A Change of Pace

Rain yawned as she awoke from her deep sleep, rubbing her eyes. She rolled over to an awake Light, who was just smiling and staring.

"What?" Rain said, after yawning once more. "Have you been watching me sleep?"

"I was just gazing at something beautiful. Anyways, I wanted to ask you something."

"Well... ask away."

"Tell me everything you know about Changelings." Light said, almost demanding. "Please?"

"Well... I know that the love I get from you is the best kind: true love. Me and my brothers and sisters would ask my mom and dad how wonderful their love tasted and felt, and they'd always say something like, 'It tastes like the sweetest, tangiest, most delicious thing you've ever had.' or 'True love is something that comes once in a lifetime. Once that pony is gone, you'll never find another like 'em." Rain said, staring at the ceiling. "They loved each other and ourselves so much, their love and affection towards each other fed us for a whole year. It was amazing, and it tasted a lot like your love, but yours is so much better than that.

And Changelings reproduce like ponies, they got to have sexy times, y'know?" Rain said, looking over at her girlfriend.

"Are we going out?" Light asked after a long silence.

"I would assume so, yes." Rain said, smiling.

"Huh. I always wanted to find my true love and..."

"And? And what, have babies?"

"Well... I mean, yeah. But that's a lost cause. If we got married, we could adopt."

"I wouldn't be up for that. I would rather it be something better than some pony else's baby being ours. It'd have to be half me, and half you."

"But how would that-" Light asked, suddenly blushing when she saw Rain's expression. "No. No that'd be super weird!"

"Come on, ya big pussy. It'd just be me with a-"

"Don't even say that word! Please, just continue with the Changeling History."

Rain giggled before continuing.

"Well... I know that Changelings mate for life. And that we can hear each other in our minds. It's like static or white noise, a few voices always talking. But when a Changeling gets old enough, they can hear a voice they want to, and tune out the extra ones."

"Why don't you have holes in your hooves?"

"That's because I have a different Ancestry and breed of Changeling."

"There are breeds?!"

"Only about 5,000 or so. Anyway, my great, great grandfather was the son of a Pegasus and a Changeling, and I have the recessive trait for no holes in my hooves. If I had kids, they'd have a 50-50 chance of having holes in theirs. They'd also most likely be able to change like a Changeling as well. It all depends on how strong each gene is. Like... we could have a Pegacorn-Changeling with holes and my abilities. Or a unicorn or pegasus with Changeling abilities. Or a Changeling without Changeling abilities. It all depends on the genes."

"I'm thinking of raising a debate to allow Changelings into Equestria. What do you think?"

A green flash of light appeared, and Rain said, "Well, I would love to be able to walk all of Equestria without having to be in disguise. I feel silly like this." In another green flash, the Earth pony was gone, replaced with Rain. "I'm going to take a bath. You wanna come with?"

"Bath together? Really? At this slow point in our relationship?"

"C'mon, don't be such a baby. It's been what, almost a *year since we met?"

"Y-Yeah... Okay, fine, but no weird stuff."

"No promises, babe."

The two walked to the Master Bathroom and ran a warm bath, cranking it up higher and higher. "What? I like it hot."

"If it's this hot I'll crack my chitin. I don't want cracked chitin."

"Fine, baby." Light giggled, turning the heat of the water down.

Rain jumped in and quickly poured bubble soap in, swishing it around to make bubbles. Light fluttered her wings carefully and got in easily and slowly, the temperature of the water being colder than she was used to.

"I swear, you are such a foal sometimes."

"Hey. No need to put labels on any pony. I only act like this because I never got to do it as a filly. It was always 'Starve, wait for Chrysalis to kill us all, hide, blah blah blah."

"Oh, jeez." Light said, suddenly uncomfortable. "Sorry for bringing it up then."

"Nah, it's okay. It's in the past, let's live for now." Rain smiled a fang filled smile.

The Pegacorn turned the lights off and allowed the candles to flicker to life, bringing about an apple pie aroma. They both sunk further into the bubbles until they were all the way under the water, giggling at the funny faces they made.

"Will you wash the back of my thorax?"

"So basically your back? Are you trying to make me feel dumb?"

"Just a little bit."

Light giggled and started scrubbing the back of the Changeling, tickling the base of her wings at times.

"Ticklish, are we now?"

"Don't, or I swear to Meta I will change into something weird like a lizard or a Seahorse!"

"Here I come~!" Light called flirtatiously.

"Quit it- ack! Stop that- ah! No, stop it! Stop it before I whack you!" Rain yelled, flopping her hooves around to stop the assault.

A green flash enveloped the Changeling, replacing Rain with a Seahorse version of her Changeling self. "I told you I'd do it."

"Doesn't bother me, I think it's kinda kinky. And you know how I like kinky stuff." Light said, raising an eyebrow.

The green light returned and disappeared, leaving an unhappy Changeling covered in bubbles, looking ridiculous.

"Oh, calm down, cutie."

"I'm done being bathed." Rain snapped, swiping her hair around and drying off with her magic, but before she left the room she said, rather coldly, "Have fun bathing, sweet heart."

Light immediately jumped up and out of the bath, drying off with a shake and chasing after Rain. "Rain, wait! What did I do wrong? Can you give me that?"

"You treat me like a foal. Like a lesser being. I've been treated that way my whole life. Until I put on a mask of a pony, I'm treated like a proper mare. But I just want to be seen as 'That Changeling Mare', and nothing else. Not a foal, not a filly, not a thing. A Changeling mare."

"I... I'm going into town."

"Fine. Go. Have fun." Rain said in a mocking tone.

Light just smiled at the brilliant idea she was forming in her mind. She trotted out of the house and broke into a gallop, eventually jumping into the skies and flying towards Canterlot.