Author's Note

So yeah... I doubt anyone reads anything I do still, but I'm going to keep trying to write regardless.

Very fast paced chapter, I know.

Bug Problems

"Don't take your eyes off that corner!" Crystal warned, nudging Dusk while atop the sofa.

"No, you keep watching! I need to get the rest of the food and water so we don't have to leave this spot!" Dusk exclaimed, scooting closer to the kitchen.

This morning, Crystal say what she described as a pony sized bug flee to and hid in a dark corner by the front door. So, the fortified the oversized fire place and turned it into a hidey hole with a sofa door. Neither of them wanted to deal with a pony sized bug, so they decided to play defensive instead.

Dusk made it to the kitchen and stocked up on what he could before heading back to Fort Fireplace.
However, when he got back to the living room, he faced a predicament. There was... Two Crystal's!

It didn't take long for Dusk to understand what was going on.

"Oohhh a changeling... Thats what she meant by pony sized bug..." Dusk whispered to himself.

Both Crystal's were sitting directly beside each other, completely identical.

Left crystal pointed an accusatory hoof at right crystal and said, "That's the fact one!"

"What? No! You are!" Right crystal exclaimed.

"No way! You're fake!" Left crystal shot back.

"Liar! I'm me! Don't trust this thing!" Right crystal warned dusk.

"I would never lie! You're the liar!" Left crystal shouted.

"Stop." Dusk said, calmy.

"No, get this thing out of here!" Right crystal yelled.

"Thing?! I'm a pony, you're the thing!" Left crystal yelled back.

"Both of you stop." Dusk said once again.

At this point, both crystal's were just going back and forth at each other. Roughly two minutes passed and Dusk had enough.

"SHUT UP!" He exclaimed, shutting them both up and grabbing their attention. "One of you is fake, and the other is real! And If I have to, I'll beat you both down to find the fake! So show yourself and save the trouble!"

Both crystal look at each other, then at Dusk. And then with a sigh, right Crystal transformed into a changeling.

"Ha! Told you!" The Real Crystal exclaimed, to which the changeling and just stared blankly at her. "Oh, right... Um, sorry..."

"Out." Dusk simply said, looking back at the changeling and pointing towards the front door. He really couldn't be bothered to freak out because of a changeling.

The changeling looked at the door, then back at Dusk. Silence.

"Get. Out." Dusk repeated.

"No" The changeling said in a quiet voice. "Please don't make me"

"This is my house, and you're a changeling. Leave."

"But I... It's too windy for me." The changeling said. By the voice, it could be assumed this changeling was a mare, but Dusk didn't really like the idea of checking. He just wanted it out.

And then Crystal spoke up. "You let stay..."

"...You're not a changeling." Dusk said.

"So? Changeling or not, nopony should be outside."

"I agree." The changeling agreed.

Dusk was too tired and frankly, some more company didn't sound too bad. Crystal was starting to drive him up the wall.

"...I can't believe this... Fine." Dusk said giving in. Again, he was too tired. "Do anything changeling-y though, and you're gone."

The changeling silently nodded and thanked dusk before curling up on the couch. It was obviously tired too.

Dusk was simply tired. That was made obvious by him just up and passing out right there and then. He wasn't a morning pony.

A few hours later, Dusk woke up to chitter chatter from across the room. "Crystal?" he groaned, "Is that you?"
No answer.

Getting up, Dusk began looking around but saw nopony. But then, BAM!
He was knocked to the ground and pinned by two figures, but Dusk couldn't quite see. He tried breaking loose, but to no avail.

"Ha, we got him!" A voice exclaimed. Crystal's voice...

"Crystal? Get off me!" Dusk shouted, grumpily.

And with that, Crystal (and another pony) got off him and let him get to his hooves.

Turning around, he seen Crystal and the changeling. "What was that for?" He questioned.

"I'm learning how to hunt ponies! I really didn't have anything else to do, and Azure seems nice enough." Crystal explained.

"Azure?" Dusk asked.

"That's me." The changeling said, "I'm Azure."

"Right. Well don't do that again. I'm really not in the mood."

A loud crack of thunder shook through the house and Azure jumped like a cat with a yelp, which kind of was amusing to Dusk.

"I hate thunder." Azure said, shaking.

"Don't be mean to Azure like you were to me when we met... I need some lunch so I'm gonna go make something." Crystal said, trotting off leaving Dusk and Azure alone in the living room.

"So..." Dusk began. "Why did you come here and not somewhere else for shelter?"

"Well I can handle the wind and rain, no problem. But its just the thunder I wanted to get away from... And this was the only place." Azure explained. "I'm sorry for just breaki-" Thunder cracked through the sky again, once again causing Azure to yelp but this time diving underneath Dusk, as if hoping to hide from it.

He didn't want to admit it, but it was kind of funny and cute. Maybe he'd get used to this.

"S-sorry" Azure said, getting to her holey hooves.

"It's fine. Everypony is scared of something."

"What are you scared of?" Azure asks, curiously.

"...Caring..." Dusk says simply.

"What... do you mean?" Azure wonders.

"Everypony I've ever showed any care towards always ended up leaving me behind and alone..." Dusk didn't know why he told a changeling that, but it just felt right.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that... But I can also relate..." Azure says, losing her cheery tone Dusk never noticed till it was gone.

"How exactly? Aren't changeling all apart of some big hivemind or something?" Dusk questioned.

"Well, sort of... I was different though. When I was born, I wasn't apart of it. Everypony knew and didn't really care. It was when I refused to go around hurting innocent ponies when they all got mad and threw me out... Away from my family." Azure explained, a tear forming in the corner of her blue pupil less eye. "They didn't want me anymore..."

He felt bad for azure. A lone changeling in a world of creatures that hate them. He couldn't imagine how that felt. So, he did the only thing he could that he knew usually cheered other up.

"Well... Crystal and I are here for you." Dusk said, falling through with his plan by pulling Azure into a big ol' hug.

Azure was confused and unsure at first, but quickly accepted the offer of comfort. Within seconds Azure was silently crying, though the hug did help a fair bit.

"I'm sorry for asking and... Making you sad." Dusk apologised, still very much feeling sorry for her.

Dusk was more then ready for the hug to end, but Azure just kept hanging on.

"Look who's getting along." Crystal says announcing her presence. "Maybe a little too well."

Before either of them got to protest, Crystal set three plates down onto the coffee table. "I thought you'd both be hungry, so I make you both lunch too."

Azure finally let go off Dusk and trotted over the the plates of food, to which Dusk followed.

"Thanks." Dusk said, sitting down on the couch where the two mares were no located. "What did you even make?" He asked as he examined the plate of food in front of him.

"Whatever I could with a little bit of everything we have. Hope you like it." Crystal answered.

"Whatever it is it's good." Azure said, who had already completely devoured everything on the plate.

"You're done it already? Jeez..." Dusk says, taking a bite of the meal. Funny that. It WAS really good.

Many, many hours later

"Wait. Only one of us can sleep on the couch. The inflatable mattress is big enough for two of us so... Who's going where?" Dusk questions, realising this new predicament.

"Dibs on the couch!" Crystal says, hopping onto the couch and under the warm blanket.

"That's not how it works! We have to decide eh-"

"Dibs is dibs! International rule! Besides, you've shared with me before, so why not share with the new mare?" Crystal jokes, getting comfy on the couch.

"Wording it like that makes me sound like a creep... Anyways, you're the one that asked to share!" Dusk shoots back.

"Did I though?"

"Of cour-"

Now it was Azure's turn to be annoyed. "Shush! Dusk, we can share. The mattress is big enough, I don't mind."

"Ugh, fine. I won't even try to argue..." And with that, he laid down on one side of the mattress while Azure took up the other side. The candles were out and the fireplace was lit, but it was still cold for Dusk considering he only had a sheet. That he had to share with Azure.

Roughly an hour and a half passed and Dusk still laid awake, cold.

"D-d-dusk? Ar-are you awake?" A shakey voice asked.

Looking behind him, he say a shivering Azure staring at him with pleading eyes. "I'm re-really c-old"

And that was his queue... She looked freezing, and he kinda liked her so he wouldn't let her freeze. It also didn't help that she didn't have fur.

Flipping around, Dusk grabbing Azure, who was cold to the touch, and pulled her close to him hoping to help warm her up.

Azure was surprised but unsure about this, but she was already warming so she gladly latched onto him to keep warm. Back in the hive, it took thousands of others to be this warm. But here with Dusk? It only tool seconds to get warmer then that..

She was so happy she chose here to take shelter. Crystal and Dusk were the only ones who were nice to her.

And right now? Especially Dusk...

To Be Continued