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// 6 - Escape from Home 
// Story: A Changing Perspective: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Shell 
// by David Silver 
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After dinner, we slipped out towards my room. I slipped the amulet back on as we went and let out a little sigh of relief. It was like specifically measuring your breath as you went, then not having to. I wasn't a vampire! I didn't want to hurt them...

"I took the liberty of packing your things." It was Randolph, holding a saddlebag in his mouth, my saddlebag.

Thinking about what I learned before, I wondered if he wasn't happy that I was going to be away for a while. I felt anger well up a moment before it crashed down. Maybe he wasn't wrong about that...

I took the bag from him and slipped it around my midsection. "Thank you." He seemed surprised that I'd even say that. "What? Just... thanks." I turned away from him towards the front of the house. "I'll be back afterwards..." I grit my teeth a moment. "Sorry."

He raised a brow and looked all the more confused. "Whatever for, madame?"

Silver Spoon was looking almost as confused, glancing back and forth between us but keeping out of it.

I waved a hoof at him. "Just sorry. You... I appreciate what you've done for me."

He dipped his head low. "I'm just doing my job, madame."

I wheeled on him and put a hoof on his shoulder. "You've been like a..." Well, not like a father. Daddy was the only daddy, but... "You're family. I didn't mean to walk over you like that."

Randolph backed away a step. Was he confused I'd say sorry? "W-what brings this on, madame?"

I moved over beside Silver Spoon. "I'll miss you while we're gone. When I get back, we should, I don't know, do something."

We left together, leaving a probably confused Randolph behind. Silver moved up beside me. "What was all that about? I mean, like, it wasn't bad, but..."

She was confused too. Was it that confusing I could change my mind about something? "I made friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, my own butler shouldn't be so controversial."

Silver nodded a little. "Actually, imagine your mom's reaction."

I thought about it and made a face. "I could imagine her right now. Properly wealthy ponies can't be seen fraternizing with the help." I tried to imitate her snooty look and voice as I continued, "You won't properly impress anypony with friends like those!"

Silver giggled softly. "Exactly. Don't let her hear you making friends with him all of a sudden or she'll give you grief."

I turned towards her and held a hoof up high. She looked confused a moment before she reached up and we bopped our hooves together. "That's for the saves at dinner. You were right on the ball, thank you."

She smiled radiantly, and I could feel her emotions increasing. I wondered about them a moment even as I waved towards her house and we traveled into town as the sun set. It was getting dark, but we were together, and we were close to Ponyville. There wasn't much to be worried about.

As we got through the center of town, I noticed there weren't many ponies out. Had they gone to bed already? It wasn't that late... "Hey, Silver. Where's everypony?"

Silver looked around as we walked forward. "Huh, that's weird..."

We heard a howl, and it had friends. It was scary enough to hear Timberwolves far off towards the Everfree, but this pack sounded like it was practically on top of us. What were they doing in Ponyville?! We clung together in terror a moment before I pointed ahead without talking. Silver nodded at me and we began to hustle ahead silently, hoping we could reach Silver Spoon's house before any wolves found us.

Her house was closer than mine at that point, and my house involved walking back out of Ponyville, with rabid timber wolves so close to us. Nope! It was Silver's house or nowhere at all.

As we turned the corner, we practically ran face-to-tail into a timber wolf. The only reason it hadn't seen us right away is that it had a panicked pony in its jaws already! Every time the pony even tried to make a noise, it would clench harder around its throat, holding the poor stallion there in its deadly grip.

Silver thumped against me and pointed at the stallion, as if I didn't see him! We'd all become...

I didn't get to finish that thought as Silver Spoon kicked a rock at the wolf and it bounced off its head. The wolf dropped the blue stallion to the ground with a snarl of annoyance and spun to face us.

Dang it... Silver went all frozen. It was up to me, either get us out of this, or we'd become its next meal. Ok, think. I didn't have a lot of practice at fighting things. We weren't fast enough to run away. But I was a gross bug. It was use what we had, or be dinner.

I imagined the big bear that Fluttershy liked to hang around with and flames rushed out from me as I became larger and stronger. The wolf shied back, from my size or maybe the fire. I roared with all the volume I could muster and waved my huge claws at it. Go away and leave us alone! I couldn't say that, but I could think it.

The wolf recovered from its surprise and let loose its own howl, but it didn't seem as terrifying when I was a lot closer to its size. It jumped at me and dug its wooden stake teeth into my side, but my tough bear hide wasn't so easily harmed. I grabbed it with my big claws and threw it aside. It smashed into a building and scattered into pieces everywhere.

Silver Spoon pointed at her house. "Let's go!" She hurried to grab the limp stallion and drag him off on her back, but that was way too slow. I snatched up the stallion and Silver spoon under my new legs, cradling them in my paws. I wasn't thinking how to do it, I just did it, and I ran as fast as I could. We were at Silver's house in an instant. She had a nice house in the town, and I was never happier to see it.

I set them both down and looked around. No wolves in sight.

Silver waved at me frantically. "Go back to normal!"

Oh. I quickly became my gorgeous self and smiled at her. She jumped at me and hugged me. "You were great! We would all be munched if it wasn't for you."

We heard a groan and looked over to see the stallion slowly pushing up to his hooves. "What happened?"

Silver thrust a hoof at me. "You were going to be made into dinner until Diamond Tiara came along and beat that timber wolf up."

He looked startled. "Oh... thank you." He looked me over with amazement. "You're very talented for such a small filly. Please, we should all get home while we can." He bowed his head and moved to slip off, probably to run off to his own house.

That was a good idea, and we headed into her house. We closed the door and slid the bolt on the deadlock. Safe... I let out a soft sigh, "You alright?"

Silver bobbed her head, "Thanks to you." She smiled a little. "You're like a superhero."

I was famished. Becoming bigger was harder than just being me. Thankfully, I was near Silver, and she was practically gushing warmth at me. I was also thankful I had the amulet on, because I was sure I'd try to suck a little with how hungry I felt. "We shouldn't... rely on that. It was harder than it looked, but I'm glad you're alright." 

We did our special dance. "Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump." Giggling, we moved to go to her room. Her parents didn't stop us, but they were more laid back than mine, and probably just assumed we were playing, which wasn't too far from the truth in the end.

I set my saddlebag down beside her door and got out some of my grooming supplies. We started getting ready for bed as I began to feel better. As long as I could stay around Silver and I wasn't doing anything too bad, I could recover from that terrible hunger while still being... me.

"Is it that bad?" Silver was on her bed, laying on her belly and looking at me with those big, curious, eyes. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head as I worked the brush through my mane. "It doesn't hurt, but it isn't me. I want to not be a bug again. Wouldn't you?"

She didn't answer immediately, and I frowned. "Wouldn't you?"

She started at my repeated question. "Oh! Yeah, of course... Are you alright?"

I sighed a little. "I feel like I need to eat a big hay burger, but I can't just eat a snack. I have to wait to recharge. Around you... You're feeding me."

She recoiled a little. "You're eating me?"

I moved over and hopped up on the bed. "Nothing like that. You put it out... It's like, uh... It's like how you make things warmer, because you're warm. Being in that warmth makes me feel good and makes the hunger go away, without making you cold." I raised the hoof to bat at the amulet. "If I wasn't wearing this, it'd be different."

She rolled over onto her side and looked at the laughing donkey. "What does it do, exactly?"

I looked down at it, then sank to my belly on the bed. "It keeps me from making you cold. Without it, instead of just being warm from your warmth, I can pull that warmth out of you, your love."

She blushed. "I don't love you, Diamond Tiara!"

I smiled at her misunderstanding. "Silly, not like that. Like friends. Like family. That kind of love. I can't pull it out of you, so you don't get hurt. I just have to wait and be hungry a while."

Silver was still colored. "Oh, yeah. We're good friends... Diamond? Are we... BFFs?"

I giggled a little. "Dummy, of course we are. BFFs... forever."

Silver snorted softly as she nudged forward a tiny bit. "BFF is already forever, Diamond."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh sure, ruin the moment." But she kept coming, and I quieted.

She slid towards me and pulled up the covers. She snuggled in close. "You can get warmer closer." She held me in the dark, and it felt nice. She trusted me, and she cared for me, and she was right... It did feel better that close to her. I fell asleep, ending my first day as an insect.