Shifting Hearts, Changing Eyes
By PrinceShadow
Introduction
To those who happened upon it, the little workshop tucked away in the back of the alley in New Canterlot’s music district
seemed peaceful. Inside, however, was a sight that would have made Discord proud. Various parts were scattered everywhere: on the floor, across the wooden tables, and in little suspension fields powered by the talismans embedded in the walls.
Under one of these piles of parts lay a young colt, a thin line of drool working its way onto the device he was working on below. The unicorn’s mane, black as the vinyl of the old records, was messy and tangled from the countless nights he had spent up late, completing repairs on the new C-players. It was a tough job, but he was the only one who understood how they worked well enough; the machine’s inner workings were very sensitive, as the colt was reminded of when his impromptu pillow began to spark, providing a rude awakening. He groaned and rubbed his crimson-ringed eyes, willing the blood within to move and provide him with some semblance of sight.
It was a couple of minutes, but his eyes eventually caught up, and the familiar sights of his little workshop returned to him. He ventured out the door, into the back alley, and looked up at the sky, colored a deep magenta by the shield around the city. He was glad for it, considering the dangers that lay outside. 5 years after the Royal Wedding incident, Queen Chrysalis had returned to Equestria, and this time, her plans worked. One by one, the great population centers had fallen to the changelings, until those who remained were forced to pull back to Canterlot. The city’s ancient architecture was all but lost at this point, the refugees trading form for function, replacing the homely stone houses with the massive skyscrapers that now made the city shine like a beacon of hope to the few minor safehouses that dotted the countryside.
The young colt was from one such safehouse, the green coated unicorn having barely made the trip. Electric Tones was his name, or, at least, the only name he could remember, that being the one currently logged in the utterly confusing census papers. The colt smiled, but that smile soon vanished, falling to the ground much like the object that had landed in front of him.