//------------------------------// // Mare in the Moonlight // Story: Love Never Changes // by Moonbit //------------------------------// There are moments in our lives when we lose all control of everything we ever stood for. All our beliefs and morals go right out the door, as if they never even mattered. It's during these moments that are lives take a drastic change, and how we deal with the change defines who we are. This is what happened to me when I saw that beautiful mare by the river. * I was never much of a Changeling. I could never transform like the others, and on top of that my wings were red instead of blue. As you can imagine, I was bullied profusely for this. Even the Queen disliked me for being the failure that I was. It was only natural that I fell in love with a pony. I didn't decide to leave until I saw her. It was a chilly summer night, I was part of a scouting party that was checking out Ponyville. The others certainly weren't happy to have me aboard, but I was determined to show my worth. The three of us came up to a small grove that had a small river running through it. That's when we heard some ponies coming near us. "Get down Whine!" Aster hit my head and I fell down behind a bush. "Ugh... it's Pine." I mumbled. "Whatever Whine." "Both of you shut up." growled Snapdragon. He pointed towards the grove. "They'll hear you" I turned my head and looked through the bush and that's when I saw her. The moonlight lit up her pink face and reflected off her purple eyes in such a way that it made her glow. She had the cutest smile on her face when she talked to her friends. I was paralyzed by the sight of her. "... but I really don't think she'd do that." she was saying to her friends. "Are you sure?" asked the yellow pegasus that was flying in the air. "I mean, I like Pinkie just as much as the next pony but she can get a little crazy sometimes." The third pony busted out laughing. "You're so silly, Raindrops. You think of the weirdest things." "You know I'm right, Apple Fritter." replied Raindrops. "I dunno, maybe. So what are we doing out here anyway, Sea Swirl?" asked Apple Fritter. My beautiful unicorn smiled and pointed towards the river. "It's Morning Dew's birthday today!" Just then a big frog jumped out of the water and landed on Sea Swirl's head. He had a big smile on his face. "Oh yeah, the frog." "Raindrops, don't be rude!" Apple Fritter frowned. "Sorry, sorry." Raindrops flew over to Morning Dew and petted his head. "Happy birthday little guy!" Someone kicked my side and I made a small grunting sound. They kicked me again and then I heard Aster going "Get up! What are you doing?" "What?" I turned around to look at the others. "We're on a mission, remember?" Aster was glaring at me. "What the heck is wrong with you?" "That mare." I pointed towards Sea Swirl. "What about her?" He looked at her and then kept glaring at me. I realized there was no point in telling him, so I just shook my head and muttered "Nevermind" and started walking toward Snapdragon. He was already a couple yards away from us now. I remembered that we were suppose to be checking out Ponyville. The mission no longer seemed important to me, I just wanted to go back to the grove and see Sea Swirl. Aster thumped me on the back of the head. I didn't even flinch. "Man what the heck is wrong with you." asked Aster. Snapdragon turned around to look at me. I suddenly felt both of their stares burn into me and I ran. "Hey, where are you going!?!" yelled Snapdragon. I just kept running as fast as I could. I couldn't face them, I couldn't even face myself. I was so confused. What the heck was wrong with me? All I could think about was that pony. I kept running through the trees until crashed right into her. "Wha?" I opened my eyes and looked up. My head was laying on Sea Swirl's back and we were sprawled on the ground. I back away quickly, blushing. "H-hello?" she asked softly. "What the heck are you?" asked Raindrops loudly. I panicked and sprinted out of the grove. I heard Apple Fritter scolding Raindrops as I left earshot. *** I didn't go back to the Changelings. I couldn't face them now that I loved a pony. I still hadn't quite been able to face the fact myself. I made a makeshift camp a little ways away from the grove. Sea Swirl came by the grove several times a day, and I had found the perfect spot between some berry bushes where I could watch her without her seeing me. My days now consisted of watching Sea Swirl and waiting for Sea Swirl. I had nothing else anymore, not that my home with the Changelings was much anyway. In fact, this little camp was a better home than my old one. A small yellow bird flew down from a branch and landed on my bed, I decided to try to make friends with it. "Um... Hi there." The little bird looked at me curiously. "My name is Pine. What's yours?" I reached out one of my legs. The bird tweeted and flew up to the branch again. "Wait don't go..." I looked up at the bird. "Please? I could use some company here. I'm all alone." The bird cocked it's head to the side as I talked. "Oh never mind, you probably don't understand me anyway." I sat down on the ground and looked towards the grove. "I wonder what she's doing right now." I got up and walked over to my little bed. I had brought a notepad and pencil with me when I went on the scouting mission, I never left home without it. You never know when you'll think of something cool to write. I sat down and looked at the bird. "Have you ever heard any good Haikus?" The bird just looked at me. "They're odd little poems. Here, I'll read you one." Little frog Birthday The mare in the moonlight A hidden Changeling "I'm not very good at Haikus, I'm sure you can tell" The bird tweeted softly and I smiled a little. "I'll have to read you some more of my poems later, they're way better." Just then I heard a soft humming and I hurried over to my berry bushes. Sea Swirl was walking into the grove, humming a sweet tune. She walked over to the river and the frog hopped onto her back. "How are you doing today, Morning Dew?" asked Sea Swirl, smiling brightly. The little bird flew over and sat next to me on one of the bushes. I pointed to the beautiful mare. "That's Sea Swirl. Isn't she just the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?" The bird shrugged and I giggled a little too loudly. Sea Swirl looked towards my berry bushes. "Is someone there?" she asked. I froze, not knowing what to do. After a couple very long moments she shrugged and turned back to the river. I sighed quietly. "That was close." I whispered, and the bird nodded in agreement.