"Da-ad! I'm just going to the club meeting! It's not like I'm going to be hooking up with any stallions!"
"I know, Sunset Shine, but I don't want you--"
"DAAD!"
"Alright, you two," my wife chuckles, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "Stop arguing. Sunset, don't be late for your meeting, and have a good time! Be back before the sun is set, okay?"
"Yeah, Mom. You and Dad don't do anything while I'm gone, I'd prefer to stay an only foal," she adds as she walks out, closing the door behind her before I can say anything.
I just know that I'm blushing over such an off-hoofed remark, but not something I'd rather talk about, given who I am. Sunny Day gives my cheek a quick kiss. There's no affection behind it, not really. Just a teeny bit of remorse, maybe. "Don't worry about her, dear. Besides, it's basically an after-school class about changelings! And it's even led by one! Shouldn't that make you want her to go even more? She won't be that surprised when you tell her."
"If I tell her," I correct, still feeling so detached from this unicorn mare after 14 years playing the husband.... "I only told you when you were absolutely ready to know. It's still really hard for us to trust anypony, even after 20-odd years of being generally accepted. I mean, you didn't react so well when I told you, and I'm just not ready to tell her!"
"Well, I think she'll be ecstatic when you tell her. After all, you gave her a father much better than the one she would have had."
"Sunny.... You still don't love me, you know. I can't really be Light Source until you love me like you loved him before he was addicted." I readjust the way I've folded my pegasus wings, still uncomfortable about talking about what I am.
"Honey, you--"
"Don't sugar coat it. You don't love me, and you feel repulsed and horrified every time you remember what I showed you years ago!"
"Light--"
"I've been considering having Light Source disappear for six years. Sunset's the only thing that keeps me here," I snap, sensing Sunny suddenly changing her mind. As the stallion of the house (as far as the general populace knows), it would put an enormous damper on her reputation as a good mare if I quit my job, packed up, and left. Everypony knows we've been getting in fights a lot more lately, and they're expecting it any time soon, I know. Maybe even Sunset knows about this, even though she's never heard us actually fighting.
"You don't have anywhere to go or anypony to stay with, though. There's no way you'll leave without finding somepony to stay with, you're so unstable!"
She's very angry now, and I can feel my own anger begin to reach the boiling point. Instead of snapping and sapping every bit of love from her, I turn and stalk outside whilst glaring at the ground, hoping I'd bump into an undisguised changeling to talk with. No such luck. The only undisguised changeling we know of is busy leading and sponsoring the Changeling Club at Sunset's school. Zixtl, I think his name is.
Maybe I should just change somewhere nopony will see, then go and interrupt the meeting with an unfamiliar face. And fangs. And Pretty damn emotionless eyes the color of Sunset's coat. Or maybe I could--
"Get in another fight with Sunny Day, Source?"
I spare the passing earth pony a pained smile, the only one I can force on my face right now. "Right on the nose, as usual, One Shot. It's been happening a lot more often, lately," I say, frowning a little bit at the last bit.
"Well, I hope you two work it out soon. You're a good pony. I don't want to see you a listless corpse moping about town like you do after a fight."
And off the orange pony goes, probably to meet somepony he's going to be sleeping with by the end of the day. Why couldn't-- no, why can't I ever be that good? One pony a day keeps the aches away, I remember one of my hivemates telling me, back when I was a normal member of the hive.
"And yes, Sunset. That's exactly something a changeling will avoid, disguised or not. We don't particularly like negative emotions. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was just wondering because I think my dad might be a changeling. So far, everything you've told me seems to apply to him. He even leaves whenever something happens and everypony's feeling sour."
I stop walking and look up to see the small group of ponies gathered around the changeling from some other hive. He doesn't seem to notice me, so I keep going, looking back down at the ground. Does Sunset really find out enough about changelings during these little half-hour sessions with her club to suspect that I'm a changeling? Well, at least my hive is different from the others in Equestria....
"I don't see how he could be. I can sense his emotions just fine, unlike other changelings. We can't sense other changelings' emotions, which is how we can tell each other apart from regular ponies."
And there it is. The only reason I haven't been found out yet. Zixle can't tell me apart from other ponies.
"But what about everything else?"
I leave before I can hear the response. Somewhere in my brain, I keep hoping Sunset won't find out, but I know she will. After all, she's one of the most clever ponies of her age, taking after Light Source's line of hobbies; detective work. I'm better than the real Light Source was, but everypony assumes I just made a little improvement while I was away from town for a while, not switching out the dead body for permission to take over his life.
"Excuse me, Light Source, sir?"
Turning my head, I meet the curious gaze of one of the foals in Zixle's little club. "Yes, Milkshake?"
"Are you a changeling? Zixle says you might be, but he can sense your emotions, so you can't be, but your daughter says something else."
"Oh, well, I don't know much about changelings. I'm not sure what you mean by that."
"Zixle can't sense the emotions of other changelings, Dad, but he can sense yours."
Now the whole club is catching up to my daughter and Milkshake. "Honey, I honestly have no clue what you're talking about."
"He really doesn't. His confusion tastes a little bit like fish, by the way, Soft Quill." A little unicorn jots something down in her notebook. One of Sunset's friends her age, I think.
"Yes, he does. He isn't doing the twitchy ear thing that he does when he's confused."
"Sweetie, my ears are down. You know they don't twitch like that. Now, if I could just continue my walk, please?"
The seven ponies and one changeling all look at me, then, one by one, they all nod, except for Sunset. "Did you and Mom get in another fight?"
"Ask your mother. I'm sure it was a fight from her perspective."
A crafty light enters her eyes, and I can tell the idea she has just might not work in my favor. "Oh, I will. In fact, I think I'll go ask right now. May I go, Zixle?"
"Well, I suppose so, Sunset. It's about time we go out for a snack, though...."
"It's okay. Mom doesn't like ice cream, so I'll just have some of that. Enjoy your walk, Daddy!"
"Don't eat all of it!" I call after her, my ears twitching now that they've raised enough to do so. I rather like ice cream, myself.... And my secret. I rather like my secret, too. That's something I'd like to keep a secret.
She doesn't say anything, just waves a hoof as she bounces along the road back to the house. I sigh, then turn around to a pair of pupil-less amber eyes. Startled, I hop back a little bit, before realising it's actually just Zixle, being sneaky. "Is there something you'd like to ask me?"
"Your ears really do twitch when you're confused. That's a very pony-like attribute, and no changeling can copy something like that. I'll say you aren't a changeling, but if you are, you are a very good one, and you've taught Sunny's daughter well."
Now my ears go back down, this time in anger. I let it go unchecked, like normal. "She's my daughter, too, you know!"
"Of course, of course. Sorry. I'll just be on my way, the foals are waiting." Then he just turns and flies off, his insectoid wings buzzing as he flies.
Shaking my head, I continue on my walk for quite a while before turning back around. I figure I might as well get home in time for supper, even if Sunny Day is still angry at me for this afternoon. Nopony stops to speak with me, but I still exchange several friendly greetings on my way back. Not a single one of them ask why I'm out on a walk, alone, with my wings drooping just a slight bit. It isn't good that this has happened often enough nopony comments on it much anymore. I need to do something about this.
"MOM! MOM! I TOLD YOU TO STOP HITTING THINGS WHEN YOU'RE MAD AT DADDY!"
I'm not quite sure what to make of Sunset's yelling at her mother, nor the mix of emotions spilling from behind the door to my home, so I just stop and collect myself before opening the door and stepping in.
Every single picture with me in it has been tacked to a wall, and several darts stick out of the photos. Broken glass is all over the floor beneath them, and I have a feeling she threw the picture frames before throwing darts at my face. I vaguely notice that the ones with the real Light Source are still in their place. Walking into the kitchen, I'm not quite ready for what I see.
Cracks. Cracks everywhere. Several of her heaviest metal bowls have dents, and may have even been thrown at the walls to make some of the larger cracks in the walls. Others seem to have been purely hoof-made. The table's broke in half, most of the chairs are broken, and none of the pictures with me are in here, probably tacked up with the others. Flour seems to have been spilled all over the floor, as well. There's a few tracks in it, some of them Sunset's, the other set Sunny's.
"Daddy!"
A yellow blur cannons into my side, forelegs wrapping around my neck, overflowing with happiness. This is one reason I'm still here.... The other.... "What is it, Sunset?"
"Mom's in the backyard and I don't know for sure, but I think she might be hurt from hitting everything. And why were there only some pictures of you she doesn't hate?"
"Beats me, sweetie. I'll go see if your mother's okay."
"Okay, Daddy. I think I'll go start cleaning up. If Mom wants to she can come help me when she's feeling better."
"I'll tell her," I say, heading out into the backyard, where the majority of overwhelming emotions is coming from. As I step out, I can see Sunny Day sitting in the middle of the yard, slumped over, but not at all any happier than earlier. "Sunny? Are you hurt? You put some pretty impressive cracks in the wall."
"Just leave already, would you? We can file a divorce, that way Sunset can choose who to stay with. And you can get away from me."
"Um, Sunny? I just wanted to make sure you were okay...."
"And I want you to know that I can't love you like I loved him. I'm sorry, but I can't. Leave if that's what you have to do, just make it look good. Divorce. Or something. Just say the marriage didn't work out, then disappear."
I walk up to her, then take her forehooves in mine. Hers look very damaged, a chip in her left hoof. "Let's get you to the doctor so he can patch you up, then you can file a divorce as much as you want tomorrow. Okay?"
She just nods this time, staring numbly at her hooves. Her emotions are a mess, and I'm still not quite sure if that means I should keep talking or shut up so I don't accidentally make her mad again. But I help her stand, then walk with her into the house. Sunny is despondent the whole time, but I try not to focus on that. It usually means she's still figuring things out in her head, so I shouldn't try anything to make her happy.
"Hey, Dad. How are you, Mom?"
"We'll tell you later, Sunset. Would you keep an eye on her for me? I'm going to fetch the doctor to look at her hooves, since I doubt she can walk all the way to his office."
"Sure, Daddy. I'll watch her and see if she can finally get a dart through your eye."
I know she's just joking, but it feels a little harsh and I wince. Does she blame me for what's happening to her mother? Or is she just looking for a reason to accuse me of being a changeling again? Nevertheless, I step out the front door, spread my wings, and take off for the doctor's home, since it's also his office.