Of her irregular group, Sally found her time with Direct to be most rewarding for herself. "Again, try and lasso me."

The changeling did something different this time and Sally felt the lasso start to form around her ankle. She dropped her hand down, interrupting the green beam that was forming, and it faded, allowing her to avoid the effect.

"You know I would jus-" Direct was already starting to form a new spell but Sally laughed and cut him off.

"I know you would… what were you going to do?"

No sooner did she ask than the world turned green. Not like her mind was invaded, no, this was like having a bag of magic pulled over her head and tightened. "This." The words were muffled, and the magic-adept changeling stepped over closer to the struggling human as she fought for air. Slumping down, fighting to keep awake, she saw the green pop and air was given back to her burning lungs.

"That was great. Okay, give me a minute and lets try that one again."

Direct blinked at this. He knew that had almost choked the life from Sally. Her resilience and persistence were surprising him.

At the end of the first week Sally drew the six changelings together and sat down among them. This should have terrified anyone, heck it still sent a shiver down her spine at how adept they were at disabling and dominating. But there was one thing that mattered now.

"You have all improved." Sally looked around them, each looked full of pride with having heard that. "Sweet, you were able to engage and take down six foes." Sally got a slight flutter inside every time she looked at Sweet. It wasn't distracting, but it did make her want things, things a soldier could push away. "Direct, your magic is, without a doubt, one of the scariest things I have had the displeasure of being subject to. Great work. Straight Bolt, you need to rely on lasso less and try other things, or at least use it in other ways. Direct is your new mentor. I want you able to cast the lasso-hood by week's end."

Straight didn't like this. She was an excellent caster and had mastered using multiple lassos at once. But she gave a nod. Sally had shown her how bad it is to have one trick, when with her new trick she had avoided the lasso Straight had sent her way and got close enough to boop Straight on the nose.

"This week, for main training, I want Strong and Hard to spar with everyone. I know you can't compare to them physically, but I want to see each of you come up with ways to disable a strong physical attacker before they do the same to you."

The two brawlers grinned at each other and clopped a holed hoof each. Sweet looked excited at this but Sally shook her head. "You are sparring with me." Sweet looked even more happy. "I need to know… I need to know if there is any way to fight your power."

Sweet opened her mouth but Sharp Mind cut in. "If you expose yourself to her, more and more, the lingering effect increases."

Sally squinted at Sweet, the mare now looking down. "Is this true? Is there a way you could avoid this."

The empath shook her head. "The more you love me, the more of you that continues to."

"It's a risk, but hay, I already like you." Sally blushed, saying that. Why did she say it?

Their run began, each of them finding the easy pace that Sally set. After a week of it their legs all moved in unison, clops from the changelings and soft thumps from Sally's.

When they finished the track, Sharp moved to be with Sally but the woman shook her head. "You spend time sparring too now." The mare did not look happy and sent a glare at Sweet.

"She will behave, won't you Sweet Bite?" Sally reached over pressed her hip against Sweet's shoulder. She had meant it more as an innocent display of togetherness. The warmth of Sweet, however, had Sally blushing.

"I will behave. Will you?" Sweet looked right up to Sally's eyes and the woman was worried for a fraction of a second.

"I already can't stop thinking about you, when I lose focus." Sally admitted it and focused on an old meditation trick to relax herself. "Worse comes to worst, I have to kick you from the squad and take a lot more cold showers."

Sweet froze. "Kick me out? Why?"

"The worst kind of love is one sided. It gets worse still when the one who loves is in a position of power." Sally gestured to herself with one hand. The changeling laughed at this. "What?"

Sweet leaned in, before Sally could think to react, and kissed the woman on the lips, just a light touch. "Who said this was one sided? Never been with a human before."

Sally froze, her eyes going a little crossed as she focused on Sweet's snout, barely an inch from her face. "I… wait, how does that…"

The changeling laughed. "Lets spar. How are we setting rules?"

Sally grinned at this, the safe topic endearing the changeling to her more than ever. "First touch?"

"How about first blood. I am not a weak little pony, you can hit me. And I want to taste your neck again." Sally blushed a little at the changeling's words. There was a not-small part of her that wouldn't mind having her neck tasted…

"Uh, okay…" Sally closed her eyes as she spoke and Sweet cursed. "What's wrong?"

She hadn't opened her eyes again, however. "Clever, but now you can't see me."

Sally dived to the side as she heard the changeling close quickly. Something tightened around her neck and she knew just what had happened. "Okay, you got me-" Sally was trying to give up when there was a weight bearing her down. Eyes still closed, she brought her fists to the sides and started punching the mare.

"Hay!" Sweet jumped off the human, her spell dropped in her haste. "Sneaky, I should have held you at range."

"Then you couldn't bloody me." Sally said it back, needing Sweet to keep talking, betraying her position.

Sally felt that lasso start to form, lifted her hand up to block it while diving for where she could hear hooves shifting. The changeling sidestepped her, narrowly avoiding the strikes. "Just open your damn eyes. Now I know your tricks you can't stop me forever." Sweet tried a new lasso, this one grabbing a leg as she had seen Direct do.

The human was not as ready for this and as she was yanked upside down, she swung out with her fists. "Now what will you do?" Sweet's voice was too far away and Sally knew it. "I could hold you here all day, just waiting for your eyelids to get weak and open."

"Then you are the silly one. You need my eyes open to win, why don't you do something that makes me open them?" Sally was reaching for her trapped ankle, her back muscles flexing as she pulled herself up her leg.

Sally felt herself lowered gently, set down on the ground. "Okay, we are over for now." Sweet walked over to her. "I don't know that kind of spell."

"Then you are working with Direct once Straight has his spell worked out." Sally opened her eyes, the changeling wasn't using anything against her. "The eyes really are the trick, huh?"

Sweet nodded. "Good guess, on that." Sally felt another flutter. Damn but getting a compliment from the mare shouldn't feel that good.

"One weakness I have found, and we will correct for you. The other…"

"You can't fight it, once I have your eyes I have your heart." Sweet sat down beside Sally, leaning a little against the human.

"I need to know if I can…"

Sweet looked at Sally, directly in her eyes. "You want to love me that much?"

Sally blushed at this and shook her head. But it was too quick, too sudden.

"You do. Silly human. You just had to ask." Sweet's words surprised Sally. "I can't stop you from loving me more and more, as I use my power. But it doesn't have to be one sided."

Searching her soul, Sally really wanted to know what was her and what was the changeling's power. Since the power couldn't be excised, would adding more help? "You will be gentle?"

Sweet leaned the short distance and kissed Sally, surprising the woman. "I promise it, I will be everything you want me to be."

Sally blushed hard. "That is what I am afraid of…"

"Then what if we play, just normal fun, first?" Sweet lifted a hoof and rubbed Sally's shoulder, getting a sigh from the mercenary. "Then you can see how you feel after?"

"Now?" Sweet was laying atop Sally, the woman pinned under the changeling.

"Damn it, I want to do it again." The soldier sounded annoyed, but she said it with a rueful smile.

Sweet nodded. "Then we do it again, if you are ready?"

Sally couldn't deny it had been fun. It had also cleared her head a fair bit of the changeling mare. She could tell now what was the unnatural need and what was just being more than a fortnight without a good stallion… guy…

The human blushed. "This world is corrupting me."

Sweet nuzzled the back of her neck, spooning the woman. "Oh, can I help?"

"You are some of the cause." Sally reached a hand down, feeling where flank met her hip. She rubbed the changeling's leg appreciatively. "Some, mind, not all. I was just thinking about how long it has been since I had a good roll in the hay and the first thing that came time mind was 'how long it has been since I was with a stallion'… not a man, a stallion."

Sweet laughed into the close-cropped hair. "Would you like a stallion? I am not called a changeling for nothing, you know."

"Oh, not… not now." Sally felt her cheeks color. At least how they laid it wasn't visible to Sweet. But the idea was planted. "How big are they?" Her blush wouldn't stop, she had given up that. Innocence was not a soldiers stock in trade, their very job was bluntness and the taking of anything innocent.

She felt a slight heat from the mare at her back and there was something pressed against her back, something getting bigger.

"Shit, that big?" She wanted to turn, to look at what Sweet was doing. But she knew if she looked at it she might say no.

Sally limped a little at the run the next morning. Sweet had been her namesake, hadn't used her power on the woman once… her mental power. There was some chuckling and ribbing going on. "You know, captain," they had heard Sally mention the word just once, her former title, "a little of the thinner slug-juice and things are a lot easier."

Looking at the wise arse, Sally grinned. "What's that Direct, you want to run around here and get two laps done before we get one? Sure! Off you go!"

There was plenty of good natured ribbing, when he passed again at least, and the spell-slinger did make it before they did. She was sure she hadn't set a slow pace.

"Okay, more sparring today, Straight, got that spell down?"

The changeling trotted front and center. "Yes!"

Sally dropped into a crouch and grinned. "Lets see it then."

"I thought Direct was joking, you really let him-"

Sally had had enough of the mare's delays and ran at her. The tingle came first, Sally felt the spell start to take hold. It was slow, though. She got her hand up and disrupted the main ring. "Gotta do better than that!" She slammed the side of the pony, rolling her down and crouching over her throat. She looked into a shocked set of eyes. "Keep working on it! Direct!"

The other of the pair of magic users came over, grinning and offering a hoof to Straight. Sally detected an odd rapport between them today that hadn't been there when she first tested them.

"I want you to work with Sweet." There was more than a little terror in the changeling stallion's eyes. "She needs to know some magic that will force someone to open their eyes."

The request, not what he had feared, broke Direct from his fugue. "I… well breathing is the easiest, a collar…"

"She is not fast, something that is harder to defend?" Sally knew she had the right changeling on the job. She looked to Straight, dismissing the rest to spar. "Something different?"

"His spells are different but… they work." The mare sounded impressed, more than derisive. "That collar-bag, can I try again?"

Sally crouched once more. "Bring it, and speed things up!"

Author's Notes:

Hrmm, with the mature tag I could write sex scenes. If readers want them/like them/don't care/hate them/loathe them, comment below :)