Things Are Rarely as They Seem

by Orkus

There's a Changeling in my Barn

Peach Blossom awoke with a mighty yawn as the first rays of dawn showed through the screen window inside of her room, hitting her eyes and parts of her light-brown body and white-tinted muzzle. She brushed her uneven, dirty blonde mane back from her face, and within meager moments filly had sprung forth from her resting spot in a burst of energy. Quickly making her bed's sheets nice and neat before making her next move, she dashed out of her room.

Running down the stairs with a hollow clop, clop, clop of her hooves on the wooden steps, Peach Blossom finally made it to the bottom floor of the living room, and walked the rest of the way from there. Rounding a final corner, she spotted a shape on the far end of the house, in the back of the kitchen.

It was her mother, Persica, and she appeared to be busy with cleaning some things in the sink in front of her. She was a sturdily-built mare with creamy brown fur and a long, chocolate-colored mane adorning the back of her neck, but at the moment it was wrapped back slightly by a blue bandanna, as to not obstruct her work. Her face was currently obscured from view, facing only the dishes.

"Good morning, Mom," Peach Blossom said in a happy voice.

"Good morning, my little Blossom," she greeted back, wiping a smudge away from another plate with the soap and foam-filled water. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Very good," the filly responded, trotting up to the right side of her parent. "You weren't home in time to tuck me in, but I still had sweet dreams."

"Oh, sorry about that, dear..." Persica apologized in a sorrowful tone, taking a split-second moment off of her work to glance her right, blue-tinted eye down at her daughter. "I got caught up out on the road again."

"You'd think the road wouldn't be so busy out here in the country, huh?" Peach Blossom inquired with a smirk.

"They can be a bit more busy than you think," the mare chuckled, placing another dish on the drying rack. "I left your breakfast on the table."

"Thanks!" Peach Blossom said wholeheartedly, jumping up to kiss Persica on the cheek. She grinned again before dashing off to the dining room. Persica smiled to herself as she heard her daughter grab the cup of orange juice and the plate of sliced peaches and buttered toast, plop them onto her back, and hum an earworm to herself as she made her way toward the door to the house with the delectable meal. Not a few seconds after she had left, Persica busily returned to wiping the last of the plates and pans. Being a single mother with several entire acres of land to take care of, there was a lot of work to be done in the day.

Outside, Peach Blossom trotted merrily along. She loved to go out into the nearby barn and eat her breakfast on lovely days like this, when the sun was shining brightly and everything was peaceful. As she went on her little journey, careful of the glass plate and cup bobbing up-and-down on her back in a steady rhythm, she looked out to the peach tree orchard that covered most of the land beside her and her mother's house, admiring how the rays of the rising sun pierced through the leaves, leaving specks of brightness on the otherwise shaded grass below them.

Turning her head forward again, she soon arrived at her destination. The barn, red and large as it always was, was her favorite place to eat breakfast because of the way the morning sun's beams shined through the rafters in a tranquil and calm, yet at the same time beautiful and wondrous display. With a huff and puff of air, she pushed one of the doors open with a loud groan of the hinges connecting to it, and made her way inside, instantly sending her gaze upward when the task was accomplished. Through minuscule cracks in the walls and ceiling, she could see hints of a cloud of dust looming above from the sunlight showing through, causing her to sigh in amusement. Setting her plate and cup down, the filly sat down and rubbed her hooves together in preparation to enjoy her meal.

Picking up one of the slices of buttered toast, Peach Blossom was about to take her first large bite from it, when she heard a small, but clear commotion coming from behind. She knew it was no mouse scampering about, nor the wind blowing through the aged wood of the building's walls, for what she heard was a vivid crunching of hay. And the second it graced her ears she spun her head around and spotted where the sound had originated from; to a stall in the back. Putting her toast back down onto the plate, she slowly got to her legs and approached the stall.

The first thing she spotted in her approach of the compartment was the sight of something that looked vaguely like a... tail. Quietly, she grew closer and closer, going around until she had full view of the entire, utterly alien being lying within, limp as a feather on a pile of dry, dull-golden hay.

The slumbering creature she saw had the shape of a pony, but it was most definitely not one. It possessed no flesh or fur, just a hard carapace of armor-like chitin, not unlike what one would see on a bug. Its hooves were riddled with holes, and its 'mane' and ears looked webbed and pointy, like a fish's fins. It also looked like it had a horn on its head and a nasty pair of fangs adorning its mouth, but the filly didn't find them to be too threatening. Seeing him not moving, Peach Blossom lifted her hoof and sharply poked him on the side out of pure, unrefined curiosity.

Habeas felt the prod, and awoke fully within the span of about thirty seconds. Groggily mumbling to himself, he blinked his teal, compound eyes tiredly several times, and looked in the direction where he saw something's outline taking up the most space of his view. Once his eyes adjusted and the figure was as clear as it ever would be, his eyes shot open and his entire face went blank, as though he had a sword pointed at his throat.

Peach Blossom simply seemed amused by his reaction to seeing her. "Hi!" she greeted him.

Habeas didn't move a muscle when he registered the words. For what seemed like the longest time, he just stared into the pony's own green eyes. And like a mirror that conveyed the opposite emotion of the one who beheld it, she stared back, her grin still wide and brimming with energy and pent-up excitement only a child could express. Her brow soon curled in a questioning way, and she spoke again.

"Can you talk?"

"Uh... Y-yes," Habeas finally responded in a stutter. Moving himself again, to get a better spot on the hay he sat on, he grunted as he felt the tenderness of his battered body. "Hi, I guess..."

"You look injured. Are you okay?" the filly then gasped, spotting the wounds Habeas possessed as he unintentionally showed off the injured joint in his leg and what little remained of the wings on his back. Peach Blossom had never seen such wings before, but she knew that the tattered things they resembled were not supposed to look like that.

"Yes, I'm hurt," he replied, bluntly. "I got attacked by a stranger last night as I was walking along the road, and whoever it was made me break my leg and hurt my wings in a fall. Sorry if I'm taking up space here..."

"Oh, it's fine." Peach Blossom flicked her hoof easily. "We just use this place to store any hay bales we might need and farming equipment. I like to come here to see the way the sun shines through the ceiling. You're free to use it, if you want."

"Well... thanks," he said sincerely. No sooner had he spoken those words, his nose caught a familiar, sweet scent that made him realize his stomach was rumbling. Looking to the side, a short distance away, he saw it was coming from the plate she brought in.

That food on the plate was practically radiating love from it. It must be made with love, thought the changeling, noticing how his pangs increased the moment his eyes spied it. With a pleading expression overtaking his face, he turned back to the filly.

"Your food looks yummy," he spoke aloud. "Would it be alright if... maybe I had some of it? I was supposed to be in the next town by now, where I could get food there, but after what happened last night..."

"Um, sure!" Peach Blossom agreed, knowing he needed it more than she did. Pushing the plate and cup of orange juice to him, she gestured for him to have as much of it as he wanted. Habeas eyed its contents carefully, not being too much a fan of tangible foods, especially fruit, but he accepted it either way. Using his good front hoof, he brought the plate and cup up to himself.

"My name's Peach Blossom," Peach Blossom said as he grabbed and took a bite from the toast. "Who, and what, are you?"

"I'm a changeling. I presume you haven't met any before, unsurprisingly," he murmured. "And my name's Habeas. Habeas Brittle."

"'Changeling'?" Peach Blossom questioned. "My mom's told me stories about changelings. She's always said that they're evil monsters that will suck the love right out of you without a second thought. You seem nice enough, though, Mr. Brittle."

She suddenly gave Habeas a more cautious look. "You aren't like that... right?"

"Me? Nah..." he started, before shifting another peach slice into his mouth. After chewing it and swallowing, he continued, "We changelings do eat love, yes, and many of us serve our queen in a way that would make you see us as such, but I'm not like them. I left my hive a while ago to explore the outside world, and find other ways of getting love. Like how this food here was apparently made with it."

"'Hive'?" the filly asked again. "You mean likes ants and bees?"

"In a way, yes."

"Neat!" Peach Blossom exclaimed. Habeas soon finished the breakfast with a downing of the orange juice, and when he was done, he placed it down on the empty plate.

"Thank you for the meal," he said, wiping the last remaining crumbs from his mouth to the barn's dirt floor. "That tasted good."

"Don't mention it," she replied. "You looked hungrier than me." A minute of silence came between the two, and during it, Peach Blossom decided to get a much better look at how her new friend appeared, now that she was right next to him. Then, noticing what time it probably was, she stood up abruptly.

"Well, I've gotta go now..." the filly sighed dejectedly. "My mom's going to take me to school in a little bit. I'll be back tonight though, Mr. Brittle."

"You can call me Habeas, if you want," he insisted gently.

"Alright, Habeas. I guess I'll see you later," said she. "And don't worry, I won't tell my mom about you. I bet she'd freak out."

With a small wave of her hoof and a cheery smile, she collected her plate and cup and began to bound out of the barn the way she entered it. Soon, Habeas was alone inside of the small building once more. Finally remembering his leg from the night before with the tranquil quiet to allow his thoughts to clarify, he looked to it and saw it was still hardened at the joint inside of the resiny, solid substance.

With a mumble of something resembling a mixture of happiness and hopefulness at his luck at finding an understanding pony, he lied his body down on the hay and let it settle again, lowering his head as he tried to relax himself. Closing his compound eyes, Habeas, though not sleeping, began to rest, knowing that this course of action was the fastest he would get to healing properly. He let his mind drift to alleviate his boredom, and remained still as a statue for the rest of the day.

Comments

[Honeybee47]

first comment :D

[Skye Mist]

It's the mom!
I just know it! (No I don't)
I love making theories and assumptions before the end.

[Lord Sergal]

7338112
To be fair, that was my thought as well. She was out late on the road, she knows what changelings are and what they'd do, and Peach thought she'd freak out if she saw him.

[Skye Mist]

7338134 We still have to hold out til the end to find out 100% though.

[Perteks]

It would be strange if it was Mom, counting that she have farm to work and runing in full plate around would be opposite to working on farm ;p

[Guner]

Blood good story cep it UP

[Vitae]

Hmm...I like it.

[LunaRisen-Web_System]

I like to come here to see the way the sin shines through the ceiling.

vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/nanatsu-no-taizai/images/6/6e/Chapter161.png/revision/latest?cb=20160422122323

[Orkus]

7342241 Oh, hahahahaha.

[LunaRisen-Web_System]

7342260 *bows* Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week!

But seriously, great job. I'm very invested

[TheDerpyBarnOwl]

Hmm... Unique plot, changelings, romance, and great grammar?! You sir, have me hooked.

[Despicable Kiwii]

I'm almost sure who's the knight pony

[Truthseeker]

Hmm... the attacker's identity is obvious. I wonder why the attacker attemoted to murder him though.

[Crimson Twilight]

7727414 I would guess that she wanted to protect her daughter from what she felt was a threat, changelings are notorious for lying and such.

[Dustchu]

Changelings~ Nicely done!

I fear there will be dark things ahead... very dark.
Or not.

Nice job!

[Thesane1]

habeas brittle = you brittle. NEAT

[erictheblue]

and hum an earworm to herself

um, does that mean a tune that gets stuck in your head?

[Verdant Frost]

"Oh, sorry about that, dear..." Persica apologized in a sorrowful tone, taking a split-second moment off of her work to glance her right, blue-tinted eye down at her daughter. "I got caught up out on the road again."

I suspect....