Chapter 9: A Day Off
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Lynx awoke feeling very warm, and had little memory of what happened the night before. Though as the world around him began to clear up he noticed he wasn’t in his room and there was somepony else in the bed with him.
Storm had her legs wrapped around him, and her soft body pressed firmly against his back. As his initial state of shock passed he slowly began remembering the events of last night and his face burned with a hot blush.
His stirring must have awoken Storm because she soon let go and sat up to yawn and stretch, looking down at Lynx and lightly rubbing her hoof on his back, “You awake?”
“Yeah I guess so.” He responded sitting up and stretching himself, “Um hey about last night, did anything happen? It’s all kind of a blur after.. You know... You confessed and all...”
Blushed she shook her head, “Um no... Nothing really... Just a bunch of cuddles he he..”
“Oh, um okay then... I think I’m going to get a drink, if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is Lucky.”
Giving her a small smile he climbed out of bed and walked to her kitchen. Opening her fridge he found some bottled water, wrapping one in a sheath of his magic he wandered back into her living room and sat on her couch.
Now that he actually had time to look at Storms house, and wasn’t exhausted from the day of harassment that the guards gave him it actually felt rather comfortable for him. It was of average size for two ponies, and had plenty of Storm’s things scattered about. It didn’t feel empty or cluttered, and her wooden floors were squeaky clean.
Noticing some pictures on the mantle of her fireplace, he decided to take a closer look. The first picture held the memory of a young Storm Dancer standing side by side with a rainbow maned pegasus that he recognized. Both of them looked around the same age, and were both standing on a cloud with Silver and Gold medals around there necks respectively.
The second picture held a dark grey stallion saluting. He was dressed in royal guard and wore a medal around his neck. Looking a little closer, Lynx only grew more curious when he noticed that he wasn’t the same colours as her brother and saw a medal around his neck as well.
The third and final picture was of Storm and her brother. Lynx took a sip as he stared at the stallion, curious if he would give up on trying to prove he was a changeling. He wasn’t wrong, but Lynx couldn’t afford to have himself exposed now.
“What are you looking at?”
The voice made Lynx jump out of his thought and break his hold on the water bottle causing it to fall and begin to spill out some.
“Oh I’m sorry, did I startle you?” Para teased with a small giggled, “Sooo how did it go last night, I want details!”
“N-nothing happened okay, we just slept together and nothing else.” Lynx said trying to defuse his sister, while drawing the water back into the bottle.
“Liar, something happened, so spill it.”
“She confessed her love to me and we cuddled a bit, Satisfied?!” He growled glaring at her.
She glared right back with a large grin on her face, “Not. A. Chance.”
Lynx groaned but was saved by Storm walking in and giving Lynx a small kiss on the cheek.
Lynx’s muzzle burned brightly as he backed away from Storm, “W-What was t-that for?”
“Oh sorry too soon?” She asked looking slightly confused and worried.
“N-not really I suppose, I guess you just caught me off guard.”
“Alright so what are your plans for today you two?”
The two changelings went silent, Since Lynx had been here he was working non-stop and the same went for his sister.
“Based on your expressions I’m guessing you two haven’t gotten out much since arriving in Canterlot huh?”
“Not really, no.” Lynx responded.
Storm sighed, “Alright, I guess I’m taking you both out for a day on the town.”
“Actually, I might go search for our other brother Thunder Trot… I haven’t seen him in a long time and I’m getting worried. You two have fun though.”
Storm was about to offer her help but Para was already out the door before the words could escape his lips, “So I guess it’s just the two of us then, huh?”
“Looks that way. I think I’m going to go brush my teeth.”
“I’ll go freshen up in my personal bathroom.”
“Meet back here in a bit?”
“Deal.”
-----
Lynx asked Storm plenty of questions on their tour around town and was very curious about Canterlot and the ponies in it.
Storm answered to the best of her ability only having lived in Canterlot for close to a year herself which caught Lynx’s attention.
“So where did you live before Canterlot?” Lynx asked.
“Oh I lived up in Cloudsdale with my mother, but I decided to move once I was old enough.”
“Why? From what heard Cloudsdale is a paradise for pegasi.”
“Well one of my old friends moved to Ponyville, and I didn’t want to give up the big city life so Canterlot seemed like a good fit.”
“And what of this friend, have you two kept in contact?”
“Not as much as I would like, sometimes I wonder if she’s forgotten me.”
“I doubt it; I mean you’re so memorable that one visit burned your image into my head.” Lynx said with a small laugh.
“Well that’s very sweet of you to say Lucky.” Storm began getting closer to the stallion.
“Heh, um. Storm?”
“Yes?”
“Ponies are staring.”
“R-right, sorry.” Storm said returning to a safe distance, “Hey um, why don’t we go visit the castle?”
“Is that allowed?”
“I don’t see why not, in fact I think there’s a tour today.”
“Well I suppose it could be fun.”
“Alright then,” Smiling, she led Lynx to the front gate, only to discover that tours were closed until further notice. “Sorry about this Lucky.”
“Oh no, don’t worry about it, I’m sure they have a good reason.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled at her and began to walk away with her, “Thanks for showing me around, now that I’ve got my bearings on where everything is I think I can get around on my own.”
“Aw tired of my company already...?”
“N-no it’s not like that! It’s just, that now I’ll be able to get around on my own if you’re not available or if I decide to go on a walk to clear my head or something.”
“I see... Mind if we go pick up some stuff from the market?”
“I don’t mind, I couldn’t help but notice your fridge was rather empty.”
“Yeahhh living by yourself you tend to only pick up groceries when you need them.”
“Alright then, to the market it is!”
Storm giggled trotting close beside him as the two went to the market to pick up some food and other necessities.
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Para spent most of the day asking around Canterlot if they had seen Thunder Trot. Managing to dig up on lead she found him twitching in a corner of a dark ally.
“Come on Dox, what the heck is wrong with you?”
“How can you and Lynx just accept this so easily? Being so deformed that we aren’t even changelings anymore.”
“Is that so bad?” She asked sitting beside him and pulled him close brushing his tangled mane from his face, “So were different, that just means that we’re special. Me and Lynx don’t want to go back to being nothing more than drones following our queens orders.”
“But why?”
“I can’t tell you, that’s something you need to figure out for yourself. But what I can tell you is to trust your heart. If you want to go back to our queen then go, I won’t judge you and neither will Lynx. But if you want to stay, know that you have family here. A real family, in the form of myself and Lynx.”
“When did you get so wise?”
“I dunno, about the same time that I set up Lynx with a super-hot pegasus.”
“That pony he said he loved?”
“That’s the one, turns out it was the other waitress. So after work I caught up with her and told her how our brother felt. One day later the two were sleeping in the same bed.”
“Did they-”
“Do you really think they would tell me if they did?”
“Good point...”
“Okay what’s really on your mind?”
“I don’t know if I can just accept a normal life as a pony like you and Lynx. While I no longer feel like a pure blooded changeling, I don’t feel like much of a pony either. It’s the grey area that the three of us are sitting in that has me frightened... All these new feelings that I feel are so strange and alien. I don’t know how to handle them, or where to even begin to make a choice.”
“Brother?”
“Yes?”
“Take your time, but take a bath too; neither ponies nor our queen will take you back if you smell like you jumped in a pile of dung.”
“Alright Para... Thanks”
“For?”
“Being a good sister.” He said standing up, “So back to the Golden Elixir?”
“Nope, back to Storms place. Me and Lynx are crashing there for the time being, you can sleep on the couch in the room I’m sleeping in. After you take a bath.”
“What happened to staying at the Elixir?”
“Long story...”
“I’ve got nothing but time.”
“Alright then suit yourself...”
***
Storm and Lynx were busy packing Storms fridge with the new groceries. Lynx was primarily the one putting them away as his levitation made it much easier to place items inside than Storms hooves.
Storm smiled and gave Lynx a quick hug, “Mind finishing up here?”
“I don’t mind, so long as we eat something relatively soon.” He said hearing his stomach growl, and the sight of food not making it any easier.
“Have an apple to tide you over.” She giggled and walked out into her living room. Her ear’s perked to the sound of some pony knocking on the door and she went over to answer it.
Behind the door she discovered Para and her very dirty brother to which Storm was quick to halt before he came inside, “You wait here, you are not dragging all the muck into my house. There is a hose around the side, use that to wash off your hooves until you can get a proper bath alright?”
“Your house your rules,” Dox sighed as he walked around the side to find the hose.
Para walked inside and smiled, “So where is Lucky?”
“In the kitchen putting away the groceries. I figured I would pick some up seeing as it’s not just me living here anymore.”
“Sorry, we don’t mean to be a burden.”
“Nonsense, I offered. And besides it’s what friends do right?”
“Right.” Para smiled, her innocent smile turning to a sly grin, “So what did you two do after I was gone?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“Don’t play coy with me. Were friends right?”
“But he’s your brother?”
“So? A sister needs teasing ammo doesn’t she?”
“I suppose... I know I wouldn’t be this excited about learning what my brother and his special somepony are up to.”
“Are you two special someponies now!?” She asked sounding far too excited.
“N-No! We’re just very close now, that’s all I promise.”
“How close?”
Storm was silent as her cheeks burned slightly, “Not yet special some ponies, but close enough that I can kiss him on the cheek without it being weird.”
“I see...” Para’s attention was soon drawn elsewhere when she heard her brother grunting and water hitting the side of the house, “How hard is it to use a hose!?” She shouted trotting around to help him.
“Very hard if you don’t have a horn.” Storm said with a small giggle, going back into the house to prepare to make a dinner for four.
***
As the four ate at Storm’s dinner table there was a rather awkward silence. Seeking to break the silence Storm cleared her throat to draw attention, “Soo... What do you three think of changelings?”
“Where did that come from?” Lynx asked nearly choking on some of his food.
“I’m just curious. And besides, after yesterday I think it’s a subject that we all have on the mind.”
Lynx gave her a small smiled and sighed, “Well I’m not really sure what to think. I wasn’t in Canterlot when they attacked so I don’t really have any encounters with them to base an opinion from.”
“They’re mindless drones following a power hungry queen.” Thunder Trot said staring into his drink and pulling attention away from his brother. “What about you Storm? What’s your opinion?”
“Hey what about me?!” Para interjected.
“Oh I’m sorry, let’s hear the love-guru’s opinion on changelings.” Dox responded rolling his eyes.
“Now I want you to keep in mind this is just a theory. But what if changelings weren’t actually that different from ponies? I mean sure their queen controls them, but what would happen if that control got taken away? I think they wouldn’t be any different from any of us.”
“That’s a good theory Sparky.” Storm smiled, “Guess it’s my turn huh? Hmm, what is my opinion of Changelings... well based on my encounter with some during the invasion they terrify me. The way they crawled on the walls, the way their eyes just peer deep into your soul. And I think the thing that scares me the most is the fact that they can transform into the pony you love most.”
Lynx looked over at Storm hiding the fact his stomach was now in a knot from the fact that he was lying to the mare he loved. And now he was just praying to all that was good in the world that she might never find out the truth.