//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: There's a Changeling On My Couch, and It's Bleeding. What Do? 
// Story: There's a Changeling On My Couch, and Other "Tails" From the Far North 
// by Super Trampoline 
//------------------------------//

There’s a Changeling On My Couch (The Story That Started it All)
~By Super Trampoline



“You saved my life.”
“Yes. Yes I did.”
“You saved my life.”
“Yep.”
“You… saved my life.”
“…sigh… are you ok?” Flashpan Alley looked over at the broken changeling currently oozing phlegmatic stuff onto his couch. Then he went back to washing some vegetables.
“I… well, no actually, I’m not really. One of my wings has been ripped off and the other is hanging by a thread, I have multiple cracks and pocket marks in my exoskeleton, I’m bleeding all over your couch, and I can’t see out of one eye. But… still… that’s better than… you really saved my life?”
“Yes, I did, now don’t make me regret it.” The pale orange earthpony scowled at the tomatoes, which didn’t make them blush because they were already bright red, but mostly because they were tomatoes. Having finished slicing them, he popped the knife from his frog holder* and washed his hooves. Realizing this strange creature might not understand implied hyperbole, he sighed and wandered over to the stained couch to have the conversation he had been putting off with the excuse of preparing dinner.
“Look, I’m sorry I’m cranky. I didn’t really mean that last thing I said. It was…”
“Fueled by your frustrations with circumstances beyond your control?” The creature piped up.
“No, it’s just… yes actually. Huh. It’s not hard to tell I’m in a bad mood, but how did you pick up on the ‘why’ of it?”
"I’ll be happy to explain, but first, can I have some gauze. Actually, no, a lot of gauze? And some water please?” At the last word the changeling prostrate on his sofa actually looked up and smiled. It was actually kind of cute, or at least would be if it wasn’t currently discoloring his upholstery, thought Alley as he walked away to some rarely perused cupboard to find a medical supply kit. 
Having located the water bottle which was now velcroed to his fetlock, and the gauze which he carried in his mouth, the pony trotted back over to his visitor and sat both down on the tea table nearby.
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve introduced ourselves properly. I’m Flashpan Alley. And you are?”
“I’m…” it telekinetically lifted the water to its mouth with its bruised but still functional horn. “Ahhh, that feels really good. I’m Ereton Parallax. But you probably know me as Vanilla Fudge.”
At this, the host gasped. “You’re – you’re Vanilla Fu… but… what?!?!”
“I’m a Changeling. I imitate ponies. I think the crowd back there made it quite clear that even this far out in the colonies ponies are well aware of our existence.”
“Yes, yes it’s just… Vanilla… wow… I’m gonna miss her. She was really nice, though come to think of it, kinda awkward.”
“You know,” the creature said while wrapping some of its larger wounds with gauze, “I’m right here.”
“Yeah but… you’re not Vanilla. You’re Ergon--”
“Ereton”
“My bad, Ereton Parallax. Cool last name by the way. But you aren’t Vanilla Fudge, you’re … well, you.”
“That’s true that that persona I created was fake but, I’m still me. I still have a sweet tooth and a need to practice my social skills. And I can tell what you’re thinking, and yes I’m still a mare.”
“That’s reassuring I guess. Wait, how did you know that was what I was thinking?”
“I didn’t. Lucky guess. But I did know you were feeling slightly uneasy about something somewhat trivial, so I figured that was it, and what do you know, I was right.” She perked up a little with the last turn of phrase, and Flashpan noticed she was no longer bleeding, or oozing or… whatever she had been doing.
“You seem to be very good at reading emotions,” Flash said over his shoulder while he went to go find some cleaning supplies. “Did you take a psychology class or something in high school?”
“I’ve taken five psychology classes. But that’s neither here nor there. I pick up emotions so well because that’s how I find food. I’m a changeling, remember? I eat love to stay alive.”
Flashpan thought back to the article he had read several years ago that was all over the front of the town’s weekly paper. He recalled something about an evil drama queen and one of the lesser princesses banishing her. “But I don’t get it. Those… things were evil, or at least painted to be. You seem more chaotic neutral at best.”
“I’m flattered by the Dungeons, Dragons, and Diamond Dogs reference, but no, my species is pretty evil, at least according ponies.” Her voice took on a slightly harsher undertone. “According to you guys, we are merely emotionless manipulative bugs fit to be squashed. That mob certainly thought so.” She was glaring now, if her alien eyelids were any indication.
“Yeah, about that… I’m… I’m… Goddess I hate my species sometimes. We’re so fucking uncivilized. What ever happened to peace and love and harmony and all that crap?” As if to emphasize his anger, he harshly dropped the stain remover onto the table. “Ghahh, I’m just frustrated. I’m sorry Ereton.”
“Flash, (can I call you Flash?)”
“Yes”
“I tasted their emotions. They were angry, but behind that anger was fear. They were scared of me. They didn’t see me as another sapient being. They saw me as a lying shape shifter. Which I am. Changelings have imitated ponies for centuries, and one of the first things they teach us in school is, I’m sorry, but how xenophobic you all are. So when you stood up for me when they started throwing rocks, I was, well fucking scared shitless” --she shuttered-- “but behind that I was really pretty amazed. Which brings me to what I started with. Thank you, from the bottom of my morphological equivalent of a heart, for saving my life. Also, your compassion tastes delicious.”
The greenish trail through the house that mapped out the path Flashpan had taken carrying Ereton to the couch was slowly diminishing under the hoof of his scrubbing, and as she said this, he came to the base of the furniture, looking up into deep, dark, vast blue eyes on a fanged face which was smiling.
“You’re welcome. I hope I can show you that we’re not all like that. And maybe… with time and a good PR stallion, we can show the world that there’s more to you than meets the eye. But first, I think you need a bath.”
Ereton groaned as she rose once more, a few ominous pops and creaks sounding in the process. “Oooh, I am gonna be sore in the mornin’, that’s for sure. But glory to the queen, I AM ALIVE!”
“I’m going to ignore that questionable oath,” the earth-colored pony chuckled. “Bathroom is second door on the right; take as much time as you need and then I’ll reapply your bandages. I’m going to finish fixing my soup.”
What Ereton did next surprised him. She trotted over and nuzzled him on the withers. Though the sensation of chitin on his fur was somewhat odd, he didn’t mind.
“Thanks for everything Mr. Alley. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”