//------------------------------// // Ch. 06 - Moving On // Story: A New Home // by Shads //------------------------------// (3 weeks later) After that first day of work, Mane had a discussion with Muffin about reducing his pay to something more manageable. He could see that Muffin was confused as to why someone would want less money, but Mane had. Muffin eventually shrugged, listening to Mane's attempts. After an hour, Mane had eventually talked him down to, at most, a quarter of the day's earnings. Muffin was very insistent that his pay be based on the day's work instead of a flat amount, claiming that it would be more fair during the busier days (Mane was pretty sure it was to keep him incentivized). Either way, he agreed, not bothering to tell him that the majority of the money was going to his landlords. On days where he was a little empty on positive emotions, Mane would purchase ingredients with his own money to make a big meal for the three of them. He could always count on them to give him a good meal of his own, whether they had realized it or not. As he put on the finishing touches, he smiled to himself. Just four weeks ago he was a homeless, hungry changeling wandering the forests, wondering if he'd ever find ponies again. And now, for the past three and a half weeks, he was Whitemane, a happy pegasus with two generous housemates and a great job. Between them and all the happy ponies in town, he would live a great, fulfilling life. He only hoped that his brothers, sisters, and even Mother were as lucky as he had been. That thought made him pause. While it was possible that most of his brothers and sisters would continue to follow Mother, there were others like him who had gone their own ways. He began to wonder how many of them had already integrated themselves in their own societies. In fact, he questioned if any of them would have found this town like he did. He could probably pick them out given enough time and concentration, but it would be hard to distinguish them from a crowd without the assistance of the hive mind. That's the one thing I'll never get used to. The silence. The hive mind was a sort-of telepathic connection between all changelings in a hive, originating from their Queen. A changeling could be hundreds of meters away and their voice would be as loud and immediate as if they were standing next to you. It was a great tool for communicating between brothers and sisters while disguised. You could even direct your thoughts to specific changelings so as not to distract the ones not participating in the conversation. And yet, every conversation contributed to a soft, buzzing white noise that was a combination of everything said in the hive mind. But now, there was nothing. He always found it harder to fall asleep in absolute silence. Luckily, he had solved that problem last week. (flashback, one week ago) "It's a noise machine," she told him. "You put one of these little things in the slot and it plays you some white noise for about an hour." "Why do you have one of these laying around in your closet?" "Oh, well, moving from the city to here I had the same problem as you. It was hard for me to fall asleep without all the noise. But then I found this guy and I didn't need it anymore." Blue seemed amused at that. "Hmm, so I'm just your big noise maker now, am I?" He took the device to his room and tried it out. He found out that each one was given a name that was carved onto their backs. The first tablet, "Storm", was what he expected. The second, "Nature", was of a forest and its wildlife. They were both nice, something he could get used to, but he was hoping for something different. I wonder if I could find some more in the marketplace, he thought as he removed the second tablet and inserted the third one titled "Fan". I'm sure I could manage to find them som-- Wait, there it is! It's back! Mane gasped as he realized his connection was back! He could hear the buzzing again! Hello? Hello? Is there anyling out there that can hear me? He projected his thoughts to anyone who could hear, but received no answer. Frustrated, he began to pace the room. Hello?! Please, can someling answer me?! This is 8F-97-79 of Hive Green, Infiltrator caste! Damn it all, why won't any-- Mane, distracted by his thoughts, tripped over the noise machine. It rolled to its side, pushing in a button that ejected the current tablet onto the floor beside it. As Mane hit the floor, he realized that the buzzing had stopped entirely. No, no! I was so close! He laid there on the floor for a minute or so, brooding. He rolled over to his back before glaring over at the tablet on the floor next to him. ...it wasn't ever really there, huh? He grabbed the tablet in his hooves and raised it above his head, the ceiling light behind it giving it a soft glow. Still... I suppose it's the next best thing. (present day) At first, "Fan" was a constant reminder of something that he'd lost, that he wasn't sure if he'd ever get back. It was a reminder that he was truly alone. He was nothing but a pretender far away from the security of his hivemates, living in a town of ponies that more than likely feared his kind. But as the days went on and he continued to listen to the tablet, those thoughts had left him. He decided to focus on the good memories, of times with his brothers and sisters. He remembered when Infiltrator 4F-79-42 would ramble while he was on duty, or the time when Scout 74-C3-65 accidentally sent her reports straight to Mother instead of her Officer. That incident always made him laugh, remembering how flustered she was while Mother tried to calm her down. While the memories left him homesick, he was happy focusing on what he had instead of what he'd lost. Noticing that the meal was just about done, Mane turned the stove off and removed the pot full of soup. He looked back at the kitchen entrance, finding that no one was peeking on him. His forehead glowed green for a quick moment before the soup was cooled down to an eatable temperature. He might have also added a bit of Love and Optimism to it. Satisfied, he gently carried the pot of soup out to the dining room where three plates were set up. Blue and Cherry were already seated, looking to be in the middle of an important conversation. He waited until they seemed done before approaching the table, gently placing the heavy pot in the center. Cherry curiously peeked over. "What did you make for us all tonight?" "Nothing much, just a lentil soup." He ladled each of them a small serving before placing the ladle in the pot. "I haven't made a good soup in a while, so it's a nice change of pace. Plus, the last soups I made were for griffins. More meat-based." He dipped his spoon in his bowl before bringing it up to his mouth, humming in content. "I tried a bit of it once, but uh, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea." The three ate their soup quietly, not having much to say to each other. It wasn't out of awkwardness, but rather they had nothing to speak about. "So," Mane broke the silence, "what were you two talking about before I came in?" His eyes widened. "Err, not that I was eavesdropping! I just saw that you were talking, so I waited until you were done." "Well," Cherry started, pausing for a moment, "we were talking about the future." Mane's head tipped to the side in a questioning way. "What do you mean?" "What I mean is that... we were wondering when you-- I mean, when we would-- ugh," she groaned, "I can't think of a good way to say it." "What she means is that we've been talking," Blue cut in, "and we think that you should consider looking for a more permanent home." Mane sat there wide-eyed before the realization hit him. "...oh." "It's not that we don't enjoy you or your company! Quite the opposite, in fact!" Cherry swiftly answered, turning to Blue. He nodded back. "Our home just isn't built to house three ponies. I know you may think you'll be able to live on the coach, but surely you must want a bed of your own. Not to mention, you'd have your own bedroom, a kitchen, a living room..." She struggled to think of anything else. "It'd also be nice not having to worry about another pony in the house when w--" Cherry blushed and swiftly put her hoof over her husband's mouth before he could continue. Mane had realized what he meant, though. On some nights, he could feel Passion overtake them before it swiftly disappeared, replaced by Embarrassment and Loneliness. He cringed, realizing that he had been keeping the couple from expressing the deepest form of their love for each other. "...I understand." Mane finally spoke up. "I guess I was so distracted that I didn't realize I was intruding. And I guess it would be nice to have a home to call my own." "That's the spirit!" Cherry replied. "And it's not like you can't visit us. I'd be lying if I said I haven't become addicted to your cooking." She punctuated her remark by going for seconds. "I suppose that's true. I'll probably need to start saving up and looking around." "Don't worry about that," Blue piped in, "we've handled a lot of the busy work already." He rose from the table, retreating to their bedroom. Mane rose an eyebrow. "Huh?" "Well," Cherry filled in, "we spent the last few days looking around town for available homes that fit into your budget--" "My budget?" Blue returned with a large bag and a few sheets of paper. He dropped the clinking bag on the table, causing it to wobble a bit. He then hoofed the paper over to Mane. He realized that one sheet was a map of the town covered in circles and X's while the other was a list of names and numbers. "We saved the bits you gave us over the past weeks. Even though you gave them to us, we only used what we absolutely needed. We saved up the rest for you if you ever needed them again." Mane laughed, eyeing the papers in his hooves. "Sounds like you two have been planning to get rid of me for a while." "Oh, don't be like that!" Cherry laughed, realizing he was joking. She was happy that he wasn't as sad about this as she thought he would be. "Besides, we found some really good homes! And a lot of them are pretty close to us, so it'd be like you never left." "That sounds nice, I suppose." With my own home, I'd probably get to spend some time in my natural form, too. Hmm... I don't think I've ever actually swapped since I arrived. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna go lie down and look through these papers." "Don't feel too rushed. When the weekend hits in a few days, we can help you look around." Mane rounded the corner into the living room before plopping himself backwards on the couch. While he still wasn't sure about this, he had to admit that he felt giddy about actually owning his own home. Back at the hive, all he had ever really owned was his pod, which never really had room for much of anything. He could have his own bed, a bedroom, and a custom-made kitchen! Well, he'd probably have to wait a little longer to do any serious home improvement, but still! As the moon took the sun's place in the sky, the changeling felt more and more excited about the upcoming weekend.