I Want To Change

Shift opened his eyes slowly at first. He didn't recognize anything around him until his eyes focused on the apple that was still in front of him. Next came a dull ache in his leg. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as he remembered however. He opened his mouth and found it dry, but saw the water he hadn't touched through the night. He sat up, testing his rear leg which he decided to stay off of and took the glass in his forehooves, bringing it to his muzzle and drinking down the water. He didn't stop until it was all gone and he felt much better. Even his cough seemed to disappear.

When was the last time he was able to just drink a glass of water like that? It'd been a while since he'd woken up warm and with some sense of security. He placed the now empty glass down and stretched.  A noise behind him made him jump and turn round.

“Oh, I'm sorry... Did I wake you? I didn't mean to. I was just feeding Angel.” Fluttershy was in the doorway that apparently led to the kitchen. He'd almost forgot he was in her cottage.

“No... I was already awake. W-who's Angel?” She hadn't brought another pony in here had she?

“My precious pet bunny. He's soooo cute. You should see him, with his little nose and cute bunny ears and...” She trailed off and looked away. “Sorry... I like my pet.”

Shift smiled at her from over the edge of the couch and waved a hoof dismissively. “It's fine. Maybe I could go see this bunny of yours.” Shift turned back around and moved his rear hoof carefully over the side of the edge of the seat. Maybe he could put some weight on it now. He lowered himself carefully to the ground

It hurt when it touched the floor, but it was a duller pain than last night. Maybe it wasn't sprained after all. However he wasn't going to push it too far and dropped on his other three hooves instead. He winced and placed the hoof on the ground, he could get some weight on it but chose not to at the moment. “You said he is in the kitchen right?”

“Yeah, come see him... If you want.” Fluttershy replied. “Do you need help walking?”

“No, I think I am good.” Shift replied. He wanted to walk for himself if he could.

Fluttershy nodded then retreated back into the kitchen.

Shift hobbled in after her, and found a small white rabbit with it's face in a bowl. “That is Angel?” Shift asked. He was appalled to see the dish that had been served to the rabbit. “You must really like that rabbit.” He snorted when the rabbit shot him an accusing glance before going back to his food.

“Oh I love Angel... He just won't eat unless he is given the best. It's tiring sometimes but I don't mind. Also I don't have the rest of my animals so I can spend more time with him.”

“Rest of your animals?”

“I take care of all the animals in Ponyville, well... Almost all. Most of them are hibernating though.”

“Oh... I suppose it gives you a break though right? I mean... That's a lot of responsibility” Shift replied. She really did care too much.

“Yeah... Just gets lonely sometimes. I'm just glad I have my friends, anyway.” She shook her head. “Breakfast? You must be hungry. Let me make you something.”

“I-I am, but you've already one so much. I could just eat the apple and-”

“Nonsense, please sit at the table.” Fluttershy replied. “You need to eat.” With that she made her way to the oven and turned it on before heading to the fridge.

“Alright then.” He wasn't going to argue over being fed and took his seat as instructed. It wasn't long before he could smell eggs and hear them sizzling in the pan. He just sat and stared at her as she danced curiously in front of the stove, her tail swaying with the rhythm. He almost said something to her but figured he might ruin her little moment. She must like cooking.

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she dumped the first few scrambled eggs on the plate and started on a second set for herself. She took a few seconds to remember toast and threw a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster. Admittedly she was happy to have somepony here to share breakfast with. Sure she had her friends but they were never up so early. Rarity and Rainbow slept in, Applejack had chores, and Pinkie and Twilight had work so she was usually alone in the mornings unless she went to one of their places.

A few minutes later and they sat across from each other at the table, Fluttershy smiling awkwardly while Shift wondered how he could eat his food without looking like an animal. His hunger got the best of him however and he began to eat as he would any other day. He was relieved when Fluttershy did the same.

Once Shift finished his breakfast he thought for a moment and waited for Fluttershy to finish before rising, taking her plate and his own.

“Oh, you don't have to do that.” Fluttershy objected but was met with a polite dismissal.

“I want to. You're being far too kind for me to simply sit here and allow you to cater to me as such.”

“You really shouldn't be on your hooves too much though.” Fluttershy countered.

They were a little sore. “I'm fine. I still need to move around a bit to get some exercise.” Shift replied after placing the plates in the sink and turning on the water to begin to clean them.

Fluttershy argued no further in an attempt to stop him and instead looked on thoughtfully. Were all changelings like him? Or not... Maybe that's why he left... Maybe I should ask. No... That would be rude, and might make him sad. I should just... “Thank you very much Shift.” Fluttershy stated once he'd made his way back to the table.

“You're more than welcome Fluttershy.” He found the use of her name appropriate after she had used his. After cleaning the plates and turned to notice her staring at him wearily. “S-something wrong?”

“Oh no no nothing is wrong.” Fluttershy shook her head and blushed when she realized she'd been staring. “I just have to leave the cottage for a while. If I leave, do you promise to stay inside until I get back? I'd be oh so worried if you were gone when I got back.” Fluttershy looked down and away upon completing the request.

“Sure... But what if somepony shows up here while you're gone?” Shift was legitimately concerned about this.

“Oh they shouldn't.” Fluttershy looked back up at him. “All my friends know that I go with Rarity to the spa on Saturdays, and nopony else ever comes here.”

“You're going to the spa?” Shift inquired, then realized how rude that was to question her on her activities. She didn't seem offended however.

“Yes. My friend Rarity says it helps me open up if I go to and do something once in a while. So I agreed to go to the spa with her. I have to admit it does feel nice. Sometimes I model dresses for her afterward” Fluttershy admitted with a faint blush.

“I can see why.” Shift replied with a smile, and noticed her cheeks glow brighter. “I'm sorry... Have I overstepped a boundary?” He'd only meant it as a compliment to repay her for some of her kindness.

“Oh n-no you didn't do anything wrong. Thank you very much. I'm just kinda shy is all... Anyway... I should be back before dark.”

Before dark? She'd be gone for a while longer than he'd expected. She seemed fairly confident that nopony would show up here so he nodded without protest. “Sounds good. Don't let me keep you. I won't touch anything I promise.”

“You can entertain yourself with any books you find, and of course use the bath. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. J-just please don't go in my room...” She didn't trust him that much...

“Of course not...” Shift assured her.

There wasn't much conversation after that. Fluttershy disappeared somewhere in the cottage leaving Shift to his own devices. He avoided the rabbit who didn't seem to approve of his company. He only had one objective and that was the bath Fluttershy had mentioned. He needed one terribly and found it appalling that Fluttershy hadn't mentioned it earlier.

He found it with relative ease, down the hall from the kitchen and met Fluttershy in the hallway as she was headed out.

“You can use whatever is in there.” She smiled at him.

“Thanks.” For the first time he felt subconscious about the fact he hadn't washed in a while and looked away from her. To his relief she said nothing more and passed by him. He waited until he heard the door to the cottage close before entering the bathroom.

The walls were bright colored, not exactly white but maybe a faint yellow. Pink towels hung from a rack immediately to his left and the sink was on his right, then the toilet and then the bath. The shower curtain had a floral print design and was pulled back to reveal a moderately sized tub, two handles, a spot and the shower head that hung above.

The architectural design wasn't much different from a changelings however the over all design was unique. None of that really mattered though. He just wanted to get in the water.

Shift turned the first handle which was conveniently color coded red almost all the way on. He smiled as it poured down from the shower head above and into the tub. Hadn't seen that in a couple of weeks. The blue one he adjusted until his forehoof in the water had adjusted to the temperature.

Once satisfied Shift got in carefully. He didn't want to slip on his three good hooves. A moan escaped his muzzle as the water washed through his fur, down to his skin and warmed his body. “T-that's much better.” He sighed to himself. He decided he'd just sit there a while and enjoy the steady stream of goodness. After a while the bathroom started to steam up and he chuckled to himself. After another couple of minutes he started looking around for the soap.

It was behind him, and certainly wasn't what he was expecting. There were quite a few bottles sitting on a small shelf. All different colors and with different labels. Did she really use all of this? He picked up a white bottle with a waterfall as the label. He popped the cap and sniffed it. It was a strong but pleasant aroma of something he didn't quite know of. The bottle said fur wash... So what if he'd smell like a mare... Better than smelling like garbage.

He shrugged and poured some onto his forehoof before replacing the bottle. He couldn't stand on his hind legs so he sat. and lathered the creamy substance all through his fur and all over his body. He relished the feeling up until he had to wash his bruised leg, which he handled with care. His wing base wasn't too bad but it still hurt.

Curiosity got the best of him and he went through the other bottles as well. He found one specifically for ponies's manes which he didn't really have... He did have a tail though, same thing. So he used it too. He lost track of all the different smells and fragrances... He just knew he smelled pretty, and he  liked it. Only until he was satisfied he smelled like a Princess did he step out of the shower and take one of the pink towels to dry off.

When he finally did get back into the living room he realized he'd spent an hour and a half in the shower. “Well...” Shift mumbled and walked up to a window, forgetting where he was for a moment. Then he stopped and turned away. Probably shouldn't go near the windows.

Too late.

Shift froze as he heard the knocking at the door. Everything seemed to stop for a moment. Somepony was at the door and he was willing to bet it wasn't Fluttershy. She would have just come in. Another round of knocking startled him and a voice followed after.

“Come on Fluttershy! I know you're in there. I saw you in the window. Hellllooooooo! Fluttershy. Come to the doooooor.” Another succession of rapid knocking.

“Fuck...” Shift cursed under his breath. He didn't know what to do. If he ignored her she might barge in... He certainly couldn't answer the door... Maybe... He pictured Fluttershy in his head, hoping he'd get the details close enough. In a dim flash of green he became a yellow mare with a pink mane, pink tail and soft feathers. He could hold the disguise for a while but he couldn't hold it forever. He needed to send her away and hope the mare doesn't run into Fluttershy elsewhere.

There was one more problem that presented itself... His hoof still hurt He couldn't just ignore it. Way too painful. Maybe he could feign a less severe injury if she notices and say he stubbed his hoof or something. Nonetheless he also didn't know anything about who might be at the door and if he was asked any questions about anything at all he'd be screwed.

Whatever he did he needed to do it fast. Shift arrived at the door before the fourth repetition of knocking. “Come on Shy!”

Shift cleared his throat and concentrated on the sound of Fluttershy's voice. Maybe he could get away with not opening the door.

“Um... I-I... Not right now.” Shift called through the door with his new voice.

“What do you mean not right now? Just open the door!”

“I-I can't right now. I'm very busy... You know... Animals.” Shift replied

“Shy your animals are all asleep. Except that rabbit. What's going on? Are you okay? Please open the door.”

'A-Alright.” Shift cursed silently and turned the handle, opening the door to reveal a cyan colored mare with a multi colored mane and tail. Much to his surprise she walked in without waiting for an invitation. He was going to say something but thought better of it. For all he knew this mare could be a really good friend. “ Um... Hey... H-how are you?” Shift asked.

“Oh you know... Busy being awesome, but that didn't stop me from paying my favorite pony a visit.” Rainbow chuckled to herself and turned to face her friend. “What's up? I thought you and Rarity go and have your hooves done on Saturday or something? You feeling all right?”

“Me, why I'm just fine. Enjoying the peace and quiet is all.” Shift shifted uncomfortably in place, wincing ever so slightly when he put pressure on his injured hoof.

“Something wrong with your hoof?” Rainbow had noticed.

Damn “Just a little sore. I'll be fine.” Shift saw something that made his heart drop. The rabbit had entered the room and was staring at him intently. Could he tell?

Angel bunny ran up to Rainbow and started thumping her hoof until he got her attention.

“What is it?” Rainbow snapped. She didn't like her hooves being touched.

Angel bunny started pointing at Fluttershy, then twirling his ears together at the center of his head, holding in place with one paw as he continuously jarred the other in Fluttershy's direction.

“Uh Fluttershy? I think something is wrong with your rabbit,” Rainbow looked back over to her friend. “He's actin funny.”

“Oh he's just being silly,” Shift glared at the bunny. “Maybe he wants to be fed.” Shift trotted as normally as he could over to the now very disgruntled bunny, trying to hide his pain as he went. With one of his forehooves he started nudging him into the kitchen, leaving the cyan Pegasus behind.

When they finally got in the kitchen Shift opened up a cabinet and put the protesting bunny inside. He wanted to throw it in there but he knew Fluttershy really liked this thing so he settled with jamming the cabinet door so he couldn't get out. “Now you be a good bunny and stay quiet.” Shift growled through the door.

“Fluttershy?”

Shift squeaked and turned quickly. “Um... Yes?”

“Why'd you stick your pet in the cabinet?” Rainbow cocked her head to the side and gave her a concerned look. “You're not loosin it are you?

Shift gulped and started to sweat beneath his fur. “Well uh... I um...” Before he could continue there was a rapid beating on the cabinet door behind him. He turned to face it instead but as he did he heard the cyan Pegasus gasp.

“Fluttershy! Your cutie mark it's... It's gone!” Rainbow looked shocked for a minute... Then narrowed her eyes.

Shift turned back again, ignoring the beating. Fuck... I forgot the butterflies... Well...

“Fluttershy... What is my name?” Rainbow took an aggressive step forward.

Shift tried to back away but squeaked when he hit his rear hoof on the cabinet. “Why would you ask me something like that? Of course I know your name... Um... Magenta...”

All at once Rainbow crouched. “Who are you!? Where's Fluttershy!?” Rainbow growled.

  Shift decided there wasn't much to hide now, so he changed back. The look of shock on the mare's face amused him. He didn't have long to enjoy it as she lunged for him. He yelped in surprise, grabbed the first thing he could in his telekinesis and bashed her over the head with a pot that had been on the stove.

Rainbow crumbled to the floor unconscious.

“Oh no... Oh no Oh no Oh no!.” Shift freaked. If Fluttershy came home now... She'd panic, maybe attack him too, or run for help. He rushed over to the Pegasus, checked her pulse and sighed with relief, then checked her head. There was a knot but she'd live. “Okay Shift... Calm down... You can fix this... Maybe you should just run.” No... if he ran the cyan mare would definitely rat him out if Fluttershy didn't. He only had one option. Tie up this mare, wait for Fluttershy to get home and try to explain. What a plan...