Cloudy With a Chance of Equines

Prologue: Flintsteel Lockwood

Twisted Studios Incorporated presents....

A Sony Animations crossover....

A book made by one person...

'Have you ever felt like you were a little bit different? Like you had something unique to offer the world, if you could just get people to see it? Then you know exactly how it felt... to be me.'

The students all looked at the front of the classroom for another lame Show-and-Tell presentation. A young colt walked forward, nervous and shy. The teacher looked at the colt, smiling warmly. "Go ahead, Flintsteel." The mare said, her voice calming the young stallion. He coughed, and started his presentation.

"What is the number one problem facing our community today?" Flintsteel asked, and his class murmured, non of which answering him. Flintsteel felt butterflies in his chest, and continued. "Dirty hooves." He announced, as the students of fillies and colts all looked at their hooves, covered in mud and grass.

Flintsteel smiled, as his happiness grew and his nervousness died down. "Which is why I've invented an alternative hoof covering: Spray-On Hooves!" Flintsteel yelled, as he pulled a can from behind him, and sprayed all four of his own hooves. A weird, sparkly liquid solidified on his hooves, as he stood up and spun around, bursting with excitement. The class was amazed by the invention, as they commented how they looked.

But then, a colt with a blonde mane pointed at him. "How're you gonna get 'em off, nerd?" he called, as Flintsteel realised, his eyes wide with shock. Flintsteel frantically tried to take off the hood covers, but failed. The class all laughed, mocking him and saying mean things. "He wants to be smart, but that's lame!" The bully continued, as the school bell rang.

Flintsteel tried to remove the coverings once again, but gave up and laid down on the floor. The sky turned dark, and rain began to pour down. Flintsteel started to walk home, but turned into an all out sprint, his eyes filled with tears.

'I wanted to run away that day... but you can't run away from your own feet'

Flintsteel, now in the warmth of his bedroom, tried for hours to get the hoof-shoes off. He attempted to bite his shoes off, but it does nothing. Then he had grabbed out a screwdriver, and tried to peel it off. And the screwdriver broke in half. Pulling out large scissors, Flintsteel went to cut the shoes, but the scissors bent around his foot. As a last resort, he threw a cinder block onto the hooves, but it broke upon impact.

Meanwhile, his parents were standing outside his room, listening to the chaos unfold within. "Uh... Not every sardine jumps in the net, son." His father, Timfisher Lockwood, said, trying to say something to try and cheer the colt up. But Flintsteel flopped into his pillow, sobbing. "I don't understand fishing metaphors!" Outside the room, Timfisher and his wife, Fran, looked at each other.

Fran opened the door, and saw the scene before her. Tools were broken, their mangled formed had been thrown around. Bricks and planks had been discarded after breaking into pieces. Fran approached her son, and gently stroked his messy mane. "Honey, I think your hoof-shoes are wonderful." She said, comforting him, but Flintsteel didn't move. In fact, he just went quiet for a moment.

"Everypony just thinks I'm a weirdo." He said, sobbing in defeat and sadness. Fran gestured to the wall, covered in different creatures like ponies, Minotaurs, griffins, and other animals. "So? Ponies probably thought that these guys were weirdos too! But that never stopped them." Fran informed him, then reaching behind her. Fran smiled, and pulled out an object.

"I was saving this for your birthday, but, here.." she said, as Flintsteel turned and saw it: a lab coat. Flintsteel's eyes widened in surprise. "A professional-grade lab coat. Just like the real guys wear!" Flintsteel shouted, his voice happy. He quickly put it on, and the sleeves were too long for his forelimbs. Flintsteel giggled in happiness, as Fran watched her son cheer up. "It fits perfect!"

Fran looked into her son's eyes, and saw greatness emitting from them. "The world needs your originality, Flintsteel. You just have to grow into it. And I know that you're gonna do big things someday." Fran said, as mother and son hugged. Flintsteel looked up to the roof, his eyes sparkling with inspiration. Soon, he ran out to the backyard, and into his small lab.

Little did he know, Flintsteel would make a great invention. Not to mention, he would catch the attention of a certain Time Traveller and his six companions...