After Thorax had departed to return to the Ponyville Inn for the evening, Sandbar had immediately set about getting a quick packing list together in his room. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was to keep him waiting in the morning by procrastinating.

The first thing that gave him pause was trying to figure out how many diapers to pack for what he was told would be up to a month of continuous ageplaying. Because he almost always kept it behind the closed doors of his home, he usually kept his sessions to one or two days at a time. He had long been getting the most premium diapers from the ‘adult’ section of Silly Filly, which hardly need to be changed every single wetting.

He quickly figured that packing too many would be better than not packing enough, so he opted for an entire case’s worth, which would simplify packing immensely, due to having just recently restocked his stash, and the eight packs of sealife-patterned diapers hadn’t yet been taken out of the large cardboard box in the back of his closet.

When it came to changing supplies, however, that required an evening trip out to Silly Filly before they closed.

“Good evening, Sandbar. Always a pleasure to see you,” Soothing Care greeted. “Weren’t you just in here for a restock?”

Normally, anypony underage wouldn’t be allowed into the rear ageplay section, but his parents had quickly come to an arrangement with the married owners, Gentle and Soothing.

“That I was, Mrs. Care, but I’ve got a rather… Unique opportunity, and I don’t think I have enough changing supplies. I’ve been invited to the Changeling Kingdom, for what could be a month to a month-and-a-half of ageplay.”

“Well well, aren’t we the lucky little colt. But I thought it was mating season for the changelings. I thought that the reason they retreat back to their hive for most of the summer is because it’s not quite safe to be around other creatures,” Soothing replied.

“Yeah, that’s… Kinda the reason I’ve been invited. You see, I may have expressed my curiosity in… Oviposition… You know, getting—”

“I know what it is, Sandbar, you don’t have to embarrass yourself by explaining,” Soothing told him, noticing his cheeks go red. “Oh, if I only had parents like yours when I was growing up… Anyways… Based on your preferences, I’d recommend four bottles of mineral oil, and six packs of wipes, just to be on the safe side. I very sincerely hope that one; you’re being safe, and two; that you’re not going to risk burning out on ageplay if you are honestly playing for that long.”

“I hope so too, Mrs. Care, believe me,” Sandbar replied.

“Well, I’ll go get you the adult-sized wipes from the back, and you can get the bottles of oil from up here. Be back in a moment,” Soothing said.

Sandbar went to the appropriate aisle, and grabbed his preferred brand, and by the time he got back to the counter, Soothing had returned with the packs of wipes.

“Alright, Sandbar, that will be 35 bits,” Soothing told him after he was rung up. The stallion slid her a pair of 20-bit pieces, and received his correct change before his items were bagged.

“Again, I very much hope that you enjoy yourself. And from one curious kinkster to another, you will simply have to tell me what it was like when you get back,” Soothing told him with a wink.

“Thanks, Soothing. I hope I do too. Have a good night!”

When he returned home, Sandbar decided on another small, plain cardboard box for his changing supplies, writing “SANDBAR” on both of them with a black marker to make them easily identifiable in the train’s baggage car.

Apart from that, he packed a saddlebag with some snacks and a journal in case there was anything he absolutely had to get down in writing during this experience. With his packing list triple-checked and ready to take to the train station tomorrow, he shut off the light, laid down in bed, and wondered if he was going to get any decent amount of sleep tonight.

“You alright, Sandbar?”

Sandbar was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the voice of the Changeling leader sitting next to him on the train.

“Hm?” He asked, looking over from the window to Thorax, in the aisle seat.

“Are you alright? You look a little tense,” the changeling repeated.

Sandbar took a deep breath as his gaze fell over to the backs of the next row of seats.

“Just… A little nervous… Okay, really nervous, and really excited. Professor Pinkie Pie calls it ‘nervicited’. I’m very happy I don’t have to wait over a month to see Ocellus again, and for her and her family to be okay with me thinking about something like this… Is just… Wow. I’ve said it to her plenty of times, but dating a changeling is just… Unreal to me sometimes, with how your species experiences love on an entirely different level. You’d be amazed how many ponies are absolutely repulsed by ageplay. I’m sure just as many would feel very similarly about what I’m about to experience now…”

Sandbar took another breath.

“I see this train car is pretty empty right now, if there’s anything more you’d like to ask, just to better prepare your expectations. I’m sure you were keeping some questions in reserve because of your parents being in the room,” Thorax told him with a gentle smile.

Sandbar quivered again, amazed at how understanding Thorax was.

“Ocellus’ parents are okay with this? I mean, like really okay with it? You didn’t sugarcoat anything, right? They’ll just watch their daughter put… Eggs into me?” Sandbar asked, his voice hushed, in case any passengers were hidden behind the seats.

“I didn’t sugarcoat anything, Sandbar. I just showed them the letter you wrote me,” Thorax answered as the train slowed as it approached the station closest to the Changeling Hive, which was still a couple miles out. They were the only two to get up from their seats for this stop. The conductor helped pull Sandbar’s boxes from the baggage car onto the platform, before the train was once again on its way. The stallion saw that the planning had been thorough, because there was an empty one-pony wagon, waiting for his things, which he promptly got loaded up and then hitched himself to the wagon, walking alongside Thorax down the forest path towards the hive.

“And if you’re up for it, I have a feeling they’re willing to do more than just watch… Depending on how many eggs you think you can take.”

Sandbar almost tripped over himself.

‘Damnit, don’t you dare,’ Sandbar silently growled to his nether regions.

“You think you’ll be okay with that?” Thorax asked.

The quivering stallion took another breath.

“Honestly, Your Majesty, I think I’m just now beginning to worry a little bit about all the things I’m apparently okay with,” he began. “Like I said on the train, my relationship with Ocellus has been… Beyond amazing. Part of me knows it’s naive to say something like this when I’m only 17, almost 18 years old… But I don’t think I can imagine my life without her anymore. I mean, she can turn into anything, and I find myself being most attracted to… Herself. Her adorable, default changeling form. I mean, why else would I wake up one morning, and my brain goes, ‘Hey, you know what would be hot? Changeling eggs. Inside you.’”

Thorax couldn’t help but chuckle at how the young stallion next to him poured his heart out as if he was talking to just another friend.

“So… Um…” Sandbar fumbled with his words a bit as he took another breath. “Speaking of the eggs… Um, how big are they? I mean, when they first go in?”

“Just a little smaller than a mature walnut,” Thorax told him. “And before you ask how big they get, it depends on the creature. Even in the days of Chrysalis’ reign, hosts being injured during the process of oviposition was virtually unheard of; after all, the ultimate goal was to keep the host comfortable and docile as they incubated the eggs. It’s safe to say that the eggs will let your body know when it’s time for them to come out, and once you’ve laid them, they’ll be taken to the nursery chamber to finish developing.”

Sandbar took another quiet breath as they cleared the treeline, and he beheld the towering changeling hive, with all manner of vegetation surrounding it.

“Just to let you know, since you’re certainly still wrestling with your nerves; this is probably your last chance to change your mind,” Thorax told him.

“After you’ve told me what they’re willing to do for me, and how curious your subjects are about my ageplay? Not a chance,” Sandbar told him.

“Alright then,” Thorax said, with an air of finality. “Let’s head on in.”

Author's Note

Hope you're all enjoying the pace so far! Thanks for reading! Feedback is appreciated!