//------------------------------// // What are you? // Story: Not So Different, You and I // by Dr Atlas //------------------------------// That probably wasn’t the best thing to say, cause as soon as I said it the thing bawled its eyes out right in front of me, and I don’t think those were tears of joy either.         “Please,” It sobbed. “I don’t want to die like this.”         I reeled my head back in shock. I didn’t really expect this thing to be so...so...scared. Why did it think I was trying to kill it. I was just chasing after it with an intent to eat her love while telling it to stop, and before I was doing that I was looming over with my mouth wide open… ... … … Oh… Now I get it...I was acting like I was going to kill it, and I guess I could have say ‘Can I eat you’ with different wording, like ‘may I eat you,’ and I’m sure this thing knows that ‘eating’ is a phrase for feeding for love right? “Just let me go.” It begged. “I promise not to tell anyone else.” So they don’t have a derivative for everyone, what a shame. At least now it won't tell anybuggy about me feeding off of it...Great, now that words in my head. “Listen” I said. “I know I have been acting like I'm going to kill you, but I’m not gonna do that, alright?” It seemed to be calming down after that, or at least I hope it was. “Th-then...what are you going to do to me?” I blushed a little after it said that. This was that part where I was going to eat it’s love, and boy was the process weird. Wait, before I do this, I still need to ask it something first. “What gender are you?” “W-what?” It said. Did this thing not hear so well, you’d think with antennas that long it could pick up noise better. I grabbed it by the wings and held it closer to my face, trying to see if there were features on its body that might give me the answer, though I didn’t know the anatomy of this thing that well, or at all for that matter. “Well,” I started. “Are you a guy or a girl.” Its eyes went wide after I asked it that, either I really hit its fear spot or it does that when its about to answer a question. “I...I...I...” It started stuttering. Does it do that to when it answers questions too. This was one weird bug. “Just answer the question.” I said, I lowered the thing to my stomach. My hooves were getting tired of keeping it up in the air. I just hope my stomach doesn’t yell at me again. “Are you a male or a female? This is important for what I’m going to do next.” After that it started shaking. Strange, its not really that cold in this forest. “W-What gender are you?” It asked. This was starting to bug me, no pun intended. What was with this bug asking me a question now, I asked first, its only fair. I just sighed and said bluntly. “I’m a guy.” “Th-Then I’m a guy too!” It yelled. I was rather surprised, you’d think with such a high pitched voice that it would be a girl. “Are you sure you’re a guy?” It was a rather strange question for me to ask, but hey, I might as well. Sometimes I couldn’t even tell my own brothers and sisters apart. “Y-yeah...I’m a male...yup...one hundred percent man...hehe...yeah…” It started scratching its neck while giving a grin that I could tell was fake. I knew that because that would be the same grin I would give when I tell guards that my passport was up to date. Wait...How would I know that if I’ve never looked at my own smile. I ignored that and said, “Really? Then...uh...” I tried thinking of a question that only a guy could answer. Then I had it. I pointed my hoof straight at this so called male and said. “What is a guys favorite food?” “Food?” It questioned, was this thing part def or something. I leaned my head in and said. “What do changeling males, like me, want for their favorite snack?” It look back and forth. This must be what happens when it thinks. That would make sense, since its eyes are probably connected to its brain. “You...uh…you guys...or uh...we guys eat….uh….females?” Wrong answer. Now I knew it was a girl now. “Wrong!” I yelled. “Guys eat love from females.” I probably shouldn't of yelled so loud, cause now the little bug was starting to shake again, or maybe it was cold...Nah...It was probably scared this time. My body heat would of kept it warm by now, or maybe doing that was making it colder. “T-thats what I meant.” It said, or what she said. I squinted my eyes to give her that one look that royal guards give me when I sneeze right in front of them, dropping my disguise in the process. The stare seemed to have worked, because now it looked down with a shameful expression on her face. “Okay fine.” She grumbled. “I am a girl.” “HA.” I yelled in victory. “I knew it.” I smiled, now knowing that I was finally going to have a great meal of love. “C-can you at least be gentle.” It stuttered. My smile vanished as it said that. Gentle? Love feeding wouldn’t be defined as ‘gentle.’ It was more of a strange feeling, or so other changelings have told me when they were feeding on their prey. It felt like some sort of energy was being sucked off of you. Sounds weird, now that I think about it. “Uh….” I was trying to find the right words to say to her. How do you tell a girl that you were going to suck love off of her gently. “What do you mean by ‘gentle’?” She looked away and rubbed her hooves together, was she embarrassed now? I know love sucking is awkward when the prey is awake, but for queens sake, can we just get it over with. “W-what I mean is…that...you won't be...uh..be...rough on me…” Now she’s saying I’m rough. What next? Will she say i’m boneless and that my head is full of flies. This girl was acting way too crazy. I brought her up to my face and (without realizing) tightened my grip on her. “Listen here you insect, I don't know what you are, but I’ll have you know that I am not rough when it comes to love sucking. I treat every female I see with the utmost respect, that is until they find out I’m a changeling and scream, run away, and get help, b-but I still treat them nicely. You understand?” She then turned blue and went slightly cross eyed. I rolled my eyes. This thing was just filled with surprises, wasn't it. I crossed my other arm and I continued holding her, waiting for a response, but it just wouldn't talk, it even started twitching after a while. This girl was one weird bug. I sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t say anything. So I just let go of her. She landed belly first on top of mine and gasped, which was then followed by a few more shorter gasps. She rolled over and clung to her tiny chest with her tiny...Hooves? They were hooves right? Either way, it was pretty cute how she continued breathing really loudly. I tilted my head and said. “Do you understand now?” “W-what?!” She yelled in between breaths. Why yell, there was no need for that. This thing must be part deaf. I leaned in. “I said. DO YOU UNDER-” “I heard you, I heard you!” It yelled back. making me flinch a little. “And no! I don’t understand. First you say that you won’t kill me, but so far you have been acting like you are.” “I’m not-” “YES YOU ARE!” This thing was starting to scare me, did it really have to raise its voice? “And another thing,” It continued. “From what you have been saying this entire time, it sounds to me like you want to...well….” “What?” I asked. “I just wanted to love- I mean. Eat your love.” She narrowed her eyes, giving me flashbacks to when guards were asking me questions. It flew into the air and hovered right above me, its small eyes making me feel very uneasy. It was like the table turned on me. “Is that just some sick way of telling me you’ll-” “All I’m asking from you,” I interrupted. “Is to help me with my hunger problems. I haven't eaten in a long time.” I was starting to feel a cramp from laying on my back for so long, and this thing hovering over me, making me crane my neck up in the process, was making me a little bit ticked off. And again, no bug pun intended. It flew back a bit and looked at me. Strange, it could just fly away right now, I’m pretty sure it could get away in my current state of pain, but no, it just continued looking at with a completely different expression of sadness and continued flying in place. “If you’re so hungry then why did you need to know what gender I was?” This bugs brain just couldn’t wrap its head around what I was saying at all could it. “I asked because female love taste way better than male love, to me, that is. A-and I’m not being sexist by saying that. Its just that my taste for love is perfectly nor- I mean...just the same as- no! Gah! How do I say this.” This was way harder to explain then that time I was explaining a mare why my wings looked transparent. “You...Eat love?” she asked. “I thought you ate small creatures?” Now I was getting irritated. “Why would I eat the creatures that give me food, that’d be like eating a bee so you could get its honey.” Was that a good analogy to use? “So. You weren’t trying to eat me?” I nodded. “And, you were just trying to get love off of me so you could survive?” I nodded again. Now she was looking away from me. What? Was she angry at me now, was it something I said. Before I could say something she looked back at me again, this time with an expression of pity, now why was she doing that? “Well, how do you do it?” She asked. I blushed again. Was she really going to let me do it. If so then this was it, this was when I would start that weird process of feeding. This is why I was hoping she was asleep, because when they're awake, it’s much harder. “Well, I uh...I...ya know…” Now I was having second thoughts, maybe it would be better to just- *GROWL* My stomach just won’t leave me alone. Hearing this, the she bug flew closer to my face. “You really are hungry, aren't you. Tell me how you do it?” “Do what?” I asked stupidly. I had a rough idea of what she meant anyway. She seemed to ignore me and continued asking. “Do you open your mouth and..” “No.” I interrupted. “I don’t have to open my mouth.” That was sort of true. I didn't need to have it wide open. It flew a little bit closer, her tiny face was just inches away from mine. “Do you...let your tongue out and...” “No no..I don't use tongue.” Though I have heard that my kind does that with their prey sometimes. Kind of gross now that I think about it. Why was she asking all of this? “Do you...well…” She raised her tiny arms and put them both on the sides of my face. I was getting a little bit weirded out now. Did she know how to do the feeding? At that point, I couldn’t handle it anymore. This was all just a great big mistake. “Y-you..You can just fly away you know.” I said abruptly. Making her back up a little. I finally understood why she was acting so scared before, so why was she acting so nice now? She flew up to my face again and said. “I can't just let a creature like you die when I know I can help.” Wait… DIE! I completely forgot about that happening to me. What part of 'no love to eat equals death’ did my mind not understand at the time. I was starting to panic a bit. I could almost see my starved body thrown on the side of a road, or maybe just food for the local wildlife, or just some gourmet meal for a huge swarm of flies, or… “So, how do you eat love?” Those images got out of my head once she said that. I looked up at her, from this view it was like she was one of those angels that take you up to...Wait! Did that mean I was dying right now?! “Let me take another guess.” She said. “Maybe you eat love, by doing this...” She took hold of both sides of my face again. Now I was panicking, it was hard looking at was she was doing with my eyes crossed, so I couldn’t even tell what she was going to do. I closed my eyes. Wanting this to be over with. For queens sake! Take me now! Then I felt it, that energy that a changeling gets when it feeds, which was weird since I was supposed to be dying right now...Wait. Was I dying? I opened my eyes just to make sure. Nope, I was still alive, with nothing but trees and grass and her kissing my….wait… I adjusted my eyes even more than before just to make sure what I was looking at was correct. And by Chrysalis it was. The bug was there, having its lips touch the tip of my nose. And the entire time I felt myself get some strength, my back started getting a little bit better, my wing stopped cramping, and most importantly, my belly was starting to get full. After what felt like hours she stopped kissing and looked at me in the eyes, her face completely blushed pure red, and I’m pretty sure mine was to. “A-are you, well, full?” I opened my mouth to answer, but all that came out was a… *BELCH* I instantly clamped my mouth shut with my hooves, my stomach just won't leave me alone, even when it's been fed. Lucky for me, the girl bug just giggled. “Looks like it.” She laughed. I managed to give out a chuckle to. “Hehe...yeah...Sorry about that.” “Its fine, I’m just glad you’re not hurt anymore.” I rolled over and got up on my feet. Then I gave a good, long stretch. “Who said I was hurt.” I said towards the end of my flexing. “Well, I’m sure your stomach was hurt, as was your back, and your wing.” I turned toward her. “How do you know that?” “Hitting a tree with your wing at a pretty weird angle might answer that.” She smiled. That smile was starting to get contagious. “R-right.” I said awkwardly. Why did I always act this way when I eat. “Hey...thanks again.” “Anything for another bug, right?” I had to admit, that was kinda cheesy the way she said that, but at this moment, I didn't care. I was just glad my stomach finally shut up for today. “Right.” And I guess I was a little bit happy that a bug like her could help. “So, see you soon?” She asked. “Hu...Oh!...uh...” I couldn't figure out what to say, here this bug was, asking to...actually. I need to ask it something. “What are you?” I asked. “What?” “I mean, what are you. As in, what are you called.” Not really sure what I should of said to make it any clearer. “Oh, I’m a breezie.” I tried my hardest to hold in my laughter. “A b-breezie.” I stuttered. She seemed oblivious to my held in laughs. (Thank queen) “Yeah, what are you called?” I cleared my throat and sat down. “I’m a changeling.” She giggled. “A changeling?” “Yup.” I laughed a little to. Was her laughter contagious too? “So, do you want to see each other again?” I wasn't sure how to answer that. This thing was a completely different species to hang out with, and my queen told changelings to not get too attached with ponies, because ponies can- Wait...this thing wasn't a pony. “Yeah.” I answered. “We can see each other again; when and where?” She looked over at the flower patch she was sleeping in some time ago. Then she looked back at me. “Same time, same place?” She said. I nodded with a smile on her face, and a wink in her eye, she flew off, leaving me to sit in the soft grass. I felt a little sad now that she was gone. She was completely different from the other females I’ve been with, and that was a good thing. But at least she said ‘same time same place’, so that meant I just needed to wait about twenty four hours until she would come back. How hard could that be. I didn't have to go anywhere anyway, nor did I have to do anything either. It was just me, the grass, the trees- *BELCH* And this ignorant stomach.