the intended way. The wooden and metal frames of the bridges stood tall and hollow, like guardians over the wide array of mismatched brown roofs, their only concurrence the occasional clock-tower, sticking out of the mess like a sore hoof. She arrived at the edge of a bridge, and was immediately greeted by the quiet murmur of the city below her. She made her way up the bridge, but before even reaching its highest point she skid to an almost-halt. Just above her head there was a pair of taut cables connecting multiple buildings with each other. Without any hesitation Sunlens stretched up and tugged at one of them, holding her right hoof - with rollerblade and all - to the side of her head. For good reason: in mere seconds a small platform hovering below the wire was forced to a halt. Had she not had her hoof there, it would've hit her straight in her head, but sunlens was experienced. She grit her teeth, then pulled herself onto the platform with a slight groan. before she had even settled in, the platform, made out of unevenly arranged planks of wood, started moving again, a buzzing sound eminating from the wheels above the wire holding it in place. Sunlens started gaining speed as she crossed over the edge of the bridge, its true massiveness now apparent. each beam was at least as broad as a pony, and when Sunlens dared to look over the edge of her spot she noted that the roofs below her could've just as well belonged to a miniature. Just by eye-measurement she guessed to be maybe a hundred and twenty yards in the air. She flew by three towering houses, and clothing set out to dry on a balcony fluttered in the wind as she zapped by. A wide grin spread across her face, then she prepared herself to jump. the platform started to sway dangerously, but before Sunlens even had the chance to fall off, her back legs already sprung into action and she barely slipped as she launched herself onto a nearby balcony, grazing the railing with the rollerblades’ wheels. She spun sideways to slow her landing. She did not know who this balcony belonged to, but she didn't really care, either. It wasn't like she'd destroyed anything. She peered down over the edge. On a small nook in the wall there was another platform. It, too, was connected to a wire, spanning further down into the city. A complex-looking set of mechanisms connected the wire down there with the one she'd just been on, and though Sunlens couldn't have explained how it worked through words, she understood that once she'd set the lower platform into motion, it would pull the upper one back above the bridge - she'd built it, after all. Like a mountain goat she sprung over the railing, landing smoothly on a thin ledge jotting out of the wall. She stood on the frames that held the wheels in place rather than those themselves, in fear of slipping and falling tens of yards to her death. Not to mention she'd probably destroy a roof that way. Soon she arrived over the platform. It wasn't a tall jump, so she made it head-first, immediately triggering the mechanism upon landing. With satisfaction she looked back, watching the other platform ascend in jerky motions. It had taken her months to get it to work - before that she’d always had to pull the platform back up by hoof, and that took her at least ten minutes with the distance she was travelling this way. The bustling of the streets below her got louder, and though she could barely see through the overhanging roofs she knew she was close. She braced for the landing, but when the platform landed flat on a dark brown, metal roof, she still stumbled and fell front-first with a squeak, hitting her chin on the hard material. It left a little brown dust in her fur, but she quickly wiped it away with her hoof, immediately regretting her decision as she smeared a streak of motor oil over her face. She shook her head to clear it, then set out again, sliding down the slightly sloped roof. she jumped a small gap and continued skating over the partly smooth, partly uneven planes of metal, wood and brick. It wasn't long until she managed to finally find the roof of a small hut, which reached just low enough over the ground that sunlens could comfortably slide off the edge without risking injury. She looked up through the thin gap between the roofs, admiring the imposing silhouettes of the bridges above her, the

taller parts half-disappearing in the blue of the sky. Focusing on the street, Sunlens was welcomed by the familiar smell of dust and ponies. All around her there were citizens of Maretime bay going about their day, none of them paying her any mind. She was just another filly living in the streets to them, and while neither part of that assumption was true, Sunlens didn't mind. She didn't come here to chat with ponies she didn't know. Setting into motion again, this time at a much more reasonable pace, she evaded any collisions without trouble. Most traffic down here occurred via hoof, though it wasn't uncommon to see a carriage up on the bridges. Or a trolley, though those had tracks reserved for themselves not even sunlens dared to tread. Without a worry in her head she navigated the winding, narrow, and at times quite full streets and passageways, noting that on many of the houses hung the same posters she'd found on her door. A couple times she bothered to rip them off, but eventually gave up. There were just too many of them. She might've not been there to chat with strangers, but she most certainly was looking to talk to someone she knew. The humdrum around her felt strangely comforting, and sunlens felt, for once, truly at home amidst the masses. She recognised most faces around her, and could even recall a couple names from brief conversations she might've once had or overheard. She didn't know anypony here as well as blaze though. Her rollerblades skit to a halt as she stopped in her tracks, the place she was going splayed out before her. the building ahead wasn't any cleaner than the streets, with the walls that could barely be called white held up by wooden beams which seemed just slightly more stable than those at the lighthouse, the large and round window watching over the street like a huge, yellow eye. Still, its presence was imposing, and the old lettering above the batwing door conveyed a clear message of its status: “The Sheriff's office”. Thanks to this building and those who resided here, the lower district remained free of crime. Despite its name, this part of maretime bay actually housed earthponies of middle class, well-payed workers with respected jobs. To an outsider it might've looked dusty and run-down, but the ponies living here had come to apprechiate the simplicity and comfort of their lives, after all, earthponies were flourishing. Sunlens smirked as she burst through the entrance to the office, not bothering to push up her goggles, instead just squinting at the room before her half-blindly. Her entering must've been loud enough to stir up the whole house, and in mere seconds a colt emerged from a room somewhere to the left of the entrance, stepping into the thin stripe of warm light walling through the doorway, a couple stray pups walking up behind him, but cautiously stopping when they spotted sunlens. Despite the rollerblades adding to sunlens’ height, he still stood a head taller than her. it wasn't that he was large, more that sunlens was exceptionally short. His dark yellow coat was interrupted by cream patches, his long, petrol-coloured mane billowed despite the barely feelable breeze, and the horseshoe-shaped earring in his right ear twinkled in the light, the pair of scars below it much lighter than the surrounding fur. “Blaze! It's so nice to see ya!” Sunlens called out, and the colt smiled and stepped closer, giving her an almost scolding look. “Sunny, when I'm at my job, ya call me Sheriff.” he reminded her. She gave a faked groan and arched her neck to look him in the eyes, still not bothering to take off her goggles. He, however, did bother. “Butcha never call me nothin’ other than Sunny!” She retorted. His neck vibrated as he chuckled. “That's ‘cause you're not at a job right now.” She mimicked what he said in a mocking tone, then added: “Tha's cause I'm never at mah job!” It wasn't that sunlens was skipping any work - she just was a bit too young to have earned her title yet, or have gotten an official workplace. Blaze was only two years older than her, but in that little time he'd already managed to make his way all the way up the ladder to the role of sheriff. For good reason, too. Blaze looked at her rollerblades, raising an eyebrow. “Still doin’ tha’, huh?” He shook his head, but his gaze remained warm. “Ya know ya gonna get

somepony killed with those.” When Sunlens opened her mouth in protest, he shot her another glance. “Tha’ includes you, Sunny.” He turned around, his mane swishing in perfect accordance with the motion, his earring catching the light. “Take ‘em off, and come on.” he said, shooting her a sneaky glance. She did as she was told, rolling her eyes in the process. “Damn.” Blaze said as she waited for her on the foot of the stairs. “Tha’ left one really do be fallin’ apart.” “‘s not as bad as it looks.” Sunlens protested. “Plus,” she added, “I finally got the retracting mechanism workin’ on two of ‘em. Right now they're the front ones, but on second thought it might just be better if I swap ‘em around.” Begrudgingly she took the shoes off, not letting their terrible taste show. She didn't want to give Blaze any more reasons to try to talk her out of it. She knew he couldn't, and she was pretty sure he did, too. As she passed the doorway to her left, the mutts cought her eye. Their fur was shaggy and stuck together in salty clumps, but the dark eyes above the long snouts twinkled in anger, or perhaps in fear. Sunny huffed. “Wha's up with those?” she asked, turning to follow Blaze again. “Found ‘em at mah doorstep.” He said, looking away. “I couldn't just leave ‘em there. Pityful things.” Sunlens was aware of his soft spot for animals, but decided not to dig at him. In his younger years, critters like these dogs were the only things he could call friends, so it wouldn't be wise to laugh at him for it. Instead of prying, Sunlens chose to change topic. Almost tripping on the stairs, she rummaged through her bag, eventually pulling out the poster she'd found on her door. By now it was covered in gunk, but not enough that it was illegible. “Look wha’ I found t'day.” She said, her voice grim. Blaze didn't even turn around to look at the poster. He new what she meant. “Wha’ ‘bout it?” he asked, an absent tone now entering his voice. Sunlens sighed, quickening her pace to catch up to him. “They changed the design ‘gain.” “I know.” was his response. “Last year was bad ‘nough, they don't gotta come at it with this propaganda ‘bout the other tribes-” “Ya know, ya father told ya some real bullshit.” His voice almost trambled in anger, and Sunlens paused for a moment, too stunned to quip back at him. When he brought her father - or any family, for that matter - into the conversation, he was serious. So, she just dropped her gaze. “Sorry Sheriff.” He looked her in the eyes, and suddently, Sunlens felt all the sadness in them. “Sunny, ya we're banned offa tha’ excuse of a show.” He said. “I'm rootin’ for ya to become an inventor too, butcha gotta understand, the world ain't just sunshine and rainbows. They're lookin’ for somepony to defend our colonies, not blow ‘em up.” Sunlens hesitated to argue, but her vigour got the best of her. “Tha’ was three years ago.” She said, somehow maintaining an indifferent tone. “Or who bring in some useless trinkets to show off even more useless magic tricks. Magic's still banned, ya know.” He waited for her on the balcony above the stairs, the yellow orb of a window staring down at them. She stood next to him and leaned on his shoulder. he didn't flinch. “I'm over those damn magic tricks ever since they caused tha’ panic in the outer district.” “I figured.” Moments passed in silence, and Sunlens lost count of the ponies who passed the street below them. Eventually, Blaze chuckled under his breath. “Wha’?” Sunlens asked. “Don’ tell me ya gonna show ‘em those damn rollerblades of yours.” Now, she was laughing, too. “‘Course not! I got a much bigger project in mind.” He looked at her with barely hidden curiosity. “And tha'd be?” “A wholly new way of transportation for the ‘ntire city.” “Don't sound much different from the rollerblades” he mumbled. “Nah, not like tha’.” She chuckled. “I got five workin’, finished cableways ‘cross this district, two of ‘em with upwards lift, and a whole bunch of unfinished prototypes.” He gave her a playedly worried glance. “If ya weren’t a friend o’ mine, Id've banned ya from workin’ on tha’ project a long time ‘go.” His voice was serious, but Sunlens knew he didn't mean it that way. “Well, I din’ die yet.” She countered. He shook his head, laughing. “Sunny, you're the most darin’ pony I know. Of course you're still alive!” He paused. “I just don't wanna be scrapin’ up piles ‘n piles of dead

bodies of the street, tha’s all.” “I get tha’. Can't be fun bein’ a sheriff so young.” He shrugged with his right shoulder, the one sunlens wasn't leaning on. Blaze was an interesting pony. Most carried some sort of family naming convention, but not him. His name was so deceptively simple. Sunlens had never asked whether he’d named himself, or had gotten named by somepony else. All she knew was that he had no family, just the animals on the street to keep him company. He wasn't homeless - after Sunlens had met him, she offered him to stay at the lighthouse with her, and for a while he did, but the longing for the city would always drag him back by the scruff of his neck, back into the streets, back into the mess of a city he'd called home for his whole life. Only a year and a half ago he’d finally been old enough to apply for positions, and soon he was taken into the sheriff's office, standing out from his peers with his compassion, collected demeanour, and most of all his expansive geographical knowledge. Sunlens wasn't surprised when he got chosen as the sheriff of the lower district, his second in command (Sprout) from the inner district, a colt over a year older than Blaze and son of the head of the canterlogic company. His mother was the most renowned inventor of maretime bay, and though Sunlens didn't quite agree with her anti-unicorn and -pegasus views, she still could appreciate the sheer genius her inventions brought not only to the city, but the whole southern half of equestria. Though (Sprout) was never outright rude to Sunlens, she still dreaded the Canterlogic show more because of him than the complications she caused every year. If Blaze wasn't sheriff, she probably wouldn't be allowed not just in the show itself, but the whole city. “Tha’ a pen in ya tail?” Sunlens was shaken from her thoughts by Blaze's comment. “Y-yea, ‘s a spare.” she muttered. “Ya carry three whole pens in ya chest pocket, and ya still need a spare.” He chuckled. “Ya have no idea how many pens I manage to cycle through every week.” She laughed. “I've got mah guess, but I'm sure I'm still miles from the real answer.” “Well, besides tha’ handy one in mah tail I've got a couple in my saddle bag. Just in case.” The worries slowly faded out of sunlens’ head. with Sheriff Blaze by her side, she'd be fine. “Let's go.” She said, looking him in the eyes briefly, then storming off the way they got here. She heard Blaze following her. Leaving her Rollerblades inside, she galloped up the street, Blaze right behind her. They both knew these streets well, and though they occasionally parted ways, they always caught glimpses of each other in this made-up race. Sunlens managed to jump onto a trashcan and propel herself onto a roof, searching for halt with her hooves before managing to pull herself up. a shingle got loose, but she didn't look back as she was already sprinting and jumping along the rooftops. Blaze, about five yards below her, winked at her as he spotted her up there, quickening his pace. He managed to look effortless as he glided through the streets, the rope always tied loosely around his neck flopping in the wind in tandem with his mane and tail. Sunlens lowered her head a bit, also raising her tempo until she'd gained so much momentum she managed to jump even the widest of gaps without issue. Her horseshoes climpered with every passing beat of her walking pattern, and sunlens blinked a fly that landed in her face away. That was the reason she usually wore her goggles. The roofs were getting much denser now, and the whole city seemed to slope uphill like an overhanging wave. Once the right opportunity emerged, Sunlens propelled herself to the air with her back legs, her mighty leap comfortably letting her drop through a narrow gap between the shingles. with dust flying everywhere she landed in a dark side-street, but she continued running without pause. her lungs slowly started to beg her to slow down, but sunlens knew she was almost at the thought up finish line. Like on command the houses around her suddenly seemed so much cleaner, the dirt of the pathway turned into paved cobblestones, and the rusty browns were swapped out with bright, shining bronzes. Above her was a clock-tower, which conquered even the bridges still passing far above the happening. The building beneath it was truly monumental, its foreboding presence sending a shiver down Sunlens’ spine. Before the entrance stood a long line of ponies, spectators eager to see what was about to unfold inside. Sunlens came to a halt, panting. Mere seconds later, Blaze caught up. “I guess ya win this one.” He wasn't even out of breath. Still, Sunlens grinned up at him with her wide, crooked smile that was missing a tooth. “Well”, Blaze sighed. “I gotta go do my job now. You find a way to get in?” He asked, but didn't need to wait for the answer. He knew Sunlens too well. So, he just trotted off, greeting the ponies standing in line, skipping past them towards the entrance. Sunlens rolled her eyes, still grinning, as she watched him wink at a pair of young mares, which started chuckling to themselves the second he passed. Sunlens’ task wasn't easy, as she had to find a new way in every year. just to be safe, she snuck around to some of her older entrance spots. Some were boarded up, too tight for sunlens to get the wooden planks loose, others had completely disappeared under the ever-expanding building. Gear-shaped decorations, both wood and bronze, lined the walls of the factory, and she even passed by the giant water wheel, watching the droplets cascade down from the tightly spaced blades, each as tall as Sunlens’ hoof and at least three times as broad. The river powering it was slow, but wide, and Sunlens could’ve followed its stream through the arched tunnels below the city, all the way to the ocean. Just in that moment, Sunlens spotted the perfect opportunity to slip inside. Just above the wheel, there was a small opening in the wall, just wide enough for Sunlens to slip through. Putting her goggles on with a swift motion, Sunlens quickly checked her surroundings. She'd managed to disappear behind a corner on her way here, nopony was in sight. perfect. Sunlens leapt onto the imposing blades of the wheel. She held her breath as the wood creaked beneath her and she felt the motion of it began to slow. The mechanism didn't seem to mind Sunlens’ weight though, and with a sigh of relief she was steadily brought closer to the opening. As she reached for the edge of it, pulling herself up and inside, she started to hear the announcer's voice inside. She squeezed her shoulders through the narrow gap and plopped down onto a small, wooden overhang surrounding the whole room, meant as a safe way to maintain some of the taller machines inside. It was connected to many narrow pathways, hanging from the sloped ceiling on metal chains, swaying softly. The pathways created a sort of labyrinth spanning the whole hall, but Sunlens stayed on the edges, fearing stepping on the floating platforms would cause too much noise. The room below her was filled with strange, climpering contraptions, constantly rotating gears, and a slew of pipes that let off steam in various directions. Visitors were huddled up in between the machinery, all eyes on the stage in front of them. Sunlens even spotted Blaze somewhere up on a raised platform, watching over the crowd. The tall, lanky, rusty red stature of (Sprout) sat next to the Sheriff, his eyes darting from place to place, his muscles tense. Despite the constant noise, Sunlens’ ears adjusted quickly, and she had no trouble hearing the mare announcing the different creations being presented. “...Aaaan next up we got a stylish invention from a newcomer… please welcome onto the scene: Designer Cobblefree with her anti-mind-control helmet!” A bulky mare stepped onto the scene, On her head a tall metallic hat, which sat tightly in-between her ears and covered about half of her snout. She strode forward confidently, her head swaying back and forth as she turned it to show off her creation. Sunlens frowned and furrowed her eyebrow. A streak of carmine hair fell into her eyes, but she pushed in away with a hoof. There was no concrete proof that Unicorns could mind-control ponies. At least there weren't any reported cases. Most in Maretime Bay would chalk it up to the strong defences earthponies had constructed, but Sunlens had a hunch there was more behind it than that. After gathering a round of applause, Cobblefree strode off, and the announcer got to do her job once more. Sunlens

sat down and let her head rest on her hooves, biding her time and watching the many contraptions and gadgets presented. Though some were rather impressive, there were also ones Sunlens could nothing but laugh at. Somepony had for example created goggles made to spot pegasi in the sky, however, wearing them made them oblivious to earthbound obstacles, and so the inventor ended up tumbling blindly to the ground. Just as the announcer began to present the last invention, a large machine built by (Sprout's Mom) meant to put any unicorn or pegasus trapped in it out of order immediately, Sunlens could feel her opportunity was now. She rummaged through her saddlebags as quickly as she was able, pulling out the plans and models of the cableways, then grit her teeth and launched her body off the platform. She landed on one of tall, mechanic towers with a loud bang, and as heads below her started to turn, she continued jumping from ledge to ledge, working her way down to the platform and not caring much if she caused any damage to the machinery. She landed on the stage smoothly, her bags settling back on her back with a climpering noise which would make one think something in there had broken. The entire room, including the announcer, had gone silent, and Sunlens stared confidently into the crowd, catching a small smirk on Sheriff Blaze's face. (Sprout) next to him had gotten to his hooves, and Sunlens quickly looked away, trying not to think about what would happen if he caught her. She remained calm as she called out: “Hello Everypony!” Realising her voice was hoarse, she cleared her throat. “My name is Sunlens, and I got an invention to show to y'all.” There was the sound of rusty metal rubbing against rusty metal behind her, but Sunlens paid it no mind. “An invention tha'll change our way of life for the better!” She continued as she pulled out a large plan and showed it off. “Wha’ does tha’ have to do with defeatin’ the pegasi and unicorns?” somepony in the crowd interrupted. “Nothin’.” was Sunlens’ answer. “‘Cause there ain't no need to fight with ponies tha’ don't want to do nothin’ bad to us.” That got the crowd riled up, and Sunlens was bombarded with insults. She paid them no mind, and called out again, louder this time to be heard above all the noise. “All the tribes could be friends! The war could be over if earthponies just declared peace!” She didn't plan to pull politics into this, but she also could not stand idly by and watch this madness go on. The crowds booing quickly turned into screams of fear, and Sunlens saw Blaze jump to his hooves and charge towards her just as the metal jaws of (Sprout's Mom)’s Machine shut around her.

@@grezgrandon3824thank you!!! these are my mlp redesigns! In pt 1 it was celestia and Dtaelight, in this one its Luna and Sunburst :)

​@nobodishere Did I miss that video? Darn. Gotta search now but that makes so much sense! Absolutely fantastic!

@@user-gy4vk4lz4q yeah i haven't really has the time or Motivation for it tbh... Some day tho!

@nobodishere Well at least it's some day and not never! Remember to take your time and don't burn yourself out. :D

@Unidentified952 they are my redesigns of celestia and starlight in this case, I just wanted to have a spin at them :)

@ I ADORE them!<3

@@DawnShimmer101 It doesn't quite have a story as of yet, I just felt like drawing a duo of drawings with this concept! I might write some until next week, depending on how much time I have (as i am going to be quite busy)

Nice thanks😊 (Plot twist:I actually meant your inspiration not a story teehee🤭)

@@MyNameIsVarian you absolutely can! Thank you for liking it <3

@@Sicttepréu6790 I'll definitely look at it! <3

English isn't my first language (it's my third language, actually) and I have dysgrammaria, so I do struggle with that stuff ^^'

It's not really a Virus, it's the changelings 'infecting' (eg invading) equestria!

@nobodishere Мне просто показалось, что это, ещё один, очередной, пони вирус, который превращает пони, в чейнджлингов, как например, пони, вирус, The changeling, virus и пони, вирус, из My little, outbreak, friendship is gone, и там и там, заражённые пони, превращаются в чейнджлингов.