A Rose by Any Other Name Would Look Just as Strange

Rosebug entered the orphanage swiftly, settling her chitinous hooves into the shag carpet beneath her. Looking out at the expanse of the room in front of her, she managed her first look at her new stand-in residence. The interior of the orphanage was mostly what Rosebug had expected from the general look of the exterior. Dark stained wood and subdued accent colors comprised the majority of the decorations. Though the room itself was average in size, it appeared far larger due to the lack of congregated furniture, most pieces being pressed against walls or arranged with ample space between them. The few items that did furnish the room took on a noticeably older styles, each piece marked with some sort of decorative flourish. An assortment of overstuffed bookshelves lined the walls, the book’s colorful spines adding a noticeable vibrancy to the otherwise low-key room. A few doorways led to rooms unseen, and a lofty staircase loomed against the back wall, leading to the also unseen second floor. Rosebug would have been overwhelmed by the idyllic coziness of the home had she not been intently focused on the orphanage’s other occupants. Two colts resided on opposite ends of the room, so absorbed into there activities they hadn’t yet noticed Cheer and Rosebug’s entrance.

In the left corner a small foal, half submerged in a toy-box, was feverishly searching for something out of Rosebug’s line of sight. His fur was alabaster white, strewn haphazardly with striking golden stripes. His hair sprung up in a shortened mohawk, the gold of his mane noticeably darker and the white segments being more accurately described as light grey. His eyes were large and innocent, shining a bright and distinctive aquamarine color. Even though she strained to see, Rosebug was only able to catch a quick glimpse of his cutie mark- which she could only discern to be a few overlapping lines.

Turning her attention to the opposite corner, she observed the second colt curled up contently on an armchair, soundly asleep besides a half-open book. His fur was a measured shade of blueish grey, and was noticeably fluffier than that of the average pony, including small tufts of fur along his ears. A pair of downy pegasus wings were tucked at his sides, and even from a distance Rosebug could tell his wingspan was noticeably larger than any pegasus foal she’d ever seen. She could easily discern that he was no average pegasus though, as the sharpened pair of fangs glinting against his dark fur gave that away. His mane was messy and unkempt, doled between shades of pale blue and mint, and hanging lazily over his face. Suddenly, the colt’s eyes flickered open, revealing periwinkle irises framing his visibly slitted pupils.

“Cheer?” The colt muttered, clearly still half asleep.

Before Cheer could manage a response, a clatter rang out from across the room. The aforementioned foal had ungracefully clambered from the toy-box - a unicorn doll held in his maw - and was now taking full notice to the two new additions to the room. Before Rosebug or Cheer could get a word out, the foal had crossed the room- unicorn doll swiftly forgotten - and was asking rapid fire questions faster than Rosebug could comprehend.

“Jeez Trinket, remember to breath.” Cheer chided gently, ruffling the foal’s cropped mane.

The excitable zebra hybrid calmed down somewhat, posing a single question to the filly in front of him.

“What’s your name?” Trinket sat expectantly as he waited for an answer.

“Rosebug,” She answered simply.

“That’s a pretty name,” Trinket responded with a grin.

A surprised, bashful blush dusted Rosebug's cheeks in an instant. She hadn’t even realized changelings could blush.

Cheer stifled an amused giggle as she trotted towards the staircase.

“I need to finish getting your room ready Rosebug, you three get to know each other in the meantime,” Cheer stated simply, casting them all a small smile before ascending the stairs.

A yawn echoed through the room, revealing the bat pony hybrid sitting, more accurately slouching, on his haunches, casting the both of them a drowsy glance.

“That’s Grimoire,” Trinket informed cheerfully, “he’s always sleepy because he’s. . .”

Trinket quieted in though, contemplating for a few long moments before casting a pleading glance to the bat pony in question.

“Nocturnal.” Grimoire propped himself up slightly.

“That!” Trinket yelped in realization.

Rosebug nodded along bemusedly throughout the display. The three sat together and traded simple pleasantries and other types of inconsequential banter as Rosebug studied the colts quietly. Trinket was obviously very excitable and animated, talking fast and with little or lacking definition to his words. Grimoire, in contrast, was fairly composed, speaking with more academic words and a subdued tone - though that may have been due to the fact he had just recently woken up. Rosebug herself didn’t have much to say, answering questions when posed but mostly listening intently on the conversation’s sidelines. That was until the topic of conversation turned to cutie marks.

“My cutie mark is super cool!” Trinket exclaimed, only partially prompted.

“What exactly is it?” Rosebug questioned politely.

Even though she could know get a clear look at his cutie mark - that being an overlapping cluster of dark golden lines- she still couldn’t discern it’s deeper meaning.

The foal wracked his brain for a moment, before turning to the bat pony besides him as he had before.

“What was the symbol called again?” Trinket half-whispered.

Grimoire covertly retrieved the book at his side, revealing to Rosebug, intentionally or not, that the book's contents were a collection of commonly recorded cutie marks. He flipped quickly to a page, which seemed to have already been marked off, and leaned over to read off the information to Trinket.

“It’s a friendship knot,” Grimoire whispered in a sleep dulled voice.

“Yeah, a friendship knot!” The foal yelped happily. “Because I love making new friends!” Trinket was practically vibrating with excitement.

Rosebug couldn’t help but ruffle the foal’s mane affectionately, mirroring what Cheer had done minutes earlier. A beat of contented silence passed between the three before another question was posed.

“What does your cutie mark represent?” Grimoire asked. “Specifically, I mean.”

Rosebug deliberated briefly on her answer before responding.

“It’s pretty simple, really,” Rosebug admitted. “I love flowers of all sort, and pretty much anything else that has to do with nature.”

Rosebug gave a lopsided smile as she though back to the oak tree library that had left her utterly awestruck before.

“I’ve never gotten to do very much gardening before,” Rosebug confessed, “but I’ve gotten to read plenty of books on the subject.”

Rosebug usually wasn't excited to talk about her cutie mark with others, so she was surprised to find herself practically giddy at the prospect. Grimoire too had noticeably perked up - specifically at the mention of books - shaking off his lingering sleep for the first time since she’d arrived.

“Cheer’s got tons of books on Equestrian plant life, I can show you some if you’d like,” Grimoire offered.

Rosebug smiled genuinely, gratefully accepting his offer and hurriedly shuffling off to one of the nearby bookcases with Trinket in tow. Her mind was abuzz with questions and queries of all sorts, the most pertinent being the identity of Grimoire’s cutie mark. He’d been so tucked up early she hadn’t gotten a chance to see it, nor had she managed to mention it during their earlier conversation. Casting the colt an inconspicuous glance, she found the spot normally occupied by the marking complete barren - Grimoire was a blank flank. He quickly caught on to her thought process, casting her a skewed smile that wordlessly portrayed his embarrassment. She offered him a comforting grin in return, and his worries seemed to be at least partially alleviated. Now in better spirits, Grimoire returned to scanning the bookcases. Trinket dutifully copied the bat pony’s motions, excited to help any way he could, only to get promptly distracted by the colorful spine of a nearby storybook.

Rosebug couldn’t help but utter a hushed giggle as she watched, settling besides the shelves as Grimoire continued searching. Even then a smile continued to lace her lips, an unshakable joy having settled over the filly ever since she’d met Cheer earlier that day. She’d almost felt like a completely different pony since then, all but overwhelmed by the unrestrained happiness and hope she’d begun to feel. Suddenly, an all but forgotten memory flashed through the young filly’s mind.

“Changelings feed off of love and affection.” The phrase echoed in her mind in the voice of her younger self, repeated from the pages of a book about her kin.

Suddenly everything made perfect sense. For all her life she had lived within an uncaring foster system that viewed her as a freakish monster, that hated and despised her senselessly, but today that had changed. She had, for the first time she could recall, received and reciprocated real, genuine love, the thing every changeling craved above all else. Ever since she was young, Rosebug had been stricken by a gnawing emptiness she could never quite shake, having long since chalked the strange sensation up to abstract loneliness or abandonment. Now, however, she realized the truth of the matter, she'd been practically starved her entire life! Now though she was experiencing an outpouring of love unlike any she’d ever received, and she felt practically lighter than air. As she willed herself back to reality, she realized she actually was. In her growing exuberance over her immense revelation, she had begun unknowingly fluttering a fair distance above the ground. Rosebug lowered her chitinous hooves to the ground as discreetly as she could, still managing to incite an innocently amused look from Trinket. She gave the foal a quick pat on the head, just as Grimoire pulled the promised piece of literature from the shelf besides her.

“The Young Gardener's Guide to Equestrian Foliage,” Rosebug scrutinized the words imprinted against the hardcover book.

Taking the book in her magic, Rosebug slouched to her haunches against the nearby shelves, flipping open the book to a section she picked at random. She was happy to find the section covered an intriguing topic, bio-luminescent plants and flowers. Though he was noticeably hesitant at first, Grimiore leaned in as well, reading along with unconcealed interest. Trinket didn’t find much value in the pages words, but was noticeably entranced by the bright, detailed illustration that littered the page.

Cheer stood midway down the staircase, watching the huddled foals contently. She had long since finished the necessary preparations for Rosebug’s room, but she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt them. Sitting against the wooden steps and peering through the gaps of the railings, Cheer watched with a serene smile as the three foals studied the book with undivided interest.