Shifting Priorities

by FaelaArts

Preorders [R]

Waking up, was not pleasant in the slightest. Skid felt bruises and battered, and as he glanced up at the tree he had to curse it for being the hardest tree in living existence. He took a few moments to go over his injuries, before deciding he was all in all ok. A little bruised and shaken up, but nothing was seriously broken, though his wing hurt and he wouldn't be able to fly for a little while. Slowly standing up, he glanced to where he had hit the tree and winced again, before turning to his surroundings. The canopy above him was dark and lush, but it also held a foreboding feeling about it that he couldn't quite name. Through the small gaps in the trees, sunlight glittered through, leaving beams that hit the ground and illuminate the area around him. The bushes were touch and each time he moved he received a new scratch on his body, not that it showed because changelings rarely bled. Honestly he wasn't even sure they could bleed, but he knew all creatures bled, so changelings probably did too. He remembered something about it being a regular red, similar to ponies, but he wasn't sure which one of the others had said that. The thick trees surrounding him made it hard to figure out where he was, but as he gazed around he noticed one direction had thinner trees and his wings fluttered in hope.

"Hmm" he muttered to himself, testing his pony language. He was very rusty, but if it was anything like the other languages, he would remember it very quickly if he needed it. As he walked, the trees grew thinner and thinner, until he could actually glance up and see the sky, and walk on the ground without underbrush scratching him every second. Gazing up, he noticed the clouds moving on their own; and wondered about that. However as he gazed toward what he hoped would be the exit, he noticed the trees thinning and what looked like a city in the distance. He frowned, that would only mean ponies. He sighed, and knew he would have to figure out a disguise if he wanted to enter and find some means of figuring out where he was. However, changelings weren't known for their creativity. It was the main reason they tended to just destroy the pony they were disguising as, so they were never be found out. However with no one in sight he didn't have that luxury, so he had so figure out a disguise.

"Ok let's see…" he muttered to himself, glancing around and pausing as he decided, coincidentally glancing at the ground, that brown would be a good base colour. The body would be a pale brown, and the hair would be a darker brown.

"There is no time like the present" he spoke to himself, and closed his eyes as he began to shape the disguise around him. He wings were cocooned in a layer of magic and faded under pale brown fur and his feet took on the shape and form of regular ponies. His face became that of a male and his horn grew into a hardened type of ivory, similar to his hooves. His eyes opened, a pale green, and his hair was neatly cropped into a spiky style that layed flat on his head. If he had to make a comparison, it was similar to the crest of a parrot, except thicker and spikier and less neat. His ears flicked and his long, but simple tail swished as he tested the limits of his new body. Gazing toward the town he took a careful step, and glanced to his now bare back and sighed at the prospect of no longer being able to fly before turning away from the forest and heading into the town at a steady trot.

"5 bits, that's highway robbery!"

"Fresh fish, we catch em you keep em as pets."

"Buy some apples!" Skid felt overwhelmed by the symphony of sound around him, having to pause to realise he didn't quite know where to go. He gazed around, eventually settling upon a store that had a couch and quill on a sign and headed inside. The store contained a few small couches, and a lot of quill types along the walls. Turning his attention to the Stallion running the store, he noticed the matching cutie mark, and realised he had neglected his own. Pausing behind two couches where his body couldn't be seen, though his head could, he quickly realised how lucky he was that he hadn't caught any attention around town. Quickly glancing around for inspiration, he sweated as he thought rapidly for what his cutie mark could be. Running out of ideas, he sighed and decided he should go with what he knew: a crash landing. Using the barest hint of magic, he quickly painted a mark that reminded him of where he had gotten his name, skidding to a stop in front of his commanding officer. It looked kinda like a ditch, but with a deeper end, or simply a place where someone had skidded to a stop. He had finished his mark not a moment too soon, for just as he began to relax a pony and a dragon walked into the store. Skid's eyes widened at the sight of a baby dragon walking around like he owned the place, but relaxed when he saw no one else reacted, and the fact the baby was grumbling at the pony. Turning his gaze on the pony in question his body stiffened, it was her. She was varying shades of purple all over, with a star cutie mark. He had never actually gotten her name.

"Come on Spike, you're the one that used my last batch of quills. Maybe next time don't use them all to make a hat, even if it's for Rarity." Spike simply grumbled in response, and they approached the desk and ordered some quills. The clerk simply shook his head, saying his last box of quills were reserved for someone else in town, and he didn't get any new quills until tomorrow.

"I don't believe this, when is this pony picking up the quills?" the purple one asked, Skid inched closer, seeming more interested in the couch than anything else.

"2 days from now" the clerk replied. The purple one growled in annoyance.

"Then why not save her a box from the new batch?" Skid glanced up as the purple one; he had never gotten her name, tried to get the clerk to give up the quills. He glanced to Twilight, and at the dragon, and hesitantly made his way to the counter, right next to her.

"Uh…Excuse me sir, but who is it that ordered the quills?" They all turned their gaze on him, and he forced a smile and took a step back. He didn't like this attention. The clerk glanced down at a list of some sort under the counter.

"One Miss Twilight Sparkle" he replied, gazing bored to the purple pony who blinked in shock. Skid hummed, not noticing the purple one raise a hoof until she spoke.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, but I don't remember reserving any quills." Skid frowned and glanced to her and noticed the dragon's sheepish gaze.

"I ordered them for you last time I was here, you know because you run out so quickly." Twilight glanced to the dragon and scooped him up in levitation and hugged him in glee. The clerk sighed and went to her the order, and Skid scratched the back of his head.

"Thank you Spike, this makes things so much easier!" Skid turned and carefully walked around them, heading for the exit, he wasn't needed in here, he would ask in another store.

"Oh!-Uhm excuse me" he turned to glance and realised Twilight was talking to him. She gave a warm smile.

"Thanks for the help, if you hadn't thought to ask that question I'd be out of quills." Skid gave a warm smile in return, and as she turned to retrieve her quills he made a beeline outta the store and into the town. Gazing around, he noticed a newsstand and walked over and glanced at the name of the paper. ‘Ponyville Daily' was what it's name was. So with a blink he realised he was in Ponyville, and his encounter with the purple unicorn Twilight made much more sense. He breathed a sigh and glanced to the sky, realising even if he knew where he was, he didn't know how to find the direction of his changeling home.

"Excuse me, sir?" he turned rapidly, and blinked in shock to see that same purple unicorn gazing presently at him. He relaxed instantly and chuckled.

"No need to call me Sir, Miss." Twilight raised an eyebrow, and Spike frowned at him like Skid and Twilight were acting strange. Ignoring it, a smile crept on to their faces.

"Oh I am sorry mister; it's just so hard to call you by another when I have not been given a name." Skid bowed, and she bowed in return. Returning his gaze to her, he easily replied in the same tone.

"It is nothing Madam; I merely wish to inform you of my utter distaste of such words." Twilight took a more dignified bow, brandishing her arm like a sword before crossing it over her chest as she descended.

"Then it would be wise of me dear sir, to ask for your name and give my own would it not?" Skid nodded, taking a noble stance. This basically meant he stood up tall, even as short as he was; even Twilight was bigger than him.

"Yes my dear; that would be the uttermost correct course of action." They both straightened up and Twilight giggled before holding out a hoof.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, loyal student of my mentor Princess Celestia." So it was her, he knew it the instant he had seen her. Skid smile and took the hoof, they both shook before returning to normal stances.

"I'm-uh-Sixty Six Skid, but you can just call me Skid." Twilight frowned at his name, but he continued smiling and whatever her problems were she quickly dismissed them and nodded before point a hoof at him gently.

"Well Skid, you seem are staring at that paper really hard, you can't afford it or something?" Skid glanced to the paper in question and neatly shook his head; he had gotten what he wanted from it. Turning back to Twilight, an idea struck his head.

"It's not the paper really, a Pegasi carriage I was on got stuck in a storm as we were flying over that forest. When I came to, it was gone. I know Ponyville, but I need a map, so I can see if I can find my hometown on it." Twilight nodded hmming as she thought about his situation. Skid couldn't help but be glad he had run into her. It made his job a lot easier, well if he had one. Skid just wanted to get home.

"Well I do have a library, maybe there's some maps in there?" Twilight close her eyes, as if visualising the library.

"Yep, I've certainly seen a map in there, right next to ‘Mythic Riddles: Why 2+2=Fish'." Skid nodded, and she smiled as she saw him paying attention. She motioned in a direction and he began following. "It's this way." Skid followed, smiling and humming a tune to himself. Things were looking up. Soon enough he would know where he was, then he could send a probe out to find his Liège, and finally head home. It didn't cross his mind he might be given orders based on his unique position.

Comments

[soul_rune]

Glad to see your out of your writers block