//------------------------------// // New world, new me. // Story: A Changeling Life // by SleepyBear //------------------------------// It was very dark. Bob could sense something was wrong with him. The young man’s eyes opened wide as he scanned the dense darkness that surrounded him, this place was unfamiliar, but a strange scent drew him onward, deeper into the shadows. His stomach growled with unyielding hunger, making Bob clutch in pain. He noticed what was wrong with him and his body when he tried to hold his upset and hungry stomach with his hands; he opened his eyes in fear, trying to get a better look at his hands; instead, he found a pair of stumps, no...they were hooves! Black hooves, at the end of his arms, his arms were also entirely black with some holes on them. He looked up and down at his body in a frenzy, his entire body was different and was all black, his feet had been replaced with hooves as well, in a rush Bob tried to stand up, only to stumble and fall flat on his face. What is going on! After a few minutes of repetitively trying to stand up just to end falling on the ground over and over again, Bob decided to calm down a bit and assess his situation, groaning, he repeated the process again this time a little slower, and with a bit of patience he was standing on all fours, anxiety got the best of him as he reached up and touched his face to see if that had changed too, and to add the cherry on the cake, his face had a small muzzle. “This can’t be real...” he muttered. He wanted to see his new bizarre body, so he looked around, trying to find some kind of reflective surface. At a distance, he could hear the relaxing sound of a river crashing with some rocks, following the sound he slowly made his way over to the nearby river, being very careful not to trip over his new confusing body again, once he was before the river he looked into the water. What he saw looking back was not what he was expecting; it was a changeling. 'A changeling!?' His thoughts were abruptly stopped as a sweet and delicious smell caught his attention, he opened his mouth slightly, and without even noticing it, he was drooling. The smell was sweet, like the food his mom used to make for him back then before she died. Whatever it was, it was close. Bob couldn’t really tell what it was, but—he could feel the pulsing of a heart deep within his new ear, he swallowed following the sound, stifling his rumbling stomach. Something inside of him shouted that soon his hunger would be satisfied, suddenly a noise rumbled nearby. Bob looked around, finding a part of the dark forest being illuminated, and as he did so, he saw a pony cutting some wood, his prey was there for the taking. “Honey! I’m done!” The pony said with a deep voice, snapping Bob out of his trance. ‘I was about to... oh god...’ Angry with himself, Bob ran as fast as he could, once he was at a safe distance he spun around, his blue eyes glaring at the ground in shame. He had no idea how but he had managed to run without falling to the ground, getting out of the forest after a few minutes, eventually finding himself inside a cold and desolated cave near a mountain, with a lot of hunger and fear on what was going on he curled in a corner with tears on his eyes, the moonlight filtered through, casting shadows on the uncomfortable, hard floor. I almost... could I kill someone if I drained them of whatever changelings eat to survive?....maybe this is just a dream, and I’ll wake up soon... Tired and hungry, he shifted his position around the cave trying to find a comfortable spot to crawl into, after a minute or two, he found the perfect place settling in for a much-deserved rest. The next morning Bob woke up, he had been hoping everything was a dream, so with enthusiasm, he lifted his head with the hopes of being back home, but he was still on the cave, with a defeated sigh he rested his muzzle on a rock. His stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger. In his dream, he had felt full and complete without hunger, if only that feeling could be replicated without hurting others. Bob rolled onto his back, groaning, savoring the dream for a few more moments. He could still remember the pony and how sweet he smelled. He was so full of love and happiness, and every time he thought of him. He unconsciously licked his lips. From the cave, he could smell that it was around eight in the morning, the thought of smelling time was confusing for him, but that was the least of his concerns. The hunger once again started to cause a ruckus on his stomach, making Bob gasp in pain, and a wild thought occurred to Bob, what if he ate regular food, maybe the hunger would calm down a bit, galloping out of the cave he started to look around trying to find something edible, after a few minutes he found some berries in a nearby bush, overjoyed at the fact he had found one of his favorite fruits Bob started to eat with a wide and hopeful smile. The berries felt dry and tasteless on his tongue, and they didn’t quench his hunger at all, Bob reluctantly swallowed one more mouthful with the hope it eventually would work, failing once again. Defeated, he turned away from the berries. ‘So I either starve to death or suck on some love,’ Outside, the sun was shining bright with a bit of rain, but mostly the weather was fine, with nothing to do Bob started to walk back into the forest in a numb like state following the path his hooves had left last night, he could feel the cold ground and the sharp stones beneath his hooves, eventually, he made his way back to where he had found the pony, and by that point, the rain had stopped. ‘So...much hunger...’ Coming back into his senses he discovered he was once again where he was last night, with no idea why he decided to go back to where he encountered the pony the previous night, he sat down on the ground close to a tree for back support, as he wondered why he was there, the movement of a shadow caught his attention, it was the same pony with an axe cutting some wood again in the same spot, he watched the pony talk with someone near him a mare, they were talking mostly about random stuff. Instinct made him drop into a low crouch, and with one slow hoof after another, he drew his body forward through the trees with his ears pricked, his nostrils flaring and eyes unblinking, being very careful to not make a sound as he moved toward the pony, each step made it easier for him to see and smell the sweet aroma of love. ‘I... don’t have to kill him...I just need a bit of love... I can stop before I actually hurt him,’ Bob rocked his hooves from side to side, preparing to leap at the armed pony. He held his breath to avoid being caught, excitement coursed through him, making his heart pound and stomach growl softly. The smell was even better today; then, with the sudden noise of cracking twigs and crunching leaves, he leapt at his target. The mare screamed in fright as she saw Bob descending into the stallion. The stallion noticed Bob and proceeded to hit him like an explosion and Bob was thrown sideways into a tree hissing in pain, Bob tried to throw off the attacker that had glued itself to his back. The stallion was locking Bob him with his incredibly strong hooves around his neck, trying to choke him. Bob could feel his consciousness slowly fading away as he gasped for him. He writhed and squirmed, but he couldn’t free himself. For a second, he felt helpless; then, he froze. Thinking fast about how changelings resembled bugs and snakes alike, he decided to bite the stallion; maybe his bite would paralyze him, but first, he had to get free, maybe if he shapeshifted into something smaller he could outmaneuver the pony. He instinctively knew how dangerous it was to shapeshift with an empty stomach, but it was his only chance to escape out of this alive. He was lucky that the shapeshifting skill changelings had was almost instinctual, as the ploy seemed to work, he shapeshifted into a snake and switched back to normal bitting the pony on the neck. He could see the pony struggling beneath him; the poison had worked, the stallion was thrashing fiercely on the ground, Bob, on the other hand, was gasping for air. The mare that was accompanying the stallion was long gone, leaving Bob with his well-deserved meal. Unfortunately for Bob, he had found an impasse on his endeavor; he had no idea how to eat or suck love, he tried everything that came up to his mind. Licking the pony. Sucking the air around the poor stallion. In his desperation, he even tried to kiss the stallion multiple times. But in the end, nothing achieved the result he was looking for. There were other more bizarre options running through his head that involved eating the stallion’s heart, but he refused to kill him. ‘So much for surviving,’ “Ugg....” The stallion groaned, slowly waking up. PREY P.O.V Groaning, I blinked away the lingering haze of sleep as I groggily sit up, stretching, the monster was gone, I was safe...SUNNY!? Where is she! I turn around, scanning the area looking for my marefriend Sunny finding her on the cold ground unconscious. “That monster! I will kill it!” I was angry with myself; I let Sunny get hurt. Double-checking the area, I make sure there’s no trace of the freak that attacked me, carefully lifting Sunny off the ground to a patch of soft grass nearby. “Are you okay, honey?” I asked, gently kissing her forehead. “Huh...I feel tired,” Sunny said in a low tone, “That thing used magic to knock me down,” “It’s alright... I’ll take care of you,” I smiled at her, I had to be strong for her. “Thanks, I love you.” Sunny smiled back, kissing me on the lips. “I love you too, honey,” I whispered to her ear, kissing her back. BACK TO NORMAL POV The pony was waking up, and Bob knew that another altercation he would end up getting the short end of the stick, with little to no time to think of a better plan he decided to shapeshift into the mare that had fleed in fear an hour ago, all he had to do was pretend to be her for a bit and escape. “That monster, I will kill it!” The stallion was angry; Bob could feel his anger in the air, one of the many weird skills changelings had. 'Oh.. god I hope this works, I can barely move...’ Bob was panicking, if this didn’t work, he was dead. A few seconds passed, and Bob felt the stallion carefully lifting him up and carrying him to a softer terrain, kissing him on the forehead before asking, “Are you okay, honey?” 'My plan worked...! this feels nice...’ Bob thought, feeling a bit better after the stallion kissed him on the forehead. “Huh... I feel tired,” Bob said trying to sound as defeated as possible, “That thing used magic to knock me down,” 'My voice sounds so feminine’ “It’s alright I’ll take care of you,” The stallion smiled brightly at me, and again I felt a bit better, a bit stronger. ‘I feel better... way better... am I eating love?... I wonder if...’ Bob wondered what would happen if he kissed the stallion now, would he get more love? And if so, how much. “Thanks, I love you.” Bob smiled, kissing him on the lips, this time the feeling of satisfaction was massive, he felt amazing. 'Wow... “I love you too, honey,” The stallion whispered to my hear, kissing Bob back, this time with a bit of enthusiasm on his part because the stallion was now using his tongue. 'Great...so does this makes me gay... or?’ Bob was now full of love, and questions about his sexuality, ‘So my new diet includes being Bi...’