A New Home

by Shads

Ch. 14 - Answers Pt. 2

It was cold standing outside of Muffin's shop, colder than it had any right or need to be.

Well, it wasn't really that cold. Blue and Cherry didn't seem to notice anything different about the weather and if they did they weren't showing it. Heck, even Celestia's sun was still blazing near the horizon. He could feel its comforting warmth hugging his fur, letting him know that the solar monarch was watching over and protecting her ponies. But not even the flaming ball in the sky could dampen the cold pit in his stomach.

"Looks like everyone's finishin' up in there," Blue spoke as he peered into the ship windows. He looked back at Mane and his wife. "You two sure you still wanna go through with all this? Still not sure if tellin' more ponies is the best course of action."

Mane shuffled on his hooves while he stared at the ground. Truthfully, he wanted to turn around and walk away from the whole thing, but he knew he couldn't. If anypony else deserved to know about his secret, it was definitely Muffin. Besides, that codgy stallion wouldn't just let me reappear like that after abandoning him for the past few days. Finally, he looked back up. "To be honest, I'm still not sure myself. Part of me wants to run away just for telling you two. But," he sighed, "I think he can handle it. Besides, I think it might help to have some more back-up when the Royal Guard decides to swoop down here and pick me up."

"Oh don't be that way," said Cherry as she gave him a light cuff on his foreleg. "The princesses are very kind and friendly. I'm sure that your other queens are doing their best to resolve everything with her."

Mane shuddered. "That's what has me worried..." A few words and they could have our entire hive wiped off the face of this planet if they wanted to.

With the last patron leaving the store, Muffin approached the window and flipped the sign to 'Closed' so he could finish cleaning up shop. When he saw Blue, he gave a small smile and a wave. Cherry walked up to his side and waved back while Mane came up from his other side. When Muffin eyed him, his smile fell a bit and his stare hardened.

Mane gulped.

---

"And, well... I guess that's all of it."

The group of four sat at a circular table near the center of the restaurant. While there was a bit of activity out front, the 'Closed' sign made sure to keep passersby from interrupting their conversation. Mane didn't think the tension could be as heavy as it was when he was just talking to Blue and Cherry, but Muffin made sure to prove him wrong. If it wasn't for the fact that he could sense his emotions, he'd think that Muffin was angrier than he actually was.

It was a silent, awkward minute before Muffin released a deep breath through his nose. "That'd explain a few things, at least."

Mane's head tilted. "W-what?"

"Ya barely eat, colt. Ya get'n here 'fore the breakfast rush and don't even leave for lunch." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm lucky no one's tried to report me for thinkin' I was mistreatin' ya. An' don't even get me started on those wings."

"Wait," Blue looked at Mane's wings, trying to spy what was wrong with them. "What do you mean by that?"

"I've met tons of chefs in my life, but no other pegasus I've seen has had your level of balance and control. I was startin' ta think ya might've had some unicorn blood in ya. Speakin' a' which," he leaned over the table, "mind showin' me what ya can do?"

Mane spied out the front window, noticing that there were only a few ponies left with their attention drawn elsewhere. Still, he didn't really feel like risking a full-body transformation. He had no idea if the Royal Guard was still around town. "Erm... how about something small?"

He put his forelegs on the table and, after ensuring that they were hidden from outside view, changed them. Two small rings of fire traveled from his barrel down both legs, slowing shifting their color and shape. His left foreleg simply had its fur changed to a light-orange, but his right was another story entirely. While the top-half mirrored its partner, the fur changed into a hard, yellowish material. Before the fire ring dissipated, three razor-sharp talons appeared out of the bottom of the leg, each one moving in a wave pattern as he tapped them on the table.

Muffin, for his part, seemed more curious than angry now. "Well that's pretty neat."

"I didn't know changelings could turn into things other than ponies! How come you didn't tell us that before?" Cherry pouted.

"You never asked." The two rings reappeared at the bottom of his forelegs before quickly rising up them, reverting the changes. "We can turn into any creature really, but there's a few restrictions that prevent us from doing so."

"Like what?" Blue asked.

"Well, the first rule is that we can't change our natural forms." He let the disguise on his right foreleg drop, showing the hole-filled chitinous leg beneath. "The holes in our legs help us determine identities, similar to ponies' cutie marks or gryphons' beaks.

"The second rule is that more mass requires more power. How big or small we are is determined by how much power we can hold, which is why our queens are much bigger than we are. We can almost permanently maintain disguises that are the same size as us, but bigger disguises require more maintenance and don't last as long."

Cherry hummed. "Which is why you tend to be ponies..."

He nodded before shifting his foreleg back. "Our hive, at least. Ponies are very loving beings, so over time our bodies adjusted to fit with them. Other 'lings have made their homes in gryphon lands, making them naturally bigger."

"Speaking of 'other changelings'..." Blue gave a look.

Mane looked confused before letting out an exasperated sigh, letting his head fall forward. "Yea, Stage was a changeling. He was updating me about what's going on back home. It's, uh... pretty hectic to say the least."

"Ya mean the weddin'?" Muffin asked.

"Yup, that disaster. The other hives are running damage control. Meanwhile I'm sitting here hoping the princesses don't fly down and wipe us all off the face of the planet."

Cherry cuffed him again. "I already told you earlier that the princesses aren't like that."

"Yea, yea." Mane rubbed the spot where she hit him. "Still, I'd appreciate it if you three could keep this all a secret. I'm still me, just... with less fur. And a criminal record."

Muffin scratched his chin. "I'll tell ya what. If ya come back to work and cook for these ponies, I'll let this all slide." He frowned and exuded an angry aura that made Mane want to cough up his lungs. "But ya better not be lyin' to me."

"I-I'm *cough* not."

"Good." He let off and leaned back into his chair, leaving Mane to gasp for air. "And next time ya wanna leave me alone for three days, a warnin' wouldn't hurt."

Comments

[dawn seeker]

awesome chapter first don't blame me if you looked