The Sneezing Changeling

by Lirg

Tortured By Their Own Thoughts

Tortured By Their Own Thoughts

Doppel kept tossing and turning in Fluttershy's bed. The bed he felt ashamed to be using like this. It was true that in his given state, he was having fun with the yellow pegasus. He almost forgot how much of a precarious situation he was in. He also forced Fluttershy to use her couch to sleep. He wasn't even sure that if he had a couch and a bed, he'd do that for somepony. Even if the pegasus' feelings didn't say anything to the contrary, it had to bother her a little.

Now, adding to that, he had to know what he was going to do. If it was one week ago, he would have immediately said that he wanted to go back to his former changeling life, promising to be quiet. At best, he could say a little hello when he would go to Ponyville. But after seeing the sadness on Fluttershy's face, he wasn't so sure now. A little voice in his head yelled to him that it would be good if he stayed.

Why am I hesitating between the two choices? It'll be safer if I return to the Everfree. A changeling lives hidden, though it isn't the case for ponies. Then, I don't want to stay here and remain a burden to Fluttershy!

He turned again in the bed. Doppel felt that his energy was progressively coming back. He was sure also that he could have left the house now, as long as he didn't count the sneezes he still got.

I think that Fluttershy is not the only pony to have befriended me. I befriend her as well. It's ironic, a changeling being the friend of a pony.

Doppel started again to think about his friends. He hadn't seen them since they hid several days for nothing. He hoped that they ended up leaving the forest, at least to feed. Illusion probably came and said to them that they had nothing to fear outside.

The changeling loudly yawned. He had to give Twilight an answer, but there was no hurry. The unicorn had advised to keep the bed for some days to be sure about his recovery. He ended up falling asleep.

--|-|--

Fluttershy came back home. She put away the groceries and began to prepare the food for her small animals. She didn't have only small animals but also a changeling. She went upstairs to see the sick one.

The bed was empty. She searched the entire room to see where Doppel could be but he was nowhere to be found. It was like he just vanished into thin air.

“It's impossible!” the pegasus panicked. “Where could he be?”

She continued to search in her house and then in the surroundings, avoiding the Everfree Forest. But it was very clear, he left without saying anything.

She dragged herself to her house and sat on her couch, near tears. Angel hopped onto it. “You want to cheer me up, Angel?” The white bunny patted her head. “I know he's a changeling and his place is not in a pony's house,” she lamented. “But he could have at least said goodbye... Say something... No, nothing. I guess I didn't know him very well.”

Angel slapped her and began to shake her. Fluttershy woke up. She was sitting in the same place of her dream but it was night. Even the bunny was at the same place, shaking her too. He had found that his caretaker had to make a nightmare and decided to wake her up. His stare was full of worries.

“Phew, it was just a dream,” she was reassured. “Thank you Angel to wake me up of this nightmare.”

The bunny shrugged before returning to his little home. Fluttershy stood up and stretched a little. Suddenly, she doubted. This dream looked so real. She had to know. She rushed upstairs to her room. She softly opened the door and noticed that Doppel was still here and slept soundly.

She couldn't help sighing. She returned to her living room. Her nightmare wasn't premonitory and the changeling didn't decide to leave the house without saying anything. She lay down on her couch. She tried to find sleep but didn't manage to do it. Her dream continued to haunt her.

It was clear that Doppel wasn't going to leave her like this overnight. But he could leave at any moment after he recovered. She had to part with the changeling, the one she had taken care of for more than a week now.

It had only been a week, and it felt longer for the shy pegasus. It was like she’d always known Doppel. It was true that as changeling, he had met her already before she noticed. Moreover, he had a great memory and seemed to remembered each pony he met. It wasn't like she was very special. He knew everypony, and even more Lyra and Bon-Bon with his habits.

However Fluttershy didn't come to split up like this. She even couldn't hide her disappointment after Twilight's question. She didn't think that he would happen one day. Nothing forced him to stay. He only was a changeling.

She tried again to find sleep. In a corner of her mind lay a faint glimmer of hope. The fact that Doppel didn't know what to do either.

--|-|--

Spike tried to sleep soundly. Try was the word because of an incessant hoof sound on the main room of the library. After attempting to cover his ears or dig himself in the pillow, he decided to see what Twilight was doing at four in the morning. He went downstairs to find her foster mother pacing up and down in the room. Spike sighed, regretting already what he was going to do.

“Can I know what you're doing at four at the morning?”

“Fluttershy and I have a little problem, and I look for a solution that suits everypony,” the unicorn explained, wandering in the room, like if it gave her the solution.

“You argued with Fluttershy?” he asked, hardly awake.

“No, nothing like this. It's hard to explain...”

“It can't wait tomorrow like for everypony else?” he groaned, only thinking going back to his basket.

“I'm afraid that somepony might make a mistake,” she said, stopping, taking a serious and then starting again to pace.

“At four at the morning,” he insisted. “I’m going to bed if you don't mind.” Spike rubbed his eyes before going upstairs slowly to the bedroom.

“Spike!” Twilight yelled, making the baby dragon jump. She teleported just in front of him. “I need to confide this to someone. I'll go crazy if I don't.”

“I know what you become when you go crazy,” he mumbled. “And I suppose that can't wait tomorrow either?” he continued, at a louder tone.

“You need to promise me that you won't tell somepony about this,” she demanded.

“Promise...” Spike only thought of one thing, going to bed.

“Pinkie Promise?” she insisted.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye,” he recited in a robotic way, barely avoiding to poke his eye with his claw.

Twilight took a deep breath before saying in a quieter voice possible (in case the walls had ears), “Fluttershy has a sick changeling at home.” Spike took a false surprised look before returning to his former state. “You don't seem to be too surprised?” she complained.

“Well, I had thought so. Between Rainbow Dash claiming that she have seen a changeling everywhere, you being suddenly interested by the changeling and owning a complete encyclopedia on them and your daily trip to Fluttershy's, I made connection,” he explained, counting on his claws.

“And you didn't tell this to anyone?” she panicked.

“No. I supposed that if you needed to know, you'd ask,” he concluded.

“So I can ask you the question! When Doppel recovers, what should he do? Because he can't stay in Fluttershy's bed for his entire life.”

“It isn't up to them to make this choice?” the dragon thought aloud. “If they live together for a moment now, I think they'd be able to deal with that.”

“That’s the best advice I’ve gotten tonight,” Twilight was delighted. She yawned before adding, “I think I'm going to bed. Otherwise, I won't be able to do anything tomorrow.”

--|-|--

Illusion flew over the Everfree Forest to find the outlaw changelings she “took care of”. She could keep her normal appearance during the night because there were very few ponies outside at this hour and that the color of the night hid well her body. She quietly landed near her two friends who slept pressed against each other. She couldn't help grinning.

“Ooh, look how cute they are,” she shouted out.

Mimic and Camouflage jumped, looked at each other, yelled, saw Illusion, yelled again and finally sighed.

“It's not nice to scare us like that!” the male changeling blamed.

“Come on... You two are enjoying yourself when Doppel isn't here,” Illusion teased.

“We're doing nothing like that,” Camouflage complained.

“Don't tell me that you didn't think to do it a single time?” the spy insisted. “You'd look cute together.”

“What is the meaning of your late visit?” Mimic demanded, wanting to pass to a more serious subject.

“I'm sick of sitting in the Hive. This invasion seems to be going nowhere. Everypony is excited for it, but I only see this as a failure. We are not enough to invade again Canterlot,” Illusion explained. “So, I decided to meet the only changelings who aren't pleased by an invasion.”

“In short, you want to become an outlaw?” he hoped.

“No!” she snapped. “I remain loyal to the Queen, even if she doesn't seem to make the best decisions for the Hive at the moment.” She turned around, ready to fly away. “And Doppel? You're still looking for him?”

“We tried looking door to door. But it's not easy, the ponies don't always want to open their doors either.” Camouflage answered.

“I haven’t seen him either. I suppose that he's still alive somewhere hiding. Let's hope that everything's gonna work for the best,” Illusion concluded, getting ready again to fly.

“Eh! Illusion! Before you go, know that my suggestion about being an outlaw is still on,” the male changeling repeated.

“And my answer is still the same. And forget this name! Illusion, it doesn't fit me at all,” she shouted, before flying away.

“Did you need to mock her?” Camouflage remarked.

“But notice that she didn't say that we can’t give her a name. She forbade us to give her that name.”

“Go to sleep. You're annoying when you're tired,” she gave up.

--|-|--

The sun began to rise slowly. With it, Doppel's eyes abruptly opened. He stood up with a smile. He found the solution. Sleeping on it was a good advice. It's decided. I have to leave Fluttershy like this!

Author's Note:

Edited by war10ck111

Doppel's time stuck in a bed come to an end.

Comments

[Doctor Agon]

Oh oh! Can't wait to see what happens next! =D

Could use a bit of grammar checking, though

[Gdenofa]

Another good chappy. Few typos but nothing majorly to alter the flow of reading. I hope Doppel says goodbye to Fluttershy. The two have seemed to become quite close I love Mimic and Camouflage. Usually second story changelings in fics either have no persona or just blah, these two have character.

One thing that bugged me, it was mentioned Angel being a rodent... rabbits aren't related to mice and rats but to pikas and hares... I'm in animal rescue so... yeah

[SuperPinkBrony12]

“Can I know what you're doing at four at the morning?”

Making chocolate pudding of course.

[tsaukpaetra]

Rather surprised the hive still accepts another invasion will work.