“A Changeling.”
Twelve Years Before The Storm
Somewhere south of Equestria deep below the rocky surface of the badlands. There laid a set of large chambers drowned in near pitch black. Dimly lit by small green bioluminescent lights. Tunnels and side passages, entrances and exits, they were everywhere and in every direction. The air was damp and cold, calm and undisturbed, it was desired to be as such. Because these chambers were more than just mere caves.
These were nurseries, schools and playgrounds. For the walls, the floor and even parts of the ceiling were covered in hundreds of emerald green, oval eggs. Each egg was the size of a mini-fridge or beach ball and was held tightly in place by clusters of lime green resin at their bases. Some had laid dormant for months though for many, they’d been waiting for much longer.
One of them in particular however stood out from the rest. It didn’t share the bright green glow of its brothers to be nor the same blood they’d been birthed by. Instead, its surface was a deep royal purple as was the shell that belonged to its lone occupant.
The undisturbed and unguarded chambers laid dormant as the natural rock columns and artificially dug tunnels glistened with condensation. The only sound to break the silence being the slow dripping of water. Until a pair of purple lights flickered to life within the outlier of the clutch. Restless and ready for release, a small, jet-black dagger pierced the top of the egg and tore its way down. Rivers of clear gooey liquid splattered onto nearby eggs and down the tear, creating a pool at the egg’s base where the newly born nymph slid out no larger than a house cat.
Despite its immediate birth, It tried to climb to its hooves but kept slipping and sliding. Bumping into other eggs before giving up and laying on the floor. With little else to do, the creature quickly took in its surroundings and found the caves dark, cold and empty. it looked around for anything else it could cling to but found nothing, the newborn nymph was alone…cold…and scared.
Five Nights Before the Storm
It was a cold winter night in Canterlot, the city’s streets covered in thick sheets of snow with only the gentle whispers of the wind to accompany those that remained outside. One such soul was a lone pegasus mare returning from what was meant to be a quick shopping trip, but had turned into another late night spree. Her coat was a golden yellow with a shortcut, bright orange mane. Clad in a teal jacket and scarlet red scarf dotted with white freckles of snow. On her back were a pair of saddlebags containing more than a few parcels and packages from her latest shopping adventure.
All around her the various lights of Hearth's Warming decor danced. Coloured wires spiralled up lamp posts and across buildings emitting a strong golden glow that made the surrounding snow look like gold dust. As if Celestia herself had enriched Canterlot’s streets.
Overhead decorations spanned from one side of the street to the other. Depicting reindeer pulling a big red sled of ponies each sharing presents with one another, with nets of stars shining in the night sky and trees with various decorations on them. Many had been further enhanced with a touch of illusionary magic. Making them appear to have come to life within the confines of their nets even if only to endlessly repeat an action or two.
Yet no artificial glow could compare to the warm smile spread across the face of the young mother as she strode across the sidewalks. Fresh snow crunching under her boots and the weight of her well laden saddlebags slowing her pace. She didn’t intend to have been outside at this time but with the celebration of Equestria’s Founding right around the corner she had to seize whatever opportunity presented itself lest another pony rob her son of his presents.
She still remembered the incident from last year. Her young colt had woken early and couldn’t help himself so he was careful to re-wrap his gifts, but not so much to fake his celebration. He’d since become proficient in stumbling upon the gifts despite her many attempts to hide them. Not all of them but enough that buying them in advance had become difficult when she wanted to elicit surprise and have that golden moment of wonder on his face. True, it was a somewhat silly thing to complain about, but nothing could compare to the warmth in her cheeks and the butterflies in her belly when she saw that face, that cute little smile and the joy in his eyes, as infectious as it was addicting.
The mare’s train of thought came to a grinding halt when the whimpers of some distant yet muffled cry met her ears. She froze in place and turned her head towards the source. An alleyway wedged between a pair of stone brick buildings with a connecting overhead arch shrouding the path in darkness. She looked around the street for anypony else but there was not a soul in sight so she returned her gaze. It was crying alright and furthermore it sounded young….too young for her liking.
“Just keep walking, go and find help somewhere. There have to be guards around maybe they can take care of this? There’s probably some just a block or two down, not even ten minutes away.”
Yet as she listened her maternal instincts took hold. The voice was young but raspy with time between breaths cut short. Whoever it was they were shivering too much for it to be healthy, so mustering up the courage she held her breath in for a few seconds and spoke. “Hello? Is anypony there?”
The alley went dead quiet.
“Turn around and run you stupid mare, whatever it is it doesn’t want you hearing it!” She berated herself. But instead of heeding her internal advice the angel on her shoulder persisted and she pressed on. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” She began to slowly step into the alley. Coming upon a dumpster that had been opened with its contents scattered across the stone flooring before her, “I-i just want to talk.”
She waded her way around all the junk being careful not to dirty her boots on other ponies’ refuse. When she passed the dumpster she saw a dirty, damp cardboard box sitting upside down. A large hole in its side where she heard the muffled shivers of whoever, or whatever, was inside. She bent down and looked inside the hole and was only met with a dark void and the slight vibrations of the discarded container.
“Are you okay in there? Please say something dear.”
As if on cue a pair of purple lights then flickered on inside. A split second later she realised they were actually eyes and immediately recoiled. Her head nearly banging against the brick wall behind her. The eyes likewise widened in fear and a moment of awkward silence wedged itself in the space the two had created.
It didn’t last long though as after her initial shock the mare regained her conscious senses. The creature inside still shivered and while quiet she could still hear faint whimpers. A mixture of curiosity, fear, sympathy and anxiety washed over her. Like a cold shiver crawling down her back and sinking into the ground. She wanted to leave, to turn around and bolt. The guards shouldn’t be far away surely they could handle this? But she was committed now. She couldn’t just abandon this poor thing on such a cold night.
“Uh…hi? I-I’m not here to hurt you I swear.”
She was only met with silence and more muffled whimpers. “M-my name’s Gold,” She patted a hoof against her chest, forcing a smile. “Gleaming Gold, I’m sure I could help you, just…” She trailed off. It was hard not to make a one sided conversation feel awkward but she was doing her best, anxiety be damned. She approached and knelt down towards the box, still keeping that forced smile. “Are you hungry? Cold? You could stay with me for a little bit and warm up.”
Good one Gold, way to state the obvious. She again scolded herself. “Is it okay if I lift up this box?”
Still nothing, and her smile was becoming increasingly difficult to enforce. The muscles in her face aching from the sensation.
Deciding to be proactive, Gold sat down in front of the box and slowly placed her hooves onto its sides. She struggled against her own nerves and she slowly lifted it up, squinting her eyes out of fear of what she might find that had purple eyes inside.
Instead, upon lifting the box up, nothing happened. Relieved, Gold let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she placed it to the side and got her first real look at the-
The creature before her was pony-like in its body structure but it had holes within its hooves and legs that went all the way through. A royal purple insect-like shell lay upon its back, jet black chitin as dark as Luna herself composed its skin. A single smooth curved horn rested upon its forehead, whilst a pair of tiny, bone white fangs protruded from its mouth and its eyes glowed the same deep purple as its back, only with a fading white iris at its centre…
“A Changeling.”
Gold felt her pulse rapidly increase. She was looking at a changeling, one of the same creatures that had attacked Canterlot not even half a year ago. That had placed all their lives in peril and threatened even the royal sisters themselves. She’d thoughtlessly turned her head towards the entrance of the alley with a cry for help already on the tip of her lips, but she never spoke. Instead, she found herself turning back towards the little bug-pony. It was so small, not even half the size of the ones that had attacked her town. Once the initial force had been repelled, she'd recalled seeing the ones left over being escorted in chains through the streets and they were clearly full-grown adults. This, however, wasn’t!
She half expected it to pounce on her, drain her of every scrap of love and leave an empty husk behind. But it lay there in front of her as terrified as she was and violently shaking. Caked in grime, covered in grit and without a shred of cloth on its body, the poor thing must be freezing!
“I should turn around, call for help and get the guards…shouldn’t I?”
She saw the desperation in its eye, the pleas not to scream and the dried up tear tracks that nearly froze under its cheeks, her chittering mouth and legs against the ground reverberated in her head. Even her nose was red and already starting to run, a possible sign of illness. Gold swore she could see it trying to shake its head as if to say “No!” but it was hard to tell.
“Come on Gleaming, your family is waiting for you. Just turn your thick skull and say something!”
But…what would happen after? Her internal argument pulled up memories of the aftermath, changelings in chains being pulled through streets from every jail and holding area. Ponies torn from their homes and disguises dispelled right in front of what was thought to be loved ones. Newspapers reporting hundreds, maybe thousands of exposures across the country. Nopony was ever hanged; they weren’t that cruel, but the Princess wanted to show others Equestria was not to be trifled with.
Despite all the headlines, she never knew what became of the prisoners. Would that be this little one’s fate? A life confined to a dark, cold cell with only the indifference of a nearby guard to feed upon? It had to be a foal, there was no way it wasn’t, but how did it end up here of all places?
“Gleaming Gold you stupid, stupid pony! Don’t you dare do this, you have a family of your own!”
What would happen if she was caught? What would happen to her family? Her only child, her husband, what would her friends think of her? Housing a changeling would no doubt get her arrested, but at the same time the look in the poor foal’s eye made her heart twist. She’d never forgive herself otherwise and she’d never sleep again.
She bought her hoof up to adjust her scarf. From the corner of her vision she caught the snow white pattern knitted into the scarlet cloth, a pony giving another a present. Hearth's Warming was a time of coming together for a greater good, of friendship and forgiveness. In that moment she knew what to do.
Gleaming unfolded the scarf around her neck and slowly approached the shivering nymph, careful not to make any sudden moves as she gently wrapped her scarf around its body. It recoiled at first, hesitant to accept her aid. But the moment she started it didn’t resist, if anything it slightly leaned into her. The warmth of her scarf was the only kind of heat it’d have otherwise.
“There there, It’s going to be okay, you're going to be fine.” She tried to assure it. In truth she was comforting herself as much as the nymph. She adjusted her seating and shifted closer to it before craning her neck down and undoing her coat’s zip. Not all the way but enough she could get it away from the cold. She raised her coat and shortly after it took the cue sliding inside so she pulled her wing out and further embraced it.
By the Sun it was so cold! Like somepony had just slid a chunk of ice under her coat. She could feel the bitter chill through her sweater and the grease and bits of trash that had clung to its body smeared against her clothes. The shivering made staying still difficult so she began to rock back and forth, trying to control the sway while humming a gentle lullaby. She couldn’t stop now, it needed her. She could throw her clothes in the wash when she got home and take a bath to warm up.
Maybe this was all a farce? Some trick to manipulate her into giving it her love or to control her emotions? Maybe that’s how their queen got a hold of the Captain of the Guard? But sitting here, rocking back and forth, holding the little one tight and feeling just how close it probably was to frostbite…love sucking parasites be damned, she wasn’t about to let a child freeze to death!
She opened a crack up between her wing and the changeling through which she could see the nymph’s face. It was beginning to still and in the time since she hadn't even registered that he was hugging her best it could. “Hey there?” She asked.
The nymph slowly cranked its neck up to look at her with its deep purple eyes locking with hers. A flurry of fear, hope and desperation racing through its face. She didn’t need to be a changeling herself to read its emotions. “Do you have anywhere to go? Anypony to turn to?”
It briefly shook its head. She glanced back at the box sitting beside the dumpster. A discarded torn up towel was the only bedding it had to separate itself from the stone cold ground. She looked back at the changeling and continued. “Can you tell me your name?”
Its mouth opened and closed several times. Little squeaks and chitters escaped but not a word of discernible speech was spoken, still too cold to control its own tongue. She moved a hoof to cover its mouth forcing another smile. “Shh It’s okay, I’ve heard enough.”
She looked both ways down the alley. Even if it could disguise itself, there’d be nopony in Canterlot willing to host an urchin at this hour as most were already asleep.
“Just one night, one night couldn’t hurt could it? Go find an orphanage in the morning and everything will be settled.”
She sat there with the nymph for a few more minutes, gently rocking to and fro. Comforting it best she could before deciding enough was enough. She hadn’t heard anypony walk down the street in the time since and so assumed it was safe enough. “Don’t be scared little one, I’m going to take you home for the night, get you something warm and clean you up, you're going to be okay.”
Gleaming finally let go of the nymph and tried getting to her hooves but it then clung to her leg as she reached full height. It began to whimper again like it did before she entered the alley and she winced at its whining. She extended a wing and covered it up. “Shh shh, I’m not going to leave you, but I really don’t need you making this harder than it already is.”
The child looked up at her, fresh tears already rolling down its night black chitin cheeks. It didn’t want to let go, to be left behind in the cold once more at the mercy of the elements. Gleaming stared solemnly into its bright purple eyes, the tinge of hope present within. “Please?” She asked, “I’m not leaving you, just walk with me under my wing, okay?”
After a moment it seemed to obey her request and relented, climbing to its own four legs yet rubbing against her barrel. She made sure to keep her wing as close as possible as she took her first few steps. Slowly at first as to allow the nymph time to get into a rhythm but before she knew it she was back onto the sidewalks.
Then as if the lights all around had shined upon her mind, the full realisation had hit her like a bowling ball. If any of the guard patrols caught her, any of them, she was in deep trouble.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can't believe I’m doing this. I can't believe I’m doing this!”
She looked both ways, creeping through the snow and keeping her head on a swivel. It was as if every one of her senses had been amplified as the sound of a wind indicator creaking on a nearby rooftop may as well have been a foghorn to her ears. Were the overhead lights always this bright? Or was it all adrenaline causing her breath to quicken?
Either way she knew the directions she had to take, a few turns here and street crossing there, yet it felt like an eternity just making way across one empty street. A single, well illuminated and completely empty street where somepony could’ve seen her a mile away. How many were actually asleep right now? All it would take is one lucky observer to peer through their curtains at the right time and it was all over.
Yet she pressed on, one street after another, one turn after the next, she didn’t know many shortcuts and tonight was not the night to go exploring and get lost. At least the little nymph beside her stopped crying. The thought of having to deal with the streets carrying the echoes of a whimper? Oh she couldn’t bear it.
Then she heard it, the clambering of armoured hooves through the snow off in the distance approaching faster then she would have ever wanted. She looked everywhere, there were a few bins but they were too small, rooftops maybe? What if the nymph couldn’t fly yet? What about turning around and taking another route? Okay that would at least buy her more time. Or so she thought.
By the time she’d made up her mind and began turning around the group of guards had already rounded the corner and caught sight of her. She froze in place, as still as an ice statue as they all marched toward her.
“Nononono okay what do I do? WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?!?”
She adjusted her saddlebags and quickly opened them up, intending to fake the need to sort them out. The gilded patrol walked down the sidewalk, adorned in shining golden armour with thick coats underneath and sheathed weapons hanging from their sides. What was once a sign of hope and assessment of safety had now turned into a terrifying presence. She just hoped they’d walk right on by and not notice the little changeling nymph currently rested under her wing.
The air around her grew hot and heavy, a bead of cold sweat ran down her temple as they split up and began walking past. Try as she might she couldn’t completely hide the fear on her face and she internally prayed to whichever of the sisters was listening not to let her get caught this moment. They were almost gone, just a little more…
“Hey, are you okay, miss?” One of them turned about face behind her, “Bit late for a walk don’t you think?”
If Gold’s coat could turn a ghostly white it would’ve. Though the guard couldn’t see it, her pupils had shrunk to the size of peas and her legs felt like jelly. She gave herself a mental slap before indicison set in and she roused suspicion.
“Oh yea! I’m fine, just a little late night shopping, needed to sort some things out is all.” Her delivery was okay but an actor she wasn’t, even she could hear the nervousness in her voice. Continuing to endlessly fiddle around with the various boxes and toy packs as though she’d been looking for a needle in a haystack.
“Please just keep walking!”
“If you need help, I can lend a hoof, you seem a little agitated.”
“Was it that obvious?!” The other guards had stopped and turned their attention, now drawn to what they were doing. It was only a few but she may as well have had all the eyes in Canterlot watching her at that moment. “No no I’m fine! It’s just chilly is all.” She forced a nervous grin, the weight of a dumbbell now on her back. “I was already heading home, nothing to worry about.”
“Are you sure? You look like your wing’s having issues.”
Scrap dumbbell, now it was an anvil. Her legs threatened to give out from under her. “Why can’t you take a hint?! Why do they have to be so noble?”
“No, it’s fine! I just needed to…stretch my wing is all! These saddlebags are wearing me down, you know? And the last thing I’d want to do is trouble you.”
The guard stared at her and squinted his eyes, his gaze fixed on the anomaly of her outstretched wing. “He’s not buying it is he? Oh nonononono he’s not buying it!”
Gold felt like she was about to scream, she was just trying to do the right thing! How is that so hard? The guard raised a hoof but just as he was about to say something one of the others behind him butted in first. “Hey lay off her, she said she’s fine you twit!”
“Hey yeah come on! It’s freezing out here.” Said another. The first guard turned his head back towards his comrades then towards Gold. He let out a sigh and shook his head in annoyance before turning around and rejoining them.
Gold let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Relief washed over her like a wave of warm water and she fiddled a little more with her bags. Actually trying to sort them out this time rather than the messy pawing she was just doing. When she was satisfied she looked around and saw the guards were gone and with it the weight on her shoulders. “That was too close, WAY too close.”
She lifted her wing slightly and looked inside with words of comfort already being drawn upon. Only to find an empty space where the nymph should’ve been…
Wait, where is it? She looked around, panic already sinking it’s teeth into her mind. “Where did it go?!” Her head spun around and her ears twitched.
She caught a glimpse of those same deep purple lights partially obscured behind the pair of metal rubbish bins she glossed over when she heard the guards, looking back at her from a little ways away. For the second time that night she felt her pulse pleasingly slow down and warmth return to her veins. “Oh dear Celestia, you had me worried there little one.”
The Nymph slowly crept out from behind the bins, its head low to the ground like a common housecat. It returned to her side and brushed up against her barrel as Gleaming resumed her previous gesture with the wing and continued on her merry way.
The rest of the trip was mercifully uneventful and the duo came upon a common yellow brick house with tall hedge fencing separating it from its neighbours. Its chimney bellowing a constant stream of thick smoke, the warm glow of a fireplace visible from behind the living room curtains and the front lawn hosting a flurry of Hearth’s Warming decorations. From clay reindeers to twinkling fairy lights, the most notable being a joke sign urging the princess to stop here for cake and tea.
“We’re here! Welcome home dear.”
Gleaming opened the front door and led the small changeling into a dimly lit reception with several coat racks, boot sets and baskets of scarfs. She quickly de-robed herself and opened a second, more secure, door that required a key. Once done both were inside the house properly.
They were led into a corridor with a door on the right leading into the living room. On the left was a staircase that led to the bedrooms and if you went straight down the middle you’d find yourself in the kitchen. The design was compact and fairly basic but the decorations were anything but so, little fairy lights hung from the ceilings, framed pictures and photos lined the walls, more gag signs among them.
Gleaming wiped her hooves on the door mat and turned to the nymph, “I’m going to turn on the taps and run you a bath. My son’s in the living room, I don’t want him panicking so try to stay here until your bath and I have some time to explain you to him. Okay?”
The nymph looked back at her and meekly nodded. She smiled and began her ascent up the orange carpeted stairs. The changeling meanwhile looked around, left alone it could feel the ambient warmth of the house, the aroma of excitement and joy all around for it to breathe in with a faint but ever present tinge of a family’s love. The fairy lights above sparkled like stars and painted the hallway in a plethora of colours, yet its attention was drawn most to the pictures on the walls, a well celebrated family history.
It recognised Gleaming Gold but there were two others present, a dirty copper coated unicorn stallion and a light brass coloured colt who inherited both his father’s horn and metal grey mane. They all seemed so happy together.
Moving away from the individual photos, it began walking forward towards the living room door glossing over images of various events including a carnival, a camping trip and various birthdays. But one picture forced the nymph to freeze. A photo of the father on a hospital bed with several stitches and bandages. His front right leg was held above in a cast with a basket of flowers and cards laid on his bedside table. He was staring at the camera with the others smiling sure, but perched above the framed photo was a certificate.
This certification confirms and congratulates Cadet Copper Casing on passing through basic training at Canterlot Royal Academy. Signed Count Nutcracker.
The husband’s a guard!?
Why would Gleaming allow the nymph inside if she knew her significant other would take them away? The nymph began backing away, turning around towards the door before trying the handle, only for it to hold fast.
“Right, key, she’d locked it.”
This place wasn’t safe, it wasn’t safe to begin with but now it was even less so!
“Calm down, calm down, you’ve been through worse. What’s the mother doing?” That train of thought was answered by the sounds of water rushing into a tub and the soft silhouette from atop the stairs. She was sticking to the bathroom which meant she wasn’t lying, and wasn't about to tell the guard about them. Not after taking such a risk to save them it wouldn’t make sense.
They breathed a sigh of relief, at least they had an ally here. That was good, but what about the colt?
Gleaming had instructed them to stay put and not cause any trouble, but it still found itself shivering from its time outside in the bone chilling cold. So when it heard the soft crackles of a warm, soothing fireplace they couldn’t help but inch closer towards the door frame. Surely there wasn’t any harm in just taking a look and warming up a little?
The changeling slowly crept over to the living room door and peeked inside. Directly facing the door was a blazing fireplace covered by a metal cage. Even just looking at it they could feel its warmth upon their face, the pleasant sensation of being defrosted after spending so long in the snow and the hypnotic dancing flames of it’s embers. But it would have to wait, in the middle of the room was a coffee table with two couches sat opposed to each other. Framed artwork hung from walls, a tall wooden grandfather clock stood next to the door frame and a tall well decorated pine tree sat in the room’s corner next to a pair of closed curtained windows.
But what caught the changeling’s eye was the brass colt seated on one of the couches, using magic to play with a deck of cards. His metal grey mane was cut short and tame compared to his mother and his cutie mark depicted a target board with several holes shot through it.
It slowly inched forward towards the fire and towards the end of its horrible quaking. Getting a little closer couldn’t hurt could it? Plus the colt’s back was turned. hooves gently pressing into the soft amber carpet careful not to make any sudden moves…until a creaky floorboard loudly announced its presence. The colt’s head snapped towards it and for a solid five seconds the two just stared at each other in awkward silence.
The changeling forced a meek smile, “Uh…hi?”
The colt then bolted and leapt over the back of the couch and popped his head out from up over the arm. His steel grey eyes staring at the newcomer. “Hi!” He squeaked. A moment of silence followed before he spoke again. “You look weird.”
Exposed and seeing little point in hiding, the nymph resumed their slow advance towards the coffee table. Eyes darting all around if only to avoid staring at the colt. He had an aura of many things like excitement, joy, most of all innocent curiosity, and not a tinge of fear or doubt to be had which in turn peaked the changeling’s own attention. It nervously climbed up onto and sat down on the couch. The two of them stayed there for a little while, with the slow ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackles of the fireplace the only noises to fill the room.
The colt blinked a few times before raising his head above the chair’s arm revealing a smile. “My name’s Raining Lead, what’s yours?” He said rather bluntly.
The changeling looked at him and shifted in its seat. The room’s warmth having finally thawed out the ability to speak properly, “S-Shellac, it’s Shellac. Shell works too.”
Shell’s voice was soft and a little raspy but sounded masculine enough for Raining to assume Shellac was a colt. “Nice to meet you Shell! Are you a changeling?” He asked with enthusiasm.
Shellac raised an eye at that. “You…didn’t know that?”
“Nah, never seen one before, everypony talked about them a while back but I only ever heard about them. They made them sound scary. But you don’t look scary.”
“Wha-? How? They attacked you didn’t they? At the wedding? There were thousands of them!”
“I didn’t get to see the wedding, I was asleep for the whole thing.”
Shellac’s jaw dropped in astonishment. If his mind was open for the world to hear the room would’ve been filled with the sound of an anvil crashing onto a piano or a window breaking. Shellac remembered that day perfectly, there were explosions, screams, changelings crashing into the streets fighting guards! How did this one unicorn colt manage to sleep through all that?
“No way,” he quietly spoke. “No way any-creature could’ve slept through all that!”
Raining giggled and placed his hooves on the couch arm, raising his chest high. “Weeeeeeeell, I was having trouble sleeping the past few nights prior and my dad really wanted to make sure I was rested for the wedding. So he casted a sleep spell he learned but he might’ve overdone it…just a little bit!” He said, making gestures with his hoof as he explained.
The mental image of the little brass colt laying on a bed loudly snoring without a care in the world whilst a shower of green fire rained from the sky outside forced Shellac to suppress a chuckle. He couldn’t contain it all and a few snickers escaped his core.
That sliver of laughter however only seemed to fuel Raining as he continued. “Oh you think that’s funny? How about the time my dad went apple bobbing on Nightmare Night and got an apple stuck on the end of his horn?”
Another mental image, this time of a soaked guard thrashing about trying to get a little, ruby red apple off his horn in front of the Night Princess. Another round of barely suppressed belly laughs as Shell tried to contain his hearty chuckles.
A devious smile spread across Raining’s face, eagerly enjoying trying to break the nymph’s self imposed barrier. “Or how about that one time my mom forgot to secure her manebands so when we went out and it got windy, they came undone juuuuuust as we’d had a photo taken so she looked like a tumbleweed had smacked her head!” Raining raised his hooves for dramatic effect as he finished.
“Pffff HAHAhahahahahaaaa!” Shellac heaved forward as the contents of his lungs were driven from his chest. Raining smiled as Shell brought a hoof up to wipe a tear from his eye. Still giggling even as he leaned back and relaxed against the couch.
He suddenly couldn’t remember why he was trying to hold them back in the first place. His answer however came as three loud bangs erupted from the ceiling above them, followed by a distant heavy voice. “Pipe down Raining I’m tryna sleep!”
Shell’s joy melted like ice under tap water at the reminder of who was upstairs. His smile dropped into a frown as he looked towards Raining. Newfound fear in his eye as the colt’s own smile did the same. “Was that…your dad?” His voice now only slightly above that of a whisper.
Raining followed suit and likewise quietened down. “Yea, that was him, mom and dad’s bedroom’s above us, he probably won’t like you.”
A lead weight fell upon Shell’s shoulders, shattering the happy atmosphere. He tried rubbing his upper foreleg in a fit to bring some comfort to himself. His chitin suddenly felt more sensitive and the presence of all the dirt and muck that had accumulated from over a month of rough living was brought to the forefront of his mind, reminding him he was an outsider in someone else’s home. “It didn’t feel safe again…”
Before a sense of panic could set in, he felt a gentle hoof pat his shoulder. Quickly spinning around, he saw Raining sitting next to him with a reassuring smile on his face. “I shouldn’t have said it like that, but he was awake during the attack and got hurt really badly. He's not a guard anymore because of it and mom says he’s gotten really clingy since.”
“The picture of him at the hospital.” Shell thought. Did his leg not heal all the way? That must’ve been it. A tinge of guilt shot through him at what the others did where it began to grow. “Why are they being so nice to me?”
“But listen, he’s not a bad guy alright? He just wants to make sure we’re safe, and you don’t seem evil or bad or wanting to hurt me so you should be safe too!”
Shell could taste the sincerity in his voice. He still wasn’t sure but the weight on his back wasn't nearly as heavy all of the sudden and a ghost of a smile formed at the corners of his mouth. “You really think so?”
“Of course! Sure he might sound mean but he was a guard, that’s part of their job.”
Shellac held in a breath for several seconds before letting go, releasing a wave of tension from his body. Hopefully he was right, hopefully he wouldn’t have to break into a mad dash as swords and spears raced by his face come morning. “Hopefully the queen was wrong…”
Shellac’s train of thought ended when he was again patted on the shoulder by Raining. “Can I ask why you sound so weird?”
Shellac tilted his head in confusion, not expecting such a question. “Weird? What do you mean weird?”
“I don’t know, it’s something about your voice.” Raining pointed towards Shell’s mouth. “How you say words.”
“You mean my accent? You're the one with the accent, you and your mom both.”
“My mum? My dad has it as well, so do a lot of ponies I’ve met. I guess I’ve never heard your “accent” before.” Raining shrugged.
“Seriously? I have the most common one in Equestria. There’s a bunch of ponies in Canterlot who have it too!”
“Really? Huh…” Raining paused for a moment. Casually panning his view off to the side before smiling and snapped back to Shellac. “Do you know what mine is?!” He grinned. looking at him like a playful puppy waiting for a treat.
“Yeah, you all have Canterlot Cockney accents. You’ve really never heard of this term before?”
“Nah.”
Shellac and Raining both stared at each other. One with bewilderment and the other with an innocent, content smile. His tail flicking against the arm of the couch on occasion. Shell opened his mouth a few times but never spoke as he tried to think of a response to how Raining could’ve lived this long in ignorance of this knowledge.
Before he could though, Raining broke the stalemate. “So what other words do you think sound weird when I say them? The way you say mum sounds weird.”
Shellac shook his head slightly and stuttered his opening response. “I say it with an “O” not a “U” like you’re doing.”
“Oh, so where I’d like mummy, you’d say “marmmy?” Raining tried to mimic Shellac’s accent but ended up somehow wedging an “ar” in the middle of the word where the “o” should’ve been. Resulting in a botched job that would’ve made Shellac’s ponish teacher roll in his grave. It did manage to make him cringe at the attempt.
“No! No, okay, let’s start over. What about the word tomato? You can’t mess that up right? There’s a great big “A” in the middle!”
Much to Shellac’s dismay, Raining did exactly that and pronounced the word with an “ar” instead of a simple “a.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “To-ma-to, not to-mar-to!”
“Tomarto!”
Shellac slapped his forehead with a hoof in defeat, almost certain he was doing this on purpose. But before he could continue they both heard hoofsteps coming from the staircase. Gleaming Gold appearing in the doorway shortly after. “Your bath’s ready dear!”
Feeling a bit more relaxed, Shellac walked into the upstairs bathroom with a sparkle in his eye. Clear white tiles lined the walls, glittering yellow accents complemented cream painted wooden shelves, basket cases and draws. Yet the light reflections weren’t offensive to his eyes. If anything he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Behind him, Gleaming had taken the scarf off and thrown it into a nearby washing basket just outside the doorframe as Shell examined the washtub which was full of hot, soapy water and had a layer of sparkling bubbles covering the top. He could feel the warmth radiating from it and the smells of buttery smooth lavender therein.
He was stunned, at a loss for words. He’d never seen a bubble bath before and didn’t know what to say. Gleaming however had him covered. “Ready to step in dear? I broke out a bathbomb for this one, my own mix!”
“B-bomb?” He tensed up. Gleaming quickly opened up a basket and revealed several orbs of glittering soap. A veritable rainbow of colours and strong smells assaulted Shell’s nose and he felt it scrunch up as he moved a hoof to cover it. Gold giggled in smug delight and mercifully put them away. “Too strong? Figures, I make bath bombs for a living.”
Shell lowered his hoof away from his nose yet was still able to taste the various smells that had been shoved in his face. “Why are they called bath bombs? Do they explode?”
“Sort of, really they more go “pop” when you put them in water. Then the soap spreads out and well-” she gestured towards the glittering bath water. “-that happens, ready to climb in?”
Shell swivelled back around to the tub and slowly dipped his hoof into the water to test it and found it was pretty hot, pulling his hoof back once or twice. He was starting to have second thoughts when Gleaming came up behind him and scooped him up in her legs. “H-Hey! Please don’t boil me!”
“Oh you silly bug, I’m not gonna boil you! Your body just needs to adjust to the water. Trust me, you’ll love it!” She unfolded her wings and levelled him just above the surface of the water, slowly dipping his legs down under. Shellac bit his lips and hissed at the sudden burning discomfort. A moment later however, it was gone, replaced with a very warm but not unpleasant feeling. It continued that way until his hindlegs were halfway inside before Gleaming allowed the rest of his lower body to sink into the water.
When that happened a wave of blissful heat washed over his body, tingles ran up his spine and trailed into his hooves. Butterflies gathered in his throat as Gleaming allowed him to lean back into the tub and rest his head on the edge. An open mouthed smile, wide enough that the corners of his mouth pinched his eyes confirmed his delight to Gold and she let go, pulling back to find a scrubbing brush.
When he entered the building the ambient warmth helped keep him from icing over again. But now he wasn’t being drip fed heat and felt his limbs finally relax. He could lay there and melt into a puddle of happiness if his body allowed. But Gleaming had other plans as she fastened a brush from a box around the end of her hoof and poured some soap onto its fibres with her wing.
With experienced hooves she leaned in and began scrubbing the changeling’s body. Clumps of muck and patches of dried grease fell off in droves. Applying a little pressure to get into the nooks and crannies between the harder parts of his chitin. Rolling up a hoof towel and threading it through the holes in his legs. The colour of the water slowly darkened as Shell’s chitin shined. But Gleaming’s work was pure bliss to Shellac’s senses and the aura of affection coming from the mare made it all the more intoxicating. Like she was burning some sort of incense in addition to the spine tingling sensations of her movements.
When Gleaming moved to scrub his back he couldn’t help but let out a little chirp as he craned his head back in delight. She giggled and put the brush down for a moment, resting her hooves on his shoulders. “Should’ve also mentioned I work as a beautician. I help ponies relax and work out all the knots in their joints. You're gonna love this next part, just trust me okay?”
Shell’s trance was interrupted just enough for him to register what was said before Gleaming began pressing her hooves into his shoulder joints. Pain erupted from the sudden pressure being placed upon his back and he winced. The way she was moving her hooves however sent tingles up his neck. Not that the bath had already done that but it was in a way he’d never felt before.
She’d dig them in, moving them in circles trying to get in around joints. It was difficult to stay still with the amount of force being applied but he tried. If it weren’t for that feeling and the assurance from Gold he would’ve dove out of the tub, but he stayed. Gold’s message couldn’t have lasted more than a minute but it felt like forever under her touch. When she was done she returned her hooves to her sides and picked up the brush again.
Shellac felt his shoulders pop and tried moving his limbs around. Which shockingly they felt more free. Like a certain sluggishness had been taken away and he was able to move around much more fluidly, not only that but doing so felt great.
He rolled his head and shoulders around, twisted his torso and stretched his legs, it was like a new realm of energy he hadn’t touched before opened up and he chirped. “There, it wasn't so bad was it?”
“Wow, yeah I didn’t know ponies can do that!”
“Well it takes a lot of practice, but after a while I caught on.” Gleaming turned around and raised her flank into view. Her cutie mark depicted a massage table with several glittery sparks. She then returned to scrubbing the little nymph down, still not satisfied with her prior work. Shellac didn’t say anything for a while after that, content to let her put him back through sensational paradise and chirping softly as his chitin was scrubbed to a near shine. Gleaming did however get curious and now that they had a moment to themselves she made her move. “Can I ask why you're purple?”
Shellac’s eyes shot open at the sudden question. “Uh why?”
“The changelings I saw during the raid all had blue shells and eyes. Do you all start out purple?” Gleaming lifted one of his legs to reach in under with the brush.
“No not actually, Chrysalis didn’t make me. I’m from a different hive but I don’t know which.”
“You don’t know where your home is?”
“Not really, her hive took my egg and hatched me so I never met my actual queen. They never told me who it was either.”
Gleaming’s expression dropped and a dose of sympathy radiated into the room. “Oh you poor thing, how’d you wind up here of all places? Canterlot’s no place for a changeling, let alone a child.”
“I ran away cause I got picked on a lot. Different colours, not being the Queen’s child, other stuff. Miss Tibia tried to put a stop to it a few times but I swear they only got more creative.”
Gleaming finished her scrubbing and put the brush away as she got a towel ready. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like. I’m so sorry, to be honest I forgot Chrysalis was herself a mother.” She chuckled a little bit as she helped Shellac out of the tub. “Raising that many children must’ve driven her crazy, I struggle enough with my little Lead.”
She began patting him down with the towel drying him off and soon damp patches were appearing all over the large swath of cloth. “She doesn’t raise everyone all by herself if that’s what you're thinking. She has caretakers, teachers and all kinds of other workers. I was picked to be an infiltrator, that’s why I speak Ponish so well.”
A bright red flag raised within Gleaming’s mind and her pupils shrink as she did her best to keep calm and dry Shell. She flashed back to when the little nymph snuck away during her encounter with the guards and made a mental note of the admittance. “Riiiiiiight…so what went wrong?”
“Well, I got tired of living in the hive and wanted to see the world. I snuck out and found a group of travellers, made myself look like a pony, joined them and before I knew it I was in Canterlot.” Shell said with a smile.
Gold resisted the urge to squint a suspicious eye at his story, not entirely convinced but wanting to keep things moving. “Do you have a…you know, a pony name?”
“Cover name? It’s Thunder Chaser!”
Gleaming wanted to press further but she knew better than to potentially alert the young changeling and so finished up with the towel. She pulled Shellac in front of a standing mirror and his jaw, for the second time that night, dropped to the floor.
His chitin was so clean! Polished to a near finish It was so shiny and bright, like a flawless black pearl. He couldn’t help but bring a hoof to his cheek and feel just how smooth it was now. There were no more rough edges or dried dirt or anything like that. He could almost see himself in the shine of his own chitin.
In that moment another thing caught his eye, a half heart rose gold pendant hanging from around Gleaming’s neck. He didn’t know why it took this long for him to notice she had it as it dangled from her neck. Even so he stared at his reflection and for the first time in what felt like years he was clean, more than clean! He was spotless!
He looked on in awe at his shining skin, he’s never been this clean before, never this well treated…suddenly the rising well of guilt from earlier began to climb its way back up his throat and into his eyes. A dull ache started to form alongside little beads of water within the corners of each eye. Just when he thought the river had run dry, he still found more tears to shed. He turned back to Gold with a half lidded frown and lunged for her leg, hugging her as tightly as he could.
“Why?” He muttered, “Why are you doing this?”
Gleaming looked down upon his shining skin, stunned by his action. “Wha-? What do you mean?”
“Why are you being so nice to me? Aren’t ponies meant to hate me? Especially after what happened in Canterlot?” He craned his head up to meet her. Gold was taken aback by the sudden outburst of emotion and kneeled down to meet him at eye level.
“Hate’s a strong word dear, ponies don’t hate you, we just got scared for a while.”
“But why are you doing this?” Shell whimpered. “Warming me up, cleaning me, helping me like this. Chrysalis never did any of these things!”
Now it was Gold’s turn to drop her jaw. Not as much as Shell had done but still enough to shock her.
“Chrysalis doesn’t bathe her own children? My word, what was she putting these kids through?” She thought. “Well…because it was the right thing to do dear. I wasn’t about to let you freeze outside.”
“But I don’t deserve this. Why, why do you care so much?” Shell tried to keep his voice down. Even through his quiet cries he didn’t want to draw more attention to himself than he was comfortable with.
“Oh you…” Gold reached a hoof around Shell’s head and bought him into a hug. “Because you deserve better deary and I don’t need more of a reason than that.” Gold hugged him a little tighter before letting up and smiling at him. “Now, let’s get you downstairs.”
With casual ease, she scooped the young changeling in her arms and placed him on her back. A wave of cold air hit them as they left the bathroom with Shellac now clinging to her neck.
The bathroom was the first door at the very top of the stairs with what look like Raining’s room on the left, a walkway extended past two sets of doors, one set a pair of double doors while the last door sat at the very end of the upper hallway, the parent’s bedroom. The same fairy lights hung from the ceiling above them as they did on the ceiling below. If it weren’t for the bathroom lights the hallway would’ve been bathed in a dim rainbow glow.
Gleaming walked over to the pair of doors in the wall that revealed a huge, dry and hot fabric cabinet. One side was full of towels, blankets and bedsheets while a large steel vat, covered in some kind of sheath, with several pipes and dials sticking out of it sat on the other. Gold wasted no time picking out a blanket and pillow case which she held firmly under her wing. Turning around she closed the cabinet doors with a hind leg and descended towards the living room where Raining was again sitting down playing with his cards.
Lead looked towards them with an ever present smile. His eyes were drawn to the sheets stuffed under his mom’s wing. “Wait, we're having a sleepover?” Raining’s tail wagged with anticipation.
“Not quite, but our guest will be sleeping here for tonight.”
Raining raised both his front legs into the air at the news. “Yay Shellac’s staying over!” He quietly celebrated.
“Shellac?” Gold turned to face him. “You never did give me your name.” He visibly shrunk as Gold smiled. She picked him up and plopped him on the couch along with the bedding supplies. Both grinned at the nymph who now threatened to shrink into a tiny ball of shiny black shell plating from the attention. “Anything else I can get you dear?”
“No no, I-I think I’m fine, thanks.”
An audible gurgle suddenly filled the room, originating from Shell’s belly. Raining barely contained his snickering while Gleaming moved a hoof to cover her contorting mouth. Shellac’s cheeks flushed a royal red as he crossed his hooves and turned away his eyes.
“Sounds like somepony’s belly disagrees dear.”
Raining hit his chest in a bid to quell his laughter. “So how does that work? The whole love eating thing? Do you just suck it out, or…?”
Shellac took one of the folded up blankets and brought it close to his chest. The sensation of the smooth, warm fabric rubbing against him brought comfort and with it some of the confidence his embarrassment stole. He prepared and took a breath, “It’s complicated…”
“We have all night dear, if to be honest I’m just as curious as little Lead.”
“Mum! Don’t call me that, I'm twelve!“ Raining playfully protested.
Shellac cracked a grin and continued. “Well to start off, Changelings still need to eat physical food like you do. Doesn’t exactly matter what it is, our stomachs are pretty versatile. Where the “love eating” comes in is in how we gather magic. We don’t generate our own magic like you do, we run more like batteries.”
Raining jumped forward planting his hooves on the space next to him with a grin. “Oh! Oh! My teacher talked about that in magic class! That our emotions are innately magical?”
“Y-Yeah, It’s not just love we feed on but the whole emotional spectrum. Each with different flavours and stuff. Though, bad emotions, like anger or sorrow, are kinda dangerous since they can influence how you act.”
“So if you overate on anger, you’d become angry?”
“Lead please stop interrupting him dear, let him speak.”
“Sorry mum.” Raining shrank back into his seat like a slinky.
“No, no, he’s actually right, bad emotions will do that. Though all of this only happens if a changeling decides to feed upon their own magical reserves. When they absorb emotions, they can either use that energy for magic like unicorns or they can use it for food.”
A lightbulb clicked on in Gleaming’s head and her eyes widened in shock. “So that’s why you weren’t shapeshifting when I found you! Celestia you must be starving!”
“Well, I only started passively absorbing when you brought me inside, I was too cold to focus on anything else besides keeping up. That bath though…” Shellac glanced to the side as he smiled, his cheeks flush with colour once more.
“Oh you!” Gleaming leaned in and gave the nymph a quick kiss on the cheek. His ears stood ramrod straight, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his pupils became more comparable to peas. “Better?”
Shell hastily nodded in approval, his body practically glowing.
“Good, I’ll put on some leftover casserole from dinner, that should do the trick.” Gleaming then turned and left for the kitchen. Leaving a red flushed Shellac with an eagerly grinning colt. “So what does love taste like?”
Shellac snapped out of his stupor and spun around to Raining. “Huh?”
“Love! What’s it taste like?”
“Um…I dunno exactly, grape?” Shell rubbed the back of his head. Raining pouted his lower lip in annoyance. “Grape? Really?”
“Well I don’t eat many pony foods. Back at the hive we were all fed mushrooms everyday, and here, the closest I got was finding a half eaten bread disk in a dumpster covered in some kind of sauce.”
Raining overdramatically placed his hoof over his mouth and inflated his cheeks big enough to put any squirrel to shame.
“Oh come on it wasn’t that bad! The disk thing had cheese on it.”
“No, it’s not that, I hate mushrooms.” Raining dropped the act but still showed visible disgust.
“Your mom told me hate was a strong word.”
“Yea, well I’m using it here, I hate mushrooms! They’re just…bleh!”
“You’ve never tried one before have you?” Shell said matter of factly.
“So what, you can’t make me!”
Shellac rolled his eyes with a smile. “Well the ones I had back at the hive are probably different to the ones here. They’re more like big white bulbs with a sweet, spongy inside-”
“Nope I’m not eating fungus and you can’t make me!” Raining had shoved his hooves over his ears and began swaying from side to side with his eyes shut. Shell frowned at that and gently hit Raining’s shoulder, it was just enough force to send his sitting form tumbling onto the couch cushions. He drew both his hooves towards his chest and the two stared at each other for a moment.
A grin began to spread across Shell’s face before a snicker escaped his lips, then a chuckle, soon Raining joined in and before they knew it they were laughing once more. Not nearly as hard as to wake up the stallion upstairs, more like a heavy whisper laughing.
Raining got up once more but laid down with his hooves crossed this time, his tail dropping over the arm of the couch. “Right, so if you had more of our food. You might find something that describes how love tastes, right?”
Shellac wiped away a joyful tear and turned to him. “Maybe, you're right about me not having a good frame of reference. But I feel bad just taking and taking from you guys. No-creature’s ever been this nice to me.”
“Well how would you describe it then?”
Shell hesitated for a moment, pondering the answer before it came to him. “Sweet, definitely sweet.”
“Like a chocolate? Ponies usually share those on Hearts and Hooves’ Day.”
“I guess so, come to think of it, Nightmare Night was the only other time ponies were nice to me. Then again they thought I was wearing a costume. I got a lot of candy out of it though.”
“Nice! Oh…how would you describe other emotions?” Lead asked excitedly.
“Well, pride tastes like apples, I've heard, never had an apple. That's why Chrysalis doesn’t like them.”
“Apples? Queen Chrysalis doesn’t like apples?”
“Yea, I dunno maybe she just doesn’t like prideful ponies.”
“Make sense, those are usually the kinds of ponies that only care about themselves and have big egos.”
Shell then looked down at the coffee table where the colt had laid out his cards from earlier, they had various numbers and symbols on them like diamonds, clubs, hearts and so on. With a few of them having stylised pictures of the princesses on them, though the way they’d been drawn made it look confusing as they were both right side up and upside down at the same time. Most had been sorted into several vertical columns with the rest of the deck laying on the side.
But, before he could ask Raining any further the clopping of hooves sounded from the hallway. Gleaming walking inside with a steaming bowl held with a towel on her hoof. She trotted over and placed the bowl on the coffee table beside Raining’s cards with a metal spoon already inside. “Vegetable casserole, hope you enjoy deary.”
“T-Thanks, Gleaming.” Shellac’s horn began to glow. Wisps of deep purple power gathered around and enveloped the bowl before it began to float. Levitating off the table and flying over to where he was sitting. He took the spoon and carefully poured the mixture of chopped carrots and boiled broccoli into his mouth. Hesitant of the heat, he took a brief test and felt a sting as the watery gravy met the corners of his mouth. But once the taste set in he felt as though an explosion had just racked his tongue.
The carrots were soft yet crunchy as was the broccoli, the soaked slivers of onion complemented the herbal heat of the water and before any of them knew it Shell had began gulping down it’s contents. Hot water rushed through his body, once more heating his core with pleasant sensations. He began arcing his head further and further back as it emptied. Greedily drowning himself in the first real food he’s had in weeks.
“I think he likes your cooking mum.”
Gleaming giggled. “That he does dear, come on, I think it’s time you settled down for the night.”
“But Mum, he was telling me what emotions taste like!”
“You’ll have plenty of time for that in the morning. Come on Raining, time for bed.” Raining begrudgingly hopped off the couch and walked past Gleaming. Heading for the stairs as Shellac finished his meal. The changeling slinked his head forward as he gasped for air, small strands of debris clung to his mouth.
Once Raining had left Shell looked up at the motherly pegasus with embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” Gleaming approached and wiped his mouth off with a hoof towel.
“Shh, after not eating for so long I doubt anypony would be concerned about table manners.” Gleaming took the bowl and put it aside as she grabbed the blankets, preparing to tuck him in.
As she went to grab a pillow Shellac then lunged and hugged her neck. Gleaming paused in surprise but quickly returned it, fastening a hoof around his head burying him more in her chest as his voice cracked. “You're the best mother I’ve ever met.” He struggled to keep composure, that same rising well returning to his throat. Yet this time Shell was able to keep the waters down as they embraced each other, content to bask in her heat.
“You're welcome Shellac.”
She let him go and laid him down. Shifting a pillow under his head and fastening blankets over his body, ending it with a kiss on the cheek. Gleaming stood up and began making her way to the door, turning her head back around one last time. “Goodnight little one, see you in the morning.”
With that she took off upstairs, leaving the changeling alone. The slow ticking of the grandfather clock and the crackles of a warm fireplace to keep him company. The soft blankets against his smooth chitin, the plush pillows against his back. He quickly felt his eyes grow heavy as he hugged his own sheets, butterflies running up his belly as soft muted cries hissed from his mouth. His tearsack finally broke again but this time he had done so with a smile. His cheek now being drenched with tears of joy as he wordlessly thanked whatever deity was listening.
Not long after, the peaceful slumber of sleep took hold…