An Unholy Matrimony

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Catch of The Evening
Chapter 2: Den of Iniquity
Chapter 3: Along Came a Spider
Chapter 4: The Weaving Of The Web

Chapter 1 - The Catch of The Evening

An Unholy
Matrimony
A strange romantic tale by Adam J. Nelon

Chapter 1 - The Catch of the Evening

I'm sure everyone has had at least one moment in their lives where they fall asleep in one place and wake up in another. Some people take too much Nyquil before they go to bed, and the next thing you know, they're in the backseat of a car, pawing at the air while their friend drives them to the nearest iHop for an impromptu road trip. Some people get a little too eager to down half a dozen bottles of Captain Morgan and end up sobering up in the bathtub while the shower head drizzles them with cold water and their girlfriend tries to slap them awake. And some people end up falling asleep on the sofa trying to watch The Godfather in one sitting, and end up back in their bedroom with graffiti smeared over them of a mildly lewd manner, but can I say I've had worse experiences.

I fell asleep in my bedroom last night, and as I wake up at...whatever time it is, I have no bearing of where I am. From what I can tell, I'm upside-down. How I'm able to lucidly say that without having already experienced a red-out from all the blood rushing to my head is either because physics don't count where I am, or something is culling the blood flow. In either case, the fact I am still sane is either a testament to this location's suspicious disregard for Earthly laws of physics, my own luck, or simply my own force of will. If I had the capacity to pat myself on the back, I very well would do so. As best I can assess it, I'm in a big sac of...something. I never studied entomology, so I can't identify the substances of an insect's cocoon, but as far as I can tell, while I can very easily breathe this substance, it seems to have the effect of a muscle relaxant. As much as I wanted to speak to myself, if only to assure myself I was truly sane, or scream for aid, no words came out. Just bubbles. Gurgling and churning as if I were submerged in water. To be honest, the fact I was able to breathe was a surprise.

I could only barely make out the cocoon itself. It was of a fluorescent green color, giving off a slight glow of bio-luminescent light. Though it illuminated the area lightly, it gave me no indication of just where in the hell I was. Most of what I could make out in the darkness were faint lights in the distance. The opacity of the cocoon made it hard to tell; but it did make me wonder... Why was I in this cocoon? Who made it? Was I a prisoner? Perhaps some candidate for some human butterfly experiment? Either way, through some kind of acid, whatever form of clothing I had was dissolved, leaving me bare as a tree in autumn. Normally, I'd be fairly cold without something covering up my nude form, but the liquid in which I was inverted had kept me at a stable temperature, but the fact that my pubic hairs were floating in the same suspension as me managed to upset me.

While for the duration of my inner monologue, I spent the time silently getting what little bearings I could, listening to the oceanic swirling of the gelatinous substance in which I was immersed, a clopping sound soon interrupted me. Beats of hooves, at least 3 quartets' worth, began to draw near as my fetal positioned form tensed. I could only imagine whom those hoof beats belonged to. Whoever was approaching had to be my jailors. I could only assume they were here to check on me, and perhaps run some experiments upon me.

“So, you say you managed to find a unique specimen today, Corporal Alric?” Hummed a voice from afar, distinctly female.

“Yes, milady,” Hissed a male voice, nodding. “We don't exactly know the origin of the beast, aside from the fact we found it incapacitated somewhere out in the badlands. It looked dehydrated.”

“Dehydrated?” The female asked, cocking her head.

“Indeed...it must have passed out from the heat...”

It was then that a large shadow approached my cocoon, grimacing. Though the opacity of this sac made it hard for me to clearly look through, I could see a pair of violet-dyed eyes looking through me. A piercing, analytical gaze that would give anyone a feeling of foreboding and strife. I felt that stare pass through me as she scanned with her eyes.

“I can see this...creature...happens to be male...splendid...but with his lack of hydration, his use as a food source would perhaps be compromised...” The mare held a hoof (or what seemed to be a hoof) to her chin before turning to her subordinate. “Alric, see to it that there is something for this male to drink!”

“As you wish, your majesty!” hissed Alric, before darting off.

The mare turned to me with a cold stare.

“As for you,” she said, a glow emanating between her violet eyes. “Hold still. I don't want to miss.”

I cringed, shutting my eyes tight as I could. This couldn't end well...

A grim hum traced across my body, heat swirling across my body, before I found myself plopping face-first onto something with the consistency of mud. I opened my eyes, looking around myself with a look of confusion, before my eyes met the mare in true clarity.

Her eyes had a feline quality. 2 deep pools of purple with tinted sclera and slitted pupils. Her eyes narrowed at me as she smiled, revealing a mouth with two long fangs.

“So, it would seem that our little hive guest is awake...slept well, I take it?”

Fear struck my heart as I got onto my back, starting to back away into the nearest wall, panting ever so rapidly.

“Aw, what's the matter? Scared?” This mare asked, creeping in front of me, craning her neck down. “Haven't much to say?”

I shook my head. Sweat beaded off every pore of my body, heat around all

“Well, I can fix that...my name is Archnid. Your name is not important, but your form is most interesting...”

The creature laid down in front of me, no longer baring teeth.

“As you may have heard, I have sent for Alric to provide you with a beverage, as you must be quite thirsty. While he goes to fetch some water, entertain me with some banter...if it is possible for you to do so, that is...”

I had hardly a word to say in my own crippling fear, but I nodded and tried to clear my head.

“Okay...first things first...just what exactly ARE you?”

Archnid cocked her head. “So you really are an odd creature...most intelligent folk know of our kind...I am what they call a Changeling.”

“A changeling?” I parroted, a bit confused.

“Indeed. We are creatures that consume emotions such as love, sorrow, and joy as sustenance, masquerading as other creatures to better extract this source of food...”

I blinked for a few moments. “You...eat people's feelings?”

“Well, that is the lesser term for it, but that is our modus operandi.”

I gulped at that comment and nodded. “So...how exactly do you extract it?”

Archnid grinned slyly, wrapping her neck around me. “We have our methods...but that is for us to know, and for you to soon discover...”

And now I was assuredly and properly paranoid. I almost felt like a fool to even ask, but my throat betrayed me, asking “So...is that why I am here?”

Archnid giggled maliciously. “Quick on the draw, are we?” she asked, holding a hoof to her mouth. “Well, since you asked so bluntly, yes. You could prove to generate plenty of love...but in your current state, I'm afraid that if I tried to harvest you now, you would die from exhaustion, and we simply can't have that.”

Part of me was in a mildly relieved that she was supposedly sparing me, but it also left a sinking feeling that I wasn't going to slip through her hooves...speaking of hooves, this creature looked as if it were perforated from several blasts from a sci-fi laser cannon, holes across her legs, whatever that mane was made of, her tail, and a rather jagged horn. Whatever inflicted those wounds, they made this creature look positively terrifying.

And, as if she were reading my mind, she chuckled, asking “Does my form frighten you?”

For a moment, she flared what appeared to be insectile wings. I wasn't quite the entomologist, but the appearance of them somewhat resembled a more a jagged pair of beetle wings. However, even in my own human understanding of entomology, such a description did not do much justice or injustice to describe them. If someone were to question me on what these...things looked like, the only logical answer would be to say they looked like an insect's.

“Forgive my homeliness, dear little one...I suppose I've forgotten to...put on my face...”

I was about to question what she meant by that phrase, but it seemed she was already beginning to answer my question. In a mere few seconds, a fuchsia flame arced across her carapace, turning her from a nightmare of many holes into a rather slender, violet horse, bearing a pair of what looked to be feathered wings, one of which wrapped about my person.

“Does this please you?” quipped the changeling, a coy smile about her face.

“You look lovely...” I said, trying to remain calm and refrain from upsetting her, under possible penalty of torture.

“Good...” hummed the mare as she looked into my eyes, rubbing my stomach with her hoof. “Forgive my boldness, but would you mind entertaining me about yourself, seeing as I spoke of myself?”

My sweat beaded even more as I gulped a knot down my throat.

“I don't see why not...” I squeaked, blushing like a beet.

“Very well...first, tell me what they call your kind...” Archnid asked, scanning the breadth of my backside, laying me down.

“My people refer to themselves as Humans...”

“Humans, eh?” She hissed quietly, turning me over. “A strange name for your kind...and a stranger appearance...”

The nightmare turned pegasus ran her hooves across my skin, prodding at it a few times.

“The texture of your hide is quite bizarre...it is so smooth...no fur...no carapace...no chitin...just pure flesh...not even hairs! How do you keep yourself warm?” wondered this woman of equine shape.

“Well, normally, we wear clothes...we're not usually in the nude, as I am.” I replied curtly, trying to maintain my rationale as she examined me as if she were a doctor.

“Not normally? So you are nude sometimes?” cooed the changeling, looking at one of my hands as she raised it in her hoof.

“Essentially, yes.”

“How strange...most creatures I have seen would care less what their bodies were covered in. They see clothing as a novelty to be used for formal occasions and colder climates...”

“Well, not all of us wear clothes on a regular basis. As you point out, it's partially the problem of the climate...”

“Partially?”

“Yes. You see, where I come from, it is considered taboo to be without clothes in a public setting, unless you are where other unclothed folk reside.”

“So it is normal to adorn yourself in clothing? How awfully modest of your race.”

“I would agree; frankly, I only see it as a winter's necessity...”

“Indeed...which begs the question... are you comfortable right now?”

“More or less...why do you ask?”

“I was under the impression you were a bit uncomfortable being unclothed in front of one like me.”

What was once a blush upon my cheeks grew to a full face of red.

“I don't mind at all, Miss Archnid!”

“Please, call me Your Majesty, if you so desire. For if you did not notice, I am the queen of this hive.” chuckled the changeling as she further studied my hand.

“As you wish, milady...”

“If you are cold, I would be happy to produce something for you to cover yourself in...” She offered, smiling a tad more.

“You would?” I asked, my blush receding just a bit. “That seems awfully generous, for someone who seems to only want me for food...”

This incited a giggle from the girl behind the woman's guise.

“Oh, please,” She cackled, with a wicked grin on her face. “You should know that I only mean to preserve you so that you may be of continued use...that is all...”

While I was a tad frightened by this comment, I tried to remain as calm as I could. Considering the room was far too dark for me to navigate effectively, escape would be a foolish and impossible gesture. I supposed the only way I would survive was obliging to whatever this matriarch asked of me.

“I must commend you; however... you are being quite cooperative for a changeling captive...that is a rare quality.” Archnid cooed. “In any case, I must ask...what is this that I hold in my hoof? Has your hoof been split, or something?”

I looked to what she was holding.

“That's not a hoof,” I said bluntly. “We call those hands. They have little things called “fingers”, which can do a number of tasks...”

“Fascinating...could you possibly demonstrate one of these tasks to me?” she asked, letting my hand drop freely.

I took a moment to think about it before I smiled and nodded.

“I don't see why not...” I hummed, a wrapping one of my arms around her shoulder, pressing down upon it to coax her wing open.

For a moment, she gasped as I began to feel the texture of her wings.

“As you can see, your majesty, my fingers are very flexible appendages. Each of them have several nerves, with which I can feel your coat and feathers...I can also use them to hold objects, if I see the need...”

“Interesting...” replied the mare, before her eyes locked onto something else of mine. “Pardon me for being rude, but is something wrong with your penis?”

I looked down at my crotch before looking to her again, blushing a bit.

“Don't worry. That's normal,” I said, lowering her hoof.

The queen began to lift my phallus and examine it more personally. She began to rub it with her hooves, heat slowly conducting on my skin as it tensed, much to her surprise, before it went from being a mere limp mass of flesh into a proper pylon of potential perversion.

“This is quite bizarre...your penis has gone from being limp and small to being straight and large! What form of magic is this, human? What sorcery have you hidden?”

I chuckled to the changeling for a moment before explaining quite simply, “It's not magic, your highness. It's just how my body works...”

“Oh? Do tell...” mused the mare with a curious hum.

I took a few calm breaths and put on a brave face.

“Simply put, the reason my penis isn't always straight is because it typically only goes straight when I'm aroused, which causes my heart rate to go up, sending blood to it to make it stiffen up. If it were always like that, it would be more painful than pleasurable...”

“A strange thing you are, my little foodstuff...I will be sure to keep that in mind when I begin the harvest...”

As this malicious mare murmured this, a smaller changeling came in, his (or was it her) mistress returning to her normal, terrifying form.

“Working your charms on your quarry already, Archnid?” It asked, a male voice coming from its throat.

“As much as you would like to hear that, no. I'm merely studying for now, Alric,” hissed the queen, turning about-face to speak with her junior. “Did you procure the refreshments that I had asked you to get for this one?”

“Indeed, your majesty,” replied Alric, sliding what looked to be two clay bowls. One of the two held a large amount of water, while the other held a volume of pale-blue berries. As I examined them, the male changeling smiled to his queen and chuckled.

“I made sure that these berries will do well for this one's health. He can rest assured he will enjoy them...” He snickered, turning away as he made his leave.

“Thank you for your obedience, Alric...I will make sure to reward you double your allowance come harvest tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, we should leave this one to eat. He has quite a day ahead of him...” Archnid hummed, walking over to me before lifting my chin with her hoof.

“Isn't that right, my little morsel?” She asked, looking into my eyes with a stare as sharp as a pair of whetted daggers. A rather large knot formed in my stomach and throat, before I swallowed my fear and nodded, to which she released me.

“I will return later to prepare your resting accommodations. For now, fill your stomach. You must have a hunger and thirst like none other...” hissed the hive queen as she left.

Finally; for once, I could breathe with some ease. At least for the moment, anyway. The retreating of hoofsteps secured my sanity for the time being. Speaking of time, the overwhelming darkness of the cavern made it impossible to judge how long I had been here; my internal clock is probably thrown off-kilter. Such is the price I must pay for acquiescing to a femme fatale such as the Queen.

At this point, I am fairly certain that escape would be nigh on impossible to execute. The aforementioned darkness seems to extend past this section of cave I have been left in, and because my glasses apparently did not make the transition, my perception would also be compromised. Plus, considering the fact that Changelings, to some degree, resemble insects, this would also have the problem of possibly thousands of others outside the cave that would be ready to apprehend me, should I have the audacity to attempt escape. Plus, considering the fact I'm not exactly a track runner from ancient Greece, my chances of being able to run away while completely nude and without footwear are pretty slim.

In noting all of this, it would be logical to assume that I am most definitely screwed. In any case, it seems I am going to be stuck here as an indefinite prisoner until I outlive my usefulness. Well, shit. It looks like this is going to be my home for a long time to come...

My eyes returned to the berries again. The berries were fairly small, almost too small for me to pinch individual berries in my fingers. As I picked up one of the small berries and popped it into my mouth, a pleasant taste surged into my mouth. Though tart, their flavor was not unlike that of the common blueberry. Satisfied, I began to consume more. They were so tasty! So ripe and juicy! So...tiring...

How long had I been inside that cocoon? My inverted posture had begun to show its toll. The blood going to my head must have made me drowsy...or perhaps the berries were doing something? Perhaps the phrase “rest assured” was more literal than I had thought it would be? I wasn't entirely sure, but at the rate I was consuming, I would succumb to the berries' power before I could possibly make any sort of resistance. And thus, I end this awkward introduction with some proper prone rest.

Some time after the human prisoner had passed off into sleep, Archnid and Alric returned the chamber that housed him, the Queen in particular cocking an inquisitive brow.

“Alric?”

“Yes, my mistress?”

“What kind of berries did you feed this one?”

Alric blushed as he pressed his holed hooves together.

“They wouldn't have happened to be Hypnos Berries...would they?” queried the queen, putting quite a serious tone in her voice.

Alric chuckled nervously, sweat beading off his carapace.

“Consider your extra allowance revoked. Now begone; I must concentrate on preparing another cocoon for this one...” hissed the Queen, her horn glowing a menacing deep purple as she fired off a disciplinary bolt into her disorderly subordinate, startling him.

“Y-yes, your highness!”

Needing no further instruction, the adviser fled to his own part of the caverns, leaving the queen alone with this strange alien. With some repositioning, the hive queen flicked her tail film over the “human”, taking a strand from it to thread into one of the many of the large pores in her arm. Like a spider, she began to weave a cocoon around the alien creature, humming a nondescript tune as she wove. As she surrounded the human in her weaves, she began to utilize this opportunity to more carefully examine her quarry. Her analytical gaze scanned the man's body, lifting every limb, examining most every intricate detail.

“Such a fascinating structure this creature has...” quipped the Queen, taking in the details of her captive before snickering to herself just a tad.

“Well...they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery...”

Archnid returned to her weaving, but in the process decided to experiment with her own queenly powers...

Chapter 2: Den of Iniquity

Chapter 2: Den of Iniquity

Following what I could only assume was eight hours past my berry-based blunders, I woke within a woven cocoon once again. In the first instants of my awakening, a few things became clear to me. First, I was in a much brighter room than before. Second, I was right-side-up, rather than inverted as I previously was. And to top it all off, I was in no other location than the Queen's own bedchambers, complete with an asleep Archnid lying on her side, snoozing away.

While it was intriguing enough that I had inexplicably changed location as I slept, the lighting was quite interesting in its own right. Normally, most lights would incinerate the optic nerve though a healthy dose of sensory overload, but it was not so much the case with the light in this room. Rather than the piercing power of sunlight, incandescent, and fluorescent bulbs, the lights in this room had a softer quality to them. In a way, the bulbs scattered about this room were like the lights of fireflies, or those nightlights that little children would place in their rooms. They cast a cool, mystic, amethyst glow about the room, with nary a shadow to them other than the living mass of chitin known as Her Majesty.

Since I had little else to do but bide my precious time, I decided to take stock of myself before attempting anything. Thanks in small part to the bushels of berries I had consumed; my belly didn't have much to bitch about. While not the heartiest meal in the world , it would do my health much better. I almost contemplated consuming the cocoon to keep my hunger under control, but such an endeavor would be rather careless; Besides, I would wager that this cocoon tasted quite unpleasant. However, the idea did give me inspiration as I examined my hands. The nails of my fingers hadn't been tended to in quite a while, which led to the conclusion that perhaps I could claw my way out of the cocoon, if I were quick and careful about it.

While part of me wished to wait, the rest decided to proceed with the plan. This would be my only chance to escape, so there was no time to ponder the worth of it.

Like the fat, naked rat that I was, I began to burrow my way through the slimy sac, pausing on occasion to lick the mucus from my fingers. At this point, I had decided to recall my prior statement; a changeling cocoon did not in fact taste as horrid as I had first imagined. However, as a word to the wise, be advised that this amethyst cocoon has a rather sour flavor to it. Unless you can stomach a rather tart taste like sour grapes, I wouldn't recommend eating your way out of a cocoon.

Aside from the mild disgust that dawned upon me from consuming the slime of a cocoon, my journey to clawing my way to freedom was fairly easy. The hard part was going to be making my way out. As I scraped away the last of the slime and tore the sac asunder, I met the ground with a wet thud, taking in a deep, loud breath of air before clasping my mouth shut with my hands, vainly hoping that had not revealed me. For a long, pregnant pause I waited, my ears alert as I took in the sounds about me. Save for the labored snores of a certain changeling, I hadn't seemed to alert anyone. Relieved, I slowed my breathing and my pace significantly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Slowly, but surely, I inched along, following the lights to what looked to be the mouth of this stretch of cave.

Finally, I thought. Finally, I could make my escape and find someone who could help me get back home! But, as I neared the entrance, a wisp of the coldest air blew along, wrapping me in its chilling embrace to sober me up. Ah, reality. Even in a world of fantasy, you always find a way to fuck with me. The harsh truth of my situation is that unlike the humid warmth I had experienced earlier, I was now in a humid coldness. It dawned on me that escape would not only be nigh on impossible, but also quite the dangerous endeavor. If I kept on, not only could I be captured, but the cold could kill me.

Moments later, my eyes drew closer to the Queen's bed. Those sheets looked so inviting...perhaps I could do better sneaking into that warm, cozy bed than sneaking out of this cold, dank cavern? Those sheets had to be warm with the queen's breaths... But what if she saw me? What would be the cost of failing to sneak inside that warm blanket? Would she molest me? Would she put me in a room with sex-crazed younglings and leave me to their lust until her return? Or would I be forced to take part in her own sexual experimentation?!

No. I couldn't think like that. If I kept with my pessimism, it would only increase the probability of any of those scenarios. I had to take action and get someplace warm. I spun about in place in an instant, crouching down to sneak over to the bed, watching my footing closely. Moment by moment, I neared the mare's bed. I could practically feel the warmth beneath the silken sheet already! As I neared that slab of smoothed stone, an aura of heat came over me. I gingerly lifted the sheets and slid my still nude body into the empty space, lying on my side, away from the prying eyes of the parasite behind me. For a moment, I relaxed as my back was allowed to properly rest on the bed, smiling as it sat in place.

But, as it so often does, fate conspired against me once more. Within mere moments, Archnid turned over, and her legs reached around me...only a couple of them weren't legs. I felt tiny little legs wrapping around my chest, feeling my tender, erect nipples as hot breaths swirled about the my back and neck. Ten black tendrils danced about my chest as a pair of perfectly plush lips pressed against the back of my head, the hive queen's neck wrapping about my own.

“Ah...so my little meal ticket is an early riser...in more ways than one...” yawned a half-asleep Archnid as one of her two legs lowered down to fondle my family jewels, the wicked mare snickering as she did so while my chills ran down my spine.

“And look! You managed to find your way into my bed and out of your cocoon... How very quaint...” she hummed, holding me in an embrace that I found a bit too close for comfort. “While I'd love to just get it over with and harvest your love right here and now, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I've had my beauty sleep...”

I tried to escape the mare's newly-found vice grip, but as I did so, I find myself yanked right back into the instant I attempted to do so.

“Ah ah ah...bad little human...stay here in the bed with me... you can be my personal ragdoll...” hissed the queen as her tongue slid up my neck, sending more chills down my spine. “Don't worry...I won't let anything happen to my little morsel...”

After my jailor made it perfectly clear I had to comply, I simply stopped struggling and let the mare's arm wrap around me comfortably, my head resting beneath hers, laying upon her bosom as her other free arm tucked me within the bedsheets.

“Sleep well, little one... for in the morning, you will be in for a real treat...” giggled the ghoulish girl as she hugged me cozily.

As the queen nuzzled my neck one last time, I nodded and laid my head on her bosom, allowing the queen to wrap me in her embrace with her tail wrapped about my legs and her mane wrapped about my own bosom, forming a second blanket of sorts beneath the original.

“Good night, Your Majesty...” I hummed, shutting my eyes to let the darkness take me as the nightmare's neck wrapped about me one time more.

“Good night, my little human ragdoll...” mumbled the mare, keeping me in her embrace as she too returned to sleep, my slumbering body hanging limply in her legs, a smile plastered upon her face.

My night was sadly not as good as I wished it would. I didn't sleep well at all... at least not for long, anyway. When I came to some time later, I found myself even more lethargic than I was when I entered the royal bed originally. Meanwhile, as I turned to Archnid, she looked as energetic as a sugar-crazed filly. I felt so unbelievably tired, I had almost lost any capacity of movement and action until the monstrous matriarch turned to me.

“Oh, my...you look haggard! What happened?” She asked, a genuinely worried look on her face.

I looked to her with a rather bored expression on my own face.

“I don't know,” I yawned plainly. “All I know is that I was fairly sleepy earlier, but now I'm just plain letharg- JESUS CHRIST!”

I could only assume my eyes shot wide as saucers as I looked to Archnid. Last I remember seeing her, she was just an equine-shaped demon with more holes than the man from Robocop. Now she was...well, frankly, I had no Earthly way of describing it. She seemed to have gained a bipedal quality to her since the last time I was conscious. She had arms like my own, but they were slender, and had just as many holes as her forelegs, even down to both of her hands having tiny pocks in them. Her legs had taken a small, but noteworthy change in that they took a form that most succubi are known to have. They looked to bend at a strange angle, and ended in hooves. How she was capable of holding her weight on those things was either a testament to her biology, or a crime against nature. Frankly, I wasn't sure what was worse.

What really struck me was her face. Gone was the elongated muzzle and jagged horn, and gone was the strange tint to the sclera of her eyes. What remained was an almost perfectly human face, an amethyst third eye placed upon her forehead. Her skin was still a blackened violet, and her legs still were vaguely equine-shaped, but those aside (not counting her lack of a human bosom, which I doubt she had any idea of), she had almost perfectly replicated human shape. I wasn't sure whether to be amazed or terrified...or perhaps even both.

“What is it?! Is something wrong?” asked Archnid, still in a notable state of worry.

It was then I had to ask: “What have you done to me? Did you steal my soul, or something?!”

Arachnid blushed, pressing her fingers together.

“No! Nothing like that...” she cried, before hanging her head and slamming her fist upon the nearest pillow she could find. “Oh, damn me! I must have fed upon you while I was asleep!”

And by now, my eyes should have fallen out of their sockets.

“You...fed on me...while I was asleep?”

The queen blushed a deep, bright red as she hid behind her bangs.

“Maybe...?” she whispered, before looking between her locks once more. “Why were you screaming, though?”

I took a moment to catch my breath before extending a finger toward her.

“You...you look like me... sort of...” I quivered, still mildly shocked.

“I do?” The queen asked, looking to herself.

“Sort of...” I repeated. “Which begs the question... why?”

For a moment, there was a dead silence. Neither of us spoke for the most awkward of pauses thus far before she worked up the nerve to speak again.

“Because...that's how my people function...” Archnid sheepishly shuddered, before hiding her face.

For a moment, I processed that statement, but to utterly no real purpose.

“What do you mean?” I queried, brushing away her hair.

Archnid pressed her hooves together before sliding away the covers and sitting up.

“Simply put, part of the process of extracting love from someone is that we assume, to the best of our ability, the form of our particular mate. This way, they don't normally know what we really are, making them blissfully unaware that we're taking their love to begin with...”

For a moment, I sat and blinked.

“Well...that seems a bit pointless, seeing as your literal first impression was in your natural state...doesn't it?” I asked, chuckling a bit.

“Well...I suppose that you have a point in that regard...I just thought you'd like me to be in a form you could better associate with...”

And so the blush transferred from her face right to mine. What was once panic and awe became a flattering feeling. This...creature had willingly changed to a form far different than her normal one, just for the sake of pleasing me? To what end had she done this?

Regardless, I felt significantly less frightened after that bit of banter, and I started to cut up just a bit.

“Well... that's very sweet of you, Your Highness,” I laughed, a mild grin upon my face. “I appreciate your gesture, but I must say, it needs work.”

“Needs work?” parroted the queen as she looked at herself more closely. “Would you be willing to help me improve?”

For a moment, I took her holey hand and kissed it as if I were a nobleman before recoiling it moments later in embarrassment.

“I...I'd love to...” I chuckled, blushing. “But first...what was that whole 'treat' business earlier?”

“Treat?” the nightmare paused before chuckling herself. “Ah, yes! I was going to show you around the hive before I did my first harvest,” she said, bearing a wily smile.

“But I thought you said that you had already harvested me?”

Archnid held up my chin with a sly grin.

“I mean my first official harvest.”

And so my anxiety returned in full-force.

“So what's the occasion for all this?” I asked, pressing my fingers together.

“Oh, nothing major...I just feel my little prisoner should know where he can tread, should I not be in the mood to consume you as food...besides...I like to know where you'd prefer to be put to the test.”

Well, if this were a contest of who could be the most forthright when it came to sexual matters, this queen would get an A-plus in my book. Then again, I honestly can't fault her logic. Though she seems to see me as little more than a plaything and a piece of meat, she prefers to maximize the amount of pleasure she gets from me, which is rather smart. But, in noting this, I also must countenance my own cowardice and stupidity for not fleeing when I had the opportunity. Then it dawned to me that assuming I had managed to escape with my life unmolested, the climate would have probably killed me shortly thereafter.

Lady Luck is a royal bitch, isn't she?

Well, I suppose if I'm stranded here for the time being, I may as well go along with the Queen's whims and make the best of this bad situation I'm in.

“Fair enough, milady,” I said, smiling as I offered my hand, which she gingerly held. “Please, lead the way.

After having quit the mistress' bedchambers, I beheld a vast expanse of caverns, the breadth and depth of which almost made my head spin with its sheer enormity. Hundreds upon thousands of what I could only assume to be changeling peons and hatchlings fluttered about, their wingbeats bringing the cadence of cicadas to my cochlea as Her Highness took to her quadrupedal form and sat down.

“What are you doing?” asked I, a tad confused.

“Get on,” hissed the matriarch in a rather blunt tone that oozed with a commanding aura.

“What? Why?”

“Simple. You do not have wings, so I will grant you the honor and courtesy of riding upon my back as I show you around my little hive,” she replied, smiling.

Before I could ask a further question, the mare had already snatched me up by the skin of my neck in her teeth and plopped me square on her plated back as her wings flared out, fluttering wildly.

“I would hang on, if I were you. This is going to be quite a flight,” She warned, sliding down a pair of violet lenses onto her eyes before taking off, a wave of air billowing off the ground as she did so. In acknowledgment of her advice, I took hold of the base of the mare's neck, taking in the true expanse of the chitinous caverns before me.

In hindsight, my paranoia was most proper. There were literally too many changelings to count! Seriously! I tried to count them all as Archnid flew about, but I just couldn't keep up! She kept jostling about as I had to hang on for dear life. Then again, I also gained a sense of security in knowing there were literally hundreds of the damn things who could catch me, should my grip fail.

“Right, so you've already seen the royal bedchambers, and right now, we are in the courtyard. As you can see, my hive is fairly densely populated, hence why I need your help. If you ever get lost, or heaven forbid, attempt to escape, my subjects will guide you back to me. And, if you need to answer nature's call, they'll be more than happy to escort you...”

And then my sense of security become less secure. What was I, some kinda VIP? This bitch seemed pretty hell-bent on keeping me alive and well.

“Right...” I droned, rolling my eyes. “That was nice to know....”

Moments later, the mare returned to flight as she buzzed through the tunnels, going into a large room with a massive pond, radiating with violet light as many changelings frolicked both inside the waters and at the shoreline.

“This is the watering hole. If you need to clean yourself, cool off, or what have you, just come here. It's a hot-spot for young lovers...”

Following an awkward silence, we flew into what looked to be a large storage of cocoons. Some had what looked to be ponies within; others had what looked to be young changelings, while the rest were simply black eggs. Whether it was a graveyard or a hatchery was subject to debate and the personal word of the queen.

“This is what we call the Spawning Grounds,” Archid snickered, looking down upon the cesspool beneath us, hovering past cocoon after cocoon, showcasing the sleeping forms of both changelings and ponies alike “Simply put, this is where all my babies will be born... whether they come from me...”

The insect-like mare stopped at one of the cocoons, which showed a pegasus of a light coat and dark mane which I swore resembled me, and began to caress it, much to my worry.

“Or from the poor unfortunate souls we encounter...”

I was going to seriously regret asking what the queen meant, but her wording simply begged the question: “The souls of whom?”

For a moment, the queen stopped. Her wingbeats slowed to a stop as her hooves met the ground. She allowed me the chance to dismount her and closer examine the cocoons.

“Well... as you can probably perceive by our appearance, we typically feed upon ponies for their love...” sighed the she-devil as she hung her head to me. “The Kingdoms of Equestria were, for a time, known to have the greatest abundance of love in the world. For many hives, it was our primary feeding grounds...but, as of late, the ponies have begun to grow wise to our kind. They can tell the signs that we are not like the lovers we replace... Not long ago, in fact, it was said that one of the more famous hives suffered quite a crushing defeat at the hooves of the very mares and stallions sworn to protect that plane... We are not sure if their queen remains among the living, but ever since, it has become increasingly difficult to do our doppelganger deeds due to their increased vigilance....to the point where we have to abduct ponies and forcibly extract their love...hence why some of the cocoons you see contain ponies...”

For a moment, I swore the queen had begun to cry.

“These cocoons hold the empty shells of once perfectly healthy ponies...but now, they sit in these cocoons... devoid of emotion or life... and slowly become changelings themselves...and from there, a vicious cycle continues in which we must reluctantly drain the emotion and love from their bodies... and in so doing, we just add another mouth we must feed...”

And so the queen turned to me with eyes of concern.

“Hence why I have hope in you...perhaps your love could sate us for longer than that of other creatures...at least, in theory,” She sighed, before lowering down for me to mount her again.

The sheer gravity of what she had just said weighed on me like a 50-ton boulder at my back. This changeling was desperate to feed her hive...putting whatever hope she could into me? Suddenly, I felt a tad guilty for trying to run away.

“In any case, I have said too much,” The grieving changeling sighed, resuming flight. “We've just two more places to visit, so let us forestall no further.”

Following that disheartening segway, the two of us flew into a rather empty room with a large skylight, and a table-sized sundial in the center.

“This room is called the Time Chamber. It is here that we determine the time of day or night thanks to the large sundial within. The design of the dial itself, thanks to its mystic runes, enables us to accurately tell the time of day, even in the absence of solar or lunar light,” She explained, placing a hoof upon the table-like structure, gazing at the runes upon it closely. “As you might have worked out, we do not exactly have the capacity to prepare any proper technology. The hive just cannot support it.”

I nodded, holding onto her as she took flight.

As we came to what was the final room of the hive, what I saw was frankly amazing. This was a room of such a scope that my eyes could not behold its full splendor. Although one of the most barren rooms of the entirety of the hive, it had the most grandeur of any of them. Many glowing amethyst gems lined the walls as lavender silk splayed across the floor as a carpet. At the furthest inches of the room sat eldritch roots tangled in knots that, to my awe and horror, looked to still be in motion. At the end of the room was the main attraction; in the center of the furthest wall was a throne made of such massive weaves of black tendrils, H.P. Lovecraft's grave would have flown open in the mere sight of such breathtaking creations.

“This place is known as my throne room...” She began, a slightly prouder cadence to her voice than before. “For generations, Queens have been crowned here, and the spirits of all the Queens that ever were and ever will be will end up here...thus, to my people, this is a holy ground. If you are summoned here, called here, or brought here, it is an event of particular importance, being almost a privilege. Consider it an honor that I give you the honor of even gazing upon this room... for this is as close as you may ever get to standing in the presence of gods...”

I had no words. My mind was beyond comprehension of anything I was seeing to this point. An aurora had shone through this room. Strands of light and soul that carried with it the power of ages gone by hovered in the air, sometimes circling me. Such Lovecraftian sights both horrified me and humbled me, leaving me incapable of any form of communication, leaving the two of us in a moment of awkward silence.

“And with that, the tour is over...now, if you'd be so kind, all this rhetoric has me ripe to get rutting. So, choose whichever of the rooms I've shown to you, and we shall begin the ritual.”

Still, no words came. At least not until the queen had silenced. My mind was still fixated on the Spawning Grounds, and all the poor souls within...they deserved better...And with that mindset, I was sure where I would let this raunchy ritual be performed.

“This may sound a bit morbid,” I began, trembling, “but could we return to the Spawning Grounds?”

Dead silence. The room filled with stagnant, deafening silence as the queen stood, her legs locked in place. Neither of moved, and neither of us spoke. My ears heard nothing but their own deafening from the silence in the room. I heard the queen shudder after what felt like an eternal void of soundless horrors.

“Why there, of all places?” She sheepishly shuddered, as if she were ready to cry.

Here was my chance. Now or never. I had to be truthful.

“Because if what you told me of that place is true, then perhaps we would do them a service by bringing the love to them first...they deserve that much.”

For a moment, the hive queen thought, but reluctantly nodded.

“You...raise a good point, human...so be it...”

And so we began to fly off. The pace was notably slower than before, but given what we had just had to go through, it was more than understandable. I had had her open up to the true nature of her kind, and exposed her to the worst feelings of remorse and grief. As we buzzed into the room, she lowered her back as I slowly slid down, getting into position beneath her.

“I am sorry if I have upset you...” sighed the succubus mare as she knelt down. “It is just that when I speak of my kind in such a way...it reminds me of just how monstrous we can be...how I'm nothing more than the highest form of soul-stealing seducer that can exist...”

Dear God in Heaven, how my heart is torn asunder. This creature, who previously expressed nothing more than a desire to ravage me for all I had in my system, both physically and conceptually, was now expressing anguish for her own nature. She rued her very nature, yet she was forcing herself to do this, as nothing more than her own desperate way of staying alive. I couldn't let her continue to wallow in...whatever she was meant to wallow in... I had to tell her what I felt.

“Archnid...” I sighed, placing a hand to her muzzle, bringing her head down to mine before kissing her tenderly upon her forehead, below her horn. “You are no monster in my eyes... if you were a true monster, you would care little for my own life... yet for the little time I've known you, you've done your best to make sure I am well here... Even if it is just to keep my capacity as a love generator up and running, your gestures of trying to understand my kind better, and your openness to explain yours... That just proves you are more than a monstrous mare. You are a just and noble queen who simply wants to give what is best for her kind... even her captives...”

Dear God, what was happening to me? How was I able to lucidly speak in such eloquence and nobility without feeling guilt or damnation for falling for this demon mare?

It was the oddest form of partnership in both fiction and history. I had fallen for one of the eldest forms of strange love that ever existed. I had become the next victim of Stockholm Syndrome. In her being her captive, Archnid and I began to form a strange bond together. She kept me in good shape for today, and I would return her kindness in mere moments from now. Whatever possessed me to be as kind and as noble as I was, I didn't want to know. For now, I was held in the vice grip of the moment.

“You...you truly mean that?” She asked, rubbing her eye socket clean of tears as she looked down to me.

“Of course, Your Highness...” I said, not even thinking.

“You...you...” trembled the transforming mare, before pulling me into an embrace of such strength that I found myself incapable of breath for a few moments.

“You little devil!”

As I turned my head to look into those violet eyes again, her face wore a grin as she bore her fangs.

“Your words are most sincere, human...I thank you for restoring my goodwill...” She said, releasing me. “Now then... shall we get to the harvest?”

My face filled with red for a moment, but I soon found myself calm as I took her hoof and said proudly, “My body is ready...”

At that cue, Archnid crouched down and took my flaccid phallus in one of her hooves and began to rub it with the other. “Like this, right?”

My breath began to quicken as I nodded, watching her as she worked. Those two hooves rubbed against my foreskin like two magnets rubbing against an electrified pole. They clamped down on my cock like a couple of crab's claws, rubbing in a rhythm that was almost hypnotic. The sight of it almost made my head spin...and then this maleficent mare received a dreadful idea. She looked to one of her hooves... then to my half-limp piston... then to me... and finally, she began to whet one of the holes within her hoof with her forked tongue. The mare moistened that one pore as if she were melting away the candy shell of a lollipop, making it ever more slick, and me ever more aroused. And then, when her hoof was dripping in dribble, she began to do a more dastardly deed.

She married her moistened mare's tool to my member like a wedding ring, grinning ghoulishly as she slid it down the shaft. As she did, my foreskin was peeled back like a banana, revealing my real red rocket, as it shook and stiffened. The childlike changeling cooed at this change in my cock and began to stroke it slowly, getting into an ever-accelerating rhythm. I attempted to reach out a hand to help her, but she set it aside with her free hoof. As the love rod began to lube itself with precum, the perverse pony-like creature looked down to it, licking her lips. It didn't take much for me to realize exactly what she was up to.

Moments later, she wrapped her lips around my little buddy and began to suckle it. Her teeth clamped onto my cock like a foal in a confectionery shop. She began to bob her head up and down the length of my shaft as her tongue circled about its circumference like water to a drain. Almost out of instinct, I put my hands to the mare's head, with one of my hands around her horn. Taking this as a gesture of encouragement, the changeling continued to caress my penis with her lips as I slowly began to polish her own phallic protrusion, causing it to display a purple light.

The mare began to moan as she molested my member with her mouth and I polished her imperfect power piston, the two of us sharing a rhythm like a pair of professionals.

As this ritual wore on, my breath quickened, as did her pace, putting further pressure on my penis. She was preparing to play Russian Roulette with my rod, with my red rocket being the revolver, the testicles being the cylinder, my shaft being the barrel, and my semen the round chambered into it. And Archnid could tell I was reaching my plateau, as she suddenly ramped up her pace, much to my particular surprise.

All the while that this took place, my mind begged for me to stop this unholy matrimony from being completed, but my hot, sweating body wanted me to stay the course and let my stiff shaft take its shot. With one hand, I dug my fingers into the dirt, while the other balled up as the rest of my body tensed. I had become as stiff as my member as my eyes shut, and the moment of truth neared.

And then, in an instant, our perversion coalesced into a climax of inconceivable measure. My white load shot out of my shaft like a bullet, as the changeling's tongue lapped away at the tip of it as if she were a feral dog. My nostrils flared as my eyes shot open and my salty sweat slowly made its way into my mouth. The hand that grasped the mare's jagged horn became limp, numb, and inert as the whole limb slumped to the ground. The nostrils of my mate flared with heat as slowly, her mouth and hoof pulled off my pulsating penis, her eyes looking to me as she swallowed the shot of semen that was fired into her mouth. That stare stripped bare my conscience as she stood, pinning me down as she placed my hands at her hips.

This seductress was not yet satisfied with me. She lusted for more of my love, and began to limber my love rod with her labia. The pillows of her pussy teased my member as they slowly sunk my shaft within.

What I did not expect was what was actually within her womanly mechanisms. In the instant my member met the membranes of her mare's fair feminine flower, tiny tendrils took it in even further. My cock was clamped into a vice grip as Archnid repositioned into rutting posture, my fingers flayed about her flanks. The evil enchantress was about to entrance me in her dirty dance.

The mare began to move about my body, her hips bucking and thrusting like an engine piston, the friction between my flesh and her chitin making a heat of great intensity around her groin. As she did so, the membranes of her vagina massaged my member, while her labia began to leak an unknown liquid. The mare moistened my manhood beyond measure as my muscles began to give out. My body slowly shut down like a machine at meeting its match, each of my senses slowly slipped from me. I could no longer smell the aroma of arousal, nor taste the tears of tantalization as this mare molested me mindlessly, nor hear the horny hums of the harlot. I could no longer feel the female fucking me at her full force, and finally, my eyeballs could no longer behold the debauchery before me as my brain finally blacked out, conscience having crashed like a corrupted computer.

This mare climaxed as my capacity to remain conscious could no longer continue, my lusting form going limp as the lights of what seemed to be my love lapped about my lover...

Archnid looked down upon the alien beneath her, panting quick, shallow, almost infernal breaths as the tendrils within her clitoris loosened to allow her to dismount. The stallion was still, but breathing just as rapidly as she was. She was riding high upon this love that she had liberated from the lusting creature, and it was a feeling that was as just as pleasing to her, if not even more so, than the orgasm that had preceded it. Purple pillars of light surrounded her as she guided them to her horn, sending ripples throughout the hive to feed her subjects, starting with herself. This love had a flavor that she had not experienced in previous harvests. The taste was richer... bolder... riper than the rest… It felt much more... complete... much more....genuine... much more... pure.

The queen of the hive lifted the limp human off the ground, carrying him on her back as she flew to the watering hole, which was now mostly abandoned as she lowered him into the water, bringing herself in with it.

“Such a wondrous bounty that I have been bestowed...” Sighed the exhausted mare as she lapped up some of the water in the pond. “Something about this love, though...it fills me much more than the love I have had in the past... but how...”

After a few minutes of wading, the matriarch and her mate left the water, Her Highness spreading the creature out upon the floor.

“Oh, well...I suppose Alric may have an explanation for all of this...but for now, I must make something to show my gratitude towards this... thing...”

And so, the mare lied down on the shore, flicking her tail film over her flank as she began to fashion something from it...

Chapter 3: Along Came a Spider

Archnid, true to her name, wove like a mad spider. Ever since the prior evening, her mind had been wracked with the memory of all she'd done to and with that alien. She had literally molested the stallion to exhaustion, and though he was breathing fairly well, she could not help but feel some twinge of guilt for having gone so far with this unknown creature. But that was not all that worried her. If this were the most of her predicament, she would not have asked for her adviser to come.

“So, my Queen,” hissed the adviser as he sat next to his mistress, “Why did you call me here? Is something the matter?”

“Indeed, Alric,” sighed the seductress as she sewed. “Since last evening, I have felt most strange... Not just physically, but mentally... I felt I should ask for the advice of somepony that I could trust to be civil about all this... Hence why you are here....”

“And just what is it that troubles you, milady?”

“Last evening, as I'm sure the hive-mind informed you, I took this human on a tour around our hive... And, as it so happened, the stallion took a particular interest in our spawning grounds. He asked about the many ponies that we had in those cocoons... And somehow, I still don't know how, it struck a sour note within me... it made me start to remember all those ponies we sucked dry... those poor souls we made into empty, dry husks, dooming us into further starvation... It made me feel a genuine sense of sorrow...then, when I started feeding on him...the love I tasted... It was so much purer than any other I had consumed! And that began to make me wonder... perhaps he is in love with me?”

Alric pondered for a moment, chuckling a bit. “Perhaps he is...after all, our forefathers have always told us the purest love comes from a heart truly bound...”

“Our forefathers also told us to never become emotionally invested in our target. Have you forgotten one of the most sacred of edicts we were taught as larvae? We do not make bonds with mortal creatures, especially if we are mimicking their lover!” Hissed the hive queen, staring coldly into Alric's eyes.

“Ah, but therein lies the difference...you aren't mimicking any one thing that he loved...rather, you are simply taking a form that he would find more comfort in...if anything, you're not changing to hide yourself from him at all; you're changing to make him favor you ever more!”

Archnid was stunned. Alric spoke truth. All this time, the changeling was trying to make herself better in the human's eyes... all the questions about his anatomy... his culture... his well-being....all this time, she was acting like a mother to the creature, and she was never aware of it until this moment.

“By the spirits...you are right! All this time, I was making myself seem like a kinder creature in his eyes...I made sure he was fed, made sure he had water to drink...I made his cocoon so that he could rest...and now look at me...As we speak, I'm tailoring this tunic for the creature! Before I rutted him like a mare in heat, he even spoke to me. He told me I wasn't a monster...he said that if I was, why would I care if he stayed alive or not? The stallion even thanked me for trying to make him more comfortable by imitating his form! Alric, do not think of me wrongly, but I think this stallion is starting to have an effect upon me...I'm feeling these strange emotions I've never felt...sorrow...regret...passion, even-”

“Love?” Alric interjected.

A silence fell upon the shore of the bedroom as Archnid continued to knit. Though faint, she was blushing. It was that faint kind of blush you don't see, but you can still feel. Her face grew warm as she pondered the concept, but the very idea embarrassed her. But, there was no denying it.

“Yes, Alric... as much as I hate to admit this to myself, I have fallen head over hoof for this alien... The very idea of it, however, both sickens me and frightens me...” the mare sighed, her lips forming a frown.

“Why is that, Milady? There is nothing wrong with being in love. Many of us are in love with one another.”

“And therein lies the problem. Our very laws forbid this kind of love! Ponies fear us, Alric. We are monsters to most of this damned world!”

“But not to him...”

The mare paused for a moment, looking to the creature, then back to Alric.

“What do you mean, 'Not to him'?” quieted the queen.

“Thank about it, your Highness. When you first introduced yourself to the human, indeed, he exhibited fear. Indeed, he showed apprehension. And as far as I noticed, after that, he had no qualms with you afterward. From what I heard, he was most frightened by your imitation of his kind, but none too seriously. If I had to guess, I'd say he is more intrigued than frightened...and if I might be so bold...perhaps he shares your love?”

The mare's eyes shot wide as she considered all this, her head turning to the alien stallion.

“How could such a being love me? I am nothing more than a demon in the general shape of a mare! I am a creature whose main means of survival entails seducing intelligent creatures and extracting their love to sate us all! I have practically placed this... thing into a coma! How could he love something like me?” whimpered the willowy queen.

“You already explained that much; the human gave you solace when you doubted yourself. He did not see you as a monster or daemon. He saw you as a graceful and benevolent creature... a being capable of compassion and kindness. He showed appreciation towards your attempts at matching him, and fully came to terms with his fate, even if it was just to be a slave and prisoner... if you ask me, that is honest love,” her adviser said, smiling.

Archnid blushed even more now, visibly embarrassed by how correct Alric was in his oration. Everything that he had just spoken was absolutely correct, and it shocked her. Truly, the hive-mind is capable of strange and wondrous things. Then, an interesting thought occurred to her.

“You are correct in your assumptions, Alric,” Stated the seductress. “Perhaps this alien DOES love me... but we have overlooked one thing...”

“And that would be?”

“As you may recall, this Human did not come from Equestria. From what you have told me, he comes from another world -or perhaps even another universe- altogether. Whatever world that is, it did not have changelings, surely. Ponies, perhaps even less likely. We have imprisoned him in this gilded cage of perversions and pleasures, Alric.... surely; he pines for his home again. Surely, he wishes to escape and see his own loved ones, as with the ponies we have caught many times before... we barely even know how he even ended up here in the first place, other than perhaps magic or some form of random happenstance. However he ended up in this place, it does not change the fact that we stole this creature from the world he knew to fulfill our own agendas.”

“That may be true, Archnid, but riddle me this. If he so desperately wishes to leave, then why had he only attempted to do so once, when you were asleep?”

Archnid blushed once again, searching through the collective conscience of the hive-mind. She examined the events that had occurred last morning. He saw the human dig out of his cocoon and try to sneak away... but something kept him from proceeding. He shook like a leaf in a thunderstorm, and then turned tail, back to the bed...going back, she recalled the conversations they had...there was undeniable proof...

“That may be, Alric... but I am still not completely sure that he would want to stay here...after all, this place is not the most welcoming of homes...”

“Then why not ask him?” Alric asked, looking the human.

“Beg pardon?” Muttered the mare as she cocked her head

“Why not ask whether or not he wants to go home? If he truly cares for you, and for this race, he will stay...”

A final blush took the mare's face before she looked to Alric once more.

“I suppose that would not be a bad idea...thank you, Alric...” she hummed, hugging the stallion.

“That is what I am for, your Greatness.” Alric chuckled.

Just as one problem resolved itself, another took its place.

“There still lies one problem in all of this, however...” she sighed, looking to the human once more. “More likely than not, since I can drain love from him enough to exhaust him, he is mortal....and that presents a whole other problem...he is just as likely to become a changeling as the ponies, if we are not careful... and I would not want that to happen...”

Alric paused for a moment, but grinned moments later.

“There are ways around this, my queen...”

Archnid turned to look at her adviser.

“Oh?” She asked, cocking her head. “How so?”

“There exist magics that allow for two beings to take a piece of themselves into each other’s' body. However, it has not been done for many years now, because it presents great risk...”

Archid didn't like the sound of that. That meant there was a serious catch.

“What kind of risk?”

“Simply put, my queen... if both parties do not completely consent, or if the spell were not properly executed...the two of you could very well die...”

Those last few words stuck Archnid like knives to her heart. It physically hurt her. The idea of losing not just herself, but the human in turn shook her to her core.

“And...the reward?” She quivered.

“Theoretically, it could endow him with the same nonstandard lifespan we all have, with the ability to feed upon, as well as generate, emotion. In addition, he may also attain the ability to change his form as we do...”

“And myself?”

“Potentially, you could gain the ability to generate emotion, and perhaps a better capacity to change to a human shape...although I am not entirely sure...”

“And you are sure that such a spell exists?”

“Rest assured, my Queen. We shall find it. Although, that much may take us some time. So, while we search, why not have a talk with the creature and ask his opinion?” Alric asked bowing.

“I will, my adviser...as soon as this tunic is finished...”

And so the queen resumed to her weaving, looking to the human with a smile.

As I awoke for my third day of possible escapades, I was greeted by two familiar visages. The first was the shore of the watering hole, complete with violet water lapping at my toes. The second was the changeling queen, holding what looked to be a violet tunic in her hooves.

“Ah, you've joined us in the waking world again...how marvelous...” Hummed the mare as she helped me up. “I have made you something to wear... you must be cold.”

For a moment, I looked to the tunic, taking it in my own hands and caressing it. The tunic was of such an unbelievable quality. It felt like finely woven silk, and shone almost as if it were made of mithril...tough as nails, yet light as a feather, and soft. So soft and light, I felt like it would just disappear! As I slipped it on, my feelings of bliss continued. It had such breath that I had not felt in anything else I'd even worn! It was almost as if I were wearing nothing at all!

I could do nothing more than bow before this creature and say a kind “Thank you” for such a boon.

“Think of it as a token of my gratitude...” hummed the queen as she smiled and lowered down to me. “I want to speak with you about something...would you come with me?”

I took a moment of thought to consider, but arose and mounted up with a smile. Taking note of my mounting, the queen took flight to a sight I had seen not long ago; the Chamber of Time. The sundial told me it was almost sundown, and the moon would be rising soon. As I dismounted, I asked her what she wanted this private talk for.

“Well...as you may presently be aware, the relationship between you and I has, in a word, evolved...” Explained Archid, lying down.

“Evolved?” I quipped, sitting with crossed legs.

“Yes...though our first impression was rather...rocky...you seem to have taken quite a liking to this place...these creatures...and I'd like you to know...they know what you did...”

My eyes shot wide.

“I do not blame you for your actions, however. As a creature in a world not your own, you feel an obligation to at least try to escape... But something kept you, and you turned back... Then, when I doubted my existence, and that of my subjects... You reassured me I was doing good... Then, after I harvested you... I felt something from your love... It tasted of something much richer... much... cleaner...much purer than what I'd tasted before... And it was then I knew...”

The demon mare drew close to me.

“That I loved you...”

As she finished that tirade, she stood and began to circle me.

“My adviser is gathering some special magics... Magics that have been around since before our time... With those, I offer you a choice; You can choose to be allowed to return from whence you came...back to your own world... but at the cost of all memory of this whole escapade wiped from your mind, and every trace of me ever existing being lost. If you share my sentiments of love, and find anything related to our partnership, and accept it as truth...you will return to me... Or, if you so desire... you can choose to stay here. I will use an ancient magic to make infuse the both of us with a partition of our soul and genes, effectively making us into hybrids. However, like any magic of that type, it comes at a risk and a price: You will never be allowed to return home to where you once lived, and the process of doing this may kill us both...”

The queen lifted my chin up.

“Should it succeed, however...you should gain my capacity to transform and consume emotion, while still retaining your human ability of generating your own...and I would effectively become more human...thus giving you something to eat...”

The matriarch turned to the sundial.

“You do not need to give me your answer this moment. I will give you until the next moonrise to ponder your decision...but I suggest you choose wisely. You will not leave this room unattended. If you attempt escape, you will be captured, and I will assume you wish to go home, and will cast the spell. However, I will make it even more difficult for you to return. Do I make myself clear, Human?”

I stood and knelt before her.

“You need not tell me a second time, Archnid,” I said, a rather knightly tone to my voice.

“Good. I will hold you to that word,” Archnid hissed, taking flight away from my location.

As I looked to the skylight before me, it dawned on me that I would have little but dread on my mind as I was left to make my decision.

It was true that I missed my old home, but in the few days I have spent here, I spent a rather comfortable experience. Though it was a bit unnerving to be around what were essentially parasites, at least these parasites were merciful (and in my view, intelligent) enough to preserve me as long as possible. That, and for one to win the favor of a queen was something of considerable status. She was kindly enough to allow me the use of her bed, and more so to fashion me a tunic to wear.

But what about my family? While it was dysfunctional, as a lot of them often are, I still felt for my family, and my friends...was it worth abandoning them just for this place? My family was doting enough, but sometimes, I worried for how close I was coming to losing them... If I went back, and they were gone, I'd regret having returned... As for my friends, very few of them were faithful to me, while the rest only longed to keep me as an instrument for their humor. They would all try for me to inadvertently humiliate myself until I realized it was happening. With very few people at my side, which parasites did I prefer? The ones who sought to extract my humor for their hubris, or the anonymous many who simply wanted my love and adoration?

As I lay my weary self to rest upon the black floor, the contemplation of my future only got that much simpler...

Alric had moved to the throne room in the time that he had been given, preparing the most mysterious and dangerous ritual he'd ever known. Should this fail, not only could the Queen die, but their primary source of food, as well! He continually worried as he further saw to the completion of the basic ritual itself. Was this grand reward worth the high stakes? Did all the books splayed across the court floor, the stark white arcane star, and the rolled away carpet all have a proper end goal to their use?

Only time would tell.

His mistress approached from the hall, smiling.

“I can see that you have been hard at work, my adviser...” mused Archnid with a smile.

“All for you my queen...are you sure that you are willing to do this?”

“If it will be that great of a benefit to this hive, I am willing to take risks...”

“Have you told the human of this?”

“Yes; I have given him his ultimatum. Come moonrise tomorrow, we'll know the truth.”

“Excellent. I should be ready to do either spell by then...”

“Wonderful...” hummed the mare as she looked to the throne. “If it goes according to plan, we will need another throne...”

As I awoke in the evening, the moon shined on me again, my violet tunic glowing in the silver light. As I stood to regain my bearings once again, it occurred to me that the tunic only barely went past my waist. Well, at the very least, I was flaccid still. My eyes turned to the skylight, and then to the sundial.

Any moment from now, I thought, she would return to present her offer again, and then, the moment of truth would come. I stood in that room half-nude on bated breath as I awaited the return of the queen. Time seemed to move much slower, even though I had made my decision. What was meant to be minutes drug on as if they were hours. I watched the doorway in anticipation, simply begging myself that she'd come.

And then, hoofsteps began to clip and clop closer to me. A buzzing rang in my head, starting to hum as it drew nearer to me. It was deep, rich, and harmonic. A light aura of amethyst glowed on the floor as my eyes drew to the gaze of none other than Her Majesty, Archnid. She smiled, bearing her alabaster fangs to me. I began to smile in turn.

“Your face tells me something very good...I take it you have a good word for me?”

I nodded, approaching as I began to run my fingers through her mane.

“I do...I've been thinking long and hard about it...and while I may regret it...I'm going to stay here...with you...”

For a moment, I took her hoof and pecked it, much to the embarrassment of the Queen.

“You shan't regret it, little one...”

The mare lowered her backside, allowing me to climb on and cling to her as she resumed flight.

The atmosphere was leagues different. I felt the radiance of many drones as they looked toward me, expressions hopeful and pleading.

This would be my last day as a man.

As the Queen had promised, she and the human arrived in the throne room. Alric advised them to sit at the east and west points of the spell circle, the two of them kneeling. Alric stood at the north, beginning to chant in an ancient language as his horn began to glow a deep purple, illuminating the floor they were standing on. The two who chose to opt into this dark communion took a simultaneous gasp as the gaseous forms of their spirits began to rise. One was the queen's violet mare, while the other was the human's blue self. Like snakes, they slithered about the air, becoming intertwined as they held each other in a meaningful embrace. Then, in a few moments, the two released each other, circling around as they became stained with each other’s' energy, eventually returning to their original hosts, facilitating another gasp.

For a moment, a dead silence took them before both their eyes glowed bright magenta, the two of them keeling as they howled out in pain. The queen's skin began to pale and bleach, the human's becoming even more so than it had been previously. The holes in the mare's legs began to mend as the hooves began to splinter off into individual appendages. The human let out a curdling groan as parts of his limbs slowly melted away, the bone and sinew reshaping in the process. While the mare's mane and wings did not recede, during these moments of pain, her horn began to crumble like ash, leaving an amethyst gem on her forehead as her muzzle began to recede. Her crown was one of the few things that were left completely untouched by the transformation. The human's suffering was far from over as his stomach began to lose its opacity, becoming a mix of magenta and white, forming a proper thorax. Clumps of his hair began to fall as it became more like the silky film of the Queen's mane, its saturation slowly fading away. Chitinous black plates erupted from his shoulder blades as a pair of large, wasp-like wings spread out from his back, fluttering wildly. From his forehead came the most seething, searing pain of all as his mind’s eye became adorned with the same gem as the Queen had.

Eventually, it was all too much for the two of them as they keeled off into slumber.

My god... Never have I felt such an absolute, unadulterated pain as grand and as grueling as what I just felt. The fact I was even conscious enough to dream was a frankly astounding testament to my willpower... that is, except for the fact that I couldn't move... As my eyes drifted about, they centered around a strange arachnid. I was never much a spider expert; personally, I hated them with a passion. It didn't take much to decide this looked either like a recluse or a widow, based on its pattern, but I was more focused on trying to drive it out of my subconscious as it crept up to me. It bore a set of razor-sharp fangs as its eight violet eyes gleamed to me. I let out a gasp just moments before the fangs dug into me...

Archnid found herself awakening in a rather verdant field. As her eyes looked about, she noticed that she was no longer the black, chitinous mare that she was familiar with. Rather, she was a pale figure that she only assumed was a proper female human. Her hair was still of a vibrant hue, but it was mildly muted, and like the rest of her body, was whole. What a strange form she had assumed.

Before her stood the human from before, having taken a much more statuesque figure than she had recalled. The both of them were beneath a large tree bearing apples, and both of them were bare as the day that they were born. The human helped his queen rise from the grass to partake in an apple from the tree above. The queen looked to this red fruit with noticeable apprehension, but decided to try it, sinking her teeth into it. As she did so, a strange taste came to her. It was juicy, but a subtle taste of abject wrongness overcame her. A bitter taste that told her that there was no longer any going back from what she had just chosen to do. The field around her began to crumble away as the sky turned purest white above her, heat spreading from each direction as the human disappeared, herself being engulfed in the ephemeral flames encroaching before her.

I and the queen began to rise in the next few instants. We unleashed dry gasps as our eyes snapped open, beholding the throne room again. The two of us began to behold each other’s new forms. While in shape, I was almost unchanged, my body was riddled with holes as a changeling's often was. My skin was markedly paler than I remembered. My hair, which was long and of a brunette hue, had lost its saturation, with a texture not unlike silk. Where my stomach once was, there was now a thorax, complete with a purple pigment to it. Perhaps the two most interesting changes, however, were my development of wings, and the fact each of my fingers and toes now ended in sharp, menacing, black claws.

As I looked to Archnid, her majesty was greater than I'd ever anticipated. She was of a barren, Venus-like quality that kept me in an equal measure of silence as she scanned me. I dared to find her of a legitimately appealing figure. She managed to perfectly emulate the human form to an almost uncanny degree, which surprised me to no end.

The two of us spent the next few moments exploring each other, acting as if we were halves a mirror. We both had a degree of disbelief. This could have very well killed us both, but instead, it united us. We had imparted something from each other, and in turn, we inherited a piece of ourselves. She gained my humanity, and I gained...well...whatever the term for her kind was. We both looked longingly into each others' eyes before pulling together into a tight, loving embrace.

“Oh, what a glorious success this has been!” cried the queen as her new, human tears rolled down my shoulder. “I cannot express my gratitude to you enough!”

Not knowing her own strength, I felt crushed in the mare's mint-conditioned arms. My lungs deflated as I flailed about, trying to get her attention.

“I think you already are!” I choked, trying to pry myself free.

“Oh! I'm sorry!”

A sigh of relief came as I was released, a bit lethargic from her once again having inadvertently drained some of my love. Moments later, I regained myself and brought my bride into my own embrace, feeling a rush of pleasure through myself as well. As our lips touched for the first true time in all our altercations, our tongues exploring the expanses of our cheeks and mouths, a great, warm, sweet feeling overtook as both. We were locked in an embrace of pleasure as we indulged in our unholy matrimony. Eventually, it dawned on us that we could and were currently feeding off each other, and stopped, settling for a longing look into each others' eyes.

“So...” Archnid hummed, running her hand down my spine before lowering my head into her bosom. “It would seem that you are stuck here...”

I nodded, looking up to her.

“I feel you should be rewarded for your kindness, dear boy...” said the mare as she stood, wobbly on her new legs as I helped to brace her. “So...how about you and I return to our room and we make a little love?”

She did not need to tell me a second time. With all the haste I could muster, I leaped into her arms, letting her whisk me away. We let the wind roll through our manes as the drones looked in awe at their queen. I was ready to give this mare as much of my manly juices as I could muster.

The bed itself had been restored to a proper condition, the lavender sheets glistening like diamond as we lied upon it. The chatoyance of it gave me a feeling of warmth and loviness that I bathed in for a moment, before the two of us joined eyes again.

“So, my lovely,” hummed the Queen, gazing at me with a sly, “come hither” stare, “seeing as I sucked you dry last time... how about you return the favor this time?”

Her eyes glinted like emeralds as she rested her soft, ginger hands on my new shoulder blades. She puckered her lips to me as she fluttered her eyes to me. She gazed at me with a star that, when paired with her posture, hypnotized me. It vexed me, perplexed me, and told me that she wanted to simply want nothing more than to have sex with me! She laid on all fours, her face down in the pillows as her rear was angled toward me. The scent of her marehood wafted into my nose, dancing into my nostrils and titillating me with its flavor... It was a scent that drove me to near madness, sending my every pore into a trance as I complied. I rested on my knees, grasping at her flanks as my clawed fingers dug in. The mare gasped in a cute manner before I began the true ritual.

As I slid my member carefully within the membranes of the mare's vagina, I felt once again the tiny fingers fondle and fold onto my shaft. As it did before, it locked me in place, leaving me to begin thrusting. The friction of those strange fingers helped to increase our shared pleasure, making me take the changeling queen with greater conviction than I had prior. More and more the scent of the mare's clitoris wafted its way into my nose, sending me into a dazed trance, reducing me to little more than the beast which I had become. All the while, the dulcet moans of her Majesty kept me afloat. Even as my knees began to wobble and buckle beneath me, the claws about my cock held me tight in its grip, and kept me aloft like a knight's lance.

Eventually, the cage that had secured my snake began to squeeze as my load began to fire into the mare's vagina like a rifle into a sandbag. I felt my own seed spilling back onto my scrotum as a feeling of exhausted satisfaction washed over me. A pleasant silence carried in the room as we laid prone, myself awaiting for Archnid's little vaginal clamps to detach from me so that I could pull out. I hugged my queen gingerly, my hands absentmindedly taking hold of her bosom before I felt my limp dick flop flaccidly back to me. In a moment, she turned, allowing my head to rest upon her chest pillow as she stroked my mane.

“Sleep well, my king-to-be...for it seems you are not quite ready...”

I didn't even care what she just said. I was willing to rest after such a trying experience. For a moment, she lifted me in her hands and planted a tender kiss upon my lips.

“What was that for?” I asked, half-lidded as I nuzzled her neck.

“For good fortune...”

Moments later, I fell limp into her arms, passing into sleep.

My dreams were rather odd this evening. I could not make out the explicit detail of it, but it appeared I was having a dream of my own birth. You know, the dream in which you are given an abridged version of your new life. Dreams tend not to last too long, so a dream in which a life new to you is often played as if it were cut into a home movie. What I saw and felt was my own birth... my first feeding time with my queen... my first true hunt... it felt strange, sure, but at the same time, I felt remarkably within my own place. I felt like I belonged... for a moment, I saw a particularly interesting image.

I was no longer in the shape of a drone, but rather in my own human form, bare as an autumn tree and curled in fetal position. Around me I could hear many hissing noises, the heat from several ounces of bated breath. A chaotic chorus cornered me as I heard strange phrases in my heads. Welcomes, salutations, invitations, offers for food...all of which rebounded in my head as if it were an echo chamber. I felt disturbed, but also strangely euphoric. I felt a warm glow of love arcing to me. Their adoration and appreciation filled me like several hearty meals. I felt many legs and hooves wrap around me like cloaks and mantles as my dream self eventually blacked out.

In mere moments, I snapped awake, taking as dry a breath as I could have ever taken in ages, my head ripping clean through the cocoon I was apparently sleeping inside. For several moments, I was quiet, focusing on cherishing as many breaths as I could take. Then I examined myself. In the time I was slumbering, my body had changed. No longer in the form of a man, I looked around, only for my eyes to once again meet the queen, having returned to her own shape with her mane wrapped about my neck.

“Ah, my dear Patriarch... welcome again to the conscious world,” chuckled the changeling queen as she wrapped her forelegs across my shoulders. “Did your sleep go well?”

I smiled, letting my wings flutter. “I slept about as well as I've slept the last few evenings, my Queen,” I hummed back, letting my smile out.

“Ah, wondrous!” Squealed the mare as her own pair fluttered before me. “Would it be rude for me to ask you to accompany me for a nice trip?”

I looked to her before I stood up and stood by her side. “I don't think I can fly, milady...” I hummed, a blush coming off my carapace.

“That won't be a problem, milord...” Archnid giggled, taking hold of me. “Just close your eyes and clear your head...I'll fix this right up...”

For a moment, our horns touched, and my balance shifted. My hooves split to toes and fingers, and my shape changed to something I was more used to... I felt something strange protrude from my neck. My hide felt tougher, and my mane much shorter.

“You may open them now...”

Obeying her desire, I looked to myself. My skin was pale, as it was before, but rather than the translucent thorax and claws and such, I had violet tattoos across most of my upper body, and on my legs.

“How...did you know I liked this appearance?” I asked Archnid, awestruck.

“Let us just say that in the time you were asleep, we had plenty of time to...learn of you, if that is the proper expression...”

For a moment, I blushed, but chuckled as I once again mounted my lady, letting her carry me off to some nondescript place as I held onto her. Through the caves and tunnels we winded through, taking another deep look into the expanse before us. The drones paid little mind this time around, instead filling me with congratulations and salutations throughout ad nauseum. This gave me an almost blinding headache as I tried to get the attention of the queen. But, as if this connection to the hive mind gave her some form of clairvoyance, she demanded the voices stop. In fact, I could hear her in my head.

Spare this one your flippantry, demanded she, willing the voices inside my mind to cease. It is clear to see he is not yet used to using the hive mind...

With this, I thanked her, clearing my head.

Think nothing of it... we should be arriving shortly.

After some time had passed, what I saw was a visage that I never thought I would see in my days. It was that forbidden fruit that I chose not to seek and covet: The hive entrance. Before the mouth splayed out an expanse of wastes. An oddly colorful expanse of yellow-brown dust, sparsely decorated with flowered cacti. The sun was glowing at the horizon as we beheld its gilded splendor.

“Look well, my king,” stated the shapeshifting queen as she looked to me. “for this is our kingdom. Someday soon, our domain shall grow...”

For a moment, the queen fondled her stomach.

“But for now, we shall focus on expanding our generation...”

A calm silence passed by as we both stared at the sunset. I understood fully what she meant, and I knew it would be a repercussion of frogging the same mare twice in a row. I would have an even greater responsibility at my hands soon, but for now, all that mattered was that I now made myself a bed to lay in and a loving mistress.

“Incidentally,” asked the mare, her eyes turning to me, “what will you be willing to call yourself? After all, I cannot just keep calling you Human and My King forever...”

I pondered names as she stroked my short mane. I was husband to a spider mare, so I must establish a new identity to befit my predicament. I took another pleasant look at the sunlight and ran my fingers through her mane.

“Call me...Recluse...”

~Fin

Chapter 4: The Weaving Of The Web

Chapter 4: The Weaving of the Web

Hello again, my dear friends. It has been long since I last contacted you all. I have quite a reasonable explanation as to why this is. You see, in my long leave of absence, Archnid and I have been doing a great deal of education. In the time since you have last seen me, I have taught Archnid some of the facets of human life (aside from Modesty, which is probably more alien to this race than I would assume, and considering I was among beasts, a bit of a moot point), while she has taught me the skills and spells native to our collective kind. And to answer that most burning question in your minds, I have indeed engaged in many carnal activities while I was away...

Ironically, this is where my next situation report comes in. Against all possible logic, following one of our sexual escapades, Archnid has, somehow, ended up pregnant. How this much has happened, I still am not entirely sure, but it brought me to thinking of a rather nagging problem in the back of my mind: Our hive was getting crowded. If there is no stillbirth, we are risking overpopulation. Soon, this hive would not be able to support us. And so I had to pop a very serious question.

“You wish to attempt diplomacy with the ponies?! Are you mad?!” Archnid screeched from within the subconscious speakerphone.

“As much as I hate to bear bad news, I'm afraid it may be all we can do,” I sighed, reclining within my Lovecraftian throne.

“Those ponies forcibly ejected Chrysalis' swarm! What makes you so sure that they will not do the same to us?!”

I let loose a plume of heat from my nostrils before I sighed deeply

“Because we are not her swarm, Archnid,” I spoke in a solemn tone. “Chrysalis invaded Canterlot for the same reason as we would; She was desperate, and her hive hungered.”

“I fail to see your point, Recluse,” replied my consort, her tone having changed to concern.

“Simple,” I began, clearing my head. “Rather than stage an invasion and use subterfuge to get our food, I propose we simply walk to their lands and try to make amends with them.”

“That's even worse! They'd smite us where we stand!”

“No, they won't! In the time I've spent with you, I've learned a great many things, as have you. This hive has learned the concepts of right and wrong, you have learned of the new emotions you can now consume and absolve, and I have learned of the many facets of our culture.”

For a moment, I took a deep breath, before revealing to her perhaps the most mind-blowing thing she had ever heard.

“Though it may seem like nonsense, we don't need to drain the love from them to consume it.”

Silence. I did not need to see my dearly beloved's face to interpret her reaction. She was aghast. I must have spoken something that went against all she knew. Or perhaps I was merely being stupid by pointing out such an error, or even making it myself. Either way, an eternity passed before either of us spoke again.

“But...how? All of this time, the only way we ever were able to feed was by taking it from them when they were not aware... and you have the gall to suggest an alternative?” Archnid growled, a mix of dejection and ire in her tone.

I felt smug for saying it, but I replied “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Then do be kind to share. I am all ears.”

I cleared my head again before I began.

“Simply put, you know how we are often greeted by our subjects in a cordial and loving manner , how we feel more energized and elated as a result?”

“Yes, but I don't see how-”

“Perhaps this feeling may be caused by our bodies subconsciously taking in the love and adoration. Rather than forcing it out of their bodies, they are letting their emotions flow of their own volition. As a direct result, we are tasting even purer love than what we would doing things the traditional method. The same effect comes about whenever we engage in our little carnal escapades.”

“I see...” Archnid hummed. “So you're saying that if we were to simply coax the emotions out through social intercourse and the like, we would be able to feed more full-bodied emotions, with less detriment to the host?”

“Precisely, my love.” I chuckled, sitting up straight.

“I see...” There was a pause. “So what do you plan to do when we approach Canterlot?”

I smiled and cleared my throat again.

“Simple. We will go with the entire hive's occupants as a party. We won't hide behind any guise, and if we are stopped by the guard, we will accept capture. Chances are, we will be brought by the court, where I will make an appeal with the regency for our innocence in the hopes that we will be allowed citizenship to allow us to show the good we can do.”

“And what good could we do? As far as they're concerned, we're monsters!”

“We can consume far more than just love, my dear. We could consume sadness, grief, anger, pain, hatred... Sure, it may not taste as well as love would, but we would be able to do a world of good to the sick and downtrodden!”

“And what makes you think they would be in any way inclined to listen?”

“Oh, my dear consort,” I chuckled, gazing into the lights in the ceiling. “Have you all but forgotten the silver tongue which you fell in love with?”

A pause had been made, but was ended with the giggling of my dear maiden as I saw her approach into the throne room.

“When shall we make our exodus, then, my lord?”

I took some time to consider this notion. From what little I saw since my transformation, there was a vast expanse of desert, spanning a distance immeasurable. If we left too late in the day, we would become carrion for the birds, our quest prematurely ended. Too early into the day, however, would have us freeze to death. So I decided to choose an early leave.

“We will make our expedition at daybreak. Gather the swarm and let us rally our forces. If our emotion is what empowers us, then to be given resolve will fuel our journey for as long as it takes. We must be prudent in our use of time, after all.”

And so did my lover bow before me as she approached, playfully fondling at my nethers before whispering into my ear, “It shall be done, my little morsel.”

Contented, I brought my lady into my palms, pulling her inward to partake in a kiss before letting her take leave.

And so, come the morrow, I was standing before my swarm, my arms behind my back as I beamed a grin down upon them all. They were united in their elation towards me as I and my consort took in their adoration. I couldn't help myself but to laugh with pride as I looked down to them.

“Hear me, my subjects! Brothers and sisters! For long, we have been in a state of discontent. Even as I stand among you, we all feel the thrall of starvation upon us. Even as the love between I and Queen Archnid washes over you all, it is not enough to fill our collective stomachs. Even as we speak, we may only expect more within our brood, making our already meager supplies diminish even more. Is this the way that we are to live? Consistently struggling so that our insatiable hunger can be curtailed another day? Forced to live within these slowly more cumbersome caverns as more prosperous nations loom beyond the horizon? I would think not! Thus, I have gathered you today for what may be our final day in these decrepit caverns! We will make for the kingdom of Equestria, but we will not go there to invade them. For that is the foible of Chrysalis. Rather, we shall go to make amends for the past sins of our people! We will show these ponies that we are more than mere monsters whose appetite is slaked by emotion! We are the embodiment of emotion! We exemplify their virtues of camaraderie and understanding as it our secondary nature! We are as capable as individuals as we are within this swarm! We are a legion! We are together! WE. ARE. CHANGELINGS!”

Never before nor since that day had I tasted such grandiose admiration and elation as I did at this moment. As I would a fine chocolate, I indulged in its flavor, taking in every last ounce before I turned before the mouth of the caverns, taking into hand my beloved before mounting her lovingly.

“Changelings! Follow me, for soon, we will make home in Canterlot!”

And so we made a grand journey through the wastes beyond our hive. With no time to pause for breath, we looked out to the horizon, our only sustenance being our camaraderie to one another, and our resolve to see our quest to reach Equestria come to fruition. I and Archnid led the charge, taking to the skies so that we may better gauge our distance before we would finally reach the promised land.

By noon, the sun was in full force. Heat began to sizzle on my chitinous skin, forcing me to don my former appearance. At this juncture, the very idea of modesty was as alien as my biology at this point. I simply saw no need to wear clothes if they were only going to be of hindrance. Perhaps if I could consult a tailor, I could have a special outfit made that would carry across my transformations, but it was a moot point regardless. As it was, it would only serve to bake me alive. At some point or another, with no rhyme or reason, I was beginning to feel the tugging of my loins against my bride's chitin hide, looking down to see an erect penis between my knees.

I assumed Archnid took notice as she giggled within my mind and asked, “Is the feeling of my chitin against your skin making you feel bawdy, my dear?”

I chuckled in response and nodded.

“Well, feel free to, as you say, 'rub one out'. I don't mind; at this point, it would do well to help me cool off.”

Needing no further coercion, I began to slide my index finger and my thumb across the exposed skin of my penis, before wrapping my full hand around the surface, sliding it up and down, gripping it like the handle of a sword. I let out a sigh as I began to increase in pace, lying on the back of my darling mare, gripping my chest as my voice slowly began to rise in pitch. Strange images began to fill my head as a mound of flesh began to fill my palm. I felt a cold chill run from the base of my spine as something else quivered between my legs. For reasons I never deciphered until much later, my body was becoming a literal pleasure center, every inch being addled with hormonal bliss, locked in the act of my masturbation. Pressure began to build from within as my breaths became higher and more ragged in tone before finally, I could take it no longer. A primal scream echoed across the beautiful desolation of the desert as my nethers tingled and quivered, wetness pouring down my thighs as white spurts coated my darling's mane, leaving drips hanging upon the film as my mate giggled. I began to open my burning eyes before I gasped in astonishment at my form.

“What...what just happened to me?!”

Archnid giggled further and snickered, “It would seem during your little undertaking, you became a hermaphrodite. You needn't worry, though; you're still learning how to control your transformations, after all. We'll be approaching Canterlot soon, so if you'd be a dear, try and revert back so I may make my landing.”

I nodded, focusing my mind as my breasts and womanhood receded back into my body, my base form returning as I fluttered down with beetle-like wings. As I continued my stride, I began to gather the fluids that had escaped from me in my fingers, taking a taste of it to see if it was at all palatable. Strangely, my feminine fluids had a tangy flavor to them, almost like a peach. Perhaps at a later date I would attempt this again, but as it stood, I began to wipe the residue away in the sands before catching up to the rest, taking to my prior, masculine shape.

Alabaster walls stretched high above the horizon as golden spires began to poke out from the distance. Silhouettes of winged equines filled the air as golden gleams blinded us all. When the light ceased to blind us, ivory pegasi were encroaching upon us, gilded armor shining in the blistering hot sun. And boy, did they look so very unhappy to see us.

“Stay where you are, Changeling scum,” barked the closest guard. “This is as far as you come.”

Out of instinct, I raised my arms above my head in surrender.

“We did not intend to go any further without consulting you first, dear guard,” hummed I, my arms firmly above my head.

“Oh? And just what makes you so sure that we will even consider allowing you passage?” Quipped the guard, a patronizing grin upon his face.

“Simple,” chirped I, letting a smile come to my face, as well. “Because we are not here to fight. We are here on matters of diplomacy, and nothing more. We pose no threat to you, and we are more than willing to go in binds, if we must.”

For a moment, there was silence, before the guard growled, a scowl on his face as he turned to his fellow stallions, before they flew off, himself turning back to me.

“My men will return shortly with anti-magic bindings. Since Chrysalis' invasion, we have done research into finding ways to negate the Changelings' Transformation magics, and tests have shown its effectiveness. When they return, you lot will be put in them and taken to the Canterlot prison. If any of us see you outside the prison, you will be executed where you stand. Is that clear?”

I nodded, bowing in a particularly thespian fashion before returning my arms to a surrendering stance, kneeling down to eye-level.

For a considerable period of time, there was silence. None of us shared conversation (at least, none that the guard could here), but it was clear in the faces of my peers and the eyes of my queen there was genuine fear in them. Only I was resolute in this plan. I tried my best to calm them, but I only disquieted them further. So, we took a solemn vigil of the sun for a time, watching as it began to set before the other guards returned.

“Step forward, sir,” growled the captain, slapping a pair of cuffs upon my wrists, as well as one upon my horn.

Not long after, my companion and compatriots were fitted for cuffs, and we were dragged by a magic cord to into the Canterlot walls, the moon cresting overhead.

My feet were aching when Archnid and I were tossed into a cell together, the captain's cross expression having stayed the course of the trip.

“The council is still deliberating your case,” rumbled the captain as he looked into my eyes with a cold stare. “You will spend the evening here, in the meanwhile. If they agree to give you audience, you will be notified at daybreak. If they deny it, at best, you will be exiled.”

The guard paused for effect. “At worst, you will be executed.”

I gulped as he turned from us, a mark of what looked to be a very simple depiction of a glaring sun upon his flank.

“May Faust have mercy upon you.”

When the guard finally left, Archnid looked to me with a face of worry.

“I do hope you're right on this, Recluse,” quivered she, her eyes showing a distinct gloom. “I would hate for my final moment to be hearing the drop of a guillotine upon my neck.”

I looked to my queen as I began to scoot myself closer to her.

“Now now, my dear. We mustn't harbor such dark thoughts. We have come here with good intent. Our surrender should be proof enough of that,” I hummed, smiling. “Even if they do execute us, at least we will be given the courtesy of being executed together.”

That last comment did little to help my matron's melancholy, but I was glad to still have her company. I kept my eyes on her as I brought myself closer.

“Seeing as this may be perhaps our final evening, shall we partake in a final kiss?”

For a moment, Archnid glanced before she smirked just a tad. Then, she brought her full attention before me as I brought my cuffed hands over her neck.

“I suppose that there is no harm in that. If we are to die tomorrow, we should at least share one final moment of goodness.”

I smiled as I brought my queen into my embrace, our lips joining as our tongues danced in each others' mouths in an elegant ballet. Like a knot did they become joined as we looked deeply into each others' eyes, before eventually breaking the kiss with a smile. Contented, my queen laid down, bringing my head to her chest as I took my cuffed hands from her neck.

“Rest well, my king. Tomorrow will be a most faithful day,” she whispered, her eyes shutting as she drifted off into sleep.

“Good night, my queen,” I whispered back, letting the embrace of sleep take me.

My consciousness almost barely existed as I and my queen were escorted into the throne room of the Princesses of the Land, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Ebony and Ivory, these two extended an aura of harmony, hiding beneath a shell of animosity.

"So, Chrysalis,” hissed the ivory mare as her eyes let loose a piercing gaze, “you return again to my front door, and now you are so desperate to create an abomination such as this as a suitor?"

Well, now. Mistaken identity and an insult targeted towards me? How very unbecoming of a princess.

"Abomination? Why, your majesty, you wound me with such banter,” retorted I with a mildly cocky grin.

"Spare me your rhetoric,” snapped the solar mare. “Explain to me why I shouldn't fry the both of you where you stand."

Ouch. Truly a case of silk hiding steel with this one. I had to be mindful of my wording, but nevertheless, I cleared my throat.

"Because we come not to fight you, Celestia. Believe us when we say that in our current state of affairs, we are far from any capacity to even so much as wound you. I am of a silver tongue, not of a silver blade,” I began, motioning towards my dearest matron, “As for my dear consort, this is not Chrysalis. And even if she were, she is enthralled by the ills of maternal gestation. We come not to battle with weapons, but with wit and word."

Celestia rose her brow quizzically at this remark, not in much belief.

"Oh? And on what grounds would you negotiate trespassing upon my kingdom?"

This was it; time to put my silver tongue to work.

"Simply put, the kingdom from which we come is in far more dire straights. They are not getting the nourishment they require to sustain their lives, and in what could be a miracle of happenstance, happened upon me. Like you have pointed out, I am quite alien to this domain, just as much as their own. But this queen took me beneath her wing. Even with so little food to speak of, she cared for me as if I were her own blood and chitin. In exchange, I gifted her with food through what I will unabashedly admit as carnal and base activity.

"My appearance was of a great service to the overburdened hive, and when talks began of hybridizing, I was apprehensive at first. But, as we began to deliberate, we discovered that such an act would better allow our species to become more self-reliant. We could live more autonomously, without having to prey upon such innocent folk as yourselves just to keep our stomachs sated."

For a moment, Celestia looked concerned, but quickly returned to her poker face.

"I see...but why, then, would you encroach upon this kingdom, when you are doubtlessly aware of Chrysalis' actions?" She asked, her expression firm.

"Because Chrysalis' transgressions are not indicative of this hive. At heart, she had the same ulterior motive as us all; survival. As she may have told you, she and her people required food. While at heart, she was only doing what she considered right, her mind was very much wrong,” replied I, looking dearly into the princess' gaze.

"A grave understatement,” Celestia snipped. “If you recall, Chrysalis was bordering regicide when she came upon this kingdom. Had Cadence not arrived to intervene, she and her swarm would have very taken the capital, and by proxy, the entirety of Equestria."

I nodded, continuing.

"Indeed. I am very much aware. But you must understand that this was not solely Chrysalis at fault. You see, we changelings do not simply operate on the same mechanics as you ponies do. While you ponies are, at heart, raised with an ideal of camaraderie and understanding, we changelings are bred with it. It is engraved in each of our minds. While there is an individual in all of us, we are each part of a greater whole. Thoughts, Ideas, Truths, Lies, Hatred, Love, Sorrow, Jubilation...all of these and more are shared among each one of us within the Hive mind. There is no room for secrets or conspiracy. There is only knowledge and understanding.

"Many changelings are incapable of escaping the thrall of one changeling's commands upon them. Nor can they disobey. Those that do suffer greatly, and not for the disappointment of their peers. No... When a changeling disobeys a direct order, it can wound them more than anything else. It can even be fatal to be severed from the hive mind itself.

"But those who are able to suffer the pain and live to tell the tale...they are of a much greater breed. They are capable of being individual. Capable of staking their own claim of regency. They are capable of being just as noble and intelligent as you ponies... and perhaps even more so.

"But they are still vulnerable to the thrall of the hive mind. Hence where Chrysalis is concerned. Her hive hungered. The voices spoke to her...they begged and pleaded that she acquire food, and that she use whatever stratagem needed to do so... Thus, she obliged, consumed by the desperation and hunger of her subjects. She did not want to take over Equestria merely for the sake of power... Rather, she wanted to do so because it would secure the safety of her people."

Silence. For perhaps a quarter of an hour, a dead silence took the room. Though Celestia was doing her best to hide it, she and her sister were both awestruck by this speech. It was apparent in her stare that she was in dire need of introspection to take this information in. Clearly, I had struck her mute.

Finally, after a prolonged deafening from the silence, Celestia finally spoke.

"I see... So you say that Chrysalis was driven by desperation, instead of pure lust?"

I frowned and nodded.

"Precisely, your Highness,” I said somberly.

For a moment, I saw Celestia's expression change.

"...So be it. You have provided an understandable argument. You have my complete attention on this matter. What do you ask of me?" asked she, her voice showing her compassion.

Time to reel in this negotiation.

"We ask only that you take Chrysalis' example as a caution to the dangers that can arise from prolonged desperation, and that you give our kind a chance to show the benefit our kind, as opposed to Chrysalis' detriment. We ask only for you to take us in with open hooves and allow us to be of aid, so that you may be able to aid us, as well. We are not monsters, Celestia. And we are willing to prove this fact,” I pleaded, my eyes as wide and concerned as I could portray them.

It was then that I saw the mare smile and nod.

"...Very well. Scriber, take a note; As of today, this group of changelings will be spending the next month within the borders of Equestria as penance for the transgressions of Queen Chrysalis. If, at any point, the regency, or even the individual changeling should come to harm, let he or she who did such harm be brought to me and persecuted justly.”

I could not convey just how much my queen and I were beaming as those silken words reached our tender ears. The two of us were, in a word, ecstatic.

“Let it also be known, however, that if I should hear that these changes cause more harm than the good they should so claim, they will be banished from whence they came, and upon any further return to Equestria, they will be punished to the full extent of my capacity."

Needing no further explanation, the guards quickly came to us, releasing us from our bondage, after which we immediately hugged one another in pure jubilation. Afterward, I took a moment to approach Celestia and kneel in gratefulness before her, taking her hoof in pride.

“Thank you dearly, Princess. I assure you that we will do nothing but the best for this kingdom.” groveled I with a smile.

“I should hope so, King...”

“Recluse is my name, Princess. And my queen is Archnid.” I replied, a tender grin as I mounted my queen again.

“So be it, Recluse. Henceforth, you and your hive will make yourselves home in the town of Pasofino. It is not the most well-known town, but it is quite modern, and more than used to... shall we say, alien altercations. You should have some ease in getting acquainted there.”

I smiled and nodded, turning back to the cells to rally my hive together. Surely, the love and hope I had been filled with this day would sate my hive for a good while.

It has been a fortnight or so since my last entry. You'll be happy to know that, as it stands, Pasofino is quite a lovely town. Its rustic design very much betrays its modern technology. Time and again, I see very intrinsically-constructed machines aiding in construction, and the prattling of kids of Worker's Toyshop always did intrigue me.

Speaking of business, I took an occupation in counseling. I supposed that if I wished to earn a decent profit of emotion, what better way of earning it than making people feel better? Luckily, there was an empty building just beside the local elementary, which guaranteed me an equal measure of young and old patients. One visitor who came upon my office was a unicorn pony named Worker. A queer name, but it was certainly very to-the-point. Something about this unicorn reminded me of someone I once knew. Perhaps it was the mustache, or maybe it was the odd egg cutie mark.

In any case, Worker and I became close friends, partially because he had his own stories of his former life prior to here, but notably in that he would engineer props and gadgets to entertain the children. Using them, and a combination of my own changeling capacities, I have become something of a beloved comic, on top of being a counselor. “The Shrink of Many Faces”, they'd call me. Kids of young and old would come to me, I would be behind my desk as one of my many personae, I'd cheer the kid up, have a little fun with them, and if they were good enough, I'd give them one of Worker's wind-up toys as a gift. Worker became subsequently more famous as a result, and the two of us became beloved citizens.

As for Archnid, she too became something of a comic, acting as a sort of a mascot and jester. Like me, she would take a number of forms, but she did so to perform a number of magical acts and illusions, as well as cheering up the children. If they needed more personal help, they would be routed to me. Curiously, even though she was a natural quadruped, she was a fairly competent dancer. Ironic, how a former queen of an entire hive has now also become a queen of comedy. Although I suppose it's a nice way to indulge without having to resort to humping everything that moves. Not that I have anything against it, anyway.

So far, things have been rather pleasant here. For the most part, the ponies of Pasofino treat us with kindness and allow us to indulge in their happiness and affection, and think nothing more or less of it. I am among members of a kind civilization, and a steady job and a loving wife have kept me going for a good while. Honestly, what else more can I say?

Well, I feel it may only be appropriate to end this story with reflection.

When I awoke in this world, I did not expect to stay long. I was a prisoner to a parasite, and I was sure to be the host for only a short while. But, for some reason, it became something more. Somehow, I became more valuable to the Queen, not only as a food source, but as a romantic interest. While this alone was odd, the fact that I was actually feeling in some way similar was equally strange. Perhaps I took pittance upon the poor mare, who was in desperate times, just needing someone who could be of any great help. And though I was foreign to her entire world, it seemed that the stars shone in my favor, and we become true lovers. And when it came time to make it final, I decided to take roots in this world and make the true jump from my humanity and adapt to this world. Then, later, I would lead a sorry people to absolution and salvation by atoning for the sins of our kind.

In hindsight, do I show regret for my actions? In all my earnest passion, I say no. I believe I was fated to be here, and I am fated to remain, staying as an example of the good our people can do. This place feels right in my heart, and the happiness I feel from making others happy not only leaves a great taste in my mouth, but warms my heart, as well. There's not really that much more I can say than that. Doubtless, my adventures will continue, but I have taken root now in this world and in this town. I may heed a call to adventure in the future, but for now, the only future I must consider is the coming generation.

A brand new day will be upon Equestria. But until then, I wish you all the best.

Your King,

Recluse