Homecoming
They were home. After fourteen days away after the nightmare turned dream come true that was their wedding day they had returned from a much needed honeymoon. While she had loved spending time alone with Shining Armor, Princess Cadance had longed to return home due to the panic caused by the changeling attack. Her place was in the castle, to help the ponies of Equestria. When she saw the castle loom in the distance her heart had fluttered with excitement and longing.
She walked through the halls she had grown up in to the suite she now shared with her husband. Husband. That word still seemed so strange for her to refer to Shining as but at the same time felt so right. She smiled to herself and Shining noticed. He always seemed to notice when she smiled.
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "What’s got you so happy?"
She felt her lips pull into a smile. As if he didn't already know. She gave him the answer she gave whenever she was caught smiling by him. "I'm in love with the sweetest stallion in all of Equestria."
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. They had done this so many times over the past two weeks alone that she had lost count but every time they had it sent a electric surge through her from her lips. They pulled apart and stared into each other’s eyes as they walked along the halls that they had grown to call home over the years they spent with each other.
They reached the door to the suite when a guard approached them. He was same height as Shining and his coat was of a coal black.
He saluted to his captain and bowed to the princess. "Greetings Captain, I'm here to deliver orders from Princess Celestia. She wishes to see you immediately."
The white stallion sighed and turned to the alicorn. "Duty calls. I'll be back up here as soon as I can." He sealed his promise with a kiss. He turned to the guard. "Very well. Let's get to work."
The black stallion gave Cadance another quick bow and led the captain down the hallway. The princess let out a small sigh of her own and noticed the servant holding her and Shining's bags. She gave the young unicorn a smile and opened the door to the suite for him.
He placed the bags down with a heavy breath. "Thank you. Will you need anything else Your Majesty?"
She gave him a couple of bits. "No, thank you. I can handle this."
The unicorn collected the bits and bowed his way out of the room. When the door closed Cadance let out a more irritated sigh. Part of her was angry that Celestia had called her husband away the moment they returned home but a much calmer part of her understood. Shining was Captain of the Guard and as such his duty was to protect not only the princesses but also all of Equestria. She used her magic to open of if the travel bags and began to unpack it.
She looked around the royal suite. It was a spacious and rather well furnished, the kitchen was well stocked, and the grand bathroom was just as nice as the bedroom she was unpacking in. She had never liked the drapes on the veranda window though, the bland and worn out red always seemed out of place. She was opening another bag to unpack when she heard a sudden loud *thump* from off to her left. She stopped for moment and looked around on the floor thinking that maybe she had dropped something. Her search yielded nothing and she wondered for a moment if maybe she thought she heard the noise. She shrugged and turned back to the opened bags to finish her task.
*Thump!*
This time she knew for a fact that the sound was real. She turned towards her left and looked towards the bathroom. She walked slowly towards the door wondering what it was that had made the noise. Maybe it was a bottle falling into the tub... but two of them falling within moments of each other? She knew for a fact that she and the servant colt hadn't entered the room, so that eliminated the idea of a pony knocking a bottle over. Maybe one of the maids is in there and didn't hear me come in. She reached the door and peered in.
The room appeared to be empty. She flicked the switch and the light turned on showing the clean and immaculate room to be empty and lacking any maids. She was about to turn away and go back to her unpacking when movement from the shower caught her attention. She looked at the frosted glass and noticed a small hint of black near the bottom of the shower.
She took a few steps closer. Her horn glowed as her telekinesis gripped the handle of the shower. The small black blot shifted and moved away from the door with a sound nearly the same as hoofs on the aged cast iron. Something about the sound was off and that fact made Cadance uneasy. She opened the door and froze as she looked at the creature crouching in the shower.
Sitting there looking back at her was a changeling roughly the size of a small filly. Its eyes were bright red and for a moment were wide in shock. The next it let out a shrill screech and bolted through the now open shower door. The screech knocked Cadence out of her shock and her horn glowed as she gathered the energy to cast a stun spell. As the changeling bolted past the alicorn it ran into Cadance's leg, knocking her over. A magical blast shot out from her horn hitting the mirror and reflecting off and hitting the floor in front of the sprinting changeling. The frightened creature let out another cry and moved for the open bathroom door.
Cadance rose from the floor and chased after the changeling, cursing to herself for letting it get past her. She entered the bedroom and saw it sprinting for the open door to the living room of the suite. She used her magic to slam the door shut which caused the changeling to run into the unforgiving door. The small creature was quick to get back to its hooves and leaped to its rights as another blue bolt of energy impacted the carpet, leaving a small scorched mark. The small changeling's leap had caused it to hit a small table holding a vase, knocking both to the ground. It scrambled and looked desperately around the room for another escape route. It spotted an open door and sprinted towards it as fast as its tiny legs could carry it. It was close to the door when a blast of magic slammed into its back, launching it into the closet.
Cadance felt a surge of satisfaction as the changeling crashed into the closet, the impact causing the hanging rack to be knocked loose from the wall. The clothes fell into a pile that obscured the changeling.
She approached the closet as her horn glowed with power. "You're not escaping me this time. I've got you, you little monster."
She watched as the pile kept moving until the changeling popped out with a scarf wrapped around its legs and leaped forward. Unfortunately for the changeling forward was into the wall again. It scrambled to its hooves, trying its best to get rid of the scarf that refused to leave it, and turned around. It saw Cadance blocking its only means of escape. It started to back up but felt the wall against its back. With one last look at the alicorn it closed its eyes and braced for the inevitable impact of magic.
Cadance had it right where she wanted it. It was cowering in the corner and had given up all attempts of hiding. She took a step closer and readied herself as she aimed at the small creature. She was about to unleash the magic surrounding her horn however she caught some movement to her right. She turned her head thinking that it was another changeling but discovered it was only her reflection. She was smiling sadistically and had a look of vengeful hatred in her eyes. The expression she saw on her face was one that she knew well and had seen on her own face before. It was on the face of Queen Chrysalis when she had captured her and imprisoned her in the crystal caves under Canterlot.
Her face fell to a shocked frown. Is that what I look like? Am I any better than her... She looked back to the cowering changeling sitting in the corner of the closet. The look of absolute terror on its tiny face made her chest tighten. I'm the monster here. Its scared of me, just like I was scared of her. She took a step back and looked at herself again in the mirror then back to the changeling that had reopened its eyes. It stared at her and it was at this moment she realized that it was shaking badly.
She took a small step forward and reached out to the changeling. It flinched and tried to back away, regardless of the wall preventing this. Cadance retracted her hoof and spoke gently. "I'm not gonna hurt you." She used her magic to untangle the changeling from the scarf. "Come on out here. Look I'm backing away so you can have plenty of room."
She took a few steps back and gave the small creature the friendliest smile she could muster. The changeling took a small step forward and waited to see if Cadance would react. She stood there smiling and motioned for it to take another step. It took another tentative step into the bedroom and Cadance was able to look at it better in the proper light. Its carapace wasn't the shiny black that she remembered. Instead it looked like a layer of dust had settled on it, giving it a grayed look. The changeling was crouching down in a fear, almost as if it expected her to attack at any moment.
Cadance moved closer to the small changeling. It flinched again and closed its eyes as she gently lifted its body into a proper standing position. It stood there trying its best not to shake but failing as she inspected it. Much to her horror she noticed that it was abnormally skinny. Its limbs looked frail and barely able to hold their own weight and its stomach was sunken in to a point that made Cadance squeamish. It looks like it has been starving.
She gently lifted the small changeling with her magic. It began flailing about but when it realized that she was levitating the changeling towards the large bed. She placed the small creature on the bed and gently touched it shoulders. "Stay right here. I'll be right back with something for you to eat."
She left the room after giving a quick look back at the changeling to make sure it was staying on the bed. She was pleased to see that it had lain down on the bed but part of her was wondering if maybe it had collapsed on the bed. She moved to the kitchen of the suite and started filling a small tray up with whatever food she could. After filling up the tray with some fruit, crackers, and a bowl of lettuce she headed back to the bedroom. She was almost out of the kitchen when the idea to get it something to drink popped into her head. She quickly filled a glass with water and went back to the waiting changeling.
She walked back into the bedroom and placed the loaded tray down on the edge of the bed. "Here. Eat some of this." She noticed the scared look on the small creatures face as it looked from her to the tray. "It's good for you. See?" She levitates a grape to her mouth and eats it. She swallows and smiles at the changeling. "Yum."
The small changeling inched closer to the food, stopping every few tentative steps to make sure Cadance wasn't going to attack it or yell. It neared the tray and gave the food a cautionary sniff. It picked up a small piece of lettuce and froze. It looked up at Cadance for one last check to make sure she wouldn't do anything. Cadance gave it a smile and it started eating the food.
Cadance studied the creature as it ate. She was looking at the face and head. Her attention was first drawn to the horn which was just like the other changelings she had seen but there was a smaller nub in front of the horn. She wondered if it was another horn or some kind of spine. She looked down to the working muzzle of the eating changeling and discovered something that she failed to noticed the entire time the changeling left the closet. The muzzle was rounded off and she noticed that the curves of the body and head were very gentle.
"You're a filly..." Her voice caused the changeling to jump. The changeling looked at her for a moment then returned its attention to the food. "And you've been starving for who knows how long." She felt a sudden pang of sympathy to the small creature on the bed with her.
The changeling stopped eating and looked up at her. Cadance noticed the changeling filly was staring at her in disbelief. It took a few steps towards her and gently nuzzled her hoof. Cadance sat there for a moment wondering why she was suddenly acting this way when she realized that it had felt her sympathy.
She moved her hoof and hugged the small changeling as gently as she could, fearing that she may harm her in this obviously fragile state. She was the first thing to show it love of any sort and now she was trying to earn more.
"I don't know if I can give you what you want but I'll try my best." She said as the small changeling filly closed its eyes and nuzzled Cadance.
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I'm such a sucker for Changeling-sympathy stories where they aren't portrayed as "a race of EVIL."
Most of your writing is the result of obvious skill with the language, but there are a number of consistent mistakes: "Shinning" should be "Shining," and you change tense a couple of times--chose either present or past!
Even if you don't fix those--but you should!--I'll still be looking forward to updates!
EDIT: Oh! Wait! You're the author of "The Legend of the Arachnapony," too! Well then, at this rate, I may just watch you!
Ooh, I'm liking this idea!
fim.413chan.net/oatmeal/src/130050806390-Pinkie_go_on.jpg
Shinning Armour
Ho boy...
1834452
Well, amour is just the brittish way of spelling it. Probably a good assumption since the whole Shining Armor/Cadence wedding was a reference to the brittish wedding. I may spell it that way myself in my own fics from now on.
Give me the rest! oh and 1834416 I'm such a sucker for Changeling-sympathy stories too!
Add yet another to the "sucker for changeling-sympathy" count!
That cover art is so d'awww-inducing I had to hug someone.
1834452 and 1834416 I'm working on the mistakes. Thank you for pointing them out. Sometimes I wonder how I miss such huge errors.
1834906
Seconded. I too am a sucker for these type of stories. Lets see what Shining has to say. I don't think he'll like it.
this is OK
im only gunna say these kind've stories are only 10% cooler
Great story, I especially like..... wait a second....Don't changelings eat love? media.screened.com/uploads/0/4848/364628-suspicious_face_icon.png
1835512 THIRD i am a sucker for changling sypathy,too.
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...go on.
1837088 No one from the cast said they can't eat other things, just that they feed on love.
1837088
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1841828
sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/532291_10150906698521936_878695874_n.jpg
1838188
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1834436
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Oh and also
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1842108
Good one!
1842355
I know right!
So do filly changelings eat normal food until there magic kicks?
1835336
Soo...a baby Changeling eh ??
I guessing Cadence's motherly instinct is to adopt him/her...
1846524
Not if it means giving it to the authorities.
MOAR
1846706 Oh! Now I feel like an idiot. I was thinking something along the lines of Cadance having the changeling impersonate a guard or something stupid like that.
An intriguing concept with a lot of potential. My only advice would be to find a pre-reader, invaluable as a second pair of eyes are. Grammatical errors so easily escape our notice as authors. Still, I watch with anticipation of your next update, it will be most interesting to see where you take this narrative.
1847240
Heh.
Guard: Hey, bro. Check the flanks on that sweet catch.
Baby Changling Guard: *Drools and spits* Pbhbhbbbbbbt
Guard: Yeah, I guess she is a bit chubby.
Watching this.
Even when I've only read a single chapter, I've decided to watch this and you
Good job on this!
I thought they ate emotions...oh well.
This is gonna be cute. I just know it.
Ff This is really interesting.
Since Cadance is located between the hooves a puppy of a breed who knows.
At first she fears him and hate him for that pnto trying to destroy it but when the little seems to have reached the end she looks alo mirror and realize that the real monster is, and that she has only creaturia hungry and lonely , I'm really currioso to see how it will react to the presence of Shining Armor filly.
food is like water too changlings it can hold them over for a bit but without emotions to feed on they wont survive for very long
Do in your story changelings need to eat food as well as love and positive emotions, or only love can sustain them ?
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!
2069997Water probably isn't the best analogy then, cause we'll die a lot sooner without water. I mean you can go a surprisingly long time without food.
The analogy still made sense, there was probably a better one.
Also I feel in a nit picky mood.
I can tell from the comments and the first chapter that this story is good, but I'm having serious issues with enjoying it due to grammar. Call me a perfectionist if you want, but I see a lot of things that need improvement, or I might not be able to get past the first chapter.
The main issue I see is a shortage of commas. The ones I do see are placed correctly, but there are many places that need a comma and don't have one.
There are also scattered typos, like a missing the possessive apostrophe in
and at least one case of possibly redundant wording:
The comma thing is my biggest turn-off, and it kinda highlights every other minor issue in my mind.
You've got something good here, honest, but it is flawed.
awww that was right in the feels, i should of taken the warning more serious
I find myself coming back to this story.. would be awesome if we.. continued? :D
"Look I'm back away "--> "look i'm backing away".
OH F*** MY HEART! *Thud* *Flatline*
Interesting... many stories consider changelings to be incapable of eating anything tangible, or at least not living off it. I wonder if this changeling needs to eat both love and regular food, or if either can replace the other.
Oh, and dawww.
And then Cadance was replaced yet again. Some ponies never learn.
D'awwwwwww alert
TOO CUTE!!! *Error 404, FrostTheWolf has crashed. Please try again later*
Look I'm backing away so you can have plenty of room.
DAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWE
Give me all your dawws!
I am totally okay with Cadence raising this filly to be a happy member of pony society... especially if she gets introduced to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and befriends them. I can also totally see her facing off against her husband, sister in law, and aunts to defend the little one.
6136249 I can imagine her doing that.
This is definitely one of the cutest stories I've ever read.
I can't wait for it to continue!