The Night Can Change

by BlueyWaifu

Chapter 8

"You can draw from your imagination what happened last." Faltic said. His head was supported by his hoof on his cheek.

What would soon be the changeling trio's curtain call was starting to show its first signs. The sky was no longer a solid black, and the dotted stars began to fade away to the point where only the brightest were still visible. Gentle flushes of orange crept above the skyline to the east, like embers of a fire.

Both Restel and Klaven had been attentive for the duration of Faltic's story. Though, the more it went on, and the more detail was told, both of them couldn't help but wonder the same thoughts. Faltic's story sounded no more accomplishing than their own tales of what happened. Was it really going to be this anticlimactic?

The pair of listening changelings turned to one another and shared a look, almost as an attempt to telepathically question the other. Though, to add to Restel's confusion, Klaven had cracked a smile to him. Restel was the first to break the inaudible conversation to turn to Faltic. "So you... painted a fence?"

Faltic straitened his posture and sat upright, nodding his head once. "Yes."

Restel was silent again. Klaven was no help, as all he was doing was grinning maniacally. "So then let me get this straight-" Restel started. He clasped both his hooves in front of his mouth before continuing. "-You did just about the same things we did. Y'know, make sure nopony did anything to interfere, maybe slack with it a little, and get caught up in your own business. Yet you complain about us?"

Faltic sat in formal silence, and offered his friend a fanged smile. Restel, on the other hoof, was now peering quizzically at Faltic. I'm confused... Why is he smiling?.. Why is Klaven still smiling?

Everything formal about Faltic's posture all came crashing down in one moment; the morning air was filled with the sounds of his boisterous laughter. Restel could not be more indifferent about his reaction to whatever his friends were getting at.

For one short break of his laughter, Faltic spoke. "I played you all night, I didn't do anything either!" Restel had had enough of one thing, and that one thing was sitting next to him and joining in on the laughing. Klaven was given a shove by his partner. "Oh cut it out! What am I missing here?" Restel said it with a hint of desperation in his tone.

"Well-" Faltic began. "-I told you I can lighten up for these things. I also know you think I'm sometimes a hard-ass, so I played into that. Jerk." His laughing had died down to only chuckling after his words. Restel's deadpan expression couldn't hold for more than a second or two seeing Faltic like this, and quickly turned into a sarcastic laugh, yet with a genuine grin. He knew Faltic has, is, and still will be the most serious of the three, it will just always catch him off guard when he isn't.

Faltic continued again, this time pointing his hoof at Klaven. "I don't know why he's laughing though."

Klaven still wore his smile proudly. "Because you fell for the oldest trick in the book. Literally, too." Faltic waved his pointing hoof dismissively at Klaven's remark, but he had his own to shoot back. "Oh whatever. You played dress-up with a pretty pink pegasus." Faltic rose from the table, stretching on his way off of the seat. He jerked his head in the general direction of Manehattan while looking at the other two, who then followed suit.

"I did, so what?" Klaven inquired. Faltic was quick to shoot back. "And liked it." That earned a slight laugh from Restel.

The three began their last hike through the camp, leaving the shed and returning once more to the dirt path that lined the earth. Trees returned to either side of the three, making the sky obstructed by various branches and leaves.

Thankfully, having to hear Klaven's sleeping bag swish with his trotting would be over soon.

"I did not like it." Klaven nearly mumbled. Restel was quick to jump on that. "Then what was with the compliments and suggestions? You were technically talking about yourself."

Try as Klaven might to defend himself, he couldn't hold back his lips from curling into a helpless smile. "Oh shut up. It was to help her for her date, and she appreciated it." Even Faltic joined in on the banter. "Hah, 'her' date. It was practically your date for half of it."

The sun had yet to show itself, but the eastern sky was everchanging with morning colors, and birds were already out singing. "Well, at least I had a date, and food to go with it. I didn't have a date with something like a job, or a fence." It was Klaven's last defense, trying to change the subject, and it worked. Restel, wanting to jab back at Faltic, immediately picked up on that. "Ha! Yeah, at least I wasn't tricked into something boring, like painting."

"Oh whatever-" Faltic began. He turned to look at Klaven. "-You hear this guy? The audacity to call painting boring when he became a part time employee." It was amusing to two of three changelings. The third, however, puffed his chest with mock pride. "I'll have you know, they owe me bits. It is literally illegal if they withhold them from me." Klaven chuckled at that statement and replied. "Yeah, like you're going to be showing your face there anytime soon." Faltic also joined. "Never!"

Both Faltic and Klaven enjoyed the brief tangent of poking fun at Restel, who was snidely mimicking them back. Even still, it was hard not to have a bona fide enjoyment for the night. It wasn't but once every so often there was an opportunity to get together. Many things had to align, ends had to meet, locations had to be agreed upon, so forth. For returning to Manehattan, though, was to return back to daily monotony. Not one of that a typical pony experiences.

"Like you were getting paid to paint a fence?-" Restel fought back. "-You gave that guy a free break, and did his work for him." Klaven, sensing now was a good time to jump in, spoke up too. "C'mon Faltic, how did you not see how that would play out?"

Faltic blew a raspberry at the air. "Klaven, I've never read whatever book you think that comes from. Restel, shut up." Restel played his fake offended look and looked to Klaven. "Listen to him, painter boy telling me to shut up." To which, Klaven couldn't help but hold his hoof to his mouth to muffle his chuckle. Faltic raised his head and looked skyward, heaving a playful sigh. "I helped him, we all helped somepony. I just happen to help somepony who enjoys being a... what's the word I'm looking for, Restel?"

"The word I call you because you read?"

"Yes."

"A nerd?"

"Exactly. I helped somepony who enjoys being a nerd on his breaks. You-" Faltic gestured his hoof to Restel. "Helped somepony take a break from his job, and you-" Faltic gestured to Klaven. "-helped a damsel in distress by being a dress-up doll." The trio shared their own amusement about their tales of varying embarrassment. The path leading back to the campgrounds' entrance was longer than usual. It rivalled the length of the flower trail that led them to the shed for Klaven's story. There wasn't anything noteworthy this time, other than the sky no longer held stars within it. Only, clouds were now visible as sunlight slowly suffused over.

"So Klaven,-" Restel began, to which Klaven perked his head and ears towards him. "-you gonna take that sleeping bag off? Or wear it back to Manehattan?"

Klaven looked back at himself, which was all covered in nylon. "I mean, I liked it. It worked for tonight. I wasn't cold."

Faltic leaned his head into the conversation. "You know jackets exist. I'll get you one using the cashier's part time bits."

The ex-cashier spoke with his snout held higher than usual. "Go ahead, but I expect you to pay me back. With interest."

"Oh whatever." Faltic shot back. To Klaven, it was all true, what Restel said. Wearing a sleeping bag back to Manehattan would look tacky and wouldn't blend in at all. It would have to be time to part with the temporary warmth. The daytime would cover for him, at the very least, until he found himself a more permanent, eye pleasing, less ear-grating solution.

"Yeah it's time to ditch this thing." Klaven said as he started to try and get it off. Try, being the key word. It was quickly learned that trying to force a front leg out of the makeshift hole for it was futile, and almost made him trip, so Klaven stopped in his tracks to try further. Once again, he had an audience of two for him and his sleeping bag as Faltic and Restel stopped to watch.

Klaven only managed one foreleg out after he'd taken a seat, and combined his physical strength with a touch of magical power. After that, the rest of the escape came much easier, and once he was out, the bag was hurled off into the foliage of trees, but not before a little red beanbag was retrieved from within. Klaven caught his two audience members looking at him, both wearing amused smiles. It didn't make Klaven falter in the slightest, as he kept walking past them, beanbag in hoof. "Out of sight out of mind." Klaven said. Restel and Faltic met eyes, and it was Restel who cracked first into stifling his laughter before picking back up after their new leader.

The entrance building and gate were coming into view as they rounded a bend. As trees became less frequent, the break in them allowed Manehattan's skyline to show itself. "I think I'll put this on my wall." Restel stated as they approached the gate. "That crumpled up brochure? Really?-" Faltic questioned. "-Like, frame it?"

Restel seemed to like the idea with his tone. "Yeah! I'll fold it open, and frame it right next to my bed. My bed being the one I'm mooching in. I've got a pretty solid hold on my love target." Klaven eyed the crumpled paper that was still stuffed in Restel's leg hole. "But it's all crushed up."

"That's fine by me. Means it was with us all night." Restel was confident in that. He was met by Faltic blowing a raspberry at him. "You're too sentimental."

The fence was no hinderance, just as when Faltic had first arrived. It was no hassle to spread their wings and buzz clean over it to the other side. "Too sentimental. Look at what you've got." Restel pointed out the green flower that was still nestled into his leg hole. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Gonna give it to that chick you've been on about?" Restel was sly with his words, and even nudged Faltic on the shoulder. Klaven, as well, was looking with a slight hint of anticipation for the answer.

"If I say yes, will you both stop looking at me like that?" Restel turned to look at his underling, not knowing he was eavesdropping, to which Klaven twisted his look in a different direction. "Huh? What?"

Restel put his attention back to Faltic. "I'm not looking at you like anything, and neither is he. But you know I'll find out eventually."

Faltic gave one hearty 'hah.' "I'd love to see you try."

The campground's entrance was long behind the trio, and Manehattan lie ahead. The sun was only now beginning to show more of its colors as it continued to bring the morning over the horizon. "Oh I will. I'll see you later today, maybe." Restel said as he unfurled his ragged wings and buzzed into the air, disappearing into the slight distance as the cover of trees soon became the blanket of buildings. It was the urban outskirts of Manehattan, nothing as busy as the heartland center of the city, so it was still safe to be flying.

Klaven looked up after him. "I should go too, we stay pretty close to each other."

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure I'll see you same time I do him." It was almost a reflection of how Restel had disappeared back into the city, just as a changeling should: unnoticed.

The morning was shaping up to be kind of nice in Faltic's eyes. Instead of flying, trotting back didn't seem so bad. A quick flash of green fire, and one usual disguise later, it was back into Manehattan monotony.

Author's Note:

Conclusion, closure, ending. This story took around six months to make, and it started from the idea of changelings going camping. Really big thank you to all of my friends who proofread and made the cover art to help. It's a big friend project, as every character who isn't a changeling is one of them. Any and all feedback is welcome, and if you made it this far, I'm humbled that someone read it to the end.

Comments

[Jar Man]

Bet

[DullLight]

You're so good at humor, these stories are hilarious