Romancing a Thorax

Despite their best efforts, the pair found themselves at a bit of a stalemate. It was painfully obvious that both the changelings had become too stimulated to carry on any sort of casual evening - as such, after having some tea and floundering with a conversation, they decided to part ways for the night. Seeing as how things had taken a rather heated turn, leaving both the mares wound up, they decided to give things another go the following afternoon.

Wishing one another goodbye and agreeing to meet the following evening, Thorax departed. With any luck, after having some time to sufficiently cool off, they’d be able to socialize without getting too excited. After seeing her guest off, Sektiss tidied up, ruminated on their seemingly all too brief encounter, and curled up for the night.

Truth be told, she hadn’t been opposed to taking the plunge and allowing the Queen to bed her, but she hardly wanted to rush things. The last thing she wanted was to come off as some needy, sycophantic harlot, so she’d begrudgingly take things slow. Things had been doing smoothly so far - better than smoothly, in fact - yet she saw no sense in hurrying things along. If and when the time came for them to do the deed, she felt sure she’d know the time was right.

Sektiss spent the following morning like countless ones before; she showered, ran a few errands, and then helped in the hive’s community garden for several hours. Hers was a quaint and humble life, but she enjoyed it all the same. Once the sun had begun dipping towards the horizon, she returned home to freshen up and make ready for her second date. Considering both her prior meeting with the Queen had gotten rather steamy, they’d decided to meet somewhere public for their third rendezvous.

Seeing herself out of her comfy abode and into the warm, spring air, she proceeded towards the local ice cream shop. Being out in public for the evening should impede any lusty happenings between them and hopefully result in them both keeping level heads - that being said, she was keenly aware that they had carnal interests in one another. Reminding herself to behave and be on her best behavior, she approached the appointed venue.

“Sektiss!” a voice called, catching her ear.

Being one of the more popular hangouts in the village, the ice cream shop almost always had a small gathering at or around it. Many of the townsfolk would convene at the place for an afternoon treat, be it with their families or someone they were courting. On such a pleasant and seasonably warm day, the throng was particularly thick.

Scanning the two dozen or so shapeshifters lounging, chatting, or ordering from the stand, Sektiss spotted her companion. It wasn’t easy to miss the tall, antlered woman among the crowd; being markedly taller and bearing a trifecta of bony protrusions on her crown, she stood out like a sore thumb. Smiling to herself, she weaved through the swarm and towards her friend.

“I trust your day went well?” Thorax asked, moving forward to intercept the girl.

“It did,” Sektiss replied, smiling and nodding. “And yours?”

“Oh, the usual: responding to diplomats and civil inquiries, settling disputes among the public, signing treaties - you know, all the boring stuff,” the Queen snickered, playfully elbowing her companion. “Honestly, there are days when I miss being a normal drone.”

“That sounds,” the drone began, carefully selecting her words, “arduous.”

“Boring,” Thorax responded, rolling her head. “I think the word you were looking for is boring.”

As amusing as the response was, Sektiss couldn’t help but worry about what others may think. Having only been crowned as the ruler just over a year prior, it may not reflect well on the general public for their newly appointed Queen to be lamenting her position. Sure, the sovereign’s gripes were legitimate enough, although openly bemoaning her position wasn’t exactly professional. Looking to the stand, hoping to get some modicum of privacy, she raised her brow.

“Have you ordered yet?” she inquired, peering up at the tall woman.

Thorax grinned and nodded, turning towards the stand. “I got you a cone of strawberry cheesecake swirl and a sundae for us to share. After seeing how much you enjoyed the treat I brought last night, I couldn’t help myself.”

Though Sektiss smiled, she couldn’t help but wonder if the Queen had ulterior motives for the relatively large purchase. While being fed more than half a tub of ice cream had been a pleasant and arousing experience, it was what ultimately led them to getting rather intimate. Following along, knowing it would likely be in their best interest to escape the multitude of their colorful kin, she approached the serving window of the establishment.

“Here you go, Ladies! One large cone and one banana split!” the proprietor announced, handing over their order.

Taking the cone and handing it to her chubby girl at her side, Thorax accepted the heaping sundae and smiled. “Would you like to get a table?”

As tempting as the thought was, the notion of being surrounded by their hive-mates was less than ideal. Not only would they undoubtedly draw attention to themselves, especially if there was a reenactment of the night before, but simply being around so many fellow villagers made her slightly uncomfortable. Looking to the side, towards the nearby park, she knit her brow.

“Maybe we could have a little walk and find a bench for ourselves,” she mused, motioning towards the commons.

“A wonderful idea,” Thorax hummed. Balancing the heaping paper dish of ice cream in one hand, she reached over, grabbed the girl’s wrist, and slowly began navigating away from the mass of changelings.

Though Sektiss may not have shown it, a wave of relief washed over her. She was more than happy with going out in public with the Queen, although being around that many of her tribe was less than ideal. As she was led away, avoiding the inquisitive stares of the townsfolk, she took a few licks of her ice cream and kept her eyes on the ground. As far as she was concerned, she was happy being away from the limelight.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to go far to find a bit of peace and quiet. Moving down one of the many paths in the park, moving away from the public eye, the pair casually trotted along in silence. Sure enough, after a scant few minutes, they happened upon one of the many benches which dotted the tree ridden area.

Easing herself down, with her company quickly following suit beside her, Thorax rested the sundae on her lap. The vendor had been kind enough to jam two spoons into the heaped mass of ice cream, toppings, and banana, although it was hardly necessary. Grabbing one of the two utensils and deftly tossing it into a nearby trash bin, she scooped a helping of the dessert and moved it towards the drone’s muzzle.

Though she hadn’t even managed to polish off a third of her treat, Sektiss found herself facing a heaped spoonful from the Matriarch. Ordinarily, she would have politely declined the offer and focused on finishing her cone - as things were, with her regal friend making the offer, she acquiesced. Her lips parted, allowing the Queen to slip the portion into her muzzle and onto her awaiting tongue.

As Thorax withdrew the spoon, she savored the bite. While she couldn’t be completely sure, she felt as though the woman would like her even bigger than she already was. Between the dinner and amorous influx from the night before, she was feeling larger than usual - in fact, if her scale was accurate, she’d even put on a few pounds. She would have been mortified with the development, had it not been for the fact that the sovereign seemed to adore her curvaceous figure.

“You were saying…” she wondered, watching the Queen nonchalantly lick the spoon she’d just eaten off clean.

“Hmm?” Thorax hummed, heedless or uncaring that she’d just shared an indirect kiss of sorts.

Snapping back to attention, Sektiss gathered her thoughts. “So your day was boring?”

“Painfully,” the Queen groaned. “I never knew being a ruler involved so much tedious work! All the forms and meetings - I can barely make it back to my house before giving out some days!”

“I can’t imagine,” the drone whispered. “To be fair, it’s not like Chrysalis ever had to do any of that. Now that you’re in charge, actually caring about the hive, there’s sure to be a lot of work to do.”

It was true, under the former tyrant, the hive had always struggled. A great many of the drones were hungry or outright starving most of the time, everyone’s temper was awful, and the outlook had been worse than bleak. While Chrysalis did manage to keep the colony functional, the situation was always perilous. It was a miserable existence which had only changed because of Thorax’s bravery.

Under the new Queen’s rule, everyone prospered - even the non-changelings. Shortly after her ascension, Thorax had struck treaties with the Equestrian and Crystal empires. Though they were still in talks with the yaks, griffons, dragons, and hippogriffs, their relationship with the various races had improved dramatically. In every single way, all their lives and the world as a whole had benefited from the great reformation.

“I just hope I’m doing a decent job - I mean, it’s not like I ever expected to be running an entire hive before,” Thorax sighed. Dejectedly playing with the ice cream, swirling the toppings together, she hung her head.

“You have to be kidding me,” Sektiss huffed, quirking a brow.

Solemnly shaking her head from side to side, the Queen kept her eyes on the ground. “Even though everyone is happy, there’s so much to worry about. What if there’s some calamity we can’t deal with or worse - what if Chrysalis comes back?! I...I don’t know what we’d do.”

“Even if something terrible did happen, I’m sure we’d be fine. If the hive couldn’t handle the issue, we have allies now!” the drone beamed, reassuringly patting the woman’s thigh. “Think of it like this, if something bad had happened before you took over, we’d be much worse off.”

Thorax half-heartedly shrugged and glanced over to the girl, unmoved by the assertion. “Maybe, but Chrysalis always pulled us through somehow; she may have been terrible, but we always managed to get by - now, I’m not so sure. I just feel like there’s a crushing weight on me, like anything could go wrong at any given time, and it’s awful.”

Sektiss turned slightly and faced the Matriarch. Reaching out, she gently guided the woman’s face towards herself. Even on the remarkably slim chance that some cataclysm did befall their people, she felt sure that Thorax and their hive could handle the problem themselves - if they couldn’t, they had allies who they could call upon. While the Queen’s fears weren’t wholly unfounded, they were being overblown to the nth degree.

“Listen, you’re doing a great job and I’m sure you’ll continue doing a great job. Whatever happens, everyone will be behind you and, at worst, you could ask for help from our friends. As far as Chrysalis is concerned, even if she did get loose, I’m sure the Princesses would be all over that - after all, she would be as much of a problem for the ponies as anyone else,” Sektiss softly admonished. “You have to keep in mind, you’re not doing this by yourself; the whole hive is with you.”

“It’s just that all the other rulers seem to have their act together so much better than me. The Princesses all have plenty of experience and have saved their people multiple times, Rutherford has managed to see the yaks through decades of living in the frigid north, and Ember rules with an iron-clawed fist, despite only being in charge for a short time - compared to them, I’m just floundering my way through it,” Thorax moaned, looking away.

“But look at what you’ve already accomplished!” the drone attested. “We already have students at the School of Friendship, you’re friends with all the Princesses in Equestria, and I heard Ember has been giving you a few pointers on how to toughen up. For Pete’s sake, can you name a single living ruler who’s established a society from the bottom up?”

“No,” the Queen muttered, reluctantly glancing up to her friend’s face.

Smiling ever so slightly, Sektiss pressed the assault. “And have you met any leaders who have saved their people after overthrowing a despot?”

“No,” Thorax hummed, shaking her head.

“Then there ya go!” the girl bleated, playfully slapping the sovereign’s leg. “If all that isn’t convincing enough, nothing is! If anyone ever tries to tell you you’re not doing a darn fine job, I’ll have words with them myself!” she exclaimed. Deftly plucking the cherry from atop the softening sundae, she lifted the succulent little fruit and placed it on her tongue.

Though she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, the subtle smile on the woman’s face told her that her words had made an impact, but she wasn’t done yet. If the Queen was anything like herself, a small diversion may well help ease her tension and take her mind off her troubles. Pushing herself up and stretching her arms, she accidentally dropped her ice cream.

“Shoot,” she grumbled.

Stepping over and bending at the waist, she leaned forward to retrieve the nearly emptied cone. She knew full well she was giving her friend an eyeful booty, but that was the point. While she hadn’t intended on introducing any raunch elements to their outing, the distraction should help lighten the mood. As she stood back up and tossed the ruined treat into the trash, she fought back a smirk.

The Matriarch sat wide eyed, practically gawking at the sight she’d just been privy to. Though the impressive package at her groin was still concealed behind whatever enchantment she used in public, it was painfully obvious that her ploy had worked. The woman’s nipples sat erect and she ground her thighs together, doubtlessly grappling with a growing and unseen issue between her thighs.

“You want to continue our walk or would you rather stay here?” Sektiss asked, extending a hand to the seated woman.

Peering down at the sundae, Thorax got to her feet. “Only if I can help you finish this. There’s no way I’ll be able to eat it all myself.”

Figuring she was going to end up polishing off most if not all of the ice cream that was left, the drone nodded. “Deal.”

Walking over to her friend, the Queen rested a hand on Sektiss’ shoulder. Her plan had worked; between her kind words and the glimpse of her rear, and quite possibly nethers, her friend’s smile had returned and she’d seemed a little more relaxed. Hoping to add just a bit of insurance, if only to be sure, she softly cleared her throat and drew the woman’s attention.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask, how has Spike been going?” she inquired, derailing the previous conversation with the new topic.

Moving deeper into the park, the two chatted about whatever came to mind. Their daily routines, hobbies, where they’ve traveled, and some of the gossip they’d heard about town - no topic was off the table. It wasn’t until a particular and, admittedly, foreseeable subject came up did Sektiss inadvertently touch a nerve.

“You can’t be serious,” Thorax gasped, all but halting in her tracks.

Sektiss slowly nodded, feeling her cheeks warm and blush, as she broke eye contact. “Yeah…”

Defiantly cocking her hip, the Queen turned to squarely face the girl. “So you’re telling me you’ve only dated twice?”

While the information was slightly embarrassing, it was true nonetheless. Throughout all her years, she’d only tried her hand at courtship on two occasions - once in high school and again shortly thereafter. Both occasions, involving stallions, had ended disastrously. After striking out those two times, she just sort of gave up.

It didn’t help that she was the hefty side and had self esteem issues, but being dumped twice really robbed her of any desire to date again. The great reformation didn’t help things much either; after they were liberated from beneath Chrysalis’ hoof, she put more focus on improving herself and contributing to the hive.

“I can hardly believe that. As sweet and drop-dead gorgeous as you are, I’m shocked to hear it’s been this long for you,” Thorax remarked, awestruck by the revelation.

Scrunching her snout, Sektiss leveled a finger at the woman. “Are you surprised I haven’t been on as many dates as you?”

Taken aback by the question, the Matriarch pursed her lips. Her surprised expression quickly gave way to melancholy, as she hung her head. “At least you’ve had one more than I have...”

The assertion was easily the craziest thing the girl had heard all night. “Get out!”

“Nope, just one,” Thorax murmured, raising a single digit. “It’s not like I was ever popular enough to get any attention in school. I was always the reserved nerd and just kept to myself.”

Sektiss was inclined to protest, but thought better of it. They would have been one - maybe two classes apart in school, and yet she couldn’t remember Thorax from before they’d been freed. Sure, the school they’d attended was pretty big, but she should have recalled seeing the woman before her ascension. Knitting her brow, she thoughtfully rubbed her chin - that was, until she heard a faint sniffle.

Glancing up to the Queen, her blood ran cold. The woman’s eyes were pinched closed, she softly hugged herself, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Just like that, at the drop of a hat, the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Acting on instinct, she stepped over and embraced her friend.

Unsure of what to say, she let her actions speak for her. She’d had no way of knowing that Thorax was even less experienced than herself with romantic affairs, so she’d unwittingly stepped on a landmine by assuming the Matriarch had dated more than herself. With the woman being drop-dead gorgeous and a paragon of beauty, how could she have had the slightest inkling about the touchy subject?

“How am I supposed to be a good leader if - Sniff - I can’t even find a marefriend,” Thorax whimpered, returning the hug and burying her face in the girl’s shoulder.

As silly as the complaint may have sounded, Sektiss was well acquainted with the pain. The struggle of past relationship failures was a curse, inflicting self-doubt and often weighing heavily on one’s mood. If nothing else, knowing what rejection felt like, she could use her insight to comfort her friend.

“Ssssssssssh,” she breathed, lovingly stroking the woman’s back. “Look at it this way - at least you haven’t screwed up as many times as I have…”

“I...I’m sorry,” the Queen quietly wept, pulling back to wipe her face. “I just don’t want to go through the heartache again, but here I am blubbering like an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Sektiss whispered. Standing on her tiptoes and kissing the Matriarch’s snout, a faint smile graced her lips. “We’re both pretty new at this, so we’ll both be trying our best to make it work.”

Stepping back, the Queen’s composure gradually returned. “You know, maybe it isn’t a bad thing,” she noted. Lifting the ice cream, digging out another spoonful of the dessert free, she brought the utensil to the drone’s lips. “We can both consider this a fresh start.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Sektiss swallowed the bite and beamed up at her friend. “You know, I think I could ~ Grrrrrrrrrr,” her stomach cut her off, grumbling at the sizable influx of dairy.

Positively mortified, peering down at her belly, she scowled. Like it or not, her treacherous body had interrupted what would have been a sweet and tender moment. Sensing her blush deepen, preparing to excuse herself, she paused. As cool as a cucumber, Thorax reached out and began caressing her belly.

“I’m not sure if that means you want more or you want less,” the Matriarch snickered, lovingly rubbing the girl’s tummy.

Sektiss shivered, feeling the affection wash over her; it was a distinct sensation and, so far as she knew, something only changelings could comprehend. Not unlike consuming a meal, feasting on the kindness of another was absolutely decadent. Even after her kind had metamorphosed into their reformed state, nothing quite beat feasting on the fond emotions of another. Stifling a giggle, she looked into the woman’s eyes.

“You really would make a fantastic mother,” Thorax blithely remarked. Realizing what she’d said, she withdrew her hand and covered her mouth. “I...I mean, you know, if or when you ever wanted to become -”

“If I ever found the right mate,” Sektiss began, impulsively grabbing Thorax’s wrist, “I would happily become a mother.” Placing the woman’s hand back on her belly, vaguely aware of her brazen actions, she shifted in place.

Weakened by the emotional roller-coaster, the two found themselves in a vulnerable and somewhat capricious state. Differences in rank and aesthetic aside, they’d learned that they were more similar than either had initially thought. The news that Thorax was just as inexperienced and unlucky with dating, while unfortunate, gave them one more commonality.

“Now you have me curious, would you be a stay at home mom or still keep as busy as you are now?” the Queen asked.

“If I was given a choice, I’d be happy being a housewife,” Sektiss admitted, sheepishly averting her gaze. “I know, it’s sort of old-timey, but I think tending to a home and family would be really nice.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that! If a mare wants to be a homemaker and focus on raising her foals, that’s just as honorable as holding a job!” Thorax asserted. “Why, if I’m ever lucky enough to find a wife, I certainly wouldn’t mind coming home to her every afternoon and being served a meal. Watching her grow with our children, spooning with her in bed, showering with her…” she trailed off, unconsciously stroking the girl’s tummy.

Sektiss silently agreed, lacing fingers with the sovereign. The notion of finding true love and creating life was supremely alluring and something she’d often fantasized about. There was just something intoxicating about imagining herself growing heavy with foals - after all, her body was practically made for such an event.

Silently enjoying their thoughts, Thorax winced and backed away. An aura surrounded her antlers and perspiration quickly dotted her brow, as she struggled with some unseen sorcery. The drone extended an arm, concerned that something may be wrong, until she noticed where the magical energy was directed.

Though it was faint, the air around the Matriarch’s groin shimmered in the dim afternoon light. Either due to extended use or increased strain, the concealment spell around her package waned. Regardless of the exact cause, the added exertion seemed none too comfortable for the Queen.

Having some vague understanding of what was happening, Sektiss was stricken by an idea. While she could have offered to let their afternoon come to an end, offering to part ways, another, a far slier notion took hold. Steeling her resolve, taking a breath to calm herself, she squeezed the woman’s hand.

“We can head back to my place - you know, just to give you a breather,” she offered, hoping their night wouldn’t come to an end.

A wry smirk crept to Thorax’s muzzle, though she still seemed rather tense. “You do realize what I’m struggling with right now - right?”

“If it is what I think it is, you probably shouldn’t be out if that enchantment wears off,” Sektiss replied, keeping her voice low. “My place is closer than yours, so it would only take us a few minutes to get there.”

After a brief moment of thought, the Queen nodded. “In that case, lead the way. Just don’t be too surprised if you end seeing what’s giving me so much trouble.”

As her grin broadened, Sektiss led the woman away and towards her home. “Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be the first time…”