“Fern Flare, you used to love to laugh at everything. And Rain Shine, you sang the most beautiful harmonies. Don’t you miss it?”

“I know you’re worried about fightin’. But friends can disagree without causin’ a ruckus.”

Cinder Glow watched with rapt attention as the trio of Autumn Blaze, Fluttershy, and Applejack pled their case in the town center. As they extolled the virtues of friendship, she felt a twinge of understanding in her heart. Of course, she missed talking with her friends. Since stepping into the Stream of Silence, life had been… peaceful, but isolating.

Well, she resolved, it was time for a change. She would no longer live in fear, for life was far too short for that. She stepped toward the trio and stretched out her hoof.

Convincing them she wanted Autumn Blaze’s cure had been tricky without use of her voice, but not impossible. Yet, as excited as she was to regain her voice, there was a bigger problem at hoof.

“…beyond sure. Believe me, I’ve had a lot of alone time lately. I searched the entire forest seventy-three and a half times. Although I wonder if that second half could make a difference…”

“Uh, Fluttershy? A little help?”

“He says he knows where to find Foal’s Breath!”

Cinder Glow followed their gaze. Indeed, a rabbit had wandered into the field near them and was gesturing excitedly in the direction of the forest.

Cinder by no means could call herself an animal expert, but there was something… off about the rabbit. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, but its eyes looked a little unfocused, and its stride seemed the slightest bit crooked.

She and the rabbit locked eyes. When she blinked, it was looking back at Fluttershy, continuing to chitter as Fluttershy smiled and nodded. Nothing seemed strange about the rabbit anymore. Cinder Glow shook her head. Perhaps it was just a figment of her imagination—Fluttershy, the animal expert, hadn’t seemed to notice anything wrong, after all.

When the Foal’s Breath was finally retrieved, it was presented to Autumn Blaze, who danced with glee. “Ooh!” She looked reassuringly at the rest of the Kirins one more time. “Trust me, guys, it’ll be worth it.”

Autumn looked down and examined the flower more closely. “This doesn’t quite look the same as the one I used for myself. Fluttershy, are you sure this is the right one?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “I wish I could tell you, but I wouldn’t know, either.” She gave the rabbit a few pets, and he excitedly jumped up and down, chittering back at her. “But Mr. Rabbit here seems absolutely sure of it.”

Autumn Blaze raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Huh, well okay.” Grinning excitedly, she clapped her hooves together. “Right! Let’s get this started then, shall we?”

Excitedly, they added the plants to the Kirins’ drinking water. Cinder Glow noticed it changed the hue to a light green tint and flowed a bit more viscously, but she didn’t mind—not like she hadn’t taken worse medicine before.

When the mixture was said and done, Cinder Glow gladly volunteered to try it first. She gave Autumn Blaze a nervous grin.

In return, Autumn held Cinder’s hoof between her own. “I’m so proud of you, friend.”

Well, bottoms up. Cinder bent down and lapped the cool liquid. It tasted just as clear as water, but with some additional hints of mint and earthiness.

Just as Cinder was pondering how difficult the fluid was to swallow, as if it had heard her, something happened. The liquid began to bubble and shift, and before Cinder could react, it shot upwards, directly into her astonished mouth.

Whatever had happened to the liquid happened fast. Cinder didn’t even have time to flail or look around for help as the substance invaded her mouth. It forced itself down her throat roughly, and her gag reflex forced her to swallow it greedily. Her jaw worked itself up and down, gulping down every last drop, as she could only stare down and watch it crawl directly into her.

Her throat and belly began to swell as they filled. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, the liquid inside her shifted and began to distribute itself. It wriggled through her pores and squirmed its way through the rest of her body. Cinder Glow cried in silent terror as she felt it bulge and worm first in her chest and shoulders, then her arms and legs, and finally her hooves. Her flow of oxygen momentarily cut off as it flowed past her nostrils—toward her brain—her mind.

What took mere seconds in real time took an eternity in Cinder Glow’s panicked psyche. She felt its tendrils reach into her thoughts, probing her innermost memories. One by one, it shut off her control over her own limbs, and progressively she felt her body go numb. It gave each of her muscles a near-unnoticeable twitch, testing its control over her very being. When it moved, Cinder Glow could feel it swishing around in her limbs, twisting and bulging tightly underneath her skin.

Just like that, the invasion was complete. Cinder Glow—or rather, the entity possessing Cinder Glow—finished “drinking” the liquid and looked up at the rest of her peers. Cinder could feel it still learning to use her body—adjusting her posture, smile, even the way she licked her lips—to demonstrate how nothing had gone wrong.

Cinder wanted to scream, cry out, anything that would warn the others what had happened to her. And yet, the Stream of Silence still forbade her from making as much as a sound. To the goo, she might as well have made for the perfect prey.

Cinder Glow’s artificial smile grew. From the depths within her throat, she could hear a light gurgle before, incredibly, something began to vibrate within, emulating her own voice to perfection.

Her mouth moved up and down in a hasty attempt at lip sync. “Testing, testing. Can you guys hear me?”

She prayed someone would notice the mismatch and despaired when no one did. Autumn Blaze leapt at her, surrounding her in a jovial embrace. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It worked! I’m so glad to have you back, Cinder Glow!”

Cinder felt Autumn’s arms wrapped tightly around her, pressing against the goo and sloshing it around even further in her body. She felt the goo slowly and methodically raise her own hooves, almost as if they were connected by strings, into returning the hug.

“Of course,” Cinder gargled. “Thanks for showing me the true meaning of friendship.”

Her head gradually turned until it faced toward the rest of the excited Kirins. “Well?” she asked. “Don’t just stand there and wait. The water’s open, everykirin!”

She could do nothing but watch as her own body betrayed her, sending each one of her compatriots to their doom. As each approached, now she could so very clearly see what would otherwise have been unnoticeable—the momentary eyes widening, pupils shrinking in shock before their eyes rolled to the back of their heads, their bodies slumped, then wriggled the tiniest amounts, and a crafted smile formed on their faces. Afterward, they all marched to stand beside her, secret slime sisters and brothers eager to grow their herd.

When all was said and done, Cinder Glow and the other Kirins pretended to converse like normal until Applejack and Fluttershy’s cutie marks glowed to signal the end of their quest, and they said their goodbyes. They all gathered at the edge of the village, smiling and waving until they were certain the two ponies were out of sight.

Only then did the Kirins’ facade drop.

Their faces slumped, their heads drooped, their limbs became slack. They ambled unnaturally, just as Cinder had realized she had seen the rabbit doing—just as the goo no longer found it necessary to expend energy moving their flesh puppets like normal.

“Uh, guys? Are you okay?”

Oh, that was right. There was still one Kirin who had yet to be infected. One foolish, naive Kirin who had engineered her village’s downfall without realizing it at all.

Of course, she deserved her reward.

“Autumn Blaze! There you are!” Cinder Glow stepped forward, a wide grin plastered across her face, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Autumn turned, the excitement still evident in her eyes. “Cinder Glow! How do you feel? Better than before, I hope?”

Cinder mentally shuddered as the goo within her tongue forced her to slowly lick her lips. “Oh, Autumn… I feel wonderful,” she monotoned. “Truly, thank you so much for everything. You’ve given us all something so precious back.” She took a few more steps forward, the others beginning to close in a circle around them both.

Autumn Blaze tilted her head slightly, sensing something off. “Well, of course, that’s what friends do, right? Help each other.” Her smile faltered ever so slightly, eyes scanning the encroaching crowd.

Cinder Glow leaned in closer, her breath warm against Autumn’s cheek. “We just wanted to thank you… personally.”

A flicker of confusion crossed Autumn’s face. “Oh… um… there’s no need, really, I just—”

Before she could finish, Cinder Glow leaned in even further, brushing her lips against Autumn’s. Autumn’s breath caught in her throat, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson. For a moment, there was a tense pause, but her confusion meant she didn’t stop Cinder from trying to kiss her again.

Cinder, a passenger in her own body, felt herself initiate the lewd act. Her mind was in a daze too, whether from the sudden intimacy or just the goo injecting pleasure into her mind. For a few brief moments, she allowed herself the delusion that this was all the goo wanted to give Autumn, and nothing more.

And then, of course, it came rushing up, bulging back out from her stomach to her throat to her mouth. Autumn’s eyes widened in shock as she felt something warm and thick thrust its way into her mouth, slithering deep inside her.

She gagged, her throat working to force it back, but the goo had already slid too far. She swallowed it audibly—glk, glk—and her knees buckled beneath her as she coughed up droplets of goo.

“N-no, wait,” she stammered, her breath shaky. Her mind raced, her body trying to fight. But the goo was already inside her, slowly spreading through her system. With each flail, her strength grew weaker and weaker.

“It’s too late,” Cinder gurgled, her voice low and sinister. Her body pinned Autumn down belly-up, giving Autumn a full view of the approaching crowd.

The Kirins, one by one, closed in on Autumn, their eyes dark, movements precise. Their hooves pressed her down as she squirmed weakly, still trying to push them off.

Cinder Glow whispered words of comfort, all while the goo worked its way through Autumn’s system. “Don’t fight it. We’ll take care of you…”

Autumn’s breath was ragged as Fern Flare approached, her lips brushing softly against Autumn’s. The kiss was slow at first, gentle even, but soon turned hungry. Fern Flare forced her down into the soft earth as their lips parted briefly, a string of goo connecting them.

Their tongues locked and intertwined as the goo inside Fern began to slip into Autumn's mouth. It was slick and warm, like honey, causing Autumn to writhe even harder.

More and more kirins began to join. Fern withdrew, and another Kirin, a male, guided Autumn’s head towards his crotch. Before she could react, he thrust his dripping cock into her mouth, silencing her cries. The goo forced the cock to convulse almost immediately, and even more goo began to ooze down her throat.

Glk, glk, glk

Autumn’s throat worked involuntarily as the goo filled her, each forceful thrust pumping more of the viscous substance into her system. Her eyes rolled back, her body shuddering as she tried in vain to push the Kirin away.

The male Kirin withdrew, and a female took his place and lowered herself over Autumn’s face, her pussy pressing against her lips. The Kirin bucked her hips, forcing Autumn’s face into her arousal, making her tongue lap at the wet folds.

The goo was everywhere—sticky, thick, and overwhelming. Autumn could barely breathe as the Kirin grinded against her, her juices mingling with the goo.

Schlk schlk

Another Kirin spread Autumn’s legs wide, and shoved his cock deep into her pussy. Autumn’s body jerked violently, almost instinctively trying to fight off the invader. Yet, he thrust deeper with each motion, and Autumn felt the goo from his cock oozing into her, now invading her from both ends.

Her body spasmed, her mind slipping further away with every passing moment. Her sensations turned into a whirlwind of passion as she was made to lick, fuck, and suck a countless number of Kirins who each robotically awaited their turn.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the last of the Kirins pulled away. Autumn lay motionless, her eyes glazed over, her mouth still open, goo dribbling from her lips and winking cunt.

And then, slowly, her body began to convulse, her skin writhing as the goo beneath it settled into its new home. Her limbs jerked wildly before falling still.

Then, she pushed herself up, her face eerily staid as she wiped her mouth clean of the remaining goo.

Calmly, she surveyed the others. “I see the light now,” she said, her voice unnervingly flat. “Thank you for letting me join the hive.”

The others, faces still devoid of expression, hummed in approval. In reality, there was no need to smile, or even celebrate. Still, their bodies shuddered with pleasure, the goo rewarding their hosts for their forced compliance.

By then, night had fallen, casting long shadows across the village. The Kirins were marched to bed, their movements mechanical as they prepared to regain their energy. As Cinder Glow observed her body assume a position of rest, her thoughts turned toward what she’d been too afraid to think earlier.

What was the goo planning on doing next?

As the crickets began to chirp, and the goo transitioned her thoughts to those of sleep, she felt as if the goo had decided to relay her an answer.

The hive would grow. It would always grow.

Author's Note

If you read and enjoyed, a like would be sincerely appreciated <3