> Part of the Hive > by Damaged > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Eggcellent > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't hate the sun—not exactly. It's not like Princess Celestia means to use it to personally annoy me with its oppressively bright light every day. But not hating it doesn't mean I like being woken up by it at midday (or so) every day. The light, I knew, was stretching across the room from the little window high on the north side of the basement bedroom. It reflected off something—as it invariably does—and grew as a line of blinding hot pony-waking light until it found my eye. There was just one thing I could do under the circumstances. I pulled my covers up and over my head, then rolled over. Nights are so much better and more productive than days. Muted silver moonbeams gave the whole world a more tolerable shine that—even on the southern outskirts of Equestria—revealed beauty that was often lost in the golden light of day. Words came easier at night, and though I stuck mostly to poems and treatises on love discovered in the bright of day, it was always by moonlight I found inspiration. Some had called me a wingless batpony, but I accepted that as a compliment. I'd met some batponies once, and they seemed proud and clever, and better yet had chatted with me long into the night about their jobs. It was all fodder for my work. Now? Now I live in my own basement, cool and dark, and sleep the day away waiting to work through the night. But it was time to get up. Sunlight had finally found my face again, even under the blankets. Casting my covers aside, I jumped from bed only to turn back and make it back up nice and neat. Trotting upstairs into my house, I squinted at the brightness of daylight streaming in through windows. A shower later and I felt in much better shape to face the world, but when I reached my kitchen I found I was out of oats. This—was—a—tragedy. How could a pony be out of oats? With a groan, I grabbed a few coins from my cookie jar and prepared, mentally, to face the bright light of day. Outside, I found the street deserted and quiet. Not really new given the town had just three by three crossed streets, and I lived on one of the outer ones. Two blocks down, and still not having seen a single pony, I felt there was something a little odd going on. It was almost a relief to hear the clip-clop of somepony else behind me. Stepping a little to the side, I slowed and turned to greet my fellow resident when the sight of them caused me to freeze. A changeling. An actual changeling. Not one of the nice ones we'd been told they'd all converted to—this was a dark chitin with a green-yellow shell around their midsection changeling. "Hi! Look, I'm so embarrassed about all this. The main swarm came in during the pre-dawn light, dealt with everypony and left them to us to finish. How'd they even miss you?" Their tone wasn't intimidating in the least—somewhat calm and a little anxious. In shock, I actually answered them. "I-In my basement. I like sleeping in the d-d-dark." "They probably missed you because of that. Don't worry, I'm not the best at all this stuff, but I'm sure I can get you sorted out!" The sound of a cricket surprised me until I realized the oddly cheerful changeling was making it—though it was a deeper tone than most crickets made. "Now, just look into my eyes, and—" I wasn't the smartest pony in Equestria. There was any number of ponies in Canterlot and elsewhere that could reason better, could react better, and could absolutely debate better than myself. All said, however, when a changeling says to look into their eyes, you don't. I was at least that smart. "Why'd you close your eyes?" "Because you're going to do mind-zappy stuff. I've heard about this." I took a careful step to the side and turned a little so I could back away from the changeling. "I'm not buying the nice act, either. You're trying to get me to lower my guard and then—bam—I'll be a mind-wiped slave to—to clean up your hive or whatever. Probably even make me wear a maid uniform or something crazy like that." "What? No!" I backed up a little further, figuring I was slowly making my way across the street toward the gap between two houses there. "Stop! You're about to step right into a lamppost!" The changeling sounded concerned, which was surprising enough that I snapped my eyes open, intending to look behind me and see where I was going. Instead, I found myself staring into a pair of glowing yellow orbs. "Whew! Almost lost you there. Hive-captain Chitter would have made me scrub all the hive-guard armor—again—if I'd let a pony get away. Uh, now what was it I was meant to do first?" As the changeling spoke, my ears perked forward and strained to hear every word. I couldn't move, couldn't turn my head, and couldn't say anything. Fully aware that it was using its mind-zappy stuff, I nonetheless couldn't even contemplate getting away. "Oh! Right! Whenever I say something, you will listen and let it fit into your mind like a command. You can't disobey me, and everything I say will be carried out. Got it?" I couldn't look away, I couldn't say no. "Got it." The words were a mirror of the changeling's. "Phew! Alright, that's the tough bit." The moment their eyes stopped glowing, and I turned around. Earth ponies, as a whole, could run pretty fast. I wasn't exactly in the peak of pony physical condition, but I like to think that I managed to get half a block away almost as fast as a unicorn could have teleported. I was the wind! I was free! I could get away and find the E.U.P. Guard, and— "Stop." I stopped. Why did I stop?! No! This wasn't fair! "Okay. That was my mistake. I should have said, don't leave the presence of a changeling unless told to, and don't leave town unless told to. Now I think we've got it. How do you feel?" Though it's eyes weren't glowing, the words sank into my head like some kind of warm caramel. "Like a monster just zapped me with a bunch of mind-control stuff and won't let me go. In other words, violated. What about you? I hope you're not having the worst day of your life too?" The chipper, happy expression on the changeling's face faltered and they looked down at the ground. "It's not like I can do anything else. I have orders to follow, and besides, you'll like being a part of the hive too." What was the worst thing, I discovered, was how every little thing the changeling said seemed to seep into my head. It telling me that I'd enjoy being—being part of its hive? Yeah, that was in my brain now. I wanted to be part of its hive because I knew I'd like it and why won't this nightmare stop?! "Alright, lead me to your home so I can get you established as a hive member. You're lucky, I've just recovered my eggs after a busy morning!" "Th-This way." Doing what I was told was important, as was the promise that I could be established as a hive member. I knew I'd like being a hive member. Slowly, I walked down the road toward my house. The changeling walked beside me, calmly, not upset in the least that I could no longer think for myself. It was, that is, I was nearly out of my mind with worry—and anticipation of how much I'd like being part of the hive. No! No! No! This was wrong. This was all wrong. "This is my house." "Go inside and show me where your bed is. You'll want to get really comfortable for becoming part of the hive." Excitement built, and I opened the door to usher the changeling inside. "Like I said, it's down in the basement." I led the way while the changeling followed me, taking the steps down to the basement I'd modified to be the master bedroom. "Oh! It's really nice down here. Like being in a hive again. We don't live in a central hive anymore, not since—Well, not since we got kicked out. Our queen has us roam, though we haven't gone into Equestria before like this." It chatted all the while, keeping up praise for my bedroom choice while I approached the bed. I needed to get comfortable. "Sh-Should I get on my bed?" The changeling was examining the window, and before it answered spat a thick gob of some green substance at it. When the gunk splattered against the glass, it spread out and covered the pane completely. The light in the room dropped almost to nothing, and what little illumination there was now had a green tone to it. "Yes please. On your bed and on your side. Try to have your head about halfway down. This won't take too long. You see, I'm going to convert you into an egg-grower. That means you'll be one of the important parts of the hive." I followed the directions while it talked, stretching and getting myself cozy. When the changeling climbed up on the other side of my big bed, my heart beat faster—in anticipation. No! Why was I looking forward to—to whatever it was going to do?! "What's this c-conversion do?" As the changeling lay down before me, it positioned itself so that my head was about even with its barrel. "First, I need to attach my ovipositor to you." As it spoke, I saw a shifting against its featureless lower belly. It looked like just a crack between two plates of its chitin, but the crack widened and something pushed out. "Just hold still. The key is to be calm and relaxed while you let me do all the work, okay?" "Y-Yeah." I stared at the thing. It looked nothing like a pony cock except for the location it was extending from. It was ribbed at regular intervals, and there was a pulsing motion to it as the shaft got longer. Shaft? No. The changeling had called it an ovipositor. The thing got closer and closer to my face. I figured it was going to shove the thing inside me, but at the last moment the end of it opened. Four triangular flaps of flesh parted, stretching wide to show me darkness within it. I had just a second to reason what it was going to do before it clamped over the end of my snout. Each of the petals gripped down, and I felt a slight bit of pain as tiny hooks—like teeth—gripped into the soft flesh around the end of my face. "Don't worry, you'll be able to breathe again in a moment. This bit is tricky." I didn't worry. I couldn't worry. Even as my lungs burned for breath, I wasn't worrying. Two shapes tickled at my nostrils—inside the thing—and before I had a moment more warning they pushed. I trembled and felt completely at ease as the things shoved into my head. They were smooth and covered in some kind of goo that made pushing into my nose, nasal cavity, and down further easy. The burning to get the used air in my lungs out just stopped. I tried to inhale, but something was sucking the air out first, then a moment later cool air pumped back inside. Out. In. Out. In. It was just like I was breathing normally, only I had no control over it. "There we go. Better? Don't answer, I know it is. I'll breathe for you until you're done. Now for the mutagenic sac…" A wash of flavor hit my mouth. It was like a mix of spicy salsa and ice water. Wherever it touched became first burning, then ice-cold, then numb. So numb, in fact, that I didn't feel the thing pushing down my throat until it literally made my neck bulge. I should be choking, I should be freaking out and trying to get away, but the gentle cycling of air in my lungs continued, and the violation of my trachea too. "That will help. No more worrying about things in your mouth, no more stress about regurgitation. Now, your vocal cords will have just gotten burned away too, but that's a sacrifice we have to make. This next part will begin the full process. Do you like me explaining it?" Despite everything—how much of a nightmare the day had become—knowing was better than not knowing. I nodded my head just a tiny bit, which resulted in each of the triangles of flesh adjusting and gripping down a bit firmer around my snout. "Good! Okay, so it's going to add an extra passage leading from your throat. That leads to your immature egg holding sack, and then to your growth chamber. Eggs are tiny, smaller than a chicken's, but they need to grow to about the size of your head. Don't worry, your body will do all this automatically. "When your growth chamber is empty, your holding sack will contract and force a new egg into it. The egg will be fed nutrient through the walls of the growth chamber until it's ready to be hatched. You will lay the egg through your vulva. Your current womb and reproductive system will be inoperative from now on, understand. This—growing my eggs—is your new purpose." My purpose. I was a writer, my cutie mark was a page of paper with a feather quill, but my sole purpose in life—the thing I couldn't go more than a minute without thinking about—was I grow their eggs. A chill feeling in my belly alerted me to something going on. It felt like the night after I had an extra-hot chili bowl at a big celebration in Canterlot. Stuff moved and wiggled, and all I could see was the changeling's belly as it did all this to me. And it was all right. Everything was fine. The changeling said so. A deep gurgling started low in my belly. I felt an odd kind of pressure that just seemed to build and build. Finally, I used a hoof to gesture down at where it hurt. "It will pass soon. In fact, I'm sure it doesn't hurt at all." Okay. Them telling me what to think and feel was getting annoying, and it didn't work because the pain wasn't all in my head. I crossed my back legs and tried to think about anything but what it was doing. Why did they call me a mare before? I'm a stallion! The times I'd ridden the train all the way up the mountain to Canterlot reminded me of what happened next. It was just like having my ear pop, but it was like the pressure all left behind me. One moment I wanted to scream into the thing clamped to my face, the next all the pain and soreness was gone. "I think you're done. You're part of the hive now, but we need to do one more thing to make you truly part of the hive." Pressure at my lips heralded another tube thing pushing into my mouth. It felt thin, and it shoved down my throat. Traveling a bit further than I figured my stomach was, the tube stopped and I could see little round things traveling down the changelings ovipositor. Eggs. The eggs were going into my mouth, down my throat, and into—into whatever the changeling had made inside me. They were about as around as chicken eggs, but something about my throat felt more forgiving now, more stretchy. One by one they pushed deeper into my body and then—then I felt good. A feeling of great pleasure and fulfillment swelled throughout my body. It was like the most gentle climax of my life, and it just kept going. Egg after egg. I lost count in the cloudy sea of bliss I was floating in. Each egg and the pressure it made in that strange new part of my body made me feel even better and more right. I couldn't help myself. As each egg reached the back of my throat I gulped as hard as I could—helping the changeling fill me with its eggs. Soon enough I felt bloated, and then—then an egg transferred between my egg-holding sack to my growth chamber. It was better than a climax. Squirming, I made soft suckling sounds at the thing invading my face as my body spasmed and shifted. Muscles jumped about, and my head filled with a mix of reward and absolute bliss as my role in life was being undertaken to the best of my ability. The tubes began to slowly pull from me. The changeling was stroking my mane with a hoof, making soft chirping sounds to me. It felt so right, so good, that I relaxed and just closed my eyes. My whole throat tingled, empty once the inner tube withdrew. My lungs were the last things freed, the tubes withdrawing but feeling a little odd as they did—like they were inside new tubes inside me. When the end of their ovipositor let go of my jaw and one cheek, I waited for it to release all of me before pulling my head back. Breathing again for myself, I opened my mouth to ask for a better explanation, but when I tried to breathe out air just came out my nose. I breathed in, then out. Trying to focus over and over on making the breath come from my mouth. "You won't be able to talk. The process modifies your windpipe to feed directly to your nasal cavity. Don't worry. You're part of the hive now. The hive looks after its own and protects its own. You're not just a mare living on her own anymore—you're a mare and part of the hive." The words shocked part of me to my core. No. I'm not a— I'm definitely a— I stared at the belly of the changeling, not seeing as their ovipositor withdrew back into their body. I'm a mare. I'm part of the hive. A gurgle in my belly sent another explosion of happiness through me. Part of the hive. I smiled up to the changeling to show I understood. I'm a mare and part of the hive now. I'm also famished. Right. Oats. I started to shift and try to move. I felt heavy. My—my egg-holding sack felt really bloated and heavy, and I don't know why but it made me smile just to think about. "What's wrong? Do you need something?" Concern and worry rang in the changeling's tone. They reached a hoof toward me to help me. I pointed a hoof at my mouth, then took the offered limb and used it to lever myself off the bed. Letting my body steady itself, I aimed my head toward the stairs leading back up and began to march. "Oh. I guess I interrupted your breakfast?" Nodding, I started taking the stairs slowly, trying to ignore the full feeling in my belly and focus on the empty one. "Hold on, I was meant to make you go to sleep after this! Wait!" I didn't want to wait, but the command from earlier was too strong for me to ignore—though it let me interpret it as Wait at the top of the stairs. Which I did. The silence of the world around me was broken only by the sound of the changeling's hooves taking the stairs up to me and little buzzy sounds coming from their back. I looked at them as they reached the top of the stairs and tilted my head to the side a bit. Looking at me appraisingly, the changeling let out a little chirp and a sigh. "It's probably okay if you go for a walk, just make sure I'm with you." Okay, so that was kinda nice of him. I managed a smile to show I appreciated it, then reached for the door with a hoof and opened it up onto the lovely, warm day that was happening without me. Pausing, I gestured to the door with my hoof to let the changeling go first. Watching their face light up as they realized I was letting them go first was kinda cute. Combined with the warm, feel-good sensations coming from my belly, it almost let me forget that this was all due to being invaded and attacked. There was something I remembered once about ponies being sympathetic to their captors, but this didn't feel anything like that. The changeling was kinda just doing his job—his lot in life. I couldn't really get angry at them any more than I could at a pony who's special talent was kicking mud on ponies. Anyway, that kind of stuff was for ponies who didn't understand what deep water they were in. I was way past my head in depth, and was working on a new diving record. Jokes aside, I couldn't stop feeling happy every time I questioned my situation—after all, I'm part of the hive now. The changeling walked outside while making those odd chirpy sounds and waging their tail fin a little. I followed them and closed the door behind me. Like earlier, the normal chatter around town was absent. I couldn't hear ponies chatting away, or the familiar clop of hooves as somepony walked past. There was just me and the changeling. Retracing my steps from earlier, I was uncomfortably aware of the bloated feeling of my belly, particularly since my back legs made it sway a little more than usual. That's when it hit me—I'm pregnant. I have babies inside me, growing, and they'd come out soon enough and be living creatures. But I was a mare! How could I be pregnant?! It took me a few confusing moments before my brain caught up to what had happened. They'd told me I was a mare. Did they mean to do that, or were they just not aware of what a female and male pony were? It didn't seem to matter to their changes. Each flick of my tail told me something was different back there, but I wasn't going to go exploring until I'd eaten and ditched my minder. Until then I was determined to find something to eat and maybe somepony to "talk" to, even if that talking was done using a pen and paper. Or maybe some mini chalk boards? White boards? I'd have to investigate that when I wasn't so hungry. Or was it only me affected in this way? Had I been chosen specially as an egg-bearer? Tapping the changeling on the shoulder, I stopped and started my question. I gently tapped at my belly, pointed around at all the buildings, then shrugged my shoulders and tipped my head to the side. "Oh! There's others all over town. This was marked as being a breeding colony. A group of us will stay here and keep you all full of eggs, while you grow the eggs of the hive, hatch them, and raise the little nymphs. Once they are mature, somebuggy will be assigned here to start coordinating their roles in the hive. Don't worry, we've got this all planned out." The changeling reached out to me and patted me on the shoulder. "We won't let you run out of eggs ever. You're part of the hive now—a valuable and important part." Not exactly what I wanted to know, but it kinda gave me my answer. There must be many more changelings just like it (her or him? I didn't know what to call the changeling). Despite everything that'd happened, I still felt good. The bulge of eggs in my holding sack felt like a constant warmth, a sensation that wouldn't quit and kept me feeling great. I felt like I wanted to prance a little. When we turned the corner into main street, it wasn't quite deserted. There was one or two ponies wandering around, looking a little confused and dazed. I fixed my best smile and trotted toward the first. Her name was Apple Poke, and while she was known for some of the best baking in Equestria, or so she claimed. She looked at me with clear confusion on her face. I didn't hesitate. I trotted right up to her and reached out with a foreleg to pull her into a hug. Apple Poke practically fell into the embrace, and wrapped me with her own forelegs. I needed the hug, I think, every bit as much as she did. It was so reassuring to have another pony to share this with that I felt dampness in my eyes, then running down my cheeks. Neither of us made a sound as I wept, but after a few moments I felt wet tears on my shoulder—her tears just as quiet as my own. Another weight settled against us, and another pair of legs wrapped around me and held tight. Crying more than I had in my life, I was vividly aware of more ponies joining the hug—more and more—until I had to guess that most of the town was there. "What's wrong, Mommy?" The single voice shattered the silence around us. Everyone broke out of their emotional wallowing as the reality of the situation hit. It was Apple Poke's daughter, Apple Fries. With room made, the filly walked up to her mother beside me and looked down at her mother's belly. "Why's everypony having a foal?" Apple Poke picked up her daughter and hugged her tightly. The scene was warming in a way, but also worrying. What would the changelings do with the few foals that were here? I bit back the question, not wanting to know just yet. "What did you do to everypony?!" Apple Fries was looking over her mother's shoulder at the changeling who'd been walking with me. "What did you put in them?" In that moment Apple Fries became the hero of the town. Everypony looked from her and Apple Poke to the changeling, and I could see the weight of the attention settle on the bug. "We made them part of our hive—part of something bigger. Our warriors are subduing another town down that way, but they'll be the food of the hive. Each part is a cog and each cog serves a purpose." The changeling looked around at all of us. "I'm just a cog too." Up until it said that I felt emboldened to fight, but putting things in context—marking itself as just another little part of the whole—somehow included it in the whole mess along with us. I hung my head and tried to avoid the happy feelings knowing I was part of the hive gave me. But Apple Fries wasn't done. "And what about me?" She squirmed and stretched so she was practically standing on her mother's shoulder. "Will you put the things in my belly too?" Dozens of heads turned to face the changeling. If we could have spoken, there probably would have been a lot of angry muttering. The changeling took a step back, and I could see worry on its face. "W-We were only told to convert adults. You are a foal. We wouldn't do that to foals." "You wouldn't do that to foals, or you won't do that to any of the other foals, even when we grow up?" Everypony stomped their hooves in support of Apple Fries. Her voice was our voice, and we wanted to know the answers to so many questions that getting this one answered was an important first step. Or so I thought, and I was pretty sure everypony else felt the same way. "If—" The changeling cut itself short and let out a little buzz. "Not unless we're ordered to." The statement cut the tension like a knife. Everypony looked at the changeling, and there was a sense of needing more that I think they felt too. "I don't want to hurt anybuggy. It's just that I have to do what my hive-mates tell me to do. It's how the hive works. But if they don't tell me to do anything to you, I won't. Is that okay?" "What are you saying? We have to…" Another changeling, having just left a nearby home, trailed off as it realized the angry gaze of dozens of ponies had settled upon it. "W-Well." "Our orders were to convert all the adult ponies to breeders. There is nothing about their nymphs." The changeling that had converted me seemed to swell with importance, but it probably had something to do with all of us moving to stand at their side as they addressed their fellow. "If it makes the ponies happy, and we have our quota and commands fulfilled, what does it matter?" Other black forms slipped from houses and looked between us and the lone changeling standing on its own. "We are hive. All of us. The needs of hive-mates come before the desires of anybuggy." When I lifted my hoof and set it on the changeling's shoulder, I felt them flinch. I didn't meant to distract them from their speech, but I wanted to show support. "H-Hive?" The lone changeling looked at us all, its strange eyes flicking this way and that. I nodded, and other ponies with me nodded. The other changelings that were emerging wandered over and stood with us. The idea of hive hadn't occurred to me before, but it felt like a bond—at least so far as these changelings were concerned. Hive was togetherness and being part of something. A deep grumbling-growling sound echoed out. It threatened to rattle windows and doors, echoed between buildings on each side of main street. "Momma! He's really hungry!" Apple Fries pointed her hoof at me, and the division between us all was broken. Somepony tossed an apple to me, but before I could catch it the fruit was enveloped in a green glow. Leaning forward, I opened my mouth and let the changeling that had transformed me feed me a bite of the apple with its magic. I'm not the most amazing writer in Equestria, but I recognized a special moment when it happened. It had been five days since the changelings had come. Even the one who had voiced their opinion about converting foals when they grow up had relaxed and settled into this odd new life. The town was quiet except for the three foals that lived here—they made as much noise as they wanted, and their voices were like the echoing of bells to everypony's ears. I shifted in my seat for the tenth time in an hour. When I'd first been stuffed with little eggs I'd though my belly was swollen, but now I had a much larger swelling—as did every other adult in the town. Weekly, it seemed, was the growth cycle of changeling eggs within a pony. Huge, the shape pressed not just out but in as well. I couldn't go more than half an hour without rushing to the bathroom—and don't get me started on what else had changed. Actually, I will get started. Here, in the confines of my head, I could start everything. I wanted my dick back. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's nice to be able to run without having your nuts bounce around a bit, but it wasn't like any of us stallions would ever find out given the eggs we'd been stuffed with. I managed to type ten words before I had to shift again, but this time it felt different. Something seemed to give inside me, and I felt a shiver run through my body. "What's wrong? The egg?" Ignoring them for the moment I stood up and stretched. It felt better than being cramped on my chair, but mid stretch I felt something inside me move. Stomping my left forehoof in surprise, my companion rushed over, giving what I now knew was a very concerned chirp (something the changelings had been using a lot while growing accustomed to living with ponies). "Come over to the corner. When you lay it, the egg will bond to whatever surface you place it on." The reality of the changelings' situation was just as odd as us ponies'. They'd been dumped here, barely weeks into adulthood, with nothing but a command to stuff all the adults with eggs. I followed her voice to the corner she'd insisted be marked as the spot where eggs go. "Good. There you go. Now lay down and relax, this will take some time—I think." Her chirps turned soothing, and she began to brush my shoulders with one hoof. The sense of movement came again, and this time it had me opening my mouth as if to shout—but of course there was no vocal cords to vibrate and the air all rushed out my nose instead. It didn't hurt, it was just really unsettling having the egg shoving my organs aside as it pushed down toward the exit. My exit. It's too much to think about some days, but right now, I just wish this was over. The pressure, as the egg worked down—down the way it was meant to go, had me paralyzed on the floor. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I just wanted the egg out. Until— Unbelievable pleasure rocked me. It was like an orgasm. A slow, drawn out orgasm that radiated from my lower belly and made me squirm like a young stallion getting his first blowjob by his fillyfriend. I arched my spine and wiggled around while my mind rocked in bliss from—from the new egg transferring to my growth chamber. "Got it!" I blinked, being dragged back to reality. My back end ached, and I felt like the part of me I didn't want to talk about was split in half, but the pressure was gone and I floated on the wake of the orgasm. Tilting my head up and to the side, I leaned into the petting the changeling gave me. "Good girl. You got it all the way out on your first try! I'm so proud of you." I wagged my tail, only too late thinking what it'd be wagging through. Too spent to care too much on being clean, I leaned against the changeling and accepted her encouragement and petting.