look at who was talking to him. “I don’t believe we’ve met. My name is Twilight Sparkle, what’s yours?”
Change studied the mare in front of him. She was lavender, with a dark purple mane. Her mane had a pink stripe right next to a purple one. She was giving him a look halfway between curiosity and confusion. He tilted his head at her. She’s pretty.
She smiled awkwardly at him. “Uh, hello? Can you understand me?”
Change gave her a flat look before nodding. Of freaking course I can understand you.
Twilight kept her awkward grin, even though Change could see her fighting it falling. “So what’s your name?”
Change sighed in exasperation. He hated meeting new ponies. He always went through this awkward stage where they tried to talk with him. They never learn.
Suddenly her eyes widened, “You can’t talk, can you?”
Change smiled slightly, she got it the fastest of anypony. He shook his head. Pretty and smart. I like her.
“That must be horrible!” she exclaimed. “I don’t think I could just... not speak. I don’t even talk a lot. My friend Pinkie, who talks a whole lot, can’t even go for five minutes without talking!”
Change just shrugged. Been this way for years, no point in crying over spilt milk.
“You’re here to shop again, right?” Twilight suddenly asked him.
He tilted his head. ‘Again’? Damn it, I’ve been spotted. He hesitantly nodded.
Twilight smiled, “Here, I’ll help you out. Show me a list of things you need and I’ll direct you to them.”
Change was hesitant to accept, but in a friendly town like Ponyville, he really couldn’t get away with turning down something like this without suspicion.
Twilight saw his hesitation and misinterpreted, “Don’t worry, I have no plans for the day.”
Damn it. Now I have no choice, he thought. Oh well, if it’s happening no matter what, might as well just bend over and take it. He put on a false grin and grabbed the shopping list from the cart, making sure to scribble his name across the top.
Twilight grabbed the list in her purple aura. Her eyes jumped back in forth as she read each item on the list once, then twice, and then thrice. Change could see the wheels turning in her head as she built a path through the marketplace that would take him to each stall in the most orderly fashion. He hadn’t known her that long, but that just seemed like something she would do.
She looked at him, “This will cost four hundred and twenty four bits, give or take ten bits, and we’ll probably be done in an hour. That’s a lot of food for one person to be buying.”
He nodded before hitching himself to the cart before nudging a quite large coin purse, indicating that he was ready to go.
“Even if you could, you wouldn’t tell me why you’re getting so much food, would you?” Twilight asked, curious.
Change just grinned.
* * *
“This is the last stall of the day,” Twilight was talking just under an hour later. She had kept up the one-sided conversation the whole time, a fact that Change was glad for. “Hello, Applejack!”
“Hello, Twi,” an orange pony replied, adjusting the stetson she had on over her straw-colored hair. “What can ah get ya?”
Twilight levitated up the list, “Ten bushels of apples, any kind.”
Applejack sat quietly for a second, “That ain’t yer list, is it Twi?”
Twilight blushed and replied sheepishly, “How could you tell?”
Applejack chuckled, “Two reasons, Twi. First, ya would be a lot more specific like with what ya wanted. Two, that ain’t Spike pullin’ the cart yer loadin’. Who’s yer new friend?”
Change groaned inwardly. Of course the cute mare already had a coltfriend. His luck had to run out eventually. Damn it.
“Oh, I completely forgot to introduce him! Applejack, this is Frequent Change. Change, this is Applejack,” Twilight introduced.
Applejack held her hoof out for a hoofshake, “Good to meet ya.”
Change nodded and shook her hoof. Here we go again.
“Not much of a talker, are ya? Ya’d get along fine with mah brother, Big Mac,” Applejack said, letting go of his hoof. That went better than expected.
“Actually, Applejack,” Twilight began sheepishly. “He can’t talk.”
Applejack looked at him sideways before getting really close to his face. The look she had on her face was absolutely terrifying and he had no idea why it was aimed at him. “Is that so?” she said, before whispering into his ear. “If yer lyin’ to Twi, I’m gonna be mighty upset with ya. She’s important to me, practically mah sister. If ya can actually talk, ya better do it now. I saw tha way ya were lookin’ at her, so if yer fakin’ bein’ mute to be interestin’ ya better fess up.”
Change backed up under the glare of the orange monstrosity before him. He didn’t even know that a pony could be that terrifying. -and I will always eat my vegetables with each meal, and I’ll never curse in the presence of a lady, and I’ll never- After a few seconds, Applejack seemed satisfied. She smiled and spoke quietly enough that only he could hear, “Ya seem like an okay stallion, Change. Don’t make me change my opinion of ya.” Loud enough for Twilight to hear, she added, “That’ll be two bits a bushel. Ya push a hard bargain, Change.”
Change was more terrified by the fast change in the mare’s temperament than he was by her anger. He worked hard to keep as much fear off his face as he could while practically throwing the money at Applejack. She laughed silently, keeping the smile on her face unchanged.
Twilight looked at the two confused, “How’d he even barter without being able to talk?”
Applejack laughed, “We shopkeepers have our ways.” She turned to Change and winked with the eye that Twilight couldn’t see. “Nice to see that Twi’s finally hanging out with colts.”
Change tilted his head. What happened to this Spike fellow?
Twilight blushed all the way down to her shoulders, “APPLEJACK! It’s not like that!” She failed to see Change deflate slightly, crushed, but Applejack didn’t.
Applejack kept chuckling, “Keep tellin’ yerself that. Have a good day now, ya’ll.”
Change forced a smile onto his face and turned to thank Twilight. She was still blushing. He waited patiently for about four seconds, before nudging her shoulder. “Wha- oh, yes. Well, it’s getting to be about noon, so why don’t you come by the library? Spike’ll be getting ready for lunch right about now, and it’s been awhile since we had company for a meal.”
Change was floored by the question. The fact that she might like him back was thrown out immediately due to her previous statement, so she was either a heartbreaker or a tease, or she honestly had no idea what the connotation of inviting a stallion into your home was. He nodded swiftly, smiling a real smile.
* * *
Spike
Spike was just finishing up making lunch when he heard the door to the library open, “Hey Twilight!” he yelled. “Perfect timing, just finished making lunch!” He turned around, “I even managed to make-” He noticed that Twilight wasn’t alone. She was standing there with a smiling cyan earth pony, and Spike didn’t like the way he was looking at her. “What are the chances that I finish just as you walk in, and that I made enough for you to invite someone over as you bring someone over?”
“It’s Tuesday, Spike,” Twilight responded. “Everypony’s lucky on Tuesdays.”
Spike noticed that the strange stallion seemed to look at him intently when Twilight said his name. I’m not sure what his problem is, but we’re going to have issues if this keeps up, Spike thought.
Spike decided to break the ice, “Hi there,” he said. “My name’s Spike, and I’m Twilight’s number one assistant!”
Twilight smiled, “This is Frequent Change. He’s mute, so I helped him go shopping today.” Change got a small smile as she said that.
Spike got an idea, “Hey Twilight, mind grabbing lunch from the kitchen real quick?”
Twilight started walking, “Sure, Spike. You deserve at least that much of a break.”
As soon as Twilight was in the door, Spike got in Change’s face. “Listen here buddy,” he said quietly enough that Twilight couldn’t hear. “Twilight’s like my older sister, so don’t try anything funny if you know what’s good for ya.” He paused, before adding as an afterthought, “And stay away from Rarity. She’s mine.” His last word was emphasized by a bit of smoke coming out of his nostrils. Seeing that Change was properly intimidated, Spike sat down at the table to wait for Twilight. “Well?” he asked the motionless Change. “Ya gonna sit down?”
Change sat down at the table as Twilight entered the room with two daisy sandwiches and an emerald. Upon seeing the sandwich, Change’s stomach let out a rumble. He blushed, causing Twilight to giggle, which only caused him to blush even more. Spike grinned, if this stallion could withstand the combined intimidations of a dragon, no matter how small, five mares, her older brother, and three immortal princesses, then he’d make a great addition to their circle of friends.
* * *
Rainbow dash
Rainbow Dash sat in her cloud home, pondering the mysteries of the universe. Like why do griffons use feet as measurement when they have talons and paws, not feet, or why is water blue, except when it’s clear or green. Important things. Quickly she grew bored of that ‘thinking’ thing Twilight keeps telling her to do more of. Hey! Twilight! Let’s go chill with the egghead. Got nothing better to do.
Rainbow sprung into the air, leaving a hole in her wall. Meh, I can replace it later.
She made a beeline for the library, only to arrive just as Twilight was leaving. Perfect! she grinned. But Twilight wasn’t alone, following shortly after her was a cyan earth pony stallion. How long has Twilight had a coltfriend? Rainbow asked herself. Not too long, or I would have seen him before. Wait... I have seen him before, just not until recently. Maybe he just moved in? Rainbow got a huge grin on her face when she saw the adoring look on his face and the oblivious look on Twilight’s. Time to turn up the heat for loverboy, here.
Rainbow dove, landing between Twilight and the mystery stallion. Twilight groaned in annoyance at Rainbow’s antics, while the stallion jumped in surprise. Rainbow narrowed her eyes, she didn’t even get a yelp.
Twilight sighed, “Rainbow Dash, this is Frequent Change. He can’t talk, so don’t even try it.”
Rainbow pouted, stupid life, always ruining her fun. Utilizing training she got from Gilda, she turned predatory eyes on Change. She got right in his face and stared into his eyes. They stayed like that for thirty seconds, all the while Change got more and more nervous. Twilight eventually interrupted, “Rainbow, leave him alone. Please?”
Rainbow doubled the intensity of her glare for a second before breaking eye contact. “Not a bad stallion you found yourself, Twilight,” Rainbow grinned, predicting instant denial.
Predictable as ever, Twilight’s eyes widened, “No! It’s not like that Rainbow! What’s with ponies today and thinking we’re dating?”
Rainbow grinned, “Well I’m gonna need to borrow your coltfriend for a second. We’re gonna have words.” Rainbow grabbed Change and drug him into an alley.
Change paled. Rainbow could see the rising panic. Good.
“Alright, listen to me. If you break her heart, I break you. Got it?” Rainbow was short, sweet, and to the point. Change nodded as fast as he could. “If you do good by her, you’re fine in my books. Don’t mess this up.” And with that, Rainbow took off and flew back to her house. That was enough interesting, time for a nap.
* * *
Change
Change was still shaken from his encounter with the crazy colorful one that Twilight had called Rainbow, but Twilight seemed oblivious. He couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. He was currently hitched to his cart, and Twilight was walking him toward the edge of town. He would have liked to have left sooner, but he enjoyed Twilight’s company too much to muster up the willpower to leave. Unfortunately, he still had to leave sometime, so at about four in the afternoon, he had to tell Twilight it was time to go.
Twilight didn’t look any happier than he did, but it was for different reasons. She seemed to enjoy his company as a friend. Welcome to friendzone! Population: Change.
“Will you be back next Tuesday?” Twilight asked him. Change nodded immediately. Damn right, I will. Twilight smiled, “All right, I’ll see you Tuesday.” She hugged him with a chaste hug, said goodbye, and walked home. Change spent the remainder of the walk back to the Haven with a huge grin on his face.
He left Ponyville from the East, then circled around to the West side where nopony could see which way he was going. A quick jaunt to the other side of the Everfree later, he was back at Haven. Change didn’t fear the Everfree like everypony else did, his luck seemed to allow him to avoid any dangerous critters living in the forest.
The first pony he ran into, as usual, was Warden. Well, ‘ran into’ was a way of putting it. Warden was Haven’s guard and early warning system. Warden was black. Black mane, black eyes, black coat, black wings. His coloration allowed him to blend into the forest, and he was one of the fastest things on wings. If anypony that wasn’t supposed to arrive in Haven approached, Warden informed Boss. If Boss thought them a threat, Warden took them out.
“You are late,” a voice spoke from the darkness. “You were in Ponyville for an extra three and a half hours.” Change nodded, I knew that. “I will tell Boss you’re coming. He he will not very happy with you, he was preparing for your compromise.”
Change nodded again and continued to the entrance of Haven. Haven was built to blend in with the forest around it. At first glance, the walls of Haven were extremely thick foliage, but upon close examination, that was a combination of planted foliage and illusions. Change walked up to one of the many trees in the Everfree and knocked three times. The bark of the tree opened like a door, allowing passage for him and his cargo.
On the other side of the illusions, a small, permanent camp was built. There was a communal fireplace in the center, with four houses built around it. One house was Boss’s, one was for Brick and Ironhoof, and the third was for Change and Warden. They also had some of their ‘family’ out traveling that used the fourth house when visiting and dropping off money.
Boss was waiting for him, and didn’t look happy. “Where were you for so long?” he demanded. Boss was a griffon, which automatically made him intimidating. Couple that his black feathers and his striking gold eyes, he could be terrifying when he wanted to. Keeping this in mind, Change just handed him the bit bag, filled with easily a hundred more bits than usual. Boss looked at the bag for a second before talking, “You were there for three and a half hours for discounts?” Change flushed and took an interest in the ground. Boss smiled, an effect much reduced by his griffon nature, but Change appreciated the thought, “I’m not mad, I just want to know why you were there so long.”
“Ah, leave him alone,” Ironhoof piped up, walking up to the duo with Brick. “He’s back in one piece, has our supplies, and spent less money. No complaints from me here.” Brick nodded silently.
Boss looked at them both for a second before folding, “Alright then. Is this going to be a regular thing with you now?” Change nodded. “Alright, but if you stay overnight without warning, we’re going to assume that you’re compromised and jump shop, understood?” Change nodded again. Boss turned to look at Brick and Ironhoof, “All three of you have to be ready, I just received word that B is coming home tomorrow. You two, I want that house spotless, do you understand?” They nodded. He turned to Change, “I’m going to go ahead and tell you to rest as usual, even though I know you won’t. The three of you should be done cleaning in an hour.”