A Watchful Changeling

by Carapace

With Cuddles, Nuzzles, and Correctional Fangs

Flurry Heart was missing.

Well, she wasn’t missing in the sense that everypony needed to run around panicking, knocking over furniture, peering into vases (why they do that, I’ll never understand—it’s not like she’s a changeling like me), and calling her name at the top of their lungs. No, no, no. Not at all. I hoped not, at least.

Flurry Heart, my babbling, ever-happy overlady, was hiding from me.

I didn’t bother cupping my hooves to my mouth and calling her name. Why bother using the goofy voice Shining Armor makes when he asks where she is—right there in front of you, Prince-Captain. Again—or Cadence’s singing call, as sweet as fresh love from a young couple necking on a park bench. That may be their way, but it is not the Changeling Way.

I crept through her room, swiveling my head to and fro, and let my keen eyes search each nook and cranny. No shadow went unchecked, no bin unopened. I let out a discontented chitter. She was outwitting me. Me! A changeling!

With a frown, I lowered my head to the floor and sniffed. I could smell her love—oh, could I ever! A youngling’s love is delectable. Full of innocence, indiscriminate between friend and family, they love almost freely! It was why Queen Chrysalis so often made habit of switching our younger nymphs out with foals in far off lands. How easy for a changeling nymph to grow strong on stolen love from parents while we sipped from younglings who didn’t know better and who could be trained to serve their new Queen.

I took no pride in such things, though. But it did help to know the scent of foalish love. She was close, and she was happy. Those were good things, I decided, even though it likely meant she was up to no good yet again. Fortunately, I was confident there was no possible way Flurry had gotten her hooves on hot oatmeal again.

My hooves stopped. I stood up straight, glancing about nervously. I truly hoped she hadn’t procured some oatmeal from First-Mother-knows-where! One bowl of hot, sticky, milky goop to the face had been quite enough, thank you very much!

A bubbly, foalish giggle tickled my earfins. I swiveled my head around, my eyes opened as wide as dinner plates so I could take in all my surroundings at once. She was near. That laugh sounded close, from within her room perhaps.

Laying an ambush.

I had to smile. My overlady was learning well. She had seen me pull a similar trick on Sunburst when he came looking for us, claiming that it was time for little fillies to get to bed. My overlady disagreed, so it fell upon me to aid her in such a time of need—or so I thought. I had been Very, Very Wrong.

Fortunately, Princess Cadence was ever-so informative when such things confused me. And I had learned well enough for her to entrust me with watching over Flurry all by my lonesome while she and Shining enjoyed a quiet night to themselves, out to some nice restaurant, I believe.

Sunburst had gone to meet Trixie somewhere in the city. I didn’t pester him for details, but his face turned a rather endearing shade of pink and a familiar sweet scent rolled off him in waves. Unfortunately, he opted not to serve as my donor before leaving, though he did appreciate being told that he smelled quite delectable. Then he ruined it with cologne.

So disgusting.

I peered into her room, wary of any sudden attacks. For all I knew, she might sneeze or get a sudden bout of hiccups and fire a bolt of magic my way. Not intentionally, of course. I am her favorite changeling. But accidental magic still stung, and I had no intention to become one with the wall again.

After a few seconds and no sign of little Flurry, I decided to step inside. With my nose low to the ground, I sniffed a few snuffling breaths, catching a good whiff of her scents—her favorite strawberry shampoo, foal powder, and love. Oh, did she ever smell of love!

A trait inherited from her wonderful mother, no doubt.

As I entered the room, I snuck a peek under her crib. Nothing, of course. My overlady was too wise for such spots. It would limit her mobility. But where was she? I didn’t see any sign of a crack in the closet door where she could peek out from, nor did I hear any shifting in her toy bin. Which only left a couple of options.

Another bout of giggles made my ears twitch. I smiled. I knew that giggle. That was her pre-pounce giggle. Which could only mean one thing.

I reared back onto my hind legs and caught a pink, purple, and cerulean missile in my hooves. “Aha!” I cried with a victorious chitter. Grinning, I allowed myself to fall back onto my rump with a light click-clack of carapace smacking against crystal. I leaned down and nuzzled her belly, tickling her with my nose and the tips of my fangs. “I seem to have caught a Flurry Heart!”

Flurry let out a squeal of laughter and flailed her tiny hooves, lightly batting at my face. “Tora! Tora ponce! Tora ponce, yay!”

Ponce. If it were anypony or anyling else, I would have taken offense and then taken steps to—ahem—correct them. With my fangs.

But this was Flurry Heart. My overlady.

I chuckled into her coat, which only sent her further into peals of mirth and drove her to squirm. She meant no offense, of course. I knew what she meant. Drawing back, I fixed her with a crooked smile. “No giggles before pounces, Flurry,” I reminded her of our previous lessons. Really, after all the times she caught Shining by the face, I’d hope she’d have learned. Pouncing is a critical skill, after all. “We have to be quiet so we can surprise the pounced ones, remember?” I held a hoof to my lips. “Shhhhh! Then pounce.”

She blinked her big, adorable eyes. Then, she mimicked my actions, bringing a clumsy little hoof to her lips. “Sssssss,” she repeated with a big smile. “Ten ponce!”

Close enough. But repeating my words and putting them to practice were entirely different matters.

I stole a quick glance at the clock. We had about a half hour or so before Flurry’s dinner time, plenty of time to fit in a pouncing lesson if we could find a couple volunteers.

Their actual knowledge of their part of the lesson was optional. It would be far better if they didn’t know what I’d just signed them up for—in terms of Flurry Heart’s development, I mean.

With a bright smile, I stood and set her safely on the back of my shell, right on my wing casing so she would have a comfortable seat. “Come along, Flurry,” I said as I trotted out of her room, through the common area, and out of the Royal Suite. “It’s time for some remedial pouncing lessons.”

I selected our targets with great care. They were a pair of off-duty guards, two that I knew to adore little Flurry and seemed amicable toward me. From discussions with Shining Armor, I also knew both to possess a good sense of humor.

They were a couple, actually. A rather burly mare with broad shoulders and wide hips named Orange Blossom, and a smaller, athletically inclined stallion as sleek as an arrow who went by the name East Wind. Both came from different cities and met on detail in Shining Armor’s unit, then promptly fell in love. True love, as a matter of fact. The sort that made Princess Cadence beam and clap her hooves, and made me lick my fangs and struggle not to drool. A fact which reminded me to wipe my mouth before any droplets fell and splattered on the crystalline floor.

There was nothing more embarrassing than a good pounce being ruined because of drool alerting one’s prey.

Flurry and I were perched on one of the arches, one with a bit of a gap between the ceiling and the arch itself, making for a perfect spot for us to hide. We could both swoop down and tackle the pair with ease.

Well, I could tackle one of them. Flurry would no doubt just glide down and apply a rather firm hug.

Not quite a proper pounce, but strength would come later. Technique was more important at this stage in her development.

I turned to Flurry, who gazed back at me through those baby blue eyes with a bright smile, though I noticed her feathers twitching and cheeks puffed up like they were full of oatmeal. She was trying not to laugh. Such a good filly.

Without word or sound, I brought a hoof to my lips to remind her. Little Flurry copied me, then covered her mouth with both hooves. I had to fight the urge to let out a chittering laugh myself, so I turned to keep an eye on Orange and East.

My earfins twitched as they trotted beneath us. I could hear their voices floating up, though not enough to make out. But that was hardly important. We were on a pouncing mission, not an eavesdropping mission.

I leaned in close to Flurry and whispered, “No pouncing when they can see you coming, remember? We stay quiet, stay hidden, and surprise them with pounces.”

“Sssssss,” she hissed, furrowing her brows as if to scold me. “Sssss, Tora! Ten ponce!”

Such an attentive student! She would make an excellent changeling. But a better princess, no doubt.

Grinning a fanged grin, I nodded. Then I motioned for her to follow me as I shimmied over to the other side of the archway, waiting for them to come through. That way, we wouldn’t be coming down the way they could see us.

We’d flank them.

I won’t pretend the thought didn’t make the old predatory instincts stir. Though I loathe the idea of stealing love, I am and ever-will be a changeling. My lips tugged wider, no doubt revealing the full length of my fangs and a mouthful of sharp, needle like teeth. I took a deep breath, nodded to Furry, and leapt off the archway.

East Wind’s left ear twitched, he must’ve heard my hoof tap against the crystal. He turned to look, but it was too late. His eyes went wide and wings flared out in panic, just in time for me to wrap my forelegs around his shoulders and drag him to the ground before I pinned his shoulders.

I let out a victorious chitter. “Pounced,” I hissed gleefully as I settled my weight on his belly to prevent escape.

“Thorax!” he groaned. “The hay are you doing?”

To my left, Orange Blossom glared at the side of my head. “That’s what I’d like to know!” she growled, flicking her tail angrily. “What Celestia’s name are you trying to—mmph!”

Flurry Heart latched onto her face at the perfect moment. “Ponce!” she chirped. Her ears waggled and tail swished gaily. “Furry ponce Bossom! Furry, Tora ponce, yay!”

Flawless execution. “Excellent, Flurry,” I said with a smile as I got off of East Wind and let him sit up. “That’s how we pounce. Good hiding spot, stay quiet, then—” I feinted as though I were going to jump at East Wind, which made him scoot toward Orange “—pounce!”

While Flurry babbled, delighted to have claimed a comfortable spot latched onto Orange Blossom’s face, the pair stared at me, then her. Their ears twitched a couple times, then suddenly stood straight.

Orange spoke slowly, “You’re teaching her—”

“—How to pounce,” East Wind finished.

I bobbed my head.

“Why?”

Why? Did nopony else understand the important life lessons I was imparting? With a heavy sigh, I informed them that it was important for Flurry Heart to learn how to pounce and hide properly. Survival skills were paramount to every member of the hive—well, this wasn’t technically the hive, so I amended it to being important to “the herd” of ponies.

For some reason, I tasted amusement from both at the wording. East had a sudden coughing fit. Curious.

By the time I’d finished, the pair shared pensive looks. After a moment, Orange lit her horn in a verdant green light and removed Flurry from her face in favor of settling the giggling little princess upon her back. Then I noticed the corners of her mouth tugging into a most wicked grin.

Something in my belly told me I should run.

“You know, Thorax,” she purred, taking a step toward me. Her viridian eyes danced like leaves in the breeze. “There’s something else the, ah, herd takes very seriously. Paramount to social acceptance, even.”

I blinked twice. “Huh?”

East Wind began to circle around my right side, cutting off the far corridor. “Yeah. It’s something you and the Young Princess could both use, since Their Highnesses are out.” His wings flared in challenge. “So why don’t we help you out?”

Anxiety clawed at my belly. They couldn’t mean what I feared. They simply couldn’t! I took a step back from him, a nervous grin spread across my face.

My hindquarters bumped into Orange Blossom’s chest. She looped a hoof around my shoulders and crushed me against her side in an iron embrace—a surprising show of physical strength for a unicorn other than Shining. “Come along, kids,” she said, “it’s bath time.”

My heart sank. I let out a sad chitter and tried to tug myself free, but then East trotted up and pressed his shoulder against mine, and wrapped a wing around my barrel.

I was doomed.

Water was not a good thing unless it was being drunk. It goes right through the holes in my legs, and I end up sinking in it, and just … Ugh! Give me a good half hour and I’ll lick my carapace so clean it gleams like polished rock.

But that didn’t satisfy Orange and East. No, they made sure I stayed in the tub with Flurry and scrubbed every inch of my carapace clean. For the better part of forty-five minutes, I was a miserable changeling.

Flurry Heart seemed happy to be clean, though, so I didn’t protest too much. Her coat felt nice and velvety smooth, and the curls in her mane bounced almost happily as she rode on my back toward her bedroom. Dinner had been quite nice, though. She ate her food without throwing it for once, and the staff had gone to the griffon traders to find me a nice big fish. Salmon, actually.

My favorite.

Of course, once dinner finished, it was time for Flurry’s least favorite part—bedtime.

She tried to fly from my back the moment I stopped by her crib, but I have long since learned to react to her tricks. I caught her around the barrel and held her close. “No, Flurry,” I scolded gently, nuzzling my nose against hers. “It’s not time for flying, it’s time for sleeping.”

Flurry pouted. “No sleep!” she cried. “Play!”

“We already played today, Flurry.” I fetched her blanket from her crib and began wrapping her in it, just as Cadence had taught me. Funnily enough, it was much like cocooning. A little blanket cocoon for my overlady, her favorite blanket, might I add. “It’s time for you to rest so we can play more tomorrow.”

She frowned. There was little doubt she wished to protest, but the promise of playing again was something she seemed willing to consider. “Face?” she asked. “Face ’n play?”

Grinning, I nuzzled her cheek. “Of course I’ll make faces for you! But you have to be a good filly and go to sleep for me, okay?”

Flurry squealed and babbled, happy that our deal had been made. As if I would ever let her go a morning without her silly faces—but I couldn’t tell her so, or she might demand a greater price. She might demand that I teach her how to hide when her mother tries to make her eat vegetables instead of sweets.

Not that I didn’t sympathize with her plight, but I was a good, loyal subject of the Crystal Empire (and Equestria). If the Royal Family gave a direct command, I would see it carried out to the best of my ability.

I set her down gently in her crib, and made sure to lay her head on a pillow so fluffy, Princess Cadence swore pegasi would be jealous. Which sounds impressive. After all, they sleep on clouds.

With a smile, I leaned over the edge and nuzzled her mane. “Goodnight, Flurry Heart,” I whispered.

“Sing!” she demanded with a grin of her own. “Tora sing!”

Ah. The bedtime song her mother always sang. I didn’t know that one.

But I did know the one I sang for her once or twice before, when Sunburst and I watched over her for a night while her parents dealt with a couple angry ambassadors posturing for something or other. Personally, I don’t think mine is quite as nice as Princess Cadence’s—she has a voice that could charm a dragon to part with his hoard.

Still, it was nice to know that my humble efforts were appreciated.

I cleared my throat and let out a bit of a buzz, just to make sure no excess cocoon slime had found its way down my esophagus. It sounds funny, but changeling colds are anything but amusing. Last time, Princess Cadence and Sunburst had to get hammers and chisels to free Shining from an accidental cocooning. He took it in stride at least (after about three showers and several cleansing spells). But he’s vowed that I’ll never live it down.

I hummed a bit and set my hooves on the edge of her crib, and then began to sing:

I broke off my singing and let out an angry hiss, baring my fangs and lashing my forked tongue as if I were about to rip the face off whatever hideous creature dared enter the room and threaten my overlady while she slept. After a few seconds, I stopped and snuck a peek down at Flurry to make sure I hadn’t frightened her.

Flurry Heart laughed and wriggled in her blanket, happy as a nymph in a warm cocoon. Happy that I was there to protect her.

With a happy buzz, I sang the last verse:

As the last note tapered off, Flurry Heart let out a long, breathy yawn. Her big blue eyes began to go a bit unfocused, her eyelids began to droop. She turned as if to offer nuzzles, leaning up toward me.

I leaned down to meet her. “Goodnight, Flurry,” I said again, nuzzling her nose.

“Nigh, Tora,” she murmured. Then, to my surprise, she kissed my nose and snuggled into her pillow.

She was fast asleep within seconds. My work watching over her for the night was done. Mostly, anyway. Someone had to stay nearby until her parents returned.

Silent as a mouse, I crept from her room and pulled the door near closed, leaving just a crack so I could hear her cry out if any nightmares (or monsters) frightened her. I stood in the hallway for a moment, glancing about to check the room.

Then I sat down, a physical barrier between the common area and Flurry’s room.

Princess Cadence and Prince-Captain Shining Armor said they found my hissing and snarling to ward off intruders or monsters endearing. Their sentiment is appreciated, though they, Sunburst, and I all know full well that I’m serious.

Until her parents returned, Flurry Heart was my charge. Until then nothing would make the egregious mistake of disturbing her sleep, or I would correct them.

With my fangs.