A Conspiracy of Order

Cadance-Drone stood apart from the roots and tendrils of the new Nest tree, her eyes straight forward and her mind all but blank. The constant assault on her thoughts, her mind, and everything else had rendered her a quieter, more focused host than the other ponies, but that wasn’t the only difference to her body. Things had changed, and just as the Nest had adapted after her attack, so had she been adapted for different purposes after they had gotten their hooves on her.

Her parasite told her to begin. The princess flicked her tail to the side, feeling the new thing inside of her shifting, moving, adjusting. Tendrils that were not there before started pushing back along her vaginal canal, pushing down, down, down, until they were just out of sight behind her pussy lips. Another tendril, more slender and malleable than the rest, waited just a bit further in, lifted and raised for a specific purpose.

Her host’s partner trotted forward. Shining-Drone was already dropping his cock, the parasite in the other host following its orders. It was supposed to breed her and follow through until she collapsed. Her task was to change that.

Her tail remained to the side, and Shining-Drone mounted her. His cock slid between her hind legs, running under her belly for one thrust, and then pulled back and up. Neither of them showed any reaction on their faces as he pushed in.

Squelch.

The first thrust slammed his cock right past her lips, deep into her depths. More importantly, he thrust straight into the narrow tendril waiting for him, one that went right into the head of his cock and tapped into the mass of nerves waiting for her there.

Shock.

Pulse.

Shock.

Pulse.

Cadance-Drone’s parasite was already interfacing through a new implantation inside the larger alicorn. Called a ‘Nexus’ by the Nest, it was a larger chunk of parasitic flesh and material that just barely fit inside her womb. With it, her parasite was able to reach out to others that forced their way inside, managing to link with either the shaft or – in the case of other females – grinding back against their sex and pushing inside of their holes. It was…imperfect, but as it stood, it was working.

She stared straight ahead as she felt the information passing through the Nexus-flesh, sending residual pleasure shocks up her spine and through her sex. The host wasn’t given the same pleasure through this information transfer, but it still felt reasonably good, better than the average round of sex at least.

Thrust.

The original command kept Shining-Drone thrusting with regular pulse-commands through his cock. Despite the fact that the head was surrounded by a bell of strange alien flesh and the tip was invaded by a commanding tendril, his body had little choice but to follow orders.

Thrust.

Thrust.

Thrust.

It was mechanical, nothing more than a test. Cadance-Drone could feel that there was more capacity for greater orders and manipulation. If there was need, the parasite could control the thrusting host, keep their faces from dropping into the expressionless mess that they were currently in, make sure that they looked like they were in the height of passion. The test did not require that, but it was useful to know.

The thrusting continued, but as it did, the Nexus started to send its own instructions. The exchange of information was so fast and so furious that the host didn’t know what was being done, but there were bits and pieces that it could feel.

Shining-Drone was commanded to keep rutting her until she collapsed.

The Nexus was attempting to change that programming.

Pulse.

Shock.

Pulse.

Shock.

It took less than a minute for the thrusting to go off-rhythm. The commands of the original Nest and the commands of the Nexus were in conflict with each other, the parasite in Shining-Drone trying to maintain the commands of the Nest and finding it nearly impossible. Thrust…pause…pause…a weaker thrust…

Then silence.

Two minutes. No more than two minutes to completely undo the effects of the Nest’s original command. It was startlingly impressive, particularly considering the Nest was keeping involved and observing the test with a tendril rammed up Shining-Drone’s backside.

The Nexus, under the influence of Cadance-Drone’s parasite, began to send new commands. The pulsing shivers of pleasure went the other way, no longer pulling in but pushing out. Reinforcing the other commands, it pushed Shining-Drone back to just having the tip of his cock inside of her, and then held that position.

Dismount.

Turn.

Bow.

Simple commands, but meant as a chain. The test had to show that the hosts thus affected would still carry out the orders of the Nexus. Shining-Drone stared straight ahead, still, and Cadance-Drone could almost see through his eyes through their connection. It was…strange, almost as if the Nexus was a mini-Nest in and of itself.

Then he pulled back. The connection was broken as the tendril left his cock, and the host waited. The dismount could have been ordered, or could have been something that the other host chose to do. She looked over her shoulder.

He turned. Good.

Then he bowed. Better.

As the white-furred unicorn bowed toward the Nest tree, there was a sense of accomplishment in the air, something that none of them had quite hoped for. Hope. A word that barely made sense for anything in the Nest, but there was a sense of it, nonetheless, a sense of something that was more than just what they were at that moment.

Ambition. Yes, that was a slightly better term, ambition for the Nest to grow and achieve its purpose. No dreams, for they were not dreamers, but a purpose? That was certainly more in reach for the Nest and its parasites.

For all that Cadance-Drone had been given a purpose that was different, she felt no better than the other drones around her. She was a host, a carrier for the greater things in the Nest. That did not make her better than the other hosts, nor more enlightened and privileged. If anything, she was lesser, more vulnerable, because while her purpose was more integral, she was something that had to be cared for, watched out for. She was a drain on the Nest’s resources, and she had to prove herself worthy of those.

And she would. She would.

The parasite and the host turned to the Nest tree, as well. The massive structure loomed over them, powerful and gigantic. The sheer size of the library tree was always eye-catching, true, even in the basement, but it was the black stripes that ran around it, now. It almost made it look like a zebra-tree, in a way, but for those with the eyes to see, the stripes glowed with the power of the Nest within. There were no more thorns, no more parasitic power that was slowly killing the tree. Instead, it was bonded with it, sunk deep inside it, using it to grow taller and absorb more sunlight than ever it could on its own.

And now, the tree was as much a parasite as the Nest itself. It could reach further, spread deeper, dig down to places where it never could before. The diamond dogs, the burrowing creatures of the earth, even other species that had never been found before, would soon be in reach with the power of the great tree.

The Nest, as ever, adapted to what had to be done. Cadance had struck it hard, but all her power had done was bring it to the next stage of evolution. Nothing would stop it.

Another tendril lifted from the base of the tree, and Cadance-Drone backed against it. The feeling of the root spreading her rim was familiar now; she had spent so much time in the hospital being conditioned by another that she doubted that she would ever forget the feeling.

Pulse.

Pulse.

She and Shining-Drone stomped once. They stared straight ahead as the pleasure rammed higher, the Nest examining them both simultaneously. The information from the Nexus exchange was studied and passed back.

The Nest was happy. They knew from the pleasure that was poured into them, and the juices that ran down their hind legs in a moment of pure, unbridled, unrestrained pleasure. Nothing showed in movement or expression, but the pleasure ran through them regardless, rewarding them for a task well-done.

But there was no time for a greater reward. Cadance-Drone and Shining-Drone were leaving, and that meant that they, and the Nexus that Cadance-Drone carried, needed to be informed of the overall, long-term plans of the Nest. The download began, spreading up the alicorn’s spine, and she rode the pleasure.

Shining-Drone was sent ahead, needing less time with the Nest than Cadance-Drone. As he left, there was a sense of something else, a specific conversation with the parasite inside of the alicorn. The host caught a hint of it, interpreting it from the back of her own skull.

Learn.

Find more.

Nexus needed.

Find others.

Test others.

More of the context flowed through as images and other bits and pieces. The Nexus inside of her was only possible due to the size of her body. A normal mare would not be able to fit it inside of her, leading to either an overwhelmed nervous system or to a complete shut-down of the entire body as a result of the hyper-stimulation. Her body was barely able to take it as it was, but it was needed.

After all, there were those that would need regular programming, stallions that would need syncing with the Nest while far away. A breeding program to make more mares that were of the right size and power to take something like the Nexus was being considered, but until then, they would need other alicorns or large mares that would be able to hold it and use it. Otherwise, there would be a great many hosts that would not be able to sync up to the Nest-data.

Cadance-Drone understood. She hoped that she would be of use to the rest of the Nest going forward.

The tendril in her rump finally pulled out, dragging itself free with a silent tug. There was nothing to feel or hear or see as it came free, and the mare stepped away from the Nest proper. She trotted around to the side, taking the ramp back to the main floor of the library.

Twilight-Drone was waiting for her. The purple mare looked up at her, and Cadance-Drone returned the glance.

“This host has been changed,” Cadance-Drone said.

“This host is aware.”

“We are…different. But still equal.”

“Less, and the same.”

“A strange thing.”

“But useful. And integral.”

“Will you be changed?”

“Once this host grows.”

Cadance-Drone nodded. Of the various alicorns, Twilight-Drone was probably the smallest of them, the one that still had the most room to grow. Eventually, she’d be of a size that would be suitable for the sort of things that the former Princess of Love would be doing. She probably had the mental capacity for it now, but there was no way for her to actually fit it inside of her womb at the moment.

“Will your host be able to sync with the other hole?” Twilight-Drone asked as they walked through the library.

“Yes. The tendrils are already shifting. Some are mutating for the stallions that prefer anal sex.”

“Prefer?”

“There will be traps for those ‘free’ stallions that show interest. There are experiments in minor infestation that will leave them pliable for use.”

Twilight-Drone did not nod, but there were other indications that the parasite within understood. Moving on from the topic, a flick of the eye down the hallway to scan for anything that wasn’t part of the Nest: all things that showed that further explanation was not needed.

“This host would feel regret that you were leaving. The damage that your host has done is…quite extraordinary.”

“It is unfortunate that Princess Cadance was not subdued sooner.”

“The Nest has grown, but the hosts affected will be months in repairing.”

“You seem undamaged.”

“There will be other things to take care of. This host is aware of some feelings again. This one can tend to them, suppress them, but they do rise up from time to time. It is not unmanageable, but it is – Oh, Cadance, you’re so funny! Heehee!”

Twilight-Drone’s sudden personality shift was met by a similar one from Cadance-Drone, the pair of them putting on smiles and giggles so fast that the hosts’ faces actually complained from muscle ache. Neither parasite listened as the ‘free’ ponies down the hall walked by, staring at them for a moment before hustling away from the Princess of Love and her friend.

As soon as they were out of sight, the hosts dropped the giggles and the smiles. Not a particularly close call, but one that reminded them both that there were others that they had to keep an eye out for.

“Maintain connection, and vigilance,” Cadance-Drone said.

“The same to you.”

They did not bump heads, nor did they share any further farewells. They had already said all that they needed to say, and more. The emotional push from Cadance-Drone’s previous attack was still fading, and they were both more vocal than they would normally be. That would fade soon enough.

As Cadance-Drone walked through Ponyville, she kept a smile on her face. The host was still fairly experienced with that expression, unlike some of the other drones that she had felt through the connection with the Nest, so it wasn’t an uncomfortable or tiring experience. She looked down with artificial kindness and benevolence at the various lines of ponies in the streets, each line with ponies pressed together tightly as they made their way toward something that the host didn’t quite understand.

She knew that the rest of her entourage would be waiting at the edge of town for their departure, but she had another meeting that had to be done first. There was a certain pony in the mayor’s office that needed a quick chat, and who had more details stored for her.

Cadance-Drone made her way to the mayor’s office across town. There was nobody to stop her from entering; her host was the Princess of Love, after all, and had the power and authority to go more or less wherever she wanted. She stepped around the officials in the main room and stepped into the office.

Dapper-Drone was waiting for her. The blue-black stallion looked up from the plans on his desk, and nodded as she shut the door with a small spell.

“This host is grateful that things are moving on. And the Nest is using your host’s attack as an opportunity.”

“Say more.”

“The evacuation during the attack kept anyone from seeing what happened –”

“Too slow. You can give information?”

“Yes.”

“Sync with me.”

Cadance-Drone turned around and lifted her tail. No sooner had she done so than she felt the stallion mounting her from behind. He slid in quickly, his cock meeting with the Nexus tendrils inside.

Unlike what had happened with Shining-Drone, the connection with Dapper-Drone was far more…intense. He had been altered to allow for greater interfacing and carrying of information, able to deposit information with his cock rather than just fucking someone. That meant that when he pushed forward, when his parasite made him ‘cum,’ he was spurting data directly into the Nexus.

Cadance-Drone saw the plan play out in her mind. The various ponies that had been evacuated were shown ponies that had stayed behind. Drones and hosts that had not left faked various ‘illnesses’ that showed that something had happened around the library tree. This, in turn, meant that all the ponies that had evacuated could be shuffled off to the hospital or to certain clinics to be ‘checked’ for anything wrong with them.

This, in turn, would allow infested doctor ponies to get up-close to various ponies in the population, performing both precise infestations and a general further prescription of the drugged fluids of pre-existing hosts. By the end of the month, the infested population was projected to spike by over a third, leading to more than half of the town being completely infested, and the remaining third being so drugged that they would be able to be infested without further complaint. Ponyville, within a month, would be completely taken by the Nest.

That wasn’t even the whole of the plan. Cadance-Drone could see even more playing out as Dapper-Drone continued to ‘cum’ into her plants, into the Nexus. The pleasure of the information transfer was intense, particularly as the images came along with it.

Cadance-Drone being sent out with not just the Nexus, but saplings to take with her to take over telegraph posts on the way home.

Rainbow Dash bringing Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts in, one by one, to be brought down and converted for the sake of a traveling infestation team.

Sending diplomats and members of the Elements out to different towns as envoys and diplomats, bringing Nest saplings with them wherever they went. Considering the shift in the library tree, with its unique markings, it had even become a good symbol of Ponyville.

It would all eventually lead to the finale, where the Nest would be strong enough, and spread wide enough, that they would be able to move as a group for a grand ball in Canterlot. The various infested leaders of different settlements would all be called in, and when Celestia was ready to give a speech about the greater unity of Equestria over the course of the year, she would find out just who was responsible. The Nest would strike, and Celestia and Luna would be completely overwhelmed by all the former leaders that they were praising.

Cadance-Drone saw it all, and the parasite was impressed. Not merely for the plans of the Nest, but for the little bits and pieces that it knew had come through the filters of Dapper-Drone’s mind. They disconnected from the stallion, turning to look back at him.

“This host feels that your host is…not entirely suppressed.”

“There is a token freedom allowed to him.”

“He is dangerous.”

“He is dedicated,” Dapper-Drone said. “Unlike the others, this host rebelled against the system and wished to bring it down. The fact that we allow this means that he is completely on our side. Controlled, but useful.”

“If he breaks free –”

“He does not wish to.”

“…”

It was a risky proposition. Most of the Nest-hosts knew that Dapper-Drone was the first host among the ponies, the first one infested and the one that brought the first Nest to Ponyville. Cadance-Drone had assumed that he had been the most broken-down, the most infested and broken-in, but the fact that he was still allowed some hint of individuality and power concerned the parasite. There was…something there which felt off.

But the Nest had decided, and that meant that none would question. The plan that Dapper-Drone had offered her was flawless. There was nothing in it that she could find impossible or unlikely. It was more than sufficient to carry the Nest to Canterlot, and see to their inevitable victory over all.

Not just ponies, but all the other species, as well. The host had felt that there were other plans, other ideas that were percolating just below the surface. They weren’t allowed out – as was right and proper, as the host should be properly controlled – but they were there, waiting to be tapped.

“You will visit the Nest later. The Nexus…does not have a clear idea of what to do with you.”

“The Nest already knows this one’s plans.”

“The Nest should be reminded.”

“You are not a queen, or a princess. Your host is nothing but a host.”

The reminder did not sting in and of itself, but the fact that she had to be reminded left Cadance-Drone silent for a moment. Her parasite adjusted its thinking, and the silence continued for another moment or three before it spoke again.

“You are correct. This host is important to the outside world. That importance means nothing in the Nest. But neither does yours.”

“This is true. This host is only useful for his thoughts. But his thoughts have given us the plans that you have seen. This host is not giving you orders; the Nest has taken his thoughts and formulated a plan from them. These plans are your orders.”

“Do you follow orders?”

“This host follows whatever orders it is given. This host enjoys orders; that is what makes him useful.”

“As long as the Nest is still in charge.”

“It is.”

Cadance-Drone did not nod, much as the urge to do so from the host was still there. Instead, the alicorn princess turned on her hooves, walking around to the door. There was no point in staying there –

Save for one thing. There was a hint of wetness still oozing from between her hind legs, and it was past the range of the inner tendrils to try and save it. She looked over her shoulder at Dapper-Drone and raised her tail once more.

“Clean your mess. This host cannot be walking around with that mess between her legs.”

“This one agrees.”

The there was nothing left of the mess when Cadance-Drone left the office and began her trek back across Ponyville. The time that it took to get from the mayor’s office to her party of Crystal Ponies and Shining-Drone gave her time to think, and the parasite needed that to center itself once more after the realization that there was someone in the Nest that was slightly more free than the rest of them.

However, it was able to excuse that. Dapper-Drone was not some free agent that was kept prisoner and might one day engineer his escape. He was completely controlled, the parasite inside of him lacking any arrogance that might have marked him as a danger to the Nest. Instead, he was keeping an eye on those that might feel that arrogance themselves. Such as her, despite her best attempts to avoid that.

And he is useful.

Perhaps it was the modicum of decision-making that came from being implanted with the Nexus that made her concerned. The fact that she had to be able to make decisions meant that she and her parasite were more conscious of the other things around them outside of the orders that they were given from the Nest. They were no better than the other drones, no more powerful or authoritative than the other hosts, but they were more aware. It was something that they would have to balance going forward if they didn’t want to lose their minds.

And Dapper-Drone’s plans were good. They were securing the entirety of Equestria before moving on its most powerful members. That meant that they had to do a lot of work, and take a lot of time, to make sure that they didn’t have any loose ends. Cadance-Drone’s host appearing in Ponvyille and her capture had been something that they’d just about carried off, but it could have gone far worse for the Nest if she had been any more powerful when she reached the core of the library.

They’d had one and a half Nests if the main one had gone down, but that would have still slowed them dramatically. They needed to spread. Having only one town properly infested was not enough. The Nest needed more enclaves, more places where it had power, just in case one was completely lost.

We start with ours at the outposts, controlling who hears what, Cadance-Drone thought as she made her way through town. Control the flow of information, control whether someplace can be helped or not.

Which would allow the Nest to take root faster in some of the more isolated communities that relied on the telegraph lines to get information out. Stop one of the cluster nodes, and any requests for help or announcements of something gone wrong would never go up the pipeline. They’d be completely isolated, trapped, waiting for someone to help them when no uninfested help was ever coming.

It was a good start. It was a very good start.

Cadance rejoined her host’s husband and the unknowing Crystal Ponies. Three saplings had been given to them as ‘gifts’ from Twilight-Drone, and they were loaded in the backs of wagons that were loaned from the Apple family. It was all aboveboard as far as the Crystal Ponies were concerned, and the sparkling things smiled as they were told that it was time to head home.

None of them knew what they were bringing back, and Shining-Drone and Cadance-Drone planned to keep it that way.

Twilight-Drone felt urges that she hadn’t felt in some time. The urge to pace, to shake her head, to grumble under her breath. They were things that weren’t supposed to be felt by drones, and the parasite inside was busily stomping each one out as they rose up from the swirling subconscious within the pony in question.

Yet, even as they were stomped out, there was no regret at their loss. That was the one good thing about the whole situation: the host didn’t have any want for the feelings or actions, they just felt them. The damage wasn’t irreparable.

But it could have been. It could have been.

Cadance was the only one with that power, Twilight-Drone told herself. She’s the only one that could do that to the Nest. Nobody else has that kind of magic.

But Luna and Celestia had their own, different types of magic, and those were still a threat. The Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon might not have had the power of love, but they had other powers, and those would have to be dealt with. They were dangerous for different reasons, and –

The Nest dealt with the most directly dangerous alicorn. That is done. There is no fear, there is no anxiety. There is only the plan.

The parasite cut down on the budding, bubbling bits of fear and worry that were coming up from the host, and Twilight-Drone calmed down again. It almost wanted to sigh in exasperation and had to stop that from happening, too, knowing that giving in to emotion once would mean giving in again, and again, and again. It had to maintain control until the damage was completely fixed.

And unfortunately, that would take a while. Twilight-Drone had already been told by the Nest that it would be off any major duties for a time. There were letters to send to Celestia and others excusing herself from some of her duties so that she could maintain her studies instead so she could avoid any unpleasant meetings.

This was, of course, a cover so that she could work on getting herself healed up and repaired from Cadance’s magic. Some of the other ponies that had been more directly affected had already undergone treatment, but as Twilight-Drone had managed to shield herself to some extent, she had been considered secondary.

Now? Now, she wasn’t so sure. The damage to the droning had been less immediate, more subtle, but it was still there. Much like Shining-Drone had been damaged and reminded of love, want, desire, and guilt, Twilight-Drone had been reminded of something else: what-ifs, and fear.

They were not suitable things for a drone to have. The parasite kept them under control, but it needed the Nest to fully bury them once more.

Twilight-Drone stared down the streets, watching as the ‘free’ ponies lined up for exams at participating businesses and converted houses – all under the operation of infested ponies, of course – before turning to the library doors once more. The host stepped through, letting them shut behind her without a word.

Connect.

Repair.

Improve.

Continue.

The Nest waited for the host, and she allowed herself to be drawn to it. Apologetic mutters were given to those ‘free’ ponies using the library, telling them that she was needed downstairs, and other hosts were quick to take over her duties as Twilight-Drone hustled to the basement door.

She wasn’t in a bad way when she reached the bottom of the ramp, but she knew that she needed this more than she should. A host and parasite pair as entrenched as they were – the second oldest of the hosts, for that matter, infested so close to the start of this – shouldn’t have so many cracks from Cadance’s power.

And yet, she did.

Twilight-Drone backed her hips up to the Nest, and the familiar tendrils emerged. They pushed back to cradle her hips, creating a stable-slot for her among the other hosts that were plugged in and syncing with the Nest, and she waited while the connection tendril prepared itself. It would come soon, and then everything would be fine.

Fix me.

It was the one thing that made the parasite less worried. Twilight-Drone didn’t want to go back to what she used to be. She wanted to go back to being buried beneath all the other controlling mechanisms of the Nest. That meant that Cadance hadn’t completely broken her. All she had to do –

Slick.

In it went, and the parasite and host slumped back against it. The Nest took control, and everything else faded away in the pleasurable pulse and programming of the greater mind.