The gate was left unlocked, just as promised. I slowly opened it, turning my head at the last second to make sure no one was following me.

I was nervous. I had the right to be. I mean, it wasn’t my first time feeding from an asset, but I wasn’t in Fillydelphia, my territory. I was in Star Track, in someone else’s Cluster territory. And I was hungry.

Looking up, I saw the sun setting, giving the sky a red-orange tint. I could see ponies already on their way home, probably back to their families, walking through the narrow side streets. They would enjoy their organic food, very much oblivious to what surrounded them, to those that were starving.

I stared hungrily at one of the passing ponies, an earth pony mare. She met my eyes. I unconsciously sent out a little of my emotion, my need, towards her. She responded with a little blush before trotting away.

I shook my head. Now is not the time to lose your focus, Lumi, I mentally berated. Right now, you have to get enough Love to feed your Cluster. So, eyes forward, and do your job.

My foreleg took one step, before I felt a tingle of energy cascade across my back. I took another look back, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. However, I was pretty sure someone was watching. They hid themselves well enough, but I could still feel them.

No, I wasn’t paranoid.

I had my suspicions, but even if they were proven right, it was nothing I should worry about. An agreement was made, and I was given permission to feed from an asset in their territory. If they had any problems now, they should have made it clear before I even entered town.

Once I entered the gate, I was greeted by a small lush green garden, with the grass perfectly trimmed and flowers of differing colors standing upright, as if happy to greet me.

Stupid flowers.

The aesthetic was a little alien for me, though. The ponies here didn’t usually waste resources in making a fence or a garden; they would rather have a bigger house. In the end, I concluded that the design was from the relatively new aliens the Equestrians had discovered—the ‘humans’.

I think it was five years ago when I first heard about the discovery, when a portal connecting our world to theirs was created by accident. Now these bipedal ape-like beings were slowly becoming a common sight in the big cities in Equestria, like Manehattan, Canterlot, Las Pegasus, and Vanhoover. Unsurprisingly, they were also recently showing up in larger numbers back in Fillydelphia—the city where I built my Cluster.

Honestly, I wasn’t too curious about them. Around the time of discovery, I was too busy forming up the aforementioned Cluster, so the news was inconsequential and unrelated to my work. Even when the human influence began to spread, like their ‘magic’, their technology, I never really felt the need to study the race. However, I did appreciate them distracting the ponies, taking their attention away from us all these years.

Considering I was about to feed from one of said humans, though, maybe I should have been more curious. Most of what I knew of them were either from other ponies, fellow cluster-mates, or from human customers from where I work. Honestly, I felt that these humans were a lot like ponies, and yet quite different at the same time. Those that I personally met on my cover-job, at the bookstore, kept mostly to themselves, but seemed friendly enough for a supposed predatory species.

Shaking those memories out of my head, I approached the house and proceeded towards the front gate, extended my foreleg, and felt for the doorknob. It easily turned. Pushing the door open, I was greeted by a narrow hall and a small, rectangular carpet down the floor in front of me, with the word “Welcome” written in Equestrian. Horseshoes and human shoes were placed on the side, all in an orderly fashion.

I didn’t wear horseshoes. There was no real need when I could control how thick the carapace on my hooves was, so I simply wiped them over the welcoming carpet before proceeding inside.

I was less than half-way crossing the hall when I stumbled upon a large mirror attached to the wall on my left. Staring at it, I saw my current form: a light yellow pegasus with red mane and tail. Beside the mirror was a small desk with a picture frame above it, showing a human, pinkish-yellow in color, with a short cut brown mane, and the very same pegasus, both smiling.

Actually, now that I had a better look, the pegasus in the picture had a darker coat than mine. Not really a big difference in terms of shade, but I wasn’t going to risk that. Spending more precious energy, I concentrated for a moment, picturing the color in my head, and spreading that all over my coat. A familiar tingle of energy washed over me, from head to hoof. My true form shimmered for a moment, my current pale yellow coat turning ebony with shades of green, then to the darker yellow shade.

Satisfied with the image, I continued on my way. The hallway led to the living room area, complete with very comfortable looking couches, a small coffee table, carpeted floors, and even a nice fireplace. I thought for a moment before deciding that this would be a good place to feed. With a little adjustment, the room would be spacious and comfortable enough for the act. Plus, looking around, with all the windows, this place had a lot of escape routes. There was little chance of something wrong going on, but knowing the quickest way out of an enclosed area would avoid the hassle of getting stuck in an unfavorable position.

Being hungry and low on energy was no excuse for being careless. Changelings didn’t survive to this point by acting stupid. Well, most of the time, at least.

The windows were made with a wooden frame, splitting the pane into nine individual squares. Not bad. All it needed was good outward push, and I could escape with minimal damage. I walked towards the unlit fireplace and craned my head to check the inside of the chimney. Nope; there was a small grate halfway out, blocking the way. There was no way I would be able to escape from there.

Moving out of the living room, I made my way towards the kitchen. The first thing I noticed was the smell, a sweet lingering scent of cooked meat and spices. It was interesting, definitely something I would never have expected to smell in a pony home. The kitchen itself, though… wow. It was bigger than the living room, which made sense. It was fully equipped, having one of those new expensive ‘fridges’, which were slowly replacing the iceboxes the ponies had been using, a stove with an oven, and a small table with a basket of fruits on top. I took a moment to appreciate the design of this room—clean, spacious, which allowed for comfortable movement, and was painted with bright colors.

Show-offs, I thought darkly, thinking of my own small kitchen in my rather dingy apartment. I couldn’t blame them though. The whole design was efficient, and very practical as well. Combining both the dining area and the cooking area made it easier to see if the asset was getting enough sustenance and made the place a comfortable conversation-setting.

Opening the oven revealed the source of the smell: a large white oven plate that had juicy roasted meat in the middle, lightly charred and browned to perfection, with baked potatoes around it. The smell was amazing, which only reminded me of my hunger. It was times like these that I get jealous of the other sapient species that rely only on organic food for their sustenance. Sighing, I glanced at the clock revealing that it was already past six. I was told that the human asset usually got home soon after that.

I felt the stirring of excitement in me, the need to feed.

“Just a little more, Lumi,” I said to myself.

Looking around, making sure no one was looking in from the windows, I spent a bit more precious energy to prepare everything. I floated the dish out of the oven and placed it on top of the table. I extracted a plate and a few utensils from the cupboards—a small knife and fork on the plate, and a bigger knife near the roast. I added a little flair to make it look a bit more enticing.

Next, I went to the fridge, shivering as a cold gust of air escaped as I opened the door. My eyes passed over the eggs and other preserved food stock and searched for a marked bottle of cider. Finding it, I extracted that out as well, opening it, and took a whiff. The sweet scent of the cider hid the almond-like smell of the metaboliser, while the yellow shade of the drink hid the presence of the booster. I placed that on the table and made sure I got a glass out to go along with it.

Making my way towards the living room again, I ensured that no one was around before magically beginning closing the drapes around the windows and moved the couches and table around the living room, just to get more space. While I saw the stairs leading upstairs, towards the bedrooms, I didn’t trust myself to feed there. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather stick in relatively larger open spaces where there were many escape routes available.

As a finishing touch, I also used a firegem to light the fireplace.

All of that had me left feeling more drained, and even hungrier than before. When was the human coming home? I walked towards the draped window and peeked outside. There were a few ponies around, but no human.

Sighing, I walked back towards the hallway and looked at myself in the mirror, staring at the picture frame beside it. With nothing left to do but wait, I practised my smile, making sure it looked close enough to the one the pictured pegasus was using. Then, I worked on my voice, making sure I had the correct pitch.

Once I felt I had gotten both just right, I studied the human, drinking in his features. He wasn’t exactly handsome, in a pony sense. However, he wasn’t unattractive either. His arms looked strong, hugging around the pegasus’ shoulder, his cheek touching her neck. The pegasus herself was holding one of the human’s arms with her hoof, encapsulated by his digits—his fingers. Probably the most attractive part of him, for a changeling like me at least, was how full he looked. There was an evident bulge in his stomach and his cheeks were a little puffy. And most of all, his eyes sparkled with life.

He was happy with the pegasus. He was in love with her.

I took a deep breath for I felt myself stirring. Hunger and arousal were powerful emotions that ran deep within a changeling. It didn’t help that the two were almost indistinguishable. And I was one very hungry changeling.

I sighed. Lumi, you aren’t a rookie on working an asset, I thought. Remember your training. Let them come to you. Make them want you.

I blinked as I heard a click at the door. I sat on my haunches, looking towards the entrance as it slowly opened, and spreading my wings just a bit. I watched as the human in the picture made his way in, dressed simply with white short-sleeved shirt and long brown pants.

I had to reel myself in. I could feel the complexities of his emotion being emitted—tiredness, frustration, and relief as he finally closed the door. And when he saw me… oh, wow. It came a little sweet, with a warmth almost as strong as the sun on a new day.

“Hey, honey,” he called.

I smiled, feeling a little light-headed, before mentally shaking my head. I reminded myself that I was playing the part of Wind Chaser, one of the weather pegasi for the town. I was easygoing and friendly, and was currently in a relationship with the human Brad for almost a year. So, how would she respond?

“Welcome home, sweetie. How was your day?” I asked.

The sweetness receded a bit as frustration came forth. Did I make a mistake? Trepidation ran through me, but I squashed it before it could show to my face.

“Not so good,” he replied, approaching me. He knelt to one knee and hugged me close, almost squeezing. Oh, wow. He smelled really good. And from the way he was burying his face on my neck, I smelled good too.

“Hmmm-hmm,” he muttered. He separated from me, giving me a confused smile. “You put on some perfume or something?”

Okay, so I didn’t smell exactly like her, but that was fine. One of the most common mistakes a new changeling makes was giving up immediately. However, I smoothly played my part, nodding as I asked, “Do you like it?”

“Its very soothing,” he replied. Standing up, he sniffed the air again. “Is that… roast?”

I softly touched his thigh, poured a little of my want into him. Suddenly, that sweetness became a bit spicier as a little excitement poured in. I gave him the best smile, the one I’ve been practising for the past few minutes, while adding my own touch of smoldering gaze, blinking softly. “I cooked a little something special for you.”

The human laughed, and the mixture of flavors of his emotion surrounded me. Oh, Stars and Light.

I licked my own lips, my hunger telling me to take him, but I held it off. Now wasn’t the time. The asset has been hard at work and wouldn’t be able to offer much in his current state. Still, I didn’t need to pretend to add a little more to the next statement. “And maybe afterwards, we can…?”

His smile got wider. The emotions were circling around me so rapidly, I was almost panting.

Lumi, focus!

Unaware of my thoughts, the human said, roughly, “Yes, ma’am.”

I led him towards the kitchen, making sure my tail swished just a bit, and shuddering when more of his lust blanketed me. He was definitely focused on me, which was good.

“Oh wow,” the human muttered as he entered the kitchen, spotting the roasted meat on the table. He sat down in place, and began to slice the roast with his knife and fork, putting a modest amount on his plate.

“Get some more,” I insisted, sitting across from him. “And some potatoes too.”

The human readily obliged, putting more potatoes and meat on his plate, and taking a bite. I felt the sweet bliss coming out in waves. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold myself.

Longing must have shown in my expression because he immediately frowned, the heat and sweetness almost fading completely, replaced with the dry sourness of worry.

“Have you eaten?” he asked, and immediately added, “I mean, not this of course, but do you need me to prepare a sandwich for you?”

“I ate earlier,” I lied.

His frown deepened. “I… look, I’ll try harder to change my diet. So that you and I can eat together, you know.”

I shook my head. “As long as you are happy, I am happy”—what was his name again?—“Brad. If food like this makes you happy, then I’m okay with it.”

He gave me a sad sort of smile. “I’m a very lucky man to have you, Windy. I don’t know how you put up with me.”

“Well,” I began, heat escaping my voice, “I can think of a way for you to pay me back. I’m... a little hungry for something else.”

I gave him a little wink, which got him to swallow. He immediately went towards the bottle of cider. Opening it, he poured a good amount in his glass, and slowly drank it. The effect was immediate. He began to eat more and more of his food, slicing even bigger portions of the roast, while swallowing the potatoes almost whole. The metaboliser seemed to be working.

“I, wow,” the human muttered as he swallowed his last bite. “Why does your food always make me want to pig out? You don’t even eat meat. That’s not right.”

I chuckled, making a move to go right behind him. His eyes followed me for just a second, before turning back to his plate. With his back facing me, I sat on my haunches and moved my forelegs to his broad shoulders, weakly massaging a few specific places. He groaned, his pleasure, a mix of sweetness and saltiness almost erasing the sourness of his worry.

I leaned closer, enjoying the flow of his emotion, trying to absorb as much as I could. It wasn’t a direct transfer, but in my hungry state, I took what I could get. Plus, feeding off of him made him happy, at peace. Even his arousal got stronger as he drank a bit more from the cider. My hooves stopped massaging, instead, surrounding his chest as I placed my lips at the back of his neck, kissing. I hugged a little tighter as he began exude out more heat as his emotions began to shape into something more familiar and tangible.

He tasted a bit of citrus, like lemon juice mixed with sugar—strong yet smooth at the same time, with just a hint of sourness. As I absorbed all of that, filling me with a little more energy, and used said energy to expand my wings and stretch them further than normal, just enough to reach his thighs. I felt him take a deep breath before coming out ragged. His arousal was getting stronger and stronger, almost barely contained.

“Brad, finish your food,” I ordered.

“You… really can’t expect me to finish with… you… like this.”

I kissed his cheek. “Finish your food.”

I held him close, wings teasingly touching his forming bulge as he ate in rapid pace. The food had him brimming with energy and his arousal was priming it for release. I shuddered to think on how much of that I would take in, how much I’d be filled.

By the time he finished the whole roast and potatoes, and half-finishing the bottle of cider, I released my hold on him. Standing by his side, I let him approach and kiss me. It was a practised motion, familiar, and filled with memory, emotion, and energy. I kissed him back, letting my senses try to absorb everything he was giving me, my tongue automatically entwining with his.

“Living room,” I whispered, rather huskily.

“Yes, ma’am.”

We slowly made our way towards the front of the fireplace, the human finally shedding his clothing, displaying his erection to me for the first time. I moved my wing, lightly touching it, grazing it with a downward motion, only for it to jump back up forcefully as his eyes locked onto mine. I gave him my most sensual smile, lying on my back, and spreading my hind legs for his viewing pleasure.

“Oh, God,” he muttered with a sigh. He knelt down and lowered his head. When his lips touched mine, I felt a jolt, like electricity on contact. It spread all over my lower regions and upwards, making my wings ends stiffen.

Oh, wow. Not a lot of stallions did that. I shuddered, my hind legs resting on his shoulders as I felt him almost nibbling me down there. In his current emotional state, energy trickled out with every kiss and suckle that had my spine and wings tingling. “Oh, Windy… you are beautiful.”

He began kissing my belly, enjoying my scent, my arousal and hunger, as he climbed towards my neck. He used those hands of his to cup my cheeks, his fingers leaving hotspots as more energy poured into me. He made me look into his brown eyes. He wanted me. He desired me. He...

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Show me, Brad,” I whispered. He was so close. I just needed him to come even closer. “Show me how much you love me.”

As he entered me, so did the full brunt of his emotions. We connected directly. For the first time, I felt a human’s Love… and it was amazing. Primarily lust, joy, and need, the citrus taste of his emotion came at full force, seasoned with a bit of saltiness. Then, more surprising emotions came to temper it: frustration and anger of his current day gave it a slight spicy note, and a smoky tinge of regret for taking his frustration out on me.

My forelegs snaked around his head, pulling him closer to me. I needed him closer to me, feeding from his Love, from his emotions. With every pump, I moaned as more energy filled me, which in turn encouraged him to go faster and faster until I heard him scream. His physical and emotional essence began to fill me, which warmed me everywhere, from the tip of my ears, to the tip of my tail.

The human—no, Brad—collapsed on top of me, breathing hard. His energy dimmed a bit, but with the hearty meal he had, I suspected he would be okay with two more feedings. And with the booster in his system, he wasn’t going to stay down for long. I patted him, whispering how much I enjoyed him, how I wanted to feel him again. Sweet warmth engulfed him in minutes, followed by the salty yet smooth flow of his arousal coming to me.

I stood up on all fours, lifting my tail, caressing his groin with a slow tickle. He grunted, his hands roughly slapping my rear, before he grabbed my tail and mane. Waves of more energy came forth, his frustration and anger now stronger as he took me like a wild stallion, pumping me with such speed and ferocity that had both of us screaming. He didn’t last much longer, but still filled me once more with the verisimilitude of his Love that electrified me.

“Holy,” Brad muttered as he plunked down on the carpet, his breathing a little ragged. “Wow, Windy. Oh, wow. God that was…” he gave me a weak smile.

I approached him, kissing his cheek. “One more, Brad. Please?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know if I can last one more.”

I placed my two front hooves on his shoulders and slowly pushed him down on the carpeted floor. I gave him a wicked smile as I moved my tail over his member, caressing him gently. He let loose a deep groan as I felt him harden from my ministration.

“I think you can last one more,” I said. “Let me do the moving this time, sweetie. Just enjoy it.”

Brad nodded, groaning as I teased him a bit more, touching his aching member with my stomach, sliding back and forth.

“Oh, God, Windy…”

After one last slide, I adjusted a bit and guided him into me. I concentrated towards my inner walls, controlling their movement as I caressed him in ways no other lover of another race could. I wriggled around him, upwards and downwards, while adjusting my tightness, trying to find the best way to control his arousal.

This was going to be the last feeding, and I needed him to endure as long as he could.

With every jerk, I was able to absorb more and more energy until it started to wane, which only made me more aware of the flavor of his Love. He was already gritting his teeth, about to cross the threshold.

“Windy,” he whispered. “Oh, God, Windy. Windy. Yes...”

I leaned down, sealed his lips with my own, and whispered, “It’s okay Brad… come into me. Give me everything you can. Love me.”

He couldn’t shout as he came, only grunting with effort as he tried to raise his hips. I grunted as I let my walls move in fast waves that had him shuddering as he lost himself inside me.

I laid on top of Brad, hugging the wonderful asset as he slowly gave into exhaustion. I kissed him on the cheek and neck, rubbing his shoulders as I thanked him for that act and for loving me. I don’t know if he heard my words. He couldn’t even keep his eyes open, slowly drifting to sleep.

It was a minute later when I heard him snore. I checked on him, his breathing, his heartbeat, and made sure that I hadn’t accidentally taken too much of his energy. No, he was safe. A little rest, and a big breakfast tomorrow, he would be alright.

I stayed in position for a while, enjoying the glow and bask of the energy that had me running hot, filled to the brim. There was enough energy inside of me to keep my Cluster fed for… well, three days, if we rationed.

Earth and Stone. Wow. No wonder they started obtaining human assets. The taste of their emotions were so different and balanced, not as overly sweet as the Equestrian Ponies, which made it easier to obtain their energies. Usually, I needed to feed on two pony assets to get this much.

A dark thought entered my mind. What if I stole this human, Brad, away? With the amount of energy he put out, he could potentially be worth risking the ire of the changelings in this Hive and Cluster. I could invent a story on why we moved, or maybe hit him with a memory potion and rebuild him as our own asset. If all else fails, and only if all else fails, we could also just put him in a pod, and extract his love from there. I shuddered to even think that.

I sighed. Okay, maybe it wouldn’t be—

I blinked as I felt eight strong bursts of anger in the room. I immediately went to all-fours, turning around to see eight changelings from the local Cluster, from another Hive, surround me. Judging by the way they shed their hair and showing off their glossy thick carapace, they were prepared for a fight.

“Luminous Firefly,” all of them declared, synchronized, “you have overstayed your welcome.”