Family Love

by Amethyst-ACE

Embracing Love

The next day the filly changeling awoke in a crib in the middle of a room. The room was small, it's lights were off, and it was devoid of anything but a single window where daylight was shining through, and a basic looking couch not far from his cage. He let out an elongated yawn; despite being conformed to his infant state he had gotten plenty of sleep, and was more comfortable where he was now than he had been for a long while. He let out a deep inhale and exhale and shut his eyes; it took all the strength he could muster to fly with his child sized wings, but he eventually managed to fly over the wooden crib where he was being held. He made his way to the wall opposite him and the couch, and stared up at the dark wooden door that lead into the hallway. He shut his eyes once again, and his horn emitted a light green glow; as did the door's knob. He tried to turn the nob open only to have it object with a couple of loud clicks.

“Locked?”

The 'colt' looked around in a slight panic for another way out. The only one he could see was the window, but he was on the second story of the building, and after all the effort it took to fly out of his crib, he really wasn't feeling very trusting of his wings.

“Why would they lock the door? Are they intending to hold me prisoner?” For a moment the changeling considered the possibility that he had been captured, and that his plan had backfired in every possible way.

“Well if that's how you want it, then I'm not sticking around.”

The changeling focused intently on the door, which began to glow like it's nob had. A single drop of sweat trailed down the child's head, and his eyes twitched on occasion as he manipulated the door. Eventually he heard another clicking noise and a quick sliding motion. He had opened the door.

The changeling walked out into the second floor which comprised of a single hallway, a stairway down, and one other room besides his own.

“The ponies' room” he told himself.

He snuck past the door as quietly as he could, assuming that the ponies that found him were right behind it, however upon reaching the stairs themselves, he caught a glimpse of Wisteria trotting happily into the kitchen. The changeling began to sneak down the stairway, but only got about half way before he heard the two ponies talking.

“What do you think he eats?” Wisteria asked her husband as she prepared a couple of eggs on the kitchen stove.

“Are you serious?” Iron Lance answered rhetorically

“Of course I am!” Wisteria half shouted to the colt. “He's alive like you and me, and that means he's gotta eat.”

“That THING is not our child Wisteria!” Iron Lance aggressively pointed out. “We're already harboring it, the last thing we need to do is cook for it!”

Wisteria didn't say anything, she simply huffed and went back to her eggs. “What ever happened to that knight in shining armor I fell in love with? The one that helped those two injured changelings escape from Canterlot after the wedding had ended?”

Iron Lance snorted and turned around. “He was kicked out of Canterlot under the guise of an honorable discharge. Now he scrapes out a mediocre existence using a monthly penchant that he gets from the city's royal guards.”

Iron Lance stormed out of the kitchen, and into the living room. As he headed towards the stairs he spotted the little changeling child who had just finished climbing down them. He let out a sigh and approached the boy, who took a few steps back expecting something malicious to occur. To his surprise Iron Lance simply petted him on his head a couple times with his hoof before walking up the stairs to his room.

The child entered the kitchen where he was greeted by Wisteria’s warm smile. “Good morning! Did Iron let you out of your room?”

This one is either really dumb, or a deceptive genious. The changeling noted in his mind.

“Are you hungry dear?” Wisteria asked him.

The boy innocently tilted his head to the side, pretending not to understand.

“What do you eat dear?” Wisteria opened her mouth up wide and pointed towards it with her hoof. She looked extremely silly from the changeling's point of view, who was now fighting to hold back a laugh. Deciding the best course of action was to act out his part as best as possible, he raised the pitch of his voice, and used single words to communicate.

“Love!” He squeaked out adorably.

“Love?” Echoed Wisteria

“Love!” He repeated. He leaned back on his hind legs and stretched out his front hooves for a hug.

“I don't understand dear?” Wisteria took the boy in her hoof, and a puzzled look stretched across her face. She recalled back to the Canterlot Royal Wedding. “I think I recall one of the princess' saying that Changelings feed on love...Or something like that...”

“Love!” The small child echoed again, this time trying to sound annoyed.

Wisteria hugged the boy, but wasn't sure what to do. She didn't love him, and the boy knew it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he actually was starting to get cravings. He wasn't sure what to do. He'd have to transform into Iron Lance to feed off of Wisteria, but if he timed it wrong the gray pony would catch him, and the entire mission would be a bust.

“Well, would you like to try some eggs?” Wisteria suddenly asked. “I'm not sure if you'll like them or not, but maybe they'll tide you over until I can think of something.”

Pony food? Gross...The changeling really didn't like the situation he was in, but at the same time there wasn't much else he could do but go along with what was happening. The eggs were bland and tasteless to him, but they did manage to put a minor damper on his cravings. For the moment at least that was good enough for him.

“By the way little one, we were so caught up with what happened yesterday that we never asked your name.”

The boy looked up at Wisteria. He hadn't considered a name. He of course had one, but he didn't feel comfortable using it.

“Do you have a name sweetie?” Wisteria inquired a second time.

“Onyx!” The small boy yelped.