Author's Note

Hey peeps!

Really hope this chapter was fun.

I'm definitely enjoying the shorter chapters and I can feel my inspiration coming back :D

First Impressions

"Wow- I didn't know Changelings could do that." - Princess Celestia Solare.

As Twilight and Starlight descended the stairs, tension had started to build up between the two. They had been in strange situations before, as well as life-threatening, world-ending and even downright bizarre situations, but this felt different. It didn't have the feeling of dread as many of their adventures did. Hell, it wasn't even scary... it was just tense.

For Twilight though, that was great. She enjoyed tense; It meant nothing was trying to kill her.

Starlight though, not so much. She kept looking around, paranoid that the Changeling would jump out from any of the numerous cracks that littered the walls of the basement.

As they reached the bottom on the stairs, Twilight's horn lit up, momentarily lighting the area, until an Orb of Light appeared and trailed above the pair, bathing the area in light.

"Twilight, why didn't you install any lights in here when I asked?" Starlight asked, glancing to the Alicorn with only but the most glaring of glares.

"It's not that bad. Sure, it's a little dark and the light makes... the shadows jump..." Twilight replied, trailing off for a second. "I'm sure it's more scared of us than we are of it. It didn't hurt me, physically at least."

"Wha- no," Starlight huffed. "You're going all gaga for knowledge. It's a Changeling. I've learned to live with Thorax as they're not all hiss, and grr, and love-sucking, but this one isn't part of his hive. Plus, it sucked on you!"

Twilight did her best to hold back an amused snort.

"You know what I meant!" Starlight huffed as her eyes flicked around. "Look, can we just go in and stun the thing then leave? I'd rather not get mind controlled..."

Twilight slowed and gently placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder and gave her warmest smile. "I'm sorry. If you want to go back up, you can."

Starlight leaned against the hoof and shook her head. "And leave you down here alone, with that thing? No way. Besides, who's going to save you again when it, inevitably, takes over Ponyville."

Letting out a sigh, Twilight nodded. "Okay, you did save my rump last time, but I'm sure nothi-"

Starlight pushed her hoof over Twilight's mouth. "Don't jinx it! You know what happens when someone says that!"

Glaring at the mare, Twilight took a step back and pushed the hoof away. "Fine. Can we go, though? The 'ling has probably already heard us bicker."

Starlight giggled and nodded. "Sure, but I'm staying behind you."

Moving past the mare, Twilight continued down the hallway, surveying what little was in there. She stopped at a box that was filled with some of the research on changelings and frowned. "One of my books is missing?" she mumbled, glancing back at Starlight, who just shrugged.

Turning her attention back to the hallway, she continued on, wondering why the Changeling would even want the book, before stopping as she arrived at the door to the boiler room. It was ajar.

She nodded to Starlight, who moved around and stood on the other side, before taking hold of the handle in her magic. "Three," she started, lowering herself slightly. "Two, one..."

Instar had been snuggled up a warm crystal pipe in the corner of the room, with the book resting on the floor in front of her, to keep warm. Her fear wasn't gone, it had merely faded until it was easy to ignore and while she was warm and fed, she was a happy little bug.

Gazing down at the picture, she wondered if she'd be able to see the other her. Would it cuddle her? Would Feed her? What was it like? Did it like the pretty lights as much as she-

Her line of questioning was broken short by sounds coming from outside of the warm room. Her eyes flicked over to the entrance and a rush of fear hit her. Her food was coming for her again!

Looking around for a way out, she released a worried chitter at no obvious exit that wouldn't take her past her food.

Then she paused. There was a second noise? One that sounded the same, but different.

Closing her eyes, she sniffed the air and smelled what she felt like: fear. Why was her food afraid of her? With a surge of curiosity, she pulled herself away from the all-encompassing warmth and snuck over to the door.

She emulated what she had done earlier and turned the handle to open the door, then peeked outside. Seeing her food nearing her hiding place caused her to skitter back over to her warm spot and pull the book close to her chest, trying her best to hide among the pipes.

Twilight threw the door open and burst in, her horn flared in case the Changeling jumped at her. Starlight hesitantly pounced in after, copying the Alicorn, but with a slightly brighter glow across her horn.

"Where is it?" Twilight asked, confused. "There's no other way out of here."

Starlight's magic inched the door closed, until it clicked shut, removing any possibility of escape. "Obviously it's still in here," she replied. "I'll stay by the door, if that's okay?"

"Of course. This shouldn't take long," Twilight replied, smiling.

Turning back to the pipes, her eyes closed, and flared her horn, for but a second, with a blinding flash. With the initial flash over, a pulse burst from her horn and expanded outwards to fill the room. The pulse twinkled as it hit a surface, covering it with miniature stars, which hung around for a few seconds.

As the pulse covered Starlight's body, the stars illuminated her, akin to a Crystal transformation, but also shot red beams of light back into Twilight's horn.

It only took a second, but a second beam of light-struck Twilight's horn which originated from the corner of the room.

"There we go," Twilight muttered. Placing a hoof on her chest, she took a deep breath and relaxed, ready for meet a brand-new Changeling. Oh, the experiments I could run! she thought, fighting back the wave of giddiness.

Nearing the Changeling's hiding spot, she leaned down and laid on the damp floor to get a better look at the scared thing. "Hi," she began, dimming her light slightly for its benefit. "My name's Twilight. What's yours?"

Starlight stared at the Alicorn as if she was mad but kept that to herself.

Instar watched her food for a couple of seconds, then sniffed the air. She could still smell the fear, but it was highly diluted. In its place was something she had felt before: curiosity. She liked that smell, it brought out tingles. The delicious smell was still there, one that tempted and urged her to attack - to feed - but she ignored it.

The food's sounds were strange though and she rolled her tongue around to try and mimic them.

"H-Hgk"

Twilight's eyes widened as she heard the changeling respond to her. It definitely wasn't what she expect, nor was it anything sounding like Equestrian, but it was a start.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, trying to see any of the Changeling's features.

The pulse of magic only allowed a vague outline of the creature, and nothing specific. Yet, it was enough for Twilight to notice it was definitely bigger than the drones she had fought before.

Instar felt her neck quiver and morph as the food kept talking. "Argh you hurghk," she copied, her voice vaguely resembling Twilight's own.

Twilight froze as she stared towards where she knew the Changeling hid. Why is it copying me? she wondered, as her concern grew.

"Are you hurt?" Instar repeated, her stomach tingling. "Hi!"

While she might not have been able to understand, she was beginning to enjoy speaking in her food's sounds. It took away her fear, even if she could smell the fear from the other food growing by the second.

"Twilight, I don't like this... it's playing with you," Starlight stressed, even going so far as to stomp her hoof. "Can't we just leave it and get Princess Luna or something?"

"I'm not going to leave it, Starlight. It could be hurt, or star-"

"I'm not going to leave it, Starlight. It could be hurt."

Twilight paused as she let out a silent groan. "Look, you can go and get Luna if you want, but I'm not leaving this spot."

Starlight looked conflicted. "Fine. But don't you dare get hurt!" she huffed, then with a flash of light, teleported out of the basement.

"Don't get hurt!"

Twilight looked back to the Changeling and smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Instar sniffed again and found the fear that filled the air slowly fade away. It was replaced with curiosity and caring that simply oozed off of the food in front of her. After a few seconds, she stalked forwards, her hooves clicking on the crystal floor as she let the pony see her properly.

Suddenly, her wings buzzed, and she pounced.

Twilight yelped as the Changeling grabbed her and tumbled about across the floor. Each time she flared her horn, it bumped against something, giving her a headache. "Agh!" she grunted, feeling her tip scrape along the floor.

Within seconds, the Changeling pulled itself off of her and was scrambling back, eyes wide and wings furled upwards in a dominance display.

"Twilight, I don't like this," Instar said, watching Twilight rise up and hold her horn. "Don't get hurt!"

Twilight shook her head and grumbled to herself. "What?" she stammered, focusing on the scared Changeling. She knew a dominance display when she saw one and took a step back, still keeping the door between them.

Placing a hoof on her chest, she took a breath then laid down and exposed her neck towards the Changeling. "I'm not a threat," she mumbled, wincing at the thought of those teeth while she showed off submission.

Instar watched her food, unsure as to what to do. Fortunately, her instincts did, and she took a few hesitant steps over. She bared her fangs and leaned in close to the Alicorn's neck. Her warm breath washed across that damp fur and Twilight tensed up, her wings fluffing up.

Instar leaned in and pressed her muzzle against Twilight's neck, before she breathed in deep, taking in Twilight's scent. The Changeling's muzzle trailed up Twilight's neck and across her head, sniffing as she went, before trailing back down and across her back.

Twilight, on the other-hoof, was as tense as a steel beam from the relatively unwanted attention. She had submitted and show she wasn't a threat, but she didn't expect this, let alone from a Changeling. But it did give her a prime spot to examine her specimen.

Fascinating! she thought, her inner scientist leaping for joy. The most obvious example to compare against is Chrysalis. Orange colouring instead of green, more of a pony-like mane and tail inst-

"Eep!" she squeaked, feeling the Changeling's muzzle brush over her rump and cutie-mark.

No personal boundaries though... Maybe it's a Changeling thing?

Done with her examination, Instar moved her muzzle back up to Twilight's neck and gently nuzzled, a soft clicking chitter leaving her throat.

"I... I guess you like me?" Twilight wondered, still a little fearful. She knew Luna would no doubt come by the very second that Starlight told her and slowly pulled herself up.

Instar took a step back, her fear having returned all of a sudden, at least until Twilight smiled. "I guess you like me."

Twilight then sat her rump down and placed a hoof on her chest. "Twilight," she said, sounding out the letters, then once again.

Tilting her head curiously, Instar sat down in the same manner as Twilight, her ears flicking back and forth. "Twilight," she said, reaching over and placing a hoof over her own.

The Alicorn nodded and then placed a hoof on the Changeling's exoskeleton, expecting an answer.

Instar looked down at the hoof with a frown. She knew what to say, her mind was blessed with plenty of intelligence so they could command legions of drone at once, but her tongue was having a hard time coming up with the letters.

After thirty seconds of trying, she opened her mouth and replied, "I- Instar."

Twilight gasped and shook with giddiness! "Ohmygosh!" she squealed, jumping up and hopping on her hooves. "This is unprecedented! I wonder if you're from Chrysalis's old hive? Would a drone change into a Queen without one there?"

The changeling watched on as her lesser jumped about and wondered why it was so happy; It had just given itself to her.