A Penny for your thought

by Damaged

63 - Family

The drones at the hive looked surprised at the arrival. Their usual weekly guests were well known and expected. The changeling drone with them was a surprise.

"I will fetch the queen!" One of the guards exclaimed and darted off into the hive, leaving its partner to keep Stick, Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee company.

Stick noticed how nervous the other changeling looked and instead of trying to engage the poor drone, turned to Fancy and Fleur. "I am so glad there are good ponies helping to support the hive, I feel a little selfish keeping Penny all to myself, but she keeps me too so I guess I don't really have a choice."

Fancy looked at Fleur and smiled, his monocle chain jostling a touch. "Isn't it always the way?" The look he got back from the unicorn would have had Cadance squeeing in delight.

The sound of hooves inside got all their attention and Princess Fast Change opened the door and, in all her changeling glory, all-but pounced on Stick. Reaching out and hugging the drone tightly, she barely noticed her other guests. "My most well-traveled drone returning after saving an empire!"

It was overstatement, but that didn't stop Stick from feeling so very good at getting praise from her queen. "And my queen has become a princess, we both have changed." She shot Fast a look that the bigger changeling deciphered as needing privacy to talk more. "And I escorted two delightful guests."

Fast had long since gotten the measure of Fancy and Fleur, at least so she thought. They both did keep surprising her with their business acumen. "And welcome guests they are. Fancy Pants," she dipped her head, "Fleur Dis Lee," and again for the mare, "as always, you are welcome in my hive."

All the changelings present had to struggle not to feed from the couple, Fast had noticed of late their love for each other had grown more and more.

"Please, come in, I will have some tea brewed." Fast turned and led the way into the structure reserved for her hive. "You aren't looking for any investors still, Fancy?" Fast had to try, she had been wanting a little action for the funds she had been slowly accruing with her business in love and labor.

"Oh dear me, can we leave the business talk until after tea?" Fleur countered Fast's attempt at cornering her husband easily. "I do so wish to talk about the upcoming fancy dress ball, I was hoping, if your highness would allow, to attend disguised as a changeling from your hive?"

All thoughts of business were pushed aside as Fast Change brightened at the idea. "Oh that would be so devious, are you sure you aren't really a changeling? I wouldn't tell anypony…" The compliment to Fleur's intelligence was taken as it was intended, and she gave a happy laugh.

Stick was washed along in the conversation, lost in this odd sea that apparently high-society ponies managed to sail with little trouble. Fancy noticed the lost-looking drone's lack. "Oh you really should just let them go, I do, Fleur makes the decisions when it comes to what I wear to such things."

The drone giggled and nodded. "I think I still need to order some things for Penny, I had gotten her to agree to me buying her some dresses, but that was before the debacle in the Crystal Empire. I haven't had the chance to get to them."

It was a leader that delivered the tea, one Stick knew well from her time in Chrysalis' hive. "Stand!" The drone couldn't stop herself rushing to the other changeling and giving them a hug. It was like meeting lost family and, to Stick's delight, she realized it was because they were.

Stand In hugged the drone back. "And look at you, you have some holes, care to explain?" Their tone was only a touch disapproving. It was hard for Stand to challenge a drone on the matter when they themselves had only recently shed that aspect.

Stick stood back a little and dipped her horn, showing the small hole in it. "These are badges of honor!" She clopped a hoof on the floor of the room. Stick was so focused on her defense she didn't notice Fast and the unicorn couple had paused their conversation to listen. "When Shining Armor was hurt, I promised Princess Cadance I wouldn't let any umbrum sneak past me. I had to drink a little from everypony who came to his room, in case the shapeshifter who hurt him returned. They did."

The leader looked surprised and smiled, discovering one of the hive's drones had carried out such a special task. "I take it the prince was not harmed further?"

Stick nodded, conviction in her eyes. "I wouldn't let the princess down."

It was only then Stick realized how quiet it was in the room and she turned around, blushing, to her queen.

Fast smiled warmly to Stick. "You really have been quite the ambassador of my hive, haven't you?" She held out a leg and the drone didn't hesitate to rush over and hug the center of her hive's existence. "I believe I will need to draft a letter to Princess Cadance, inquiring if my drone was sufficiently useful. I may even let you have the reply."

Stick blushed at this and settled easily against the mare. Fast's reputation was celebrated by the changelings of her hive, but still, Stick had just one mare she ever wanted to be with in those ways. The hug was much more than that, anyway, it was like she was with her mother.

"I think you broke her." Fleur gestured with a hoof to Stick's startled expression.

Fast tilted her head down and nosed at Stick's mane. "You okay?"

Stick looked up, nuzzling under Fast Change's jaw in a way that had the princess quite surprised. "Yes… mom…"

To say Fast was startled at the use of the maternal honorific was an understatement, but the surprise faded. Was that really how Stick felt, she wondered, was it how she felt as well? She didn't let go of the drone.

---

Penny had had to take a bath on her own, which saddened her a little. Stick had been out most of the day visiting her hive. When the changeling returned and found the unicorn relaxed on their bed with a book in front of her she beamed. "Such a good little student, how was class?"

The book folded closed. "It was good, I spent the morning on getting stronger, wow that is a strange way of training. But it all makes sense I guess. In the afternoon I was sent to a foal school, to pick up some books." Penny blushed furiously. "I thought they would be silly things, but this history is amazing!"

Stick trotted over the small room to the bed and climbed up beside Penny. "You have an different taste, when you study. It is like you… oh no, you love reading that much?" She lifted a hoof to her forehead in a way Fleur would be proud of. "I am lost, my mare stolen by something with a weaker spine than I…"

Penny shook her head and booped Stick on the nose. "Very funny. Yes, I love reading, but I love you only a tiny bit less." Stick giggled and kissed Penny, apparently trying to outdo her page-filled rivals. "Okay, maybe the same." Penny conceded.

It wasn't long before the pair were doing things that had Penny, at last, admitting that maybe Stick was more fun than books.

Laying together, Stick nuzzled the unicorn's ear. "Your cycle should be well over, but I notice you not objecting… even enjoying, 'that kind of thing' still." The drone certainly didn't mind, no-sir-ee.

"Loosening up to it? Hormones from pregnancy? Love for my mate? A body less wired to dislike it? All of the above?" Penny tilted her head, her horn rotating to Stick's muzzle now. The changeling gave it a kiss and a lick, leaving the unicorn very distracted.

"Oh ho, I have found your off switch!" Stick sounded triumphant.

Penny got her senses back and tried to tilt her head up to Stick. "What do you me-eeeeeaaaaan…" Her world melted as Stick's mouth worked over her horn, the combination of mood and her lover's touch making the normally sensitive organ even more so.

"Gotcha…" Stick settled herself, lips working, teasing and playing with her special somepony's horn. Penny tried weakly to get her to stop, but it just felt so relaxing and good.

---

Fast noticed the extra cables and boxes around the machine. "You improved it?"

Twilight beamed in the way she always did when not only was her geeky side revealed, but appreciated. "Of course, it can now take images much faster and I can set up a trigger for it that relies on magic levels." She gestured with a hoof to different boxes as she spoke.

The changeling princess was impressed. "Okay, so you want to test it on me shifting?" Twilight's nod would melt Fast's heart, it was so adorable to see her geeking out like this. "Okay, so I stand in the usual spot, here." Fast turned and did so, her black body feeling much more her own now. "Tell me when you are ready."

Her horn glowing as she adjusted the machine, Twilight looked over to Fast, slipping her goggles on. "Go for it!"

As soon as the changeling began to shift the machine began to rumble. The flames of transformation flowed over Fast Change, her hide revealed to be alabaster white behind it. Fast grinned as the flames finished their task, leaving her standing as a tall, alicorn stallion. On her flank was a picture of a changeling's head sticking out their tongue.

"How is this?" Fast's voice was deeper, coming from the larger barrel of a stallion. She spread her wings up, the feathers revealing a tint of blue to them. Her mane of yellow hair was tossed to one side.

Twilight gulped, looking up at the larger pony before her. "You, uh… oh!" She spun back to her machine and started retrieving paper cards from it. "Yes! It worked perfectly. Look, you can see how your magic flows down through your body, feeding the flames as they rush over you!"

Fast Change had an excited alicorn mare at her side, showing her the pictures. She was excited for the pictures, though. The changeling realized just how distracted the princess could get when science was involved. "Want me to go the other way?"

Twilight seemed to snap her attention from the pictures, realizing she was pressed in against a very handsome stallion. The blush was immediate but she had a problem, Fast had one of those big wings draped over her back. Twilight realized she was at least a little trapped by Fast.

"I can't do this…" The wing lifted and Fast stepped away. "Tell me when you want me to shift back."

The thudding of her heart slowed in Twilight's chest. Had Fast given up so easily? "Okay." She made her way over to the machine, setting it up to trigger again.

There was an elephant in the room now, and boy it was a big one. Twilight retrieved the cards from the machine again. Trotting over to Fast Change, she consciously leaned in now, relaxing a little from her first shocked experience with the queen changeling's shape-changing ability.

Fast blinked, unable to focus on what the mare was talking about. "Fast, are you listening?" The signals were not quite mixed. Fast had accepted that Twilight wasn't ready for quite that push, but the closeness spoke of a comfort with her presence now.

"For once, I wish I had been named Slow." The changeling gave a little sigh and looked down at her pictures, the odd pony-silhouette with a riot of colors playing over it. "Now, what was that, you said something about natural magic?"

Fast knew her chasing of Twilight was almost an infatuation now, but darn it if the mare didn't prove, every time they met, how worth it she was.

Author's Note:

I totally can't read the title without saying it in Vin Diesel's voice. Damn fast'n'furious.

Some love, some insight into the characters, some very frustrated changeling queen trying to work out how she feels about having to really chase a mare, rather than having them simply swoon into their grip.

Support me on Patreon or fuel my writing on Ko-Fi!

Join me on Discord. Warning, said chat may contain NSFW material and should be considered adult in nature.

Comments

[harts fire]

hum me thinks some one is getting a bit warm under the mane.

[tsaukpaetra]

Everyone's getting pretty comfortable.
Keep going! ;)

[Daremo]

look her got - look he got
drone tight she barely - drone tight, she barely
was intended and she - was intended, and she
*****
Loved the way that family became one of the themes in this chapter. It's very much like a warm, comfy blanket to wrap around my mind and relax.

Fast Change and Twilight Sparkle, is it a ship destined to sail or a friendship destined to last the ages. Maybe both!

And 12 points to Stick for using 'debacle' in a sentence during casual conversation.

[Damaged]

6988013 Stick is learning at a frightening rate, I shudder to think how that changeling would fare if given the internet. We wouldn't have a hope against her...

Sorry for the slow response on the edits tonight, was caught doing code work for Mr Silver. Tell me, have you ever written a forth program that uses HTTP to update a wiki from data stored in a MUCK? It is absolute madness

[Daremo]

6988569
It's been nearly 20 years since I've dabbled in a MUCK. I never really learned MUF, though I did use MPI to trigger lists to give my characters more detailed descriptions.

What you are doing is generations removed from my experience and is frankly amazing to me.

[Daremo]

6988569
Also, now I have to wonder if there is a Silververse MUCK out there somewhere?

[Damaged]

6988687 Basically, as staff do tasks, we make a comment in the "Update" channel about what happened. This code automatically uploads that to a wiki page and maintains links and such, so that no one need ever edit the things again.

6988689 Putting in a lot of hard work and design, only to get a C&D at the end? No thank you.

[Daremo]

6989686
Sounds simple in concept, which means it must be mind boggling complex in application, as you've already stated outright.

Is this something open to the general public? If so, are you at liberty to tell me where I can see for myself? This is the first I've been made aware that something cool is out there and you've piqued my curiosity.

[Damaged]

6989764 You mean the code? Sadly it is mostly closed source and on the server, you would need a staff account to really get into programming with it.

[Vutava]

"I will fetch the queen!" One of the guards exclaimed and darted off into the hive, leaving it's partner to keep Stick, Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee company.

its

[Damaged]

7108892 Thank you, may I have another?

[erictheblue]

Penny tilted her head, her horn rotating to Stick's muzzle now. The changeling gave it a kiss and a lick, leaving the unicorn very distracted.
"Oh ho, I have found your off switch!" Stick sounded triumphant.

groan...i am, again, reminded of an x-rated fan-comic called, "the usual", and a scene where Pinkie does that to Twilight.