//------------------------------// // New Opportunities // Story: Kirin And Changeling // by dudenotactive //------------------------------// It had been at least half an hour since Minion had come back. The sun was setting after a whole day of working and Kirin was busy chopping the vegetables sans the lettuce into small cubes on a cutting board for the recipe he had in mind. Minion had been watching Kirin closely, sitting next to him as he chopped away with the knife. Kirin was so focused that he had a steady rhythm as he sliced the vegetables. Tap, tap. That's how it goes, a peeled carrot that used to be whole now separated and transformed into cubes. Tap, tap. A single potato now multiplied yet it shrunk.  But suddenly, he stopped.  Minion looked away from the knife that floated just above the cutting board and locked her eyes with Kirin's. "What?" She asked.  "Wanna try?" "What?" She repeated.  "You wanna try cutting vegetables? It's easy with magic, and you got a horn on you!" Kirin happily offered. "Why would I even do that? What would be the point?"  "Well, I was gonna make it a surprise, but I'm cooking for two!" He answered gleefully.  "I don't eat pony food." "Don't say 'no' until you try it! Come on, just take the knife and start chopping!" "How about I chop off your limbs?" "Always the comedian," He chuckled before giving her the knife. "now go on." With a defeated sigh, she accepted the kitchen tool and simply slammed it down on the table, splitting a peeled potato in half. "There." "Now chop it into tiny cubes." Kirin told her.  She groaned tiredly, Minion was honestly done with this, and it was barely a few days. She was willing to let him roam around as long as he doesn't stand in the way of her plan, but chopping some pony food like a... a stupid worker is not what she had wanted. But she still did as she was told even if she disliked it. Chopping away at one of halves she could help but listen to her so-called prisoner. He was humming a strange tune as he was working with the campfire she previously built. It was still burning since last night, and Kirin had lit the fire again. Speaking of the odd looking unicorn, he was simply busy peeling a single clove of garlic next to the fire which had a cooking pot propped over it.  Minion became curious with his humming, the tune was so soothing and catchy. And before she even knew it, she too was humming as well. Minion stopped herself before Kirin would even notice, she gave a burning glare at the supposed fire starter. She had honestly not seen him once prove his claim of being able to burn himself with no repercussions. But she still believed it since he was out of the cocoon prison, what was worse was that he didn't even complain about being imprisoned. If anything, he had apologized to her about breaking out. And that irked her very much.  "So you done?" She nearly jumped out of her shell. "Y-yeah..." She stuttered out as she showed him her work, potatoes now chopped into bite sized cubes.  After a small congratulations came from Kirin, he took all of the cubed vegetables and brought them over to the pot. And unconsciously, Minion had followed Kirin over to the fire. It was there she watched him begin his work. First, he poured a small amount of cooking oil, which she bought, and then they waited for a minute or so. Soon, Kirin threw in the garlic cloves he had peeled right into the pot and caused Minion to recoil.  It hissed and sizzled, so much that boiling hot oil started flying out of the pot. She wasn't close enough to feel the wrath of this fiend, but Kirin was, and that stallion was leisurely moving the garlic around in the pot causing it to sizzle even louder. He didn't mind the oils, Minion could tell that the heat didn't even affect him in any way. It seems that Kirin was immune to it, which was what she would expect from someone who claims that they could set their body ablaze.  He then threw in some hay to saute, Minion couldn't help but take in a whiff of Kirin's cooking. And before she even knew, she was standing by his side, powering into the pot as Kirin stirred the hay around. She wanted to ask something, but she couldn't do so as Kirin filled the pot with half a glass of water.  "Smells great, doesn't it?" Minion flinched after Kirin had spoken.  "Y-yeah, it does." She replied. "What exactly are you making?" "Honestly, I don't know the name, I had just been cooking this for so long that I never actually bothered." She became silent for a moment as Kirin tossed in the vegetables into the boiling water along with the hay. "What are you doing now?" "Curious, are you? Well, I'm boiling these potatoes and carrots to soften them up, that way they would be easier to chew. And once they are good enough, then I fill the pot with the can of tomato sauce! It will be so great!" "What's so great about it?" Kirin cocked a brow. "Don't your kind ever eat normal food?" "We eat bugs for their nutrients as well as some small critters such as rats, squirrels, and birds. But we mainly feed on love, just like I told you." "Well, I hope you were satisfied last night." It was then that Minion froze on the spot, her eyes glued on the pot that's boiling. She honestly for once was afraid to turn her head, but she knew that he was staring right at her.  "So, I was always curious about what it tastes like, love I mean. Is it sweet as a lollipop?" Minion quickly looked away in an attempt to not meet his eyes. "Actually, every love we consume has different flavors for each victim." "Oh, what does mine taste like?" He was not bothered by being called a 'victim'. Minion was surprised to see him so eager to find out, she had half expected him to be mad about it like a real victim would. But here he was, smiling and cooking, like he was content with his life. "Kinda sweet, b-but really spicy." "Wow, this just makes me curious about  what yours would taste like." "Shut up and focus on cooking." "Eager to taste some real food?" He smirked.  "I'm not interested in that weird slop you got." She argued.  "Don't say you don't like it unless you tried it." He playfully sang as he emptied the can of tomato sauce into the pot. Then with a few seconds of stirring, he used the ladle he had brought from the abandoned farmhouse and filled a bowl with the soup. "Now give it a try, and I'm sure you'll give out a gleeful sigh!" "No, I'm not interested." "Oh why not? Is it because it would be too hot?" "Stop rhyming, and my answer is final." She said with bitterness in her voice.  "Well if you don't want my cooking, then maybe Helen would like some! Surely she would definitely start pecking." He then leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "And from now on I shall rhyme, all the time. Unless you accept this bowl, and feed your soul." "Alright fine!" She snapped at him, clearly she did not like the idea of having a Dr. Suess for a prisoner. "I'll drink the slop." "Only the slop? Why must you stop? When there are goodies in the bowl, you know? Certainly would help you grow." "Are you calling me short!?" Kirin chuckled. "Sorry, you actually are pretty short. Don't let me get in the way, go on and make your day!" "I'm gonna eat your soup, alright!? So stop fricken rhyming!" With that said, she swiped the bowl out of his magic using her own and brought it closer to her lips. "If I do this, you won't bother me again with your slop?" "My friend, you insult me! My soup is the best in the cave!" "First of all, this is my cave, so shut up so I can eat this soup. Second, we aren't friends." Once she was done, she stared into the bowl.  She watched it closely, gathering her courage to give this soup a try. Minion caught Kirin in the corner of her eye, he just stood there with his own share, sipping from it as he spectated her. She could tell that it was still hot on the account of that steam rising from the bowl. But Kirin paid it no mind as if even his insides are also immune to heat. Swallowing down her pride, she inched towards the bowl and prepared herself for what is to come. And once her lips connected with the edge, she took a single sip. She recoiled away not due to disgust, but shock. Minion never would expect such flavors from a simple red soup. It was certainly far better than bugs that's for sure, and in all her life she believed that pony food was gross. How wrong she was.  Before she even knew it, she had started eating a piece of lettuce, it was crunchy due to its short time in the pot. But all in all, it was better than bugs that's for sure. Minion would then notice the big smile plastered on Kirin's face, he knew how she felt about the soup. Minion wanted to spit it out and at him, but it was just too good to waste. Soon, she finished it all. The potatoes were great, the carrots were sweet. The soup itself was fantastic.  She was frozen still, there was no movement coming from the changeling. This allowed Kirin to get close to her face. The big smile is still present on him. "So?" He asked.  Minion's head swiveled towards him, the tip of her nose now touches his, and her eyes stared deeply into Kirin's red ones. They locked together in silence, the scaled pony awaited for the insectoid's opinion. They stayed like this for two whole minutes. Then the unexpected happened, Kirin wrapped his fore legs around Minion and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her eyes widened as they broke away from Kirin's.  "What are you doing?" She croaked.  "Giving you a proper meal and some dessert." He answered.  And he was right, the hug she was receiving was giving off an energy that she is familiar with. She could taste it on her tongue. It was love, she was consuming it even though it is just merely a simple hug. The sweet yet spicy taste, just like she had claimed, but there was something else. Something new. Her body twitched, then her fore hooves started moving upwards. Soon enough they found themselves around Kirin as Minion returned the embrace. She squeezed him tightly, earning her a gasp and a cough from Kirin. And he had to give her some points, for someone as small as her she was sure strong.  "M-Minion..." Kirin gasped as her hold became tighter. His eyes felt heavy, his heart began beating slower. A feeling of drowsiness was consuming him. And with whatever strength he had left, he pushed the changeling away. Then his energy returned, not all of it, but it was good enough for him to stand.  Yet she persisted, Minion tried to pull him back, but Kirin avoided her.  "Minion!" He tried to call out to her, but it was like she was in a trance. She snapped towards him, her eyes filled with a hungry look.  "Feed me..." She muttered as she shambled her way over to him, Kirin chuckled softly, the fear was apparent in his voice. There were some risks of giving a changeling what they wanted. Kirin figured it out that being fed on causes the victim to lose energy, becoming drowsy. So it was a bit of a risk to give Minion some of his love. But then an idea came to mind. He raised his fore legs apart and welcomed the approaching changeling with open arms. Before he could even invite her to his embrace, she tackled him with full force, her own wrapped around him. As expected, she wasn't just trying to hug him, she was also trying to crush his rib cage. His plan was simple, he won't give her any love. That was all. He never thought she'd react this way honestly, he thought he'd only get tired and that was all. But for some reason, she got hungrier. Luckily, he had some tricks up his metaphorical sleeves. His horn lit up with a reddish hue, then the mane on his neck started to rustle. And much to Minion's zombie-like shock, roots started growing out of Kirin's glorious lime colored floof and snaked around her body. Before she could even protest, she was separated from the kirin and was thrown onto the solid ground where the roots started digging into the stone.  And just like that, Minion became even more aggressive. "By Chrysalis' fangs, release me!" She demanded, her struggles were met by the roots tightening around her.  "Not until you calm down," He spoke as he got back onto his hooves. "You are acting a bit weird." "Hungry! I am hungry!" "Must be really bad if that is how you reacted." He hummed. "On a brighter side, hugs are a good way for you to feed." He smiled for his achievement and discovery.  "Feed me!" "No can do, I need some sleep." He yawned to emphasize. He turned to make his way towards his bed.  "Feed me, I'll do anything!" "Anything?" He inquired, his attention returned to her, a smile crept into the picture.  "Yes!" Minion hissed. "Anything!" Kirin paused for a second to ponder, he stared at her curiously, trying to understand why she was acting that way. And to be honest, Kirin wanted to take advantage of it. He could convince her to be part of something great. But that was against everything he stands for. So he decided to ignore her instead, and plus, he needed to clean up first before he hit the hay. There was still more soup, and he guessed that it would become his breakfast for tomorrow.  "You can't do this to me! I need it!" He heard Minion cry out, he sighed tiredly as he removed the pot from the fire and placed it on top of the table.  "Tell you what, if you stay quiet and rest until tomorrow, then I'll feed you with all the love you can get!" "R-really?" Kirin went to give her a gentle pat on the head, but quickly retracted his hoof away once he felt his love being drained away. "Yes." He smiled tiredly.  "Okay," She nodded. Then her face darkened a bit, her eyes showed no emotion as they stared into his soul. "But if you do not fulfill your end of the deal, then I will force the love out of you." It was clear that she was not in the right mind, and hopefully a good night's sleep would cure whatever is ailing her right now.  He sighed once more and approached his bed. Minion's eyes did not break away from him as he climbed into his bed made of sticks and leaves. He glanced over to Minion one last time, but regretted it completely when those insect eyes of hers were trained onto him like a hungry predator. And as he laid his head down, he truly hoped that she would return to normal by sunrise. He would rather not wake up to her staring at him the whole night.  The engines on the train roared through the tunnel, a lone unicorn stallion sat patiently waiting for his destination. He was alone, there was no natural light to banish the shadows, only the lamps that were provided for the passengers so they wouldn't be lost in the darkness. If there were any, it was just him and whoever was working tonight. Most ponies don't actually have any business for the town he has in mind, usually only earth ponies or pegasi are the ones who take a train ride to Mud. But for him, he was just visiting.