Caring for a Changeling

by alexanderhunt88

Chapter 5: Releasing a changeling

Outside of a house that was being occupied by a tan-brown earth pony and a sleeping body-changing creature was where said earth pony was busy by her broken window. Right now, she was active with covering it up by nailing a large white sheet over the outside part of the window. The mare did so by folding out the sheet along the top of the window, just above it, and placing a nail at her chosen mark, and using her hammer, which she was grasping in her mouth, to pound the nails into the bricks of her home. After she had nailed in five nails across the top of the window, along with two at the bottom, she was done, and thus stepped back and admired her work.

While it did look shoddy, what with the nails being fastened in at off angles and the sheet being held in rather loosely, it did the job, and that was enough to satisfy the contempt mare. She didn't care what it looked like, she only cared that it was done.

"Hey Fruit Heart," called a perky Manehattan-rich voice from behind the mare, "good day to ya." Turning around, Fruit Heart eyed upon on her friend Bright Glow, looking as cheery and happy as ever.

"And good day to you too." Fruit Heart replied as she dropped the hammer down on the floor. "Going well?" She asked casually.

"Oh yes yes, very good." Bright Glow said in a perky way. "Glad to see your window fixed." She observed as she eyed the covered-up window.

"Oh no no no," Fruit Heart shot back defensively, "It's not repaired yet" (as she didn't know if it will ever be repaired) "But it will have to do for the moment." She said as she stared at the sheet-covered window.

"Strapped for bits, are ya?" The yellow pony asked rhetorically. "Well, at least now you won't have any peeping-colts looking into your house." She laughed, not noticing that Fruit Heart wasn't even seeming to be listening. "I mean it's not like they have a reason to anyway, not that they wouldn't want to look in." She rambled on sheepishly. "But I'm not saying that you have anything in their worth something to them, or something suspicious in there that would catch the eye of on-lookers, but...Fruit Heart?"

It was then that Bright Glow noticed that the other mare was still staring at her window, or, to be more precise, staring into space, as if lost from Equestria entirely.

"Fruit Heart, you there." Bright Glow asked in worry, getting no response from her friend.

Can I get it repaired? And with him being...

"Fruit Heart, Hellloooo?" The mare called out as she shook the other pony, getting a surprising "What?!" in acknowledgement, earning a flew glances from passer-bye's. Bright Glow then realized that Fruit Heart's breathing was shallow and her posture slumped; as if not knowing she was doing either of these things.

"I said that you you don't have anything suspicious lying in your house." The yellow-coated mare asked with concern.

"Wh...what?" Fruit Heart replied in disbelief, as if unsure that she Bright Glow knew what she was talking about.

"You know, with the home and the peeping-colts and the-are you OK?"

"Hmm? What? Oh, yes. I'm fine, just...fine" she replied in a not-completely-altogether-tone.

"You seem stressed out. I mean I know the invasion of those annoying creatures are still being talked about now, but there gone. None are left. Isn't that what is causing ya to act funny?" Hearing those words caused Fruit Heart's eyes to widen sharply, though luckily her friend didn't seem to notice this.

"Umm..yeah. I guess you could say that."

"Well then." She started as she wrapped a friendly hoof around the other earth-pony. "Why don't we go inside and have a bit of relaxing?" As she said this she was carefully moving her friend off the street and walked with her to the front door.

"You seem like ya need a cup of tea." Bright Glow observed.

"Tea? Oh sure, I could use a calm drink right about now." Fruit Heart said with a small smile. Or a swig of cider she thought as she opened her door.

"Yep yep." Bright Glow announced cheerfully. "Now you stay here while your aunt Glow goes and fixes you up some tea." Said mare said as she tentative placed her friend on her couch.

"That would be lovely." Fruit Heart sighed, mind half-not knowing what is going on around her.

"Yep." Bright Glow said aloud as she flicked on her friends kettle "Nothing ales you like a bit of Earl Grey. That was what my mother said. At least she before she went to the asylum for placing bricks in her bathroom and using bottles as her toilet."

"Too true." Fruit Heart laughed as she remembered the green-maned pony's mother, who went crazy expectantly one day in her home. Many ponies have believed this was caused by stress at work related matters. Fruit Heart believed this was because she was just plain off. She did used to hang celery from her door knobs every now and again. "Uhh why can't I think straight?" She said quietly as she tapped her forehead in frustration. "Why am I so despondent right now? What is wrong with my mind? Is this to do with the window? Why am I so attention-less with a broken window? All it does is remind me of..."

"Hey, Fruit Heart?" Bright Glow cut her off as she appeared before her face, her face full of concern. "Do ya need to lie down? You were mumbling about some weird stuff."

"What was I mumbling about?" Fruit Heart asked quickly, as if she forget about her thoughts already. (Because she kinda did)

"I don't know. Some stuff about the window, and it being broken and...something about a him?" She replied, her sentence ending in a not-sure question.

"What...oh yeah, sorry, I'm just not myself at the moment." Fruit Heart started. "I'm thankful for your concern and all, but right now, I'd much rather be on my own, left to my thoughts." She sighed. All she said was true. Right now, all she wanted to do was be on her own. She felt worn out, not from exhaustion, but more from lack of attention. It had been an hour since she had put the changeling, to which is now in her care, to rest in her upstairs bedroom. And in that time, her head had been spinning.

She was unsure about everything! She didn't know how to care for a changeling, she didn't know why she should care; he was still an enemy to the land she lived in, he did try to attack her, but only at first. Now, it seems, he just doesn't care. Does he trust her? Is he waiting for something? Does he even want to stay here with her? Truthfully, he doesn't have a choice whether he want's to stay or not. He can't go, but even if he could, would he go? These questions stung in Fruit Heart's head like a swarm of pissed-off hornets.

"Look Bright Glow, I'm thankful and all with what your doing, but right now-"

"You want to be on your own." Bright Glow interrupted with a smile.

"Y..yeah." Fruit Heart said as she looked at her friend in confusion. "How did you know about-"

"You told me a minute ago." Fruit Heart stated as she walked towards the front door. "Or did ya forget?" She smirked. "Look Hearty, if you ever need anypony to talk, I'm always here." She said generously as she opened the door when she had reached it. "Are you sure you want to be alone? You seem like you need to talk."

"I only want to talk to myself right now." Fruit Heart replied calmly.

"Well then," the yellow mare started as she walked out the door, "Goodbye to ya. Oh, and Fruit Heart?" She asked before closing the door and leaving. "You need to sort out your problems with him." She finished in a wise tone as she closed the door fully, leaving Fruit Heart on her own like she wanted.

"him...." Fruit Heart repeated slowly, strewing that word over and over in her mouth, before realizing "Him."

That changeling. Him. The changeling. Fruit Heart mentally kicked herself for not knowing about it sooner. She had to sort this out now. She needed to know his true intentions, otherwise it would keep festering in her brain and never leave until satisfied. She had to know now.

---

Upstairs, in the room with a sleeping changeling

The door opened quietly as the earth pony trotted in, carrying a dandelion and tulip sandwich on top of a plate on her back and a small cup of freshly brewed tea held in her teeth. Making sure not to awake him, she softly walked over to the bed and placed down the food and steaming drink on the bedside table. Glancing at the sleeping creature, she sighed submissively.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked out loud in a hushed, sad tone. "What can I do to you? Everypony in Equestria sees you as an enemy. But why is that? Yeah, you attacked us. That much is given. But you didn't kill anypony. That's not what you did. I never heard of anypony actually dying that day, and the only ones that got hurt were the ones that fought back.

You cannot kill a pony can you?" She looked away from the changeling and stared at the window in a melancholy state. "You can hurt them but you can't take your life. You may, at first, had tried to strike at me....but....that was only on instinct. I think. Urrgh this is so confusing!" Fruit Heart said in irate, clenching her hooves to her head. In that moment she inadvertently had awoken up the dozing changeling, who looked at her with a single irritated, yet tired eye.

"Why do I feel more like a warden to a prisoner than a friend to a guest when I think of you?"

Because I am a prisoner to you. Or hath you forgotten that? He thought in an annoyed tone, turning his head away from her, wanting to get some more rest.

"And why is it that Box Shipper annoyed me with his comment?" She continued, completely oblivious that the changeling was overhearing the whole thing. "It's just...baffling....and....now I just feel.......guilty. Why?"

Shut it, will you!

"I don't know what I feel most guilty about?" She sighed as she turned round and placed her head down on the edge of the bed in defeat, shuffling her hooves underneath her face to hide her saddened face. "That I'm taking a changeling, an enemy of the city, into care and hiding him away when I should take him, or that I'm disobeying what he would have wanted me to do."

She feels...guilty about taking me in? The changeling carried on thinking, his mind now in a mix of confusion and attention.

".....I wish he was here today. He would know what I have to do."

And who is this 'he' she keeps mumbling about?

"I feel like I'm risking too much."

Because I am your prisoner.

"But I can't let them arrest you!" She cried unexpectedly into the sheets of the bed.

Your....not going to take me in?

"Your hated by everypony, but you not evil."

This is no trick. No jailer would act this way.

"Even he would have seen that your not a bad pony."

Is all she saying the truth?

"You are just...misjudged."

Is this no facade?

"I want others to see this. But I can't."

And why is that?

"Its sad that I can't do this, because...I want to protect you."

Pro...tect me?

"And I hate to lie to my friends." Fruit Heart finished, burying her face into the sheets. All this time, she had not known he was awake, but she soon found out when she fest a rustling in the bed sheets, followed by a feeling of a hoof rested atop his head. Looking up slowly, she saw the changeling looking down at her, his face still holding on to that monotone position he always had.

Smiling at him, Fruit Heart moved off the edge of the bed and sat down on the floor, signalling for him to do the same. Complying, though without a reason why, he did just so, meeting her on the floor and sitting down just like her.

When apparently ready, Fruit Heart moved close to him and seemed to signal him to stand up by tapping his back hooves, and when he did so, without a warning, she had taken an action that surprised him completely:

She untied the magic rope that bound him, undoing the knots until he was now free from the both metaphorical and slightly-literal chains that had held him,

When she had finished, she dropped the rope casually on the floor and turned round to face him again, looking him dead in the eyes (sorry, eye) with a serious face, staring at him before announcing, looking away from him; "You are free now. You can do what you want. You can leave. I'm doing this to show that you aren't bad, just misunderstood. You can...go." For some reason the last word stung on Fruit Heart's tongue.

Waiting for a response, unable to look him back in his eye, she felt a hoof rest upon her shoulder, and looking up, she got the drift: he isn't going to leave.

You are so stupid. I can't leave. I'm too weak to be able to change, and my home is now lost. There is nowhere for me, but, even though I will never say it, I don't seem to want to leave.

Smiling a genuine smile at him, she walked away from her spot and moved towards the bedside table. Turning around and sitting down, she held out the tea for him with both hooves, blowing on it gently, as he walked towards it. When he reached it, he started to lap at it like before.

Both of them, for the first time since the invasion, felt at peace.

And as he was lapping, an odd thought appeared in the changeling's mind.

I don't what she put in this drink, but it seems to fill me. Actually fill me.

Comments

[Cat Eye]

She put love in it right?

[Metroid Prime]

Just kiss already, everyone's waiting for it!

[alexanderhunt88]

2642146 Did she?

2642157 A great romance doesn't have the kissing just yet. It needs time.

[ForlanceAbice]

2642157 Not yet.

Too early for that chap.

[ZeirMakavar]

2642157
As I see it, we'll get two or three chapters before the awkward moments between them start, then maybe four or five after that... and then they may kiss... Though that would be if I was writing it... which I'm not.

[anyone675]

2642186 IT WAS A ROOFIE!

[CyberMask]

This is getting interesting, can't wait for more

[Commander_Eclipse]

my favorite name for a changeling is Fade... its what id call myself

[Commander_Eclipse]

waiting sucks

[alexanderhunt88]

2744259 Sorry for the lack of upadtes, but it's getting hecktick now because I'm nearing the end of my first year at college.

Only got a week and a half left.

[Commander_Eclipse]

2745104 Ah i see.. its funny though im looking into college.

[Random_User]

I always wondered what happened to the changelings that were in the city. Now we at least know about what happened to one of them. Getting hit by magic, thrown through a window, and then waking up tied up is not what I would call a good day. I love how you are pulling together layer on layer for the story with little things like her picture, his thoughts about her, and her wondering if she was making somepony proud.

[alexanderhunt88]

2768335 I thank you

[CyberMask]

I can't wait for more... this is getting interesting.

[Philosophysics]

2642157 There is a delicacy to this! You do realize that!

[Texus]

nice chapter, i hope it isn´t on hiatous to long.

[tsaukpaetra]

Well she wasn't the one who made the tea...