Illuminating Aegis: Tales of the Changeling King

A/N: Since there's a lot of info in the actual Author's note I can't quite put it at the top of this chapter but... characters will be talking about sexy times in this chapter. Fair warning, it continues from the death star patrol team ascii art until the end of the chapter.

Phillip took a deep breath as he let himself be embraced in The Force, his surroundings blurred until he saw that he was once again in the starry sea that The Force took shape in on this world. A smile grew on his face as he noticed the venerable unicorn sage nearby. "Hello Master Starswirl..." the changeling greeted quietly, the natural peace of their surroundings seemed to carry the sound easily to the elder unicorn.

Starswirl nodded a little and turned to face his latest student. "It is good to see you once again Phillip... or should I say, Namiro..."

"I..." Phillip hesitated, he actually had been thinking about that very thing from the moment he had spoken to the larger changeling Queen. It wasn't a bad name for sure, it just... it had more than just one meaning to him if he decided to accept it and every muscle in his body wanted him to take up the mantle that he had so proudly proclaimed to the Queen. "I don't know why I told her that was my name..." He admitted, watching the unicorn to see if there was any answers in the sage's smiling face.

As if out of habit, the grey unicorn began to stroke his beard as he pondered. "I would have to say..." He started after a few moments. "... that it's because it is the name The Force has given you in your new form." He gave a small nod as his look turned more pensive. "The Force here works... differently... than any other universe I have observed." With a blink the wizened sage looked over to the Changeling only to be caught off guard by the undivided attention he was receiving. He let out a small chuckle. "Ah, this takes me back... I feel like I am a teacher at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns again... Anyway... as I was saying. The Force here is finicky, yet pliable at the same time." Phillip let his tail curl up around his legs as he made sure not to miss a single detail. "Creatures not born on this world change over time, depending on how reliant on the force they are, until they become creatures that are native to this world... much as you have youngling."

"So... a person who isn't a force sensitive...?" Phillip prodded.

"It depends on their proximity to a force user... but a non-sensitive could likely experience changes very gradually over the span of years if left on their own. Little details that wouldn't register until the change was almost complete."

"And what I had said earlier?"

"That was likely The Force helping guide you to a decision, giving you a direction to follow that will lead you to your destination." Starswirl replied before looking back to the Royal Changeling. "And you... You've been given a very unique role in this world... one that can hinge the fate of your entire race. Do not squander the opportunity to learn and master the art of patience, as a changeling I can only assume that emotions are a key facet of your race. It is all too easy for one who relies on their emotions to let their anger and rage lead them down the path of the dark side."

Nami-... Phillip nodded, "I understand, Master, this is... quite a shock..." The changeling sighed as he looked at his surroundings. The world that he was in was more like what people wished space looked like, what sci-fi movies made space seem, but instead of an all encompassing black the background shimmered like an aurora.

"I would expect so... Celestia and Luna nearly lost their minds when they realized that they could never return home in the forms they once had..." Starswirl quickly grew a mischievous smirk on his face. "Although, once they changed into their alicorn forms I was loathe to admit that they made me regret my vow of chastity."

"You... never had a family?" Phillip asked, a tad confused at the fact he would ask such a question.

The grey unicorn chuckled. "Of course I had a family, I didn't just appear out of thin air my good boy. Although... it wasn't until just after the peak of my prime that I found myself breaking my vow to be chaste..." He looked down at his lap as his eyes filled with thoughts of the past. "She was an absolutely beautiful mare... a pegasus to boot. The more I think back the more it seemed like it could've turned into some tragic love story." He chuckled before looking up at the changeling again. "But you wouldn't want to hear the tale of an old codger like me..." He dismissed as he waved a hand.

Phillip smiled a bit more. "I'd love to hear it, as far as I know I'm under house arrest for quite some time until the Queen of the hive figures out what to do with me so I have all the time that we need."

Starswirl had a much warmer smile as he was encouraged. "Alright..." He starts quietly before clearing his throat. "...Her name was Spark Wind. Her original job before I had met her was as a weatherworker, specializing in storms..."

The grey unicorn regaled the changeling with his tale of how he had come to meet his wife, had been married with Celestia acting as the presiding priest, and how he had spent the last of a golden age teaching his wife and their children to let The Force flow through them naturally instead of trying to control it through brute strength. It brought a nice, warm feeling to the sagely unicorn as he watched the changeling listen to him like an eager, young student.

"I may have broken my vow... but The Force has thankfully forgiven me for the transgression, its understanding knows no bounds for mortal creatures like us." Starswirl sighed happily as it looked like he was reclining back on a rocking chair. "The Force wants to be used here... it's why unicorns are so naturally able to use it... it's why we sense so few disturbances here while there are unicorns everywhere in Equestria that are using even the most basic of levitation." He let out a winded sigh. "Oh... I haven't had a good lecture like that in centuries, it does an old unicorn good to pass on his knowledge..."

Phillip smiled. "It was certainly an enlightening experience, I will be sure to keep this lesson with me always."

Starswirl nodded again. "Yes... I don't doubt that you will..." The world around them began to shimmer and blur. "It seems our time together is up... Take your lessons with me to heart young Padawan... they'll guide you far in life."

Phillip bowed. "Of course Master..." He replied quietly before he once again saw the changeling queen that had a good two to three feet on his current height. Her serpent-like tail flicked back and forth as her eyes were once again scanning his body. The two of them were silent for quite a while, both appraising the other without trying to say anything. Phillip found his eyes lingering on the wide and generously curved hips of the changeling in front of him...

As if noticing exactly where his gaze was the Queen's tail framed the hip that she wasn't standing on and wrapped around her leg to the front in order for his eyes to track to a spot that her tail rested on so she could immediately make the male changeling blush through his dark chitin. Patina smiled as she tasted the flare of lust that spouted as his eyes had gone exactly where she hoped they would. "Good... at least he's got a desire for breeding... he could actually help..." She smirked as she crossed the room and knelt down to hold the smaller changeling's chin in her hand. "Don't worry... once you fully mature you can help produce drones... until then though... it looks like we're going to have to get to know each other." Patina smirked a little more as she sensed the wave of lust and embarrassment that flared up.

Phillip, for his part, couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the Queen's hips. An instinct deep down in his core wanted to know exactly how she felt under her chitinous armor and his mouth began to actually water a little as his mind quickly played out a few fantasies. Then she had walked over to him and held his muzzle like one would get the attention of a child, something about her dominant personality was setting him off... and he loved it. In a way, he couldn't wait to become fully grown in this world if he got such a gorgeous changeling with the stature of an amazonian all to himself as a reward for growing up. "...what do I have to learn?" He asked, mentally chastising himself when it came out as a slight whimper. She had him right where she wanted him, if she felt like it she could have probably simply had her way with him whenever she wanted... it wasn't like he knew the way out of the cave and the changelings here were her children, not his... yet...

He blinked once as his mind registered the last thought. He had to quickly turn his attention to the queen though as she let his muzzle go.

"First, you'll have to learn about being a Royal Caste Changeling." She stated as she got up once again. "Follow me, I'll explain in my chambers..." Without resistance Phillip got to his... hooves... and followed after the large queen.

She wasn't really that large, about eight feet compared to his mere five. Quickly he pondered about the change in his height as he made sure to stay somewhat close to the Queen. The more he focused on his own body the more he felt like he itched all over, like wearing a sweater that was just slightly too tight. He wanted to pull the chitin covering his body away, but for fear of being vulnerable he resisted the urge to start peeling it away.

Patina stretched the slime door that led to her personal chamber to create a small gap that the Proto-King could pass through before she let the slime jiggle back into place in a way that remided Phillip of Jell-O, he let himself have a small mental chuckle before looking around the chamber.

It was nice, very spartan, but any furniture that was there seemed to be made out of a combination of discarded chitin and the same slime as the doors. Phillip let out a small yelp as the Queen lifted him up and put him on one of the beanbag-like cushions near what looked to be a giant waterbed. "Stop whining, I'm not going to hurt you..." Patina groaned. "...as long as you don't threaten my hive that is." She added before sitting on the bed. It slowly sunk a little to caress her curves as she watched him intently, practically daring him to try something.

Phillip found that familiar desire returning as he watched the Queen sink just that tiny bit into the bed and had it mold around her. "So... what... uh... what first?"

Patina crossed her arms over her chest, just under the solid plate of curved chitin that covered what he expected to be a rounded chest. "Since you certainly weren't a changeling when my scouts brought you in... and you're a royal..." She sighed as it seemed she was physically struggling with what she was trying to say. "I'm going to... need... he-e-e-..." She grimaced as she tried to bite back the rising bile taste in her mouth. "I'm going... to need... your help..." She explained after a few deep breaths. "How much do you know already about changeling biology?"

Phillip shifted on the very comfortable slime bag-chair-thing and felt his tail curl around his left leg in embarrassment. "I know that Changelings feed on the energy given off by emotion... and... well... that's about it..."

"So a fairly empty slate then... no problem..." Patina sighed. "I can work with this... my mother had to work with about the same and so far I've been able to handle it." She took a deep breath before looking up to meet Phillip's eyes. "As a Royal Caste changeling you are a source for the hive mind of our people, you are one of the anchors that keep us alive."

Phillip quickly nodded, more than happy that he was getting a lesson about changelings instead of getting punished for anything.

"You're still in the Proto-Royal stage though, so the eggs you lay won't have the same capabilities as the ones I have lain."

Phillip put a hand up before she could continue, at her pause he asked his question. "Wait... Me? Laying eggs? Last I checked I was male..."

Patina nodded. "As a changeling you are naturally Androgynous, other races prefer to call our kind hermaphrodites. Drones that are set as infiltrators can be used for either gender without question, but Royal Changelings... while still androgynous, tend to favor one gender over the other. As a royal you have the capacity to lay eggs just like a queen does."

As she let the message sink in Phillip decided to throw out another question. "Okay... I can deal with the whole laying eggs thing when I have to get to that hurdle... but... two major issues are raising red flags in my mind. First, why did you bring me here instead of keeping me in my 'cell' that I had already been in so that you could certainly not have any threat posed to you? And second... Why trust me?"

Patina leaned forward enough to let Phillip notice the sag in her posture, the pose of a person in power who was nearly losing their will to go on. "Because... Both of those questions have the same answer." She starts "Despite how much I don't want to trust that you were sent by an old religion to help my hive... I have to... because if you're right, you could be the one helping to lead my hive into a golden age... where food would be plentiful and I wouldn't have to watch as my children slowly starved to death on what little love our infiltrators can bring back from where they've hidden."

Phillip moved as if The Force was guiding him once again, but this time it didn't feel so alien when he got up and closed the distance between them in a couple of strides. Without needing to think he quickly embraced the queen in a hug, her sitting form being about as tall as him while he was standing so he could put his muzzle against her neck while he simply let his emotions flow, concern being the most prominent as he simply felt like his entire body was warming up like the thermal blanket he had as a child and would use in the winter.

Patina blinked a few times as she suddenly felt the flood of concern, the sweet and tangy taste that practically begged her to take every last drop. It was only a few moments that she could resist the urge, in the end though she fell to her hunger and ravenously began to eat. The sweet and tangy taste on her tongue drove her mind into ecstasy as her link to the rest of the hive began to get filled with the absolutely divine taste that her starved children craved. There was something more though, a link that she couldn't subconsciously connect to, underneath the concern. She began to let her mind wander towards it as her hive began to feed eagerly on the sheer amount of energy this one King seemed to have stored up, she wandered closer... closer... each second trying to reach out to the broken link, imagining herself reaching for the handle of a door... grasping it... turning it gently... opening it...

|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|

Phillip felt breathless as he laid on a very soft and very large bed... that sunk to fit his form... He also felt much, much lighter. He blinked a few times and looked down at his body. He was laying completely nude, only the chitin covering his hooves and forearms was still on. The light-green bands of his stomach were bulging in a stark contrast to his darker skin. "...what the hell just happened?" he thought with a startled confusion before he noticed the strong feminine hand that gently scratched his belly, he followed the arm with his eyes to see the Queen he could have sworn he was just hugging a few moments ago in all her nude glory with only the same chitin covering her that was covering him. His cheeks flushed as he noticed that she had a fairly modest D-size pair of breasts that had usually been covered by a solid piece of molded chitin, making a mental note to ask about that little addition he decided to continue examining the situation he now found himself in.

The first thing he noticed was that the Queen had just as bloated of a stomach as he did, the moment he shifted a little the arm he hadn't realized was under his back pulled him in for a tighter hug and the queen let out a mumbled coo against his neck before she gently let her graceful forked tongue run up the length of his neck, sending shivers of pleasure down his body. A name came to the forefront of his mind as he gazed at the Queen who had her muzzle buried in his neck, eager to take in his scent. "...Patina..." He started quietly, with her lack of reaction he said her name a little louder. "...Patina." Lucky for him it didn't take a third time as the insect-mare scrunched up her face, revealing the tips of two upper fangs before she relaxed and slowly began to blink.

"N-Namiro?" She asked groggily before she blinked a little faster to clear away a pink glow that had accumulated around her eyes. "Oh Namiro... That was amazing... I..." She stuttered before looking up at him with a smile. "You sounded so casual about being able to have eggs... but to be so willing... I... I can't thank you enough." She let out a small squeal of joy, which seemed a tad odd and comical coming out of a mare who was a foot and a half taller than-... wait... foot and a half?

"Patina... I'm going to need you not to be upset over this..." He started cautiously, getting her attention and a confused look. "...But all I can remember is hugging you right before I remembered being about as high as a kite... because before I hugged you I was three feet shorter than you..."

"You... don't remember...?" She asked with a small hurt tone, making Phillip kick himself mentally.

"I'm not going to lie... it wouldn't do either of us any good..." He started quickly, trying to salvage the situation. "...But I want to know... so that hopefully... I might be able to remember..."

"Oh... Okay..." She replied quietly, letting her gaze fall on both of their stomachs, it was also that moment that Namiro had realized that the Queen's tail was actually resting inside of his, like his had been a warm sleeve that was keeping her tail warm. "Well..." She started quietly, placing a small kiss on his chest that sent another ripple of pleasure through Phillip's body. "...I... I think I added your mind to my hive... I remember everything so perfectly... It... I don't know how to describe what I felt when my mind connected to yours... I... I guess the best I have to describe it is... full... I felt so full when I connected to your mind... but... I also felt that there was so much that I just had to have eggs with you... so I asked you... I asked you to take me, to fertilize a clutch. There were so many eggs, I was actually worried that I wouldn't be able to fit them all comfortably since I wasn't used to having so many..." Patina smiled as she nuzzled against Phillip's chest. "That amazing tone you used... I couldn't place it... it seemed like old Equestrian with a dash of modern Trottingham... Oh... I practically melted at that tone when you said you'd be willing to take some of the eggs."

"I'm guessing that's when I grew...?" Namiro asked.

Patina smiled as she slowly began to sit up and stretch. "Yes, you were so risque about it too... you asked me to give you a few moments and then you molted a layer of chitin right in front of me. It took all of my willpower not to pull you back on top of me... but you... oh... you did it anyway, as if you knew exactly what you were doing you slid your tail over mine and begged me for some of the eggs..." Patina hugged herself with a warm smile before looking down to stroke her swollen stomach.

Phillip sat up a little, propping himself up on his elbows as he finally remembered every detail that had happened between his hug and waking up again. He placed a hand on the Queen's shoulder, easing himself into a sitting position as she shivered. "So I let you give me some of our eggs... that way we could both take care of a clutch."

Patina smiled warmly as she leaned against Namiro, pulling him into a hug that let his head rest on top of her left breast. "Of course..." She cooed. That was also the moment he noticed that the holes he had seen on her arms and legs were significantly smaller.

"T-the holes..." He stuttered as his hand moved up to her arm.

"Thanks to you, they'll be gone within the next week..." Patina replied as she rubbed his sensitive skin. "...And as for your question before you fell asleep..." She continued, getting a look from the smaller Royal Changeling. "I'd be happy to keep you in my hive."

Namiro gave a small shudder as she hugged him more firmly, his sheer number of questions lost in the Queen's soft embrace.