A Changing Family

Pure Soul and Beauty Heart trotted down a gravel trail through a forest, with little Changer in his changeling form on Pure's back and Beauty eyeing a book about spells, reading it carefully while holding it with her magic.

"Find it yet, sweetums?" Pure asked his wife.

"Not yet. This spell book I picked up at the book shop is so huge! And I don't know if it's under transformation or changing spells..." Beauty said.

"Try transformation." Pure recommended.

"Okay. We both know I'm not good with magic. It will probably take some time for me to learn."

"You will eventually don't worry."

Changer babbled on Pure's back after changing to that same blue pony form, sucking on a binky that his parents bought at their local store before they all left.

"See, even Changer thinks so. Even if it isn't changeling magic you're using you should still be able to transform."

"I guess..."

After some more time walking and trying to find the proper spell, Pure Soul decided it was a good time to take a break for a couple of minutes.

They sat down on some fallen tree trunks that was not far up ahead. Pure looked over their saddle bags while Beauty continued to read with Changer sitting in her lap.

"I know we're not, but... I feel like we're missing something." Pure said as he moved stuff around their saddle bags.

"Do you want to go back and check if we forgot something?" Beauty asked after looking up from her book.

"No... we have enough pony food, water... I think it's just nothing."

"..." Beauty looked a little hesitant before she spoke. "Y-you think we should have stayed a little? At least for another day? I feel like our goodbye to the town was too quick."

Pure looked up. "I understand that." Then he looked at his son. "But that would also put Changer in danger."

"I know, but he looked like a pony the whole time." She sighed. "I'll miss that town..."

"Me too..." Pure gave Beauty a sad smile. "But life is about moving on. It's about change."

"I suppose so."

Changer giggled in Beauty's lap which made her smile. "How far are we Pure?" She asked.

"Let's see..." Pure got up and looked at the distance. "We're not far from the badlands, and in there is my hive." He turned to his wife. "It'll be dangerous once we step into the badlands, by then you must be ready to change." He told her.

Beauty took Pure's words in and looked back down to read her book, full of determination, but when she did it was shocking to see that Changer drooled all over the pages making them soaking wet.

She gasped with the eyes the size of sewing pins. "Changer! No!" She raised one leg which Changer held onto while giggling. She watched as the book she was holding fell apart page by page, all soaked with baby drool.

"What happened?" Pure got up and walked over to Beauty. "Oh no..." They both looked at Changer who looked up at them innocently.

Pure sighed. "It's not his fault." He grabbed some napkins from one of their saddle bags and wiped off the drool from Changer's face.

"I know..." Beauty sighed as well and picked up some of the pages. She found out that some of them weren't ruined so she stacked them together and was about to put them away, however, she read one title that said...

She gasped. "Here it is! Transformation spells for beginners!" She held it up for Pure to read.

"That's great! Great job, Changer!" Pure said as he messed with his son's mane.

*Flash!*

"Aww..." Beauty cuddled with Changer who was now in his changeling form.

Pure looked at his son with curiosity. "At such a young age..."

"Do you think we'll get to your, um... hive before sundown?" Beauty asked, snapping Pure out of his thoughts.

"Most likely. And even if we don't get there before dark we could always camp out otherwise. We did bring some blankets at least right?"

His wife nodded. "Um..." She began. "We should get going."

"Of course." Pure Soul held his leg out to let his wife pull herself up. "Let's get going." He looked around the area before taking the lead towards their next destination. However, after taking some steps forward, his eye caught something blue to his right. He made his way towards a pair of bushes and carefully walked through them, revealing a big lake in the middle of this forest.

He gasped. "Honey, look!"

Pure's wife approached from behind. "Wow, what a beautiful lake!"

Changer babbled on her back.

"Do you know what this lake is?!" Pure asked. When she shook her head, he continued. "This isn't any ordinary lake." He told.

"It isn't?"

"No." Pure looked at the lake with a glint in his eyes as he said, "This magical lake can cure diseases, heal wounds, and purify you. It's called, Lake Purity." Beauty listened closely with much interest as he spoke. "From what I've heard from other changelings, the lake moves through the forest, even if no one has actually seen it move..." He looked back at his wife and his son.

Beauty watched as Pure took Changer in his magic hold and levitated him towards the lake. He slowly started to drop Changer inside until only his head was peeking out of the water.

The two looked at Changer as he floated in the lake assisted by Pure's magic, then they saw some water dripping from his eyes.

...

...

"Oh! Nonono don't cr-"

Beauty and Pure flinched at the sudden cry of Changer. Pure immediately lifted him up out of the water and hugged him. "Shhh I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't know you wouldn't like that..."

"Why did you do that?!" Beauty cried. "You don't think he's infected or anything do you?"

"N-no! But they say it's good luck, and it's best to be sure." He lied. "Maybe that will help with that random changing he's doing now and then." He thought.

Before a minute passed, Changer's cry died down and he fell asleep, much to the relief of his parent's ears.

The path to the badlands didn't seem far for the changeling and pony, for they had some good conversations going. Mostly about Beauty asking questions about changelings.

Before they entered, however, Pure warned Beauty that it would be very dangerous beyond this point and she should put away her spell book to pay attention for any creatures that may harm them.

"But I didn't finish reading the spell. I didn't even practice enough."

"Hm..." Pure put a hoof to his chin and pondered. "I'll think of something, but for now, we need to be a safe as possible. I couldn't imagine what would happen to you and Changer if something bad happened."

Beauty took in Pure's words and decided to trust him with leaving to learn the transformation spell aside for another time.

The three entered the badlands, a massive flat desert terrain with some rocky mountains. They walked in silence, the only thing making noise was the sandy winds and Changer's quiet snoring on his mother's back.

Pure heard his son's quiet noises and got out a blanket from his saddle bag, which he wrapped a silent Changer with to shield him from the sand. After a nod to his wife they kept going.

But something stopped them in their tracks.

Up ahead, there were a couple of shadowy figures behind the sandy winds. Pure shushed his wife and quickly guided her to some nearby rocks for cover. The two bent down and hid behind the rocks as Pure took in some of the sounds he heard as talking.

Pure lifted himself and peeked out to see two intimidating griffons eyeing the area. He swiftly took cover again as one was about to look his way.

"What is it?" His wife asked.

"Two griffons. They look strong." He looked down in thought. "They are blocking the way and they don't look friendly..."

"Let's go around them then." Beauty said.

"No point. We'll just find others that would be trouble. Our best bet is to get a distraction of some kind."

"Hm... are griffons scared of anything."

"Everyone's scared of something. Why dear?"

"Maybe you could transform into it and scare them off." She told.

"I could but... what could I transform into..."

***

"We've been searching for him for hours! I say we just go home." One griffon said.

The other grunted. "You're probably right. We're never going to find him." As they were about to turn and go home, the first griffon saw something in the distance.

"Hey... What's wrong?" The second one asked. He looked in the same direction as his partner and grew pale. "I-is that...?" Behind the sandy winds were two glowing giant green eyes.

*ROAR!*

"It's a dragon! Ahhhhh!" The first griffon flew as fast as his wings took him in the opposite direction of the dragon.

The second griffon looked at his partner and frowned. "Hey! Don't run! Stay and protect your... honor..." He looked in front of him mid-sentence and gulped when the dragon's head was hovering over him. With one snarl from the dragon, the second griffon ran away after his friend.

After the two griffons ran far enough, Pure changed back into his regular changeling form.

"Honey..." He panted due to the massive amount of magic he used. "It's safe to come out now!" He dropped to his haunches and breathed hard.

"Pure?" Beauty's head peeked out from the rock she was hiding behind. She gasped when she saw her husband's condition. "Are you alright?!" She ran up to him with Changer on her back.

"Yeah..." He was still panting. "I never tried changing into something as big as a dragon before, but..." He made a gasp of air. "It took a lot of magic..."

"Here, let me help you." Beauty supported Pure with her shoulder so he could stand.

Pure looked around the area. "We should head straight."

"Are you sure? You're really weak right now." Beauty said with concern.

"I'm sure. The hive is not that far away, and I can rest there. Besides, it's safer there than here at the moment- Ah!"

Something slammed into Pure's head and knocked him out of his wife's hold.

"Pure!" Beauty screamed before she looked at what was the cause of this. She gasped when she saw an older looking griffon with scars on his body smirking at them.

"What's a fine pony and changeling doing out here?" He said in a deep cracky voice.

Beauty was too scared to move.

"And a child?" He chuckled. "Lady, you don't have any idea what you've just gotten yourself into."

Beauty started to step back as the griffon was nearing her slowly.

Pure on the other hoof was straining to get himself up to help his wife and child.

"Halt!"

This voice echoed around the four.

The old griffon looked around the area. "Drat! I've been found out."

Beauty clutched Changer to her chest and also looked around.

Suddenly, five other changelings entered through the sandy winds, all wearing black armor.

The old griffon grunted and flew off quickly, not wanting to pick a fight against the odds.

A couple of the changelings were about to fly after him, but the one in the front stopped them.

"He must be the leader." Beauty thought.

The one Beauty claimed as the leader walked up to her and stood in front of her. He took notice of the changeling nymph in her hoofs which made his eyes widened. Then he looked to his left to see another changeling on the ground with much weakness.

"It surprises me to see a pony in the badlands," He begun. "Furthermore, you seem to have kept this child safe from that griffon, which I must honor you for."

Beauty smiled but it was short lived when she heard his next sentence.

"However, I do not decide your fate. Since you now know that we, the changelings, exist, that power of deciding it belongs to the queen."

He looked back at Pure. "Help that one to his hooves, we're heading back to the hive."