A human finds herself carried away from earth and trapped in a changeling hive.
Sally Gailor, a daughter of a mercenary, from a family of mercenaries. She was running a small skirmish in one of the more exciting parts of the world when a mysterious and capricious being decided she really should be in Equestria.
Taken to a dark cave, her gun her only companion, she meets her first denizen. A changeling.
Prequel to Wild and free This is going to be quite a bit darker than my other stories. So if rainbows make you cry, avoid. Set in (though distant from Equestria itself) the Silver Verse.
"Come on Sally, they pay you real good." The woman, barely recognizable as such thanks to the fatigues she was almost done putting on, was tightening straps around her left leg. Her knee had taken a bit of shrapnel a few years ago and now needed a little more support than a knee bandage would give.
"Hey, merc, you ready to work for your pay?" Her sergeant poked his head in her tent. There was no privacy in this line of work.
She was reaching for her gun when there was a bleep from the sat phone beside it. "Oh damn it, what now." Her hand reached for the comms device instead. "Who the hell sends a text to these things? Costs em a fortune, might as well just ring me." She turned it back off without even reading it.
She picked up her gun and was reaching for a magazine for it when the thing bleeped again. "You might as well read it now."
"Shut it Perkins." Sal was upset. Nothing worse than getting upset before a job. Picking the phone back up, she sat her gun down in it's place. "The hell…" She read the message.
'Where do you want to go?'
It was an unknown number, but there was a number. On a lark she typed back. 'Anywhere but here.' She made to set the phone back down when it beeped again.
'Perfect, is there anything you want to bring with you? It must be something you own and I warn, the more useful the item the less desirable your destination.'
"Like I would go anywhere without my gun-" Sally had been about to continue when she felt the presence of her gun, familiar and weighty. It was like night had fallen suddenly, there was darkness all around her.
She reached for where she had set down the mag for her gun and couldn't feel the table. "Okay, very funny, what is going on here?" She fell forward, and with instinct born of training, she rolled and was on a knee, her gun raised. It felt light, though. "Damn damn damn." Sally reached for where her combat tack would normally have her spares but she remembered, she was about to go to their ammo dump to grab them.
"What's this?" The voice she heard in that dark place had an odd sound to it, like an undertone of what a cricket sounds like.
Slinging her gun around to her back, she reached for her blade instead, the old bayonet coming free into her hand. "Whoever you are, keep back." She wove the blade in front of her.
"Silly pony." The voice chittered to her. "What makes you think I am not at your back, already?"
The words floated and she turned to follow them until she was looking behind herself. "Damn it, you touch me and I am going to make your world hurt."
A flash of green flame just out of reach highlighted the speaker. If only for a moment. Sally was off guard suddenly. "The hell, a pony?"
There was a deeper green glow and the shape was outlined again. This time the glow came from the pony's horn, a curved and black thing. Sally started to feel light headed, her world seemed to spin and for a moment before she started to fold in on herself, she swore her vision started to turn green.
Sally was dreaming, she had to be. Her family, she knew they were dead, but in this dream they weren't, they were all near her, they hugged her and told her everything would be alright. It was hard not to want it to be real and she let herself relax into the dream. It couldn't hurt after all. It seemed like days in her dream, just in a gloriously happy, relaxed state. But it wouldn't last, it never could. Nothing so nice could. Coughing and spluttering, Sally spat out the green goop that had filled her mouth.
"Come on, out you get." More chittering words.
Her vision slowly cleared, faster when she wiped the goop from her face. It was another of those dark black… ponies. They had blue bug-like, multifaceted eyes, green insectile wings and a horn.
"New food are always the worst." Her hand was gripped in a green glow as the creature's horn had a glowing leash trailing to it. The leash jumped to secure at her neck. "You can't stay in the pod, it will hurt you, get out, food."
She felt drained, her legs were weak and… naked. Thoughts, horrible thoughts, filled her head. But she steeled herself against them, if they intended that, they would do it regardless of if she tried to hide herself or not. A tug at that leash told her all she needed to know. She was a captive. "Food?"
"Yes, you are."
She crawled from the dark pod-like thing she had been in, the inside was full of green goop and she could see another pony, this one yellow with a green mane, being led toward the pod by another of the black-creatures.
"No, I mean I am hungry." She lifted her head and sniffed. The green stuff smelled vaguely sweet, but she couldn't pick up much of anything from the insect-pony.
"Yes, you get fed. You eat food, we eat you."
Sally stiffened. "You… eat me?" The creature turned back and looked at her and the mercenary suddenly felt something inside her head, it was like there was teeth, sharp and long. They bit into a part of her, deep inside.
"Ugh, no taste good. Better in your pod." The fangs left her awareness.
"You don't mean to actually eat me, do you? What do you eat?" She trembled a little as she got up to follow the pony, her legs moving automatically. When it was inside her, doing whatever it tried, she could barely move.
"Love, happiness." The insect-pony flashed it's fangs as it chittered to her. "You tasted really good in there. Queen herself sampled."
Sally thought this over. She was weak but they seemed inclined to take care of their 'food'. "If I stay in too long, it hurts me?" The pony nodded. She looked back to see the new occupant being sealed in and many more of the insect-ponies coming out and standing around the pod, some licking their lips and fangs. "You treat your food well?"
"Of course, if food dies, we have no food."
"What's your name?" She tried to make a little more contact with the creature, walking faster so the leash shortened.
"Food not need to know names. Food just be happy and think happy." She felt a petting on the top of her head. Indignity started to flare and, if she wasn't quite as naked as she was, she might have tried to fight.
Struggling to calm her temper, she quickly decided to try and work on the facts. She was trapped here. They had some kind of… well, magic. There seemed to be a lot of them. They had a ruler.
As she worked, she was led to a chamber in the caves they had been walking through, there was a fence at the entrance but it wasn't anything actually secure. "Stay here or be hunted, I take it?"
The insect-pony nodded. "And no food for a day. Be good, we give extra food and let you relax in pod, rather than eat every time."
Sally had to bide her time. She had nothing to even try and fight back with, except her mind.
The contents of the cave was a mixed bag. She was the only human, it seemed, but there were more of those non-insect ponies, as well as what looked like a big dog made from sticks and a small swarm of bunnies. "Uh, hi?"
One of the ponies lifted a head, tilting it to the side. "Hi." Their reply lacked any real conviction. Sally had to assume it just meant, to them, that someone else was trapped.
Sally crouched down. She needed information. "Where are we?"
The pony who replied to her greeting looked at her with some interest now. "We were all just farmers. If you get out, head north, and keep heading north. That will help you better than any description I can give you, I think. I'm Apple Stew." The pony stepped closer and lifted a hoof.
Not sure what to do about the obvious greeting, Sally ended up lifting a hand, balling it up and bopping the end of the hoof. "Sally Gailor." It was hard not to give a little smile, the creature was quite adorable. "Guess I'm not in Kansas no more?"
"I don't know where that is, but we are quite a ways south of Equestria, are you cold?"
Sally had started to shiver a little, her smooth flesh not as resistant to the chill of the caves as the pony's coat of fur.
"Clear Skies, can you come over here?" Apple gestured to one of the other ponies, one with wings.
Sally looked startled. "Pegasus? I really am a long way from home, or I took a good thump to the head." The other pony looked a little lost. "Is… he, is he okay?"
Apple Stew shook her head. "He has been here a long time. He was the reason the changelings started pulling us out and giving us rest times. His taste soured and he can't think very well anymore. Clear, can you wrap your wing around Sally?"
The stallion looked at Apple a few moments but stepped closer to Sally and in a moment it felt like she was wrapped in feathers, because she was. There was warmth there too, and Sally decided that be damned if it was odd and leaned into the pony. She reached up and rubbed one of his ears, getting a surprised gasp from the stallion before he leaned into it.
"He likes you." Apple grinned at this. "Are you the type who is going to try and run?"
Sally sighed and nodded. "I gotta try, this isn't the life for me."
"Thought as much. If you need help, we can give it so far as not leaving our pen."
The food brought to her was simple stuff. A thin porridge made from water and oats, some berries and a small pile of apples.
"Thank you." Sally looked up to the changeling who had brought it. It never hurt to say that, not even now. The oats were warm and the heavy food settled well in her. "This the normal fare?"
Clear Skies nodded, sinking his snout into one of the wooden bowls to eat like an animal.
Sally moved over to him. "Hold up there, come on." She reached down and lifted the bowl up from where he was getting it all over his snout. She tilted it so he could eat the oats without wearing them. "There you are. You help me, I help you." She plucked up an apple and offered it to him. He smiled and started munching on it.
"More of a pony than the last who tried to get free." Apple wandered over, claiming a bowl for herself. Sally watched as the mare held it, impossibly, in one flat hoof. "She was a unicorn, all high and mighty. Changelings never told us what happened, I almost hope she didn't get free."
"Don't say that. If they got free best of luck to them. No one deserves to live like this. You said they changed their habits after Clear got… hurt?"
Apple nodded.
"Then they aren't stupid, maybe they can be reasoned with more?"
Apple looked astonished at this. "Reason with them? They… they own us!"
"Right, and they have a vested interest in not only our survival, but our state of mind."
The changelings came regularly, mostly for the rabbit things. The poor little creatures didn't seem all that smart, the rabbits, not the changelings.
Clear kept close to her and Sally appreciated it. Her knee was starting to get sore and she huddled into the gentle wing of the stallion.
"You, you next." The changeling gestured to the human with a hoof.
She got up to a wobbly leg, hobbling forwards. "Alright, alright. Hold your…" She sighed, there were going to be a lot of things she wouldn't be able to say here. "Don't use your collar thing, I'll be good."
The changeling shrugged and turned.
"When I get out, can you get me an audience with the… Queen?" Sally had phrased it casually, but it certainly got a reaction from the changeling.
"You want to talk to Queen Fangs?" They blinked their big blue, faceted eyes.
Sally nodded. "Sure. Right now good or should I wa-" The collar was back, the magic of the changeling tight and gripping her.
"We go now. You can be happy for her? It will make her like you more."
The human pondered this, she felt an odd chill and realized the changeling beside her was doing something in her head. She tried to think of her family, in a good way, but the violence of their shared lives intruded. A stray thought came, of the nice and gentle stallion in the cage.
"There, that tastes nice. Keep doing that." She felt that touch inside her seem to thicken, but gripped tight to the thoughts of the nice pegasi.
"What is this? That new thing that was found?" The voice Sally heard was full of power. "You feed on my morsel, cease this!" The sensation in her head of the changeling that had been leading her was suddenly gone, but was soon replaced.
Sally's eyes drooped a little as the Queen herself leaned in. "Oh, now here we have something nice. A new friendship? Pure and simple love." Sally dropped to a knee as the world seemed to go a shade of green. "Yes, a delight. You have earned yourself a moment of my time, state your desire."
She had seen right through Sally, the woman was on her knees in front of a much larger changeling, one that practically radiated power.
"Well, you bring us food but… it is not the best. Our bodies get little work while you… drink." The human's thoughts were in disarray, the changeling's handling of her had shown a casual lack of caring for her will, it hurt to know that not only were you a prisoner, but were considered little more than cattle.
"We take what we want from you, you are ours to do with, after all." The Queen's eyes dared her to challenge it, to challenge her.
It took a lot of Sally's will to not rise to that, to not try and drive a fist up into that carapace and beat the bug pony senseless. "Why not have us farm, raise our own food."
A change passed over the Queen's features. She went from what Sally had to assume was 'bored play' to 'interest'. "Keep talking, food."
Sally gulped. "I mean, you take food from somewhere already, the grain?" There was a nod of the royal pony's head. "So, why not capture that place, set up some pods there, have the ponies raise food for themselves and your other… guests…"
Fangs, real fangs, were suddenly in Sally's face. "You think you could do this, and make it easier to get free?"
Terror passed through the woman, terror like none other she had felt, short of her first time on a battlefield. She shrank back then, and did so now.
"I will think on it. But I think you and I need more meetings. You don't think like a pony, or a changeling. If I break you, it might harm that thinking." The creature drew back from her and smiled, those fangs, the hole-filled horn, it was an image she would not forget. "I think I will wear you down instead, rebuild you into a good little snack."
Sally tried to marshal the strength she used in her profession, but a part of her refused, told her it was impossible to fight this foe. The presence of the Queen, in her head again, turned the world around her green.
Soft feathers lay across Sally's back. Any other day that might confuse her as she woke up. Blinking her eyes there was a green hue around everything that slowly faded until she couldn't notice it any more. Clear Skies leaned in and nosed at her cheek.
The mercenary blushed a little, did he just kiss her?
"Oh, awake? Didn't see you at the pods." Apple didn't get up from where she lay nearby. "When I got back you were already here, out of it. Clear seems quite taken with you."
Sally couldn't stop that blush but fought it down with the practice of a woman who had had to use communal showers in a military unit. "I am not unappreciative." She looked up to the eyes of the pegasus. They were a deep blue and she couldn't help but shiver. In a human face, that shade would be quite startling. "I spoke with their queen, she… okay, I don't know if I want to meet her again." Sally meant it.
"So just going to focus on getting out of here?"
The words seemed to confuse the human a little. "Get out? I can't leave." As she spoke the phrase her vision seemed to flicker green a moment. "Wait… no, I can't leave." It was odd for her, she could remember the conversation earlier about getting away, she even felt like here certainly wasn't where she wanted to be. But the thought of actually escaping repulsed her.
"Really?" Apple Stew got up and walked closer, one hoof reaching out to tilt Sally's head one way and the other. The confusion that warred in the woman's head was the only reason she hadn't pulled back. "Got her teeth in you, like what she did to the old timber wolf." Apple gestured to the bundle of sticks to one side that resembled a pony-sized canine. "One moment they wanted to attack pony and changeling alike, next, can't even try and fight anymore."
"Wait, so she hypnotized me or something?"
"Hyper… no, she used magic."
Sally trembled. Magic. It had been easy to ignore it up until now. It was just some odd glowy glowy thing. Now it was in her head? "Magic is real." She said it and drew a deep breath. "Magic is real."
The stallion pulled at his wing, tugging Sally firmly against his soft hide. Apple noticed the newcomer was having an issue coping and figured Clear was a perfect friend right now.
"Shh." The sound was soft and close. Sally was shaken from her terror by Clear. He was still smiling but now it seemed a lot more serious.
"Yeah, you're right. She is playing a game." Sally huddled closer still to the stallion's warmth. "You aren't all the way gone, are you? I have seen guys all the way gone and you have more there right now."
Clear Skies didn't say anything else. Right then, Sally didn't want anything else.
"Food." The word roused Sally and she stretched. Her leg was still giving her problems and she really didn't want to think about trying to leave. That would just make her worry again.
It was the same food as last time, apparently gruel and some fruit was the norm here and, along with the ponies, she ate up from one of the little wooden bowls it was served in.
"You, strange pony." The chittering voice drew her attention up to the changeling outside the pen. "You, yes. Queen Fangs wants to see you again."
Sally shook a little and the changeling proved to be a quick study of human emotions.
"Good, you should fear her." The green leash appeared and tugged at her. Sally was glad of it, it meant she had no choice. A small voice inside wondered why the queen hadn't made her want to visit her as well. The logical part of the mercenary knew. She wanted the woman to feel afraid.
It wasn't a long walk, and with the glow of the green magic Sally could actually see where she was walking in the near-dark. The voice of the queen was the first she knew of her presence. "A bite to eat today? No, today is for planning." There was a hint of breath on the back of Sally's neck and she fell to her knees.
The collar was gone and the changeling who had brought her too. As far as Sally knew she was alone in the chamber with the queen.
"Planning. Do not fear leaving the hive, at least until you next sleep." The words meant something to Sally, or at least something within her. "You say we should farm instead of steal. I like this idea. Do it."
A glow began at the queen's head and Sally was treated to the changeling's features revealed bit by bit as the illumination increased. Her hoof was on a dirt map, scrawled into the floor.
"Here is hive, here is farm. Hills here, river here." Sally's mind was quick to work at the problem, it was a good terrain for an attack. "Normally, they leave a sack of grain out for us, so we don't have to come close. We come close this time, I think."
A pincer attack, one squad moving in from a side to follow the water, the other sweeping in and closing the gap. With the changeling's magic, Sally knew, it would be a quick fight. She grit her teeth.
"If you don't tell me, I will tell you such lovely things. I will put more spells in that little head of yours. I will make you want to help, love helping. You would be a pet."
The last words were spoken by her ear and Sally snarled, trying to turn and deliver a punch to the queen.
Sally's fist came right in, her muscles pushing it hard as she could but something grabbed it less than an inch from that smug face. "I could make you not want to fight me. I could make you do many things, but making you use that brain of yours, that I can almost smell the violence seeping from. That I couldn't do."
The woman's knee chose then to remind her of it's frailties and she fell down with a grunt.
"No, little morsel. You get a choice in all this. Be my pet, let me scrub every bit of your ape-like mind clean. Let me make you a kitten that trots obediently to a pod. Or show me how you would plan this."
Sally lowered her head. "There has to be something else? You can feed from me all you want I-" She looked up to see the changeling's horn charging. She knew that the world would turn green a moment later and she would do whatever this creature told her. Her tears came first, then the clenching in her gut of fear. The last straw was when her hands started to shake and she slumped down, looking at the map.
"Shame, I felt in you someone who would do nearly anything for the right price."
The words echoed in Sally's ears. Could it be that easy for her? Could she sell her soul to this creature, at the cost of whoever was in that farm?
She had done it before. She had been paid very well, but she had done bad things before. "Damn you…"
The laugh of the queen cut her to the quick.
"Do it my way, or no way."
There was a bite at her ear, she knew it was a sharp tooth of that creature. "Of course. But in the end, my way is your way."
"And no more mind games."
The hot breath of the changeling was against her cheek. "No, there will be mind games, but none for your little pony friends. How about that?"
"Are you really going to honor this agreement?" Sally turned, the fangs of the queen were taking up half her vision suddenly.
"My warrior slave, I promise you, the moment you mess up and show no worth to me, you will never have to worry about anything again. Your will is strong, you would have let me kill your mind if I hadn't offered payment. If I let you go, with nothing to bind you, I would never see you again."
Sally took a deep breath, then another. "Then we understand each other."
Queen Fangs stood beside Sally, on a ridge above the farm. "See, they have one pegasus, as I told you. They fly fast, swift as the wind, but they are not as clever as a unicorn and never as clever as a changeling."
Sally knew what was happening. A changeling disguised as one of the other ponies from below, walked up to the winged pony. Her heart hardened as she saw the green glow start and wrap around the pegasi's neck.
"Simple. You now have one of the greatest fighting forces in the world at your command. What will we do with them?" The queen's offer was so very tempting. Her soldiers had always been well trained, she made sure of that, but this was something else.
Below there was a brief struggle as two big ponies, with neither horn nor wings, moved shoulder-to-flank, bucking and lashing out at any changeling that came near. "Go for their legs, bring them down to ground and-"
"We know that already, but you worked it out in moments." The queen sounded so very smug. "This choice was a good one, for both of us. Lets go down there now and see what new morsels await."
Sally didn't need a collar, she followed the queen, her sore leg slowing her down a little. "Lean on me." The words were accompanied by the queen moving in beside her and Sally didn't think, she reached out and braced on the queen as she walked, taking the weight off her knee.
"Why do this to them?"
"This farm?" The queen's gait wasn't completely smooth and Sally was having to skip every now and again to keep up. She sounded amused at Sally's question.
"No, ponies. Couldn't you get all you need from those… other things?"
"In a word, yes. I fed my hive for many years on their fuzzy selves. We used their lives up in the pods but it was fine, there were always more." The queen turned her gaze to Sally. "But it was our first pony that we had, that taught us so much. He gave much more energy, and it was infinitely more delicious. But we broke him in a bad way, we discovered we couldn't use the pods too often."
She gestured with a hoof to the farm ahead. To where ponies were being rounded up with green magic, changelings each taking control of one. The more troublesome equines lay on the ground, a soft green glow around their features telling Sally that they had been disabled in a similar manner to how she had been. "You are efficient, if not subtle."
"Of course we are. Those little rabbit things are all but gone. Another hive used them at a far fiercer rate than we."
"You protect them?" Sally sounded surprised before it clicked for her. "You protect them because you can't get more."
"Hunted to scarcity. We protect what is ours. That includes you now, particularly since your value grows by the hour in my hive." The queen sounded delighted at this, one hoof reaching to rub down Sally's side possessively. "A curious position, really. We protect you and your mind protects us."
"Symbiotic." Sally spoke the word, not knowing if she felt repelled at the concept or… excited. The soldier and strategist in her was practically baying at the chance to lead these creatures.
"A what?"
"When two creatures act, to the benefit of each. Symbiotic. Like a bug that is poisonous to the creatures that feast on a plant. The plant will protect such a bug."
Queen Fangs laughed loudly at this. "Then come, little bug, let us see what our branches have caught."
The group of ponies from the farm swelled the total count that the hive held by nearly double. To say the new ponies were not pleased was an understatement but they were confused by the new arrangements. "Ya mean we just gotta keep farmin'?" One mare, who Apple Stew had recognized as kin, gestured to the farm around them.
"Exactly. You farm, we protect you, you feed us." Queen Fangs had the most wicked of smiles. "You belong to my hive now, but know that we are not harsh owners. You are prized possessions."
Sally didn't like this. She had never worked for any human traffickers back where she was from, and this stank of it.
"Well, to be fair'n'all, we didn't rightly leave the farm all that much anyway… I don't like this whole ownership thang, or whatever you mean by 'feed you'." The mare made air quotes with her hooves. "What is it like?"
The queen pushed Sally forward, the human suddenly trying to support herself on a bad leg. She decided discretion was the better part of valor and fell carefully, rolling to her side. "One is much like the other. We feed off our slaves in two ways. We can put you in a pod, where you will be forced to think wonderful, happy thoughts as we feed on them. Or like this…"
Sally couldn't brace against the queen, not when her species had spent exactly zero years evolving for magic defense. The grip came on her and she tried to focus on something nice, anything. "See how this creature is useless? She can't find a happy thing to feed me." Fangs leaned down, her real fangs brushing against Sally's cheek. "But she fights, she fights so hard to come up with anything she can to feed me." And Sally did. Clear Skies was the best she could think of but then something else flickered and the queen drank at her.
The human remembered the fight. How everything came together just how she planned.
"A sweet taste, little bug, you keep feeding me this and I may just tether you up as a pet." The queen kept lightly sipping at her and Sally trembled in place. It felt alien, terrible. But at the same time the fangs holding her emotions tight kept her from focusing on anything but that sensation, that happiness. She wept as the queen stood above her.
The ponies were now, all of them, up at the farm. It hadn't taken much effort to persuade them all that working in the sun was better than being kept down in the hive. Pods had moved up there too, though most of the new farmers seemed to prefer to let the changelings feed from them while they worked.
"Our deal has expired, has it not?" Sally was wearing an actual collar now, one the queen had made for her from crystal and… Sally wished it was just slime. It felt like the same kind of stuff that had been in the pod and she was worried it was manufactured by the changelings in an 'internal' manner.
The woman sighed and leaned against the throne the queen sat on, slumping down to sit beside it. "You know it has." Knowing that Stockholm Syndrome existed, knowing that you were experiencing it, didn't make it any easier to break from.
A hoof reached over the side of the throne and stroked her head. She didn't even flinch from it. "Then you will serve me without a deal now?"
Sally railed at this. "No. But the deal will be our last."
The queen's attention was fully on her and Sally looked up to have Queen Fangs looking down at her. "The last? It will be a big one then."
"Nope. It will be simple for both of us." Her words had the queen's full attention and the changeling leaned down so her mouth was beside Sally's ear.
"What do you want so much?"
The chill in that voice traveled all the way to the base of the human's spine and back up. "No more ponies." She had to focus on that. The softly glowing collar reminded her of how deep she was in this, but she didn't want to drag any more down with what she would offer.
"That is a tall order. I am already honoring the previous agreement to your satisfaction?" The breath on her neck threatened to break Sally's nerve.
"You… have. The drones seem quite happy to take me up to see them, I know why."
"Because you taste nice when you see a happy thing." Sally could feel her, pushing around within her head, sniffing for any hint of happiness.
Sally closed her eyes and thought of how happy Clear Skies had seemed up there. The drones let him fly around because of how good he tasted again.
"Good filly." Sally centered herself, focusing on ignoring the feel of the queen as she teased at her emotions.
"You stop capturing any ponies and I will be exactly what you want me to be."
The drinking stopped, dead. It was like the queen had been jerked free by a mental yank. "You would? That is a big offer, I appreciate what you are giving me, trust that I am." The hoof returned to her head and damn it if Sally didn't lean into it. "A good deal indeed. There is no duration on this?"
Sally shook her head, feeling the hoof rub a little to one side.
"Good, you will be my clever little drone. You will do everything I ask and push more to make sure your hive-mates are safe and happy." Sally felt a little odd at this. This wasn't really the demands she had been expecting.
"I… you know I like fighting, I like to plan and see my plan carried out."
The queen made a soft sound of agreement.
"If I dedicate myself to this, I must know you will honor the one thing I ask in return."
Her head was forcefully tilted back, the hoof guiding her to look up, deep into the queen's eyes. "You have my word and the honor of my hive. No new pony slaves, I will even keep these ones as they are, happy. They work well."
Sally closed her eyes, hating the thought of how her first 'bargain' had ended up with ponies losing their freedom. "If you agree to that, then I will do as you wish, and as I wish."
The kiss on her lips shocked Sally and she looked up, blushing as the changeling gently pressed only her lips to the human's. It lasted a moment but Sally was blushing after it.
"Done, sealed. My little drone, relax, I will free you of your… restriction." The queen's eyes glowed green and Sally felt that sensation of magic flowing directly into her. It tingled and prickled but something about the mare's eyes intrigued her.
Something relaxed, a tension in the woman's head she had forgotten was even there. "Thank you."
"Thank you, what?"
"My queen."
Sally was warm for the first time since Clear had gone up to the farm. She was warm but she was also on edge. It sounded like there were crickets all around her and she had worked out that changelings bedding down together, rubbing their carapaces against each other, chirped.
She tried to turn over to find a pair of big blue eyes gazing at her. The dim light of her collar meant that she always had a little light, a double edged sword of a gift though it was. "You can't sleep?" The voice was feminine, reminding Sally of the queen a little.
"Nope. Is it always this loud?" The changeling nodded slowly, blinking a few times.
"It is a soft lullaby, it is what all good changelings hear when they sleep." They sounded much more… well, Sally didn't want to say smart, but she certainly thought it. "I can help you, make you sleep."
The woman thought about this. Her first day of training was tomorrow. She didn't want to be tired for it and without the dark savior that was coffee she found herself nodding.
"It is not a weakness to admit a problem. Sleep, you will grow used to our song eventually." The glow of the changeling's horn filled Sally's senses and then the pony-creature spoke a single word. "Sleep."
It was impossible to fight that gentle command.
The next day, well, the next time Sally was awake, she discovered she would be looking into those eyes a lot.
"You aren't a drone." It was a statement, Sally was eating a bowl of the more substantial porridge that had started coming since the farm had been taken over.
The changeling shrugged and kept watching her. Sally had not felt her touch at all and was wondering if it were some game.
"Okay, so you aren't a drone, what are you?"
"More, halfway between drone and queen. Smarter, better, but not stupid enough to fight Fangs." The changeling looked at the odd creature. They wore cloth to cover them, well, most of them. They got so cold that they actually needed to be kept warm at nights. "My turn. What are you? You don't seem… to fit."
Sally barked a laugh, gulping down some more of the thick rolled oats. "Human is what we are called. Don't know if any others are here, in this world I mean."
"Haven't seen one like you. You are training us today?"
"Yeah I am. Queen Fangs told me I was to choose a group of changelings, to train them, then help them train others."
"You have your first then. Sharp Mind." She gave a little bow to Sally. "You want strong, smart, or a bit of both?"
Sally raised an eyebrow. This changeling was bold. "Both, in good measure. What attributes should I be looking at?" Sally grabbed up the last of the oats with the wooden spoon she had fashioned and gulped it down. The two apples beside her were lunch.
"You have smart, you have strong." Sharp tapped her head with a hoof for the first, then tapped her neck for the second. "Then you have magic, drones… not as bad as ponies, but you will want others like me, if you want good with that."
Sally just nodded.
"Most are same at flying, some get a little better. We are limited by our wings."
"And your bite… the… drinking? Feeding?" Sally had to fish for the words.
Sharp grinned, showing off every white fang she owned. "We can use that as a weapon, you are observant."
"Would you want to learn what I have to teach, if I wasn't?" Sally felt herself warming up to the changeling.
"No, I would eat you down to nothing and leave you for dead. If you aren't smart, human, and you aren't strong, then you are nothing but food." The words chilled Sally, anew, but they were true and she saw, in a twisted way, how it was a compliment to her intelligence.
"That was something I needed to talk to someone about. I need a brace… something to hold my knee steady." Sally pointed at her damaged knee. The problem was slightly visible, she was missing a good chunk of the cartilage of the knee cap.
"What happened to it?" Sharp Mind leaned in and inspected the ruined joint.
Sally held up her fingers, about an inch apart. "Imagine something about this big, made of metal."
The changeling nodded.
"Now imagine it moving so fast you can't see it. Now imagine it moving a lot faster than that." The description was the best she could do and the changeling nodded.
"Hurts?"
"Only when I move it." Sally bit off any more she might say as green magic flowed around the limb, bending it as it should move. It hurt like hell.
Sally had been half right. The goop was made by odd-looking slugs and the properties of the slime depended on just what fungus you fed them. The thought of it was horrible, but not as horrible as the feel of the one oozing around her knee.
"How does this help?" The thing took some encouraging, Sharp draping harvested fungus over the goop it had already left.
"You don't trust me?" The changeling flashed fangs at her.
"No, not yet."
The thing was being led around her leg, but the fungus Sharp Mind used was a different one now. "But you trust my queen?"
"I trust both of you to act according to your nature. I expect her to honor her word, I expect you would too, until you disprove that. But- Ugh, this feels disgusting." A green glow surrounded the slug and lifted it away.
"Don't touch it, that outer layer will harden up a lot." Sharp wrapped her magic around the goop now and squeezed pressure down on it.
Sally bit her lip and tensed, there was more than a little pain there. When the magic aura around her leg faded, however, the goop looked hard. "Can I…"
Sharp grinned. "Go ahead, see how it feels." Sally poked it, it felt like hard plastic. Looked horrible still.
Carefully moving, she got her good leg under her and lifted up to a standing position. Then she started putting weight on the leg. The pain was still there, but it had been sore even when she had her leg-splint. She put more on and took a step. The goop rolled in the casing, squeezing and gripping to her legs in odd ways. But it held her weight.
"Good now?" Sharp walked beside the woman who crouched down, stood, shifted to stand on one leg.
"How strong is this stuff? It still hurts, but it takes my weight…"
"Your leg bones will probably break before it does." Sharp reached out with her magic and pushed the human. Sally stumbled, cursing, but even when she got up from a short roll she was grinning. "See?"
"I do and… thank you." Sally walked over and offered her hand to the changeling. Lifting a hoof, Sharp Mind set it carefully in the offered hand. Sally had a moment to really examine the limb, holes and all. "Do those hurt?"
"My hoof?" Sharp looked a little confused. "Oh, the holes. No, it is how we are."
"Okay, I trust you more now, despite the shove."
Sharp flashed fangs. "It proved my point."
"It did, how do I get it off, to clean under?" Sally's question seemed to make Sharp tilt her head, looking confused. Sally knew just what that meant. "It doesn't come off, does it?"
"Like your collar. Once that fungus is used, it never breaks."
Sally thought about it. So she would wear both for the rest of her life? Both gifts, both marking her.
"You take it well. You didn't know the collar would never come off, did you?" Sharp began walking, leading the way out to the more common hive areas.
"I didn't. Why did she put it on me?"
"To remind you, of course. Even if you get away from the hive, you will remember her lessons." Sharp had a destination in mind, it seemed, the pair approaching a side passage that had very little light. Sally's new knee-brace had the same soft glow as her collar, giving her illumination to see by, at least enough to not walk into things. "Here, the first recruits I had in mind are in here."
Sally raised an eyebrow in the gloom as she was led into a chamber that looked much like the one she had slept in. There were five changelings in there, although she couldn't tell if they were drones or… whatever Sharp was.
Sally wore no grin, the pain from her leg was a constant, but then she was used to that. She had been marching their little group of seven around, barking commands to any who lost the beat of their march. She remembered an old sergeant doing this and she knew the question she had asked would come eventually.
It was the seventh trip around the whole hive. Sally got a better understanding of the place. Sharp was the directing force, Sally had a fair idea the changeling knew exactly what was going on. A small part of her was surprised to find that she liked the mare. Damn that Stockholm… although was it even that now, considering she had thrown her lot in with them.
"Why are we doing this?" Sally felt an almost real pleasure at the question. It was one of the changelings Sharp had chosen based on their smarts. The rest, it seemed, were more happy to follow orders. Both were good traits.
"We are moving. Our commander here," Sharp gestured to Sally with a hoof, without missing a step… somehow, "knows the value of a group moving as one."
Sally nodded with a half smile. "Every morning and every evening, we will march at least once around the hive like this." That got a groan from more than one changeling. "Can't handle keeping up with a cripple?" Sally's knee had been a bone of contention among more than one of the trainees. She had even heard barely quiet conversation where they had used that word.
Each and every one of them stood a little taller at that. "I will keep up."
Sharp's smile matched Sally's own.
Lunch had been short and, for Sally, a little odd. The group gathered around pods, each one holding a small lapine form. She could feel as the changelings reached out to the pod, felt as their bodies drained the energy being given by the creatures within. She ate an apple, and then a second.
"Why do we follow food?" One of the recruits, one of those chosen for their strength rather than their minds.
Sally got up, tossing the two cores she had been picking at aside. "Lesson time. No magic, no eating. Just come at me if you think I am weak."
The changeling who had spoken up looked to Sharp who snarled at them. "She is in command, you do what she says or stay in line."
Sally felt strengthened by the words. The cat-caller looked between Sharp and Sally, face turning into a snarl as they charged at the latter.
Leg sweeps were out, Sally knew that with four on the floor, so to speak, she wasn't going to trip them. She ducked their charge and slipped to the side. Her knee screamed at her as she brought her weight back on it, but she quickly shifted it all forward and drove her fist into the side of her opponent.
The hiss from them, as all the air was driven from a lung, was the warning Sally got as it leaped at her again. She ducked forward and kicked up with her good leg. The changeling overshot and landed on their back hard.
"This was your ace fighter?" She addressed Sharp Mind, pointing at the changeling who hadn't actually worked out how he had ended up in the dirt and seeing stars. "He is strong, I can feel that, but he throws his weight into everything."
"You can fix him?" Sharp didn't spare a look for the defeated changeling.
"Of course I can fix him, so long as he will learn what I teach." The head of the changeling lifted at this and looked to her.
"Then you try. If he doesn't work out here then he will become a worker." Sharp gave a deep chittering sigh, as if it was a loss, but one she didn't really mind.
"Teach me… I hate having to carry things…" The changeling had walked up to Sally again, this time more sheepishly than before. "How did you do all that? It was like trying to fight water…"
"What is your name?" Sally had that feeling, it was like holding a raw ball of clay, of looking at it and imagining the bowl it would become.
"Hard Head."
Sally grinned in a way that the changeling stallion found oddly nice. "Then, Hard Head, I will first teach your body how to move properly. That starts with walking."
Another changeling rushed up, moving in beside Hard. "I am called Strong Back, I want to learn this too!"
She was sweating, more than a little. Sally had shown the two changelings that movement was the key to fighting and not their raw power. Hard and Strong were sparring now, tumbling away from attacks more often than striking a blow. They had picked it up quickly.
"And this is Sweet Bite." Sally looked at the mare in front of her. Sharp had chosen this pony for a reason but she was damned if she knew why. They had neither the size of the two brawlers, nor the magic that some others displayed.
"And what is your tri-" Sally didn't get any further. The changeling's eyes seemed to glow and the rest of the world felt less interesting. Sally wasn't one for girls, and certainly not for ponies, but right then she was so very deeply in love with the mare.
"Sweet, be gentle." Sharp's voice was barely a buzz in the huuman's ears. Unimportant.
When the changeling she desired reached out with her physical and mental fangs, Sally put herself in forward, closing her eyes as she felt both bite down. She was more gentle than any other changeling had ever been and Sally trembled in pleasure as she felt the mare sip ever so gently.
The love faded, gone, lost. For a split second Sally whimpered at the loss of something so perfect. Then she realized she had a changeling gently mouthing at her throat. She was on her back and had bared her neck for the creature.
"You are… wow…" Sweet Bite leaned back, licking her throat once. The touch sent a tingle of pleasure through Sally that was, she hoped, the last remnant of the mare's power. "You can make people desire you?"
"She can force anything to love her." Sharp sounded a little hesitant. "Even a changeling." Sally's eyes spotted the slightest blush there. She looked up at the creature that had stolen her will by lying to her heart.
"You have my fear, respect and…" Sally was searching for the odd emotions she felt.
"You can't shake it, not all of it. I damn near killed her when I found out what she had been doing. Fangs saw the power in those eyes and had me spare her." Sharp explained what was likely a hard subject for her, considering the way Sweet looked at her.
"You still feel me? After all this time?" Sweet sounded way more innocent than any pony with that kind of ability should.
"Damn it Sweet you know I can't help it." Sharp was blushing a storm and Sally could see there was way more to this story, partly now her story, if her lingering feelings for the changeling empath was any sign.
"How many can you affect at once?" Sally got her legs under her, crouching and fighting the urge to reach out and tend to the changeling's mane.
She stopped looking adorable and affected confusion. "Oh, uh, about two or three changelings…"
"Think you could improve on that? Do we have any prisoners… from other hives or this one, to test on? Maybe those rabbit things?" Sally couldn't believe herself, she was slipping into their way of thinking.
"Some." Sharp sounded surprised.
"Then I want you to be able to affect six by the end of the week." Sally grinned and did reach out now. It felt nice to rub her ears, to offer comfort to Sweet. Sally knew it was her power causing these feelings. It didn't stop it from feeling good.
"I will regret this, I am sure. But how do you fight, with your magic?" Sally had the last two changelings in front of her.
"Lassos of magic can snare." One of them began to explain their tricks. "They are more reliable than direct attacks. If you know the subject is weak of will or defense, you can force yourself into their head and issue direct commands."
"I know both of those. Both are good and effective. Anything else?" Sally was trying to think how to work their attacks, what might be the most usable for their range, into what she wanted.
"Direct." The other changeling grinned. "My name. Direct. I hate those spells. So boring."
The first one lifted a hoof up to their head and clopped it against their temple. "Direct is a stupid changeling grub that can-"
Sally cut in. "Direct, what do you prefer? If it doesn't do anything lingering, or deadly, feel free to show on me." This was her own way of training. She could probably easily deal with another changeling's physical attacks, but she wanted to get better at handling their magic. Sweet's particular power was never going to be something she could defend against.
The changeling looked delighted, sticking his tongue out at the other. His horn lit and suddenly Sally's legs and arms seemed to lose all strength and she fell. A soft green glow was coming from where each limb met her body. She focused her will and thought first of that spot where it tingled, then just past it. She got her hands to move after some work. "Good, this is excellent. Even if it just slows a target, you give the others time to neutralize them."
Direct's horn blinked dark and Sally could move normally again. "I have more!"
The human braced herself, not knowing what was coming next.
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!"
Sally was on one knee, kneeling. If Queen Fangs was to be her queen, damn it but she was going to make sure it was done right.
"You certainly chose an interesting group of drones." The queen walked up, pausing before the human before circling around them. Sally kept her eyes forward, it wasn't like the queen couldn't do what she wanted in front of her and it showed a measure of trust on her part.
"They are competent and, I believe, worth more than any two dozen other of your guards." Sally had pride behind her words. She really meant it.
The queen strode down and Sally could see her raise an eyebrow at Sharp Mind. "I have a task for you, a small one really." Sally would swivel her ears if they worked like a pony's. "There is a group of gryphons who have freed much food from one of the weaker, nearby hives. The amount of the food they relieved is keeping them from just flying off. While having more food would mean more work for your precious ponies at their farm, I would like to take them, if only to make food a less scarce resource for every drone."
Sally's mind spun. Gryphons? Half bird half cat, if she remembered legends. Would the ones here be different?
"Any questions before you prove yourselves?"
The human had expected this and, though it cut her to the quick to admit it, any chance they may encounter another group of changelings meant her next words would save them. "My queen, I have one boon to ask."
The queen practically pranced down, arching her neck and looking down at Sally. "My littlest drone, what could I grant you?"
"Your magic, bore into my head with it, into all of us, and demand that we complete this mission and get back." Sally had pondered the wording she wanted, this would be the best she could come up with.
"Clever. You fear another changeling attack?"
"When there is the chance of it, I would be a poor… drone, to not prepare for it."
"Look at me." The queen's words implied what was already happening. Sally looked up and her world turned green. "My wonderful drone, you will do this mission to the best of your abilities and you will return to me, I will allow nothing less."
The words sank home and Sally fell sideways and landed, panting, on her side. The imperative to do what she had been charged with was so much she felt her feet shuffling against the floor, needing to propel her into action. Her arms were not so useful yet, though, and while she dealt with the mental shackle the queen had clamped tight on her, the rest of her squad had the same treatment.
"I trust you are worth this expense of magic. I will need to drink deep of our food now." Queen Fangs slumped onto her throne.
Sally's body was slowly adjusting and coming back under her control. The rest of her squad were still on their hooves, some a little less than completely stable. "My queen, if I fail in this, I will return and feed you myself."
The boast was a stupid one, Sally knew, if she failed the queen would probably just take everything from her. But it had the result of putting a wide smile on Fang's snout. "My drone, you are learning."
They were stalking the woods. Downwind of course. Sharp Mind had explained the attributes of griffons to Sally. Claws, wings a sharp beak and clever nose. The fact they were intelligent wasn't a problem for Sally, they were fighters, fighters she could respectfully fight and beat.
Lifting a hand, the human gestured to one side. It was evening, the sun would be at the back of the group of seven. As one the party moved slowly in the indicated direction.
When she first spotted the enemy she froze and lowered down to a crouch slowly. Behind her the changelings did similarly, but dropping into an awkward almost-laying-down position. "Five of them, they have a ton of the rabbits with 'em." Sally was speaking so softly, if the changeling's ears weren't trained on her they would have heard nothing. "Two big ones, Strong engage em, keep your back to Sweet." Sweet nodded to her words, knowing what Sally wanted.
"Direct, Straight, I want you to help Hard subduing the other three, then move on to getting those rabbits under control. Got it?" Sally looked around to all of them. Sweet's eyes were already starting to glow and Sally almost felt sorry for the gryphons. She might actually feel sorry for them when everything was done.
Sally pulled out the crystal goop she had worked with. Sharp had formed the hardened stuff into just the right shape for her. Fitting it onto her fingers it would work just like brass knuckles. At the very least she would be able to help run interference on any stray birds that tried to get past the other brawlers.
"Changelings!"
The call from the gryphons was their own signal and Sally was running, she was passed by Strong and Hard, the two wrapped in a green bubble of force. Direct moved in after them, his horn glowing as he kept pace with Sally. One of the three smaller gryphons dropped, clawing at their head and the green hood over it.
Another black blur on Sally's other side was Sweet Bite. The mare moved in quickly behind Strong, moving with the stallion's rolls and ducks as he kept the two biggest enemies busy.
"Damn you monsters, you can't have-" The biggest griffon's defiance cut off into a squawk as their eyes began to glow a soft green. Sweet was smiling up to them, her mouth already opening.
Sally saw, before the others, a sixth bird she had missed that was rushing to attack the mare forcing love onto their companion. "Not today." Sally pounded her legs into the soft loam, her knee screaming but not folding.
Her fist slammed into the side of the focused griffon. "Leave her, your fight is with me." Sally taunted them, driving her shoulder into the bird-cat's ribs and hearing a few crack.
The fight focused down for Sally. It wasn't like using a rifle, you couldn't sit back and tell your squad what to do. She took a bite on one arm only to bring the other down, in an open-palmed slap, on the side of the griffon's head. Sally had judged right, she got their ear. Staggering away, looking dazed, the bird never saw the leg swinging around with force. But it felt it.
Looking up from her foe, Sally saw the rest were doing as well as she hoped. Sweet had four of the griffons in front of her, all rolled onto their backs. The last was fighting a losing struggle against the remaining four of her squad. Then it hit her. "Where's Sharp?"
A flash of green in the distance revealed where the leader changeling was. With the rest stuck in heated battle, she had moved to corral the prize. Sally spotted her in the distance and grinned.
The slug was slowly oozing around, even through the wound. Sally didn't notice it so much now. The adrenalin was gone and she was really working to ignore the thing smearing slime into the bite on her arm. "You took down one on your own…" Sharp was shaking her head as she repositioned the slug again, dropping some more mold for it to gobble.
"You thought I was going to sit back and watch Sweet get blindsided?" Sally felt the slime in the wound and had to look at it. It didn't hurt at all, just felt… odd. "It numbs the pain?"
Sharp Mind nodded. There was the soft clop of hooves from behind and then a changeling was pressed against Sally's hip. "My savior." Sally knew who it was by voice, she didn't even mind it when Sweet nibbled her ear.
"She was that. How are the birds settling into their pods?" Sharp poked the slug, causing it to let go of the arm. Lifting it away she dunked it into a bucket of fungus-covered crystals. Sally suddenly realized, it was her pet.
"They are so lost in love that all the drones are gathering to taste them. The other food is doing well too." Sally leaned against Sweet, finding the closeness a bit of a comfort. Not to mention the combat and victory had left her more than a little excited.
Sharp looked down, at her pet. "I still can't stop…"
Sally and Sweet both looked to the mare.
"I can't get you out of my head." Sharp Mind looked at Sweet, her gaze ignoring Sally for the most part.
But it was the human that replied. "Damn you two, why don't you just screw already?"
The two mares blushed. Sally got the idea it wasn't just 'two females', since Sweet had certainly shown her enjoyment of the female form. "What? Why? That's an order."
"She is a drone." "She is a leader." The words came from each of the two mares and they both slumped.
"So? Is it forbidden?" They blushed more at Sally's words. "Well, if it is, then come on."
Sweet leaned back from Sally and started to follow, Sharp looked a little bewildered too and did likewise.
They both stopped when they worked out, at the same time, that Sally was going to the queen's throne room. "If you don't come in with me I will go in and ask it regardless."
Sally didn't look back to hear if they were going to follow, she missed the look the two mares gave each other. But she heard their clops as they followed.
"Ah, my triumphant drone and her two victorious hive-mates." Queen Fangs was in a good mood. She had tasted the gryphons already and she practically glowed with renewed fervor. "What are your demands of me?" Even the taunt lacked bite. Irony given her name.
"There is a law I want rescinded." Sally dropped to her knee long enough to feel the queen's touch on her shoulder, lifting her. She was looking right at her queen. "It is forbidden for drones and leaders to have sex?"
Fangs tilted her head. "It is generally avoided. It might be a law from before I was even queen. A small matter, consider it done." She waved a hoof at the three. Sally walked closer and, daring, leaned against the queen, focusing on how good the battle had been and how much she loved the chance to lead again. The touch was far gentler than Fangs' usual, Sally gave a soft sigh as the queen finally drank some from her. "Drone, your offer is welcome, your flavor is sweet." The queen didn't drink long, however, Sally felt a kiss on her forehead. "Go now, those two look like they are ready to do something in my throne room I will regret punishing."
It was the best encounter Sally had ever had with the queen, she dropped to her knee again and rose, walking up to the two mares now focused more on each other than ever. "Now you two are going to work off some steam, but I have first dibs." Sally wrapped her arms around the neck of each mare and tugged them out.
Sally had been with more than one partner at once before. Mostly it had been awkward as all heck, with two guys not sure if they were going to touch or not. This was very different. Sweet Bite and Sharp Mind were quite taken with each other and with the law removed by their queen there was nothing to stop them from realizing their crush on the other. Sally intended to find out what Sharp liked, she had already done some exploration with Sweet. She knew where that mare would blush and sing.
Slinging off the poncho-like garment she wore most of the day, she began unwrapping the cloth she had bound her chest with. "Slower." Sharp's word caused Sally to stop and turn, looking over her shoulder at the mare.
Sally smiled and did as bid, unwinding the cloth, letting it fall around her as she turned so that Sharp had a side-view of her. Both mares were watching now and Sally grinned in a way that felt quite predatory to her. A small part screamed that she shouldn't get turned on by two changelings watching her like that, it was drowned out by the part of her that appreciated a good leer, when the subject was somepony she cared about. That dissenting voice balked a moment at the idea that she had thought 'somepony' like she had heard the others say.
Sally was panting hard, her muscles burning. "Slowing down, little drone!" Sweet gave her the most 'come hither' look the human had ever seen on a changeling and kept going.
"Damn it all to hell and back…" Her legs got her back in stride again and her lungs heaved. It wasn't that she wasn't in shape, it was bloody ponies that could run hard nearly all day. "Get your flank back here you… you…" Her knee still hurt, it sent a shock through her leg with every step but Sharp had done her work well.
Sweet and Sharp were both waiting for her at the end of the impromptu running track that had been set up. Sally was ready to growl and take them both on until she saw her queen with them. Somewhere she found more energy and kept her pace right to the end where she fell down, rolling to the ground and stopping at Queen Fangs' hooves.
"Not the usual way I like my drones groveling, but from you I will accept it." Her hoof raised and pressed down, gently, on the center of Sally's heaving chest. Sally's eyes dilated a moment as she felt a rush of energy, it was like a frozen lake poured over her and through her.
"The…" Sally stopped herself from actually cursing, but her queen's smile told her she had been treated to something magical. "Thank you, my queen."
The hoof lifted up and off her. "Your manners, even when nearly running yourself to death, are impeccable. I would not have you waste either of our time by panting and gasping for the next twenty minutes." Fangs' sounded jovial and had every right to be. Her hive was eating better than ever, not only were the new rabbits swelling out her drones with vitality, but the griffons were a feisty snack she rewarded the best of her changelings with. "Although word around my hive is you three do that already, and for much longer than twenty minutes and loud enough to be heard many caves away."
The other two mares blushed at this but Sally grinned. "Our hive boasts the best of everything. Queens, drones and leaders." The compliment hit home on all counts.
"And humans." Sweet Bite stepped over and offered glowing magic for Sally to grip. Her little group had discovered, at last, how the human had been deflecting their spells. She could see magic.
"Quite." Fangs trotted around Sally. "You appear to be getting stronger, or so my children tell me. You are training more changelings, do you expect us to need an army?"
"Expect? Yes. Bigger is better. We are comfortable now but who is to say a bigger hive doesn't move in?" Sally unselfconsciously lifted her poncho up and wiped her face. If there was another human around she might have cared about baring so much flesh, but there wasn't so she didn't.
Sharp looked surprised at the presumption but Fangs showed off her namesake. Sally's good knee trembled a little at the sight and she knew her queen had intended such. "Astute, a queen doesn't even mature fully unless her hive is not only strong but prepared. Word through the wilds has it that one queen thought to attack the main pony empire. She lost the majority of her hive, not in the attack, but her leaders leaving her incompetent flank." Fangs looked to Sharp and stepped closer. "Little daughter, learn more from this human, she plans and she has the taste of blood. Believe me when I say, if the two of you had a foal I would step down and give them their own hive just to see the mania she would create."
This got a blush from Sally and a sudden worry. She had been doing some fairly wild things with the two mares, both as mares and… stallions. Could she get pregnant like that?
Sharp Mind stepped up a little straighter. "I will learn everything she can teach then, that you might see me worthy of that honor instead."
There was challenge there, in both their eyes. But it was the kind of challenge to be risen to, not to cut off at the fetlocks. Sally cursed herself silently for slipping into more pony-terms.
"You best believe, my daughter, that I look forward to that day." Fangs bared her namesake once more and the two stood there. "I might even let you take your lovers with you."
Sharp shrank a touch and glanced at Sweet and Sally. "You had better, or I might have to come and take them."
Sally decided she didn't want anyone to say something that might be regretted and walked over, she knelt between them. Her thoughts were hard to wrangle, but Sweet had made it much easier, of late, to be able to return to thinking of what she loved. "I think our drone is telling us to shut our mouths." Fangs was the first to lean in and drink, well, sip. Without the protection the pods gave, Sally could not be drunk from too heavily without harm.
Sharp Mind looked torn. She had drunk from Sally before, but not like this, never like this. But she knew she had to, the look Sally gave her, as Queen Fangs rested her snout against the human's ear told Sharp her lover needed support. She stepped up and pressed in much more forcefully, embracing Sally's core and slowly, gently, sipping.
The threat in the room seemed to fold in on itself. It was hard for two well-fed changelings, still high on a snack they had both enjoyed, to maintain their anger. "Go now." Sally's queen waved a hoof at the three. "But be ready, if nothing happens by week's end we will hit the weakened hive, take whatever they have remaining."
Sally got to wobbly feet, she would need a good meal after that. If Fangs hadn't pumped her with energy earlier, she might not have been able to survive the dual embrace.
It was the day before the deadline. There was nearly thirty changelings now working under her group. Each of her five had taken a hoof… handful of students. Sally was pleased with progress, it was slower per changeling than she had gotten, but on the whole they would have a backup for her strike-force by the due date. It was a surprise, then, when Fangs stepped in right behind Sally. She could feel the presence of her queen now, she just knew where she was. "Prepare, you leave tonight."
Sally got a tremble of excitement and the queen caught her mood easily.
"You cannot wait, can you?" Fangs stepped into her back, pressing her chest against Sally. "You have plans to invade a hive already?"
"Of course. You knew I had this planned." It was an easy accusation for Sally to make, Fangs knew everything that happened in her hive. "The question is, are we hitting the weak hive to the west, or the stronger one to the south?"
Her queen's laughter stopped every changeling dead in their tracks. "My little drone, your wit and cunning know no bounds. If my daughter wasn't bedding you already I would surely try to sire a foal on you."
Sally blushed, it cost her nothing to let Fangs feel the surprise the comment had caused. "My queen honors me, I am sure. She didn't tell this lowly drone just which hive we will hit."
"The weak hive has little we need." It was all Sally needed to know, this would be a grand push then. Estimates from their spies, that Sally had bribed with some particularly focused happiness, had them at nearly two hundred strong. But that included the workers and breeders.
"How do you wish it handled, are we to cut the head off the hive?" Sally pressed back now, her queen's head leaning in against the side of her head, fangs brushing her ear.
"That would be the quickest way, you would need to hit hard, fast." The nip of Sally's ear lobe caught her by surprise, but the sudden rush of endorphins had her more hyped than ever.
"Tomorrow. I have just the changeling I need for this." Sally thought to the trainee who had slipped into the rank of her elite group, who had been indistinguishable from most of their number until they tripped up. Sally almost had them in her bed, as Sharp, before she worked out the mare she was with was not her new partner. Easy Slip had been the slickest and best infiltrator Sally had seen, she had mimicked not only the forms of her squad but also their mannerisms, some of their abilities.
"Come to me." Sally's knees trembled, was the queen going to ask her to… "Tomorrow. I will bore into your mind even more than normal. You may find yourself against another queen and I mean to make your mind's carapace as hard and thick as I can."
The queen was gone before Sally could even stop her tremble.
Sharp was first to approach. "We are preparing?" Sally nodded. "I know that look, I am going to be walking funny into battle, aren't I?"
Sally's mind snapped back from her battle plans. She focused on the mare and nodded. "Very, very likely." She flashed her own teeth in a smile.
Sally looked at the newer knuckles she had made with Sharp. "They help, but they aren't really anywhere near the level of force multiplication that magic and feeding can cause."
Sharp Mind blinked at the odd phrase. "What do you mean by that?"
"With a well trained magic changeling, one drone can do the work of ten, or twenty, in subduing enemies." Sally explained her thinking. "So that magic, as a honed tool, is a ten times multiplier."
Sharp tilted her head a little. "Your training has, when spread out, easily surpassed that. And your planning."
Sally reached over and rubbed Sharp's ear. It had become far too easy for the human to fall in with her and Sweet Bite. The leader reminded her of herself, pure and simple, narcissistic of her maybe, but that mind of Sharp's could cut steel. Sweet was something else. Sally had never thought of herself as masculine before, but the third part of their little clique was more feminine, even when 'male', than Sally could ever see herself being. Her power had awoken something in both Sally and Sharp, something that only needed a kick-start to get rolling.
"Nice of you to say, but the strength of a squad falls to its weakest member." Sally had some charcoal and was trying to design a sword for Sharp to copy in hardened slime.
"Weakest? You tackled a griffon and came out with a minor bite!" Sharp Mind bit at the scar herself, reminding Sally of it. The mercenary-turned-drone had found the mare quite admired scars. She certainly liked probing the various scrapes and marks bullets and worse had left on Sally over the years of her profession.
"I got wounded in that fight. I shouldn't." The human worked at the blade design. "I need this part here to be round, the rest flat, this section," she poked at the cross-guard with the charcoal, "I need that like a solid bar a bit thicker, so my hand doesn't slide up it."
Sharp examined it a few more moments before reaching into the wooden bucket with a hot rock in it. She started lifting out the warm goop within with her magic, shaping it and starting to form it more and more into the shape Sally had shown her.
"Still working on weapons?" Sweet's voice came from the entry to their little cave. The mare trotted in, her eyes softening as soon as she saw Sally and Sharp, nuzzling the former and extending her horn's grip to give the latter a squeeze. Sally leaned up into the attention. It was like getting a kiss from a girl, something she had gotten a few times in her life. This was orders of magnitude more special to her.
"Of course we are. Why should I spend time punching things until they stop moving, when I could cut them and leave them unable to move right away?" Sally's voice had a growl and the excitement that was always there when she knew a battle was coming.
The tone hit a switch in Sweet Bite, she leaned a little more and felt Sally's strong frame support her. It was such a little thing for the mare but when she saw how violent her human lover could be, when she just thought about it, she could feel nothing but safe in her presence. "Or I can drink their will to fight from them, welcome them into my fangs…" Sweet leaned down and clamped that bite around Sally's neck.
The human didn't shake at all anymore, Sally trusted Sweet to have her moments. When the changeling drew back from the bite she saw more than love in Sally's strange, non-segmented eyes. Running all day wouldn't have the mare's heart beating as hard as it was right then.
"Wow, you two…" Sharp Mind was smiling, no hint of any distress at their antics. "I would tell you to get a cave, but you got mine." The sword was hard now, it would need an hour to cure fully. This was harder even than what Sally had on her knee. Sharp reached over to the mass of crystals Slimey was crawling over, dusting the surfaces with his favorite snack.
Sharp turned back to her best friends, Sally was behind the mare, head under her tail. Sweet's face was contorted into the most odd expression. "My turn next, if that is even half as fun as it looks…"
Sally got up. She couldn't sleep. She walked with the slightest of trouble, over to where the short sword had hardened. There would be a battle today, if they made good time. At least a skirmish with scouts. She picked up the sword and began to file the few rough edges off it, working the blade to a sharp edge.
"How long have you been awake?" Sweet's voice pulled Sally from her work on the weapon. She turned to look at the mare and felt that swell in her heart that had confused her so much of late.
"Can never sleep well before a fight." The human set down the weapon and got up, moving over to meet Sweet Bite halfway.
It was an odd embrace, with changelings being a little lower to the ground than any partner Sally had ever been with before, but she found a way to crouch and pull the mare in against her. "You only have to ask…" Her eyes started to glow green but Sally closed hers.
"No, it is better to go with it now. Too late to sleep too early to start the day." When she opened her eyes again Sally saw the glow was gone.
"What ever is a pair of mares to do?" Sweet referred to Sally as a mare and, despite herself, Sally couldn't really feel bad about it. "Although I do have an idea."
Sally was not hard to get excited, not before or after a fight. There was something about pitting herself against another that just stirred her up. "Okay." She took a deep breath and looked to the mare she knew she loved. "We do need to talk about some things." Sweet looked confused. Talk clearly hadn't been what she had been planning.
"And what, my brave warrior, did you have on that delicious mind of yours?" The changeling distracted her a touch, nibbling at Sally's ear, worrying the piercing it had received.
"Us, Sharp too. You aren't the first girl… mare, I have been with, but I didn't think I really leaned this way." Sally drew up as much honesty as she could, fighting her urge to give in to Sweet's teasings.
"Mares?" Sweet got a nod from the human. "I have never really given it much thought, myself. Some changelings, mostly the leaders, have a definite lean toward a gender." The flash of fire that wrapped Sweet Bite didn't hurt either of them, but Sally found herself cuddling a stallion-Sweet. "Does it help if I am more like this?"
The time spent in the hive had helped Sally pick up on the little things that were different from stallion to mare, and she could tell Sweet was about as 'stallion' as could be.
"Nope, still adorable." Sally closed her teeth down on one of Sweet's shoulders, getting a giggle from her.
"Then you don't care so much about appearance?" Sweet flicked between a few forms now, her reserves of energy such that it didn't cost her any real effort.
"It is more than appearance. Not everyone can do that. I am never going to be more than a woman… mare." Sally couldn't help but find something cute in all the forms, deciding it wasn't the shape, it was the mare. "No, it is more even than what you choose to be." Sweet flicked back to her normal shape. Sally reached out, starting with the holed back legs, she rubbed them, tracing them up and to the mare's flanks. Her digits worked, finding Sweet's body to be fun to just explore. "All of you… I think I am not quite the normal definition of girly."
Sweet turned her head to watch the exploration. "Girly?"
"Yes, girly." Sally saw the humor in the mare's features and gave her flank a swat. "But men… stallions, always made me feel good, at least as long as they were in my bed." Her hands found Sweet's wings, rubbing the mare's shell around the base of them and giving the delicate lengths a slight rub. "Now, I have a different feeling."
"You feel like a stallion." Sweet flicked her wings, getting a buzz from the one Sally wasn't massaging.
"I do. Damn it but that is exactly it, with you." Sally's digits worked to the other wing, examining the ridges and feel of the insectile appendage.
"You make me feel like a mare." Sweet spoke, she had closed her eyes. "It is silly, but I was always just a drone, when you protect me, when you act all strong and dominant, I love it. It makes me feel like more than what I am."
"Even when you are in me," Sally rubbed up to the mare's shoulders, working digits in, "even then, I feel like you are 'my mare'." Her hands worked down and up those legs, feeling one hoof rise and exploring the base of it for a moment.
"It works for us, so what is wrong?" Sweet stretched one back leg out, arching her tail as she did.
"Nothing. That is what I am amazed at. I have been with… well it was two stallions." Sally rubbed up to the mare's neck, leaning in to hug and nuzzle into the green mane. "Even while having sex, it was complicated. There were feelings in the way. I wanted to do something, then they wanted it, but it never just worked like this."
"Like us? All three of us?" Sweet leaned into Sally's hug, the mare letting out a deep breath she didn't know she had held.
"Just that. None of those lasted more than a handful of days. Hell, no relationship I have had has lasted past a few months. Stallions… men, just didn't get me. I guess to be fair women didn't either." Sally kept one arm possessively around Sweet's neck, the other wandering up to explore and attend to the changeling's ears.
"You seem to fit in with mares pretty well." Sharp had woken to their talking, neither of the two already awake had noticed when she had started listening.
"I guess I do. But even then, I love each of you for different reasons." Sally looked over and smiled, watching as her other mare stretched as well, much more fully, showing off her strong limbs, wings and even her fangs.
Sweet Bite deployed her namesake, catching one of Sally's ears. "I am your mare, the pony you get to be the strong stallion to. What is Sharp Mind?" Sweet's words set Sally into a blush.
The human watched as Sharp finished her stretches and came over to press into her other side. It wasn't 'stallion' she felt with Sharp, it was more level than that. "I don't know, I just feel… we are so alike."
Sweet laughed at this, making both the other two females blush. "You even color the same. Is Sharp the 'you' you never learned to love?"
The words were insightful, beyond what Sally normally thought the mare would pick up on. "Maybe…"
"Well, I plan to find out." Sharp turned and pulled Sally's jaw so she could stare into Sharp Mind's big eyes. Something seemed so amazing about her, about just being near her. There was a sensation, deep inside her. They hadn't played too much with drinking from her, but Sally wasn't against it, not with these two mares. "It is, purely and simply, love."
The slurp made Sally tingle warmly, her mind turning back to the things she was sure Sweet had planned when first they rose. Sally took a deep breath. "It is. I can't… I can't believe I can still feel that." She kept gazing into those eyes, there was no spell that bound her to gaze so long, no spell but the one their hearts had cast.
Sally didn't struggle, not for a single heartbeat, when she felt Sweet's muzzle dipping somewhere that made her breath catch. She didn't look away from Sharp Mind, her heart starting to race just thinking about what they could get up to together, before they would need to leave their cave.
Sally examined her feet, the green goop on the base of them felt just like boots when she walked, but the rest of them still got scratched up from moving through the forest.
A big feline leaped through the bush and landed right beside Sally. She bared her teeth in a grin and reached out a hand. "Easy Slip."
The cat grinned wide and with a flash of green flames was the changeling mare the human had recruited. "Ahead, you have a patrol. Four changelings, two look young, one experienced and another so old he must have seen the birth of the world."
It was just what they wanted to hear. It meant they were not only getting close to the other hive, but that they were within a half a day's march. Scouts wouldn't be too far away that they couldn't scurry back if something was coming. "Okay, just the three of us." The human took a deep breath. "Any more than that and we won't be a surprise."
"We take them the easy way. Sweet Bite, you're up." Sally didn't need to turn, the mare was already moving up. She knew precisely what the 'easy way' meant.
"How lost do you want them?" Her question got a grin from Sally. "Okay, you want them down."
Sally's nod was enough for the mare, but rather than let her go alone, Sally moved in to go with her. Easy led the way, however. Keeping low, the three ghosted through the forest. Sally walked in Easy's hoofprints, Sweet following her commander's larger footprints with her own hooves.
Easy crouched lower still and gestured with a hoof. She made an arc and jabbed off sharply in one direction. Sally had worked with her, to teach her hand signals that would work with hooves. As one the three infiltrated closer, working themselves into the path of the patrol. Crouching down low, Sally focused her eyes on the changelings.
Sweet stood up first and there were four sets of eyes suddenly on her. "Who is that?" One of the younger-looking changelings challenged.
Sally knew what was coming, she kept her eyes forward and off Sweet. There was no hope for the poor patrol and as one they sagged, legs wobbling as their snouts sported smiles. "Secured." Sweet stepped closer to the four, smiling herself. "Can I drink a little?"
Sally saw no problem with it. "Go ahead, refill. How do they look?"
Sweet stepped to the most competent one, her eyes focused deep into theirs as the other changeling lost any will to do something that might upset their new love. "Other three are barely packing anything, this one has some strength. Need anything from them?"
Walking up, Sally got a little hint of Sweet's power. It tangled in her thoughts but found no purchase. She realized that from her mare at least, Sally had nothing to fear. "Can't bespell somepony already under your spell." She mused out loud. "Okay, ask him nicely if he would point out the direction to their hive."
Sweet grinned, having not noticed Sally's reaction, or the soft green glow in the human's eyes. She repeated the question and the stallion lifted a trembling hoof to point.
"Perfect." Sally leaned in and gave Sweet's shoulder a squeeze.
The mare turned her gaze, banished of it's hypnotic power, to Sally. "My holes… Sally, are you okay?"
Sally nodded. She knew there was a slight green tint to everything, but it was fading by the moment. "Your magic doesn't work so great on me." She kissed the surprised mare's nose and turned. "Bring them."
Easy had watched the whole encounter, turning her own eyes away at the first hint of Sweet's gaze being used. She really didn't want to fall into that trap. Trotting along at the human's side, Easy asked. "You really could resist it?"
"Sort of." Sally saw no reason in not telling the truth of it, as she saw it. "It made me love her, sure, I do already."
The adept shapeshifter looked up in a bit of confusion and almost tripped on some exposed roots. "I don't get that."
Sally blinked at the quiet words. "Get what?"
"Love. I am just a drone. I tried to sneak in with your friends because I was bored, not because…" Easy blushed. The human, however gave a chuckle.
"Don't sweat it, Easy. You are the best at what you do, you proved that. Just don't get between me and my mares." Sally felt a fire behind her words she really hadn't meant to be there. It was that masculine side of her. Her mares...
Sweet followed them, four changelings trailing her like lost sheep. The mare had heard what Sally said and, despite herself, she blushed with a warm feeling. It was still a little confusing to her, that her power didn't work on the human. She pondered that when they were all back and safe, she would test it on Sharp Mind too.
As they neared the small encampment Sally motioned them to stop and Sweet cursed softly and had to tell her charges to also drop down. "Something's wrong, we should have seen one of our scouts by now."
Easy's eyes widened and the flames that poured over her swelled her pony-like form back into a large feline. Sally moved back to where Sweet was.
"What does it mean?" Sweet suddenly had a chill feeling.
Sally shook her head, she didn't want to think about it either. Her dull green blade was in her hand now, her other resting on Sweet's withers. The cat that stepped from the brush did so in dead silence. Easy didn't drop her shape. "There are changelings everywhere. This was a trap."
"Fuck." The word was out of Sally's mouth before she even realized and she followed it up. "Anything strange there?"
"If you count the queen of that hive, then yeah." Easy Slip moved in and pressed to Sally's side. Her weapon side.
The woman shifted herself, stepping over Easy so she could press the almost-trembling changeling between her and Sweet. "Okay, our plan stepped up a notch. We move now. What is the easiest way in there without getting seen?"
"No chance. I barely got out, and only by nudging away two lassos." Easy felt like a very small drone right then, Sharp mind was captured and she had been the only leader in their force.
"Okay, Sweet, how well do you think they would follow orders?" Sally gestured to the four love-struck changelings.
Sweet looked back. "The two older ones, not so great. That one," she singled one out with a hoof, "is so love-lost they think I am their queen."
"Perfect." Sally's mind had cooked up something.
"Who goes?" The chittering demand came from the brush ahead of them. A group of six changeling drones melting from the forest.
"It's just Slink." Another one of the six seemed to have recognized the changeling in front of Sally, Sweet and Easy. "How… you caught them?"
The little changeling, his lasso extended and fastened around the three 'mares', looked so very proud. "I am taking them to see Queen Phalanx."
Sally hated wearing these lasso collars, but it needed to be done.
Slink stepped forward, jerking on the leashes and making them all stumble forward. Sally cursed under her breath.
The drone got much praise from their hivemates, a few cheers as the others saw them leading the last of the new slaves to meet their queen.
"How fascinating. Fangs giving all sorts of strange pets to her drones to play with now?" A larger changeling, her eyes aglow, turned and looked at Sally.
She could feel as the queen delved in, trying to set a spell of control. But one was already in place. The woman said her thanks to her queen, and would thank her more later. Sally dropped down to one knee, her head leaning out and touching the forest floor at the queen's hooves.
"Respectful at least, if not particularly tasty." The queen reached out a hoof and pressed it down on the back of Sally's neck, the human now struggling to get out from under the slowly crushing limb.
"I love you!" Sally screamed it, putting as much of her emotion behind the word as she could, focusing on all the love she had for her girls.
Every multifaceted eye was on her. All but two. The call had served as a trigger. First, Slink dropped the leashes. Sally felt that and smiled, feeling the queen delving around, finding the love she now had.
The second target of her words was already moving. The glint of green at the base of Sally's back was the first target of Easy's. The poncho the human had been wearing had hidden the blade before but now, leaning forward as she was, Sally's short sword's handle was visible. The burn of green came over Easy Slip as hooves became paws, stiff legs became muscled feline ones.
Sally felt the claws dig into her lower back, not far, but Easy needed some leverage. Fangs brushed the base of her spine as the changeling-cat's mouth clamped down on the handle and ripped the blade free. Sally pushed up with her legs, springing Easy up.
The human felt the intrusion into her mind break suddenly as a great weight fell on her. Wetness flowed down around Sally and all around there was a stunned silence. She was pinned under the weight of the queen's body. "You got her?"
Easy had become a changeling again, standing over Sally in a protective stance. "Yeah I got her, nopony is moving…"
"Get her off me and I will show you movement." It was a good natured growl from Sally and she felt the dead-weight lifted off enough that she could scoot out. Her poncho was stained green, as were her arms, fingers… well, most of her. She stood up and held out her hand. Easy slipped the ichor-slicked blade into her hand. "This hive is no more! In Queen Fangs' name, we claim all you have!"
Sharp watched Sally and Sweet leave. She trusted them not to get hurt. At least, she tried to tell herself that. "When did-" As Sharp turned back to Strong, she felt something tingle at her neck. "Ambush!" She got the word out as her hoof raised up to block the spell.
The fighting had been fierce but short. They were outnumbered nearly five to one. Sharp's mind raced as fast as it could. Each of her changelings had been leashed up, their magic held in check by the control spell.
"Well well, so old blunt Fangs didn't just send drones at me." Sharp whimpered a little, the queen of the hive had come out. "Tell me, little leader, are you all here?" The queen's eyes lit with power and it pushed against that which Fangs had imparted on her squad.
"You got us all." Sharp tried to focus, to make it sound like her voice was deadpan.
The queen grinned, opening her mouth when a changeling came running up. "My queen! One of the scouts returns, they captured more!"
Sharp's mind fractured then, her one desire that the two mares she cares about would get away dashed.
"Very well, have them brought directly to me." The queen stalked away and spared a look back at Sharp. "You managed to lie. I would have the secret to this trick… later."
Tears came, Sharp Mind could think of all the horrible things that could happen. Of the queen draining Sally to death, stomping Sweet once she discovered her talent. She heard the queen's voice sound triumphant, not too far away. Then it was like all the enemy drones around her stopped. They stopped taunting their captives. They stopped tugging their leashes to force them to move around. They stopped focusing on the leashes.
"This hive is no more! In Queen Fangs' name, we claim all you have!"
Sharp's head snapped up. Sally sounded like she was ready to fight, screw or both.
The changeling's legs moved on their own, she got to her feet and advanced on where she heard the voice come from to find Sally standing atop the dead queen, green changeling blood staining nearly every part of her. Sally's eyes were wide as she beheld the sight of the warrior, the human glaring at the drones and leaders around her, daring any to step up.
"Sharp! Get the squad together, we have a hive to pillage." Sharp ran, she collided with the human and half-knocked the wind from her. Sally's free arm curled around Sharp's neck. "Didn't think I would leave you in their hooves?"
More of their hivemates came from where they were interred. Strong and Hard led their own group of bruisers, rounding up the suddenly lost-seeming changelings of the defeated queen.
Sweet Bite trotted neatly up and pressed into Sharp's other side, nuzzling against the leader. "You don't have to use yourself as bait, you know. I am sure we could have found her," she gestured at the old queen, "eventually."
Sharp nipped at Sweet's ear just once before pulling free of her partners. There was hive business to do. "Drones, you now belong to a new hive. Know that though you will have a home, you will be expected to bow to Queen Fangs, though she isn't your mother, know that she will be fair." There was a huddle to one side she had to focus on right now. "Leaders. You get a choice." Sharp's grin spoke volumes and immediately two mares stepped up.
"We pledge our lives to Queen Fangs." Their voices were almost perfectly matched, Sally had an idea something was going on there.
"The rest of you?" Sally now stepped up beside Sharp, the changeling blood drying on her arms and face, giving the human the most fearsome look any changeling could dread to see.
Two more dashed away while the remaining looked to each other and milled around. Suddenly they were running.
"Oh silly little snacks." Sweet had circled around and was right in their path, her eyes glowing. Only Sally and Sweet were within the arc of her gaze and as the leader changelings fell to Sweet Bite's power, Sharp turned to Sally. Both of them could see the world as a shade of green. They recognized that each had softly glowing eyes.
"I don't… why isn't her magic working on us?" Sharp looked up at Sally, confused.
Sally crouched down and wrapped her free arm around the mare. "We love her to bits already. At this point it is like pouring water into the ocean."
Sharp kissed Sally on the lips and they turned back, away from where their mate had just secured the undying love of five powerful changelings.
"I swear, my drone, if you brought me back the pony empire next time, I would not be surprised." Fangs was positively glowing. The strike she had ordered had concluded with not only zero losses to her hive, but she gained a whole mess of drones and food.
Sally laughed and focused herself. She knew she had a debt to pay. Leaning forward and down, she lowered herself and tilted her head forward. Her neck offered completely to Fangs.
"And then a queen has to ask herself, why her most valued drone keeps giving her neck like this?" Fangs didn't turn back the offer, she still began to feed, even brought her fangs down to Sally's neck.
"Your spell saved me, saved us all." Sally felt the points of those fangs. She trusted her queen now, so much so that she didn't feel fear around her. "Their queen pushed at my mind, tried to ensnare me."
The fangs released a moment. "She couldn't break my grip?"
Sally waited until the fangs were back, closing her eyes. "She struggled, she died trying."
The fangs clamped tight, Sally felt a little blood leak as her mind reeled. Her heart raced as Fangs held tight to her and, after a tense few hundred beats, the changeling queen released her neck.
"I apologize, my drone. You didn't deserve that. You really should save such delightful news for times when I don't have your neck in my jaws." Fangs licked the blood from Sally's neck, the queen's tongue making Sally relax again, her heart slow back down.
"I guess your drone wanted to test you." Sally lifted her head slowly, facing her queen.
Neither noticed how quiet the room had gotten around them. "Test me?" fangs raised one eyebrow carefully.
"Your magic is, as far as I can tell, unsurpassed. Your hive swells with health and power. You chose to listen to a strange creature rather than just consume it. Queen Fangs. My queen." Sally lowered her head again. She wasn't really sure anymore, what to think. She really liked the queen, in an odd way. The mare held her life in her hoof still, but then she held every changeling in the hive the same way.
"Your tests are strange, little drone." Fangs' teeth came down on Sally's unpierced ear and the woman felt a sharp prick as she was pierced there too. "You confuse me sometimes, other times I see a changeling every bit as adept as myself. Your mares need to see you aren't dead at my hooves. Go to them." Sally's eyes flickered slightly green and she smiled.
"Thank you, my queen." The words came easy, so easy, Sally knew the queen was using force but she didn't care, it was simply how Fangs worked.
Sally sprawled. The capture of the other hive's food had swelled their own hive. Her hands reached to the two mares with her and she couldn't hold back the happy grin that came at the thought of them. "You taste delicious today." Sweet's eyes had opened and the mare was looking right up at the human. Those eyes started glowing.
The dimly lit room started to turn green and brighten with the magic. "I don't think I will ever get used to having my own eyes light a room." Fingers probed further down the mare, soon discovering her to still be completely mare.
Sweet Bite clamped her fangs around Sally's arm, not breaking the skin a bit, at least not there. Sally's wound had healed fast with the work of the slug-slime, but it had left black swirls in her flesh, her limb feeling stronger there. "What was that?" Sally brought her hand up and rubbed the mare around her nose. The glow from Sweet's eyes intensified, as did the answering glow in Sally's own.
"You torment her with that scent." Sharp's eyes soon added to the glow in the room. "And if you let her chew that arm much more you are going to need more slime."
"It made my skin thicker, tougher." The human was just stating what she had noticed, but the words were significant to both her and Sharp.
"You want more of it?" Sharp poked the old scars with a hoof, getting a little growl from Sweet who had, apparently, claimed that limb as hers.
"Would it work?" Sally poked two digits into the tip of Sweet's nose and the changeling coughed and let go of her arm.
"No fair! Sharp, tell her that isn't fair!" Sweet's petulant tone was put on, the mare had moved so that she was laying atop Sally's recumbent form.
"Unless you scored your flesh, to let it work in, it wouldn't work." Sharp spotted a brighter green for a second and grinned. "But you will need to think about this later."
Sally booped Sweet on the nose but looked up to Sharp. "Later? Why late-" Her voice cut out as the result of Sweet's sneakiness sank in. Literally.
"You're mad." Sharp looked at the big pile of moss, fungus and goop that her pet was trying to get to.
"Not all at once. Lets just continue that arm down and to my wrist. That's all. It would be a good test of movement too." Sally held her sword up, in her left hand. It was suddenly plucked from her grip in a green glow.
"If anypony is doing this it is me." Sweet stood beside the woman, bringing the blade in. "Bite on this." A little hunk of wood was offered to Sally's mouth.
Sally got one kiss in to Sweet's shoulder before she quickly got the bit in her mouth. The blade started it's cut. It wasn't deep, but it was very sharp and Sweet took care to not score too far. A spiral soon formed, starting at Sally's wrist and working up and around her arm. She felt a little faint from blood-loss before the slug was placed on. Quickly encouraged with the food, the thing started smearing the goop all up and down her limb, from just above her elbow to just before the wrist.
"This is stupid, I don't get why she needs this?" Sweet wasn't happy with things, but she would not let her mate go through this alone. It wasn't until the slug had gotten the first coat on her limb that Sally managed to dig her teeth from the wood and spit the stick out.
"I need this because, damn it, I have too much to defend. I don't want to ever fail."
Sweet almost swooned at the fire in the woman's tone, in her conviction.
"We have a lot to defend too." Sharp was feeding the slug, making sure it was laying a good layer of it's goop. "You. You need to promise us both, promise us you won't go doing this all over unless we are there with you."
Sally focused on the pain as it was leaving her arm. The spiral of green and black up her arm looked silly, but it was Sweet who made it, so maybe silly was good. "I can make that promise, so long as you both promise that, if I ask for more of this, you will be here for me."
Sweet Bite lay down, setting her head in Sally's lap. "I promise I will never leave you."
Sharp Mind looked at the two and felt a giddy sensation. The changeling cursed her heart for finding two such odd ponies to devote herself to. She cursed it and cherished it. "I promise I will be here for you, always, but I will stop you from doing stupid things if I think I should."
Sally laughed at this. She was bound to the two, one her equal and one her 'mare'. "I wouldn't have either of you any other way."
Both Sally's arms were colored with black markings now, she had sat patiently through two more sessions. Her legs would be next. But first she had a meeting with her queen.
Marching into Fangs' throne room, she dropped to a knee before the queen.
"Ah, my mightiest drone, coming as she is bid." Sally felt the queen always loved to rub her nose in her status as 'drone', even though it really was just a status. Even the leaders in the hive thought more of Sally than merely 'drone'.
"Ever your servant." Sally lifted her eyes, spotting the wide smile and show of pearly-whites. "What does my queen wish me to do?"
"Your queen has a question for you, little drone." Fangs got up from the throne, pacing to the entry to the cave and using her magic to form a barrier. "My daughter, your mate, has done well for herself. She has not only integrated the new drones into this hive, but she has even brought the more agreeable of the leaders to my way of thinking."
Sally looked up at Fangs. "I doubt anypony would be capable of your way of thinking, my queen."
There was a laugh as the changeling paced up and rubbed Sally's ear with a hoof. "The question I need answered is thus. If I were to grant a leader a measure of my hive, drones, breeders, leaders, even food, do you think her lovers would be welcome in her new demesne?"
The question shocked Sally. She could only mean one leader and only two 'lovers'. "A queen's duty is… she would need to…"
"My thoughts exactly. Ponder this. You may tell who you wish, I trust your judgment in this." The queen played with Sally's short hair. "You harm yourself?" She had gestured to Sally's arms.
Sally was leaning into the attention. It was silly to think it, but she couldn't help being what her queen wished of her, even if that meant acting like her pet. "My flesh grows back stronger with the slime. Tougher."
"You really would do anything to strengthen my hive? Would you work as well for my daughter? No, no answers now, go." The queen stormed back up to her throne and after a quick bow, Sally bolted for the exit. The green shield faded just before she reached it. Her trust in her queen hadn't been misplaced so far. Fangs had even warned her before just acting.
Sally made for the practice area. Knowing that if Sharp weren't there, somepony would know where she was. "Somepony… I really am adjusting…" Her legs moved at a trot, even her knee was agreeable of late. She was almost there when the world turned black, not even her glowing collar, knee-brace or arms providing illumination.
You are well?
Sally jerked as the crisp white text floated in the air before her. "The hell is this? Direct? Is this your game?"
No. I am, The Text. At least that is what many of your kind call me.
Ideas connected, not the least of which being the odd nowhere she was in right now. "You brought me here? Dumped me in that cave." Her voice had risen, she was angry.
Correct. You seem agitated, would you rather be back on Earth?
Sally drew up her anger. She knew this being could probably do just that. But it hit her. If she was gone, home, Sharp would have one less obstacle toward being the queen she should be.
You think hard on this? Surely where I put you was about the most terrible place in Equestria. You did bring a most terrible item.
"An item that was useless without bullets!" Her doubts submerged under anger, Sally almost growled.
Very well. Back you go.
There was a lurch and Sally was suddenly back in that jungle, where she had been months ago. Only her company was not there any longer.
Laying naked and feeling terrified, the human quickly looked around, every tree, every bush reminding her that this was not her hive. "My hive…"
She fell in a heap, her knees folding under her as tears came. The black flesh on her arms was not only tougher, it was softer to the touch too. Sally realized it felt like Sweet or Sharp. The tears flowed freely and she rocked a little back and forth. Had she given her love up, her hive, for anger?
Sleep captured the woman, eventually, she couldn't even be sure when she had passed out but when she did it was like she was in that inky blackness again.
Everything you hoped it would be?
Sally looked at the words. "No, I don't want to be there. I want to be with Sharp and Sweet."
There was a pause before the text flickered and faded.
A new path could be opened. You go through great pain to be even a little of their shape.
She looked at her arms, was that right? Did she do this to be more… like a changeling? Sally closed her eyes, not wanting to see her arms. But the question was in her head now. Did she want to be a changeling of Fangs' hive? For real?
There is such a path, it is closed now, but opening such is my purpose.
The text appeared inside Sally's eyelids. She opened her eyes and it was outside them too. "I don't care if it hurts."
Would you care if it hurts another?
Guilt flooded Sally. "No, don't open it if it hurts anypony else." She didn't even berate herself for the 'anypony', Sally wanted so bad to fit in with the hive better, but she didn't want it to cost anypony anything.
There are other such paths. Each demanding and each giving. You could walk one and not the other, but only one will bring you to being a full changeling. It won't hurt you, but those around you.
"Damn you. Who will it hurt?"
That would be telling.
"Do it. Open the damn path." Sally sounded angry again, she couldn't help it, this being was maddening beyond belief.
"She is waking." Sally heard a voice, one she had feared she never would again. "Sally, are you with us?" Sharp Mind. She couldn't see the mare yet though. She didn't care. Sharp was here.
A nose at her side, painful where it probed, told Sally her other mare was here. She didn't blame Sweet for the pain, it was a welcome sensation.
"It is our fault." Sharp sounded down. "That slime reacts a little different to humans, it seems."
"What… what happened?" Sally managed to get her throat working, her voice rough. "Why is it so dark in here? Why does it hurt everywhere?"
"The slime has poisoned you." Sweet's voice was trembling. "I wish I never agreed to help you. It is burning your veins."
Sally knew now why she hurt all over.
"Which is why it is so fortunate my hive is so very swollen with food." Sally's heart soared.
"My queen…"
"Shh little drone. I have much to gain, so much food. I take it you would want to keep your fingers?" The words were so soft and full of things Sally never thought to hear in the queen's voice. It hurt to nod. "Very well, I will make an effort to keep them. It will cost you in other places. There is one question I need to ask you, with your mares not present."
"But…" Only Sharp could question her queen and even that was minimal. Sally heard slow clops of eight hooves leaving the room.
"I can solve both our problems here. I have much magic, but it will take a lot to do what is needed." Fangs seemed to dismiss that worry immediately. "I will remake a lot of you. The poison is spreading, there is little enough left uncorrupted so make this choice quickly. My daughter will be leaving, with her own hive. She might be able to retain a mare as her consort, I am sure little Sweet Bite would be willing to stud her, but she will need to breed new drones in great number. She will need at least two breeders."
Sally put the thoughts together. She was practically Sweet's stallion already, in name if not deed. Even when the mare stuffed her, Sally was still the 'male'. "You will make me…"
"A stallion. If you agree. If not, I will keep you here, at my hive." Fangs' words bit deep. An ultimatum where Sally would need to give up the mares she came back to the hive for.
"You bitch." Sally hated the queen, she railed against the demands. "Do it."
"I cannot promise your hands, but I will try. Despite what you think of me, drone, I do care what happens to you."
The pain was nothing before. Green fire ripped into Sally, it burnt corrupted flesh and blood, it drank her body down to her bones and ate those in places too. Every fiber of her being screamed for it to stop. Fangs would not, she knew, until she was either done or Sally dead.
Every second that passed felt like the latter was more and more likely.
The pain burned, it throbbed and it stung. Sally screamed when she could, but even that was denied her when the pain was in her head.
Agony became her world, she couldn't even focus on voices for how much she hurt. She knew vaguely that the queen was the source of most of the agony, the changeling's magic boring in and twisting every nerve ending until it wailed.
Sweet Bite had made it her duty to care for both the queen and her mate while this was happening. Sharp had taken the weight of keeping the hive running, which when Sweet had a second to think about it was quite amazing.
Sometimes the mare heard Fangs howl every bit as loud as Sally, the work costing much more than had first been hinted. But slowly, over the course of days that cost Sweet in sleep and worry, she started to see what the fire of Fangs' magic was forging.
Sally's legs, twisted and wrecked by the spreading poison, were now dark black, very pony like and intriguing to the drone. Fangs noticed her focus and displayed her namesake. "That slime is poison to her kind."
"You are remaking her?" Sweet reached her own hoof out to feel those legs. Just like her own.
"Yes. It was this or watch her die. She was willing to die for this hive, to fight to her last." The queen rose up, Sweet feeling the magic her body focused start to coalesce in their horn.
Sweet watched as the ruined body of the human was slowly changed. The black seemed to stop at her hips as a new pattern emerged. Her carapace shell. Every inch of flesh was paid for, by the food in the hive mainly, but also with Sally's pain. Sweet watched as her lover was rebuilt, but not completely as a pony.
Fangs was struggling now. She knew changeling biology, intimately. But adapting it and merging it with the parts of Sally she wanted to keep human were tricky. Ribs were kept in addition to shell, concessions were made, but victories were won.
Sweet was joined by Sharp, the pair sharing an embrace before words were employed.
"How is she doing?" Sharp Mind leaned over, seeing the now familiar pony legs, tail and slightly adjusted hips. Sally's belly was now black as well, but the changeling noticed the dark tide had now claimed most of the woman's chest too. She couldn't help but giggle. "I like her squishy bits."
Fangs heard, where she was resting. "They are a defining part of her form, I thought to keep them." Sharp noticed how drained the queen sounded. There were two instincts that instantly tried to do battle within the leader-class changeling.
One part, a growing part, recognized weakness in the aging queen and immediately crowed in joy at her showing it and plotting Fangs' downfall.
It was shoved away, though. Sharp could see how much her mother cared for Sally, in what she was spending to save her.
"Come my queen, you look hungry." Sharp turned from Sally, knowing Sweet would care for their love.
"I always hunger, but not always for food." Fangs stood up, false bravado slathering her with strength. "Now, however, you are right."
Sharp nodded and stepped closer, clearly offering a shoulder for the larger mare to lean on if she needed it. She got a nipped ear instead.
"The day I need one of my daughters to carry me to the pods is the day I tear my own throat out." The words of the queen bolstered Sharp, who stood taller and felt pride in her tough queen.
It was yet more days, Sweet watching more and more of the human changing. Her queen dipped into the changeling form more often than human. Sally was now coated from head to toe in dark black hide, leaving only her arms bare of it. But she retained some human elements. The queen sculpted the woman's head, giving her a refined but small snout and remaking her ruined eyes.
Sweet wanted to reach in and hold Sally, but when she had tried, just once, the human's screams of pain had increased.
"I am almost done." Fangs rested, looking at the green-haired creature on the table. Sally's mouth was open, her lungs pumping. She had screamed herself hoarse.
"Her arms?" Sweet had learned when to ask questions of her queen. She felt a bond with the mare that she hadn't her whole life.
"Her arms. It will be the last and greatest fight." Fangs got up and left. Sweet knew she would be going to feed again.
Leaning in, Sweet leaned down so her horn touched the matching protrusion from the former human's head. "I promised I would be at your side. I will never leave it. Sharp couldn't be, but she works for you anyway." Sweet took a deep breath, smelling Sally's changed scent. "I don't know what Fangs is doing to herself, she looks… she looks like she is wasting away." Tears dripped from Sweet Bite's eyes, flowing down her snout and landing on Sally's.
She had a war that hurt to fight. Her queen was burning herself up to do this, to save Sally. She didn't want to lose either of them.
The tears flowed until the clopping of hooves made Sweet sit up. Fangs had returned, power burning in her anew. "Sit back, drone, I must finish this."
The drone did as she was commanded, it cost her a lot to have to sit away from her love. As she watched, Fang's burnt Sally's arms in fire, green and oddly hot. It tore at the flesh of the woman and darkened it to a deep black. Muscles ruined by poison twisted and reworked, finding a shape close to their original.
"Fingers… why did she want damned fingers." Fangs was cursing while she worked, her teeth clamping together as she worked on what she had just mentioned. Each twisted finger moved, adjusted, reshaped and darkened. The fire of the queen burnt them but like changeling fire did, it changed them.
"She is complete?" Sweet looked at Sally, examining every inch of the… mare. Sweet did smile at that, she really was a mare now.
"She is, but I am not done." Fangs took a deep breath, the sound catching a few times and sounding to both changelings like a slight rattle.
Fire engulfed Sally's pelvis. This magic, Fangs knew, would cost her.
The fire focused over Sally's groin, Sweet giving a shriek when she recognized what was happening. "Male?" She stood up and was almost ready to fight her queen at this.
"Back off, drone." The command was impossible for Sweet to fight. Sharp could, she knew, Sharp could stand up to the demands of a queen.
Sweet Bite watched as the mare she loved had her very genetic purpose twisted. Her marehood was still there, but more had come to be. "She will bear no foals, ever." Fangs coughed after saying the words. Ichor had splattered the edge of the table where she worked.
Fangs noticed this only peripherally, she knew what she was doing, what it would cost. This drone… no, this person, had thrown herself into the hive, had pitched her own life in combat to protect and grow it. Fangs would not be shown up by a drone.
The fire completed its work, Sally now sporting a sheathe and the needed testes to serve as her new role, but it had cost her. She would be barren. "This was your gift, silly drone." Fangs croaked the words out, green splattering out of her throat and marking Sally's hip. "I know full well how damn much you like putting yourself in her." Fangs smiled and lowered her barrel down beside the table, leaning up and resting her nose on Sally's fingers. "My daughter… Sharp Mind… now queen."
Sweet's scream resounded through the hive, as did the sudden loss of contact with their queen.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Sharp's voice was on the heels of that scream, Sweet knowing she would soon have company.
Sharp burst into the room. "What is going on, what happened to the queen?"
Sweet was laying beside her dead ruler. She looked up with tear streaked eyes. "She knew it would take everything she had." Sharp was there suddenly, beside her, tears brimming too. "Damn her, why did she have to always be so alone."
Leaning in and pressing her cheek to Sweet Bite's cheek, Sharp shared her tears and her feelings. The mighty queen's body was unmoving, unbreathing.
"The hell…" The voice that cut into their grieving was croaking and sounding unsure. "Fuck this hurts. What…" Sally's big blue, typically changeling-like eyes focused and she saw the queen's snout. "What did she do to me?"
Sweet and Sharp both lifted tear-stained faces to look up at their lover.
"No… oh no, I didn't want this, I don't…" Sally tried to pull back from the dead queen's gentle smile, her hand tugging away fine but the rest of her body didn't quite work right. It definitely hurt still. "Why did you do this?" Her anger raised, she demanded answers from the peacefully dead Fangs. "I… I wasn't… I wasn't worth you!"
"Nothing was worth Fangs. But she had one last demand…" Sweet's voice had four ears twitch. Sally not used to the sensation lifting a hand to touch her own. "Sharp Mind, she wanted, wants, you to be queen."
There was a gasp from the doorway. There was a mix of leaders and drones poking their heads in. They all knew Sweet was a drone, a drone couldn't fight her queen's word.
"Queen?" Sally blinked and found her hand resting on Fangs' snout. She managed to struggle her new body forward a little, tipping her head down. "My queen."
The sound of changeling bodies, all drawing down, it was a chirping similar to Sally heard every night when her lovers lay touching. "My queen…" The phrase repeated again and again, each mouth of the hive saying it, even those not privy to the start of it.
"My queen." Sweet Bite kissed Sharp's hoof, grinning like a fiend, her emotions pulled and torn almost to breaking point. Happiness warred with loss.
It was a fight everypony in the hive suddenly had.
"Okay, so how do these damn legs work?" Sally's voice cut through the deafening silence. Sharp shook her head.
"I can't hate her, for all the things she did to make life hard. She saved you, Sally." Sharp stepped up and inspected Queen Fangs' last work. Shock hit her as she looked at the gender changes her mother had wrought. "What…"
Sally was caught by her lover's stare, looking as well. Words failed her a moment, there was a difference between the queen telling her what she would do, and actually having it done. "She was planning to make you a new hive, was going to see you would have everything you needed." Sally reached a finger down to poke it before pulling back self consciously. There were a lot of ponies watching from the doorway. "She said a queen could have a consort, a mare or stallion I guess, but that I had no role in a queen's life."
Sweet Bite nosed at her new queen, trying to break Sharp from her shock.
"This complicated things. She told me at the start, of doing this…" Sally gestured at her new form. "She gave me the choice, be female and forever in her service, or… well, this. She said I could be your breeder…" The term was a bit of an odd one, almost derogatory. Breeder-class changelings, the breeding males of the hive, were generally only chosen for their physical qualities.
"She said the changes she made would make you barren." Sweet reached up a hoof to rest on Sally's leg. "I guess she could only make one sex work properly."
That had both Sally and Sharp looking confused. "One gender?" It came from both queen and changed human at once.
"Oh, uh…" Sweet reached with that hoof, gently pushing part of Sally's new anatomy aside.
"Both…" Sharp looked shocked anew. Sally just slumped down on the table, losing her grip on the world completely.
"My… my queen." A leader approached them then, addressing Sharp Mind. "The drones need to see you, they need to hear your words."
Sharp was torn, but looked to Sweet and kissed the mare on the lips. "My consort, make sure my breeder is safe and cared for."
Sweet grinned up and kissed Sharp back. "My queen, I could not ignore your words."
There was no hint of dominance, or command. Only love.
Sally watched as the four leaders threw sprigs of a special fungus onto the body. The soldier had known death, stared it in the face, carried it as her weapon. But this was different. Sally had connected with Queen Fangs… mother, on a level that she hadn't with anyone else, pony or human. There was respect, honor, duty and even some fear in there.
The changeling satyr wobbled a little on her hooves. Sweet was at her right side, pressed against her. It helped with support, since she couldn't really walk all that good right now. At her left was Queen Sharp. Sally's tail flicked a little in delight at having her mate risen to such a position. The drones had accepted her so easily, she had after all been doing most of Fangs'… mother's, job for a few weeks.
"Do any challenge my right?" Sharp looked across at the changelings gathered for this ceremony. All the leaders were here, the more brave of the drones too.
"Your right?" One changeling stepped out. "No, I don't challenge your right. Mother named you queen of her hive. I challenge your ability to keep it."
Sharp grinned, showing off her fangs. "A challenge, mother would not have wanted this to go any other way." Bracing her hooves, she focused herself on the other changeling.
Sally wanted to help, wanted to fight by her lover's side, or even in her place. "Come on hoppy, get your butt over here and give Queen Sharp some room." Sweet steadied Sally with her magic.
There were no more words, the leader charged at Sharp, horn already starting to burn with energy.
"This is what you get for bringing so much food to the hive. Everypony is strong, ready to throw their power down for the chance to be ruler. Mother had their measure." Sweet got the wobbly satyr all the way to the other side of the room where they watched.
At first Sharp merely dodged the other changeling, Great Deed's, attacks. Both magical and physical. Sally watched the mare she loved dive, roll and avoid all but the most glancing blow. She hadn't realized Sharp had put in quite this much work, nor how well she countered the magic of the other changeling. Grinning now, Sally saw what was happening. Sharp was playing.
"You leap and dive, you run like a coward. I had feared you were such, bringing a consort with you to your reign. You are weak, Sharp." The words of venom came from Great's mouth and the changeling spat down between herself and Sharp.
"Watch this." Sally had leaned in, her mouth barely moving as she spoke to Sweet. Another changeling nearby heard and turned head and ears both to the pair.
They missed the strike.
Magic had slammed down on the challenger, like a ton of bricks. It bore her down to her belly. The shock of the attack not only stunned the changeling mare but knocked the wind from her too. Sharp was fast. Sally had never seen her move like this and it made her pride grow. She hadn't trained the mare, but she had trained those who had, it seemed. A hoof came down, slamming with force on Great's neck. "YOU WOULD CHALLENGE ME? I AM THE DAUGHTER OF FANGS!"
The pressure she put into her blow had a green glow backing it, Sally able to spot the magic as it forced the hoof harder and harder. "P-P-Please… my queen…" Great was in tears, the pain of having her neck bent like that, so near to breaking, made the mare whimper.
"Honeyed words now? Why wouldn't you accept my rule when I asked? Did you doubt my might that much? I led the attack that killed a rival queen." The words Sharp spoke were half growl.
Sally's heart pounded, Sharp was every bit the fierce warrior she felt she was. Sweet shifted, moving to stand just in front of the satyr. The movement reminded Sally that she had something now that was very good at indicating when she found something arousing. She would have to thank Sweet for her quick thinking.
"My queen I… command me." Great stopped fighting against the hoof and found the strength held in check. It was like a mountain had fallen on her but at the last moment stopped.
"My command, to you and every drone, every leader… every breeder." Sharp lifted her head, glaring at the other changelings present. "Rise, my hive, rise and show your respects to our mother. She was a great queen, she held all in her hoof. I will do the same."
Great felt the strength behind that hoof ease, the dark limb drawing back and then, leaving completely. Stepping back, Sharp looked down on her.
"My queen…" The leader-caste changeling crawled forward and was about to kiss Sharp's hoof when there was a deep green glow in both their eyes. Sharp's horn lit and there was a tremble in the supplicating changeling.
"You are no longer a leader. But I will not force a single changeling from my hive. You will accept orders, you will improve the hive. You will be a drone." Sally trembled a little too at these words. Sharp Mind showed her stock well. She was Fangs' daughter and successor.
The new drone gave a sigh, smiling and leaning in to kiss the hoof properly. "Thank you, my queen."
The scene played out in Sally's mind again, remembering it and now remembering other similar scenes, similar to her mind, that Fangs' had been involved in. "She was keeping her hive strong. She was worried at first, that I would bring weakness. She tested me all the way, every step, she made me fight her, fight myself." Lifting her midnight-black hands up and balling them before her Sally realized she couldn't, ever, hate 'mother'.
"What are you babbling about? We are here to teach you, not to grieve." Sweet clopped a hoof down on the cave floor. "Now, look at this pod here. It has a gryphon in it. You might even recognize them."
Sally did as bid, looking into the pod. Her arm no longer throbbed at the strike of this bird-cat's beak, but she remembered them as a fighter.
"Now, think about the pod, try and think yourself into it." Sweet poked the mass of green goop with a hoof.
The satyr did that, she looked into the open-but-not-seeing eyes of the gryphon, feeling for herself to be there, inside, beside her.
"Good, I can feel you reaching, as can she." Sweet Bite smiled wide. She was having the time of her life, teaching her lover how to do her best trick. This was something Sweet was not just good at, she was a master. "Now think with your teeth, with your hunger. This food is strong, she is safe in the pod. You cannot cause real harm, so bite, drink."
Sally's eyes were closed now, feeling with that strange new part of her. At once two things happened. The griffon inside seemed to squirm, pleasure and happiness welling within her and right then, Sally's hunger rose.
It was a dive. She felt herself lunge in against… something, inside the gryphon. It was sweet, it was delicious. She opened her eyes half way as she found herself pressed tightly against the pod, hands clawing at it, as she fed on the occupant. "Oh… shit…"
Sweet was there, at her side. The changeling pressed against Sally, making her feel as she too reached into the pod. It was like the sense you get, when someone has a second straw in your drink. You still get as much as you can suck, but there is a slight tension as their suction pulls at the air.
"Yeah, there." Sweet's eyes were glowing, Sally's too. Inside the pod the griffon seemed to melt into a dream, squirming, their own eyes aglow.
It took a few moments for Sally to recover, but she felt better, more solid, than she ever had in her life. "We need… we need to get back to the cave." She wobbled on her hooves and fell to her rump. Sweet looked down at her and giggled.
"I hear that, how good are you with that thing, do you think?" Sally's changeling mate gestured to the satyr's groin.
Sally's legs were under her quickly and she was almost ready to pounce Sweet right then, but Sweet was out from under her, running with a laugh.
The stallion Sally had become, even before her body was remade, would not allow this mare to go without a chase.
"You fed today, I hear." Sharp had entered the room, finding her two lovers tangled in each other. "How was it?"
Sally's grin, even waking from a doze, was wide. "It filled a part of me… it made me…"
"Get your first hole." Sharp stepped easily onto the bed. Though she hadn't changed in stature yet, word Sally had overheard seemed to hint that she would grow. Sally was pulled back to the present by Sharp nosing and nuzzling one of her hooves.
"Oh…" There was a single, small hole, right through it. It felt tingly. "Is that meant to… well I guess I am new and all, but I assume feeding is what causes them?"
Sharp nodded, her snout rubbing around the hoof, tickling Sally a little, particularly when she pushed her tongue at that hole.
Sweet Bite rolled a little, ending up on her back and kicking her hole-filled limbs in the air. "See? Lots of holes. Guess what my specialty is?"
Both Sweet's lovers giggled at this, Sharp giving an extra groan when Sally's leg twitched and her hoof pushed harder into her snout.
Sally looked up at their queen. "I think she likes that."
"Are you kidding, smell the air." Sweet poked Sally in the ribs with a hoof, her own nose working.
Sally inhaled deeply and blushed a storm. Things tickled inside, making her rise to the occasion. She pointed to Sweet's hooves, still up in the air. "My queen, your humble breeder is telling you, right now, to please inspect your consort's hooves."
"Is she now I… oh…" Sharp had looked for just a moment, but with her head turned she saw Sweet's offered limbs.
Sally moved, the smell imbued her with an imperative she couldn't ignore. She thought a moment and smiled. She probably could ignore it, but she didn't want to.
Nuzzling and rubbing her snout into Sweet Bite's bunched together hooves, already in her own little version of heaven, Sharp felt as Sally filled her, suddenly.
Sweet was giggling and squirming, the sight before her had her aching for attention as well, but it wasn't so long ago she had gotten some so she waited patiently, having her hooves tickled by her queen. The thought of her queen doing something like this only made her giggle more.
If Sally could purr, she would have. She lounged against the side of the big throne. Sharp sat in the cradling seat, one hoof off the side. The parallel to when Sally had been in this position to mother was not lost, but it was very different when the mare you loved and were loved by was doing it.
"You must choose new breeders from among those captured in the last raid." The leader changeling in the room seemed most insistent.
"Why?" Sharp rubbed at Sally's ear, even with just her hoof it felt good. "Why should I take them?"
The stallion before her looked quite taken aback. "Why? You need more drones, your own drones!" He stomped a hoof on the cave floor. "Your hive grows fat with food, if you hatched another hundred drones you could easily support them, and throw them at that upstart to the east."
Sally tilted her head, pushing her nose into that hoof and feeling it rotate and rub a little firmer.
"You were one of the changelings from the southern hive." Sally murmured it softly, but it was easily heard not only her queen, but also the stallion.
Sharp poked Sally's nose, she had offered Sally the chance to sit in if she wished, but had cautioned her not to speak. "What my breeder is hinting at, is you wish to improve your own old hive's standing by having your drones be my breeders. I don't believe we need to challenge that new hive yet, they are growing slowly, much slower than we are. Go."
The dismissal was final and the stallion, seething, stomped out with his hooves clopping on the stone.
Sharp waited for him to be gone before rounding on Sally. "I knew that, already. You rubbed his nose in it. Don't do that again."
Sally shrank a little, she was a fighter, not a politician. She looked up at the hoof that she knew had almost cracked that initial challenger's spine and gave a soft whine. Sally leaned up and nuzzled the hoof.
The queen sighed, slumping back but keeping her hoof out for Sally. "Sally, just… leave those types to me."
The satyr at her side was doing things to Sharp's hoof that made the queen want to squirm, just a little. She had always thought her little bent would be a problem for her, but never had she thought, as a queen, she would have her mood swayed so easily as being able to press her hoof to her lover, and having it tended to.
Sweet Bite found Sally at the running circuit. It wasn't hard to work out she was there, since she had been learning to walk again, the drone just knew her lover would be aching to run. And run she did. Sweet had to quickly push herself into a canter to catch up and keep abreast of Sally.
"You still stumble when you walk, how are you doing this?" Sweet's body stretched easily into the motion, her hooves clopping on the stone floor.
Sally laughed and pounded her hooves faster. "Catch me if you can, slow-poke!"
The mood was more than infectious and Sweet pushed herself into a full gallop, her legs leaving the ground completely from one moment to the next. It took all the mare's speed to catch the running satyr. "Why are we going so fast?"
Sweet saw as Sally turned her head, her adorable little snout open, gasping in big lung-fulls of air. "It's good to run!"
At the pace they set for each other, neither was going to last too long. It was Sally that slowed first, weeks without heavy exercise having left her a little short on stamina. Sweet slowed with her, panting, but not out of breath. They brought themselves down to a light trot for the changeling mare, just a jog for Sally. "So why are we really running?" Sweet leaned over and poked Sally in the ribs as she asked, using her magic due to her hooves being kinda busy.
"No cold showers. A good run works off the energy." Sally watched the mare running at her side and cursed a moment. "Not working with you here though, still want… still want to jump you."
Sweet looked surprised at this and slowed more. Sally brought her speed down to match and eventually the two were just walking. It was obvious the slowest pace wasn't working as well for Sally as running had, her hooves wobbled every now and again.
"That bad? Guessing the reason breeders are normally kept away from the queen, unless she is wanting eggs, is now a little obvious." Sweet stepped so that she was a little further from Sally, understanding now that she had ruined most of the reason her partner had been running in the first place.
Sally would have none of it, she walked over and put one arm over Sweet's withers. "Doesn't matter now, you are here." Sweet looked up at the words the satyr said, realization dawning.
"Maybe we should go and talk to the drones who handle the breeders. There might be a trick to… calming you. Normal changeling stallions aren't like this." Sweet turned from the track and made for a side passage, one Sally had never had a need to explore.
The passage was long but, at it's end there was a series of large caverns. Sally lifted her nose and inhaled, finding something familiar in the air.
"Yeah, smells a bit like you just now. Like a dozen stallions are all showing off at once." Sweet confirmed Sally's mental musings.
A drone appeared before them from a side passage. "Who are you and why are you here?"
Sally blinked in surprise but Sweet scowled and stepped forward. "The queens breeder has come, she has questions."
The words confused the drone and he did a double take at Sally. "He is no breeder, freak, crossbreed!"
The satyr in question crossed her arms over her chest and was about to give the drone a good yelling at when Sweet just sighed. "Be a good drone and help us or I will tell the queen why I ripped your wings off. Trust me, she will forgive me doing that before she forgives your treatment of her." Gesturing to Sally with a hoof, Sweet looked fully ready to follow through on her promise.
Sally had certainly never seen a drone go pale, let alone as pale as this one went. "I… what can I do to help?" He seemed to have made a choice, his wings buzzing a little as if he were thinking about how it would feel to lose them.
Sweet smiled, fangs displayed and showed off. "A much more useful frame of mind. The queen does not require eggs at the moment, but she also wishes to keep her breeder near." Sweet Bite gestured to Sally again. "Now, what can be done to alleviate the… side effects of our breeder here remaining close to the queen."
The drone looked scandalized. "All breeders should stay down here until needed for eggs. He must remain here… are you sure he is a breeder?" They advanced on Sally.
"Whoa, hold on. I am not staying down here. I love Queen Sharp, and she I. Isn't there some slime I could rub on, or eat, or something?" The satyr had her hands out, trying to back away. She missed all the cues she should have gotten, that the drone was beginning a leash.
The green magic circled Sally's neck and she lifted her hands, too slow, to try and block it. "Come, breeder, strange though you might be. If the queen has truly chosen you I can find a nice calm cave for you to sleep in."
Sweet didn't hesitate. Her eyes lit, her power flowing out and as the drone turned at the glow, he was ensnared. "Let go of your leash, little pet." Her words startled Sally, but not enough to delay her stepping back and away from the now love-struck drone. Sally did see the glow in the room grow, her own eyes lighting. It felt nice and tingly.
Then it hit the satyr. "Oh, oh!"
Sweet looked full at her lover, grinning at the growing glow in Sally's eyes. "You okay?"
Sweet was tackled by a pouncing satyr, the pair rolling aside on the hard floor. Sally ended up on top, grinning like a loon. "It stopped it, your talent!" She leaned down and kissed Sweet Bite, kissed her a second time and giggled.
The recumbent changeling kissed Sally back and smiled into her partner's lips. It was a little time before they drew back, Sweet could see Sally's eyes glowing bright as ever. She thought about her special knack and focused on it. Looking only into Sally's eyes, inches from her own, Sweet poured out her power and watched as Sally gazed back. "How is that?"
Sally kissed her again but pulled back quickly. "It's great, like your power just cleared all the cobwebs out… smoke… no, fog!" The two untangled themselves and Sally looked at the drone standing patiently, waiting for his new love to give him another command, suggestion or even just an off-hoofed comment.
"He was an ass anyway." Sweet squinted at him and grumbled something else. "You be nicer to visitors, or I will never come back."
The drone looked shocked and trembled. "Please, I will be good!"
"No more lassoing random ponies, even if you think they are a breeder. That is not a nice spell to use." Sweet Bite seemed to be on a roll but Sally gestured to the exit, her eyes still glowing strongly.
Sweet nodded to the satyr. "I will go now. Tomorrow I will be in the main chamber, upstairs. Come up and I will give you a kiss."
The drone nodded so fast his head was a blur. "I will!"
Sally sighed. She knew it couldn't have been avoided, and was thankful Sweet used her talent, but it would take the drone some time to get over the effects.
Sweet trotted out, falling in beside Sally. "How is it now, no need still?"
Shaking her head, Sally did a few steps of a dance. "Nope, all gone, think that big hit will last me a day?"
"No clue. We will find out though, want to go for another run?" At Sweet's question Sally was already picking up pace, the changeling having to trot to keep up.
Six hooves pounded the track, the pair winding up their run at the pod farm. Moving slower, both were talking with their mouths a little more open. Sally noticed it and pointed it out. "Hay, you realize you show more fang when you are hungry?"
Sweet, looking for it now, nodded. "You too. What's on the menu?" The last was directed to the leader-caste who was in charge of the pods.
The stallion beamed, he loved his job. "Tonight we have the usual course of bunny. But of course the two mates of the queen are allowed to dine a little higher than that." He twirled in place, moving aside a little to show that two ponies were in the same pod. "These two, new lovers from the farm upstairs, asked to spend some time in the pods, together. An unusual request, sure, but they claimed that without the queen, they wouldn't have met." He was showing them the pod now, the green suspension inside holding the two ponies close, Sally could see they were kissing.
"They look adorably tasty, but isn't this reserved for-" Sweet was licking her lips but was interrupted by the changeling right behind them.
"The queen." Sharp quickly had two limpets attached to her, one changeling mare, the other a glowing-eyed satyr. Her magic flowed out and around the two, hugging them close. "So we get a special meal together."
The stallion leader looked absolutely delighted with this, gave a bow and made to drift away. The three females quite clearly heard him mutter. "Those two ponies deserve such a reward… but what?"
Sally grinned. "Sweet did it!" She did a little dance, her eyes closing in glee.
"Did what? Why is there a report that somepony did something to the head breeder handler?" Sharp looked at Sweet with a stern expression. She broke and giggled at her mate though, nipping her on an ear. "I trust he deserved it?"
Sweet grinned and nodded, twitching said ear. "He tried to lasso Sally! I used my whammy on him and, well, he calmed down a lot but Sally got a lot happier."
"Why were you two there?" Sharp looked between her two lovers.
"I couldn't stop thinking about sex. Every time I so much as got near a mare I got up and waved at her. When I closed my eyes all I could see was you." Sally pointed an accusing finger at Sharp. "But her power fixed it… suppressed it probably. I can think straight again!"
The satyr's next dance ended up putting her out of balance and she flopped over gracelessly into Sharp, feeling the mare's strong horn-grip holding her.
"Good news then. My clever mares, solving all their own problems." Sharp's words had her only half smiling, memories of the issues of keeping the hive in balance threatening to steal Sally's victory.
"Why, you got some too? Find me a leader you don't like and let me beat them to a pulp!" Sally threw a few practice punches into the air, her new arms proving to be not only as strong as her human ones, but stronger.
"Oh, that would be perfect. I am sure I need a mare who is generally accepted to be a breeder, beating down one of my leaders." Sharp slumped forward and lay down against the pod.
"Then what about another hive? Are there any around we should dust up?" Sally walked over with only one wobbly step and turned, sitting down just in front of Sharp, pressing her back against the queen's chest. The satyr got an ear nuzzle for her efforts and closeness.
"That wouldn't work unless…" Sharp tilted her head, thinking hard on something. Sweet coming down beside her and snuggling in didn't distract her in the slightest, even when the drone got to kissing her neck. "Sally, there is an older hive, a good few days away. If we hit that I could unload some of our excess leaders there, dump all the problem ones at once. If the old place has enough food we could even get away without giving any up."
Sally was distracted, however. She had reached out to the pod and now wore a silly and goofy grin.
"Sally, you okay?" Sharp tilted her head down and began to giggle at Sally's look. "Sally drank too much too fast. Silly filly, love this pure and given so freely, you have to take little bites."
The satyr looked up, turning her head to the side so her horn didn't poke Sharp in the neck, began kissing the exposed neck and jaw of the queen. "You're so pretty…" Even to her own ears Sally knew it was silly, but she didn't care, her queen had a war planned.
Sally learned her lesson. She kept attending Queen Sharp's side when she took meetings, but now she kept her words for after the supplicant left. This let her really observe the changelings who came and, more, really delve into how her queen thought.
"So they want better food?" Sally asked, the flank of the changeling having just left their view.
Sharp's hoof rubbed Sally's neck, the attention reminding her that it was time to find Sweet again. "No, they want more of simply 'good' food. My ponies are growing strong and content, it is a good way to have slaves. But they want me to encourage them to breed faster."
The idea left a bad taste in Sally's mouth until she thought of something. "We could… ask them?"
The queen laughed. "Sally Gailor, my wonderful breeder and mate, you have the craziest ideas. It might work. Really though, asking food what it thinks?"
"I was food once, you forget." Sally kissed the bottom of the hoof that was rubbing her and heard a happy chitter from Sharp. "So let me. Worst that can happen is they think they have more control of their lives."
"That is a dangerous thought for food to have, but it would be nice to be able to tell that useless excuse for a leader to shut his hole."
The words got Sally to rise, kissing up the mare's leg to her shoulder and neck. "Just tell me, I will leap on him as he comes in, complaining of the latest imagined slight." Sally gave a nibble at Sharp's neck. "Just tell me, command me, my queen, and I will serve you his head."
Sharp almost trembled at the conviction in Sally's words. It would make her rule very different than how she wished it, however. Her mother might have ordered such, if she truly believed the leader useless. "I can't. You know I can't. He might be a pompous ass, but he is MY pompous ass."
"You are too kind, but then, that is your job." Sally pressed her smaller snout up against Sharp Mind's, kissing her queen. It made things swirl in her head as very stallion-like thoughts invaded. They weren't as bad as they had been, but even as she wanted to act on them the satyr just knew she shouldn't, not here at least. "If we get rid of them, send them away, we could have eggs? New drones?"
Sharp shuddered in place. Everything seemed to focus down to Sally in a way that almost frightened the changeling. All her intelligence, all her cleverness. Her thoughts she was named for. Sharp felt it all melt as Sally got closer. "Sally, please, back off a moment."
It was like a switch turned off, as Sally backed off, each of them suddenly able to think much more clearly. "Okay, that was… tonight?"
The queen nodded quickly. "Tonight. I will start things moving to get them out of here. You are right, I should definitely get rid of any who impede my hive. My… our children, our hive."
The words had Sally's whole being energized more firmly than feeding could ever make her. "I will begin plans." The pair locked eyes and smiled together.
"Don't forget the ponies. More foals, more ponies, more food." Sharp stepped from the throne and Sally marveled anew. In just the few weeks she had been in full control, Sharp had grown. She was now larger than every one of her leaders, her horn stretching out. Her eyes stole Sally's attention every time she saw them, they had formed pupils, slit and reacting to light.
"As my queen wishes." Sally flashed a fanged grin to her mate, even as she dropped her knee and rose again. Turning, she spotted another leader, but this one was not of the 'troubling' group. He was, in fact, known to Sally quite well now. "Long Draught." She smiled to the stallion in charge of the pods.
He bowed lower than any changeling should when greeting a breeder or drone. "Sally, you look restless. I hope my queen is not also?"
"She is restless, and focused. But you are not her target." Sally wanted to say more, to reassure the stallion. She liked him. Not only was he exacting at his job, but he actually cared for the food he tended.
Long looked relieved, but it was only a show. He knew his queen was not upset with him, he did his job, he made sure the hive fed well and, in this hive, that was neither a simple task nor a harsh one. "Then I will walk with pride and offer my queen my reports with confidence. Thank you." He lowered his head to Sally. Long was neither stupid nor blind, besides, he liked her.
Sally left the core of the hive, following the paths her new eyes found in the twisting passages. She blinked as the light of day started to grow. Eventually, the hybrid found herself out in a cleared section of forest, a swelling farm taking up most of the room.
Drones were about, they both helped the ponies who worked up here and fed from them. It was a plum of a job but was never given as a reward, every changeling topside was well trained for combat, should the need arise.
"Sally!" Apple Stew trotted over. The mare looked much healthier than she had when Sally had first arrived. She bulged not just from good healthy eating and work.
"You look well." Sally didn't hesitate leaning to give the mare a hug. She did manage to resist drinking, however. Pregnant mares were officially off-limits to feeding. "And your condition is partly the reason I am up here."
Apple lifted her forelegs up to return the hug. A part of the mare wanted to recoil, Sally was very much a changeling in her eyes now, but one who had done nothing but good for her. "My condition?"
Hearing the worried tone in Apple's voice, Sally was quick to reassure. "No, not a problem WITH your condition. More with the lack of more…"
The mare blushed. "What, you want more… oh." The color deepened.
"That's about it. But firstly, you know who I am, and what I am." Sally inhaled deeply, she could almost taste the sweet love the mare carried for her foal and the foal's father. "So you know who would send me to ASK." She leaned on the last word.
Apple nodded. "I think you need to come and talk… well, with all of us." Apple turned to what amounted to a small village now, five buildings including three houses, a barn and a commons. "Let me gather all the girls, you need to address us all in this."
Sally moved to walk with Apple but got distracted. There was a gentle singing, a happy tune that her changeling senses seemed drawn to. A drone and a winged stallion were plowing the field together, both their voices raised in a happy tune. The satyr felt an urge to go join them, if only to sample the stallion but something else, something that possibly still was human, told her to leave them be.
"He loves her, you know, and she him." Apple had caught her staring. "I am not sure if it could work, but if anypony can catch the heart of a changeling and not be consumed by them, Clear Skies could."
It clicked for Sally, her mind finally working out why the pony looked familiar. "I will have words. The leader in charge of the farms is a good mare and I-"
"She knows about them." Apple cut Sally off with a chuckle. "Nopony who spends more than a moment up here could miss their love. And surely no changeling."
"I will still talk with her, their love hurts none and, I think, Clear deserves it." Sally found herself shedding a tear for the pegasi. She had almost loved him in that way, but if he had found his heart all the better.
Word spread and, as the stallions took up more work about the farm the mares all congregated in the commons. Sally smiled to see that a few were showing as much as Apple was.
"Relax everypony, this is Sally." Apple gestured to the hybrid with a hoof. "She-"
"You mean he?" Some wit interrupted. Sally blushed a little, she was coming to terms with her situation, but she still figured herself for a mare… woman… female!
Apple tilted her head to Sally.
"I prefer 'she', I was born a mare, until I think more with that," Sally gestured to her groin, "and less with this," she pointed to her head next, "I will stick to 'she'."
There were laughs at this, the ponies relaxed enough now to find humor, even from what was certainly at least part changeling, welcome.
"So, Sally came here to ask us something." Apple stepped to the side and made room for Sally.
Stepping up to the middle of the little stage at one end of the room, Sally looked out over the nearly three dozen ponies. "There is no polite way to ask, not from where I came from or in the hive. So I will speak plain. It would be nice if there were more ponies."
"Why don't you just catch more?" A yellow-colored mare was first to respond.
"Fallin, that isn't what she is saying." Another pony leaned in and whispered the next words to the first mare, who colored brightly.
"Pregnant?" She wasn't as calm now.
Sally lifted a midnight-black hand to her face and leaned into it a moment. "Maybe asking was wrong."
A hoof pressed in, pulling Sally into a hug. Apple looked up. "Asking is the best way, telling would be wrong."
The mares were all starting to shout, some, mostly the ones already carrying, shouting in support while the others, sounding more scared than angry, were opposed.
"Please!" Sally clopped her hoof sharply on the wooden stage, the sound loud enough to get their attention. "It is only asking. We are not going to order you, honestly I think most of the hive take for granted there are ponies up here growing food for the bunnies. They forget that you are food yourselves." Sally froze, the looks she was getting now were united. "Oh I am bollocksing this all up." She slumped down to sit on the stage.
"Then what is the reason for it?" One of the heavy mares stepped clear of the mob. "Why are you coming up here to ask?"
"No changeling… no other changeling, will ever tell you this." Sally took a deep breath. She really did have to come to terms with things. It was hard to look at somepony who you could and probably would feed off, and still think of them as a pony. Person. "You are the core of the hive. This hive is so big and strong because of what you do. If there are more ponies, not only do we have nicer… food, but we have more. The hive will grow."
"Not that any of us like being thought of as food." A mare not showing any signs of pregnancy stepped forward. "But it is nice to know we are not JUST food. We forget up here, working in the sun, doing what we enjoy, that there is a hive down there. The nice drones who help us, fend off the occasional beast, they feed on us, sure, but they are our friends too."
Sally was surprised by this, she hadn't realized there had been quite this much integration happening up here.
"You couldn't have missed Clear Skies and Little Wings." The pony continued in her speech. Sally nodded. "I want more ponies, but I also think there is more to our being here than just being your food, or even supplying your food with… food."
The mares were all quiet. They were watching the strange changeling in their midst, waiting for Sally to react. "I don't think anything will happen, not fully, in our lifetimes." She smiled to the mare who had shed the most light on the problem. "So I will just leave this at me asking nicely. I would be happy to know, if a few generations down the road, ponies and changelings could be equals." It was heavy to think on. The hive would shrink if these ponies left, and Sally was pretty sure they knew it.
"Can't say as Bristle and I were planning it any time soon, but I think a foal wouldn't do me any harm. Hay, how about clearing some more forest though, so we can increase this farm to support our little ones?" The sentiment was what Sally had hoped, even her bullish handling of the situation hadn't suppressed the spirit of these ponies.
"See, not so bad?" Apple waited for the mares to start to wander away, leaving them alone up on the edge of the stage. "You are just lucky you came here asking." The implication was not lost. Sally had a flash of memory, about an old saying to do with horses and water. Her giggle had Apple smile more. "There, now I have heard a changeling laugh, best day ever."
Sally was filled with introspection as she approached the main hive entrance. "Sally." The sound of her name on unfamiliar lips drew her attention to a changeling approaching. "Gentle Care." The mare introduced herself and Sally recognized the name as the leader in charge of the ponies. Sally had giggled the first time she heard the changeling's name, they were indeed more thoughtful of their charges than most, but she was still, at the end of the day, in charge of slaves.
"Gentle." Sally tilted her head and got a deeper tilt from the mare. "I was actually wanting to have a chat."
The mare's wings buzzed a little. "To have my queen's… mate, seek me out, a rare honor." It suddenly hit Sally. All the leaders that were causing problems were the same ones who treated her badly. She had a sudden worry that her outlook on the leaders would hurt the hive. "And what is this dark look come over you suddenly?"
Sally thought of what her mares would say, if she asked them. They would of course tell her it was silly. Sharp might delve a little further, but ultimately both would shield her if it was real. "Gentle…" Sally figured she would get as honest an answer as was likely, but it did mean laying a lot of trust in the changeling. "Gentle, do you think me being… me, is a problem for the hive?"
The leader squinted at her and laughed. "Silly breeder, there is much more to the hive than one changeling. My queen is not so soft as she would tolerate you being a problem. I heard of the little outburst you had, a few weeks ago. Rumor has it the sound of a cane was heard through the chambers of the rear part of the hive, for half a week."
Sally blushed to the tips of her ears.
"In the hive, only one singular voice will ever have any impact." Gentle sat in place, apparently comfortable in the conversation.
"My queen." Sally almost said her lover's name, but she knew with certainty that when Sharp sat the throne, she was queen first and lover second.
"My queen." Gentle turned and looked at the ponies, the odd changeling drone mixed in with them. "I can only assume you really meant to talk about that." Sally nodded. "I am guilty. Don't bother with a lasso, I know you could have my flank in the dirt if it came to it." The mare sighed and looked defeated.
"What… no. I wanted to thank you, for treating the situation so… evenly."
The mare's ears perked back up from where she had lain them flat.
"My queen wishes to encourage more… well, more breeding. She is honoring my promise, from mother. We will not raid more free ponies." Sally could have sworn she saw Gentle sit up straighter.
"So the foal-"
The words caught Sally. "We are having a different conversation, I think. Show me." The satyr urged the leader to lead the way and she did.
The little cottage they approached, away from the farms, was the destination and Gentle opened the door with her horn and called out. "Clear, Little, you in here?"
Sounds of hooves came and the big pegasus stallion stuck his head from the one smaller room in the structure. "Gentle?" The words, however, came from the changeling mare who slipped past him. She froze still when she saw Sally. "No… please…"
Sally could all but taste the fear, it wasn't her changeling side sensing the emotion, it was thousands of years of evolution into a predator of earth that told her this mare feared for something and she looked ready to die to defend it.
"Stop!" Sally clopped a hoof down, taking a step back from the suddenly tense encounter. "Gentle, you tell me right now, what is going on?"
"They have an egg." Gentle gestured to Clear and Little.
Sally drew a deep breath, clearing the first thoughts she had. "Okay, a drone laying an egg is not completely unheard of."
"It is fertile."
"That isn't-"
"It is."
"Okay, let me see and, Little, you have my word your egg is safe." Sally stared to the mare, looking into her fearful eyes. The moment she registered the words Little Wings flopped on the floor of the room and Clear came out fully, his wing draping over her protectively.
Gentle brought out the ovoid. It was smaller than Sally remembered having seen being tendered, of her mother's broods. The outer, semi-translucent layer showed a little movement within. Sally wasn't sure what she should be feeling then, almost literally, she hit herself. "Congratulations." Her smile felt right, the mare on the floor looked up at her. Sally crouched down beside her. "I promise nopony will hurt your egg."
"You… no, you can't promise that, we have to run…" Little fumbled her hooves, trying to get them under her.
"I can. Come. Both of you." Sally looked up to Gentle. "You too, bring the egg."
Sally turned and led the odd precession. A satyr, a drone, a pegasus and a leader carrying a smallish changeling egg. There were looks from the guards at the entrance to the hive, but none challenged Sally.
Her queen was with a leader still, a leader who was shooed out when Sharp Mind realized something important was happening. "We will talk later." She told the changeling as they retreated. "So, what has my breeder done now?" Her mood was bright and playful, Sally didn't want to foul it.
"Good news, my queen." Sally stepped up and waved to Gentle to come forward. "It appears your ponies upstairs are so fertile that they can get even a drone to lay."
Sharp looked shocked at first, then intrigued. "Bring the parents forward, and their spawn."
Sally shot the queen a look that Sharp quickly understood, but was thankful no other changeling could see. She knew full well her hybrid mate would be very upset if something untoward happened. The queen was just trying to work out how to spin this.
"My queen." Gentle floated the orb up, letting the queen see the small pupa within.
"I see a growing shell, I see a horn and wings. Your foal will grow strong, I think." Sharp Mind could also see the terror in the mare, but she focused on the stallion. "And such strong stock, my drone, you are to be commended."
It was as if a huge bubble of tension was popped. An abscess of trapped emotion suddenly was free and Little sobbed, hugging tight to Clear Skies. The stallion only knew his love was crying and he pulled her close. Sharp had her hoof tracing the edge of the egg, the tiny life within sensing a change in the light and squirming. There was a happy laugh from the queen.
"Delightful as it is to know my hive grows, I think your duties are, for all three of you, outside. Go."
Gentle bowed and turned, ushering the couple ahead of her, bringing their egg safely along.
"Now, I have some questions for my breeder." Sharp had waited for everypony else to leave the chamber. "How did the other pony problem work out?"
Sally walked up and sat at the very base of the throne, leaning up and nuzzling Sharp's front hooves. "Well, I think. There are eight mares already carrying, their love is… I didn't sample them, do not fear. But their peers agreed, when I explained, that maybe more ponies would be good."
A hoof pressed to Sally's neck and the satyr leaned into the rubbing it was doing. Sharp looked down at her. "Good news indeed then, we will discuss things further in private. For now, though, know that the other matter we talked of is progressing."
The words implied somepony was listening to them and Sally, having been taught well when to shut her snout, did so.
The map was laid out, Easy was pointing with a hoof at the location marked for the other hive. "I slipped in, their guards are stupid, didn't even smell me properly. They have nearly fifty ponies, it is their primary food."
Sally steeled herself. Her deal with Sharp Mind… Queen Sharp, was clear in this.
"They are already claimed as food." Sharp brought a hoof to Sally's jaw, rubbing it. "We will take them, give the new hive lesser food in exchange."
The tension in the satyr was driven out. "As my queen wishes."
Easy laughed at the pair. "You two, I knew you before you were queen and breeder, remember." The drone was sharp enough, sometimes, that she could cut her own neck. "You should talk more, be lovers first, not…" she waved a hoof at the pair.
"If you weren't the most clever drone, the best at sneaking into places even a changeling should never dream of, I would not tolerate you." Sharp's smile had little heat in it, but there was a little fang showing. "Easy, any chance of getting near enough their queen?"
"Ha, no hope. I may be the sneakiest drone alive, but walking up to a queen who would flay me on sight is not how I want to spend my last moments." Easy pointed to a side part of the map. "But there is a back entrance, one they work to try and fill in. One of their tunnels came too close to the surface, sank in."
Sally laughed and pointed her finger at it. "Then that is where we go. They will expect it, but if their drones are as useless as you imply I am sure we can get in. Do you have any numbers or breakdown on what we might have there?"
Easy wobbled a hoof. "At least twenty guard, they aren't so well trained but don't take them for chumps. They may be half blind, but they have survived in a weakened hive this long."
"Then we hit them as hard and fast as we can. There is no reason to delay and every reason to assault." Sally felt her blood start to boil and, where she was pressed into Sharp's side, she felt a pressure there that she knew her queen could feel too.
"My blood-thirsty warrior, do you think you can hold yourself in check long enough to get an army behind you." Sharp looked down to Sally, something the queen's new stature was making her do a lot.
Easy shook her head and started leaving the room. "I remember what you were like after that first hive… just don't get my maps messy."
Sally looked to the map and then the retreating drone. "Tell Sweet Bite to get sixty of our best together!"
As she left the two, Easy nodded.
Easy kept moving out and coming back. The mare was relentless in her task. She had been practicing not only her primary trade of infiltration but, apparently, she had been studying her magic and working her body too.
So when the changeling trotted into view, two leashes leading a drone and a leader along behind her, Sally couldn't keep the grin off her face. "And look here, Easy Slip is going to do our job for us."
There were a lot of good natured calls to the mare and Sally saw more than one stallion eyeing her with looks ranging from envious to desire. And here Sally didn't even know the mare's preference.
Sally focused, her own horn glowing a little as she reached for the lasso Easy had on the leader. "Come, little changeling, come and tell me all about your hive." Sally smiled, knowing full well her fangs were on display.
The leader, of course, had little they could do, the leash couldn't be reasoned with. "What… what are you?"
Wishing not for the first time she could feed on other emotions, Sally pulled the changeling right up to her. "Why, I am your savior. Your queen lacks time, for hers is running out. Tell me where in your hive her chamber is and how likely it is she will be there?"
"I… I shouldn't, she…"
"She is far underground, hiding, not that she knows it yet. I could have one of my drones make you talk, you would love to talk if she but asked you. But I am a fair soldier. I offer you the chance to surrender and simply be on the winning side."
They seemed to slump, Sally giving a sigh and reaching a hand out to rub one of the mare's ears.
"She will be in the main cavern, she never leaves it anymore. She is… lazy. She demands even her food be brought to her."
Sally began rubbing the ear, letting the lasso fade. "Not so hard, welcome." The satyr smiled when the mare seemed to relax into the attention.
"Please just… the drones will follow her blindly, they can't-"
"They can't help it, all drones will be accepted. Do not fear us, we are here to help you." Sally meant every word. The more she heard of this queen, the more she was prepared to draw the sharp blade she carried and deliver it to her, point first.
"I didn't get this close to them, I didn't know it would be like this…" Easy was looking at the rounded up changelings, Sally hadn't even ordered them lassoed, the sad excuses for their species looked terrible. Some were barely able to walk, only the leaders among them had any real fight in them and even those not much.
"You gave us what you could, clever drone." Sally smiled in a hard line to Easy, reaching a hand out to reassure the mare. "Damn it, where is that bitch, I am going to have words with her, as I cut."
Easy trembled a little, she knew Sally wasn't mad at her, but there was a palpable aura of building fury around her hivemate that the changeling scout new was waiting for just one thing to loose it.
"I… I don't know where she would be, she would normally be in the main cavern… unless she has retreated down." The former leader-caste changeling of the hive they were storming sounded shaken and broken. Her hive was indeed laid bare and she hadn't realized, until seeing the healthy changelings of Queen Sharp's hive, just how things should be.
Sally was stomping around in quite the mood, her spirit growing darker with the need to end this blight. "Where is…" She dropped to her knees, one hand reaching out at what she had found beside the queen's throne. There were three bodies, ponies. "CHANGELINGS!" Her voice thundered, echoing in the suddenly quiet caves. "WHERE IS THIS QUEEN TURNED BLIGHT?" She rose and turned to the weak drones and leaders of the hive. "Where is she, where will I end her?"
Even Sweet, watching from the side, took a step back. Her mate was in such a frenzy as the drone had never seen before. There was a glow to her eyes, green, Sweet knew she had not put it there and couldn't guess at the origin. Their queen had, as usual, instilled them with a level of protection against casual mind-magics, but this was brighter still.
Sally held the changelings spellbound. They trembled before her as she scanned their eyes. At last one caught her senses and she stepped forward. Bodies parted before her like the ocean before a ship's prow. "You tend the pods. I can smell the slime on you. Where is she?"
The changeling, a leader by their caste, but looking as weak willed as any drone, lifted a hoof and pointed to a cave. The green glowing blade slipped from Sally's back and into a hand as she turned and started off, hooves pounding.
"Easy, Strong, come on!" Sweet gave orders to the two most capable ponies she knew, only having Direct move up with them at the last minute. "Come on, if the queen has gorged herself, she could have a lot of power behind her."
Sally's eyes loved the dark, they were made for it. She didn't hide the clop of her hooves, nor her voice. "Come out, grub, you have infested this hive too long." Her taunting words echoed down the hall and she heard a gasp come from one passage. Her speed increased as she was now running just as fast as Sweet would canter at her side. There were hoof-beats behind her, her own hivemates were the only changelings mad enough to chase her into this labyrinth.
"They send a freak cross-breed after me?" Sally dodged as the rip of magic tried to tear past her. The rock wall beside where she had stood had a gouge in it. "Quick little piece of changeling waste."
It was everything she could do to avoid the powerful strikes. Sally could see this chamber was full of pods, pods with ponies in them. Dancing and diving, she tried to avoid leading the queen into the bulk of trapped food. Sally neither wanted more lives lost here or the queen to recharge herself on their energy. "Come on, you call this fighting? I know drones who are faster with their strikes than this." Sally spat the words at her, laughing at another flash of magic she had to dive from.
"You slippery little rat, very well, lets see how good you really are." The green glow from the queen's eyes rolled out and Sally felt as if she was suddenly in the ocean. Waves of energy bashed and battered her mental defenses. Even Sharp's carefully laid dominance was faltering. "Yes, that's it, on your knees now, I think I will send you back out and show my weakling drones how to cut down your hive."
Sally's fury was not being reduced, the queen fed into it, building the rage Sally had built at finding the ponies dead.
Sweet found them, then. Sally on her knees before the bloated oversized queen, her blade half hanging from her hand as she stared up, eyes locked with the dominating gaze. Sweet struggled, that just the cast-off waves of dominance from the corner of the queen's vision enough to half-stun her. "Direct… block that if you can…"
Beside her the cocky stallion cast forth his magic, not trying to fight the queen directly but spraying a pile of rock-dust into her eyes. The pressure in the room dropped and Sweet looked up in time to see Sally fall to the ground bonelessly.
"You filthy wretches, just you wait until I deal with you!" The queen didn't look impressed by Direct's trick, making the changeling stallion grin happily. He tried to work a hood next but it was rebuffed by the queen.
Strong had been badly affected by the dominance stare but with the queen having to close her eyes in pain at the dust and sand in them. The mare's breath came in with a deep rush as she leaped into action. Hooves pounding, she watched the target ahead of her as she dodged around. No actual attacks came but they might. A glint caught her eyes and she found what she needed. The big queen was large enough that the drone was sure there was nothing she could hit with hoof or body that would really slow her. Sally's sword, though, was just ahead.
Easy had never seen the pony ruler who it was whispered raised the sun. She didn't think anypony else had either, so that was okay. She came out from behind a smashed and broken pod a huge black stallion with burning eyes. "You will be the second queen I have defeated. I Celestus, will end you!"
The queen's eyes were wide with terror. She knew the legends of the sun-raiser, that a powerful queen had thrown her army at them only for their hive to be shattered by one strike of their hoof. The monstrous-looking pony before her, with huge bat-like wings and two horns, must surely be them. "I… please, I didn't hurt your ponies on purpose! I was hungry!"
Easy stepped closer, her magic burning up by the second as she was forced to exist as something much larger than her normal form. She reached out but every pod she touched, for energy, felt drained almost to death. She had seen Sally in so much fury at just a few wasted souls, she would rather risk this queen's wrath than her hybrid friend.
The distraction was enough for Sweet Bite to move around, behind the huge image of destruction that Easy had built herself to be. She knew the mare's limits and knew she would be reaching them soon. Suddenly a burn of green fire rolled over the big stallion and the little drone, Easy Slip, fell to her side.
Strong glanced a moment to see her distraction was gone, but Sweet was there. She turned her head away, a moment late. An ache of desire rose in her, the memory of Sweet Bite's eyes, glowing green, was something she had to fight not to turn back and gaze at.
The queen was shocked a moment. Such a perfect mare stood there, looking up at her. All the troubles of her fight were lost in a split second as she felt her will bending to her heart. The most amazing drone she had ever seen walked closer, her pretty eyes so easy to… to…
Something was wrong, Sweet saw as the queen lifted a hoof toward her. The drone threw herself aside at the last moment as the crushing hoof slammed where she had been.
"YOU WOULD TRY TO ENSLAVE ME?" The words trembled in the air but even as Sweet rolled she heard hoof beats.
Strong had reached the blade, her mouth scooping it up. Looking up to her target, the drone didn't hesitate in her dive. Wings folded back, Strong's legs bounded, launching her up with that blade sideways in her fangs. The queen barely noticed the approach, with everything else that had been thrown at her. The blade was sharp as sharp could be. Strong felt it slide and slice, the edge working past the softer flesh at the queen's neck.
A gurgle was all the dying matriarch managed as thick ichor sprayed and leaked. Strong landed and skidded to a stop on her hooves. Turning, she ran back at the queen, climbing up onto her bloated form and driving the blade in, point first, at her withers.
"There they are!"
The voices of her hivemates were welcome to Strong. She looked around the room. Sally was still slumped, as was Easy. Direct had trotted over to the satyr to check on her while Sweet was with Easy.
Strong tried to yank the blade free but it was wedged in firmly and, figuring Sally would get her blade back eventually anyway, she jumped down from the dead queen.
"Check the pods!" The voice of the leader that had pointed Sally down into these depths was yelling, getting Sweet's attention.
"Don't feed on them, they are almost dead as it is." Sweet Bite's voice was firm. She hoped her mate would be fine, she didn't think Sally had taken more than a mind-probe. She turned and started directing her hivemates to freeing the food in here and to search for more.
Sally felt like somepony had played a long game of tennis with her head as the ball. "What…"
"Shh, relax." Easy was beside the satyr and to Sally's ears they sounded not a lot better than she felt. "Got that bitch. Sweet is organizing everything."
This startled Sally. "Sweet?" It seemed odd, there had been a few leaders with them, from their hive.
"If you can get up, you probably should. There is no food here to replenish us, none that wouldn't die if we drank it."
Sally's energy returned in a rush, reserves she didn't know she had kicking in and getting her to her feet. She saw Easy relaxing on her belly beside where she had been laying. "You coming, weakling little drone?" She offered an ear rub to take the sting from the words.
"Yes you damn cross-bred freak." Easy returned the well-meaning insult. "I don't know a lot more than that."
Thudding hooves were heard and Sally had time to half turn before being captured in a happy mare's front legs. "You should lay down for a bit more." Sally wanted to demand when the mare had become so bossy but fought the instinct.
"No, enough rest. What has happened?" Sally kissed Sweet's nose, then lower and finding herself lost in the embrace. It took a few moments before they parted.
"Oh, sure, now you break apart. I thought you were both going to choke and I could step up and lead the charge next time." Easy grumbled but, without meaning to, stepped up to Sweet and hugged her.
Sally looked to Sweet, who looked back. "Easy?" Sweet looked down to the mare and sensed a soft glow in the drone's eyes.
"I think I took one for the team…" Before Sweet could react to her friend's behavior she got a second kiss from the infiltrator.
Sally couldn't stop herself, she giggled.
"It's not funny!" Sweet had managed to pull back from the kiss. "Easy, please, calm down."
"Damn it, you hit that queen with everything you had." Easy Slip sat down on her rump, looking up to Sweet. "I was going down, the form faded and I lay on my side, looking up."
Sweet Bite looked sad. "Easy that… that WAS a lot." She reached out a hoof and rubbed the mare's cheek.
"You think that's bad," a new voice called from behind the little group, "I have a stallion I love very much. Now I have a mare I can't stop thinking about!"
They turned to see Strong Back approaching.
"Just what did you do?" Sally looked to her mate, lifting an eyebrow.
Easy was laying there, feeling a mix of confusion and contentedness. Sweet was asleep beside her, which scratched that inner itch to be near the mare, but still, she wasn't that close with her, Sally or especially her queen!
It had been simpler for Strong. She had a partner and the love, after a little trick by Sweet, had transferred to the male changeling. From what Easy understood the two hadn't been seen for two days.
"You can't sleep?" Sally peeked over Sweet Bite's form to her friend, seeing Easy Slip looking conflicted. "Wanna talk about it?"
Easy grumbled and, without thinking, pressed a little more against the mare she couldn't stop thinking about. "Yeah I kinda do." She almost jumped when Sally climbed around Sweet, moving up on Easy's other side. There was a little panic as the mare felt the world closing in.
"Whoa, hold on there, you need more room?"
The startled drone could only nod. The worst part was, she wasn't thinking of running, only cuddling tighter to Sweet.
"Okay, well I will sit over here. You can stay close to my mare just… ah dammit, this isn't the time for jokes. This really isn't fair on you." Sally ended up propped on the edge of the bed, her hooves hanging off and dangling.
Easy buzzed her wings a moment and the sound of chirping could be heard as she rubbed a little against Sweet. "We are just friends, even, well…"
"Friends with a bit more now." Sally nodded, looking off at the wall in front of her, her eyes studying the stone in the near pitch blackness. "You don't like me?"
"It isn't that, you are a good friend!"
"And Sharp Mind?"
"My queen is the best, I… knowing her before she was queen, it makes me like her a lot more. The pony I was friends with is still there, she is just a whole lot bigger now."
"Then Sweet?"
"This game sucks." Easy grumbled. "I like all of you, you are the best friends a drone could ever possibly have, I mean, drones don't normally make friends with, the most powerful non-leader pony in a hive or the queen. I liked you as friends I just..."
"You don't feel that way?"
There was silence after Sally's question, she had to turn her head to see Easy trembling quietly. It wasn't much motion, but it was enough to wake Sweet Bite up. The mare lifted her head and turned to Easy Slip. "What's wrong?" She nosed the little drone.
"Easy doesn't… not all drones seek a mate. She has had the desire for one suddenly shoved into her." Sally explained it to Sweet and had the small changeling snuggled in against her mate shoot her head up and look at her. "It's right, isn't it?"
"It…" Easy couldn't fight the logic. "Damn you clever changelings."
Sweet rolled to her back, legs in the air but bent. "Oh no, you don't get out of that group. The information you gave us has been instrumental in protecting and growing the hive."
Sally watched the pair a moment, she realized it was impossible to feel jealousy, she liked the master infiltrator too much as a friend for that. Not to mention Sally already had two very complicated mares who each seemed to believe they owned the former human in some way. Sally breathed deep and chewed on the thought.
"And you didn't think, when you saw Sally passed out, you just stepped in and where did you come up with that form?" Sweet continued singing the little mare's praises. Easy just blushed at it. "You were all 'roar, I am the destroyer of bad changeling queens!'" Sweet cycled her legs in the air to imitate the ferociousness and gravity of the situation. She was looking at Easy, however. "Easy, I really like you, and if you like me too that is okay by me."
Sally lifted her voice and added her two crystals. "Me too."
"And your queen is very okay with this, not to mention your friend." Sharp's voice was a shock to the confused drone. It was like everything in Easy's mind was being rocked and pushed back in the wrong places.
"Do you want to do more? With me?" Sweet Bite looked at the shell-shocked drone, giggling and booping her on the nose to try and get her out of her sudden brain-fart.
"Huh? What I…" Easy blushed hotly. "I might, I don't know."
Sally didn't move, she let the two have some space. It was impossible for Sharp to NOT be imposing, though. She had grown further, in her time as queen, now firmly almost half again as tall as any other changeling in the hive.
Sweet caught Easy off guard, kissing her on the lips. It was like a switch flipped from 'confused' to 'happy' and both the queen and the satyr smiled as Easy Slip closed her eyes, melting into the kiss she likely never would have been able to ask for.
The moment lasted a while and, as the kiss finally broke, a very satisfied-looking pair of drones were left gazing into each others eyes. "So?" Sweet was first to speak.
"'So' what?" Easy looked up, lost for a little in the other mare's face. It just felt so very right to her and, as if to make it seem more right, she knew Sweet wasn't using her power, not now.
"So, are you going to hang around for snuggles?" Sweet leaned in and nibbled Easy's neck, the smaller drone blushing but tilting her head to allow better access.
"It all feels so right I… I don't think I want to do 'things'." Sweet's nibbling meant that Easy kept pausing while she talked. "I just… I am not…" Easy closed her eyes and just relaxed, giving up trying to talk as that inner voice that told her she should fight the other mare's power just shut up.
Sally pointed to Sharp Mind, pointing to the outside. Her queen nodded and together they slipped from the room, letting the two drones relax together.
"I like having my drones care for each other, I can't help but feel protective for every changeling in my hive." Sharp walked so that Sally was pressed against her. The closeness was no longer making Sally's thoughts cloud, but she still wanted her mate more than ever when she was near.
"Your hive, my queen. And we are all your changelings." Sally was about to say more but got a pinch on her ear, Sharp's fangs just scratching it. "Okay, a bit thick. Now, to business, I assume the new hive plans are going ahead?"
Sharp nodded, leading the way to the pod chamber. "Of course. My leaders were excited to hear there would be a split in the hive, there is already jostling for position to be chosen to be the next queen." Sharp's fangs were slipping out when she talked, more and more. Sally liked to imagine the mare biting into words and drinking them of meaning.
Sally blinked and realized Sharp had stopped a few paces back, a grin on her snout. "What were you so wrapped up in thinking about?" Her queen's words made it abundantly clear that Sally had gotten distracted.
The breeder smiled back at her mate, looking from hooves to the tips of her ears right back to the tail swishing curiously behind her. "Not what, who." Sally waited for her queen to step up again, still looking at the impressive mare. "And of course it was you, you are changing so much."
Sharp posed a little, turning her body slightly away and looking over her shoulder at Sally. "Good change or bad change?"
The satyr's look was enough for the queen of the hive to answer the question herself and pranced along now at Sally's side.
"Of course good, you look good, you sound good." Sally leaned in and rubbed her short snout up as high into Sharp's mane as she could. "You smell good and feel good. Very good."
"And, with the hive smaller again I believe we can really test you out." Sharp looked at Sally in a way that made the hybrid changeling tremble a moment with its intensity. "Fully."
Sally nodded with a dumb grin. The needs of her queen didn't overwhelm her as bad anymore, but it certainly was good to be wanted. "What are we doing here?" They had entered the huge low hall of pods. Rabbits were being led in and out, almost as constant a stream as the changelings they were feeding.
"The mares who reduced my workload and my stock in one day. My queen." Long Draught lowered his head deeply, turning then to Sally. "Our hive's finest, Sally. Both of you are always welcome in my little corner of the hive." The stallion gestured with a hoof to the vast cave.
"Such a show off, I am glad you stayed." Sharp stepped forward and gave the stallion's mane a light brush with her hoof. The queen's fangs were always there for troublemakers and problems, but rare was a gentle touch to one of her changelings. "You keep this part of my hive running so smoothly I rarely get to see you, why don't you come and pay me more visits?"
Sally stepped along to Sharp Mind's side, looking around at all the changelings, mostly in clumps, feeding from those in the pods. Sally had only recently made her first attempts at feeding directly from a creature, it had gone well but she had trouble knowing when to stop. Her old uncle, the man who had trained her in tactics, used to say the same thing.
"How is Gentle faring?" Sharp was still chatting with the keeper of the pods and Sally realized she had missed some conversation. Her queen was asking Long about Gentle, the leader of the farms.
"My mate fares well indeed. She had a curious story for me, recently. A pegasus and one of her drones had discovered love between them. Dear Gentle is too soft on the food." It was clear by how he spoke Long knew everything about the matter, including Sharp's reaction.
"Their offspring will be pure, there is no reason to enact censor on them." Sharp's reply was pushing the conversation over Sally's head, she wanted to ask a question but remembered the week of 'warning' Sharp had given her to that effect, when talking with leaders. "And now I see my mate has the most confused and conflicted look on her face. What is it Sally, Long is one of my most trusted changelings."
Sally almost exploded. "Pure? What is censor? What are you talking about?" She suddenly blushed, realizing she had been less coherent than a foal.
Sharp was about to reply when Long grinned. "If I may?" Sharp closed her mouth and nodded to him. "Very well. Pure, the queens do not, ever, take a breeder from among their own drones. Breeders are taken from the captured drones and leaders of skirmishes with other hives."
This made sense to Sally, suddenly, helping to fill in some of the rest.
"As for censor, when two changelings mate it is perfectly acceptable so long as they are not from the same hive-line. Gentle and I, for example, are not permitted larva of our own." Long didn't look sad at this at all, instead reaching out a hoof to his queen as she had taken a sudden bad influence. "If any such siblings do create life between them, it is forgiven. Of course. A single changeling with a recessive trait, in a whole hive, is no threat. If they flout the rule again action is taken."
It was both humane and horrible to think about, for Sally. Then she realized something. "You and Sweet?" The question was to Sharp Mind and the mare's bad mood didn't ease one bit.
"Must never make issue. A queen breeding with her sibling is a very bad idea. At the very least it will lead to a few compromised eggs, at the worst the better part of a generation could be weakened, the whole hive suffering for it." Sharp nosed her big head into Sally, the satyr wrapping arms around her and hugging.
"Then I will have to do all the breeding work, oh woe is me!" Sally kissed Sharp, on the cheek first but then directly.
"Have your fill of any pods nearby, there are no delicious ponies down today, you really should call ahead, my queen." Long bowed again and slipped away, leaving the queen and her breeder to their new purpose.
Sally panted hard, she was doing a lot more running of late, it didn't help with her distraction with Sharp Mind, only one thing really cured that. The memory of the big mare swelling had her stretching her legs to run faster. It always felt good to run.
A changeling trotted up beside her, their hooves flashing, leaving the ground entirely from moment to moment.
"Easy Slip, looking good." Sally looked to the mare who was now a more common sight in their bed. The drone didn't seek anything beyond a snuggle with Sweet, but had learned to accept the attention from Sally and Sharp as well.
"I would be worried if you ever got four legs, you would run so fast you would be clear into the wall before you knew it." Easy had pushed herself into the fast pace Sally had set and the pair ran without words for a while.
Sally was coming up on her tenth lap of the 'track' and looked to Easy. The mare was in the peak of fitness, she caught so many other changelings' eyes as she ran around the track at Sally's side that the satyr was almost jealous. But one form suddenly caught the drones eyes and Sally had to slow right down as Easy adjusted her pace to a trot and was soon beside Sweet Bite.
Following along, Sally couldn't help but grin at the happy pair. Easy was focused completely on Sweet but the mare shared her attention from Easy to Sally.
"Guess my run was about to be over anyway. What's doing?" Sally reached out a hand and rubbed Sweet's mane and ears, the breeder leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Easy had learned to share easily. She didn't like all the things Sweet wanted to do and so figured it was easier to let Sally and Sharp take up those aspects of the mare's life.
"Patrol reported something funny to the north, was looking for you two to come and check it out with me." Sweet returned Sally's kiss and added another to Easy's nose, getting a blush and a smile from the other drone.
"Oh, a patrol!" Easy seemed to snap out of her infatuation a moment. "I had heard there was more activity with the hive out that way, lets go take a look."
Sally nodded, dancing on her hooves a little, working her muscles down slowly from the peak she had pushed them to.
The only gear they needed was Sally's sword and they were off. As soon as they pushed into the warm jungle, Easy shifted, her form becoming a large feline, consistent with her own body-size. Having always been fond of cats, Sally couldn't stop herself reaching over and rubbing the pointed ears. A purr was the only reply she got to the touch.
After an hour of silent stalking, the three heard a call and saw two other drones signal to them. It was the hive's scouts. "What's going on?" Sally moved to crouch while the others simply blended their lower bodies into the underbrush.
One of the drones, a changeling Sally knew as Quick Change, gestured to the north with a hoof. "Even the dumb animals are retreating, it is getting really quiet out there." He spoke low, words barely able to be caught by trained ears.
Long Stride, their partner, nodded. "Something big is happening. Last time I felt anything like this was when we hit that huge slug's hive." She was referring to the hive of the queen who ate her changelings out of food.
Easy looked alarmed, even in the feline shape she wore. "This could be bad, we haven't lost a border skirmish for a while, it-" She cut her word off and dropped to the floor of the forest.
All the others, including Sally, did likewise. Just a little ways from their spot, three unknown changelings were skulking through the underbrush. "You heard something, or you think you heard something?" One of them seemed to be derisive of the other.
"I said, I think I heard something, why do you have to be such a pony about this?"
"Look, there is nothing? Come on, lets get back to the hive, tell them these stupid bugs aren't even patrolling their borders."
Sally and her four companions were silent, waiting for enough distance to be gained by the pair that they wouldn't be overheard.
At last, Easy spoke first. "Should we follow them and-"
Sally shook her head. "If they are planning something, it would give us warning… if they talked. But it would tip the hive off that we knew something was up."
"So?" The strategy and intelligence talk was beyond Sweet's normal expertise.
"So, we head back, we double our patrols, particularly this side. We prepare for the worst." Sally started to slowly move in the opposite direction the two foreign drones had gone, only to walk into two more that none of them had heard. "Ambush…" Sally's voice was sure, even as she had to rush a hand up to block one collar from forming. She reached up with her own and secured the drone who had tried to catch her.
The sound of growling was the first any of them knew Easy had attacked the other, the shapeshifted changeling landing on the less experienced drone. It gave Sweet plenty of time to reach out, gently working the noose around the second of their enemy's necks. "Got you." She smiled sweetly, already moving back toward their own hive.
Sally nodded. "Come on, lets be out of here. They are going to know if we take these two or not, now."
Quick and Long shook their heads, gesturing. "We will finish our patrol, we will keep out of sight." And with that the pair slipped into the underbrush and were gone.
"Easy, scout for us, lets get these two back and secured. Welcome to your new hive, by the way." Sally turned the last of her words toward the drone her leash held.
One of the pair laughed. "It won't be your hive much longer, not once my queen and Queen Haze take it!"
Sally stopped and smiled. Knowing that there was an invasion coming was good, knowing there were two hives involved in the attack even better. It would be a tough fight of course. "Thank you so much, I had thought on how to get information from you." Sally leaned in and kissed the righteous drone on the nose, shocking them.
The other lifted a hoof to their head and clopped it firmly against their temple.
Sharp Mind, queen of her hive, looked down on the two drones. "You really think your queen and this other can take my hive?"
One shook their head, the other looked like he was fighting to keep his mouth shut.
"Obviously they do. I alerted Gentle, all the ponies are in and safe. Stockpiles will keep them and our food for a long while yet." Sally had a little piece of slate in her hand, some rough chalk markings on it. "Now, as for defense, you know I had all the entrances sealed except the main one?" She got a nod and smile from Sharp. "That is going to pay off. Even if they both come, the only way they can come at us is through that entry way."
Sharp was quite happy. She really had been feeling a little bored and this, this was a wake up. "My wonderful breeder, always planning for the fall of our enemies. We are safe in here and when they come, oh my when they come…"
Sally felt her blood almost boiling. Her queen was alive with a dangerous edge of readiness partly stirred by her own desire for a good battle. "Shame we cannot be mobile through this, but I believe we have the best ground to fight on. Scouts are out laying traps already, by tomorrow we will have a ring of surprises around your hive."
"Oh?" Sweet cut into the pair, Sally had been advancing on her queen as she talked and they were almost right in front of each other. "My queen, my mate, I think this drone has something he wants to say."
The talkative drone's eyes were glowing softly green. Sweet's desires rode his senses. "She… you really want me to tell them?" Sweet nodded, grinning happily. "The first wave should hit in two days, she… my q… Hunger and Daze will bring their hives in from the north and southwest, the hope was to catch you with your pony farms exposed. Just grabbing those was the initial plan."
Sally had moved to the side of the throne, standing with one arm reached out and rubbing Sharp's flank. Her queen accepted this easily, her mind already half taken with the idea of pinning Sally down in the throne room. "Sweet, my darling consort." Sharp's eyes were burning with suppressed power, making Sweet Bite open her mouth a touch in surprise. "Your powers are constantly a source of delight. This one goes in a pod, their friend…"
The second of the two foreign drones looked shocked, it was not common for changelings to be fed from in pods.
"Their friend gets an offer, accept me as your queen or you join your friend in the pod. With your will undone and energy lost, you will not have a choice to serve." Sharp felt Sally's strokes up her side grow more forceful and it was all she could do to fight her need.
"I… well…" The drone looked down at her hooves. "You are more a queen than them… I just… can you really win against two hives?"
The answer the lost-looking mare got was in the eyes of her new queen. The drone gazed at Sharp Mind, a little smile coming at last as she looked down, closing her eyes. "My queen." She didn't sound conflicted anymore. She sounded relieved.
"Why do I need to go into the pod?" The remaining drone sounded a little worried.
"You betrayed your old queen, to a breeder's simple question. Sally didn't even have to work for you to answer her questions. You will learn your lesson, but be welcomed to the hive after." Sweet realized her two mates had lost all focus on the events in the room, they were gazing at each other, lost in the power that the coming battle inspired. "So come along now, it won't be too long, I promise."
Sweet Bite's words reassured the drone and he smiled. "Not too long? As long as you say so…"
Sally was spread out on Sharp Mind's back. She had collapsed there after the worst of their need had boiled off.
Sharp turned her head, feeling Sally moving a little. "Ready to go again?" It wasn't a question, it was a challenge. One Sally stepped up to.
"Why are they doing this, you think?" Sally's mind was working clearer than it had for a while, engaged in their activities, her body rewarded her actions by relieving her of the constant need to be with Sharp.
"The other queens? They want our genetic stock, most likely. Daze hasn't captured a single one of our drones since before you even arrived here. Hunger…" Sharp lost track of things a moment, closing her eyes and trembling under her breeder. Sally kept up her ministrations, waiting patiently for the rest of the reply. "Sally you… do you really want to discuss this now?" Her reply was even more invigorated efforts on the satyr's part. "Oh… oh… right, yes… Hunger was a young queen when she took over. She is named not for the need to feed, but for her desire for power. She would topple me and absorb my hive if she… if she…"
Sally gave a deep groan as nature took its course and the pair trembled in shared passion. It took some time before they were capable of talking again.
"If she can." Sharp had spent not a small part of the post coital recovery trying to remember where she was up to. "On her own, we would have devoured her and I would have planted one of my own leaders in her hive. With Daze supporting her it is different. I have not heard of two hives working together like this."
Sally adjusted her stance, hips rolling in a way that had Sharp give a groan. The mare's mouth opened, ready to ask a question, only to have her voice stolen by another rolling shove. "Shh, I get it, now be a good queen and let your breeder breed you."
The hybrid got only pants and gasps from her queen in reply.
The next day was in a way both exciting and boring. Sally had worked with Easy, arranging the cleverest of the scouts to head out and guard while scores of drones worked in the forest. Pits full of sharp sticks, deadfalls, great woven nets of spider silk in the canopies.
But neither of the pair actually got to go out and do it. Examining the map around the hive, Sally marked off another section of the big loop that circled it. "Okay, another few hours and we will have every direction covered."
Easy poked a hoof at the north. "Thicken this out, I had some squads working extra lines in here and here." The drone looked down to her own slate, the notes on it now seeming indispensable. "How many do you think it will stop?"
Sally laughed. She really wished she had just a dozen claymores, but if wishes were horses she would eat forever…
Easy Slip looked to the breeder, looking surprised as Sally just kept laughing more and more. "Are you… okay?"
It was a tough fight for the satyr, every time she started to get control of the giggles she imagined more wishes becoming ponies and her belly filling with their love. At last Sweet came up, pressing against Easy and nuzzling the infiltrator. "What's so funny?"
Easy shrugged as she leaned over and nuzzled the mare. "Got me, she just started laughing like mad."
Sally was, by then, finally on top of the situation and calming down. "Okay, it will take a bit to explain… where I come from, there is a saying, 'if wishes were horses we would all ride.'" The pair just stared at her. "It isn't meant to be funny on its own. I just couldn't help thinking 'if wishes were horses I would never be hungry.'"
This did get a grin from Sweet. "I get it, you keep thinking more and more like a changeling."
"It's more than that." Sally reached a hand out to each of the mares and gave them both a forgiving ear-rub. "I just fit in here. Back where I came from, I couldn't go to the normal places, not without acting or feeling out of place. Here, everypony just accepts me."
As she drew her hands back Easy leaned forward and nosed her palm. Sally ended up looking at her friend, really looking. The pair just gave each other a little nod after a while and it was like the tiny bit of tension still between them just faded.
"Okay, but how goes the traps?" Sweet Bite looked up at the map, not understanding what all the symbols meant.
Sally had quite the silly grin. The queen's body was larger than ever, but most of the new size was sideways. "I would ask my queen how she grew so big so fast, but I don't want a lesson on changeling biology." Sally strode boldly into the throne room. Alone together she moved quickly to the mare and leaned up to give her a passionate kiss. "If you had asked me, when I first arrived here, if I would either expect to still be here this long I would have laughed at you. If for a second you had asked if I expected to father a brood on my mare, I would have punched you." One hand reached down to rub Sharp's side while the other rubbed the queen's cheek.
"A queen's brood speed is limited by their food." Sharp gave the lesson anyway, albeit condensed. She nuzzled Sally's cheek and kissed her back. "How goes our plans?"
Sally settled at the foot of the throne, directly in front. She leaned back so her head rested at Sharp's front hooves while she sat. "Easy Slip is amazing at this, if I had a pointman half as good as she is at reacting and planning, back home, I wouldn't have been where I was. The trapping goes well, we have traps to demoralize and wound spread out, extras in the directions they will likely come at us."
"Will that stop them?" Sharp was the smartest changeling Sally knew, smarter in general even than she was. But when it came to this, planning, war, Sally was better. And Sharp knew when to hoof things over to somepony with more experience.
"Not a hope. If they have any determination all it will do is slow them and leave their leaders concerned that the whole jungle will be filled with them. It isn't, but they don't know that." Sally tilted her head sideways and was about to start nibbling on Sharp Mind's hoof when she paused, that would distract the mare a little too much. She just rested her snout there instead. "Maybe we can even get these two queens to bicker when they get here, I will get Easy to thicken the traps on one flank."
It was like the eggs inside the queen activated the last part of her growth. Sharp Mind spent most of the evening with the hive's ponies. Sally was wondering what they were talking about, she was sure they were feeding her queen, but there was only one other changeling allowed in the little meeting. Little Wings, a simple drone, was present.
"Feeling left out?" Gentle trotted over, approaching Sally and laying down beside where she crouched. Both had gotten commands from their queen to not enter the cave reserved for ponies.
"A bit, how are they doing?" Sally gestured to the cave, indicating Gentle's charges.
The mare twitched her wings, a sign she was worried about something. "They are worried for their crops, for their homes. I think it was very good having them see you, but you will excuse me if I tell you, you don't look threatening. Could you maybe carry your blade openly?"
The satyr was left blinking at this. "What? Why? Oh!" She couldn't help but chuckle. "Big scary breeder will be the monster fighting on THEIR side." This got a nod from the leader. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Things could get rough, if they break through our lines."
Gentle nodded. "We all know that. You blocked up the escape passages…" Sally felt the mare lean sideways against her.
"Had to be done. With two enemies you need to limit their access to you, reduce your threat surface." The mare looked a little blank at Sally's use of terms. "Make it so you fight less of them at a time. I take it this isn't a common fight?"
"I have not heard of such before. Normally skirmishes are had, or an invasion happens, but never have I heard of two hives attacking a third at the same time. It makes me proud of my queen, and my mother, that between them they build a hive worthy of such." Gentle didn't seek anything more than just the touch of Sally's body. Sally felt the relaxation of having another hivemate close.
"Both great mares." Sally could say that now. She had examined her feelings about Fangs… mother. She chuckled a touch at the way the hive had shifted their perception of her, once the old queen died, they were never talked about as queen, only the mother of the hive.
"She was not an easy mare to be under, mother." Gentle felt something in her companion, a need for talk. Sally was not just a breeder to her queen, the satyr was also her hive's protector.
Sally reached a hand over and rubbed Gentle's ear. "No, she was very easy to be under, if you were under her you belonged to her, and she was much easier to deal with then. When I was her food, or worse, food with another use, she was ruthless."
"She put me in charge of the ponies. She claimed no other pony had a soft enough heart for it. I was young, I didn't know what I could get away with and what I couldn't. It wasn't until you that I realized that food is not just food. I thought for sure you would escape the hive, I was terrified of it."
"I couldn't, my knee was busted and, once mother knew how useful I was beyond the next snack, she forced her will upon me."
"How was that?" Sally heard genuine interest in the voice of Gentle.
"Terrifying, amazing… good." It took the hybrid a long time to reconcile the last. "If she had not done it, if I had escaped to be captured by one of the other hives nearby, I would not have fared so well. I owe mother everything."
Gentle laughed. "We all do. She was our mother, she was the hive, she was our place in this world where we could go and see that there was something bigger than us, stronger than us, that loved us."
Easy advanced toward the two, trotting with efficient strides. "Sally!"
Lifting her head from the heart-felt conversation, the satyr looked to the drone. "It has started?"
There was a nod in reply.
Sally wondered just how Sharp seemed to know everything, if there really was some kind of link between her and the changelings in her hive.
The queen arrived at their map room moments after Easy and Sally got there themselves. "Started?"
Easy and Sally nodded, the drone reaching with her magic to start laying markers on the map, showing where traps were being encountered by the enemy. "As we predicted, they are sending scouts ahead, they are not having a good day."
The grin on Easy's snout got both breeder and queen to grin too, but it was Sally who responded. "Is the funnel working?"
Easy gestured to a mass of stones she had plopped on the southern-most series of traps, thickest around a gully. "It is, such a lazy army, their scouts only move along the ridges, which is sparse of traps. Here," she poked that gully with a stick, "is not a nice place to walk, fly or sneak."
Sharp's fangs were on display, a sign she was either very happy, or very angry. Both was the true answer, but both Sally and Easy knew who which emotions were aimed at. "You two are a dangerous pair, I must remember to think of a suitable reward for each of you. Do we have an estimation of how long it will be until they reach the hive entrance, or the numbers they may have?"
Easy Slip shook her head. "As soon as their armies reached the outer traps, I pulled all our hive in." She looked a little worried, this had been an order she had given herself, even the leaders had followed it without question.
"Good work, wonderful as it would be to have intelligence on their numbers and progress, every drone is precious." Sharp reached a hoof up and gave Easy's shoulder a rub. The drone blushed furiously.
"My queen!" The changeling leader limped toward the razer-thin featured queen. "We have found another concentration of-"
"More traps? They couldn't have spent more than half a day out here, how do they have so much of this thrice damned jungle infested with these things?" The queen stomped a hoof in anger, causing the leader to drop to his belly and cower. It made her feel good when her changelings groveled.
"My queen, we are moving as fast as we can, we should reach the hive in a few more hours." There was a tremble in the stallion's voice that made Queen Haze pull her lips back into a horrid grin.
"Then go, drive the drones onward, bring me to that hive so we can feast on their food, drain their stupid queen and I will have that strategist. Or nopony will."
The leader did just that, turning tail and running. His queen was mighty and scary, but when she was happy it was worse. When she was happy she made sure all her hive knew they were under her hoof.
There was a group of four changelings just behind them. Sally, Sweet and Easy were crouched inside the entrance to their hive, watching the entrance. The four changelings, however, were watching Sweet with intent eyes, ears perked waiting on her every word. She had told them to be quiet and so none dared make a noise lest the object of their affections would get cross with them.
Two more coming
It wasn't spoken out loud, Easy's hooves had flicked through the gesture quickly, the drone's sharp eyes more than up to the task of spotting the scouts as they were sent in.
A moment later Sally could see them, the moonlight outside silhouetting the pair. Sally signaled to Sweet Bite that they were drones. "Excuse me, could you look this way?" Sweet's voice was calm, but her eyes were glowing green.
Sally grinned and reached up to rub Sweet's neck. The green glow of the changeling mare's eyes soon was reflected in two more. "You okay Easy?" Sally turned, her own eyes now glowing softly, to see that Easy had the same affliction.
"Yeah, I am as trapped by her as you now." The scout did not sound at all upset by the situation. "Hay, another three coming after them, get them secured."
"Why don't you two mares come and wait with my other new friends, be quiet now, don't want to ruin the surprise." Sweet Bite gestured for the two newly trapped drones to approach and they did, settling in and accepting little touches from Sweet on the way past. Each shivered with delight as the object of their affection brushed their manes. "Where are the next lot?"
They could all soon see the leader, with two drones, approaching. Sweet gave a tiny giggle that had all three looking in her direction.
Sally's hand reached out to steady her mate.
"Where are you little drones, we know you are here, what are you doing with all my scouts?" The words came from the leader and Sally was sorely tempted to jump up and charge, her hand rubbing the shortsword's hilt.
Sweet stood, her eyes starting to glow as she rose. "Why don't you three look-" Her voice caught and Sally looked up suddenly to see what had happened.
It wasn't a leader, it was one of the queens.
"Oh, a neat trick you have." The queen's deep voice and large frame matched the description of Queen Hunger. Sally watched as their eyes glowed, but it was very different to the normal effect Sweet would have. Pulsing as she stepped forward, closer to them, Queen Hunger licked her lips. "Delicious…"
Sweet trembled, she couldn't stop her power, her eyes were glowing with her own power, sending it questing outwards and this changeling just… just ate it! "Sally…"
"Enough! Drones, no matter their lovely tricks, are not why I am here. I want your food!" The word blasted over the three. Sally was stunned by the power in the mare's voice and beside her, Sweet was laying flat on her side, eyes closed. One hand reaching out, trembling, Sally could feel the drone still breathing. There was a sting in her other hand, she looked and saw Easy had bit her.
"Come on, this isn't working." Easy Slip was tugging at her arm and it was what Sally needed to come back to herself. Reaching out with her left arm, she wrapped it firmly around Sweet's midsection, grunting with strain as she lifted the mare.
"Running? Oh, you are that little freak my spies told me so much about. You won't be getting out of here alive." The taunting words were accompanied by a green glow from behind Sally. She didn't want to turn, her legs were under her and she had to get Sweet to safety.
The green light flared suddenly brighter, Sally felt a moment of heat in her right arm. The agony didn't come until five heartbeats later. Her legs pumped, somepony was screaming, but she had to keep moving. The pain was nothing like she had felt before. Bullet wounds hurt like hell, once you felt them, but this was a whole new thing. The green light flared again and this time she ducked as it started, a flare of green-red heat tore through where her neck had been a moment ago.
She thought it had missed her, but her vision narrowed as pain blossomed on the right side of her head. She hoped it was just blood in her eye, blocking her vision. It wasn't like it was the first time that had happened to her.
Sally worked her legs as hard as she could, avoiding the traps she knew were laid around the only safe path back into the hive. Rounding a corner she saw a whole squad of her changelings, the green spears they had started to fashion clutched tight.
"Sally? What the… I got her!" Strong trotted up, their horn lighting up and lifting Sweet from her arms. There weren't a lot of changelings she would trust with her mate right then, but the fine soldier that the brawler had become was one of them. "What happened? Get my queen!"
Falling to her knees and further, Sally slumped in a heap. Her arm hurt but didn't, it was like the nerves had been set on fire. "Queen Hunger." She panted for breath, she knew better than to look at her arm. "She can drink magic with her eyes."
Strong nodded at the information.
"Ah, here is where the rats got to…" The voice of that horrid queen had Sally looking over to her, horror in her eyes.
Strong's changelings were well trained, disciplined and more, ready. The first wave of thrown spears was not expected and Queen Hunger screamed, throwing a shield up against the second wave. Stuck in her side were two green hafts.
"This is my hive," the familiar voice both buoyed Sally's spirits and made her tremble more in fear, "you come here hurting my changelings, you will not leave." Sharp Mind, standing every bit as tall as the other queen, was walking through the ranks of her hivemates. Sally saw the eyes of her mate flick briefly to herself, then back on her enemy. "Forget letting you walk away from this, you will die here."
Sharp Mind dashed, her wings adding speed to her rush as she was headed right at the other queen. She flashed up a shield of green energy at the last moment, crashing against Hunger.
"Your pathetic hive is barely worth my time, if you didn't have so much food here I would have ignored you. You made your changelings a target." Hunger reached to tear one of the spears out to use as a weapon but as she gripped it her back-left leg trembled.
"Oh, go on, be the hero and yank my little drone's spear free, if you have the energy to. Sluggish mare, you heard what my ponies do to the likes of you?" Sharp posed, grinning and showing off her fangs, offering the perfect target.
Hunger screamed in rage and her teeth gripped the haft tight and pulled. She got the spear-tip almost free before she let go, screaming.
Beside Sally, Strong was making sure a changeling with a little healing was close. "Barbed tips, Sharp knew full well what that would do."
Sally grinned at hearing the drones words, she was having trouble focusing on the fight.
"She is hurt?" A deep but soft voice asked and Sally fought to remember who it was. A soft mane pressed against her left side, her arm reaching up and feeling soft, feathery wings.
"Clear?" She was drinking before she realized it, the stallion holding steady as a rock for her while she drank. Her focus regained, Sally stopped her feeding.
"Can't take a little pain?" Sharp Mind sounded derisive, her voice aimed more toward her own ranks than toward the queen the words meant to taunt. "Hay, Strong, do you have a saddle? This mare almost looks ready to be broken."
The words tore at what remained of Hunger's thoughts. Her back leg hung limp from her flank down, agony radiating from the wound along with more than a little ichor.
"Come on damn you, keep your words and just die!" Hunger had secured the spear in her mouth, her own essence staining the point. She began to try and charge at Sharp.
"My queen!" A voice called from the changeling ranks behind Sharp and a spear was lobbed up. The queen of their hive grabbed it from the air and trotted forward to meet the enraged interloper.
"Slow on that one." "More force in your drive." "Almost got a touch then."
The words ate at Hunger, how was this damn fool able to dodge all her attacks?
"I will tell you what, hungry drone," Sharp seemed to settle back a little bit, putting nearly two full lengths between them, "you put the spear down before you hurt yourself even more, and I will kill you fast."
There was no thinking left for Hunger. On the edge of blacking out to pain, she screamed in fury and charged. She got two long paces before the loss of one leg made her stumble. Sharp moved so quickly she didn't see it. The queen she thought so weak flicked her wings and jumped. A hoof knocked the tip of Hunger's spear down and as the enraged queen started to look up at what her foe was doing, Sharp brought her head around in a snapping strike, the spear driven behind the queen's head. Everything went numb for Hunger.
"If my mate lives, I will kill you quickly." Sharp's voice made even the drones nearby take a step back, surprised at the viciousness in their queen. Sharp pressed a hoof down against Hunger's neck, putting pressure on the wound her spear had made, making sure the other wouldn't bleed out too fast.
Sally was surprised at this, was Sharp talking about Sweet. Looking to her left, the satyr saw that Sweet was roused, looking around a little confused but otherwise okay. Easy was pressed tight to Sweet.
Then the former human looked to her right. The changeling surgeon was tugging and cutting, but there just wasn't much to work with. Sally's arm was mostly gone, she had about three inches of upper-arm left and below that was a burnt black wound. Her elbow and forearm were gone.
Darkness swarmed over her, she didn't even hear as Hunger's spine was snapped by Sharp Mind.
"They are withdrawing?" Sharp looked every bit the angry queen now, the only thing that made her smile, even a little, was when Sweet would come in and tell her her breeder, her mate, was still alive.
Easy nodded. "My queen, with the loss of Queen Hunger, the other hive withdraws. Hunger's drones and leaders are confused, they have lost their queen…"
Sharp drew in a deep breath. "Hunt them. Easy Shift. Hunt them all and if they don't beg you to be captured, kill them."
The drone didn't like the order, she was underhooved, of course, but she was never big on killing regular drones. "I will, my queen." She had grown bold of late, she had told Sharp that she would take over for Sally until the satyr recovered. It had felt very strange to do, almost like going against her queen.
Hunting down this hive, however, would be something she would do. Not just for her queen, but also for her friend.
A hoof reached out to the partly-distracted Easy. "You are growing." Sharp said nothing more, leaving the observation and caress at that.
The agony was gone, Sally woke more to the sense that she needed to eat. She was hungry beyond measure and as she reached out to quench the thirst she felt a pod. The occupant was a pony, she could tell, and she sensed more than one. It was simple as breathing, as she took from them what was apparently freely given. It actually made the meal all the better.
"Awake?" Sweet's voice in her ear got Sally to open her eye. The feeling of the other, wrecked like her arm, had her remembering the fight. She started to tilt her head so she would see it but Sweet moved, pressing her head against Sally's jaw. "You don't need to see it yet."
"You are safe?" Her voice croaked, she felt a little sore all over but the freely given food really helped with that. Sweet nodded and kissed the tip of Sally's nose. "The hive?"
"Is mad." Sweet settled herself, laying half across Sally, hiding her shoulder from sight. "Sharp has our drones out hunting down the remnants of Hunger's hive. They are given one choice of quarter and then dispatched." Sweet gulped back her emotions. "Easy is leading things."
"Please, off me. Somepony needs to go up and yell at Sharp." Sally waited, the mare finally lifting free. Closing her remaining eye, Sally looked down at her shoulder and opened it. Somepony had done a good job cleaning it up, but she still had lost the limb. "I don't suppose there is magic that would grow it back?" She wasn't sure if she were making a joke or really wishing it to be true.
Of course there wasn't, this was real, not a kids fairy tail.
"Help me up Sweet, and… glow for me."
Sweet looked up to Sally, stepping closer to the cot the breeder was laying on. With a glow in her eyes, Sweet reached out with her magic and helped her mate to gain her hooves. "Please, if anyone can get her to see reason it is you."
Sally nodded to the changeling that she would never be able to get out of her heart. "I will do what I can, even a crippled soldier is still a soldier."
"You don't need to be, not now. You are my mate, and Sharp's mate, that is enough."
It made Sally angry. She looked down at her missing arm, surprising herself with a snarl. Walking without it had her off balance, she felt her stride a little wrong on that side and found herself walking a little oddly because of it. But she had a purpose and just because the hall seemed to keep rocking she wasn't going to stop. She did hope the rocking was because she had just woken up.
She closed her eye a moment as she reached the entry to the throne room. There was a trembling, in her she couldn't stop. "What if she doesn't want me now…" The thought went unfinished because it didn't need to be finished to shake her world. She flailed at the terror in her mind and threw anger at it.
Fighting back the fear with her anger, she stormed into the room, Sharp Mind glaring at her at first, not recognizing the source of the interruption. She had two leaders in front of her, ones Sally didn't recognize.
The place was silent except for Sally's hooves on the floor of the room. She raged and strode up to the throne, her one eye fixed on her queen's two. She didn't stop at the base of it. As she neared Sharp, something cracked and the anger drained. When she had watched her mate fighting the queen, she feared for her. She fell forward the last half a foot and wrapped her good arm around Sharp's neck, nuzzling into her mane. "I don't want to lose you…"
Both already forgot about the changelings present, Sharp wrapping both front legs around her mate. "Me either." A weight lifted from Sharp, her mind clearing a touch.
"What is this I hear about you scorching the earth from here to that bitch's hive?" Sally didn't pull back from the tight hug, talking into Sharp's mane. Sharp opened her eyes, seeing the two leaders were not moving. She suddenly didn't care, everypony knew how she had been acting.
"Easy is still out there, she is so very efficient." Sharp nibbled at Sally's neck, just rubbing her incisors against the flesh there. "Their hive has food, but their dead queen was badly managing it."
Sally gasped a little, every time the fangs rubbed, wondering if this was the moment when Sharp would sink them in. The satyr wasn't sure why it felt like such a good idea, why it turned her on, but it did. "Okay, so what are you doing about it? Gather their drones, we will expand this hive and stretch out, grow and dominate."
Gasping, Sharp pulled back. "Sally?" The shock sent a thrill down the queen's spine, it was a new thrill. Everything she had done so far had been done before, her hive was already great, she purged the weak into their own hive and kept growing. But this idea…
Sally saw the look in her mare's eyes, knowing her own were wild with sudden desire and an urge to fight whatever 'rules' might be in place to stop her growing the hive stronger.
"Sally, that wouldn't… how could…" Sharp was trying to think but the hybrid leaned in and kissed her on the lips, upsetting her train of thought and causing her wings to buzz.
"We will need more drones. More foals. More eggs." Sally had broken the kiss, talking low. "Who are these?" She gestured to the pair of stunned changelings.
"Two leaders from the lost hive. They swore themselves to our hive." Sharp stopped the moment she said the words. Her eyes were as wide as the two leaders' were.
"Then we must grow our hive." Sally liked the feel of the word, the way it sounded. "Come my queen, lets plan."
"You meant those words right, our hive?" The two leaders had been chased out and Sally was leaning against the right hand side of Sharp's throne, her arm reaching around Sharp's withers.
"I didn't… but I think I do now. With mother, you helped build this hive and I see now what would happen if I lost you, the hive would stumble and fail. For better or worse, you are as much a part of being queen of this place as I am." Sharp leaned sideways. "How is your arm?"
Sally closed her eyes. The moment had been heartfelt, but her question was a harsh one. "I think I can still feel it, but I know that is wrong. I sent so many soldiers home with arms or legs missing, I never even thought life would leave me a cripple in the same way."
Sharp snorted at her, shaking her head. "Sometimes, Sally, you think entirely like a changeling, other times, half alien and half changeling. Right now you are not thinking with your horn at all."
"What do you… oh, well…"
"You lost an arm, guess what, most drones never even had one to start with. Your mouth works, your horn will glow bright, you may be a bit harder to see eye to eye with, but I bet there are more bits working than not."
Sally laughed at the joke, she knew it was a trap to get her to laugh but it worked too well for her to fight it. "Okay, you got me. I will work on getting better with this thing." Sally reached up with her arm and rubbed the side of her horn, tracing the big hole in it that she had developed.
"I think we need to make vows, like the ponies do." Sharp Mind leaned a little away from Sally.
The former human was stunned. She already considered Sharp and Sweet her mates but… but this was going further. This was the big one, what her mother had always hoped she might do. Tears came and as Sally closed her one good eye, she realized the tear-ducts on the ruined one still worked.
"What is wrong?" Sharp was immediately worried, her voice betraying every fear she held for the satyr.
"Not just us, get Sweet here… Easy too." Sally couldn't stop the crying, but she could talk past the tears of joy.
"Easy?" Sharp looked surprised but Sally nodded. The queen tilted her head to the side and pondered it, but nodded in the end. "Tomorrow, in here. The four of us and two leaders to confirm it."
Sally smiled and leaned in for a kiss, her tears still flowing. "Tomorrow…"
"What the… what do you mean?" Sweet looked between the obviously united forces of Sally and Sharp.
"We mean," Sharp looked from Sweet to Easy, "that it has come time to cement our control over this hive, and our bonds to each other."
"But I am not-" Easy tried to counter the logic, her voice going against her queen much easier now than ever before.
Sally had the answer, leaning down and giving the former drone a little rub behind the ears. "You are wrong, Easy. You are a great force among us. Our little group once consisted of two drones, a queen and a breeder. It is not that anymore. I see two leaders in front of me. Two changelings who have risen far beyond what a drone could. Easy, you lead the army, Sweet, I have seen you training and integrating new members to the hive. You both do your part."
"This isn't my hive." Sharp sighed and reached out with her magic and front legs, giving all three of her mate's a hug. "This is our hive, and it will grow."
"But… you are queen, you can't… what are we then? Leaders can't be part of the hive's core!" Easy stomped a hoof, showing no fear now that the decision was made.
"Then be my…" Sharp looked surprised. "I… my…" She looked to Sally quickly.
"Advisers? Uh, generals? Oh maybe something more royal… princess?"
Sharp shook her head. "Ponies have princesses."
"So we can't? What do their princesses do?" Sally seemed to like the word.
"They lead…" Easy tilted her head, tasting the word. "Princess… It does have a nice feel to it."
"Princess Sweet Bite. Yes, I like it!" Sweet's eyes were aglow, it always kindled a reassuring burst within the group. She looked to Sharp to see if the queen would fight it.
Sally nodded to this. "Princess does sound good, regal, commanding, but with none of the demands of queen."
"I really don't have a say?" Sharp was more amused that all three could stand against her in this. It felt… good.
"No." Sally looked proud of herself. "So then, with that decided, we have promises, vows, to work out." A little part inside her quaked, there was a whole lot more to a traditional wedding than that, but she hadn't come all the way back to her hive just to want to have more silly human traditions.
All four of them broke apart, walking to their own little places in the hive where they could think best.
Sally was on the track, running. She could do it with her eyes… eye, closed, and she did. It wasn't actually dangerous, not only would any member of the hive get out of her way, but when she focused she could hear the slight sound of wing on chitin that the changelings around her made when walking. It was both relaxing and rewarding, planning out the words she would say, to dedicate herself to the mares she loved.
Easy Shift was laying down on her back, her soft fur protecting her back from the rocks of the hive floor. She always thought a little clearer, a little more focused, when she was a cat. Waving her front paws in the air a little, she thought of what Sally meant to her, first. The best friend she could ever have, the shock when they had started sharing a bed together, if only to sleep, was a big one. It had faded though, she had even found herself snuggled up with the satyr on more than one occasion. If there was a single stallion in the hive she would lay with, it would be Sally. Her queen was easy, she was the absolute center of the world for any hivemate. Sweet was complicated. Sweet Bite had trapped her in a snare she now wished would only ever draw tighter.
Sweet Bite was lounging among the pony mares of the hive. They hadn't retreated back to the surface yet, but that was fine by her. "And tomorrow we are going to say vows!" The news had shocked the mares, but Sweet had found it was not a bad kind of shock. They fussed all over her and seemed very excited. She thought of how life had been before Sharp Mind had come to catch and kill her. She had misused her powers and the mare, though taking a hit from them, had disabled her. Sally was no less of a big deal. The satyr had been the reason she had found Sharp's love in return, the reason she had found Easy and more, the light that constantly shone.
Sharp Mind sat on her throne. She was sure there was something mystical about it, the way she could focus her plans and ideas while perched where her mother had been, and her mother before her. It was a struggle to think the name, even now, but Fangs had been a good parent. She had grown and spread her wings and her power under the former queen. Then she had met Sweet. She had thought the love she carried an infection, but Sally had proven that it was more. Sharp smiled like a giddy drone getting their first meal. Then both of them seemed to draw Easy Slip into her life. It was uncomfortable at first, Easy was really just a drone, with no power to fully refuse her. Sharp had worked hard to make sure the drone never had to. They had all grown, with each other. The world felt like a smaller, easier to manage place with the three of them in it with her.
All four, after their musings, found a piece of slate to write down their words, to practice them.
Gentle Care and Long Draught stood, their forms bright with absorbed energy. They looked very serious and the four almost balked at the sight. Each had memorized their words and each came, one at a time, into the throne room.
"Should there be words? This feels like the kind of ceremony where words should be spoken." Easy was the first to speak, the room feeling somehow huge with the weight of occasion.
Gentle nodded. "I spoke with the ponies, they had said there were usually words at such a thing, but none could actually remember them."
Long bowed to his mate and turned. "Then allow me to make some new customs up." He stepped smartly over to the throne, lifting a hoof to touch the side of the ornate, oversized chair. "We are gathered before the throne of our hive, to honor the mothers that have been before and to charge them with the duty of overseeing this ritual from the beyond." He looked up to Sharp first. "Advance, queen of the hive, say what you will to those who are gathered."
Sharp nodded and stepped up, her long strides bringing her to just before the throne she normally sat on. Turning, she looked between her lovers. "Sweet, you brought the first taste of love to me. I was unsure on what to do with it, I squandered your gift for so long. When I found the truth, I thought myself the luckiest changeling to have lived. I promise to always hold your love and your words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." The queen was already tearing up, the liquid leaking from her eyes a testament to the emotions behind her words. "Sally. My warrior from another world. You fought for your right to live, not just in this hive but in my heart. I wish to one day share half the spirit I see burning within you when you have even the barest hint of a need to fight. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
There were more tears, Sharp ignored them, letting them run freely with pride.
"Easy. You came to me reluctantly. I could feel fear in you, every time you saw me in a less than stately manner. I hope I have found a way to let you put that fear aside. Easy, our love isn't that of passion, but it is love, strong and sure. I promise to always hold your love and your words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." She breathed deeply after the words, her eyes closed as she walked back to the ranks.
"Working through rank," Long intoned gravely, "I believe Sally, a breeder, is next."
Sally stepped up, her legs clopping on the floor sounding so much louder than they should. "Well, I had to just re-juggle my vows, Sharp's words sounded so perfect." She took a deep breath and turned to Easy. "Easy Shift, the first time we met I thought I was taking one of my mates to bed, I am not sure which of us was more embarrassed." She gazed at the mare in question, tears already starting in her own eyes. "You are the friend I needed, the companion in combat I required and now you are one of the stars in my life. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." Sally couldn't see well enough now to tell if Easy was smiling or not. She continued anyway. "Sweet Bite, the mare who taught me that love, even forced, could still be true. You were the first changeling to break the last barrier I had in place between my heart and this world, without you I would still be a prisoner within myself. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
Sally reached out, her arm finding the arm of the throne and using it for support as she struggled with her emotions. With her tears falling freely, she managed to lift her head. "Sharp Mind, daughter of Fangs. The first changeling to treat me as another changeling, the mare that is the literal center of my world. You claim I showed you how to love but the truth is we discovered it together. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." Sally almost fell, Gentle trotting over and offering a back to lean on and to guide her back to her family.
Sweet Bite marched forward on her own, leaving Sally and Sharp pressed close, both still with tears rolling down their cheeks. Sweet's own cheeks were not bare. "Sally. I thought you another meal, another thing that would love me long enough for me to use and throw away. But when you loved me I felt an answer. I couldn't fight it, I couldn't even try I… those words are very good… I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
She looked up to Sharp. "My queen, my love, my friend and savior. You could have killed me, you should have, had mother not sent you I know I would have been ended. As you claim my love snared you so did yours snare me. My mate. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." She turned her gaze, tear-strained, toward Easy. "Little mare, you brought a new way to love into me. You make me want to experience so much more life if only so I can do it at your side. I love you Easy Shift. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
Sweet trotted down, pressing in on Sally's other flank and pressing the satyr between her and Sharp. Easy stepped up, looking down a moment before she shook herself. As the three watched the little mare, formerly a drone, flickered her form not only between Sweet and Sharp, but also to Sally's and then back. "I could be anypony I wanted, I could be more, anything." She flicked to the cat form she loved so much. "But Sweet, Sally, Sharp. You three all make me want to be me."
"Sweet, you trapped my heart, I thought you locked it away in a gilded cage, but you only held it so that you could let it soar with your own. I like those words too, they fit well. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same." Easy was certainly not immune to emotions, but she struggled not to cry. "Sharp, my queen. I was not scared of you, never that. I was scared, every moment of every day of my life, of disappointing you. I have fought every drone-feeling part of my being to be the mare you wanted me to be and, I cannot say I dislike who I am. I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
"Sally. You are my sister, my comrade, the burning flame that I can't help but circle. I would hunt and trap the sun, the moon, if I thought you would like them. Sally, I might not be the mare you make large with eggs, but I promise, to all of you, that your foals are my foals. Sally, I promise to always hold your love and words in the highest regard and beg that you find mine always the same."
She couldn't stop herself running down to her mates, the emotion so strong that the four didn't realize what was happening until Gentle nudged them, one by one, with her magic.
"… start by saying that Queen Sharp Mind, you are without a doubt everything mother wished of you, you are the queen that holds this hive strong and grows it stronger still. Sally, you embody everything fierce about the changelings, you are akin to the fire that burns us when we change, the passion that wraps us when we feed. Sweet, the wonder of your gift, it was thought to be the most terrible of weapons, but there is proof here it can bind hearts as well as bodies. Easy, if there were a mind that could be said to be more devious than our queen's, it is yours. You take forms that most changelings would fear to, you braved the outside world as a drone, I fear what you could accomplish as a leader." Long looked between them. "But there is more, even as we have a queen, you three will support her closer than any has before. I name you Princess Easy Shift, Princess Sweet Bite and Princess Sally Gailor. With Queen Sharp Mind as your partner, this is your hive, this is your life. Now share it."
