BuggyCYOA

by Equidaeon

Mutual Learning | Parts 31B - 42

The walk back home is uneventful, though you appreciate the feeling of the warmth from the still-warm pie seeping into your hands.
Soon enough, you find yourself nearly at home again. One thing you notice, however, is that there is still smoke coming out of the chimney.

Notaulix must have kept the fire going, you think to yourself.

It seems so obvious, yet it's something that you failed to consider before leaving. You hope that no one may have noticed this oddity while you were in Ponyville.
Arriving at the front door, you unlock it before opening it and stepping inside, where you are immediately greeted to the luxury of your home being toasty warm.
As you close the door behind you and lock it again, you hear the sound of hoofsteps against the wooden floor drawing close from the living room.

"Welcome back, Anon!" You hear the surprisingly cheerful voice of Notaulix say.

"Hey there." You respond as you finish locking the door. As you turn to face the changeling, you find yourself a bit caught off guard by what you see...
Notaulix stands at the entrance to the living room, looking up at you with a big smile, perked up ears and slightly ajar wings, reminding you of a pegasus who is excited about something.

Before you have a chance to comment, Notaulix speaks up again. "I kept the fire burning for you, so it would be warm and comfortable for you when you returned!" He says.

Any desire that you had to talk to Notaulix about the fire being a potential source of getting caught completely disappear at the sight of how happy and proud he is for doing such a simple yet kind thing for you.

"I can tell! It feels great in here. Thanks Notaulix, that was very considerate of you." You say to the changeling, causing him to beam in happiness at you.

You can't help but smile in return as you watch Notaulix move with some spring in his step as you both walk into the main living area of your home.
Notaulix returns to his spot on the couch where he still has the compendium open, while you make your way over to the kitchen where proceed to set the pie down on the counter before unloading your backpack.
After spreading out all of your purchases from the marketplace onto the countertop, you make your way back over to the entryway of your home.

Once there, you remove your bit bag from your belt along with your backpack, and hang both up on metal hooks by the front door.
As you do so, you make a mental note to refill the bit bag before the next time you head out to town, since it's nearly empty now.
You also take your boots off, and following a quick visit to the bathroom, return to the kitchen.
Pouring yourself a glass of water, you take it and move over to stand by the fireplace.

"So... How were things back here while I was gone?" You ask Notaulix, followed by taking a sip of your water.

The changeling looks up from his book to stare at you for several seconds, looking almost confused by what you asked before smiling.

"Everything was fine while you were gone. I continued to read and learn from this book while keeping the fire burning hot." Notaulix answers.

"That's good, it sounds like you've had a relaxing day. What kind of things have you been learning so far?" You ask him.

"Many things!" Notaulix happily proclaims. "I was hoping you could help explain some of them to me though... I-If you don't mind." He continues as his ears droop slightly.

You can't help but chuckle in amusement at how quickly Notaulix went from being excited and confident back to being more reserved.

"Sure, we still have plenty of time before dinner should be started. Scoot over and show me what you got." You say as you walk over to the couch.

"Thank you!" Notaulix says with joy as he moves over to give you room.

Once you sit down, Notaulix scoots in closer again and places the compendium onto your lap, where he uses his magic to turn to the first page in question.
You proceed to spend approximately the next 45 minutes going over questions that the eager changeling had, in addition to clarifying some of the things he had learned.
You find yourself thoroughly enjoying the time spent explaining things to Notaulix. Or for that matter, any time you've gotten to spend with him thus far.
Being able to interact with a race that you know hardly anything about has proven to be surprisingly fun.
There are still so many unknowns about your new house guest, and many questions that you would like to ask him.
Eventually, you conclude discussing the compendium for now as you place it to the side...

"Well, I'd say that you're pretty quick learner, Notaulix. If you keep these studies up while your body finishes recovering, you'll have no trouble at all helping me out in the Everfree." You say as you give the changeling a few gentle pats on his head.

"R-Really? You really think so?" Notaulix says as he looks up at you with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Sure I do!" You reassure him, resulting in a big smile. "Anyway, I'm getting pretty hungry... Since you seemed to enjoy helping with breakfast, do you want to help me make dinner?" You ask him.

"Yes, I would love to!" He eagerly responds.

"Let's get to it then!" You say as you stand up from the couch, making a stop at the fireplace to put another log on as you both move over to the kitchen.

At the kitchen, you begin to think about the best way to have Notaulix help you, who is awaiting instruction as he stares up at you with a happy look on his face.

"Umm... How about you work on the vegetables? I'll rinse things off in the sink, and you can prepare them over there." You ask as you point at the area of countertop by the sink.

"Okay!" Notaulix enthusiastically responds as he moves over by the sink. You watch as he appears to spread out his wings and prepare to jump up before pausing for several seconds.

Notaulix relaxes his posture, looking very embarrassed as he turns to look back at you. "I'm sorry Anon, but could you please lift me up again?" He asks.

"Don't feel bad Notaulix, it's no problem. I know you're feeling better, but it's wise not to push yourself. It's only been a day, after all." You say as you walk up to him.

"Yes, you're right." He says in agreement.

You bend down and grab hold of the changeling the same way as you did last time, lifting him up until his hooves land on the countertop.

"There we go. Now you're taller than me again, huh?" You say with a smile as you give his withers a firm pat for emphasis, eliciting a smile in return from him.

You proceed to bring over a cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler and a grater, before showing Notaulix an example of how you would like each vegetable prepared.
"...and two or three of these carrots like that should be enough. Think you got all that?" You ask Notaulix.

"This will be no problem. I'll wash the vegetables for you too!" He happily responds.

"That would be nice, thank you. I'll bring the pan out and get the eggs ready to go" You say as you turn away to go get the pan.

"W-Wait! Eggs?!" Notaulix exclaims, startling you as you quickly turn back to look at the changeling.
As you do so, you find Notaulix looking visibly distressed as he stares back at you. "W... W-What eggs, Anon? What do you mean?" He asks you in a worried tone.

You find yourself taken aback as you struggle to try and figure out why Notaulix is suddenly so upset.
"I, uhh... These eggs." You begin as you go and grab a small wooden box before bringing it over to show Notaulix.

Notaulix intently watches as you open the small box, revealing it to be lined with straw on which several medium sized chicken eggs rest.

"See? Eggs. From chickens. Are these okay? I guess I didn't ask you if you're able to eat such things or not..." You say.

"Oh... Chicken eggs... Yes, these are just fine, Anon." Notaulix says as he visibly relaxes. "I'm sorry, I thought... Never mind." He adds before turning his attention to preparing the vegetables.

"Is it really okay, Notaulix? It's fine if there's something that you don't want to eat. Really, please let me know if there is." You say to him.

Notaulix turns to give you a smile. "Everything here is great, Anon. I was just... surprised. Where I am from, chicken eggs are a rare treat. I have never had one." He says before turning his attention back to his prep work.

"Alright then..." You say as you stand there and stare at him for awhile. You can't help but feel unconvinced, and that you may have offended him somehow, but you don't want to sour the mood by pressing him further.

You get to work on your side of the preparations, bringing out the pan you wanted to use and placing it on the stove top to let it begin heating up.
Following that, you crack several eggs into a bowl and beat them together. Following that, you grab a knife of your own and chop up an onion to add to the mix.
After doing so, you add a small amount of cooking oil to the pan, to which you add the onions to once heated up.
The loud sound of sizzling onion suddenly fills the room, prompting Notaulix to look behind him to see what you're doing.

"Oh no! I'm almost done!" He says as he turns his attention back to a bell pepper. You hear the speed of his knife work suddenly increase, making you smile.

"Don't worry, there's no rush. These onions will take a few minutes before anything else needs to be added anyway." You reassure him.

You occasionally stir the onions around until Notaulix levitates the cutting board over with several neat piles of prepped veggies on it. "Here they are!" He says.

"Thanks. You did a nice job with these." You compliment Notaulix, prompting a warm smile to return to his face once more.

One by one, you add in the vegetables in the appropriate order of cooking, filling the room with a nice aroma.
Notaulix simply sits on the counter and watches you cook, curiously observing to see how you do everything.
Eventually you add in the egg, and after a few minutes of stirring everything together, result in a finished dish.
You remove the hot, fluffy vegetable scramble from the heat and set it to the side, where you sprinkle some basic seasoning onto it.

"All done! Are you ready to eat? Because I certainly am." You ask Notaulix as you move over to lower him back to the floor.

"Yes I am! It smells great!" He happily answers.

You gently grab hold of the changeling and lift him up before placing him back on the ground. Afterwards, you bring out two plates and another glass.
After dishing up and filling your glasses with water, you both head back over to the living room table where you make yourselves comfortable before digging in.

"This is really good, Anon!" Notaulix proclaims as he chows down on his portion of the vegetable scramble.

"Yeah? I'm glad you like it. Could use some cheese though... That would make it even better." You say as you enjoy the meal yourself.

"Cheese?" Notaulix asks in a curious tone, slightly tilting his head to the side as he stares at you for an answer.

"Wait, you've never had cheese before?" You ask him in return, to which he simply shakes his head in response.

You can't help but pause to think about what Notaulix just said. You can't imagine someone never trying cheese at least once. Even here in Equestria it's somewhat common.
Many different questions begin to fill your mind. You realize that it would be wise to learn more about Notaulix and his kind sooner rather than later.
At the very least, you want to avoid any future issues for what you can eat together.

"Huh, well... Cheese is a type of food produced from milk. Usually cows milk. There's many different styles of it with different flavors and textures." You begin to explain.
"Many types of cheese melt nicely when exposed to heat. So in the case of this vegetable scramble, having cheese with it would give everything a delicious, gooey coating." You continue.

"Oh! That sounds interesting! Why didn't you get any cheese if it's so good?" Notaulix asks.

You chuckle in amusement at the reality of the situation. "Because I forgot about it while I was in Ponyville. Sorry." You explain.

"Hehehe... There is no reason to be sorry, Anon. This tastes great even without cheese." Notaulix says.

On that note, silence falls between both of you as your focus shifts back to enjoying your meal while it's still hot.
Several minutes later after you both finish your meal, you decide to start seeking some answers for the questions in your mind.

"So, Notaulix... What exactly can you eat? Or rather, what do changelings prefer to eat? So far you seem to enjoy everything, but I don't want to accidentally get something that you either dislike or cannot eat." You ask the changeling.

"What can we eat...?" Notaulix begins, bringing a forehoof up to his chin as he appears to think deeply about your question.
"We can eat almost anything if food is scarce... But I have been told that the things we usually eat are similar to what the ponies eat." He continues.

"You've been told? Shouldn't you know what ponies eat by now?" You ask, slightly confused.

"Yes, I rarely ventured far from the hive. Most of my knowledge about ponies came from my hive sisters who lived among them. There are many things I haven't had a chance to eat." Notaulix explains.

"So wait a moment, have you ever actually met a pony?" You ask him.

"I have not." He plainly answers.

"Oh, uh... Okay. Continue telling me about the food, please." You say, slightly surprised by what you just heard.

"At the hive, we grew some vegetables and many mushrooms. Anything else is foraged from the surrounding land or acquired from the surrounding races." Notaulix continues.
"Fruits are special. All changelings love fruits." He adds with a big smile.

"I see. That explains why you liked that apple so much. So when you say that you can eat almost everything, does that include meat?" You ask.

"Meat?" Notaulix repeats. "We... can. But it's not preferred. It is avoided unless necessary." He answers.

"Understood. That's good to know, since I eat meat myself." You say.

"R-Really? You eat meat?" Notaulix questions as his eyes widen, sounding very surprised.

"Sort of, I don't eat it like I used to. Most animals here are far more intelligent than where I came from... I can't eat them, it just seems wrong. I only occasionally eat fish now." You explain to him.

"That's very kind, Anon." Notaulix says with a gentle smile.

You slowly nod your head a few times before picking up your glass of water and drinking from it.
Staring at the glass in your hand, you ponder the things that Notaulix just told you. There may be many things that he has never tried, but you find relief in knowing that he at least appears to enjoy most common foods.

"What about your kinds magical capabilities? I've seen you pick up and manipulate things like a unicorn multiple times now, but what else can you do?" You ask Notaulix, resuming your conversation.

"My... O-Our magic?" Notaulix responds, sounding both slightly confused and surprised.

"Yeah. Besides transforming, what other kinds of magic do you commonly use?" You say.

"Well... All changelings know how to transform, how to manipulate objects, and how to defend ourselves with a stunning attack." Notaulix begins to explain.
"We can also study and learn any type of magic as needed if we are given enough time and love to do so." He continues.

"Really now? If I remember correctly from what I learned about ponies, most unicorns only learn a small amount of magic in an area that they specialize in." You say.

"Is that true? I didn't know that." Notaulix says as his ears perk up in interest.

"Sort of. I think it was mostly implied that the average unicorn would have difficulty trying to practice anything they want, and that such a thing was more of a strength of particularly strong or gifted unicorns." You say, clarifying what you meant.
"Basically, that would seem to imply that your kinds ability to learn anything is pretty special... What other magic have you learned, Notaulix?" You ask him.

You watch as upon hearing your question, Notaulix suddenly looks embarrassed as his ears droop, followed by looking away from you.
"I-I haven't learned any new magical spells... I'm sorry..." He answers.

You can't help but stare for a moment as you wonder why Notaulix suddenly reacted this way.
"What are you sorry for? There's nothing to be ashamed of." You ask him.

"Because... Because I could be more useful if I knew more magic." He responds.

"There's no need to feel that way, Notaulix. You're already plenty useful without knowing any extra magic." You reassure him.

"R-Really Anon? Do you mean that?" He asks as he looks back at you with hopeful eyes.

"Sure I do! There's plenty of ways you can help me just by being able to magically pick things up. That's something I can't do." You begin to explain.
"You're able to help prepare meals, you kept the fire going while I was gone, and once we get out into the Everfree you'll be able to easily harvest things that are difficult for me to reach." You continue.

"Thank you, Anon... That means a lot to me." Notaulix responds, once again looking like his happy self.

You nod in agreement as you think about what to say next.
"By the way, since you've mentioned it a few times since we met... Can you tell me about how changelings transform? Is it an illusion? Or..." You trail off as you ask Notaulix.

"Our transformation no illusion. We are able to transform into most living things if it's a similar size to us." Notaulix answers.

"So... Your body physically changes? Or something like that... Why does the size of the transformation matter?" You inquire further.

"Yes, it's a physical change." Notaulix nods in responses. "And the bigger or smaller something we transform into is than us, the more it strains our magic in exchange." He adds.
"We may be a race that can transform into others, but we still have our natural forms... Every transformation is an effort to maintain that deviation from the natural." Notaulix explains further.

"I see... Wow, that's really interesting. Could you show me a transformation, please? I think actually seeing it would help me understand a lot more than anything." You ask.

"I would love to, Anon! But... Would you mind if that waited a couple more days? I would feel much more comfortable transforming again if I could continue feeding on more love and recover more first..." Notaulix asks in response with a sheepish smile.

"Not at all, there's no rush. The top priority is you getting better first. Other things can come after that once you're all back to normal." You say.

"Thank you, Anon." Notaulix says with eyes full of gratitude.

As you sit in your chair, you begin to ponder some of the things Notaulix just told you and their implications.
You didn't think about it until now, but if the rest of Notaulix's kind are just like him, they are a race that can both use magic like a unicorn, yet fly like a pegasus...
Such a combination would seemingly put them in the same class as the two mighty alicorns of this land, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, though obviously weaker by a large amount.
The implications of this raise many questions within your mind, but you choose instead to push those to the side for now.
You take a moment to glance at a clock, noting that its getting later in the day.

"Anyway, got any room for some more food? I think it's time for dessert." You say with a smile.

"Dessert? What is that, Anon?" Notaulix asks in a curious tone as he tilts his head slightly to the side.

You can't believe what you just heard. Surely everyone knows what dessert is...?
"Wait, you've never had dessert before?" You ask Notaulix.

"N-No..." He plainly responds as he looks down at his forelegs.

"Well it's time to change that. Wait here." You say as you stand up and make your way back over to the kitchen.

Notaulix watches you in anticipation as you bring out two smaller plates before placing a generous slice of apple pie on each one.
The changeling continues to watch you carefully as you return with two plates in hand before setting one of them down in front of him.
After getting to the comfort of your chair, you watch Notaulix as he alternates between looking at you and the slice of pie in front of him.

"What is this?" Notaulix asks, pointing a forehoof at his plate for emphasis.

"A slice of apple pie. It's sliced apples mixed with sugar and spices placed in a pie shell, which then gets baked in an oven. I bought it in Ponyville today." You answer.
"Try it, you'll like it." You say to encourage him.

"It's... It's made from apples?" Notaulix says with a hint of excitement as he picks up his plate, bringing it close to his nostrils to smell. "It smells nice!" He adds.

You watch as he proceeds to grab hold of his fork, followed by bringing a small experimental bite of the pie into his mouth.
The affect is nearly immediate as you watch Notaulix's eyes widen, ears perk up and his wings spread out.
"This is amazing!" Notaulix proclaims with delight as he digs into his slice of the pie, eating it with gusto.

You can't help but laugh at the sheer joy your changeling friend is experiencing from his first slice of apple pie, prompting you to begin eating your own slice.
Sure enough, it's a fantastic apple pie; the flavors reminding you of home. Although, you're fairly certain by now that everything the Cakes make is nothing short of fantastic.
You both enjoy your dessert in silence, broken only by the occasional sound of Notaulix's wings briefly buzzing as he chows down on his pie.

Upon finishing with your bellies full, you proceed to take some time and explain the concept of dessert to Notaulix, in addition to letting him know that more pie will be available tomorrow, much to his excitement.
After putting another piece of wood on the fire, you examine the clock once more and see that the night will be arriving soon.
Turning your attention back to the fireplace to warm your hands by, you stare into the mesmerizing flames as you ponder what to do next...

"I think I'm going to wash the dishes real quick before it gets any later. Do you want to help?" You ask Notaulix as you turn around and walk back over to the table.

"Yes, I would!" Notaulix eagerly responds as he moves himself off the sofa.

You quickly collect the dishes on the table before bringing them over to the kitchen sink, with Notaulix following you closely.
"What do I need to do?" Notaulix asks as he looks up at you.

"Well, how about you dry the dishes off after I finish washing them?" You respond.

"Okay!" Notaulix says.

You proceed to bend down and lift Notaulix up onto the countertop once more, followed by handing him a dry cloth.
You then fill up the sink with some water and mix in a little soap.
Soon enough, you are busy scrubbing the dishes clean, which you rinse and hand off to Notaulix to dry.
Notaulix, in turn, dutifully does his job by grabbing hold of what you pass to him with his magic, followed by drying it off with the cloth held in one of his forehooves.
After drying something off, Notaulix neatly places it off to the side on the counter. This process continues on in relative silence.
As you work, however, a thought comes to your mind...

"Hey, Notaulix? I've been asking you a lot of questions... Do you have anything that you want to ask or talk to me about?" You ask him.

"You... don't mind? I didn't want to ask you too many questions when you have been doing so much for me..." Notaulix responds.

"Ah, don't worry about things like that. I enjoy having something to talk about." You say.

"Oh, okay! Well... Why are you always wearing clothes? Those... are clothes, right? I always heard that clothes were only worn for special occasions among the other races." Notaulix asks.

"My clothes, huh?" You say as a smile creeps onto your face. You've been asked this very question by the ponies quite a few times now.
It seems strange to you, though you understand why you're just as strange, probably more so, in the eyes of those who live in this world. Clothing is the exception, not the norm.

"My kind doesn't have fur, or feathers, or some sort of thick skin to help keep us warm. Without clothes, I would eventually die if it was cold enough." You begin as you continue doing the dishes.

Notaulix listens with interest as he continues drying the dishes that you hand off to him.

"Additionally, our skin isn't very strong, so our clothes help protect us from cuts and scrapes. We even make clothes out of extra tough material just for working in." You continue.
"It's like those boots you've seen me put on; they protect my feet and make it easier to walk. It would be very difficult and painful to walk any distance outside without them." You explain.

"Why do your feet look different from the rest of your body?" Notaulix asks as he leans over the counters edge to look down at your sock-covered feet.

"Huh?" You say in confusion as you look down at your own feet, staring at them for a moment before you realize what the changeling is talking about.
"Oh! Heh, that's because I'm wearing socks." You say as you turn your attention back to the dishes.

"Socks?" Notaulix questions with confusion of his own.

"They're a piece of clothing that goes over the feet to keep them warm and make wearing shoes easier." You explain.

A brief silence falls between you as Notaulix thinks about the things you just said.
"Do you ever remove your clothes?" Notaulix asks.

"Of course. We usually only remove all of our clothes to either change into a clean set of clothes, bathe, have a medical procedure, or to, well... mate." You reply.
"It was generally considered embarrassing and improper for fellow humans to see each other naked without clothes in public, which is why we almost always have them on..." You continue.
"For example, even when it gets nice and warm in the summer, we just wear less clothing. Clothes have just always been a part of us humans, I suppose." You conclude.

"I see... Thank you for explaining that to me, Anon." Notaulix says.
"I think it's very strange though." He adds after a few seconds.

You chuckle at the changelings honesty. "Yeah, I guess we are pretty strange, huh? You're plenty welcome, Notaulix." You say in response.

Several more minutes pass by as you finish washing and drying the dishes, followed by neatly putting them away where they belong.
Afterwards, you lift Notaulix off the countertops and back down onto the floor, when you then take a damp cloth and wipe off the counters to finish cleaning up.

"With that done, I think I'm going to head to the shower now and get cleaned up before bed. You need anything before I do that?" You ask Notaulix.

"No Anon, I'm fine, thank you... Do you mind if I use your shower to clean myself? I didn't ask you before I used it this morning... I'm sorry." Notaulix says in response.

"Don't be sorry, I don't mind at all. I do appreciate that you're asking now, though. You're free to use whatever is in there." You say to him.

"Okay Anon, thank you." Notaulix says with a gentle smile.

After speaking with your changeling housemate, you proceed to make your way to your room where you pick out a fresh change of clothes.
Following that, you walk back out of your room and into the bathroom, where you lock the door behind you and begin to undress.
Having placed your dirty clothes in a basket on one side of the room, you step into the shower and begin washing yourself.
You make a mental note to pick up another bottle of shampoo soon, as your current bottle is nearing empty. This lilac blossom one that the mare recommended you is nice, but you prefer your normal choice.
Finishing your shower, you dry off, shave, and brush your teeth. It occurs to you that you should buy Notaulix his own toothbrush, as you really don't like the idea of sharing one.
Once your new set of clothes is on, you unlock the bathroom door and walk back out to the living room, where you find Notaulix reading the compendium once again.

"Hey, Notaulix? I need to specify something about when I said you could use anything in the bathroom." You say to him.

"What is it, Anon?" Notaulix asks.

"Just, well... Don't use my toothbrush, please. I'll get you your own toothbrush tomorrow." You answer him.

"Okay Anon, I won't use it." Notaulix says as he examines your new appearance from top to bottom, before his gaze settles on your feet.
"Oh! Your feet don't have socks anymore! May I please see them?" Notaulix asks in an excited tone.

"You... You want to look at my feet? I-I... uh..." You trail off, caught off-guard by the sudden strange request.

"...Okay, I guess. Why do you want to look at them?" You ask Notaulix.

"Because you're so very different, Anon! It's very interesting to learn about you, especially since you told me you are the only one of your kind in this world." Notaulix answers.
"It's very difficult to imagine what most of your body looks like, since you always wear clothes." He adds.

"I see. Well, I understand the curiosity. The ponies are the same way." You say as you grab a chair and bring it close to the sofa that Notaulix is resting on.

With Notaulix watching you in eager expectation, you sit down on the chair, followed by lifting both of your feet up onto the sofa.

"There you go. Go ahead and look." You say to him.

"Thank you, Anon!" Notaulix says as he scoots in closer to get a good look at your feet.

You watch as the curious changeling carefully examines your feet from a respectful distance, frequently changing his position to look from a different angle.
You can't help but smile in amusement at the situation. In your entire life you never anticipated that your feet would be the subject of such interest.

"What are these strange things?" Notaulix asks as he points at the toes on your left foot with one of his forehooves.

"Those are my toes." You answer as you wiggle them, prompting a look of amazement on Notaulix's face.

"Wow! What purpose do they serve?" He asks.

"Mostly to help me walk and stay balanced while upright." You answer him once more.

"Wow..." Notaulix trails off as he returns to silently examining your feet.

"Try feeling the bottom of my feet. I think you'll understand why I wear those boots once you do." You suggest to Notaulix.

"Okay!" Notaulix says as he reaches out with one of his forehooves and begins to gently poke and prod at the underside of your feet.

Almost immediately, Notaulix's expression turns into one of surprise as a sudden realization hits him.
"It's so soft and squishy!" Notaulix exclaims. "There's no way you could walk on rocks or other sharp surfaces with these!" He adds.

"That's right, and that goes for the rest of my body too. Now do you understand better why I wear those boots and these clothes to help protect myself?" You ask Notaulix.

"Yes, I do. Thank you Anon, I appreciate you letting me look at your feet." Notaulix responds as he scoots back away from your feet while looking at you with an appreciative smile.

"Yep, no problem." You say as you lift your feet off of the sofa and return to a normal sitting position.

You find yourself sitting together in silence, unsure of what to say or do next.
As you do so, your focus falls upon Notaulix's forelegs spread out on the sofa, and subsequently you can't help but stare at the holes riddled throughout them.

"Hey, Notaulix?" You begin as you point at his forelegs. "Do those hurt at all? Those holes in your legs?" You ask.

"No, they don't hurt, but..." Notaulix begins to answer as he looks down at his forelegs "...it's uncomfortable. Each hole is numb. I can't feel anything around them." He continues.

"That sounds unpleasant... Doesn't that make it hard for you to walk?" You ask him.

"Sometimes, yes. It depends on where the holes form. Flying also becomes more difficult when we are starved of love." He responds.

"Why would flying be more difficult? Just the lack of strength, or...?" You ask.

"See for yourself." Notaulix says as he spreads out his insect-like wings for you to look at.

As you look at the changelings wings, you immediately understand why. You failed to notice before that his wings have holes in them just like his legs.
In fact, the more you look at him, the more you realize there are chunks missing from other parts of his body, like his ears.

"Oh no! I didn't notice before that you had those holes all over your body! Can you even fly at all with your wings like that?" You ask.

"Yes, but it's very difficult." Notaulix answers.

"That's why you have me lift you up onto the counters, huh? I understand now." You say.

Notaulix simply nods his head as silence falls between you once more. You can't help but think about what a dire situation changelings get into when they go through this love starvation.
Why does it have to be like this for changelings? You think to yourself. Surely there is more than enough love from the friendly, loving ponies of this world for them...

"You said that you've been able to feed from me being kind to you, right? Is that enough to eventually heal your body?" You ask Notaulix.

Notaulix smiles in response to your question. "Yes, with all your kindness my natural form will eventually be able to completely heal. It will just take time to happen." He answers you.

"Good. I'm glad that I'm able to help you that way." You say.

Your focus falls back to Notaulix's forelegs once more, when a thought crosses your mind.
"Mind if I take a look?" You ask as you point at his forelegs.

"I don't mind." Notaulix says in a cheery tone as he stretches out his forelegs towards you.

You scoot your chair closer to the sofa before reaching out and taking hold of Notaulix's right foreleg with your hands.
You immediately note that the strange leather-like skin covering Notaulix's body feels the same here as it did on the main part of his body.
In addition is the bizarre sensation of his foreleg being both warm and cold to the touch. On closer inspection, you realize that it is the areas around the holes that are cold.
Running your thumb around the perimeter of one of these holes, you notice that they seem to be comprised of a different material that reminds you of your fingernails.
As you continue to examine Notaulix's foreleg, you can almost imagine in the back of your mind that the leg holes appear ever so slightly smaller than when you found him in the Everfree.

"You don't feel anything here?" You ask Notaulix as you press into the outer rim of one of his leg holes with your thumb.

"No, nothing." Notaulix says as he shakes his head.

"Huh..." You say in conclusion as you let go of the changelings foreleg before returning to sitting upright in your chair.

"Well, I think I'm going to head off to bed now and read a little before it gets dark. You need anything before I go?" You ask Notaulix as you stand up.

"Okay Anon, I will continue reading here myself. And no, I don't think I need anything, thank you." Notaulix says in response.

"Alright then. If you do need anything, you'll know where to find me... Sleep well." You say as you move over to the fireplace and put one more log on the fire for the day.

"Good night, Anon." You hear Notaulix say behind you.

After putting the log in the fireplace, you begin to make your way back towards your bedroom, when a thought crosses your mind, making you stop.

"I think I'm going to turn off the morning alarm for tonight. Sleeping in sounds nice." You say as you walk over to the clock in the living room, which you then adjust the settings of.

Notaulix simply watches you with interest as you adjust the clock.

"There... Now it shouldn't wake you up first thing in the morning." You say to Notaulix.

"That does sound nice. Thank you, Anon." Notaulix says.

"Yep. See you tomorrow." You say as you make your way through the kitchen, into the hallway, and finally to your room where you close the door behind you.

You then walk over to the clock on your bedside table, which you then adjust the same way you did in the living room.
After doing so, you take a moment to look around your room in order to decide what to read.
Immediately you notice the books on the different races of the world that Twilight had loaned you again just the other day.
The same books that portray changelings in a negative light... A fact that now fills your mind with negative thoughts.
You want to revisit these books to try and discern why exactly the changelings are viewed that way, but not tonight.
Instead, you opt to spend some time in your journal, which you have neglected to update since your return from the Everfree when you discovered Notaulix.

Grabbing the journal from your bedside, you walk over to your desk where you sit down and open up your journal.
Upon readying your quill and inkwell; an acquired skill you have been working on in your time spent here in Equestria, you begin writing in new details on how you encountered Notaulix.
During the course of writing, it occurs to you that it may be a good idea to purchase another journal book, one that you could record your interactions with Notaulix in.

Eventually you hear the clock by your bed begin to play its signature chime announcing the coming moonrise in 15 minutes.
You wrap up your writing for the day and move over to your bed, which you climb into after removing your pants and setting them neatly aside.
Pulling the covers up around your body, you relax and unwind, reflecting on the days activities as you wait for the night to arrive.
Soon enough, the lighting quickly changes as the sun sets and the moon rises, bathing your room in a welcoming darkness.
It does not take long for you to drift off to sleep...

Comments

[TearingNose24]

"Oh! Your feet don't have socks anymore! May I please see them?" Notaulix asks in an excited tone.

Yuh just had to make him develop a foot fetish huh XD

[dustysculptures]

Following in from Pone. Glad to see this continuing

[giganticcats]

So this is here until pony paste is back up?

[MrMoonWolf]

Notaulix is getting better faster then expected. As Notaulix starts to realize that feeding's from a human is alote more potent then feeding from a pony's later on.

( I'm new to this so is this how u do it?)

[Morphy]

10918016

Mmm, I feel it's not so much more potent, just less influenced by that failed coup awhile back souring changeling-pony relationships. As stated ealier, since Anon has no preconceived knowledge of the changeling, his feelings are similarly pure. Question is, could a pony like and then love a changeling? Absolutely.

I'm just wondering if Anon is going to come home one day and start finding he's attracting more "strays", heh. When he gets older, just call him the crazy changeling guy, a house full of 'em. (At least they can look after themselves unlike a stinky house full of cats)