I had since been moved from my prison cell to the old Guest Chambers that I had stayed in. The changeling had returned as well, after holding more of a conference than an interrogation.

It was decided that since Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's love was ultimately the one thing powerful enough to launch almost every changeling from Canterlot back to the Badlands, Love would be the main element in curing my condition. I had been suffering from massive emotional whiplash since the Changeling's desperate attempt to fix me in the hospital, and had since returned to a somewhat more stable condition.

"Are you feeling better?" The changeling asked. It wasn't shapeshifted, and buzzed a few times in worry as it stood next to my spot on the bed. Since the Changeling and I had formed an emotional connection, one that wasn't simply host and parasite, the Changeling was 'sentenced' to be my caretaker until I recovered, and ordered to remain at my house until a more permanent solution presented itself.

"A lot better, thanks." I replied. I had a bad of ice water on my head for some reason, with a thermometer. "I don't think emotional whiplash brings on a cold..."

"Oh, you're right. My bad." It replied with embarrassment. Since the changeling had taken so much of my emotion, it was able to process them far more efficiently and soon able to generate its own. It explained that the development was what allowed it to transfer my emotions back to me. After my temper had cooled and I was more stable, I was just glad that it wasn't hurt.

"Don't worry about it, silly." I teased. Rolling over in the bed towards the changeling, I motioned for it to join me as I scooted myself backwards to the other side of the large circular bed. "Do you want to lay down with me? It's a lot warmer under the covers than it is out there." I said, motioning with a hoof to the rest of the room before retreating my hoof back to the safety of the covers.

"You're not worried something like last time is going to happen?" It asked, looking concerned and squinting an eye at me with a tilted head.

"Nope, now get on in here!" I beckoned.

The changeling lifted the covers and awkwardly scooted next to me, wings to its side. It was looking up towards the ceiling with its front hooves dangling over the edge of the covers.

I lay on my side, staring at the awkward changeling and propping my head up with a free forehoof.

"You look silly." I said.

"What's silly about how I look? I thought you said I looked cute." It pouted.

"You're lying in bed with me, and staring up at the ceiling. You're not gonna hurt me just cuddling." I pointed out. Besides, I'm not gonna get to know you very well if you stay in your carapace all the time."

"I can't get out of my carapace! That would be like asking you to climb out of your skeleton." It protested, looking at me.

"Hey, you did it!" I cheered, and explained after its confused look. "You looked anywhere but the ceiling."

"Oh, right." It grumbled, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"So, I still have to name you, you know."

"What were you thinking of calling me?" It asked in anticipation.

"Well, I saw that blue Pegasus you turned into and I was wondering what you gave him for a cutie mark."

"I gave it a generic one. Just some wings on a rock. Usually call it Stone Flight." It explained.

"Hmm. Well I was thinking about how we met."

"You mean where I tried to eat you?"

"Well, I was thinking more about how you helped me after the Chrysalis, and the fact that we cuddled afterward. Yeah I was out of my mind, but you were still kind. You could've just killed me when I got out, but you decided to take care of me."

"Oh... I did do that, didn't I?" It replied, oddly remorse.

"Hey, don't go worrying about things you don't have to worry about. Everything turned out fine! You even got a pardon from the Princesses, technically." I reminded it.

"Well how does that help with my name?"

"Think about it. You helped me in the hospital as well by returning all of my emotions, even if I was more than a jerk afterwards. You're even here right now, and I think it’s less to do with the Princess' orders and more because you wanted to."

"That's true."

"When we were in the dungeon, you still tried to comfort me and be there for me even when I was being horrible to you. I don't know anypony that would've done what you did, and I can't thank you enough for it."

"I felt bad for what I did, and I already went over everything with the Princesses and the Guard Captain."

"But that’s what I'm talking about. You're very patient, you're kind, you care about ponies even if they don’t care about you, and you keep giving ponies second chances. I can't express how much I adore that about you." I said, moving closer to him and embracing him in a hug.

"So that helps with my name, how?" It asked, turning over so that we were able to look another in the eyes.

"Because it helps me build a story around your name that has meaning. A lot of the time, ponies will name their foal and not know a thing about them, usually because the foal is just a foal and doesn't have a personality yet. The name sort of shapes the Pony. In this case, you're already your own being, so we need a name that suits what you are."

"Well, I'm a changeling. But I don't think 'Changey' would work. Neither would Shifty."
I laughed, and hugged it closer to me with a squeak of appreciation.

"No, silly. I'm going to name you Soft Heart. Because you're everything that a creature seeking love should be. Besides, you haven't done a single overly mean thing to me since we met!" I nuzzled his carapace covered muzzle.

"I tried to eat you!" Soft protested, and I silenced his protests by covering his mouth with a hoof.

"Shoosh, you! You're a good Changeling and nothing you say will make me think otherwise. You don't have to use your pony form when you're around me, but other ponies won't be as accepting of us. I'm perfectly alright with that, but I have a new idea for your cutie mark."

"Mum muff ma?" He said, muffled by my hoof.

"You should change it to a heart made of feathers, 'cause nothing is softer than Pegasus feathers!" I took my hoof off of his mouth, and gave him another full body hug, wings included.

He groaned a little from the pressure on his carapace, but relented and hugged me back soon enough.

***

I had gone through a lot in the past month and a half. Revived from being a statue for a thousand years, being reintegrated in a society that was similar to my own, but different in many ways and attacked by a changeling whom I soon came to love.

However, all of this wasn't to be the end of the story. We had moved back to my house and renovated it fairly quickly, given that Soft Heart was exceptional at construction due to being a drone in the hive. The problem came from our neighbors, who would see the flashes of green magic coming from our house and complaining about the noise at night.

I was able to explain it away as a new oven that I was testing for a bakery, and the flames were magical in order to bake the food faster. The problem with that is they wanted samples. I bluffed and told them that it was still very experimental and needed to go through more testing, and they bought the story.

The challenging part, was our schedules. Soft Heart had taken a job at the hospital in the 'changeling treatment ward', where he would help to cure those who had suffered Huskification like I had. He kept his disguise up during his shift, and reverted to his adorable self when he got home. I had continued my service in the Night Guard, serving as the greeter and integrator for the new 'batches' of Night Guard that would panic when they were revived.

We both arrived from our work nearly exhausted. Some days were easier than others of course, and we were able to enjoy each other's company as well as the sexier of after work activities, like showering together and cuddling after dinner. Night Breeze and Moon Sight had proposed to another at the same time during a 'First Batch Reunion' party that Soft Heart and myself had attended, and Lantern Light had been possessed enough to date Charmed.

Presently however, there was a certain filly at our doorstep trying to bring me back from my expositional monologue.

"Hey. Mister!" The filly shouted, and I looked down to find Ghost Trapper in a Filly Scout's outfit with a box of cookies hovering in her telekinesis.

"Oh, hey Ghost Trapper! How've you been?" I asked, lowering myself to her eye level.

"I joined the Filly Scouts! Want to buy some cookies?" She asked.

"Do we really need cookies, though?" Soft Heart asked me, before looking down at the filly.

"Please mister, I get prizes and a cool badge if I bring in the most bits for cookies!" she begged, pulling out another box of cookies from the small red cart she had been pulling behind her.

"Do we have the bits for it?" Soft asked, looking at me.

"Pleaaaaaase?" She begged, and it was too late for Soft Heart. She had the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen, complete with pouting lips and her ears backwards to complete the saddest expression I had ever seen on a filly.

"Oooh, that is masterful!" Soft Heart abruptly cheered, smiling at the filly.

"Huh?" Ghost Trapper blurted, her money winning expression evaporating like morning fog in her confusion.

"Let me try that!" Soft grinned, before mirroring the puppy dog eyes and pouty face that Ghost had attempted to use on the Changeling to manipulate his emotions.

"Awww, that’s no fair!" She pouted.

"Hehehe, it’s okay, Ghost. I'd love to buy some cookies." I chuckled, taking out a small pouch of bits to pay for a few boxes of thin chocolate mint cookies. They had been my favorites a thousand years ago, and they still sold them!

"I'll get some of those Coconut ones." Soft said, pointing to a box of cookies on her cart.

"Yay!" Ghost cheered, lifting the boxes as well as a few bonus ones as she counted out the bits on the walkway to our door.

"Thanks Mister Thought, Thanks Mister Heart!" She called, pulling her cart in her magical grip while trotting happily away to the next victims of her weaponized cuteness.

Closing the door and bringing our hoard of cookies with us to the kitchen, Soft Heart gave me a playful nudge with his rump, knocking me to the side for a moment.

"Hey!" I playfully protested, returning the bump with a bit more force.
Soft bumped into a wall, knocking some of the boxes from his back before he righted himself.

"Hey yourself!" He called back playfully, and we set down our boxes of cookies to go relax on the couch in the living room. It was our first joint day off in a few weeks, and we were enjoying the time that we had managed to snag together.

He flashed back to his changeling self, and huddled next to me on the couch.

"So, what should we do on our day off?" he asked, playing with one of my fuzzy ears with his holed hoof.

"I was thinking we could go to the park, look around and see what’s changed from a thousand years ago. Or we could go to the Everfree Forest! That place is even wilder than I remember. I got to go there as part of an exercise for the Night Guard." I rattled off a few more ideas before he stopped me with a hoof.

"Hey, anything is good as long as we do it together, okay?" He said, nuzzling me and resting his head atop of mine as we lay flat on the couch.

"That’s perfect for me, love." I smiled, feelings of love blooming in my chest.

He sighed comfortably, as I felt a slight drain. I was used to his need to feed now, and I wasn't affected by the shift in emotion as heavily as I used to. He explained that love was an incredibly intense emotion compared to all others, and just a bit of it would let him survive for weeks. Since we had moved in together and gotten more acquainted, I’m certain I was making him fat with love. Not that he would actually get fat, being in a carapace. Besides, love burns calories, doesn't it?

"Feel better?" I asked, wiggling around to try and have him lay on top of my belly.

"Much better, love." Soft Heart replied, nestling himself into me closely.

Yep. Everything was going perfect for me now. I just hope it stayed this way forever.

Author's Note

I would like to thank those that commented on my last chapter for their helpful criticism. It took me a while to re-aim my focus in the story, but hopefully this chapter will being things back on track.

I had taken a short break from writing this story to begin a separate one that I will be uploading Saturday, as thats the only time i have access to a screen large enough to accept the submit story prompt.

Many thanks to those that have read my story this far, as this has received far better reviews than I expected! I will continue to update this story, so no fears to it being unfinished forever.