Needless to say the majority of the Kavim were a less than enthusiastic once word got around that the Humans were undertaking the building of a huge shelter for some Changeling. Once they heard about the dimensions and capabilities of said Changeling, they all but began rioting. Some of the Humans were leery of having somebody as large, powerful, and potentially dangerous as Rifin living in town. It was a minority of Humans who expressed opposition to the idea. The Community Welfare Guardians had their hands and hooves full dealing with protesters and demonstrations. Thankfully the majority of the protesters were peaceful. One Earth Pony threw a rock through the window of the house where Vaiawa was visiting, but forgot that Arch Magister Catalyst was always by her side. The Earth Pony stallion who threw the rock was arrested within the hour and tried shortly thereafter. Civil unrest became the word of the day and New Humansville was on edge. The Ponies began shunning Alana and Vaiawa and the plan to bring the other Changelings out of the forest had to be postponed until things calmed down. The people from Argentina were more confused than fearful, they were still getting settled and strange things were still the norm for them, so their mentality was more along the lines of, 'It's just another odd thing to accept'.

Long Wind, the Unicorn teacher was having a bad day. Her class progress had slowed to a trickle and more and more people were asking about why the Ponies were so upset about a single, albeit big, Changeling coming to live in the town. Long Wind felt very strongly about THAT particular topic, but her sense of professionalism restricted her from expressing her feelings about it and instead she used recent history to provide information about the attack on Canterlot and allow her students to decide for themselves. Of course she had to let them know that Alana and Vaiawa were Changelings and that neither of them had been the direct cause of any problems in town.

As the exhausted Unicorn mare trudged home, she grumbled under her breath about, 'missing the point' and 'wasting valuable lesson time' over and over. She reached the house and nudged the door open then shut it behind her. She let out a huge sigh and shook out her entire body, as if trying to rid herself of irritation. The joyful sounds of her fillies playing in the playroom in the rear of the house brought a small smile to her face. The smile was quickly replaced by a disgruntled frown as she thought about a massive Changeling ignorantly stepping on one of her children.

Long Wind grit her teeth and levitated her saddlebags off her back. She hung them on the rack by the front door, ready for the next day, then trotted toward the happy sounds in the playroom. Straight Edge was not home yet and Wind Whisper and Gale Force wouldn't be finished with their weather duty for several more hours. Quick Patch and High Note were home watching the fillies and hopefully Amber Eyes had finished her schoolwork and could go out. Long Wind worried about her eldest filly but nothing bad had happened since she had begun exploring. Long Wind was extremely concerned that with the new, giant, weaponized behemoth running around, that Amber would be in serious peril. Long Wind decided to talk to her filly about it. The Unicorn teacher could do nothing to stop the integration of the Changeling, but she could warn her little filly about the danger.

Quick Patch was in the playroom with the foals. She was busy at her sewing machine repairing rips and tears in the Humans' clothing. It earned a little extra income and there always seemed to be holes popping up. She was in the far corner of the playroom with her back to the wall facing outward so she could monitor the foals at play. Quick Patch looked up when Long Wind trotted into the playroom, "I have no idea what the Humans are doing to rip so many holes in their clothes. Are they climbing trees or dodging spears?" She held up a shirt that had three large rips in the back, one of which was large enough for her to fit her hoof through, "Good gracious! I shudder to imagine what Human foals are like on their own clothes."

Long Wind giggled behind her left forehoof, "Oh quit complaining, Patch. You would be bored out of your mind if you didn't have clothes to work with." Long Wind looked around the playroom, "Where is Amber?"

"She's in her room playing. She finished with her schoolwork but she didn't want to play with her sisters." Quick Patch stopped her sewing machine and regarded her Long Wind, "She's still lonely you know. There aren't any other Ponies her age for her to play with."

Long Wind sighed and rubbed her left forehoof over her horn, "I know and I feel awful about it. I'm going to have to have a talk with her. With the giant Changeling moving into town she runs the risk of being trampled on."

Quick Patch blew air through her lips, "I'm getting a bit tired of hearing about the poor thing. That's all anypony has been talking about for the last three days. I say we give it a chance. Alana and the other Changeling haven't caused any trouble."

Long Wind rolled her eyes, "True, and I have no problem with them at the moment. I DO take exception to some armored Changeling, that is nearly as tall as our house, tromping around wielding two huge scythe-like forelimbs. These are Changelings. The key word here is, 'change'. They can take any form they want and they expect us to believe that there is a form that they can't change from? It's obviously a deception. Before we know it, they're all going to look like that, on the same, 'can't change back' excuse and we're going to be surrounded by these colossal creatures that we'll be powerless to stop. What's to stop them from trying to take over then? Do you really thing the Community Welfare Guardians are capable of bringing one down? What about twenty? What about a hundred?"

Quick Patch blew air from her nose loudly and rolled her eyes, "You're being paranoid Windy. Why would they be willing to stir up so much controversy over being accepted into the community and even risk not being trusted if they could help it? It wouldn't be a wise tactical move. I, for one, believe the story and I feel bad for Rifin."

"It has a name now!?" Long Wind asked aghast. She shut her mouth and shook her head, "No, I shouldn't have said that. It was uncalled for." she rubbed the side of her head, and closed her eyes, "I'm usually not prejudiced. I'm just so concerned about what could happen..."

Quick Patch smacked the top of her sewing table with her right forehoof, "Then go TALK TO HIM! By all accounts he's just as smart as anypony else and Captain Joyner even respects him. You trust the Captain don't you?"

"Of course I do. The Humans proved themselves well beyond what was necessary when they fought the Diamond Dogs. They fought for all of us when we were helpless..."

"Then who is to say that if something else does happen that Rifin won't help protect us too? He chose to change his shape to protect the other Changelings, if we endear ourselves to him why wouldn't he do the same for us? You're not being reasonable or logical Windy." Long Wind opened her mouth to reply but Quick Patch held up her hoof, "No, don't say anything. Just consider what I told you. Think about it for a while and when you're done talking to Amber, then come back and we'll continue."

Long Wind grumbled as she turned around and headed for the stair to the upper floor where all the fillies stayed. She turned left at the top of the stairs and looked at the door to Amber Eyes' room. The door was closed and the piece of paper hanging from the handle said, 'Amber's room, please knock'. Long Wind shook her head, the note had not been there that morning. Adhering to her filly's wishes, she knocked on the door three times in quick succession.

A call of, 'Coming' echoed from within and Long Wind waited patiently. Amber Eyes opened the door and let her Mother in, "Hey Mom... wow you look like you had a rough day."

Long Wind smiled at her perceptive filly as she trotted into the room, "I did. Everybody in the whole class today was talking about the Changelings."

Amber tilted her head in confusion, "Why? Did something happen to Ms. Alana or Ms. Vaiawa?"

Her Mother shook her head, "No, it wasn't about either of them."

Amber's eyes brightened, "Is it about that other Changeling who wants to live here?" Amber asked, "I've heard you and Daddy and my Petamines talking about it recently."

Long Wind nodded, "Yes. Supposedly he changed into a shape he can't change out of and now he's huge and dangerous. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Why is he dangerous Mom?" Amber asked.

"He could step on you and... hurt you when you're out playing. He's supposed to be almost as big as our house."

Amber rolled her eyes, "You mean he could squish me into filly goo." Amber replied bluntly, "I'm old enough to understand death Mom. You don't have to edit yourself around me. I'm well ahead of the average AND I'm working with the vocabulary list that YOU made yourself. What else makes him dangerous? It can't just be his size or you wouldn't be so worried."

Long Wind groaned at her perceptive daughter quietly, "Alright then, if you think you're mature enough to handle it, then I'll talk to you like an adult. This Changeling's new body is built for war..."

Amber held up her right forehoof, "Supposedly built for war Mom. You've already used the word, 'supposedly' so that means you don't know all the details for sure."

Long Wind took a deep breath, trying not to lose her patience, "Yes, he is supposedly built for war. From what I've heard he has two huge, sharp appendages which could level a building or cut one of us in half from chest to flank with one swipe. He is supposed to be covered in hard plates, like armor and the joints of the armor are supposed to be covered in sharp, pointed spines. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable with the thought of having him living here and I want you to be extra careful if he does come to live here. I'm also worried that even if he is harmless, he might not watch where he's going and crush you or one of your sisters. There aren't any other foals in town so he won't be used to looking out for them."

Amber cocked her head to the left, "Um, so what Mom?"

Long Wind gaped at her daughter, "Huh?"

"So what? Us Unicorns can use magic to lift and throw stuff, Earth Ponies can stomp and make the ground shake, Pegasi can cut things with their wings. Just because WE can be dangerous doesn't mean that we are. Who knows, maybe he's just as afraid of us. Remember before we moved here? You sat us all down and you said that the Humans weren't people to be afraid of. You said that different is almost always a good thing. The Humans turned out to be good, why can't this Changeling be the same way?" Amber trailed off then asked, "Wait, if he's so huge, then where has he been living? I haven't seen him and nopony was even talking about him until a few days ago."

"He was hiding in the rock quarry to the Northeast of town." Long Wind said.

"What's he been eating? Is he dry when it rains? Is he hot when the sun is out? And if Changelings need love, where has he been getting it? Does he even have anypony to talk to?" Amber asked.

Long Wind shook her head, "I'm not sure about shelter, but apparently Alana and Vaiawa have been sneaking him food for a while. The other Changelings are living in the forest with Mr. Mario, you know, the dark colored Human that the other Humans are afraid of."

Amber thought quietly to herself for a moment before speaking, "So, you're telling me that this big Changeling has been living in a boring old rock quarry all alone, probably with no place to sleep, and he's been fed by two Changelings who can barely afford to feed themselves... and you DON'T feel sorry for him?" Amber asked in a tone that bordered on incredulous, "He must be starving Mom! He doesn't have anypony to talk to, he doesn't know when he's going to eat again, he's probably shivering cold at night and burning hot during the day, and he gets wet when it rains! Mom, that's horrible! Would you let a Pony live like that?"

Long Wind shook her head, "Of course not. We would at least give them some food and a blanket."

"Then why aren't we doing that for him!?" Amber nearly yelled as her eyes moistened, "Before we moved here you sat us all down and you said that all species were welcome in Equestria! ALL SPECIES! I'd say we have a perfect reason to be afraid of him! I'm afraid he might try sleeping under our porch when it rains! I'm afraid he might dig through our garbage because he's starving! I'm afraid that he might GET SICK AND DIE AND NOPONY WOULD CARE!"

Amber panted for breath, wiping her eyes before continuing, "We have to help him Mom. You wouldn't want one of us living like that, well... well he's somepon... somebuggy's foal too!" Amber turned and pointed to her closet, "I have that old blanket that I don't use. We could give that to him. We can give him the leftovers from dinner so it doesn't go to waste. There's so much we could do for him, why is everypony afraid OF him? We should be afraid FOR him Mom!"

"That's enough Amber." Long Wind said evenly.

"But Mom you..." Amber began.

"ENOUGH!" Long Wind snapped. Amber Eyes kept silent and Long Wind massaged her head, "I am sorry I yelled Amber. You have a big heart and you are a very sweet filly, but you don't seem to understand how the... darker aspects of life work. Fear is a natural reaction to something, fear keeps us safe from harm. A little fear is healthy and natural. I don't want to stifle your caring heart, but in this case the risks are too great. I want your word that if you see this Changeling in New Humansville you will stay as far from him as you can manage."

"But..." Amber began.

"Please Amber," Long Wind asked sincerely, "I care about you too much to risk you being trampled by the Chang... by Rifin. I want you to promise me."

Amber Eyes lowered her head and her ears wilted as she spoke, "Alright, I promise that if I see him in New Humansville that I'll stay away from him."

Long Wind nodded, but Amber was not finished yet, "I want you to promise me something too Mom."

The Unicorn mare cocked her head to the left in puzzlement, "I might. What do you want me to promise?"

"If he turns out to be good, I want you to stop being afraid of him. I want you to promise me that you'll at least try to talk to him." Amber said.

Long Wind pursed her lips and sighed heavily, "I will talk to him if I see him. That's a fair compromise. Thank you for being understanding Amber." She rose onto her haunches and held open her forehooves, "I love you. I'm not doing this to stop you from having fun. I just want you and your sisters safe."

Amber hugged her Mother, "I know Mom."

Long Wind let her daughter go and turned to leave, "Dinner will be in a few hours. We'll call you down." She closed the door behind her.

Amber's face slowly cracked into a devious grin at the closed door, "I said if I see him in town that I would stay away. I never said what I would do if I saw him outside of town." Amber turned around and began rummaging through her older belongings, "You won't be alone tonight Mr. Rifin."

* * *

Amber Eyes cracked open the door to her room and listened carefully. After some minutes of utter silence she grinned and closed her door. Turning back toward her bed she scampered over to her closet and pulled the door open. She bent her head down and hauled a thick blanket out from within. The blanket was only the outer layer though, it acted as a wrapping for the other items within. The blanket was tied at all four corners, making it into a movable parcel. Amber secured the blanket parcel to her back and donned her saddlebags before turning back to her door.

She was eternally grateful that the house was a new construction as the door hinges were still well-oiled and silent. She snuck out of her room and closed the door behind herself. Creeping quietly along the floor, she came to the stairs and descended slowly, making as little noise as possible. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, she turned toward the kitchen and made her way to the refrigerator. She withdrew an entire uncut loaf of bread and five apples and stuffed them into the blanket parcel on her back. Every Pony family went through a lot of food and trips to the market were an almost daily ritual. Nothing would be likely missed unless she emptied the fridge completely.

She closed the refrigerator door and made her way to the back door. She unlocked it and slid it open, stepped out, then closed it behind herself. She turned her head from left to right and oriented herself for the most direct route to the quarry using the position of her house. She knew the quarry was to the Northeast of town and that her family's home was on the East side of town. The sun rose in the East every morning and had the aggravating tendency of waking her up almost every morning as it shone in through her window. She turned in a quarter of a circle and smirked, 'I know which way to go so now the only thing I have to do is avoid the Community Welfare Guardian patrols. If they catch me they'll take me home and tell everypony and I'll be in so much trouble.' The thought was almost enough to change her mind, but her resolve was set, 'No, somepony has to help Mr. Rifin and if that Pony has to be me then fine by me.'

So resolved, she trotted away from her back door and out of the yard. Coming to the street she looked around but didn't spot anypony from the C.W.G. She stepped onto the street and heard her hoof clack loudly against the cobblestones. She withdrew her hoof and creased her eyebrows, 'My hooves will make too much noise.' She looked around at all the other homes, 'But grass is nice and quiet. If I walk across lawns then I won't make any noise.' The moon shone down brightly in the night and Amber amended her thought to include staying in shadows as well. So set, she made her way across and out of town, not seeing the shadow that detached itself from up the street to follow her.

* * *

Amber looked down into the quarry trying to spot any sign of Rifin, but her Kavim eyes were unable to see anything. She was thankful for Luna's bright moon otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see anything at all. She had found the ramp down into the quarry easily enough, but despite her speeches to herself she was still apprehensive about meeting the supposed giant. Screwing up her courage, she began her careful descent into the quarry.

As she reached the bottom of the ramp and cast her gaze all around, 'It's so big! It'll take me all night to find Mr. Rifin. Well, there's nopony else around... maybe if I call to him?' She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, "MR. RIFIN!" she bellowed, "I'm here to see you."

She waited, straining her ears, listening intently for any hint of a response. Hearing nothing she called out again, "Mr. Rifin? Are you here?" Again she waited and again she received no response, "Mr. Rifin, if you're out here and you can hear me, it's rude to ignore somepony when they're trying to get your attention."

"And some, mostly NORMAL individuals, are trying to sleep!"

Amber heard him clearly, but she couldn't figure out where his voice came from. Her ears swiveled in all different directions trying to determine the origin of the voice, "I have some things for you. I heard you were out here all alone and I thought you might be hungry. I have bread and apples for you."

There was a lengthy pause before he called back, "Thank you for your kindness. If you could leave it on the ground I'll get it." He sounded unsure.

Never one to give up easily, Amber yelled back, "I have some other things too. I want to give them to you, I want to see you. Come on out, I promise I won't hurt you."

The ground shook from the far side of the quarry, "Come forward, across the stream and I will guide you. I am warning you though, I am frightening to behold."

Amber took a breath and set out across the open ground of the quarry. She reached the stream and hopped across, nearly losing her blanket parcel in the process. She looked around but all she could see were rock and boulders, "Where are you Mr. Rifin?"

The closest boulder rolled to the side, revealing a huge face beneath it, "I am here little filly."

Amber gasped, 'If his head is that big, the rest of him must be...' her eyes bulged as she caught on to exactly how huge he was, "Wow! You must be gargantuan!"

Rifin lifted his head, keeling the rest of him concealed within the earth, "I am." He regarded the little Unicorn curiously, "Are you not afraid of me?"

Amber shook her head, "Not really. I mean you're obviously really really big, but besides being big you haven't been mean to me. I don't really have a reason to be afraid of you. My Mom is though. Lots of the other Ponies are too, but I think they're scared because you're something new. They were kind of scared of the Humans at first too, but everything turned out alright so I'm sure it will with you too. You just have to give them time."

Rifin was doubtful of the filly's words but her assurances gave him some measure of hope, "You said you had some things for me?"

Amber smiled hugely and rolled her shoulders to dislodge the bundle from her back, "Sure do!" She lowered her head and untied the blanket parcel with her mouth, letting the sides spill open, "Here's the bread and the apples." She nosed them toward Rifin then used her hoof to point to each of the other items in turn, "You can keep the blankets to stay warm, there are five in there. We replace blankets every couple of years but I always kept them. I brought you some vitamins that I keep in my room. Mom says that vitamins help keep you healthy. They're cherry flavored, just don't take more than one a day." She hesitated with the last item then picked it up and set it atop the pile of blankets, "I... I also brought you my Princess Celestia doll in case you get lonely. I can't come to see you every day so... I thought it might help. I know it's only a doll but... I thought it would help you think of me." Amber looked up at the moon and sighed sadly, "I need to go home now Mr. Rifin. I have to get some sleep and maybe take a bath when I get home. I'll try to come see you tomorrow night, but I can't promise that I'll be able to bring any more food. Is it o.k. if we just talk?"

"I would like that. What is your name little filly?" Rifin asked.

"I'm Amber Eyes." She then turned and began trotting away, "Hope to see you tomorrow Mr. Rifin. Bye."

Rifin silently watch Amber climb the ramp out of the quarry and disappear from sight. He was puzzled by the filly. He looked back to the pile of things she had brought him and couldn't keep a small smile from his face. The doll she had left him was small even by Pony standards, only one Hoof in length. Rifin carefully lifted himself out of the dirt and examined the pile again. The bread and apples disappeared quickly into his nearly starving maw and the blankets, while small, would cover a part of him at least. The vitamins would be fine, he knew that Changelings in his shape could eat almost anything. The doll meant something to him though. It wasn't just a well-loved plush toy, not to him. To him, the little toy representation of a Princess was a symbol of hope for his future.

He had a great deal of difficulty covering himself with the blankets, but they were well-made and warm. Before he closed his eyes he reached out and pulled the doll close, smiling down at it. He snuggled the tiny doll against his face with his battle arms and fell asleep more hopeful than he had since he had taken on his colossal shape.

No 'dawws' for the typos! Down with the typo regime! Tear down their statues! Burn their flags! Rabble, rabble, rabble, rabble!