“Thanks again so much for your help this week, Sandbar. It’s made things so much easier,” Fluttershy told Sandbar as he finished coiling up the hose and putting it back in the shed, after he finishing topping off the ponds and water reserves in the mare’s animal sanctuary.

“Thank you for having me, Professor Fluttershy. It’s helped so much with keeping myself busy and occupied,” Sandbar said as he closed and locked the equipment shed.

“Missing Ocellus already?” The Element of Kindness asked sympathetically.

“Heh, it’s that obvious? She’d been warning me for weeks that she would have to return to the Changeling Hive for most of the summer due to mating season, because it wouldn’t be 100% safe for her to be here during that period. But it’s barely been a week, and their mating season lasts for almost half the summer…” Sandbar told her.

“Well, I’m glad she’s being so responsible. It’s better to be safe than sorry. You’re both still very young, and you don’t want the two of you accidentally getting into any life-altering situations. I’m very happy to have you here to help out, and you’re always welcome, but don’t forget to mix things up while she’s gone. The last thing I want is for you to get bored helping me here at the sanctuary. A few shifts in the castle kitchen pays quite well, and it’s been a few months since you’ve visited the Canterlot Aquarium, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it would be nice to get back up there, and I’ll try and remember to mix things up and keep my summer interesting,” Sandbar assured her.

“Good. Again, I’m always glad to have you here, Sandbar, and am looking forward to seeing you again.”

The stallion gave her a smile and a nod, then turned to leave down the path that went around her cottage to the dirt path that would head west back into town. As soon as he crossed the bridge that led to the town pavilion, he stuck to the southern streets of town as he crossed Ponyville to the western neighborhood where he lived with his mom, dad, and little sister. He headed up the front walk and opened the front door, and was curious why he wasn’t getting the familiar smell of dinner being cooked, as had almost always happened around 5:30 in the evening.

“Mom, dad, I’m home!” Sandbar announced. After he was done wiping his hooves on the mat, he turned to see that his parents, Beachcomber and High Tide, were currently entertaining a very unexpected guest in the den.

“King Thorax?” Sandbar asked. Fighting through his surprise, he offered a quick bow.

“Sandbar, don’t be ridiculous, you don’t have to stand on ceremony in your own home,” Thorax greeted.

“What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Is Ocellus okay?” The stallion asked.

The changeling leader nodded.

“Ocellus is completely fine, Sandbar. I’m here to discuss the letter you sent me a couple weeks ago,” Thorax told him.

As Thorax pulled a piece of folded parchment from his saddlebag, Sandbar’s polite smile vanished as he was offered the letter and accepted it, opening it to confirm that it was the correspondence he had mailed off a few days before Ocellus left for the hive.

To His Majesty King Thorax

Let me start by saying how amazing my relationship with one of your most esteemed subjects, Ocellus has been this past year. Not only am I grateful for her continuing to be around when our polycule of three broke off, but I am beyond happy to have her continued acceptance and companionship as I continued to discover a new side of myself.

Ocellus has told me that the Equestrian concept of marriage has no exact equivalent in changeling society, so I would like to formally express my interest in deepening my commitment with her. I’ve been wanting to visit the Changeling Kingdom for some time, and I also understand the changeling mating season is quickly approaching in the summer.

I might as well stop beating around the bush; I’m curious what you can tell me about oviposition, if that’s something changelings still do since the Metamorphosis, and if so, if Ocellus would be willing to indulge me in this curiosity. I wanted to come to you first with this, just in case it’s become a taboo topic among your subjects.

Thank you kindly for your time and understanding, Your Majesty.

Sincerely,

Sandbar

Beachcomber and High Tide had immediately saw how petrified their son was that this had been brought up in front of them. Thorax had already showed them the contents of the letter before Sandbar had arrived home.

“First off son, we’re not mad or shocked, in case you were afraid of that,” his dad began. “If anything, we’re glad that if you’re truly curious about something like this, that you’re approaching it in a very safe and responsible manner, such as corresponding with King Thorax here.”

“And I’m here, reassuring your parents, that if you do decide to visit us at the hive for mating season, that you will be absolutely safe and cared for... Because Ocellus and her brood have agreed to indulge this curiosity.”

Sandbar’s eyes widened, unsure if he believed his ears.

“R-Really?” The stallion asked.

Thorax nodded.

“Not only has Ocellus spoken very highly of you, Sandbar, but your ‘ageplay’ fetish has given her a taste of a love so deep and ingrained that few changelings get the opportunity to experience. So yes, she and her brood are very accepting and open-minded of your curiosity. So to answer your question, oviposition isn’t something that has been performed since the Metamorphosis, but it is still possible. While it is normally females of various species that are selected, it is possible to incubate in males as well. I just wanted to make sure you’re fully aware of what you’re in for if you decide to do this, because during incubation, you, and the eggs, would be safest in the hive.”

Sandbar swallowed, keeping his nerves in check while discussing this in front of his parents.

“I’m all ears, Your Majesty,” the stallion replied.

“Firstly, I would ask that you bring along what you require for several weeks of your ageplay kink. Because while I won’t say that many of my subjects are outright jealous of what Ocellus has tasted from you, I will say that they are very curious about your fetish, and would undoubtedly like the opportunity to taste it for themselves while you are incubating.”

“You…. You mean being foalsat by… By the entire hive?” Sandbar asked.

“Well, perhaps not quite all of them, but incubation lasts several weeks, and you wouldn’t be unconscious in a cocoon or anything like that. But during the incubation period, it may be accurate to say that you’ll be outright ravenous, or at the very least you’d be ingesting considerably more than you normally do. It’s essential for the development of the eggs. Speaking of the eggs, they are very, very efficient at nutrient processing. So as much as your intake would increase for those weeks, your waste output would actually decrease, and you wouldn’t need to worry about unnecessary weight gain, either.”

High Tide saw how her son was nearly quivering with nervousness as he took in the information the changeling leader was giving him.

“So, just to set all of our minds at ease, what is the end stage of incubation? Do the eggs, um, hatch inside him, and whether they do or not, is delivery… Painful at all?” She asked.

“You’re all putting my mind a little more at ease by asking for all this information. No, they don’t hatch inside. Once they’ve gathered enough nutrients, and grown enough, they detach from the lining of the stomach or colon, depending on what, um, entrance the ovipositor used,” Thorax paused for a moment when Sandbar blushed profusely at those words. “In terms of what you call ‘delivery’, I’ve heard egg-laying can be a somewhat intense experience, but painful? No. The eggs are quite malleable, and secrete a nerve-numbing agent that makes it almost entirely pain-free. When it’s over, the eggs finish development with the rest of the clutches in the nursery chambers, and while Sandbar here may be a little woozy and groggy, it will pass within a few days, and he’ll be no worse for wear.”

“And would he be expected to stay and help raise them?” Beachcomber asked.

Thorax shook his head.

“No, not at all. After laying the eggs, the incubator would typically be taken and dropped far from the hive, usually close to the area that they were taken from. Apologies if that sounds somewhat malevolent; again, this is something changelings haven’t done since the Metamorphosis. But raising our young has always been a communal task. Don’t get me wrong, Sandbar, if you want to help in that regard, you are welcome to, just know that it was never something that was required, or frankly, expected, from incubators. We’d actually have to think considerably hard to come up with what you could help with.”

“Alright, that’s good. I don’t want my curiosity to cause any disruptions of the way things work for your kingdom, Your Majesty,” Sandbar told him.

“No worries, Sandbar. If anything, most changelings who know about you and Ocellus are curious about the taste of your ageplay kink, so I’d wager that they’re probably more worried about intruding on you,” Thorax told him. “But if this is something you really want to do, know that we’re ready to have you visit us through the mating season.”

Sandbar’s gaze drifted over to his mom and dad.

“Son, you’re very nearly an adult in our society, and I’ve long felt that you’re fairly mature for your age. So if it’s our blessing you’re looking for, you have it. We trust you to be respectful while you explore a new part of yourself yet again, just as we trust Thorax to keep you safe,” his dad told him.

“Ditto, and we hope you have a good time, sweetheart,” his mom said.

Sandbar took another deep breath, and returned his attention to Thorax.

“Alright, um, wow. So, should I go get ready, Your Majesty?” The stallion asked.

“Take your time so you don’t accidentally forget anything, Sandbar. I’m spending the night at the Ponyville Inn. If you can be ready by morning, we can take the train together to the closest station to the hive.”

Sandbar nodded.

“I’ll be ready, and thank you again.”

Author's Note

le gasp!

Miles has a new G4 story for the first time in over two years?!

And we're off! Hope you enjoy what I've got cooking up!