Wing of Love 2 - A Change of Heart

-----  An Alternate Course  -----

The changeling came into the kitchen just as Scootaloo took some ice out of the freezer and put it into an ice bag. She heard him coming up to the counter behind her, but when she turned around, she jumped,for he was sitting curled up on the edge of the counter and looking over her shoulder. She picked up the ice bag she had dropped and gave it to him before sitting down on the only chair she had right now.

“Did you really have to scare me like that?! And why stand on the table?” He sat with his knees under his chin as he placed the bag to his swollen cheek.

“You mean you don’t? At the camp hive on the other side of the Everfree Forest, we don’t have much space. Zo we have to zit like this pretty much all the time around feeding time. You mean you have this whole place to yourself?”

Scootaloo looked around. It wasn’t the biggest place ever, but it was at least hers.

“Yeah, well, I rent it. Someone else owns it, but I pay rent to have this to myself. I could have gotten a roommate to ease the payment, but I wanted to have a bit of personal space first to see how it would be.” She leaned over the table. “Talking about the forest, what were you doing there? You were awfully close to a friend of mine’s house.” He shifted a bit.

“Well, whatever I waz going to do it got interrupted by that manticore that did a real number on me.” He put his hand on the bandage on his chest which made him grunt a little.

“I got to say, you recover pretty fast. A normal person should still be in bed with the wounds that manticore served you, but here you are,up and about after just a few hours.” Her stomach suddenly gave off an audible growl.

“What waz that?”

“Em, me.” She blushed slightly. “Guess I waited too long to eat. I think I got some yogurt in the fridge. Want some?” He tilted his head at the question and the content of the bag rattled.

“You know we changelingz don’t eat food right? Even though we have mouthz doesn’t mean we uze it to conzume food like you.” She took a blueberry and banana yogurt out.

“Oops sorry, it’s just a bit strange to have a changeling in my home. Say, how long can you go without ‘feeding’ per say?”

“A couple of weekz. It’z moztly to fuel our magic, but we uze small amountz as food.” He took the ice bad away from his face and placed it beside him.

“What would actually happen if you ate something? You don’t explode, do you?” She didn’t bother with a spoon and instead started drinking it.

“I don’t know. Let me try.” He snagged the small plastic cup from her and downed the remaining half of it. He rolled it around in his mouth she threw it in the trash.

“You know, you should stop doing things like that, taking and doing stuff without warning people. So how is it?” He seemed to be in a state of surprise and wonder as he swallowed the yogurt.

“I- It taztez. I can tazte the food! The only other tazte I’ve had iz when I bleed, but this taztez zweet. it’z zoft and fluid and it taztez zo zweet.”

“Wow, you really haven’t tasted anything before?”

“No, love is zort of like air that we zuck in which dozen’t really tazte anything, but it feedz uz zo we juzt feed on that. Zo thiz iz how food tazte?”

“We eat more than just this.” She said with a chuckle and took another one out to make up for the one he took. “You still haven’t gotten a taste of some of the more flavoured things. Now about your name-” She got interrupted by someone ringing at the door.

“Who iz that? Are you expecting zomeone?” She hit herself in the forehead.

“Son of a fuck, I had totally forgot about that. I invited Apple Bloom and Rumble over today. Quick, go to my room and check the lower drawer for something fitting. Having a changeling sitting in his boxers on my counter is the last thing I want right now. And please remember to change into that form from earlier.” He jumped down and went into her room to do as she said.

“Hey Scoots, are you home?!” Applebloom yelled as she slammed at the door. Typical her. If she didn’t get a response in under half a minute, it was up to knocking and yelling to get contact with the person.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” She took a deep breath before opening the door.

Outside her door stood Applebloom with a big grin and Rumble in his usual white jacket with grey fur on the hoodie that matched his wings. Applebloom had her hair in her normal ponytail and a yellow dress with a wide skirt. They must have been in a hurry, since she got a few specks of flour on her forehead.

“Hey, sorry we’re late. Had a last minute order which took a bit more time than we thought it would, but knowing you, you probably forgot all about it.” She noticed her staring at her head and she wiped the flour off.

“You know me too well. Hi to you too, Rumble, I hope she wasn’t too heavy to carry up her.” He smiled.

“Nha, the skywalking spell Nightshade gave us made her all-around lighter so there was no problem.” Applebloom gave him an upset look.

“Are you saying I’m heavy? I’ll have you know that I haven’t tasted one of our products all week.” Scootaloo choked her giggle at Rumble’s face.

“So you let her try casting the spell, ey?” She said to quickly change topic. “How is she? Still much like her mother?”

After Twilight had finished her exam as the student of Celestia and literally grown wing, she had had been doing a lot of traveling around Equestria before returning to Ponyville where her daughter had taken her earlier job as librarian.

“She’s pretty close, might even say she’s better. She has to tie notes to her fingers to remember the things, but other than that she’s awesome.” Suddenly something thudded heavily inside Scoot’s apartment.

“What the hay was that?” She looked over Scootaloo’s shoulder into the entry hall that was mostly occupied by boxes. “Sounded like some of your boxes fell over.”

“That would be my... new flatmate.” She said. “He is settling in and probably has some trouble with a shelf or something.”

“Can’t he come with us? The more the merrier, ya know.”

“I’ll go and ask him if he got time..” She marched inside and swung up the door to her room. The changeling had tried to but on some jeans that had been her brother’s a bit too quick and tripped. At least he had gotten a shirt with a green circle inside a cube.

“Zorry, thiz pantz waz a bit difficult.” He tried to excuse with.

“Can’t you just change into shape?” She hissed. “You changelings change all the time so why not make it that easy?”

“We are changelingz, not chapelingz. We only change to people in our own general height.”

“Well get your clothes on and change. You are now my roommate and my friends want to see you.” He pulled it on, got up and changed into the purple haired guy from before. “Good, now how long can you hold the form?”

“A long time, a couple for weekz if necezzary. Why?”

“Because you are coming along for a night out with friends. C'mon.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her out to the door. “Here we are, this is, ehm, Change Ling. He moved here from Nippony which is why he has an accent.”

“Ehm, hi.” He greeted the guests a bit sheepishly.

“Oh wow, you’re all the way from Nippony? I heard you got some pretty awesome culture over there like with spirits and ancient dragons and stuff. Is that true?”

Yeah, zome of the culture haz that in it, but we also got zome advanced technology there too.” This was more common knowledge, but it seemed to be enough for Applebloom.

“Well we better get going before they give away our table.” Rumble looked at his watch.

“So, let’s get going then,=.” Scootaloo took her jacket. “I hope you like pizza, Change.” Applebloom looked weird at her.

“You mean he hasn’t had pizza before? What kind of food they eat over there if you haven’t have pizza yet?” Scootaloo locked the door behind them as they stepped out.

“Well, let’s just say it’s not your usual dishes, but he’s not afraid of trying something new, are you?” She nudge him in the shoulder.

“Ehm, sure I’m not, hehe.” He doesn’t seem to be completely sure how to react.

“Trust me, it’s pretty good stuff. A lot of melted cheese and tasty stuff in top.” He still seemed a bit unsure, but nodded and followed as they started walking.

They arrived at Cloudsdale’s more fancy pizza place called ‘The Skyward Hut’ a very popular place both on the ground and the sky. There were a good amount of people here today, there was even some other wingless people was there. They found their table which was a corner sofa with just enough seats. A waitress with the name badge ‘Sally Wing’ have them each a menu. There were a song playing faintly in the background, but none of them could make it out over the talking in the restaurant.

“Oh wow, I think they have gotten a few new ones since we last was out.” Applebloom scanned the parts of the latest types. “Some of these are so ridiculous I just have to try them.”

“You know, I think all the baking with Pinkie have started to affect you Applebloom.” Scootaloo said and laid down her menu. “You get excited about almost everything and always have that giddy smile. You just need to color your hair and bam.”

“You thinks so? I don’t know, I just get so happy when I bake which tend to last the rest of the day.” She pointed at something on her pamphlet. “I’ll try that one, the one with apple and cinnamon!” She exclaimed. “You join me, right Rumble?”

“Sure, it actually sounds something like it would be good.” Scootaloo just shook her head at the two, but Change looked to not be so good.

“Hey, you okay there?” She put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s them, I can feel their love.” He whispered. “It’z like an intenze heat right at me.” She looked over at them as they discussed some of the other ones.

“Well try to hold out a bit longer, I can order something that might help.” The waitress came over again to take their orders. “We’ll take a big one, half with number nineteen to them and the other with, uhm, twelve to us.Oh, could you give me and my friend here something strong? He’s a bit nervous.” She looked at Change and nodded sympathetically.

“Hey! I’ll take a beer, I’m not driving.” Applebloom quickly said.

It took awhile for the drinks to arrive so he just had to not make too much of a scene of himself, something that seemed a bit more difficult than first thought. He started to swear slightly and seemed to have a stomach ache. He was getting pale and with a discolor of grey, but he kept his mask up. The frantic tapping on the table kinda revealed him, but the other didn’t seem to notice it.

“I could juzt feed,” He whispered so Applebloom and Rumble couldn’t hear. “Juzt zuck their love and forget about thiz whole pizza thing.”

“Please try to contain yourself, if you do anything like that here we are going to have some serious trouble.”

“I really hate thiz, having thiz burning feeling in my face. I juzt wabt to zwallow it and feel it heat me up inzide me inztead.” He gave the two a hateful look behind the menu.

“It that’s why you do what you do, that you can’t feel love yourself?” He didn’t answer since right then the drinks finally came and a glass with something orange got placed in front of him and Scootaloo together with the pizza, a soda for Rumble and a beer for Applebloom.

“Oh yay, pizza!” Applebloom cheered. Change grinched and took a big gulp of the glass. He immediately started coughing from the burning liquid.

“By Zhacra’s fizt, that stuff burnz,” He said and Scootaloo couldn’t help but giggle.

“Do you feel it heat up inside you?” He patted himself above the wound on the middle of his chest.

“Yeah, almost the zame warming feeling.”

“Geez Scootaloo, giving a first-timer something like that. He’s gonna get a banging in the head tomorrow ya know.” Applebloom said and took a slice out of the pizza.

“Trust me, it’s a better alternative. Beside, there has to be a first time for everything.” She took a sip of her own drink, a bit less than Change, and took a slice of the pepperoni, paprika and onion part. “Do we have anything to cheer on?”

“For friendship!” Applebloom said and raised her beer.

“For love.” Rumble suggested and followed his finance’s example.

“I guess family for me.” Scootaloo said and looked to Change who looked uncomfortable. “Do you have something Change?”

“Thoze are all pretty ztrong feelings, but if I had to add zomething it would be...” He looked up from his glass. “To fit az I am I guezz. Put the pazt behind me and start anew.” they all became silent.

“You know, that is the best one out of all of them,” Applebloom said. “Don’t worry Change, we might just have met you today and you might be a bit awkward, but we are already your friends. Let’s cheer for Change, our new friend and Scootaloo’s new roommate!” They all raised their glasses in a series of clings before they all took a swig of their drinks, Change more carefully than before, before digging into the food.

“Hmm, thiz iz really good. I thought yogurt were good, but thiz iz zo much better.” Change said as he took a bit of his part.

“Yoghurt? Have you set him on your training diet Scoots? Poor guy, first time here and he thinks we’re eating thick milk and doing competitive flying.” Applebloom said and tried to eat a string of cheese.

“It was all we got time for so don’t blame me.” She took a new sip of her beverage. “Oh wow, this is good. I didn’t think they could serve this at places as this.” Change was taking it slowly, but steady to get used to the strong stuff.

“Zo iz thiz zomething you guyz do often? I didn’t have much time to get friendz back in Nippony, too much focuz on study.” He was really enjoying the pizza.

“Not very often, we usually have pretty busy lives, us being working at the bakery we run together and Scootaloo with her racing, but she probably have told you all about that already. She likes to brag about her flying.” Rumble said and Scoots choughed.

“Ahem, well I actually haven’t had time for that. He arrived today and he only got time to settled before you guys came.”

“Wow, you not having time to brag?” Applebloom laughed. “Well basically she is one of the greatest flyer since Spitfire and supposedly even faster than her mom, Rainbow Dash. her mom had the opportunity of joining the Wonderbolts once, but said no because she wanted to stay here in Cloudsdale with her father, Feather Racer. Quite the love story if you ask me.”

“Well I remember they picked me up and told me they just have left the offer. Don’t know if it’s true, but it is a nice story.” She took another slice.

“Wow, I wizh I had a ztory like that.” He the last piece of his slice.

“If you could excuse me for a moment I have to use the lady’s room.” She got up and Applebloom followed her.

“Me too, that beer goes right through me.” They went to the ladies room in the end of the pizza bar. “So is he a keeper?” She immediately asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean is he a possible candidate as a boyfriend?” They went into separate stalls, but continued talking through the thin wall.

“He got here today Applebloom, I’m not gonna just inspect every guy I meet as that.”

“Yeah right, You have judge other guys at the spot and walked away from them outside the restaurant, but this time you brought him with you. You could just as easily just left him at home. I think you like him and I don’t blame you.”

“I haven’t seen him as that yet. I mean, yeah I have acknowledged that he’s pretty handsome, but for now I have only seen him as someone I will share the apartment with.” Just for a short amount of time before he goes back to his kind, she thought to herself.

“Well you probably should decide if he is a good one or else someone else is gonna take him.” She didn’t respond since she didn’t really wasn’t sure herself. She had actually taken a liking to him, but he was a changeling. He had already had a bit of trouble control himself and she wasn’t sure if would be as easy next time.

They came back to the table where the guys had manage to finish most of the pizza by himself. It seemed Change had ordered another round of drinks on her, probably something she had to pay for since he didn’t have any money. They sat down and he actually smiled which marked a first, but it might be since he had almost finished his second glass.

“Welcome back girls, hope you don’t mind us ordering another drink?” Rumble smiled.

“Fine by me, feel like I can take a few more.” Scoot smiled back and sat back down.

“Me too, I feel like I can drink thiz all night.” Amazingly, for a first time drinker, he hadn’t started to slur. Any other first timer with this much alcohol intake would be having difficulties with saying their own names.

“Are you saying you challenge me to a drinking contest? I’ll have you know I drink almost everyone under the table.” Scootaloo gave him a challenging look.

“Good that I tend to be on the table when I drink.” he answered the look and declared drinking war.

“Oooh a drinking battle between Scoots and her boy- ehm, roommate. You’re in for a tough one Change.” Applebloom waves at the waitress. “Hey, we need a few more drinks here for a drinking match!”

“If I win, can I actually ztay with you?” He whispered so only Scootaloo heard.

“What do you mean?” She whispered back.

“I’m actually an outcazt from the hive. I don’t have anywhere to go which iz why I waz in the forezt, I was trying to get away. I have no other place to go, but if I can beat you now, am I allowed to ztay with you?” She thought about it and she might been a bit affected by her earlier drinks.

“you would have to get a job too, paying for two people isn’t cheap.”

“I will.” The waitress came back with a plate of drinks to the drinking competition.

“Then let’s do this shit.”

End of Chapter 2