Chapter 2 Caution

Lyra had made it back to her home safely. She couldn't help but feel a little bit frustrated that she managed to take a Changeling all the way from the middle of Equestria to her house without anypony batting an eye lid. Just what did the guard ponies do all day? Well anyway she was home now and that's what matters. The Changeling was still out cold when she unrolled the sheet, her parents had both taught her some basic medical knowledge and the injuries weren't as bad as she thought, nether the less without any care it wouldn't have lasted another week, and that's if it hadn't starved to death first. After finishing she stepped back to admire her work, all the limbs had bandages on them, his torso was wrapped, his wings where braced, and a singe bandage was around his head. Now that it's life wasn't in any danger, Lyra got started on stage two.

The Changeling slowly woke up in the bed of Lyra's spare room, the window was blocked so no Pony could see inside and the 'Guest' had a leash around its neck connected firmly to the bedpost.

Lyra was sitting at its side "well nice to see your still hanging in there considering all the trouble I went trough to get you here" Lyra got off the stool she was sitting on (in her special little way) and started towards the door "this is how it's going to work! Until you are fully recovered you will stay in this room, you are not to leave this room or make any attempted to escape, and once your all better you will leave without attacking anypony and go back to your hive..." Lyra thought about that last part "...or wherever you want to live, just as long as it's not here, I don't know why you where left behind but I can't image it was because you where the Bug Queens favourite"

Lyra closed the door behind her and locked the door. Leaning on the hard wood of the door Lyra thought to herself, why did she say that? Didn't all Changelings serve there queen in there hive? Memories of that day once again creeped into her head. Along the cave floor and walls where Changelings, but they didn't act like the ones that attacked Counterlot, they where sad looking, and if she recalled the flying ones seemed to be picking on them, like they where lower class creatures. Lyra's moment of inner thought was broken when she realised that there was a strong musky stink, creeping from behind the closed door. Fearing the worst Lyra unlocked and burst though the door into the room. The Changeling was sitting in the middle of the bed just as it was when she left like a dog that had been waiting for its master to come home, however the sheets directly under it had become a lime green colour, and stank off...Lyra's mouth was wide open, but she shut it realising the stench was going into her nose trough it.

"When I said...I didn't mean...oh sweet Celestia!"

Lyra ushered the Changeling off the bed and took off the sheets. Luckily the green smelling liquid hadn't seeped down to the mattress yet. She turned her head to the perpetrator who just looked at her with a vacant stare wile she covered her nose.

"What the heck do you eat raw sewage!?"

Quickly Lyra rushed to the room at the back of the house and shoved the sheet in the washing machine with a large amount off cleaning liquid. Lyra breathed out in relief. Why didn't it say or do anything, why did it just sit there as...she left the door open in the rush! Immediately she rushed back, only to find that the Changeling hadn't moved since she left. Slowly realising something important about her guest, Lyra walked over to the front of the creature until she was sitting eye to eye with it.

"Your not just giving me the silent treatment are you!?"

There was no response, as she expected.

"When I want you to answer a question you can nod for yes and shake for no, got it" she said giving examples as she spoke. The Changeling nodded in reply. Good she thought, at least she knows it's not brain dead.

"Now then! You can't talk at all can you"

The Changeling nodded.

"And you can't think clearly unless somepony else tells you too right.

The Changeling looked down in thought for a moment looking rather irritated at itself for admitting it before eventually nodding.

"Why? Is this because Queen Chrysalis isn't here to order you around anymore"

There was a moment where it looked insulted and angry at the thought of its supposed queen before shaking its head furiously. Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"You don't like Chrysalis?"

It nodded resolutely.

"OK I didn't see that coming, why are you so..." Lyra thought about her words, stupid or imparted didn't seem to suit this conversation. She finally decided on a word "...underdeveloped? Others of your kind can talk, transform and think for themselves, why can't you?"

The Changeling just looked at her.

"Guess that wasn't a yes or no question huh."

Lyra cleared her head and throat "ok, if your going to be here until your healed then I guess I better tell you that if you need to go to the bathroom then go 'in' the bathroom...on the toilet...with the lid open...so it goes into the water...then wipe yourself...and flush...are you following any off this?"

The Changeling thought for a moment then nodded, this it held its hoof up and shook its head.

"Yes...and no?"

It nodded. Lyra had a feeling it didn't know what a toilet was, just how low was this guy in the hive ranks. Waite she thought, did she just use the word 'guy' in that last sentence. This moment was cut off when a low growling noise came of the Changelings body. When was the last time heIT! had eaten anything? Do Changelings even need to eat? She wasn't going to take the chance of finding a dead body in her house.

"I'm going to make you something to eat now. Do NOT pee on the bed, I repeat, do NOT pee on the bed!"

Lyra left the room to the kitchen. Since it was a prisoner of sorts she wasn't planing on making anything to fancy or elaborate. She make a bowl of warm mashed stuff she found in the fridge, it had oatmeal, cheese and some vegetables in it. Lyra tasted a bit of it from her hoof, it wasn't that bad actually. She made her way to the room with the Changeling still sitting next to the bed with the same waiting dog look to it. Lyra wondered if it really needed the leash, or as she realised, did she need to make it longer so that it could go to the bathroom. The idea of having a bucket did cross her mind but changing it was not something she partially wanted. Lyra took the bowl to the Changeling and placed it on the table at the side of the room. It looked at the bowl and back to Lyra, oh Faust she thought, don't tell me it doesn't know how to eat!

"This" she said pointing to the bowl "is food! You put it in your mouth, chew it until it's mush and swallow it!" The Changeling still looked at her. "Like this!" Lyra took a small bite of the meal, chewed it loudly and swallowed. "Now you!" Tentatively the Changeling walked over to the table and looked down at the substance in front of it, before putting its muzzle in and began eating. Somehow seeing it eat like this made Lyra feel...happy. There was a knock at the front door. Lyra left the happily eating Changeling and went to answer it. Bon Bon was waiting outside

"Hay Bon Bon"

Bon Bon walked in and Lyra shut the door behind her. Lyra turned to face her friend.

"So" Bon Bon began "how was your trip to Counterlot?"

Lyra looked at her for a moment. She had that 'your in trouble' tone in her voice.

"Fine, fine" she said "got my hair clip, came back, nothing to say really!"

"Yes. With a new roll of old carpet. Big enough for a body to be hidden in"

Lyra's trough dried up "that was kind of a...oddly pacific phrase.

"...you went into the caves and found an injured Changeling who you brought back and started nursing back to health haven't you!"

"WHAT! No no no, wh...what could make you think that I..."

Bon Bon pointed her hoof to her left side to show that the Changeling had walked over wile they where talking. It was holding an empty bowl in one hoof.

"Oh...dang I...Waite how did you get here I tied you..."

She looked down at the leach and saw that the bed rung she tied it to had popped out and was trailing behind him. Now she remembered why she moved that bed to the guest room.

"Fine I will find you something, come on!"

Lyra grabbed the leach with her magic and pulled him towards the kitchen. Wile there backs where turned, Bon Bon took out a small back device that looked like a black ball with two antenna attacked to a short black pole. The round green screen on the ball part hummed for a moment as she pointed it towards Lyra, there was a quiet beep and it showed [mind control magic 00%] on the screen. Lyra then pointed it at the Changeling and clicking a button on the side of the stick part. There was another moment of humming before another beep and another message [evolution level 001] Bon Bon cocked an eyebrow and put the device away before walking over to the pare in the kitchen. Lyra was going trough the cupboard trying to find something for the Changeling to eat.

"OK I'm going to level with you, I may have needed to go shopping this week. All I can find is this apple from Sweet Apple Ac..." Lyra stopped when she noticed that the Changeling was eyeing the apple like a dog to a stick. Lyra moved the apple side to side in her hoof experimentally and as she thought the Changeling followed it with its head. Picking it up with her magic, Lyra threw the apple into the empty guest room with the Changeling zipping right too it. Lyra jumped in and locked the door behind it and gave a relieved sigh.

"Well that was easier than I though it would be" that's when it occurred to her that explaining this might be trickier.

Bon Bon was standing right in front of her

"Would you believe this is all a dream?"

Bon Bon shook her head slowly not taking her eyes off her

"I didn't think so"

Lyra tried to think quickly. She explained about the hair clip and the memory's she had emphasise that the Changeling didn't seem to be dangerous wile Bon Bon just stood there quietly.

Bon Bon opened her mouth and then closed it again. "I know what's going to happen"

Lyra raised an eyebrow "what?"

"The same thing that happens when you do something dumb or reckless, I will say you have to get rid of the Changeling and you will say no"

Lyra agreed "Yep"

"Then I will tell you all the reasons why keeping it is a bad idea and incredibly dangerous and will still say no"

"Yep"

"Then I will ask why and you will give a long winded speech why it would be wrong to get rid of it"

"Yep"

"And I will give up and help you for the sake of making sure you don't get yourself killed or anypony else dies horribly"

"Yep"

"So why don't we just skip it and I help you, besides I don't think letting a Changeling loose on Ponyvill unsupervised Is going to make either of us popular"

Lyra smiled in relief "Thanks Bon Bon"

"But if we end up dead, then I'm going to clobber you"

"Deal!"

Inside the guest room, the Changeling was snuggled up in the bed purring softly. It had never had a bed before and rather liked the feel of a soft warm place to sleep. It wasn't sure yet, but it thinks that maybe it liked the mint coloured pony, a lot.