Invasion Of The Bug Ponies

by Grey Ghost

Conversion

It was a cool November night, the moon hung over the small town of Ashfell. A young man by the name of Taylor Vasquez yawned as he opened the door to his home.

“Nothing ever happens here,” he muttered. When he stepped inside he was greeted by a messy living room that had pizza and take out boxes scattered in various places. He grumbled to himself and promised that he would clean up the mess in the morning. Again.

“Any pizza left?” he wondered aloud, reaching into the closest box. “Damn...” He pulled his hand back, finding it empty. “Looks like it’s ramen again.” He closed it and stepped around the other boxes to get to the kitchen. He pulled out a cup of instant ramen and started heating up some water.

Taylor plopped into a chair, letting out a long sigh. Looking at the clock, he pulled his phone out, shooting a text to his girlfriend.

he asked, hitting the send button.

”Sure am!”

Taylor smiled at her response, somehow hearing her voice as he read it. ”Yeah, I’m at home too. Kinda bored and lonely right now.”

”Want me to come over?”

”Do you think I’d ever say no to seeing you?” He smirked as he sent the message.

”Be there in a few.”

Taylor grinned and hopped to his feet. He started scooping up the trash in a blur of motion. He tossed it all away in a large black trash bag and tied it off just as the doorbell rang. He wiped some sweat from his brow and quickly fixed his hair as he opened the door.

“Hey!” Jacqueline smiled, looking up at him. She was a little short at 5’0 even, with parts of her black hair dyed green. “I missed you.” Taylor smiled and led her inside.

“I missed you too.” He sat down with her on the couch and kissed her forehead. “So, what’s up with you?”

“Not much, finished up some work. The usual.” She shrugged. “Anything going on with you?”

“Same here really,” he replied, putting an arm around her. “Though I did do a little cleaning before you came over.” He suppressed a chuckle as he said it.

“Such a slob,” she teased, giving him a light shove.

“Like you’re much better,” he shot back, giving her a little shove. “How many times have I had to clear your drain of hair?”

“That was one time!” She pouted at him.

“Heh, you are so easy to tease, Jacky.” He grinned and gave her a peck on the lips. She grumbled, giving him a return kiss. “Oh, and before you call me a bad boyfriend, I’m digging the green.” He ran a hand through her hair.

“Thanks.” She reached up, running her hand through her hair. “I was afraid I’d look bad.”

“I think it’s better than the pink highlights you tried,” Taylor told her. “And you could never look bad.”

“Good to know.” She snuggled up with him, turning to the TV. “Anything good on?”

“If there isn’t then we could always fire up Netflix,” he replied, handing her the remote. She took it, turned on the TV, and began to flip through channels. “Yeesh, there’s nothing but trash as far as the eye can see,” he commented, watching the titles of shows blink by.

“Netflix it is,” she declared, putting the remote down. Taylor got up and grabbed his laptop, turning it on.

“Alright, what are ya in the mood for? Something old or something new?”

“How about we finish up Luke Cage?”

“Sounds good to me.” Taylor grinned and plugged an HDMI cable into his TV and laptop and clicked on the episode they left off on. He then plopped down on the couch next to her. The two cuddled up and watched the show for a few hours. Eventually, Jacky looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

“Hey Tay, is it okay if I stay the night?” She gave him a pleading look.

“Of course.” He gave her a smile, planting a kiss on her head.

“Do you mind sharing your bed?” she asked with a devious grin.

“Nope~” he grinned back.

“Then why are we still on the couch?” she questioned, putting her arms around his neck. He grinned, scooping her into his arms and carrying her upstairs. As soon as he opened the door to the bedroom, her lips crashed into his, her tongue shooting into his mouth. He put himself into the kiss, falling into the bed, wrapping his arms around her. She pulled away from the kiss just long enough to remove her shirt and bra, tossing them across the room and diving back into the kiss.

Taylor closed his eyes, lost to the moment. It didn’t take long for the two of them to undress each other, their hands exploring one another. Focused solely on her body, he didn't notice her glowing eyes. Before he knew what was happening, he felt something attach itself to his face.

Taylor jerked back,pawing at his face. He tumbled off the bed, starting to panic. He looked up at Jacqueline who was smirking down at him. She opened her mouth and spat out a green goo, cementing his feet to the floor.

“What the fuck?!” He shouted, his voice muffled. Jacky continued to smirk as she was surrounded by green flames. When they died down Jacky was gone, replaced by a strange bug-horse.

“No need to be afraid, Tay,” the bug-horse cooed in a sickly sweet voice. “I'm going to make you better.”

“What are you?!” Taylor growled, trying to pry himself off the floor. “And what did you did you do with Jacky?!”

“Don't worry about her,” the bug laughed, “She’s nice and snug in her cocoon.”

“And what the hell did you mean by “better”?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I'm going to make you one of us.” The bug flittered down to the floor, trotting over to him.

“And I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and say that you're gonna put me in a cocoon to do that,” he guessed, still struggling.

“Exactly.” It chuckled, binding his arms to his sides. “Now just relax, this won't hurt a bit.”

“Why are you doing this?” Taylor asked, looking into the bug-horse’s pupiless eyes.

“Our queen commands it. It will be done.” The bug began to weave a sickly green substance around him, starting at his feet. Taylor continued to struggle, but doing so seemed to make the substance even stronger. Before he knew it, his entire body was coated in it.

“Just relax,” the bug cooed, encasing his head and sealing him in. With a grunt of effort, the bug grabbed onto the cocoon, sticking it firmly to the ceiling.

“Oh yeah, relax while you turn me into a freaky bug,” Taylor said with a roll of his eyes. “Great advice.” Taylor sighed, taking stock of his prison. The cocoon was rather snug, being half an inch at most away from his body. It was strangely warm, like a gooey blanket. Despite himself, the warmth seemed to be lulling him to sleep. Taylor tried to fight it, but his eyelids started to droop. He fell asleep, barely aware as his body started to go numb.

Time seemed to lose all meaning, and sleep came sporadically. The only hint he had that time was even passing was the wane in the light that managed to leak in. The bug occasionally checked up on him, always offering some encouragement.

During one of his brief periods of awareness, two voices reached his ears.

“I'm telling you something is wrong,” his caretaker spoke, obviously worried. “The queen hasn’t been out of contact for this long before.”

“She’s probably just busy with a larger urban center or something,” the other voice replied. “She has been out of contact for a day or two before.”

“It's been a week,” his caretaker argued, “Do you see how bloated that cocoon is?”

‘Are they talking about me?’ Taylor shifted in his cocoon. The gooey prison had become rather comforting, even if it was a prison.

“That's not normal!” Caretaker hissed. “The queen needs to know about it, as soon as possible.”

“Do you wish to be the one to do it?” the other changeling argued. “You know how she reacts to complications. Especially if she is running into trouble of her own.”

“Would you rather she not know?” Caretaker snapped. The two fell silent and Taylor somehow knew they had shivered. “The buck was that?”

’Do they know I’m awake?’ Taylor thought, closing his eyes. At this point, he didn’t really care. The two faded out, quickly being replaced by a chorus of whispering voices.

He had no idea if it was a symptom of his changes, but he didn't mind the whispers. They often lulled him back to sleep. He never could make out what they were saying exactly, but it always relaxed him. There was something almost familial about the voices. He smiled despite the situation, drifting off again.

Another of his awake periods came, and he became aware that someone was touching his cocoon.

“Taylor?” a familiar voice asked. “I hope you’re okay in there.”

“Jacky, is that you?” Taylor asked, unable to see through his cocoon anymore. It had started to become rather constricting, the formerly spongy material starting to become taut. “Are you one of them now?”

“We both are,” she replied. “The others are getting worried about you.”

“I’m more worried about you. You’ve been one longer than me.” Taylor had no idea when Jacky had been replaced, but, she had obviously been out of her cocoon for far longer.
“Do you still feel like you?”

“I...think so...” Her reply sounded a little too unsure for Taylor’s liking. “Are you okay? You've been in there for almost a month.”

“Okay is kinda the wrong thing to be asking a guy in a cocoon,” he replied with a weak chuckle. He grunted, repositioning himself as best he could. “But I can think clearly, and whatever’s happening to me doesn’t hurt.”

“I'll be looking after you for awhile,” she told him, her voice perking up. “The old guy left try and contact the Queen.”

“I’m at least glad to hear your voice again.” He smiled, knowing she couldn’t see it. “Can you tell me what’s going on out there?”

“Most of the town has been turned into bugs. They've been replacing people in secret. I don't think they actively want to hurt anyone.”

“Oh yeah, they just want to assimilate us like they’re the goddamned Borg,” he deadpanned. “That’s way better.”

“I'm not happy about this either.” She sighed, sounding rather tired. “I have to go to work. I'll be back soon okay? The older bugs are getting antsy. They haven’t heard back from their leader in a while.”

“I heard a couple of the bugs mentioning that the last time I was awake,” he commented, trying and failing to shift in the cocoon. “They were saying that it wasn’t like her to be out of contact for long periods of time.”

“I love you too.” He felt her touch the cocoon again before her footsteps faded away. Taylor let out a long sigh, wishing he knew what was happening to him. Not knowing what else to do, he reached out to the whispers and closed his eyes. Sleep quickly claimed him, though he could swear that he faintly heard the word “Queen” before drifting off.

When he next awoke, Taylor was much more aware of himself. His cocoon was tight and he suddenly had the urge to get out. He moved his arms and legs, trying to break through his prison. Surprisingly, the cocoon gave way and his limbs broke through. He thrashed his head, somehow tearing a hole in the side. He let out a hiss, unaccustomed to the light.

“Taylor.... is that you?” Jacky’s voice spoke, off to his left. He didn't get a chance to respond as the cocoon gave out, dropping him to the floor with a thud.

“Ow...” Taylor moaned, taking the moment to just lay on the floor. Jacqueline quickly scrambled over to him and helped him to his feet. The first thing he noticed as he opened his eyes was how much taller he was than her. “Heh, even as a bug you're still short.”

“I’m normal sized for a changeling.” Jacqueline paused, looking up at him. She tilted her head quizzically, much like a dog. “You’re just tall. And um, have you noticed that you… sound different?”

“Different?” He blinked, taking a moment to take stock of himself. As soon as she pointed it out he realized that his voice seemed more, feminine. “Okay, what the fuck?”

“I don’t know why, but I think you’re a girl now,” she said carefully.

“... Seriously?” he asked, his eye twitching.

“I could get you a mirror if you want,” she offered.

“Please.” She nodded and quickly galloped off. She returned a few minutes later with a hand mirror in her mouth.

“Thanks.” He leaned in, taking in his new appearance. Unlike Jacky, his eyes still appeared normal, though now they were aquamarine and had cat-like pupils. His hair, which he still had, was the same color. His horn was long and crooked, ending in a sharp point. Like her, he had a pair of fangs that poked out from his muzzle. “Well aren't I attractive?”

“You’re taking this better than I thought you would,” Jacky said around the mirror.

“How am I supposed to react?” he asked with a frown.

“Well, I dunno,” she admitted, her ears flattening to her head. “My gender didn’t change with my species.”

“Do you still have one?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes, I am still a girl,” she huffed, pouting up at him. “Thanks for the doubt by the way. That sure made me feel pretty.”

“I don't know, this is surreal okay?” he snapped, frowning back at her. “I got turned into some kind of bug horse. I don’t know how to process this!”

“You’re right.” Jacky put her hooves up in a soothing gesture. “This is a lot. It’s like we’re living in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” She deflated, a long sigh escaping her lips.

“Hey, at least they didn't suck out our insides.” He pulled her into a hug, nuzzling her head.

“Yeah, and they didn’t separate us.” She leaned against his chest. “I don’t think I’d be holding up this well if they had.”

He petted her head fin, taking a deep, calming breath. The world was going insane. Alien bug horses had invaded his town, a little speck of nothing, and turn everyone into more of them. Taylor prayed silently, asking anyone that would listen to make it all just go away.

The two continued to stay close together for awhile, until Jacky put a hoof on his chest. “I think we need to tell the others about you getting out of the cocoon.”

“Do you have to?” Taylor gazed down at her, giving her his most pleading, pathetic look. Luckily, she buckled under his assault.

“I guess we could just keep it our secret for now,” she told him with a soft smile. He smiled back, placing a kiss on her lips. She giggled and returned it. “Kissing with fangs is weird,” she noted.

“Yeah, pretty weird.” They both burst into giggles, renewing their cuddle session.

“And you finally got me to kiss another girl,” she teased.

“Haha.” He rolled his eyes with a smile. “So... Why don't you get me up to speed?”

“The entire town has been changed now,” she informed. “And I think it’s spreading across the state.”

He frowned at that knowledge but put it off for now. “You said we were changelings?”

“That’s what the original drones called us,” she replied. “Isn’t that like a mythical creature?”

“I think so.” He frowned, looking at the now broken cocoon. “Why are they doing this?”

“I don’t know the specifics,” she started, “but I overheard that they wanted to increase their numbers quickly for some invasion.”

“Lovely.” He got up, taking a shaky step toward the door. Jacky stuck to his side, keeping him from falling.

“Yeah, it took me awhile to get used to walking on all fours too,” she offered with a smile. He smiled back, trying to wrap his mind around their situation.

“How is everyone?” If he was too freaked out to actual process what was going on, he could only image what this would be like for a child. The thought made him shiver.

“Pretty confused and a little scared,” she admitted. “I mean, we’ve all been kidnapped and changed into shapeshifting bugs. Though there are one or two people who like the changes.”

“Seriously?” he asked, staring at her in disbelief.

“The old people like that they don’t feel old anymore,” she explained. “And then there was that one guy who said he didn’t feel comfortable in his own skin says he likes being able to turn into anything.”

“Right...” He nodded. “And none of them are like me?”

“No, you’re the only one that’s like this,” she explained. “They kept saying that something was odd about your transformation. I mean, you were in there like ten times longer than anyone.”

“It's all just a haze.” He frowned. “Lots of sleep. I kept hearing these voices though.”

“That’s the hivemind,” she told him. “We all can communicate to each other without words using that.”

“So... Borg. Great.” He paused, a thought occurring to him. “You know, the last time I fell asleep, I recall hearing a single word.”

“What word was that?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Queen.”

Her face scrunched up in thought. “That could mean two different things as far as I know. Some of the original drones have been buzzing about the queen hearing about your prolonged change. And the other thing is that I heard a drone whispering that you might be a queen yourself.”

“...What?” He blinked, the thought bringing his mind to a halt. The first thing he could think up was the hive scene in Aliens, with himself in place of the Xenomorph queen, constantly pumping out eggs. He shuddered, thoroughly disgusted by the idea.

“Did you just picture the Xenomorph queen?” Jacky asked with a giggle.

“It's not funny!” He snapped. “I don't want to spend the rest of my life laying eggs!” His new wings buzzed furiously, a high pitched whine filling the air. Jacky lowered her head in response.

“Sorry,” she said, her ears pinning to the top of her head. But you won’t have to,” she assured him, looking up to meet his gaze. “The queen isn’t the only one that lays eggs. However, she’s the only one that produces royal jelly to make new queens.”

“And you know that because?”

“They gathered all us new changelings and explained things to us,” she answered, shuddering slightly. “So I got the changeling version of sex-ed.”

“That's rough.” He frowned, pulling her close. “So, what do we do now?”

“Aside from eventually telling the drones about you, not much,” she said with a shrug. “The hive beneath the town is done so I don’t have any real responsibilities until breeding season comes around.”

“TV still work?” he asked, gesturing to said device.

“Yes it does,” she said with a smile. “Wanna cuddle on the couch, get drunk and make fun of those cheesy shark movies?”

“Yes, please. I would like that a lot.” He nodded eagerly. “Anything to forget this stuff for a bit.”

“You’re gonna love this.” She grinned and rushed to the kitchen. “I was able to snag all the best booze from the liquor store because of all this craziness.” She opened up the fridge, grabbed a couple bottles and curled up on the couch. He joined her, curling up besides her. Luckily for them, the laptop was still hooked up so neither of them had to get up as Jacky put on a movie.

“Least we don't have to pay bills huh?” he joked, laying his head on her side.

“And we still have each other,” she added. “Even if that means we're lesbians now,” she teased.

“I guess it does,” he laughed, kissing her cheek. She returned the gesture, settling in on the couch and passed Taylor a bottle. He took it from her, awkwardly taking a sip.

“Dammit!” he muttered, a good portion of it running down his front. Jacky frowned and wiped it up for him.

“Sorry, I should’ve given you a crash course on how to use hooves.”

“Don't worry about it,” he assured her, getting comfy again. “We have all the time in the world.”

“Yeah, we do.” She nuzzled into his chest. He relaxed, glad to have a bit of normalcy at least. Hours passed and the two of them fell asleep on the couch curled up against one another.

A shout of surprise brought Taylor out of dreamland, getting a loud groan in response. “Why are people shouting?” he asked, cracking an eye open.

“I dunno,” Jacky replied, her own eyes slowly opening. “Let’s see what’s going on in the hivemind.”

“And how do I do that?” he asked quizzically.

“The same way you heard those whispers in the cocoon,” she explained, her brow furrowing in concentration. He watched her for a moment before closing his eyes. It only took a moment for the whispers to come, filling his thoughts. This time though, he could make out words. Bits and pieces at first and the number of voices was staggering.

He marveled in wonder at the jumble of voices, suddenly feeling very small in comparison.

“Oh no,” Jacky said suddenly. “Someone checked in on us while we were asleep. They’re talking about you being a queen.”

“You understand that mess?” he asked, cracking an eye open to look at her.

“I’ve had more time to adjust,” she reminded him. “I’ve learned how to focus on one voice at a time.”

“What's the general consensus?” he asked hesitantly.

“It’s hectic to say the least. A lot of the townspeople and even some of the original drones want you to lead a new hive. And then there are others that are arguing for the old queen.”

“I'm not even a bug horse for a day and I'm causing a civil war.” Taylor started to pace, feeling his anxiety skyrocket.

“Tay, you need to stay calm,” she said, putting a hoof on his side. “Panicking won’t help. Staying calm, laying low and seeing how this plays out is our best bet.”

“Oh sure, I get turned into horse queen. I’ll just sit down and have some tea, nothing to panic about at all.”

“Tay, we can get through this. I know it’s crazy.”

“Jacky, this is beyond crazy. Its fucked,” he corrected, a harsh edge to his voice.

“Okay, and how does freaking out help?” she questioned with a frown.

“I don't know!” he snapped, his voice quivering. Jacky’s look softened and she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll get through this, no matter how it turns out. You trust me, right?”

“Yeah, I trust you.” He looked into her eyes, his ears clamped against his head. She wrapped her hooves around him, nuzzling him and offering what comfort she could. He hugged her back, not wanting to let her go.

Comments

[Ratmandango]

This is odd...

...But the good odd.

[mastermenthe]

good stuff! upvoted

[Chrome Masquerade]

[ShadowStar0]

Interesting... Veeeery interesting... It's a bit early for me to say it's a fave, but I do quite like what I'm seeing so far. I'll track this for now, let's see where it goes.

[Canary In The Coal Mine]

I'm interested to see how this develops. I can only assume that converted changelings are compelled in some manner to cooperate and not blow the entire thing wide open as soon as they are released.

The big question that comes up is where the changelings get their love energy from, considering the entire town was converted.

I can't help but wonder if the changed people of the town try to go through their everyday life as changelings like they did before in some manner, or if they now have new jobs and directives. I believe it was hinted that a hive was constructed by them under the town, so perhaps they were appropriated entirely for alien tasks to their former existences.

[Razzy]

Interesting... I hope Chryssie is alright, though.

[Vaalintine]

I can't imagine the original changelings that tried to take the town over to be used as shocktroops will be regarded very well. Them not facing repercussions from the new queen wouldn't feel right.

[MattTOB]

he asked, hitting the send button.

What'd he say?

[KvAT]

The weird premise aside, the dynamic between Taylor and Jackie is very, VERY well done.