It was the dead of night on the edge of the Everfree Forest, there were just enough lights in the distance to make out a pony village. Staring at the settlement from the confines of some shrubbery was an unusual changeling. Normally changelings would have disguises if they were anywhere beyond the confines of their cavernous underground hives. This particular changeling was visibly decrepit, it's chitin was cracked in places & the luster in it's eyes was all but gone. It had been traveling for a week to reach this settlement, this was the only place it knew for sure that it would be safe from those that hounded him.
"S-so empty, need love." The changeling uttered weakly to no one in particular in a seemingly male voice. He knew he needed to keep moving but he simply didn't have the strength to go on. He managed a few clumsy steps out of the dense foliage into the clearing where it would be easier to walk, the cover of darkness combined with the ponies' fear of these woods would keep him safe for the time being. This was the plan at least, but his vision soon blurred & he felt himself falling. As he landed on his side in the forest clearing he saw something drawing nearer to him from ahead. He had no way of telling what it was as his vision was currently failing alongside the blanket of night. As he slipped into unconsciousness the figure was now standing over him.
"This is it." Was the last thing the changeling thought before the world went black.
Slowly an indeterminate amount of time later the changeling opened his eyes. The world slowly came into focus around him, he was somewhere dark & musty. Changelings live underground & therefore have perfect night vision, as such he saw that he was surrounded by large shelves full of bottles. The entire room was as big as a small house a pony might live in, every wall lined with the bottles. He glanced down at himself, something had tied rope through many of the holes in his legs leaving him essentially hog-tied. He surveyed the objects closest to him, the wall behind him was bare of the shelves but was stacked high with crates. He cared little for the surroundings but was curious as to how he was still alive. He opened his senses to the world around him, there was love everywhere! Whatever was in these bottles was giving off small amounts of ambient love energy. The sheer number of them allowed for a hefty snack, not enough to sustain him for long but enough to keep him conscious for awhile.
After several hours of sitting alone in the building he was feeling much better then he had when he awoke. The love in the room wasn't much but he wasn't complaining so long as it kept him alive. He was still very nervous as someone had obviously placed him & bound him here, but he had yet to see or hear anything.
"Hello? Is anypony there?" He shouted out into the confines of the room. When no answer came he decided to try & sleep to conserve his low levels of energy.
He was rudely interrupted by a splash of water to the face. He sputtered & flailed around nervously like a fish pulled from the depths. He looked up to see an electric pink earth pony mare with purple mane & tail standing over him with a bucket in front of her. He was having difficulty reading her expression, it seemed to be a mix of anger, confusion, & worry. His emotion sensory organs sensed the same things, he was unsure of how to deal with this. Ponies are never supposed to see a changeling in it's true form, he immediately took the only course of action he could: Panicked grovelling.
"Please don't kill me! I'm to young to die! I'm not even finished with my molt cycle yet!" He said looking up at her with tears streaming from his eyes. The mare's expression remained the same but with a raised brow.
"Are you here to take over again? How many of you are there? Are your kind already in the government?" The mare asked stamping a hoof to the floor before leaning in to look him directly in the eyes.
"No! No invasion! It's just me, & I can't stand politics!" He shouted doing his best to gain the mare's trust. She merely looked at him for a moment before sitting in front of him & letting a sigh of relief out.
"I was worried for a minute there, I had heard changelings were scary but you're kind of a wuss." She said still looking at him, but with a much softer expression. He too had to let out a sigh of relief that the mare wasn't going to hurt him, at least not at the moment.
"So, what were you doing out there without a disguise? I thought you bugs were great at hiding yourselves in plain sight?" She asked as she reached over grabbing herself a bottle with a hoof. She removed the cork with her teeth & took a hearty swig.
"I'm too weak to make one right now, I've been running for over a week." He said watching her down the very substance that had saved him from certain doom. He could feel a small amount of love emanating from her as she did so.
"What's in all these bottles? There's love coming off of all of them & you when you drink it." He asked looking around at the various shelves. The mare had a smug look on her face & no small amount of pride poured into the changeling's senses.
"I'm Berry Punch & this is my off site wine cellar near the Everfree, I'm in the business of booze & I love what I do. I put more love into my work than anypony else in the world, thanks for the compliment. I knew that my stuff was special but it's nice to hear it from a professional that feeds on love." The mare named Berry Punch said with a smile before killing the bottle she held with remarkable speed.
"So, now that I've introduced myself, who the hay are you?" She asked setting the empty bottle beside her.
"Well, changelings don't have names unless their queen gives them one. I never got one." The purple changeling visibly drooped as he said this. Berry knew from his demeanor she had hit a touchy subject so she immediately thought of how to change the subject.
"How about we get you out of those ropes? You promise not to drain my emotions or whatever?" She asked as she pulled a utility knife out of her mane. While he was still unsure of the strangely tolerant mare before him he nodded & she began cutting his bindings. After a moment or two he was free, he attempted to stand but his legs were still pretty weak so it was a bit of a task. After some wobbling he was on his hooves again.
"So Mrs.Berry Punch, what are you going to do with me? Last I checked Equestria was less than fond of my kind. I wouldn't blame you if you turned me in to the guards." The changeling said looking at the floor. Berry thought on it for a minute what am I going to do with him? The room was quiet as the changeling didn't feel like speaking & Berry was deep in thought.
"How about you come work for me?" She asked as if it were the most sensible conclusion anypony had ever made. The changeling just looked at her with his mouth open for a minute as he tried to process the words that were said to him.
"You want me to work for you? Wouldn't you get in trouble if anypony found out you were harboring me?" He asked obviously wary of the idea.
"Meh, then just don't get caught right? I've got a spare room back home & it'd be just you, me & my daughter Ruby Pinch. She's good at secrets, she hasn't told anyone about the still I have hidden in the basement for 'special orders' & she's only 7 so nopony would believe her anyway." Berry said waving his concerns of with a downward motion of her hoof. This offer was too good to pass up, but there were still problems with the arrangement.
"What would I have to do? I've never made alcohol before." He asked as his mood dropped again.
"You just need to do as I tell you & inspect the quality of my work. Everypony always says they can taste the love in my booze but I want an expert opinion." Berry said as she gazed around at her treasure trove of bottled intoxicants. He knew that this was his best opportunity to have a steady supply of love, even if it wasn't as powerful as he would like. He knew he had no other options so he outstretched one of his hole riddled hooves. Berry smiled & accepted, the deal was struck & both were sure to benefit from the arrangement. There was just one problem left to address.
"How are we going to get me into town if I don't have a disguise?"