"Mr Changeling! Mr Changeling!" Fruit Heart called out from the bottom of the stairs, trying to get the attention of the (still properly) unnamed changeling living in her upstairs bedroom.
Oh, and about 2 hours have passed since the last chapter. So moving on.
"Changeling!" She exclaimed again, and this time the changeling had appeared on the top of the stairs looking down at the mare with a bemused expression. "What?" He asked her in a flat tone.
"I'm just going out to see my friend." She answered to him. "I...won't be gone for long, as-as she only works not far away. So I'll see you in a bit...then." When she finished, the changeling noticed a twinge of reluctance, not to mention hesitation, in her voice, and picking up on this, he came to a question.
She seems reluctant to go, I wondeth why that is?
And then he came to a brilliant conclusion:
She must be afraid of this 'friend'. He must hath some terrifying grasp over her. Yes, that must be thy reason why she seems hesitant to go.
And then he says something that surprises not only her, but himself a little bit too.
"Then I shalt accompany you." He announced to her, which, of course, shocked her.
"I...wait, what?" She stammered.
"I said I shalt accompany you. I believe thou doth need accompaniment for your travel."
Fruit Heart was completely shocked by his statement. "Thank you but umm..." she stuttered, trying to collect her thoughts. "How?" She finally answered to him after a pregnant pause. "How can you go out like that, you look like, well a changeling? After all, you are still said to be an enemy of Equestria?" Her last sentence drifted out into a whisper, unable to look him fully in the eye, not wanting him to be disappointed.
However her eyes looked back to the changeling's position when a quick, but noticeable, burst of green light appeared and then disappeared, and as the mare looked she no longer saw the body of a changeling, but that of a black unicorn stallion; the same one she saw the changeling turn into briefly as before (if thou hath forgotten, the changeling turned into an all black unicorn stallion, with a short mane and tail colored the same as his coat. His left eye was still closed, the same as his normal eye, but his right eye had a pony's eye with a light teal color).
Back to our couple and whatnot, Fruit Heart was still shocked to see his transformation.
"I doth feel a lot better now. I feel as if I can stay in this form all day." He announced matter-of-factly. As he was saying this the changeling made his way down the stairs until he was on the same level as her, brushing past her and seemingly headed for the door.
But before he could reach it, Fruit Heart called out to him. "Wait." Then he stopped. "Er, what I mean to say is..." she trailed off, unclear of what she wanted to stop him for. "Well, you see..." And then the thought struck her. A random thought it, may be, but still a thought.
"You can't go out like that, you don't have a cutie-mark."
What!? Of all the things to say, why that?!
Luckily, that thought was enough for the changeling to give her a curious look. "What doth thou meanith?" He questioned her.
"I mean you lack a cutie-mark, the sign all ponies have that symbolizes our special talent. It's something all ponies when they find out what there good at." She stated, slightly hoping that was enough to stop him from wanting to go outside.
It wasn't really, of course.
"Then how doth I acquire a cutie-mark then?" The changeling inquired.
"Umm...well when you find out what your special talent is of course. But then again, being a changeling you probably don't have a special talent." Fruit Heart said, the last sentence ending in a mumble.
Well, I cannot allow thou to go out without a guard by your side. The changeling mentally said, wanting, but at the same time felt this was not the correct thing to say, so instead he decided on another sentence.
"Why doth I need a cutie-mark then?"
"Because if you go outside without a cutie-mark, that would arise some suspicion. And at the moment, that's the last thing I...we want." Fruit Heart said in a stern voice.
Taken a bit aback by her sudden rigid tone, he glared at her and opened his mouth, about to talk back to the mare, until she spoke first.
"Actually..." she said slowly, mulling something over as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. "I think I found a way over this issue."
Outside, walking seemingly casual down the street, were one brown colored earth pony mare and one all-black unicorn stallion. Fruit Heart had managed to overcome the issue of the cutie-mark problem with a incredibly simple solution: covering it up.
As of now, the changeling walking down the street with a pink and yellow striped blouse wrapped around his flank and his under-section, covering up the blank space as to where his cutie-mark should be. To say the changeling was embarrassed to have such a girly (and not to mention ugly) piece of clothing covering his backside was not the truth, as he was too busy concentrating in the mare walking alongside to even really notice this.
And the changeling had no concept of fashion either, being as he never wore clothes.
Fruit Heart, despite looking rather normal as she walked down the street alongside her companion, was very nervous, to say the least. In the short time she met, and cared for the changeling, one thing she understood about him was that he was impossibly stubborn. Impossibly; in that once he stuck to something, it's like pulling gum out your mane: very hard, annoying and pretty painful.
The changeling was, in actuality, just as nervous as the mare. However, it was not down to the fear of being found out. No, once a changeling was able to visualize what they wanted to change into, transforming their appearance into it was nearly effortless. To a changeling, their ability was their pride and joy; they believed they were worthless without their unique form of magic. So this was something the changeling was not even remotely cared about possibly happening. Nope, this changeling was more worried about something else, this 'friend' as she put wanted to see her, but the hesitation in her voice he picked up. He, somewhat unconsciously, believed he was learning more and more about the pony's way of life.
Or at least, this particular pony's way of life.
The pair managed to walk to their destination without so much as a single worried reason to stop. The changeling looked up to where the mare has stopped moving as she looked up to building in front of her. Which unknown to him was a shop.
The building in question was that of seemingly old-style kind of building, perhaps set up over 75 years ago at least, and as the changeling looked into the small building's windows, large and made up most of the side of the closed-in shop, he noticed that the store had a rack of lanterns, candlesticks and over lighting appliances on display, with a large sign up top of the windows spelling out in bright, catching line of bronzed letters:
WICK'S LIGHTING STORE
"Well come in." Fruit Heart ushered to the changeling as she opened the door to the store, a resounding *ting* came off from the bell hung over the door, signalling the those inside of their arrival.
"Hold on, I'll be there in just a sec." A female voice rang from somewhere, as both the pony and the disguised changeling walked into the shop, closing the door behind themselves as they entered the shop. As the changeling looked around the shop he saw many, many, many different kinds of lanterns, lamp, candlestick holders and almost any other kind of lighting device would, and probably are, held in the store.
"Wick', I'm going on my break now." A voice called out from a door at the end of room, revealing a earth pony mare, the one Fruit Heart recognized as Bright Glow. A muffled male voice called out something that neither of them could understood.
"Fruit Heart, my friend!" The yellow-coated mare exclaimed as she rushed from the door to enveloped Fruit Heart into a hug.
Friend? So this must be the 'friend' thy mare had been so hesitant to see. He thought to himself.
He then watched as they both mares gave each other hug.
...Must be a sign or system she uses to say she's done acceptable work. The changeling added without a second thought. But acceptable work for what, I wonder...
"Excuse me sir?" A voice interrupted the changeling's train of thought. It was the mare who the changeling just met. "I don't mean to be rude, but aren't ya with Fruit Heart?" The changeling nodded his head. As he looked behind the mare he saw Fruit Heart give him a curious look. "Well then." She started, grabbing the disguised changeling by his neck with her hoof. "Come with me." She said to him in a bubbly tone, pulling the 'unicorn' stallion with him into another room, Fruit Heart in tow.
In a matter of, well who knows how long it had been (do you even need to know this), the changeling found himself sitting on a pillow by a tab;e, the two mares chatting away as both looked at each other as they talked; the changeling between them. A cup of tea each was on the table, along with a plate of small, flat baked goods the pony referred to as 'Bright Glow' called 'cookies' sat in the middle.
But the cookies were not what the changeling had his mind on, no, the changeling was deftly staring at the pony known as Bright Glow, his gaze not once faltered on the mare in question. Yet not once did the mare even so much as acknowledge him staring at her, as she herself was too busy talking to the other mare, spouting some nonsense about about some high class pony or something. He didn't bother to care.
"Hey?" Bright Glow asked the disguised changeling, not knowing how long he had been staring at her. "Are ya all right? Ya seem bored." She asked with honest concern
What art thou planning? The changeling mumbled to himself in his mind.
It was then his mind wondered on to the other mare in the room; and as his eyes shifted to Fruit Heart, he saw her reach out and grab one of the baked goods with her hoof.
"Don't eat those!" He yelled out to her as he rushed forward from his seat and swatted away the cookie from the earth pony's hoof, smacking the wall where it fell to the floor.
It took a few seconds for Fruit Heart to register what just happened, and when it did, she was not pleased.
"Why did you do that?" She asked him in very displeased tone.
"Those art not fit for consumption." He told her quickly.
"Excuse me?" Called the other voice in the room in a disbelieved tone. "How dare ya," she started with a frown, "I'll have ya know my cookies are nothing but tasty wholesome goodness." The mare said with an air of high vanity. "Ya'd know if ya decided to try one." And at that she quickly grabbed a cookie and forcefully shoved it into the changelings mouth, closing it in his teeth, then started to slowly rub the bottom of his jaw!
"I ain't going to stop this until ya eat it yourself." She stated in a calm, authoritative tone as the disguised changelings eye changed from one of shock to one of narrow, giving her a deathly stare, and she returning it with her own. She still rubbed the underneath of the 'unicorn' with her hoof, but he did nothing in return.
They dared to stare each other down for what seemed like hours (30 seconds actually) until Fruit Heart decided to speak up. "Um, you guys it not that big a deal."
No answer.
Story of Fruit Heart's life.
"And your're both ignoring me." She said pathetically, face-hoofing herself.
"Look!" Fruit Heart started in an annoyed tone. "Can you just eat the cookie please? This is getting ridiculous now. (As if it wasn't ridiculous in the first place.)"
Looking at Fruit Heart with his intense eye, first time since he got into a staring contest with Bright Glow, he peered at her, glancing at her pleading look, decided to do what she asked, as he was stuck without any other option and refused to give up and say they're in the wrong, being as stubborn as any normal male, completely different species or not.
Looking back to Bright Glow, he started to chew slowly, each audible crunch being heard by both mares until he stopped and gulped the chewed baked treat gradually. After swallowing the cookie the changeling continued to (try to) stare the mare down. who now had a cocky smile adorning her face.
"So..." Bright glow said slyly. "How was it?"
The changeling inhaled deeply, letting the time drawl out as both ponies watched with anticipation linger in the air before he looked at Bright Glow with a neutral stare as he finally answered her:
"Stupid."
Bright Glow immediately slammed both hooves on the table. "HOW DARE YA!" She yelled in frustration at the disguised changeling, giving him an incredulous look. "Ya can't say my cookies don't taste nice. No one can. And do ya know why?" The changeling didn't answer, instead just giving her an inactive stare.
"Because the correct mixture of ingredients do not contain the proper characteristics of being tastefully defective."
At this statement both the changeling and Fruit Heart gave her an unbelievable look, puzzled by her rather...intelligent sentence.
"Dumbass. Now, say ya didn't mean it." Bright Glow answered, trying to keep calm
"I shalt not." Replied the ever-stubborn male.
"Do it!" She yelled at him
"No!" He yelled back.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Oh will the both of you just shut up!" Came a unhappy shout from Fruit Heart herself. "Will the both of you stop bickering like idiots! For Faust sake, just stop yelling at each other over a fricking cookie!"
"But I haft come to the reason that thy mare thou see before thou haft corrupted the baked meal in some form or another for her to continue being predominating of thou." He answered calmly.
"...what?" Fruit Heart asked in total confusion.
"In short, I believed she hath tainted thy food."
"I did nothing of the sort!" Bright Glow retorted towards him. "Where in Equestria did ya get that idea from?"
"From thy other mare." He answered as he pointed to Fruit Heart.
Bright Glow gave him a skeptical look as Fruit Heart gave him an absurd look.
"Wh-wh-what are you talking about? I never once said she poisoned the food."
"Thou didn't haft to. I brought that conclusion on my own. After all, why else would she ask thou to be here." He stated.
"Because we do this every week." Fruit Heart said.
"Yes and I serve us tea and freshly baked cookies ever week." Bright Glow added.
"And why do thou do this every week?" The changeling asked them both in what one might refer to as skeptically.
"Be-cause were friends and this is what friends do. Ya know, like hang and talk and gossip and stuff."
The changeling thought on this for a moment until the though struck him.
"Wait, mare, thou're not here because she forces thou to be here?" He asked Fruit Heart.
"Noooo." Fruit Heart replied, letting the 'no' drawl out. "I'm here because I want to be here, not because I'm being forced to."
"...oh." Was all the changeling simply replied as he rubbed the bottom of his jaw with his hoof. "Sooo...."
"..."
"..."
"Now what?" He asked neutrally.
"I...I think it's time ya left." Bright Glow said exhaustively. "I can't deal with this anymore. Can ya just leave now mr....actually, I don't believe I asked for ya name."
Fruit Heart audible gulped at that remark. She turned towards the pony (if he can be technically called that) who looked towards the other mare with his stoic expression and answered:
"I never intended for thou to know it." He replied simply. "I doth not say what didn't need to be said."
Though whether that was true could cause one to ponder for too long.
"i doth see, I mean, I see." Bright Glow said slowly (trying to understand what he meant) but stopped when she noticed the stallion was standing up and walking towards the door.
"Art thou coming?" The disguised (still, of course) changeling asked to Fruit Heart from behind his shoulder. "The mare doth said it is no longer necessary for us to belong here."
Fruit Heart turned to Bright Glow. "We should go." She said as she promptly, and rather quickly, walked towards the door.
"Ya, I think you should." She mumbled under her breath as they walked out. "And just for the record." She called out to them as they were already at the front door of the store. "My name is Bright Glow!"
The changeling was about to call back "No one doth care!" but decided that it would be best not to waste any more time there and left with Fruit Heart in tow.
They had left the store.
The pair managed to make their way back to the house without a problem. Nothing really noteworthy happened, and as such nothing will be written about it.
Moving on.
As the pair walked into the house, Fruit Heart first, the mare promptly shut the door behind the changeling after he walked in with a firm push. A rather too firm push, the changeling seemed to notice, as it slammed a bit too loudly then what he thought a door should sound like. Thou that wasn't the only thing he was concerned about, the other being, since they left the store, she hadn't said a single word to him, or even acted like he was there. While at first he thought he liked this idea of not being talked to, he soon found it to be...odd. Almost an unnatural thing. He couldn't bear it.
"Mare." He started as he turned back to his original form (thought there was still clothing wrapped around his behind), but she didn't respond instead deciding to walk away without even a glance. "Mare." He started again, but still no answer.
He hated the no answer.
"Why aren't thou answering me?" He asked her. This time Fruit Heart answered him by turning around and staring him deep in the eye. And I mean deep in the eye. The kind that made him thought.
Why doth I sense fear in me?
"Why? Why am I not talking to you?" Fruit Heart yelled angrily at him. "Because I'm just so...so...disappointed with you. That's why."
"...disappointed in me?"
"Yes. Disappointed. I had expected you to behave responsibly and act civilized, and instead you decided to insult my friend." Actually, what Fruit Heart said wasn't exactly the truth. She didn't really know what she expected the changeling to do, as she un-admittedly not thought that far ahead. But she did expect, or rather want, him to not blow his cover. She was at least grateful for that.
"But..." he found himself stammering, "I only did this to protect thou from her."
"But I didn't need protecting from her. Didn't you get that?"
"No. But I didn't know that at the time."
"Then why didn't you just ask?" She said exhaustively.
"Because...because..." He stammered once again, unable to think of an answer.
"Exactly." She finished, looking away from him before almost disappearing up the stairs.
"And take that blouse off of you." She called to him. "You look like a weakling." Then there was silence.
The changeling just stood there, in muteness, before diligently pulling the ugly looking blouse from his rear and absentmindedly threw it away somewhere. He sighed heavily.
What is with this mare? Namely, why doth she angry with me? All thy did was try to protect her from others. Others would hath been grateful for that.
He sighed once again, seating down on his rear.
Yet I feel in thy wrong. And not only that, why doth I keep questioning myself?
The changeling shook his head.
I feel so confused at me own thoughts, and I feel so confounded at why I shalt not have upset thy mare. This just...complexes me so much.
He looked up at the stairs.
Now I just feel like I shalt do nothing but wait. Wait for her...to give her some time on thy own...
This logic seems flawed. He thought But...it's thy logic that seems most appropriate right now.
No, I shalt wait.
And with that final thought, he, rather than walk up to see the mare in question and decided to stay downstairs for the time.