Seeking A Quiet Afternoon

by Tired Old Man

Ch. 1-14: A New Gathering

Pounding hooves raced across the cobblestone once more as Mender found himself within the dream that haunts him once again. The smell of ash and decay in the trees and the orange glow of the fire to his house urged him forward in what felt like an endless, hopeless loop of repeating tragedy.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't save his family. They were dead, he reminded himself every time he ran down the path, and yet he continued to struggle in the vain hope of saving any of them, if he could at all.

He stopped in front of the burned front doorway and saw his wife there under the burning mass of wood. He remembered smashing the window the last time he was here, but as he turned to the left, he saw that same dark pony figure dashing out into the woods and away from the house.

A thought snapped in his head as they ran. They must be the culprit! But...what about his family? He HAD to save them, he had always tried to every time he was here, but...

A scream from inside brought his attention to the house. He hadn't heard this before last time. It came from the window to the right instead of the left, and he rushed over and saw one of his daughters in the living room. The unfiltered fear and panic in her eyes wrenched and tugged at his heart. Without thinking, he backed up and charged through the right window and landed in the living room.

His daughter didn't seem to hear the window break...or acknowledge his presence. He quickly dashed towards her to pick her up, only for her to fade as he slammed into the wall. He shook it off and saw her figure standing in front of another window at the side of the room, frantically scraping against the window pane, but stopped as the glass began to burn her hooves.

She squealed in pain and backed off from the window, her eyes frantic in seeking another exit. Mender was torn over his helplessness and actions at that moment. He knew she wouldn't acknowledge the window he broke through, or him. She couldn't go back into the hallway as the heat intensified even further there with the collapse of the beam.

Suddenly, she darted under one of the couches and held her front hooves over her head, a final desperate maneuver to survive given there was no way to escape as the flames began to creep further to her and Mender.

He then heard his daughter's voice clearly among the sounds of crackling wood and the buckling support of the roof above them.

"Daddy, help us!"

Those were the last words she spoke before a violent surge of flame shot from the hallway and enveloped the entire room in searing heat.

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Mender awoke from his chair in a cold sweat. He looked up at the sky, and noted the moon was still visible...barely. Morning was coming...and yet despite him getting a few solid hours of rest, his limbs felt sluggish and flimsy.

His gaze fell downward and saw Crunch resting near the chair. This changeling was getting closer to him than he thought, as Mender remembered the little guy resting underneath the living room sofa before he slept. Sooner or later he'd probably wake up to find Crunch resting in his lap...not that he wouldn't mind it.

Mender yawned, and Crunch woke up at the sound, yawning in apparent response. In his head, he had heard Young yawning as well. Apparently he still needed sleep like anypony else.

"Morning."

"Yeah yeah, morning. Your story sucked, you know. Why'd you have to go and be so depressing in front of those fillies?"

"I didn't intend to! It just sorta...slipped out."

"Hmph, well, color me skeptical. I personally think you wanted it to come out."

Mender bit his lip. He wanted to deny it, but Young wasn't wrong.

"Well...yes, I did, but not in front of the fillies, and certainly not in the way I wanted it to come out."

"You thought it would get them to leave you alone, didn't you?"

Mender was angered by the question. "NO! That's not why I told them!"

"Don't lie, Mender. You wanted to be left alone with your regrets and your thoughts. The best way to get those fillies out of your mane was to tell them, and it worked, didn't it?"

"That-that's not why I-"

"Then WHY, Mender? Why did you tell them?" Mender could sense irritation in Young's voice.

"Because..." Mender hated his answer, despite it being true.

"Because they would understand me best. They wouldn't judge me as...as harshly as other ponies would have if I told them the same story."

"Using children as a proxy through which to vent your sorrows, simply because they can't process it with as much judgement as adults?"

"Hah, yeah...I'm a terrible stallion, aren't I?"

"...not necessarily. You simply haven't put enough trust in other ponies yet like you have those fillies. Otherwise, you wouldn't have told them that terrible truth of yours, isn't that right?"

Mender couldn't deny it, but said nothing.

"Silence, huh? Don't worry, I'm certain that in time, you'll find you can trust other ponies with your secrets, Mender. After all, you shared it with me, so you trust me as well."

"Well, you're a recluse who refuses to leave their room. Pretty hard to share secrets with others like that." Mender chuckled.

"Hah, you got me there, but you confirmed my theory anyway...and I thank you for putting such trust in me."

Mender smiled. "Don't mention it. Now then, I need to get ready for...something today. A gathering at noon with six ponies and their pets, if I remember right."

"A gathering? Ooh, with other ponies? How exciting!"

Mender groaned. "Yep, pretty sure it'll be exciting for you...not so much for me, unfortunately. I expect a rain of headaches in today's weather forecast."

"Aw come on, it isn't that bad, is it?"

Mender paused. "You have no idea."

"Hah, in that case, I look forward to this gathering then."

Mender briefly contemplated leaving the black communication band at home, but realized that Young's voice might be the only thing keeping him from going nuts around those six ponies.

...it dawned on Mender immediately that a voice in his head was going to help him stay sane around six ponies that can and would drive him insane. He swore he couldn't think of a crazier situation than this.

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Mender had spent the morning trying to teach Crunch some simple commands, using small apple bites from the last apple he had as positive reinforcement treats. He had managed to teach Crunch to sit, stay, and shake...barely before running out of apple bites. If for some reason Crunch started to panic, he had hoped those first two commands would work...though at the same time, he hoped they failed. If the pet changeling ran, he'd have an excuse to get away from those six ponies, and he smiled at that thought. This was an odd situation where he saw success as failure and failure as success, at least in attempting to keep his sanity.

But soon, the sun rose to high noon and Mender had one last preparation. He hadn't secured a collar for Crunch yet, but looked in his suitcase for something similar and found a small coil of thin rope. Ah, rope was something he had found useful when descending down steep areas in the battlefield. He quickly fashioned it into a leash with a few careful knots and slipped it over Crunch's neck.

Crunch resisted immediately. He didn't like the feel of the rope and started chewing at it. Mender had stopped him before he got a quarter of the way through, and he reluctantly obeyed. Mender saw it in his eyes, and knew he needed to get Crunch a proper collar before long...maybe Rarity could-

NO! He'd...rather not try that until after the gathering...if at all.

Mender tugged on the rope leash, and Crunch started to walk with him, fear still in his eyes.

"Everything will be fine, Crunch. Trust me," Mender reassured.

It didn't wipe the look of fear off of Crunch's face, but the changeling started walking at Mender's pace, staying close to his master and protector, as it were.

As they left the old house, Mender heard something fly by his head, but it missed. He quickly looked around for whatever flew by him, but didn't see anything. He shrugged, and continued on his way.

...but elsewhere, a pony holding a small blowpipe cursed under its breath as it hid in one of the apple acres' trees nearby.

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Mender had come to the spot Fluttershy had mentioned for the gathering. Upon his arrival, he saw Fluttershy with Angel and Pinkie already there with Gummy latched onto her tail. Upon seeing the new ponies and pets, Crunch hid behind Mender, careful of keeping its distance.

Mender felt his stomach knot up already, and knew it was going to get worse from here, but he swallowed and took a spot underneath the tree. The shade was refreshing as the leaves rustled overhead, complementing a relaxing setting which helped Mender keep his cool. Crunch took a spot behind the tree out of view of the other ponies and pets, though the rope leading to him was still visible.

Pinkie Pie noticed Mender first, set down Gummy next to Angel, and began bouncing over to him.

"Hiya Mendy!"

And so it begins...

"Afternoon, Pinkie. I see I'm not the first here to the gathering...though I'm thankful I am not the last."

"Hee hee, I can see why! Your pet's a shy one, isn't it?" Pinkie pointed to the rope around the tree.

"Yep, very shy. It's only been exposed to me, you kno-" Before Mender had finished, he saw Pinkie go behind the tree.

Aw hay.

"EEEEEEEEEEKK!" Upon hearing the scream, both Fluttershy and Mender stopped what they were doing and rounded the tree.

...Mender had expected that to be a scream of fear, but walked around the tree and saw Pinkie hugging the life out of his pet. Crunch was futilely struggling against her grip, unable to even open its mouth to bite the pony holding him.

"it's soooooooooooooooo cute, Mender! What is it? What is it?!"

Mender was stunned. Fluttershy had made out changelings to be very terrible things, and here was Pinkie, just hugging one without any idea of what it was...or did she and simply not care? Either way, Mender thought she was crazy.

"It's...a young changeling."

Pinkie suddenly let go of Crunch, who quickly hid behind Mender and bared its fangs.

"You mean those meanie things that took over Canterlot during Shining Armor's wedding?!" Her mouth hung open in surprise.

"Yep, or so Fluttershy has told me, isn't that right?"

"Correct, Mender."

For the first time since Mender saw Pinkie, she stood there and digested this information carefully. Pinkie was well aware of how changelings function, and she wore a face of concern.

"Mender, are you sure you know what you're doing? They thrive off of stealing love!"

"Pinkie, I'm sure. It hasn't eaten me yet or whatever they do to steal love, considering I'm still standing here and the changeling's hiding behind me, clearly afraid of you. Does it look like it wants to harm anything right now?"

"Maybe the rope around its neck."

"Wha-" Mender turned around and saw Crunch chewing at the rope again. "Crunch, NO."

Crunch stopped halfway on the rope. This wasn't good. At this rate, he'll get through that rope and leave by the time the fourth pony gets here.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew by as Dash came to the gathering. Trucking behind her was...a flying...turtle? The buck?

He found himself repeating it out loud. "Is...that a flying turtle?"

"Tortoise," Fluttershy corrected.

"That's not what I was questioning. I mean, a slow animal for a fast pony?"

Dash spoke up. "He may be slow, but he's loyal as ever! I tried looking for a fast flying pet like an eagle or hawk once, and I raced them and a few other animals down a ravine...but I got stuck under a rockslide. None of those fliers came back for me...but the tortoise there did. His name's Tank, by the way."

"How appropriate...but now it's my turn for a shocker." He gestured to Crunch at the end of his rope.

Dash's mouth hung low enough to hit the grass. "Are you INSANE, Mender?!"

No, but at this rate he might be.

"No, I'm not. It's a young changeling. It's name is Crunch, and no, it hasn't been sucking away my love. It enjoys apples. There, now we're all caught up."

This just seemed to anger Dash. "Mender, these changelings are cunning, manipulative creatures. How do I know you're not under its spell?"

Mender sighed. "Dash, if I was under its spell, could I do this?" He turned to Crunch. "Sit, boy."

Crunch sat down on the grass, and all three ponies' jaws hung wide at the control Mender had over the changeling.

"Stay, Crunch." Crunch didn't move an inch. "Alright, I want you to be calm while Dash pets you, okay?" Mender gestured for her to do so.

She was clearly quite reluctant...but if he had such control, it wouldn't be a problem, would it? Dash slowly approached the changeling and extended a hoof to its head. She began to rub its face, and the fear in the pet's eyes faded, replaced by a small bit of happiness as its stubby tail wagged.

Soon, the other two ponies followed suit as Fluttershy and Pinkie started rubbing its back underneath the tattered wings. Mender stood back a bit and let the ponies warm up to his pet as he communicated with Young.

"Well, things are going so much better than expected so far. I truly thought this would be disastrous."

"Actually, from the sound of things, looks like you got the three easiest ponies to deal with. I wonder if the other three will be more difficult to convince?"

Mender's eyes shot wide open at the thought. Dammit, he hadn't thought about that. How would that librarian Twilight react? Or what about that crazy fashion pony, Rarity? What about his neighbor, Appleja-

Oh, speak of Tartarus. Applejack was walking down the road now, coming with a small brown and white dog, which he recognized as a border collie. He wasn't worried about the pet she brought at that point, but HER on the other hand...

He had been hiding the fact that Crunch had been in his house when Applejack first visited him. He really hoped she wouldn't ask any question related to that, but he knew better than to lie if she did ask.

She approached the group of ponies, unable to see Crunch as Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were still petting him, all somewhat entranced by the thought of a nice changeling for once.

"Howdy, ya'll!"

Her voice snapped them out of their petting session and they all turned to face her, revealing the changeling in the middle.

Oh boy, here we go.

Applejack tensed up immediately, and by extension so did her dog. Both leered at the changeling in the middle, who now escaped the circle of ponies and hid behind Mender.

"Mender, get away from it!" she barked.

"...no." His response was blunt, which threw her off guard.

"Wha-what? Mender, it's a CHANGELING!"

"That's right. It's also my pet."

The news clearly shocked her. Mender sighed. Would he have to explain this to everypony at this rate?

"And before you go and make accusations, Applejack, no, it's not controlling me or whatever you think it's doing. It's not controlling them, either. I can assure you of that." Mender gestured to the other three ponies before continuing.

The hard look in his eyes convinced Applejack he was telling the truth, but she was still skeptical. She had been fooled before by changelings, and wasn't about to let up just yet.

Mender glanced back and saw Crunch chewing at the rope again. He quickly issued a command.

"Sit, boy." Crunch obeyed. Mender then turned back to AJ. "Applejack, Crunch is harmless. Would he really follow my orders if I wasn't in control of him?"

"What if he's lettin ya control him to lead you into a false sense of security?" Her tone was still accusing.

"That I doubt, as he hasn't sucked out any of my love yet."

"Maybe he's waitin for the right time."

"The best time for him to do so would be while I slept, but he hasn't done anything of the sort."

"Mender, they live off of love. How are you keeping that changeling alive, then?"

"Apples. He likes your apples."

Suddenly, AJ calmed down. A changeling, enjoying her apples? She almost let that thought dissipate all her worries before she resumed her stance.

"...Mender, answer me this. If I were to trust you, can I trust that creature?"

Mender shot back with his own loaded statement, his body tensing as it readied for a fight. "Applejack, if you truly consider my pet a threat, you will have to consider me a threat as well. I will not let harm come to Crunch, and if you insist on harming him, I will respond accordingly. Remember, Applejack, that I was an army pony. Is this a fight you really wish to go through with?"

The tension eased up on her body as she contemplated his response. He was truly prepared to fight for the changeling, and if that changeling had total control over him, then Applejack would foresee this going very badly between everypony involved here. She didn't want to hurt Mender, however. He was still getting used to this place, and a situation like this would only make whatever relationship he had with the town burn away as they fought.

...she couldn't risk it, not now. Maybe if her other friends were here, she would be very well inclined to fight Mender. She would go in knowing there was enough backup behind her...but was that really the right way to go about this? Destroying a potential friendship out of fear of securing the safety of her friends and Ponyville? Did she really have the authority to make that decision?

No, she didn't. All the tension left her body as she became calm and smiled. "No, Mender, I don't. I trust you...but I still don't trust that changeling of yours. I can't...not yet."

Mender let the tension leave his body as well. "...hmph, fair enough. I never expected you to warm up to it in just one day...or either of those three, for that matter. Regardless, I'll figure out how to make you see that Crunch here isn't as evil as his appears to be."

He paused for a moment before repeating his threat. "...but if you're still not convinced, don't think I won't follow through with my response if you or anypony else chooses to bring harm to him. For all intensive purposes, he was the first one to welcome me into his heart, and that's a trust I will not betray. I believe that the rest of you will acknowledge that fact, if not now, then in time."

Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Dash all nodded to his statement, while Applejack slowly nodded last.

Mender quickly changed the mood. "Good! Now that hostilities are over, what's your pet's name, AJ? You know mine's called Crunch."

"Damn, that was a sudden change. I mean, props to you for handling it how you did, but do you think she'll really change gears that fa-"

"Winona's her name! One of the best ranchin dogs in Equestria, I reckon," Applejack replied.

"...agh, I hate it when I'm wrong."

Mender grinned. "Ranching? You mean you do more than just growing apples?"

"O course! We've had to round up cattle that were runnin towards Ponyville once. Even had to round up a swarm of bunnies and...Pinkie Pies."

Mender blinked at that last statement. " A swarm of...Pinkie Pies?" Oh Celestia, what in Equestria even happens in this town?!

"Yep, that was a crazy day, but all those Pinkies were fun to be around!" Pinkie Pie chimed in.

Mender couldn't process that being fun at all. He briefly imagined a swarm of him all over the town, and shuddered at the thought. One sarcastic sad old medic was enough, but twenty or thirty would just piss everyone off, including him!

He shook his head to clear the thought. "So, uh, is Winona a nice dog?"

Winona responded by running up to Mender and licking his face, then going behind him to sniff Crunch a bit. She seemed bothered by the smell of him, but looked happy and playful as she attempted to egg Crunch on into playing with her. Crunch remained still, eyes focused on his master, looking for some kind of response.

Mender removed the leash around Crunch's neck. Now that he had gotten used to ponies, Mender thought it was high time for Crunch to get used to their pets, too. Happy at being released, Crunch ran around and started to play with Winona as Tank, Angel, and Gummy watched from where they had gathered near the river.

Applejack smiled as her dog played with Crunch. She was still guarded, but doubt started to form in her head as she considered the thought that she was wrong about the changeling.

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As the pets played and basked in the sunlight, the girls stood off nearby as Mender rested under the tree, content with simply watching the pets and ponies getting along. He found himself talking to Young quietly.

"Man, I expected this to turn out horrifically. I had thought of ten thousand ways this could all go wrong, but so far it's all going fine."

"You worry too much, you know. Probably comes from your job, but still."

"I know I do, but it's a healthy worry, isn't it? This is all so new to him...and to me."

"That is true...but is it not something that you merely need to adjust to?"

"You make that sound so much easier than it actually is, you know. It's different adapting to times of war than it is to times of peace. That need to fight, to do something to protect your land...it's very difficult to get rid of that."

"I wouldn't know, but I'll take your word for it. Regardless, this is your home now, isn't it? It's about time you get your head out of that grim mindset and start taking in the happy times around you while you can."

"Again, you make that sound so easy."

"I make what sound so easy?"

He looked around and saw Twilight standing near him with a confused look on her face.

"Nothing, nothing, Twili-I mean, Princess Twilight."

"Didn't I tell you to just call me Twilight?"

"You did, but I've got a large respect for authority. I forgot to tell you I was an army medic before."

Her eyes widened slightly, but receded as she spoke. "I...think I understand then. I hope you don't mind if I ask about your army experience later."

"...I know you'll pester me endlessly if I try to refuse, so I'll agree to that. At a later time, though. Sorta busy watching my pet."

"Ooh, you found a pet already? Where is it?"

"The changeling playing with Winona over there."

"Oh, okay, the changeling." She paused for a moment, then her eyes shot wide open. "A CHANGELING?!"

Mender sighed. This was getting old fast.

"Yes, a changeling, Twilight. Please calm down, my voice is getting raspy from explaining this so much already. Just know that I have things under control. It doesn't want to steal my love or anything. Also, your four friends over there have already accepted that I will defend my pet with my own life if it is harmed. I now extend that warning to you, princess...as foalish as it sounds."

"But Mender, why?"

"That changeling was the first thing to accept me in this town without knowing anything about who I am or what I was. I know how dangerous it is, and yet it does not seek to harm me. I am thankful for its trust in me as I trust it now."

Mender paused, careful in choosing his next words. "I know that I probably don't stand a chance against you, Twilight. You could probably have me banished just for harboring such a dangerous pet, for similar reasons involving the illegal magic door I have in my home. I thank you for not telling anypony about the door...but I must also ask you to do something you probably would never consider were I not in such a precarious position already."

"And what is that, Mender?" Twilight's voice sounded somewhat regal, fitting considering her alicorn status.

"To give that changeling a chance. Fluttershy has told me all about your encounter with the changelings in Canterlot, and how violent they were. I understand your reservations in thinking that this changeling is no different. However, I am telling you it IS different. If it wasn't, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now."

Twilight was still unconvinced. Mender gestured out to Crunch playing with Winona. Angel and Gummy decided to get in on the fun too...well, he couldn't actually tell with Gummy, but the alligator wasn't sitting where it was before. Tank still sat there and watched the other animals play.

"Look, Twilight. My pet is playing with your friend's pets right now. No violence, no need to enslave, just pure unfiltered fun. Crunch is even trying to be careful with his horn around them, he understands it's a sharp object not to be swung around wildly. If he were as dangerous as the rest of the changelings, would he not be that careful around them, or worse, attempt to hunt them down?"

"I suppose not...but Mender, this is different from the door in your basement, you know. It's easy enough to keep that a secret, but a pet changeling? If he's even seen anywhere in town, there will be a report sent to Canterlot about this...and the other princesses may come down to confirm it themselves. If that happens, what will you do?"

"...I will not hide it. Instead, I will issue the same threat as I have to you, Twilight.," He replied.

Twilight gasped in complete surprise. She hadn't seen anypony blatantly threaten the princesses before outside of Chrysalis and Discord

"I am so confident that Crunch is different, I'm willing to stake my life on it. You may interpret that as you wish, though I imagine Celestia and Luna won't see things my way. Not after the attack on Canterlot. And if my life becomes forfeit in the process of protecting the first friend I have made in this town...then so be it, as foalish as it sounds. That's the creed of an army medic, to protect life that's worth preserving."

Mender was adamant, and Twilight stood there with understanding eyes, despite her disbelief. She could feel his need to protect this young changeling radiating from his body, and it was strong...stronger than the feelings her friends felt for their pets, even.

"I understand, Mender. I don't like this one bit, however."

"You don't have to like it. Understanding is enough for now. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, where's your pet?"

"Oh, he's up in the tree." She pointed a hoof towards an owl roosting on a branch. "His name's Owlowiscious."

"Al Wishes?"

"Owlowiscious," Twilight corrected.

"...erm, couldn't it be a more normal sounding name that's easy to remember, like Winona, Gummy, Tank, Angel...Crunch...oh! How about I just call him Al?"

Twilight facehoofed. "I'd rather you not call him that."

"Too late, it's already stuck in my head...unless you'd prefer I call him Al Wishes."

Twilight sighed. As phonetically close as it sounded, she'd rather have him butcher one part of the name than the whole thing. "No...I guess Al is fine."

"Perfect! Nice to meet you, Al!" Mender called to the owl.

"Who?"

"Al."

"Who?"

"You, the owl, named Al. AL is YOU!"

"Who?"

Mender groaned. "...your pet is impossible, Twilight." Twilight merely giggled at his frustration.

"Nope, you're just an idiot." Mender glared at the band on his horn.

"Oh, I hope I'm not too late, everypony!" called a voice from behind the tree.

Oh Celestia, not her. Not the crazy fashion mare!

He craned his head around the tree and saw Rarity trotting along with a white cat on her back, adorned with a small ribbon...and jewelry? Damn, even her cat is posh-looking...but that somehow barely registered any surprise on Mender's face. The cat had hopped off her to join the other animals in the grassy field nearby, settling next to Tank.

"Oh, hi Rarity! I was just telling Mender about Al-I mean, Owlowiscious."

"Mender's here? I didn't know he had a pet!"

Twilight bit her lip. She considered explaining it to Rarity, but she figured that Mender should be the one to tell her. It was his pet, after all.

Mender sighed. "Yes, see that dark thing playing with the other animals over there? That's my pet changeling, Crunch."

"Crunch, what a masculine-sounding na-" She caught her breath, almost unaware of what he had just said it was.

"A changeling?! Mender, are you mad? Those things are brutes! They WRECKED Canterlot during an important wedding between Shining Armor and Princess Cadence!"

Mender couldn't resist facehoofing. He groaned loudly, but was thankful that this was the last explanation he would have to give.

"Rarity, Crunch is not a brute. He's nice, loves me, and doesn't feed off of me. I couldn't ask for anything more, not that I had to."

"But it's a changeling, Mender!"

"I've had that line drilled into my head many times, Rarity. I am fully aware of the implications of having a changeling, including all the risks that are involved. However, he will not bring harm to anypony in this town, of that I am certain."

"Well, if you can keep it on a short leash...I suppose it's fine, then. You seem to know what you're doing, after all."

Mender was actually winging it, but smiled at the comment anyway.

"I know about the wedding, and that everypony is on edge now about changelings thanks to it. Therefore, I don't plan on taking Crunch into Ponyville just yet...not without some sort of method to disguise the fact that he's a changeling."

Mender received dumbfounded looks from both Rarity and Twilight. He had the feeling he said something idiotic, but didn't know what it was.

Twilight spoke first. "...Mender, you DO know that changelings can disguise themselves to look like other ponies, right?"

Mender vaguely remembered something about the queen looking like Cadence when Fluttershy told him of the wedding, but decided to play dumb and have them explain it to him.

"Nope, not at all."

"Have you been living under a rock?" Rarity asked.

"Or locked yourself in a room for Celestia knows how long?" He thought to Young.

"Ha ha. Laugh it up there, Mender, but I'm not the one being insulted here."

"No, I've been too busy dealing with angry neighbors back in Fillydelphia to be aware of any big news. That's why I hadn't heard much about the wedding other than what Fluttershy told me about it...and she didn't go that much into changeling detail herself."

"Well, changelings have the ability to transform themselves into a pony that's roughly the same size and shape as them. That's how the changeling queen could look like Cadence, and how her army could change themselves to look like us when we fought them. In the case of your little one, however...I'm not even sure if he can transform. If he can, it would have to look like a young foal or filly, and the last thing this town needs is doppelganger children," Twilight said.

Mender understood the problem as he thought back to the three fillies. Having another one of those around would cause panic in the town easily...then he had an idea as he faintly remembered the ponnekin in Rarity's boutique.

"Rarity, would it be possible to make a fake pony for Crunch to try and copy?"

Rarity blinked for a moment, then understood what Mender was driving at. "Ah, I see. You want to have Crunch disguise himself as a new foal."

"Bingo. I get to take him around as my 'son' and nopony will be the wiser. The only questions are if he can transform to look like one, and how long he can maintain the form."

"Well, the changeling queen could maintain her form for at least a full day or longer, though I'm certain that length of time had something to do with the love she had absorbed by then."

"Ah, and do you know if Crunch can transform?"

"I...can't tell you for sure. I haven't encountered a young changeling before now, Mender, so I don't know if they're capable of transforming or not."

"...could I teach it like a trick or something?" Mender was joking, but Twilight didn't seem to catch it.

"Actually, that just might work, assuming you're familiar with disguising magic."

Mender had sorted through his memories of old, trying to remember where he heard of that magic before. His mind settled on a memory where he remembered a Shroud in one of the many units he was assigned to that was particularly fond of using it. The Shroud was arrogant, but favored survival as she taught him how to conceal himself more carefully using that magic. Yet...he foresaw problems. Not only because he wasn't an expert at illusion magic like her, but...

"I am...somewhat. I've had experience using it some time ago in my service, though that time is long gone now. In addition, my horn isn't exactly in the best of condition here."

Rarity and Twilight both looked at his horn in more detail. Both opened their mouths in shock as they noticed the two cracks in his horn. How had neither of them noticed that before? Anypony who even bothered to give it two seconds of thought would have seen it...and yet they didn't. They had assumed it was normal, yet he simply didn't use unicorn magic as often as they did...or at all, in front of them. That should have made it stand out more, though at the time he had no reason to use such magic.

A few seconds of silence lingered before Twilight spoke. "Mender...what happened?"

The bookworm didn't know? Mender was slightly surprised at this. Regardless...

Mender's response carried little emotion. "A pony once asked me that same question, to which I shall give the same answer. If you know about my job as a medic, you know what I did to 'earn' these cracks...I have nothing further to say on the matter at this time."

Rarity didn't seem to understand this answer, but Mender could see that Twilight was probing his words for the underlying meaning behind them. It wasn't long before her eyes grew cold as she seemed to realize exactly what he did, just like Nurse Redheart, though it took Twilight more time to do so.

"You didn't." Her voice reeked of nervousness and fear. "You didn't try to-"

"I SAID...that I have nothing further to say. No more probing, Twilight. You are delving into matters that are NOT your own to deal with," Mender hissed. His emotions fluctuated between irritation at her persistence and anger at her tenacity to attempt to understand.

Twilight struggled to find words to say. Instead, she nodded, a small understanding that Mender took to mean that this conversation was over...at least, for now. He had a feeling she'd pry again, but this was not the time nor place for such discussion to occur.

Loud noises came from the field as everypony stopped their chatting to observe the scene. The white cat had attacked Crunch in a maelstrom of claws. Crunch's eyes were held shut as he ran off into the forest...NO!

Mender quickly got up from the tree and scrambled to catch Crunch before it entered those evil woods. His hooves pounded against the grass, then the small road as he called the changeling's name, but it didn't seem to hear him.

Mender was too late. Crunch ran into the dark forest that extended beyond the pathway. Before he could follow, he felt teeth dragging him back as both Applejack and Rainbow Dash were pulling him away from the woods, their intentions to keep him out. He wouldn't have it, so he spun back and forth, shaking their grip loose and sprinting into the trees before him.

Author's Note:

Hiya folks! Old Man here.

I think it's about time some danger came around in this story.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice seein Mender mentally and physically suffer in a peaceful environment, but it's time for a change in scenery.

...and what a change it is, indeed.

Comments

[Luna Secret Stallion]

This story seems to get no love. Oh well It will get all the love from me!

[Aquanova]

Well this is a great story so far, I'm having difficulties recalling all the details from previous chapter I could mention, but from what my horrible memory can remember: I'm enjoying the irony that shows up so often, enjoying the fact that the changeling is a pet in this one as opposed to the traditional thoughts other have on them, enjoying the idea of another pony in the main characters mind, and overall have little to no complaints about how it's been written.

Also this make you sound like a great person:
"it's nice seein Mender mentally and physically suffer in a peaceful environment."
(In all reality though I have to agree)