Blood slowly trickled from the changeling’s nose, dribbling onto the ground. Her ears were ringing, her head was pounding, and her blue eyes were foggy and unfocused. She had been close to the epicentre of the love blast, and as such had worn the worst of it.
The name she had chosen for herself was ‘Kuno’, a word from across the sea. But Kuno was in trouble. She was laying in a field, on her side, nose bleeding, ears ringing with a strange, dull cadence, and every single bone hurting. Her eyes hurt, her head hurt, her shoulders hurt, her wings felt mangled, and her energy reserves were dangerously low. She could feel the blood trickling from her nose and there was a dried trail of it leading from either ear.
Her limbs were heavy and unwieldy, and too many parts of her body were damaged for her to change. It was almost impossible for a changeling to transform an injured portion of their body, be it heavy bruising, a broken bone, deep abrasions, or even some kinds of rashes. With her battered, beaten body, Kuno was certain she wouldn’t be able to transform for several days.
And there she was, lying in a field, in the open. She couldn’t even ascertain how long she had been laying there. It was afternoon, from the quality of the sunlight, but which afternoon? How long had she been laying in the grass?
She was hungry, in that unique way of the changelings. She needed to feed upon the love of a pony, but how she would manage that now, in her current state, she did not know. Even her hunger was no indication of how much time had passed. A hunger like this she had only known once in her relatively short lifetime, in her time aboard a merchant vessel headed for Equestrian shores.
There had been no ponies that were in love for her to feed upon, and none of them were interested in the advances of ‘Starstreak’, the persona she had taken on for the journey. Hunger had gnawed at her stomach for the entire journey, and when she had reached Equestria, her first act had been to find the nearest hospital and take the place of a terminally ill cancer patient. It was amazing how much love ponies had for others of their kind at death's door.
With her energy drained from the love blast, she had no way to know if she’d lain in the field for a few hours or a few days. Even her wounds weren’t healing, and that was a bad sign. A changeling’s healing ability was almost directly linked to the amount of love they were receiving. At full strength, a wound that would put a normal pony in a hospital bed for a month would merely inconvenience a changeling for a day or so.
Kuno groaned faintly as she tried to move. Her shoulders ached and her wings burned as she tried to shift them. Vague recollections of tumbling through the air came to her, and the hard impact of the ground rushed up to meet her. Her bones had that strange ‘newly healed’ sensation to them that clean, fresh feel like mint in one's mouth, except inside her bones. Perhaps that was where most of her energy had gone.
Suddenly she felt herself getting picked up and put on a relatively small but firm object. Kuno opened her eyes to see who it was, it took her a while to open them but once she could look at whoever was carrying her a smile appeared on her face as she caught sight of a Dark. figure with red eyes and wings. He also had holes in his legs and horns on his head. Kuno tried to focus her eye before she felt her eyes closed as she couldn’t fight it and she passed out in a flash. A few minutes later Kuno woke up finding herself in a cave. She looked around for a few minutes before she saw Zack or at least what she thought was the name he chose for himself sitting in front of a blazing fire, after a few seconds Zack looked over at me and said something. Hello there kuno. It's good to see that you're awake.
Kuno replied to him “I can’t hear you” Zack look at me before he started to walk towards me putting a hoof on her chest before closing his eyes, suddenly he wings start to glow a crimson red, as well as his hoofs, and slowly sound started to flood my head as it was all I could hear, again after that Zack took his hoof off of my chest before walking back to the fire. I then started to see and feel better and in a few seconds, I was all better and able to stand on my hoofs again. I saw Zack near the fire and walked over to him. “Where in Equestria are we?”, Kuno said. “Where in a cave a few miles away from Canterlot, where Nopony will find us here”, Zack said letting out a small sigh
“Why did you bring me here, why not just bring me back to the hive, to your queen”, Kuno said. “There is just one reason for that, she isn’t my queen. You are Kuno. Since I was born, you were the first one I saw. I truly cared about you. I didn’t really care for the queen all that much as she was kind of a jerk. The only reason why I followed that “queen” was because you were following her and well, I followed her for you because you were doing the same. I didn’t want to but if it meant being with you, that was a risk I was willing to take and all.
“I… I am your queen,” Kuno asked hesitantly. “Yes, you are my queen. What you do, I also do the same. It’s what I was made to do. That’s how red moon changelings work: we grow an attachment to the first creature we see, even if you tell me, you are not my queen I will still follow you”, Zack said. Kuno was shocked by what she just heard. She was not expecting this kind of news from Zack. She didn’t know if she was ready or wanted to be a leader, let alone a queen. She had to make sure this was true and not just a joke.
“Well, that explains why the queen was hovering over your egg and ordered me to leave, but why,” Kuno asked, getting a bit curious. “It’s how red moon changelings function, Kuno. When we see somepony for the first time, they become our queen. Even if they don’t like it and don't want to be our queen, the bond is already written in stone, it can't be changed no matter what”, Zack said.
Kuno started to rub her head as she said “So you’ll do whatever I say and whenever I say, is that right”, Kuno said. “Yes, Kuno. I will do what you say. You could call me a right hoof changeling, a licker doormat and a right little irritant but the only thing, I won’t do is anything that would cause you harm”, Zack said. “Then prove it, change into a bear right now”, Kuno said. Zack then changed his form into a bear. “Now change back”, Kuno said with a smile. Zack then changed back into his normal form.
“This is going to be fun,” Kuno said to herself before giving Zack another order. “How about changing into me”, Kuno said. Zack then changed into Kuno. “Now changed back”, Kuno said. Zack then changed back to his original self. “How about turning into a rock”, Kuno said. Zack then changed into one of the rocks in the cave. “Now change back, it’s hard to see you when you look like that”, Kuno said as Zack changed back.
Now run around this cave at fast speeds”, Kuno said. Zack then ran around the cave extremely fast causing the inside of the cave to get very windy, very fast. “Now run backwards”, Kuno said. Zack stopped before running backwards with just as much speed as he was fast.
“How about flying around the cave?”, Kuno said. Zack then took to the roof of the cave with just as much speed. “Now this is what you call flying”, Zack said. He was feeling so happy to be with Kuno again Kuno. He felt alive while serving her. It is what he was made to do after all. He knew that he wanted to be with Kuno alone with no pony else. The only question was how he could show her how much she means to him. “Now kiss me”, Kuno said on complete Accident. Zack then hearing this, flew down right next to Kuno and kissed her on the lips then and there without any thought at all at the moment. Kuno had no idea how to respond to this kiss, she did kinda like it but was so not comfortable with it at all. Zack was rather enjoying this moment as he got what he really wanted all this time. He loved how her lips felt and enjoyed the moment.
Kuno was startled as she tried to get away from Zack’s lips but Zack kept trying to kiss her over and over again. She covered up her mouth and double-tapped Zack and he stopped. “What in Equestria was that for?”, Kuno said. “You asked me too, and I was in the heat of the moment you know”, Zack said looking tilting his head to the side in confusion. Kuno was feeling surprised by this. She didn’t know what to say to Zack kissing her as she didn’t expect him to actually do it. Even though she was using his ability to do what she says. Just then, Kuno’s stomach started to growl a little bit.
“Hey Zack, could you go out and get some food for us”, Kuno said. “As you wish”, Zack said as he left the cave, a few minutes later he came back into the cave with a few barriers “That’s it,” Kuno said looking at the small pile of berries. “There’s a search party out in the woods, there was no way I could get more food without them spotting me and I couldn’t risk that happening”, Zack said. “It should do”, Kuno said, picking up a Barrie and eating it “But it’s not all that compared to love”, Kuno said rolling her eyes. “Well, I can create love if that would work for you”, Zack said. Kuno turned around to look at Zack “What do you mean you can create love?”, Kuno said. “Let me show you Kuno”, Zack said as he then started to cast a love spell on Kuno. “No more than three, only two, make this girl love me, only me”, Zack said as he put the love spell on Kuno.
Kuno starts to feel a bit light-headed before looking up at Zack and falling madly in love with Zack in an instant. Zack then kissed Kuno on the lips. Kuno then kissed Zack as they both fell on the cave floor and they started to make out, kissing each other repeatedly. Zack was loving this moment and felt way more than he should. He loved the fact that Kuno was kissing him because well… he loved her as well. He loved the way she talked, laughed, smiled and he enjoyed every moment of it.
Even If it was a bad moment, he still enjoyed it because he was with her. There was no way he could make it without her, doing it without her and being without her. After a short amount of time, Kuno was able to break free from the spell and pushed herself away from Zack before yelling “What the hell was that all about Zack”, Kuno shouted. “You asked me what I meant by creating my own love”, Zack said. “That was so fucking idiotic of you to do that. I can’t believe you put me under a spell just so you can make out with me for your own selfish purposes and reasons”, Kuno said before turning away and sitting next to the fire, away from Zack. “I can’t believe you made me want to make out with you just for your own selfish reasons and purposes like that”. “I would have made it so you couldn't break out. You would have always been under the spell, I made the spell so you could break out, I am more powerful than you think”, Zack said.
“Then why did you cast that spell on me in the first place?”, Kuno said. “It was to show you how I create love. I knew that you would never agree to me kissing you ever again, so I had to improvise”, Zack said. “So you improvise by casting a spell on me? That was the best you could possibly do”, Kuno said. “I panicked a little. I had no idea what to do to show you so I resorted to the most extreme of things”, Zack said, kinking the grown, “Well it felt like a lot of panicking”, Kuno said. “Well, you don’t feel hungry now do you”, Zack said. Kuno then felt as if she was full like she ate a ton of food at a restaurant. “Hun, I don’t. It must have worked”, Kuno said in a happier voice.
“That’s what I was trying to do all along”, Zack said looking at Kuno with nothing but calmness “When I collect love my body synthesizes it into power but it does not use all of it and what I can’t use can be used by other changelings”, Zack said.” That’s interesting. I didn’t know that red moon changelings work like that”, Kuno said. “It is quite simple to explain”, Zack said. And I am sorry for putting you under a spell for that demonstration”, Zack said. “It’s ok I guess. You could have warned me before though you know”, Kuno said. Zack smiled at Kuno saying “I will keep that in mind for next time” before sitting down next to the campfire. Kuno smiled at Zack before sitting right next to him almost shoulder to shoulder. Kuno was still a bit annoyed at Zack for what he had done but she didn’t really care about it anymore. She was starting to get more comfortable with being around Zack. She thought she was gonna hate him for a long time but she got used to him. Zack on the other hoof was happy that Kuno was getting more use to him.
He just enjoyed being around her thay already been with each other a long time ago he is just happy that he gets to spend time with her. She knew that he wanted to be with her for a while. He just needed to know that she felt the same way.
“I just have one more question” Zack turned his head and attention to look at Kuno saying “What is it”
“Why…” Kuno looked down at the grown man, “Why did you save me instead of following the queen”, Kuno said. “Because you're my one and only queen Kuno. Zack said, still looking at the fire, Kuno looked up at Zack “Is that the only reason”, Zack let out a soft sigh and said “No, there was another reason why”, Zack said. “What is it?”, Kuno said. “Do you remember back when I was young, after I was hatched you were put in charge of taking care of me, feeding me and playing with I know that you, not my mother, but you are the only one who ever truly cared about my well being, you were… no you are the only person that cares, and well you were the one I looked up to and I hated every moment I was with that chrysalis… truth is I’ve fallen for you”, Kuno looked back with wide surprised eyes as her pupils shrank looking me surprised.
“I remember caring for you when you were young and I have to admit I loved you like you were my own son. It felt strange at first especially when it came to breastfeeding but I started to get used to it. I started to enjoy taking care of you but after the queen didn’t need me to take care of you anymore, I think that those feelings just sort of disappeared. It was so real to me.… No, the truth is I still care for you and I still see you as my only son but maybe one day that will change” Zack smiled as he gave Kuno a kiss on the nose.
Kuno and Zack spent the rest of the morning reminiscing about their past, when the moon began to rise, Kuno laid down on the ground and fell asleep Zack smiled before finding himself an empty part of the cave for him to sleep, Zack felt like things were starting to fall into place for once. He still had some work to do, but he knew that things were narrowing down. Down into his place.
A few hours passed when Zack opened his eyes as he couldn't fall asleep. It was very dark in the cave as the night had fallen outside. Zack used some of his powers to see much clearer only to see Kuno shivered because the fire went out hours ago. Zack then stroud up to Kuno before curling his body around Kuno using his power to keep her warm. And as they both lay there for what seemed like a few minutes, maybe hours, it was very hard to tell. A few seconds later Kuno started to cuddle closer and closer to Zack. Zack's smile stretched across his face before going back to sleep. In each other's embrace, they both fell to sleep.