The Erotic Life of the Smallest Changeling

Chapters

Chapter 2 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 4 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 5 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 6 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 7 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 8 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 9 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 10 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 11 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 12 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 13 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 14 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 15 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 16 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 17 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 18 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 19 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 21 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 22 (version: 1.10)
Chapter Bonus (version: 1.10)
Chapter 1 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 3 (version: 1.10)
Chapter 20 (version: 1.10)

Chapter 2 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, bath, suggestive

Chrysalis levitated Alex into the air and made her way to the bathroom. Like the living room, the walls were carved from solid black rock. The tub was like a small pool and the nozzle was shaped like a changeling's head, with the ears acting as knobs and the mouth as the spout. Chrysalis left Alex on a shelf high above the floor next to a bar of dry soap so she could focus on filling the bath. She liked to believe that it was a delicate operation. Gently, she approached the first set of faucets and turned them both on full blast, but water came gushing from two additional faucets spread evenly across the bath as well. Alex thought that was fascinating, three faucets being connected by some unseen mechanic. With such a cool trick the huge bathtub would be full in record time. It was around that point he also realized that the entire room was devoted to the bath which stretched all the way to the wall. There was no sink, no toilet, and no shower present.

A crown suddenly plopped down behind Alex and made him jump. Looking at the offending object more closely, he picked up a few quick details: it was twice as tall as he was and had three greenish-blue orbs perched on the top. He wasn't sure what to make of the deformed crown. Whoever created it didn't care about normalcy, that was for sure. He turned around and watched Chrysalis test the water as it neared the brim. She shook off her hoof a little and turned the cold nozzle down. The water was too cool for her liking apparently. The Changeling Queen scowled as she waited for the water to warm as though it usually went faster than this. While she worked, Alex snuck to the edge of the shelf and looked down. From his perspective, the floor was a hundred feet below and there was no way he could survive a fall that far. So he backed away and sat down dejectedly, not knowing what to do except wait.

While he did so, steam rose off the surface of the water and wafted into view. Alex was actually afraid he'd be cooked like a lobster if he went into water that hot. But Chrysalis wasn't quite as worried when she literally jumped in and splashed her way to the center of the bath, sending great tidal waves cascading towards the walls. She closed her eyes and let the water soak into her skin as she lowered her body into the steaming liquid. She shuttered with pleasure. Chrysalis then moved in reverse, until her backside brushed the wall before she sat down like a dog. Sliding her underside forward while her shoulders stayed pressed against the wall, Chrysalis eventually ended up on her back, lazing like a human would. Then she drifted below the surface until her mouth went underwater.

Alex was beginning to wonder if there was really a reason for him to be here. Chrysalis was just enjoying herself while he sat here like a lump and stared on. Below, Chrysalis reached into a cubby well out of Alex's view and produced a bottle. She turned it over and began squirting a pink goo into the water. Using her magic, that Alex was still trying to figure out, the water became a whirlpool and soapy bubbles began to pile up in towers of suds that would have blocked an enter city street back home. To Alex, it was like watching an entire lake be filled with soap and then stirred in less than a minute! It was so amazing in fact, that Alex completely zoned out. That is until he was suddenly thrust back into reality when Chrysalis grabbed him with her telekinesis and threw him into the water below.

So abruptly shaken from his own thoughts, Alex screamed as he splashed down. Luckily, he had been a fine swimmer and had converted his free-fall into a dive at the last second. The water was warm, but luckily not boiling hot as he expected it to be. He rushed to the surface and took in a great breath of air, quickly adopting a doggy paddle. Chrysalis held a hoof to her lips as she laughed at him. "You are so funny. Were you not paying attention?" she asked teasingly. Alex winced at the criticism.

"Are you ready to work now?" she asked, but didn't give him enough time to form a reply. "You'll need this washcloth and some soap. Scrub my back, not my wings." With that, she turned sideways and revealed a chip of a soap bar and a green rag already on her back waiting for him to get started.

Alex made his way over to her as she slouched slightly, making it easier for him to climb. Even with the help, it was still a difficult accent with her fur wet. As soon as he was up, Chrysalis promptly stood and almost made him lose his footing. The rise had only been three or so feet to him, but the speed of the movement was startling. After steadying himself, Alex picked up the thin rag and soap chip and made his way to the back of Chrysalis's neck, figuring he'd work his way down to her butt. Again he blushed at the thought of scrubbing her. He shook his head to purge it of unneeded thoughts and got to work.

Alex wrapped the soap in the washcloth and spun it around within its prison. Chrysalis had her head turned just enough that she could watch him work and even she was curious what he was doing. It was a trick he'd learned as a kid: you wrap the soap in a washcloth and spin it or rub it, then you remove the soap and the washcloth will be left covered in suds you can use instead of the soap for a while without having to worry about dropping it. Putting the soap chunk down close by, Alex began wiping down the back of his new queen's neck, moving from left to right and front to back. Whenever he completed a row and moved down a little, he'd re-perform his washcloth trick. While he was busy re-soaping the washcloth Chrysalis, surprisingly, would work with him and rinse off the treated area. It went that way for a few minutes, until he got to her wings.

Chrysalis popped them up as soon as he got near them, but when he looked to her face for an explanation, she merely gave him a hateful glare. Alex lowered his head and cleaned the space between her wings without question after that. Her expression softened and she turned her attention away from him until he was at her lower hindquarters.

Alex's legs were cramping up and he really needed a break. He was tired and huffing as Chrysalis looked her back over with a satisfied gleam. "Are you tired? Did my royal back consume all your energy?" she asked sympathetically. Alex nodded slowly. "Too bad, I have another job for you to complete before I put you away for the night." Alex couldn't help but wonder what had happened to that chunk of soap as she moved to the edge of the tub.

Setting him down on, Chrysalis then pulled out a toothbrush with a black handle and green bristles.It looked brand new. She promptly shoved the over-sized brush into his hooves and made him stumble. It was like holding a 20 pound weight on the end of a 10 foot stick and Alex wasn't the strongest guy around. As he struggled to hold the thing, Chrysalis lowered her head and gave him a wicked smile.

"My fangs need special attention," she hummed. Her two large canines were on clear display, but they didn't look like they needed cleaning to Alex. He knew better than to tell Chrysalis it was a waste of time however, and opted instead to at least look like he was working hard. The fact that those teeth were just longer than his head and he had to brush them with something he could have used as a jousting lance was not lost on him.

His arms shook violently from the strain as he tried to brush her fangs. He wouldn't last very long and he prayed he'd be able to give his master the feeling of cleanliness soon. Chrysalis closed her eyes and let the sound of the bristles at work fill her head as she sighed in relaxation. The gust knocked an exhausted Alex to the ground and the brush fell across his chest. Her eyes popped open when she realized the sound of the brush had stopped and her gaze fixed on Alex as he struggled to stand up again.

"Are my fangs clean yet?" Chrysalis asked threateningly.

"Y-y-yes ma'am!" Alex quickly answered, knowing it was true before he even started.

Chrysalis smiled, "good work my Personal Attendant." She lifted her head away from him. "I think you'll do fine. What is your name?" Her friendly demeanor did not make up for the way she towered over him.

"A-Alex, my queen," he did a quick bow as he put the brush down with the bristles facing skyward.

"You have passed your first day of work. I assure you, the days to come will be far more... interesting," she said with a dark smirk. "Now! Time for us to go to bed... I wonder where I'll have you sleep."

Chapter 4 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, kiss

Alex groggily opened his eyes and immediately noticed the difference: the pressure on his back was gone. There was simply no way Chrysalis, being as big as she was, could have gotten up without waking him. So it must have all been a dream.

He chuckled nervously. What a crazy night that must have been. Had one of his friends spiked his drink at a party he didn't even remember? "Stupid blanket," he grumbled as he attempted to push the thick black cloth off himself. As soon as he was free he tried to sit up, but his back was stiff and he couldn't. He mumbled as he looked around his bedroom with blurry eyes and tried to find the clock. Did he have school today? He didn't know what day it was or if he had anywhere to be. "Man, what happened to me last night?"

Suddenly, his eyes darted open and his muscles froze. If it had all been a dream, then why was his bed half the size of a soccer field!? "Darn," was all he could say as the gears in his head started to click. Everything he saw and everything he had felt was real. He really was in some alternate reality with a giant monster. Speaking of which, where could a couple hundred feet of pony/insect runoff to? An even better question was how she had gotten out of the bed without disturbing him. Not that Alex was complaining, he loved to sleep in late, but it just made him uncomfortable knowing she could be so sneaky despite her incredible size.

Alex stumbled across the fluffy sheets to the ledge and, again, couldn't seem to find a way down due to the height. He really needed to learn how to use those wings. It was a new day and maybe his queen would teach him or at least let him practice. He cringed at the thought of her though. She had toyed with him like he was some kind of doll, like his only purpose in life was to satisfy her dark desires. He didn't want to believe that. He was a human being, dammit! And he was going to be treated as such.

The thunder of footsteps and gentle humming told Alex Chrysalis was about to return. He was ready to speak his mind as she strolled in... in a new terrifying outfit. Instead of her strange crown she had chosen to wear a green Trojan style war helmet, massive iron boots, and an evil spiked necklace. Alex's resolve to give her a piece of his mind was burned to ashes in less than a second as her massive form, and even louder hoof-steps (because of the boots), filled him with uncertainty and doubt. Her happy tune came to an abrupt end as she eyed him and began to speak.

"Good morning my Personal Attendant, I take it you slept well?" She was in a really good mood despite the intimidating armor.

"Y-yes," he stumbled nervously.

Chrysalis pouted at his answer. "I slept beautifully, thank you," she responded sarcastically. "You made my night, little cutie," she leaned down and gave him a forceful nuzzle. Alex was pushed down and rolled over by it.

"I-it was my pleasure to s-serve!" He hoped flattery would get her off him.

"Of course it was!" she scoffed. "Who wouldn't be honored to keep a queen as great as myself comfy for the night? But enough about that! Today is an important day for me, as you can probably tell from the armor. I have an important meeting with my generals and they like to see me in more..." Chrysalis couldn't think of a good word for it.

"Powerful?" Alex offered.

"Yes! In an outfit that makes me look," she licked her lips, "powerful." She smiled and looked down at him.

"What will I be doing?"

"Waiting here. I know you want to keep me in this good mood, but I'm afraid young, inexperienced, children like you simply cannot be allowed in the war room. It would be a distraction from important matters. You understand, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You are going to have to wait here for my return. I'll make sure to stop by during lunch to check on you. During that time, I give you permission to do anything you desire within the boundaries of this house."

"What does that mean?"

Chrysalis looked at him skeptically. "As long as you remain in this house, you can do whatever you feel like. Are you not grateful?" she asked with a threatening raise of an eyebrow.

"YES! Thank you my gracious queen!" Alex blurted out.

"But before I leave, would you like anything?"

"What?"

"I'm asking if you would like anything before I leave you alone."

Alex thought for a moment. There was one thing he could use. "May I have something to eat?"

Chrysalis smiled. "It's nice to see you have good manners. Yes, you may. But you have to do something for me." Chrysalis had plenty of love in her reserves to give him, but that wouldn't have been any fun.

"I'm ready to earn my meal," Alex told her regretfully. He started to think that it would have been better to just go hungry.

Chrysalis leaned down and almost rested her head on the bed, "you have to give me... a kiss."

Alex blushed and backed a step away. How was he supposed to kiss a creature whose teeth were as big as his head? While he stuttered and tried to decide what to do, Chrysalis smiled at the dubiousness of her coming prank.

"I'm waiting," she breathed gently with an inviting smile. "Of course, you could go the whole day without eating."

Alex took another moment to clear his thoughts and focus on the costs and benefits here. The cost was kissing his queen whose lips were like soggy truck tires. The benefit was getting something to eat for the day. He begrudgingly made his choice. Alex approached her slowly, unsure how this was supposed to work. Did they just go through the motions or was Chrysalis looking for something more? She smiled so kindly as she lowered her eyelids and her puckered lips looked so innocent. Alex paused for half a second more before he leaned forward and kissed Chrysalis on the lips. That's when she struck!

Although his head hadn't been fully engulfed in her mouth, it was still being crushed by her huge lips when she sucked him in and trapped him in place. Alex didn't know what was going on when he suddenly felt like pure electricity was flowing into him. Like the raw energy of the universe was coursing through his small body as he continued to embrace Chrysalis in this act so often used to symbolize love. Chrysalis let go of him after a short while and gazed at her handiwork.

He rocked back and forth as he struggled to stay on his hooves and it seemed like she might have given him too much love. Alex looked up at her and, with his higher level thinking being overloaded with happiness, smiled like a crazy person. Chrysalis found the smile an interesting change from his constant quivering. She knew it wouldn't stick around for long though. So she enjoyed it as much as possible while she could.

"I'm quite the kisser aren't I?" Chrysalis bragged.

"Oh yeah," Alex answered her dreamily.

"I bet you'd like another?" she smiled evilly.

"Yeah," Alex's mind seemed to drift into space even more as he looked up at her.

"Are you hungry anymore?"

"I could never be hungry while looking at that beautiful face."

Chrysalis gave an approving nod and quickly took her leave. Once she was gone, Alex's "love high" faded away and his sense of dignity returned, prompting him to bury his face in his hooves as embarrassment took hold of him. He couldn't believe how stupid he had just been. What had been going through his head when he said those things right to Chrysalis's face?

The soft surface of Chrysalis's bed worked well as a giant crash pad and Alex had all the time in the world to use it. As it turns out, a creature who's never flown before sucks when they first try. A long series of ridiculously short flights later and Alex finally found he could fly in a straight line. Feeling confident about his skills after more than an hour of hard work and at least a gallon of sweat, he decided it was time to explore. Alex quickly learned however, that Chrysalis's home was rather small and it didn't take him long to fly through every chamber.

Chrysalis had two bathrooms, each clearly serving a specific purpose. The one connecting to her bedroom had a toilet, a mirror, and a sink while the other just had the massive tub he'd seen yesterday. The living room where Alex had first arrived seemed kind of small (relatively speaking) and it only had the things he'd seen previously: two couches and a coffee table. Chrysalis also had her own study which he had thought was a library at first, but it became obvious it wasn't when he counted only five shelves and a few boring paintings of grass and trees. Alex also concluded that the room would be useless to him due to his size. The books were far taller than him and he doubted he'd be able to read them without help. Help he couldn't see Chrysalis ever providing.

That's when Alex had a sudden revelation. He had a horn and Chrysalis had a horn. She was able to use hers to make things float, if the glowing was anything to go by. Alex landed on her large desk in the study and examined a quill and ink bottle. The two items sat there all alone on the open landscape, completely innocent. Alex didn't think any harm could come of trying his telekinesis on a feather and what's lighter than that after all? Alex focused and concentrated and strained... and accomplished absolutely nothing.

After his first and only attempt, Alex gave up and moved on to something more interesting. The rest of his prison was pretty straight forward. There was a primitive kitchen, dining room, and an empty space. Alex scratched his head for a moment when he entered the room before deciding to go back to the study. On his way there, he couldn't help but notice three things. First off, every room was carved right out of solid rock. Secondly, there weren't any windows or doors, just massive arches between rooms. Which led to his final question: how did you get in or out of this house? Alex couldn't find a door or a passage that didn't lead into one of the already mentioned rooms. It was strange and confusing and he kept flying in circles as he tried to locate the front door, but it simply didn't exist.

"It's like I've entered the Twilight Zone or something," he commented dryly.

Eventually, he found himself in the study and landed on the table. He huffed in exhaustion and put his wings away before he turned his attention to the quill that refused to obey. He had already decided what he was going to do with the rest of his time.

Chapter 5 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, exploration, rubbing, foreplay

Alex couldn't get the quill to even glow let alone levitate. He growled and tried again, but obtained the same result. Alex was stumped, he couldn't determine why he was unable to levitate the quill despite knowing that Chrysalis could do it with her horn. Maybe he wasn't able to because he had the wrong kind of horn? From what he felt out earlier, his was a short up curved shape while Chrysalis's horn was all jagged and bent at weird angles. He decided to ask her when she got back. Coincidentally, that's exactly when he heard the telltale sound of hoof steps nearby.

He still didn't know where the door in or out of Chrysalis's home was, but she had returned in the same manner she had left, minus the happy humming. She first checked her bedroom, then the bathrooms, and finally the kitchen. Unless she was assuring herself that he hadn't destroyed the place, she couldn't have been doing much else but searching for him. Chrysalis did eventually enter the study and peer down at him with exhaustion written on her face. She quickly took a seat before the desk and sighed.

"What a meeting we've had so far," she sighed again.

Her intimidating armor was gone and only her strange crown topped her head as she breathed. She looked a bit bored. Alex's first thought was to comfort her, but he immediately buried that thought under memories of what she'd already done with him. That, and even while sitting she towered over him.

"I take it you've explored your new home?" Chrysalis eyed him suspiciously.

"Y-yes ma'am." There was that stuttering fear that Chrysalis was starting to find annoying.

"We'll I've been busy too. I swear, my generals are smart, but they worry too much. The current plan is flawless yet they continue to ponder alternatives they think may be even better. A waste of brainpower if you ask me."

"Of course," Alex had already learned to agree with everything she said.

"I think I need a little," she licked her lips suggestively, "massage to ease the tension."

Alex groaned, she liked hoof massages way too much. "I'll massage your hooves right away."

Chrysalis giggled. "My hooves don't need work, my Personal Attendant. I've been sitting all day and..." she hadn't yet completed her sentence when she suddenly stood up. Alex wasn't sure what was going on as she levitated him into the bedroom where she promptly laid down.

"What are we going to do?!" Alex was panicking a little from the sudden jerks of motion.

"The royal hindquarters are sore and it is your job to comfort it. You're a smart guy, you figure out the rest."

Chrysalis dropped him on her lower back a bit harshly as she sprawled out and got comfortable. Her legs were pointed straight out behind her like an arrow and Alex could already feel the warmth radiating up through her fur. He knew what she wanted, but he didn't like it. It was almost as bad as her hooves, probably worse. Regardless, he quickly stepped down towards her massive rear, which was like a pair of twin hills to him. Alex didn't know if Chrysalis may have had a few too many sweets in her day or if her ass was just naturally this plump. It could have just been an illusion created by being so small of course. Whatever the reason, his climb wasn't too bad, it was the descent on the other side that gave him pause. As he stood next to Chrysalis's tail, which twitched in anticipation for her massage, he debated how best to proceed. Alex was currently at the top of her right cheek, something Chrysalis found arousing in itself.

Alex thought he could cheat her a little and began to massage her butt from where he was. Unfortunately, Chrysalis immediately protested. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a massage," he offered weakly.

"The ache is further down my attendant. You'll have to go lower," she instructed patiently.

"Yes ma'am," he replied reluctantly.

Alex began to descend the hill that was Chrysalis's right cheek. He felt so disgusting touching her here and he didn't understand why she had gasped when he took that first step downward. Shrugging it off as surprise that he actually obeyed her ridiculous order, he continued. He wearily glanced at the other cheek where her tail rested, but made sure to pick a random spot to start rubbing a moment later. Alex didn't know that just to his right, hidden between her thighs, was Chrysalis's slit, and she was already starting to moisten.

Chrysalis shuddered when she felt her little attendant begin massaging her royal hindquarters and groaned in pleasure. Alex had somehow gotten right next to her pussy. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to lose control of her own lust. Alex had found her pain dead-on and was working the tight muscles like a professional. Chrysalis was impressed with how quickly it was working, his skills had improved greatly and in only one day.

Alex felt a little weird. Here he was rubbing the giant buttocks of a queen from another world (that would make for some interesting bragging rights back home if anyone ever believed him). He moved his arms in large circles rather than just up and down like he had the day before. The motion got more coverage and was just a little easier on his joints and Chrysalis was certainly reaping the benefits. Her hums of pleasure and slight trembles were a good sign, so he worked dutifully to maintain them.

"You've done well. Now get the other one," she commanded in a strange sultry voice he hadn't heard her use before.

That voice is a lot less threatening, he thought as he was about to jump over the ditch created by her thighs. However, he smelled something and paused for a second to look for the source. He knew Chrysalis was a little sweaty, but this didn't smell anything like the odor of perspiration. It wasn't a horrible vile odor. It was a pleasant smell, but he couldn't place it or tell why he liked it so much. Then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. His massive queen would be angry if she found out he was standing around smelling the flowers instead of doing his job.

Alex leapt over the trench easily enough, but immediately had to duck as Chrysalis's tail came sweeping over him! Some of the thick hairs even brushed his head.

Alex rose slowly and brushed himself off with sigh of relief. He hadn't been expecting that. He picked a nearby patch of skin to rub and began to press it, forgetting all about Chrysalis's tail. As if on cue, moans filled the room as Chrysalis smothered her head in a pillow. It felt so good she just couldn't believe it. If she could she would have hugged herself for having picked out the perfect little attendant. Alex felt so good on her tush. Add in his wonderful little hooves giving her a perfect massage that was like calling in an air-strike against cramped muscles, and she was in pure bliss filled heaven. She felt so good in fact, that her pussy started to ache. It was time for Alex to meet his most important work area.

"That's" -- huff -- "enough Alex," she rasped, out of breath.

Alex was secretly grateful. Her constant trembling was making it hard to keep standing and his arms were tired. "It was my pleasure to serve," he lied. That smell was really strong now.

"But I need you..." her voice was so strange and her sentence didn't sound finished.

"You need me to do what?"

"I need you to" -- huff -- "fill me." Her eyes radiated something evil.

Alex misinterpreted that statement as her declaration that she was going to eat him, what with the big fangs and all. "Please don't, I d-don't taste very good!" he panicked.

Chrysalis tittered lightly. "That's okay, it doesn't care about flavor."

Chrysalis suddenly flipped herself over and sent Alex flying into the air. He screamed for a few seconds, but Chrysalis stopped that when she grabbed him with her magic. She was sitting on her haunches now with Alex floating in front of her face, a mischievous smile stretching ear to ear as she blew a hair out of her eyes and licked her lips. She made sure to let her mouth dangle open, allowing her warm moist breath to engulf him. His whole body began to feel sticky after a few waves. As Chrysalis's mouth began to open wider, she moved it towards his shaking form.

Alex's mind flooded with images of being devoured while his pitiful pleas and begs for mercy were ignored. Chrysalis had no intention of eating him however, now or ever. She actually intended, or rather needed, to get him wet. Her snake like tongue pushed through her lips and tapped Alex's back legs. Both of them froze. Chrysalis would have giggled if her tongue hadn't been sticking out of her mouth. She moved the slick organ towards him again and slathered his back legs in her saliva, then she back away an inch as she processed his flavor. He wasn't a fine delicacy, but he wasn't too bad either. A mediocre taste in her opinion. Again she pressed her muzzle towards him, but this time she ran her tongue from the bottom of his hooves to the top of his head, leaving sticky drool across his whole body.

Chrysalis's breath seemed to explode from her mouth while her huge tongue ran up his body and Alex shivered in a confused form of delight and fear. His short fur was already pressed down from the weight of her spit, but she wasn't done with him yet. She licked his entire body over and over. Each time moving a little faster than the last, as if his soaked fur offered less and less resistance to her tongue's movements. Chrysalis gave a satisfied sigh when she finally moved him away from her face. Alex was dripping and hot.

She smiled at him and explained. "Now that you're nice and slick, you'll slide in smoothly."

Alex was a little less afraid of being eaten alive, but now he was curious as to what she was talking about. Unfortunately, Chrysalis failed to go into further details before she leaned back and spread her rear hooves. Alex couldn't help but look down and he also couldn't help but feel excited at the sight. Chrysalis's perfect lips were slick, positively oozing, and he could practically see it quiver with the need to be filled by something big, round, and meaty. Then, as if trying to make the moment last, Chrysalis began to lower Alex to her marehood, slowly.

Alex stared at what was to become his fate as it advanced on him, the impulse to struggle failing to take hold. Chrysalis was holding in a desire to squeal even though this would not be the first time she had sex by a long shot. It would be the first time she used her partner like a dildo though. She held Alex outside her lips for a moment as they swelled and pulsed in-tune with her heartbeat. Alex continued to stare with transfixed horror at the cave slightly taller than himself, the smells from earlier piercing the air and overwhelming his brain.

But just as she was about to push him in, a voice from far away made her stop. Chrysalis tried to stomach her currently unprepared voice as she answered its call. "Who is there?!"

"Your generals demand your presence, my queen. A new battle strategy has been proposed and it requires immediate review."

Chrysalis proceeded to argue with him, almost commanding him to give her more time alone. He was a lowly servant who wasn't even brave enough to enter her home, but he still protested with determination. Apparently, he cared more about the lives of his fellow changelings then he did his own. Meanwhile, Alex was left floating mere inches from Chrysalis's clitoris, which was large and bulbous with sexual desire. Alex's body betrayed his rebellious mind as his own crotch began to burn with the same needs. His blush spread to his whole face as he attempted to cover himself and look away.

Chrysalis snarled and ground her teeth like a rabid animal. There was nothing she could do. Her presence was not an option at the meeting and she would have to leave now. Saying she was mad would be the understatement of the century. Almost throwing Alex onto the other side of the bed, she jumped up and staggered for a moment. Her face was practically on fire with rage. She was going to go down to that meeting and smash some heads in if it wasn't a darn good plan they'd come up with.

As she exited the bedroom, she took a last glance back at Alex on the sheets. "We'll pick up where we left off when I get back tonight."

She stormed out of the room with imaginary smoke shooting out of her ears. Alex could only lie on his back in shock as he went over the events that had just occurred in his mind. There was no longer any doubt about it. Queen Chrysalis intended to have sex with him despite the clear size difference. Maybe sex was the wrong word. Maybe it was better to say: she was going to use him as a living dildo.

With that in mind, a simple line of thinking began to form. "I've got to get out of here..."

Chapter 6 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, informative, clean

Alex laid on the bedsheets for awhile. His breathing had long since been tamed, but his mind still raced. He was conflicted about what to do. If he stayed he would get to sleep with, not just a woman, but a queen. Then there was the risk of dying in the process. Or what about the fact that she was just using him to fulfill her own sexual fantasies? She didn't really care about him, she only cared about herself and that was no less hurtful to Alex.

He rolled onto his hooves and observed how the bed stretched in all directions for a ways. He still couldn't use magic and he hadn't gotten a chance to ask her about it. Groaning, he looked up. If this was a home there had to be a door, right? He just had to find the darn thing. With a goal now in mind Alex began his intense search by unfurling his wings...

The kitchen had high counters and a fridge, but no door. The tub room was big and smooth, but it didn't have a door. The bathroom had a toilet and a sink of a slightly altered design, but no door. The study had lots of knowledge locked away in books he was too small to move, but no door. Alex was getting hysteric at this point. There had to be a way out of this place!! His last options were the empty room and the living room, but the living room only had two couches and a small coffee table. So Alex turned around and headed for the empty room. It was the only place left. The exit had to be there.

...it wasn't...

Alex screamed as he flailed his hooves in the air. How was this possible? How could you have a house with no windows and no entrance? It was impossible. Alex was trapped in a bubble with no way out. His captor would be returning soon and he did not want to see her again, especially after her last threat, but how was she getting in and out? Alex simply couldn't wrap his brain around the paradox, there must have been a loophole somewhere in this conundrum. So he began searching every nook and cranny in the empty room, suspecting there was a button or a secret switch somewhere.

While pressing against one of the walls, Alex found his hoof suddenly passed right through the solid rock. "What was that?" he asked no one in particular, stepping back to analyze his hoof. He looked at the wall again and tilted his head. Something about this wall was wrong now that he focused on it. The colors didn't quite match the rest of the room and it seemed unnaturally grainy. Alex approached it cautiously and pressed his hoof against its surface again. He expected to hit a solid substance but instead his body phased into the solid mass. He fell over from the unexpected event and landed with a muffled smack on a dusty stone floor.

Looking up from his position on the floor, only a foot in front of him was a massive black door. It was made of a sturdy looking metal and had ridiculously complicated looking patterns scratched into the metal. Like hieroglyphics from Egypt, they appeared to be some kind of picture writing. All thought came to a standstill when Alex realized something. He'd just moved right through a wall. Quickly getting up, he turned around and found said wall was gone and that he could see into Chrysalis's home no problem. His first thought was that of relief now that he'd found a way out that had obviously been hidden from him. On the other hand, he may have broken the illusion. In other words, when Chrysalis returned, she'd immediately know he had escaped.

He'd have to work fast then.

Alex rammed the dark metal and pushed as hard as he could. It didn't budge. Alex pressed his front hooves against the door and he kicked his back hooves with all his might. The door stayed closed. Looking up, he immediately saw the problem: a large door knob and deadbolt. He was not going to be opening this door unless he could get up there and turn the lever on the deadbolt and the knob.

Alex landed on one end of the bar that was the deadbolt, but a new problem reared its ugly head. The seesaw sized metal bar refused to move. Alex's heartbeat began to intensify as he jumped up and down on the end of the latch, but it soon became clear that his micro weight just wasn't enough to turn the latch. He'd need help if he was going to even undo a lock. Then there was the doorknob itself. How was he supposed to turn it when it was twice his size? Alex quickly thought about going under the door, but remembered unfortunately that the door fit perfectly in its frame and there was no space to do so. Unless he could shrink several times smaller, not even his hoof would be sneaking under the door.

Alex was laying on the table in the study, his head hanging over the edge as he looked to the floor below. His desperation and fear had turned into depression and hopelessness. Suicide was actually going through his head. Ironic that he had wings yet contemplated jumping to his death. Assuming Chrysalis's meeting was going to end at five o'clock, he had less than ten minutes to make up his mind. Alex couldn't bring himself to fall however. His fear of dying was stronger than his fear of Chrysalis. He did have the reassurance that when he left the door, the wall illusion came back. Apparently you could only see it from one side.

Sighing in defeat, Chrysalis would indeed get her way and Alex cast all thoughts of just letting himself die aside. It wasn't like he'd ever actually have gone through with it anyway. But if he wasn't able to escape, through death or otherwise, what was he going to do? Was Chrysalis's toy his only possible future?

His sad circle of thoughts suddenly halted when the sound of an iron door opening and closing was heard far away...

Alex was as confused. Chrysalis seemed to be lost in her own mental world as he scrubbed her runway sized back in the bath once more. Whenever he looked at her eyes, they seemed distant, like something was on her mind. Alex guessed that something at the meeting had really gotten to her. For a moment he wanted to comfort her, but he almost slapped himself outright for thinking that way a second later. She was his enemy, why should he want her to feel good ever? Alex suddenly shivered as an image of an angry Chrysalis flashed through his head. Maybe it was a good idea to keep her happy. So he kept scrubbing her back as he had been taught to do. The only difference being she wasn't paying attention to his work. Not even when he stood at the top of her hindquarters did she register that he was done. Alex figured she was just distracted and waited a few moments. The air was thick with steam and the smell of exotic flowers and he kind of enjoyed just sitting there. But he quickly became bored.

"My Queen?" he called out to her.

Chrysalis gave a sudden jump that made Alex flip off into the water. "What are you doing? Where did you go?" she asked.

Her nice rounded rump and long perky tail were obscuring her view of him. He had to swim around before calling out again. "Here my queen!"

"Are you done?" she asked with an angry scowl.

"Yes, your royal back is all clean!" he declared while trying to stay afloat.

"Good," she said simply before she levitated him out of the bath water.

She placed him on the rim of the tub while she rinsed out her fur and Alex waited patiently to see what she'd do next. He had a few questions that he wanted answered, but he didn't want to poke her the wrong way. He'd wait until they were back in her bedroom... assuming she didn't want to do other things there.

Some time later, when they were back in her room, Chrysalis adorned the strange green robe from before. The fluffy black feathers along the edges were funny looking to Alex, and just like last night, she curled up on top of the sheets and left Alex in the center of her half circle. However, her attention was not on him exactly. Again, her eyes had that thousand yard stare. Alex nervously rubbed his arm before he began asking her his questions.

"May I ask you a few things?"

She shook her head as if to clear it. "What?"

"May I ask you about this world?" he lowered his head slightly.

"You may," Chrysalis sighed.

"Why can't I levitate anything?"

She looked at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. "You are a changeling. Changelings can transform. If you have disguised yourself as a creature without a horn then you cannot use magic."

"How do I use magic?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes slowly. "You have to make your horn reappear," she huffed.

Alex mentally prepared for his next question. "What happens to me after you win this battle?"

She looked at him for a moment. "You will get a bigger home, a better home, a castle. And we will be all powerful!" she smiled to herself.

"But I won't be free?" He immediately regretted asking that.

"You don't enjoy making your queen happy in a way no other can!?" she spontaneously erupted.

"Of course not my queen, I love pleasing you! It's just that I would like to go outside and see this new world is all!" Even Alex was surprised with how fast he rambled that out or how convincing it sounded.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow and sunk back a little. "Do you have any other questions?" she asked quietly.

"What happened at the meeting?" he asked her cautiously.

She thought before answering. "There was a bit of trouble with the plan. Apparently, our enemy found out about the attack and is bolstering their defenses in preparation. A new battle plan is being thrown together at the last second to try and compensate for this little... complication."

Alex considered himself lucky. It seemed news like that soured Chrysalis's mood and made her only interested in sleep.

Chapter 7 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, insertion, unwilling

Alex slept in his usual place under Chrysalis's arm. This time however, when she woke up so did he. She took care not to squash him as she rolled out of the bed and slowly hobbled out of the room. Alex wasn't complaining and decided to just lay there and see what she wanted to do today. He obviously didn't have any plans, other than figuring out how to transform so he could start levitating things. Or try to.

Chrysalis wasn't a morning person but she wasn't being mean either. She looked almost defeated. Her face was neutral as she did her hair, which included all her fur, and adorned the armor she had worn the day before. When she was ready, she double-checked, as if she was afraid she had forgotten something. Eventually she was satisfied that her look was complete and returned to her chambers to begin explaining the course of events for the day.

"I have another meeting today and this one promises to be a long one," both her voices said monotone.

"What does that mean for me?" Alex asked rather rudely.

"It means that I will not be back for lunch and probably at the normal time either. In other words, you will be here alone all day." She switched to another more mischievous tone suddenly, "but I know how you hate being alone. So I arranged some company for you today!"

Alex didn't like the sound of that. "Who?"

"She is one of my servants. Very loyal and always willing to do whatever task she is assigned. Like all my changelings actually." Chrysalis mused over that for a second.

"I don't mind being alone!" Alex tried to reason with her.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying my thoughtfulness was wasted?"

Alex tensed, how should he respond to that? "Uh... well... you see... I... it's just... uhm... I don't need... your offer is... umm... NO! I would love some company while you're away!"

Chrysalis smiled joyfully. "Good! I have to collect a few papers from my study before I leave, she should be here before then."

Alex groaned, Chrysalis always seemed to get her way. Seeing how she was a queen she was probably use to it. Didn't royalty always get what they wanted? Nevertheless, she was right about her arrival. Alex was sitting on the desk while Chrysalis collected books from the few shelves when another changeling came in unannounced. She looked just like what Alex expected for obvious reasons. She was normal sized and she had long flowing hair that looked kind of like seaweed. This new changeling's horn was like stone column to Alex and her eyes were like lifeless boulders. Her hoof falls shook the floor, but as far as changelings went, she was actually pretty average.

"Alex, meet Apple. Apple, this is Alex!" Chrysalis pointed to the two in turns with a warm smile on her face.

Alex wasn't sure how to greet this creature, but he thought her name was kind of funny. "Uh, hi... Apple."

She stared at him coldly for a few seconds, as if deciding how best to rip him apart. Then her face lit up into a huge grin. "Why hello ALEX!!" she screamed practically at the top of her lungs.

Alex slammed his hooves down on his ears to keep his head from exploding. She could be really loud when she wanted to be, especially for him. "Can you lower the volume? You nearly made me deaf," Alex moaned in pain.

"Oh, sorry." She blushed. "It's just -- you're Alex!"

"That's my name, don't wear it out now," Alex joked for the first time since becoming a changeling.

"You're the Personal Attendant to the Queen!"

Alex looked over at Chrysalis, who was still in the room. "Uh, yeah. That makes it exciting to meet me?"

"Well duh. You're like, the highest ranking changeling in the hive!"

"Guess I never thought of it that way," Alex answered nervously. Being a slave was a privilege?!

Chrysalis joined in. "Apple is going to teach you all you need to know about being a changeling Alex. Can't have my little assistant being a dumb-dumb now can we."

"Yeah, we can't have that!" Apple agreed.

Chrysalis went into another room and began organizing the wealth of information she had collected from her library. Apple smiled down at Alex strangely. It almost seemed forced.

"So... where should we begin?" Alex asked.

"Different changelings have different jobs in the Hive. The Hive is our home and our family, in case you didn't know. There are miners, scouts, scavengers, soldiers, nurses, the queen, and you," she pointed at Alex.

"Me?" he put a hoof to his chest as he stepped back.

"You're the only Personal Attendant in the Hive! You have the great honor of serving Chrysalis herself!"

"I'm still here you know!" Chrysalis yelled from the other room suddenly.

"Forgive me my Queen, I meant no disrespect," Apple yelled back. When Apple saw Alex's confusion, she tried to explain. "Only those with permission from Chry--I mean the Queen--are permitted to say her name within earshot of her."

"What about me?"

"You're her favorite, of course you can say her name," she said while rolling her eyes.

"All this time I've been calling her, 'the Queen,' " Alex huffed.

"It's more respectful. Your position is, of course, the one all of us want. To serve the Queen so personally... is a dream." Apple seemed to slip into another world.

"Okay~ that's nice." Alex began to suspect this girl was crazy. All the other changelings must have been too.

She shook her head when Chrysalis made an announcement about leaving. A second later, Alex heard a distant heavy door slam, signaling her departure. Apple smiled mischievously and looked down at Alex. "Tell me everything that you've done with Chrysalis."

Alex wasn't sure that was a story for anyone else's ears. "I'd rather not recall it."

She stomped a hoof violently. "Why does someone as pathetic as you get to be with Chrysalis all the time?! You weren't even born a changeling!" she accused him angrily.

"I didn't ask to be--"

"And now you add insult to injury!? You ungrateful little worm," she hissed. Her shadow began to lumber over him threateningly. "Now that our queen is gone, I'm going to get what I want from you."

Alex gulped, this could be bad. "What do y-you want?"

"You've been with Chrysalis in the bath?"

"Y-yeah..."

"You've slept in her bed with her?"

"In a manner of speaking..."

"Have you had sex yet?"

"NO!!!" Alex yelled up at her. And he sure didn't want to.

Unfortunately for Alex, she took his extreme protest as a sign that he had and she began to steam with rage. "Why do you get such... such an *honor*."

"But I haven't--" she cut him off when she seized him in her hoof.

Alex was held a few inches in front of Apple's enraged eyes. "I want to be with Chrysalis, but you get her instead?" The way she said it suggested more than just being in the same room.

"It's not my fault," Alex begged. Thoughts of death and torture were running through his mind.

"No, it isn't. But you will give it to who rightfully deserves it."

Alex was confused by that. "What does that mean?"

"If I mate with you, it will be the next best thing to mating with Chrysalis."

Alex's mouth hung open. "I thought you were a girl?"

"I am."

Now Alex knew for certain she was a loon. "You can't do this, if Chrysalis finds out--"

"And you'd tell her?" she asked while raising an eyebrow threateningly.

"I don't want to do anything with you!" Alex cried.

"That's enough out of you bug. I want pleasure and you *will* give it to me!"

Apple quickly made her way to the tub room, levitating him behind her. Alex wasn't sure why they'd come here, wasn't a bed more comfortable? Why was he even considering that!? She was about to rape him and he was worried about her comfort?

Apple sat in the tub with her back pressed against a wall. She lowered Alex the floor as she spread her rear hooves. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, which would you prefer?" she taunted him from above. He could already see her lips beginning to drip and she was breathing more erratically.

"Please don't make me--"

"Okay, it's the hard way!" she boomed.

Alex suddenly felt his whole body go stiff as she cast a spell on him that made his arms stick straight ahead and his legs straight behind. He was like an arrow as he lay helplessly on the floor before a horny, changeling, lunatic, rapist. Apple grinned evilly as she lifted him and positioned him outside her entrance. She wasn't interested in foreplay or games, she just wanted the satisfaction of their two bodies joining in the sacred art of sex. In moments, she'd come as close to Chrysalis as she probably ever could. It wasn't the queen herself, but it was still going to be a life changing experience.

Apple took a second and let her lips spread a little more as she filled with juices. She wanted to have a smooth sliding action, not a rough and forceful one. Maybe she would try that some other time, for now the goal was all that mattered. Alex's heart was racing faster than any car engine. Apple's vagina was dripping, and the smells that burst forth were overwhelming his brain. He was afraid he'd pass out if he didn't get some fresh air soon. Thoughts of what would happen once he penetrated her were even worse. Once she got going, he could be crushed or drowned. Or both!

Alex couldn't even speak as Apple began. Slowly and carefully, Alex glided forward, his body moving towards a cave unknown to him before by a force he had no chance of overpowering. Alex's front hooves just tapped Apple's lips and she immediately stopped to gasp. Just his touch was like hot electricity. She caught her breath and began to push him forward again. His hooves slid past her lips as he pushed forward. Inch by inch he entered a moist tunnel that was steeped in strong smells his senses had never been assaulted with before. The end of Alex's nose pressed its way into the giant creature as she moaned in ecstasy above. Apple's massive lips squished their way around his tiny head and eyes, then began soaking him to the bone. Her cream was thick and sticky and left an icky feeling on his coat. None of that mattered to Apple though, she wasn't even getting started yet.

She pushed him in faster and harder so that his shoulders quickly slipped inside and his torso followed suit. Alex's mind was in full panic. His death could come at any second. What if her body swallowed him up and ate him. Could a vagina do that? His mind was so racked with fear, he couldn't think straight. Apple stopped pushing Alex in when his back legs were all that remained outside her. He found breathing difficult in the confined space and the musty air wasn't helping either. There was a pause where nothing seemed to happen when Alex suddenly felt himself being pulled back out. He almost wanted to cry. It was over.

In a matter of seconds his torso was reemerging, but then he mysteriously stopped. That was odd, why wasn't Apple pulling him the rest of the way out? Didn't she get what she wanted? Alex's shoulders and head were still pinned by Apple's lips and she was sitting perfectly still. He heard a tiny gasp from above as she began moving him back in, his front hooves still stuck pointing directly ahead like he was diving into her body. When Alex's back legs were all that remained outside once more, he stopped abruptly again. Then he started to slide backwards with a loud squelching noise. Then stopped just before his head popped out. Then he heard Apple giggle, "I think I'm ready to get started now."

And so his torment began.

Alex's first moments had been scary and confusing, but now he felt almost like he was going to lose his lunch. He was suddenly sent flying back and forth so fast he was sure he was experiencing zero gravity. With time Apple's speed only seemed to increase. On top of that, Apple's walls continuously tightened around him, threatening to splatter him. And on top of that, he realized with horror that the level of cream in the tunnel kept rising, forcing him to hold his breath each time she pushed him inward.

It couldn't last forever and Alex prayed to any higher being that could possibly be watching him as Apple climaxed. He suddenly froze in place as her walls mercilessly pressed in on him. It was like being thrown into a black hole while the sound of rushing water assaulted his ears. Looking dead ahead, he was still held in darkness as an unseen liquid smashed into him, and like a corked bottle, he blocked its escape for a moment before being popped out of the way. Apple had finally released her magic grip on him and he came shooting out of her with a river of her juices following close behind.

Alex was left on the ceramic floor of the tub, soaked to the core in the nectar of a crazed pony/insect hybrid. She seemed completely unaware of him as her head leaned off to the side, her eyelids fluttering, her tongue hanging out. If Alex didn't know better, he might have said she was dead... or close to it...

Author's Note

I know I'm bad at names, stop pestering me!

Chapter 8 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, suggestive

Alex lay on the floor of the tub still covered in Apple's juices as she came down from her orgasm. She felt like an ancient childhood dream had just come true. Although she didn't care for Alex at all, she did care about his ability to bring her closer to Chrysalis. Alex, on the other hoof, was trying to figure out how making love to him was like making love to Chrysalis. It reminded him of an old story his parents had told him when he "came of age".

It's like each one of us has a bag of marbles that are unique to ourselves. When we have sex with another, we exchange one of our marbles for one of theirs. In this way, we now have a part of them and they have a part of us. If Alex had sex with Chrysalis, then he had some of her "marbles" and Apple had a chance of getting them if she then mated with him too.

...He still thought she was crazy though...

Apple left Alex on the rim of the tub as she proceeded to clean up. She had wisely done the deed in the tub so she could simply run some water and the evidence would be washed away in seconds. She wasn't sure whether Chrysalis would actually be mad or not, but it didn't hurt to cover her tracks. Once the tub was cleared of any liquids that weren't water, she realized that they both would need a bath to rid themselves of the smell. Alex would have no choice but to obey her now. She had already asserted her power over him after all.

As she plugged the tub and filled it, Alex continued to lay there like a wet noodle. Apple's juices were drying into his coat and leaving him feeling crusty and gross. When the tub was full, Apple dove in head first. A wave rushed across the surface of the water and lapped at the edges of the bath, splashing Alex lightly and making him raise his head in recognition of the alien touch. Apple quickly did a lap around the tub before she approached him.

"Get in," she demanded.

"Why?" Alex asked foolishly.

"If Chrysalis finds out what we did, she might not like you anymore," she warned him simply.

It only took Alex a second to dive in. He sure didn't want Chrysalis to be mad at him, even if it wasn't his fault. Keeping her in a good mood was key to survival. Keeping Apple happy was also pretty high on his priority list right now too. If she wasn't happy, she wasn't afraid to kill him outright.

Alex was trying his best to relax as he laid on the bed. Apple had apparently brought her diary and was writing down her experience in the other room. She had a towel wrapped around her head, something Alex never did understand. Why not just let your wet hair dangle, was it a style thing women always did? Maybe it made them feel cool. It always looked silly to him. Alex let his wet hair just sag on the sheets.

Apple came into the room with a smile on her face. "I see you're feeling good," Alex commented.

"I am. You've brought me even closer to Chrysalis." Her face suddenly darkened. "But you still spend hours on end with the queen, despite not being a true changeling."

"I didn't ask to be here!" Alex protested, but her gaze only hardened more. "I just want to go home, okay?"

"What, you want me to help you find a way home?" she turned her head away from him slightly.

"YES! Please, that's all I want." She stared at him. "I don't want to be Chrysalis's *toy* anymore. Just help me get home and you can do whatever you want."

"No. You can still bring me the pleasure I deserve from Chrysalis. I hate that you get her instead of me, but that's okay. I can just take it from you afterwords."

"I don't understand you, are all changelings like this?" he whined.

"Yes. We all dream of serving the Queen in greater ways. Meanwhile, you get to serve her in the most personal way possible."

Alex looked down as a tear ran over his cheek. "Will I ever go home?"

"So what should we do with the rest of our time together?" she asked herself, paying no attention to Alex's crying. Then she had an idea. "History is a good place to start. The Queen doesn't want you to have a small brain."

For the next few hours, Apple filled Alex in on all Equestrian history. Most of it was dribble while some of it was actually pretty interesting. He tried his best to listen and hold his emotions down, figuring Chrysalis expected him to know this material. The stories about Discord in particular were the most disturbing though. How could he reverse gravity in some places but not for the whole world? On the other hand, the tales of Nightmare Moon made sense to him. A mare who felt unappreciated going mad to try and force others to love her just seemed to click for him. When Apple explained that Celestia and Luna raised and lowered the sun and moon respectively, he found it oddly easy to accept. He was only two inches tall so it shouldn't have been hard to accept anything at this point.

Inevitably, Apple got bored recalling her entire history class for a bug and in no time she had covered the more well-known bits. It was already 5:30 pm and nearing the end of her shift to watch Alex.

"Looks like it's the end of our time together. Chrysalis will be here soon. Now try and enjoy your time with her." Apple smiled suggestively as she left.

Alex sighed and let himself collapse on the bed. Chrysalis came home a few minutes later with a satisfied expression. When she saw Alex, she tilted her head to the side.

"What's wrong?" She didn't sound like she actually cared though.

"I just had a very... informative day is all."

Chapter 9 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, plot building

Like last time, Chrysalis checked every room of the house while Alex prepared himself to bathe her. He knew it was her routine to get clean when she got home, but he wasn't sure about her need to check every room. Last time he had assumed she had been searching for him, but now it seemed like she had other intentions.

Chrysalis returned and prepared to levitate Alex behind her, but he stopped her. "I can fly now you know."

His rude statement earned him a cross look from Chrysalis. "Then follow me to the bath," she commanded.

Alex cringed at his own words. How could he have let such a thing slip? He had to remember his place. Flying after her, he made a mental note to keep his mouth shut for a while.

In the tub room Chrysalis turned on the water as usual before taking off her crown. She shook out her mane as she waited and deposited the royal headpiece on the shelf. Alex waited beside the strange thing where she had put him the first time. Once the tub was full of steamy hot water, she shut off the spouts with a quick flick of magic. Chrysalis then gingerly tested the water before taking a small hop into the deep end. She lowered herself and let the water soak into her skin. Her tail drifted in unseen currents and her mane turned dark green as it absorbed the crystal clear liquid. Alex waited for her to get his washcloth and soap, but she seemed determined to take as long as possible.

Chrysalis squirted the gooey soap into the water and stirred the bath with her magic. Now with the towers of bubbles spread across the liquid surface, she hummed and took deep breathes of the pleasant aroma. From somewhere on the lower shelf she produced a candle and lit it with her horn. In seconds, the room filled with a sweet scent Alex could only describe as flowery. Finally, Chrysalis pulled out his trademark washcloth and soap chunk, leaving both on her back for him in a clear invitation to get started. Alex automatically swooped in to do the job he was assigned.

With the air full of steam and the smell of flowers as he worked, Alex busied his mind thinking over his situation once again. He was in a spectacular world full of monsters and magic. Changelings were just one of the many powerful species on this planet and Chrysalis intended to topple one of the other empires and take love itself from its people. She hadn't explained why this war was necessary though. She seemed well fed and strong, so it didn't seem like they were suffering from some kind of famine. But what did he know. Didn't royalty always get the best even when everyone else suffered?

"Did Apple teach you all Equus's history?" Chrysalis asked suddenly.

"I think. She focused a lot on a country called Equestria." Alex said in the most respectful tone he could muster. His earlier slip of the tongue still fresh on his mind. He'd have to make up for it.

"Of course she would," Chrysalis scoffed. "That's who we're going to war with. Not to mention the largest and most powerful nation today."

"Then why are you challenging them?" Alex asked, confused.

Chrysalis looked at him. "For their power of course. If I defeat Equestria, I will be in control of the most powerful kingdom ever." She grinned toothily. "I'll make my mother awfully proud with that, now won't I."

"How do you intend to defeat them?"

Chrysalis glanced at her almost cleaned back. "Are you hungry?" she asked out of the blue, totally changing the subject.

"Uh... yes?" Alex answered, thrown off balance by the question.

"I'll explain my reasons over dinner then." And that was the end of their conversation. At least until they had something to eat.

She had told him that changelings didn't eat food. Her exact words being, "food gives our bodies minimal, if any, energy." So her skill at preparing an actual meal was pretty bad. For herself, she had a glass of wine and some kind of steak which appeared burnt. She gave Alex a small bowl of water and a plate of various berries and nuts. Alex was in the mood for meat, but he wasn't complaining. He was supposed to eat emotions anyway.

Chrysalis ate slowly and carefully, thoroughly cutting her steak into small bites and making sure they were thoroughly separated before raising them to her mouth. Her use of a fork and knife made little sense to Alex when she was just going to levitate them anyway. Chrysalis would take a tiny sip of her wine between bites that he was sure were too small for her taste-buds to even register. Alex tried to eat with as much civility as she did, but it just didn't fit him. If he had something he actually wanted to eat, he probably would have been able to maintain the masquerade of civility. But strawberries were never something he enjoyed and, now that they were almost as big as him, he still found their flavor undesirable. Grapes were okay, and the cherries tasted good, but Alex didn't even touch the different nuts.

Chrysalis began what was going to be an interesting conversation. "Do you really want to know why I must take control of Equestria?"

Alex looked up at her. "Yes, my queen. Why are you going to war?"

Chrysalis eyed a bite of steak as she levitated it in front of her face. "Its the same reason as before, but there's more to it." She looked down at him, hate in her eyes. "I need to destroy them."

Alex flinched. "You're doing this for revenge?"

"Revenge? No." She looked at the ceiling for a moment. "Look around. Is this a palace fit for a great queen?"

Alex already knew what her dining room looked like, but he let his eyes roll over the walls for appearance's sake. "No my queen. This is a cave."

"EXACTLY!" Chrysalis slammed a hoof down on the table as she blew out Alex's eardrums with her roar. "Changelings have always been left in the shadows of history despite all we've done. We are powerful and many, yet we feed on scraps!" she raged.

"A-and y-you want to change that?" he asked, intimidated by Chrysalis's sudden outburst.

"Forever! Even the poorest pony eats more than an entire noble changeling family combined." Chrysalis ripped the steak out of the air with her fangs.

"Are you going to kill them?" Alex wasn't sure why he asked that. It was probably better than pointing out that changelings technically didn't need to eat in the first place.

She looked down at him like he had asked the dumbest question in history. "I'd be surprised if we didn't have to kill most of the ponies."

Alex winced at that, murder wasn't exactly something he took lightly. "If your race is so poor and weak, how can you win?"

Chrysalis was able to smile, surprisingly. "We may be on the lower end of wealth, but not on abilities. Did Apple tell you about the three different types of ponies?"

Alex took only a second to think about it. "Yes. There are Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns. But there are also three Alicorns. They are the royal blood of Equestria." A bit of pride bubbled up in him for remembering that.

"My children are all like alicorns, able to fly AND use magic. However, a true alicorn has far more magic than a regular unicorn. An advantage my children do not have the benefit of. I'll fix that problem myself, of course."

"You're going to fight three alicorns by yourself?!" Alex thought she had lost it for a moment.

"Of course not!" she retorted angrily, but immediately relaxed. "The original plan was to replace all of the Solar and Lunar guards with my changeling soldiers over a period of a few weeks. Then they'd all throw off their disguises and take the city in but a minute. Celestia and Luna would be outnumbered a hundred to one before they had a chance to even blink! But now that the entire city is surrounded in a forcefield, there's no way any of my children will be able to get in to begin with. To make things more complicated, some of my children are already inside, trapped behind enemy lines."

"So what are you going to do?" Alex found it strange that she was telling him all this so willingly, even if he wasn't going anywhere.

Her grin returned. "I'm going to Canterlot myself. I will be able to slip through their defenses and get close to Shining Armor through his bride."

"Shining Armor?"

"The one responsible for the shield," she explained casually. "Once his shield is down, the invasion can continue as planned."

"And I'll be left behind during the battle?"

"I can't have my Personal Attendant getting hurt now can I?" her smile turned mischievous.

"But why did you choose me, and how?" Alex's posture sank a tad.

"Hmm?"

"If your people are hungry and weak right now, how did you bring me here?"

Chrysalis chuckled. "You act like I actually had control of who the spell brought here. It was a dark magic spell I learned in an old book. It was supposedly published by Nightmare Moon herself, just before her banishment."

"I was chosen at random?"

Chrysalis lifted her wine glass and began to stir its contents. "Yes."

Alex felt a little light headed at that realization. He had been kind of hoping he had some deep inner power and that he was destined to be a hero or something... like in ALL Hollywood movies. But such an idea was crushed by that simple yes.

Chrysalis sighed after swallowing her sip of wine. "Are you done, or is there anything else you would like to know?"

Alex lowered his head. "Is there anything I can do to earn my freedom?"

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. Alex just wasn't going to give up on his freedom, but Chrysalis suddenly had an idea. "Are you really that desperate to go home?" He nodded in response. "Very well. When we win this battle, I'll send you home." Before Alex could begin celebrating and thanking her, she added some weight to the deal. "But you must serve me without hesitation. If you refuse to pleasure me when I ask for it, you'll stay here, with me, forever."

Alex could feel a drop of sweat run down the side of his head. That was some pretty steep terms considering what Chrysalis found to be pleasurable. Based on what Alex had seen, it wasn't much different from Apple's ideas of pleasure. Suddenly, he thought of something he could add to this deal that would be of benefit to him. "Will you never put me in the same room as Apple ever again?"

Chrysalis tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Fine." The corner of her mouth began turning upwards. "Just remember, you agreed not to refuse anything I ask of you."

Alex gulped again. He began to wonder if he had just made a huge mistake.

Chrysalis could only pat herself on the back. All this time she had wanted a willing assistant who would do all she asked and serve her in ways she had never been before. Now, Alex was making a deal with her that as long as she sent him home when she was ruler of Equestria, he'd do just that. She was curious why he didn't want to see Apple again, but it wasn't like it mattered right now. Maybe he just didn't like her voice or her personality.

Alex sat on Chrysalis's bed and waited for her, but now he was at an angle that he could see into her closet while she sifted through it. For some reason, all her nightgowns were the same green see-through robes with black feather trim. Despite that fact, Chrysalis acted like they were all completely different outfits and had to find the one that fit her current mood perfectly.

Alex wasn't paying her much attention though. His soul was full of hope that he'd go home when this was over. He had utterly no clue how he was going to tell anyone about this, but the feeling was strong and alive. All he had to do was survive four more days as Chrysalis's Personal Attendant, then however long it took her to win this battle.

"Just four days," he dreamed. Was Chrysalis going to have additional meetings with her advisers or was he going to be spending all that time with her now? Then there was another terrifying question. What if she lost the upcoming battle? How would that affect their deal?

These were going to be the most tense four days of his life and it all started as Chrysalis approached the bed for their third night together...

Author's Note

Forgive me for the time this took to publish. Been a little busy fighting off several computer virus infections. Long sob story short, my computer had to be wiped...so I've not been in a very good mood for the past 3 weeks.

Chapter 10 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, massage, foreplay, exploration, insertion, sex

Alex stood on the fluffy sheets with his back against the massive pillow while Chrysalis clawed her way towards him from the foot of the bed. Her movements caused the whole mattress to quake despite her taking it nice and slow, even fluttering her eyes like a true lover. Chrysalis hummed sensually and rolled her head about. She licked her delicate lips and inhaled deeply. Her clean ash colored fur tightly hugged her curvaceous body even as she crawled along. Alex knew what was coming and he couldn't help but reminisce to his experience with Apple. He felt a tremor of fear run through him as the bed rumbled with Chrysalis's latest step.

Once her head was hanging above him, she purred and smiled at him. "So how would you like this night to go? What kind of woman do you prefer?"

What did she mean, wasn't he supposed to do whatever she asked? "Do you mean... personality wise?"

Chrysalis chuckled lightly. "What kind of woman in the bedroom?" she asked suggestively.

"Uh..." Alex wasn't sure how to answer that.

Chrysalis huffed. "Do you prefer a dominant partner or a submissive partner?"

"Oh!" Alex's eyes lit up with understanding. She was letting him choose his own course again. To answer the question, he was always looking for a girl like himself that was kind of shy and secretive. "Uh, submissive... gentle," he tried.

"Obviously," Chrysalis lolled. "But are you sure you want us to do it like that?" her eyes flared with dark intent. "If I'm gentle, it could take some time for me to be satisfied. But if we get a little aggressive, it'll be over quickly and still be tons of fun."

Alex groaned, the decision just got more complicated. Gentle sex would last longer, but it would be less painful. Aggressive sex would be over and done with faster, but it was undoubtedly going to hurt... a lot. He never thought that he'd want sex to be over as fast as possible, but he also never thought there would be a real risk of dying in the process. Making love to a several hundred foot equine/insect hybrid also never crossed his mind before recent events either.

Since Alex wasn't sure which was safer, he decided on something in the middle. "Can we keep it... tame, at least?"

Chrysalis eyed him curiously. "Something in the middle huh?" Alex nodded. "Very well, let's get started then."

From a drawer in the nightstand by the bed, Chrysalis brought out what looked like boots in Alex's size. There were only two of them and he wasn't sure what they were for or how he'd keep them on. Chrysalis quickly dropped the boots in front of him and commanded him to wear them regardless. They were heavy iron and Alex didn't think he'd be able to travel far with these on his front hooves. They stretched almost to his elbows and the bottom was a bubble shape rather than a flat tread, which made standing in them difficult.

Alex analyzed them for a while as he tried to comprehend what these gauntlets could possibly have to do with pleasuring Chrysalis. She didn't agree with his idle gawking though and levitated him onto the back of her neck. Before he could voice his question she explained that the gauntlets were for massages. The gears clicked in Alex's mind and he immediately began to grind the metal shoes down on the very top of Chrysalis's spine, earning him an instant sigh from his massive caretaker.

"That's it Alex, just like that," she mumbled as she felt the metal cups work into her flesh.

Alex back-pedaled slowly and pressed the heavy movement restricting tools into the bones beneath Chrysalis's skin. The vertebrae just below his hooves were only a tad smaller than he was and he could rub both sides diligently. The gauntlets were simply there to amplify the massage, but he still had to press his weight on the spot.

"Too fast Alex, slow down a bit," Chrysalis instructed. Her eyes fluttered for a moment and her pleasure increased to new heights as Alex obeyed. She could get used to treatments like this, if only she'd had that spell book a long time ago. "Now I see why you like slow and gentle, it feels so good."

Alex was just passing her wings when they suddenly exploded outward, making him jump for a moment. After steadying his heart attack, he quickly went back to work and ignored the strange act. He was trying to regain his focus when Chrysalis suddenly arched her back and there was a great pop as her bones clicked together. Alex felt the weak snap below his hooves like it was a small earthquake. It was kind of creepy actually, but he was focused more on not rolling down the sudden hill that had been created.

Chrysalis carefully lowered herself down again and let out coos and moans as the muscles in her back were tended to. Alex had gotten so much better at his job in so little time it was amazing. He really had a knack for pressing his tiny hooves into just the right nooks and crannies of her spine to relieve the tension. She'd need to pop it again. As soon as she got a free moment, Chrysalis would have to stretch to complete the session.

Soon enough, Alex was making his way to Chrysalis's rump. Her fur rolled over it like a grassy hill and her tail twitched in anticipation of what was coming later. Her pussy was getting damp below and Alex was only a step away from bumping into the base of her tail. When he did run into it, she let out a gasp. Without hesitation, Chrysalis ordered Alex to continue down one of her cheeks. The metal shoes he wore continued to amplify the feeling of his work many times over as he pressed into the marshmallow fat of his queen's flank. A tail as wide around as a tree jumped around above Alex's head as he climbed down, rubbing all the skin he could along the way.

"Wait!" Chrysalis suddenly called. "Go back up," she managed to command through her ragged breathing. Alex complied and began to ascend her ass once again, moving even slower. Her skin squished under his hooves and Chrysalis shook with lust. Her wings buzzed sporadically and her tail danced. Her loins yearned for attention, but Chrysalis wanted to see if she could get anymore out of the massage first. Unfortunately, it seemed she had achieved the most she was going to get from this treatment.

Alex found the gauntlets made the work harder and he was beginning to sweat. The energy required was ridiculous. Even though he was tired, there was something wafting into his nose that aroused him and pushed him to keep going. He had smelled it before and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. He only blushed when he came to the crest of Chrysalis's behind however. He paused so his queen could catch her breath and tell him the next step of the journey.

"That was wonderful," Chrysalis sighed a final time. "Are you ready, my Personal Attendant?" she asked, looking back at him.

Alex gulped. "Yes." He didn't have a say anyway, he might as well not argue and make this more difficult than it had to be.

Her instructions were simple: get off and remove the shoes. Alex found that he was too heavy to fly with the gauntlets on and had to slide over Chrysalis to get down. Casting the boots over the side of the bed, he could just barely hear their heavy clanks on the floor below. As he turned around Chrysalis arched her back as high as she could, letting every single bone snap into place. The feeling was incredible as every vertebrae popped after the one before it like a string of falling dominoes. The rapid clicks of heaven were too much for her and she flopped down on the bed limp, tongue falling out of her maw.

Alex shot into the air a few inches--or a few feet from his perspective--as the bed tried to absorb the shock wave. Chrysalis was close to just passing out from sheer relaxation. She felt great, she felt like she could take on the world, she felt rejuvenated! There couldn't have been a better feeling in the world then this, right? Well she and Alex were going to find out in a moment...

Chrysalis took a few minutes to pull her mind together so they could continue. She inhaled deeply as she mustered the determination and strength to flip herself over and lay on her back like a human would, then she rubbed her back legs against each other lustfully as she eyed the object of her pleasure. Meanwhile, Alex's brain was desperately calling out to him with urges to run. Warning signals were blaring away that the time had come, he was about to make love with a creature many times bigger than a whale and who had yet to show any concern for him at all.

Was she going to make sure he lived? Probably. If she wanted to repeat this act some day in the future. Was she going to make sure he wasn't hurt whatsoever? Unlikely. She only cared for herself and she had brought him here for this explicit purpose.

His light sweating intensified and he could feel his heartbeat accelerate as Chrysalis spread her rear legs.

"Rub me," she commanded simply.

Alex made his way around one of her massive legs, walking as slowly as possible. By delaying a few more precious seconds maybe he could come up with an excuse to get out of this. Curving around her hoof, that was just taller than himself, his view was no longer blocked and he could see Chrysalis's delicate flower in full bloom. He paused and inhaled deeply while his body trembled. He actually had to force his hooves to move forward again as he approached her entrance. Towering above him, Chrysalis wore a lustful smile. Alex was only a dozen steps away now and he was sure he'd pass out if his pulse got any faster.

Alex sat down so he could free his front hooves for the work. It was hard for him to even begin when his nose was being assaulted by Chrysalis's arousal. The scent was like a combination of horrible vile odors and incredibly delightful ones. Like trying to smell fresh-cut grass while holding a rotting fish in your hands. Alex could feel himself gagging yet also trying to inhale as much of it as he could.

Chrysalis actually flinched when Alex's micro sized hooves touched her in her most delicate of places. His hooves moved up and down with only the occasional hiccup in their slow rhythm and Chrysalis sighed as he pressed against her lower lips more firmly. Strangely, Alex found himself drawn to the delicate pink flesh that was parting so carefully. As he moved his hooves up again, he saw the bulb that topped the living canyon. It was vibrating. Stretching his arm, he was able to just barely tap it. He wasn't sure why he was trying though, it must have been gut instinct.

Chrysalis gasped with pleasure as Alex caressed her nub. He took that as a good thing and tried his best to press into it with more weight. Unfortunately, Chrysalis's reclined position put her clitoris just a bit too high for Alex to get to. He had to stand on his hind hooves just to reach it and his angle was not sufficient to work it properly. His feeble attempts made Chrysalis coo, but it wasn't much better than when he worked only her vaginal lips. Figuring it wasn't worth the extra effort, Alex went back to her moistening sex, but she immediately protested.

"Don't stop that."

"I can't reach it," he complained.

Chrysalis sat up a little more, lowering her pleasure bulb, and Alex went back to work. He was feeling hotter and hotter and the smells were getting stronger. His head was swimming and he was feeling attracted to her like a magnet. Alex's own arousal began to appear from between his legs, but he didn't have time to feel embarrassed because Chrysalis could no longer hold back.

A hoof was suddenly pressed against Alex's back.

It wasn't crushing him, but he could definitely feel its weight. He pressed against Chrysalis as hard as he could in hopes she would remove her hoof, but instead it quickly smashed him against her dripping love. She was done letting Alex control their game and began to grind him into her slit. It felt oh so good. Up and down he went, gentle enough not to hurt him, but hard enough that she could enjoy it. Chrysalis's walls began to open up and Alex was pushed in head first. Her juices flowed around him and out into the open air in streams as her great hoof applied a steadily increasing pressure to force him inside. Her inner aroma exploded into his senses when Alex penetrated Chrysalis and it was making him nauseous. The tunnel of muscle pressed and flexed all around him, squeezing him as he slid forward. Chrysalis held her breath and bit her lip as Alex vanished into her sex, letting it close behind him. Then she delicately gripped him with her inner walls and lightly applied her magic to move him deeper.

Alex suddenly realized he had a full hard on. Should he let himself enjoy this? He wasn't sure, but his body certainly wanted to. Chrysalis didn't even notice as she got fully into it. Forward and back Alex went, faster and faster. Deep in he flew, stopped, and then went shooting back. It was gut wrenching, yet the feeling of those walls against his erection was amazing. Maybe he could enjoy this. A strange feeling of bliss soon soaked into him like the thick love juice he was bathed in.

With her hoof now rubbing her love, the liquid inside was having a hard time escaping. Alex sloshed through a thick river of cream with every motion which was every second thanks to Chrysalis's magic. The tunnel would squeeze randomly and his shaft was forced against the powerful walls. The impossible essence of Chrysalis had taken over his brain and he could no longer think. He mindlessly thrust at her tunnel and squirmed with lust. Why did he put this off for so long?

However, Chrysalis wanted her orgasm now.

One of her hooves ground away at her nethers like an industrial sander. The other gripped the bed sheets as if her life depended on it and her head bent backwards. Chrysalis was sweating and had to breath through her mouth as she let out whimpers and light cries. Alex could feel the pressure building and his "bath water" was rising all around him as everything got tighter and tighter. He wasn't sliding back and forth as easily anymore, but he was still moving just as fast. Right until he felt something deep inside erupt forward.

Alex came into Chrysalis. In that one brief moment, it was like all of heaven was poured into his mind to take the place of his seed as it was purged from his body. He had no sense of what was happening and his eyes rolled back in his skull for a few seconds. It was the best feeling in the world, but he didn't get to enjoy it for long. When the passage around him suddenly collapsed with all the weight of the universe he thought he'd just gotten to know, he snapped back to reality.

He was being crushed and he was drowning! Alex was exhausted and hardly able to move as it was. Now he desperately needed a breath of oxygen, but there was no air to be found and Alex began to see spots.

Was this the end?

No.

All at once he was falling. The goop around him seemed to disappear and he was thrust down onto the once clean sheet in Chrysalis's enormous orgasm. The viscous fluid rained down on his head like a shower as he tried to breath. He coughed and choked up the thick liquid as he reveled in the precious air and Chrysalis finished crying out as her flow ended above. Immediately, she fell back and took in gasps of air as well. Good idea, Alex thought. He let his legs collapse, allowing him to hit the bed with a splat. He was wet, tired, a little hurt, and very perplexed. That hadn't been so bad. At least not until the end.

Chapter 11 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, suggestive, story

It was morning and Chrysalis was in the bathroom doing her hair while Alex sprawled out on the bed staring at the dark ceiling. He felt really weird. He simply couldn't keep his mind off what had happened last night with Chrysalis. Why had he enjoyed it? It didn't make any sense, didn't he almost die? So why was he looking forward to doing it again? Was it just an animal instinct to reproduce? Had Chrysalis infected him with some pheromone? Maybe he was under a spell? The question just wouldn't go away.

In a desperate attempt to drive those thoughts away, Alex began drawing pictures using the intricate lines on the ceiling. He drew a bunny, the Statue of Liberty, a rather detailed dumpster, the Big Dipper, and a few pieces of furniture. He couldn't seem to find a sailboat though. When he tried to look for any kind of specific image, he was left frustrated. After several minutes his eyes started to hurt, but in the end Alex did succeeded in kicking the arousing images from last night out of his head.

Chrysalis returned to the room with a bit of a bounce to her step and a big smile on her face. "Well my Personal Attendant, I have some errands to run today and I have arranged for a new guardian to spend some time with you. He's a little old, but he should have some wonderful stories to tell."

"Who is he?" Alex asked as he sat up.

"He's a retired soldier. He isn't much use in a fight these days unfortunately," Chrysalis commented sadly. "You should find him to be interesting company nonetheless."

"What are you going to be doing in the meantime?"

"Just some small chores around the Hive." There was a look in her eye that suggested she was planning more than simple chores. "Maybe I'll give you a tour someday."

With some light tittering, Chrysalis made her escape from the room. Alex felt his gaze seemingly drawn to her jiggling flank as she bobbed out the door however. As soon as she had disappeared from view, he shook his head. "That was... different. She forced me to... and I'm..." Alex was a little mad at himself to say the least. He had just checked out Chrysalis's ass and now thoughts of their act were flooding his head again!

His self-punishment came to an abrupt halt when he heard a door open and a mumbled greeting. Apparently the retired soldier had arrived at the same time Chrysalis was leaving. He knew from his parents that it was rude to listen in on others conversations, so Alex respectfully waited for them to finish their grown-up talk in the other room. Fortunately, they didn't talk long before Alex had a rather intimidating changeling join him in Chrysalis's room.

He was almost as tall as Chrysalis and he had a long pale green mane that practically dragged along the floor. His legs were thick and there weren't many holes running through them. His wings were gone, probably torn off in a battle long ago judging from the scars engraved on his back. One of his eyes was a crisp ocean blue, but the other was a disturbing glowing orange color. The deep agonizing mark that began above the eye and continued bellow it made it obvious what had happened. If that wasn't enough, it looked like the top half of his horn had been cut off and replaced with a steel point. The metal on him didn't stop there either. From the knee down on his back left leg there was nothing but cold gray steel.

He also looked pretty angry while he stared down at Alex, who couldn't help but take a step back from this monster of a changeling as he came into the room. Alex hadn't exactly met a lot of them yet so he could safely say this was the most evil, dangerous, and downright scary looking changeling he'd ever seen. The way his eye shown in the dim light and how his powerful aged muscles bulged from his thick hide. Alex didn't need anyone to tell him this was a veteran of war.

Alex could have never predicted what happened next. The changeling of terror... smiled? It wasn't a smile of malice, hate, or even insanity. It was the smile of a friend, the kind of smile you'd wear after telling a funny joke. Alex blinked a few times as this new changeling greeted him.

"Why are you so tense, Alex? There's no need to be scared of me, I'm just here to keep a fellow changeling occupied. What kind of brother would I be if I was cruel to my own family?"

Alex took a moment to find his voice. "Family?"

He laughed long and deep. "Of course, we're all family. The whole Hive! I know you weren't born here, but that just means you're an adopted child. Which is still one of us. Now, my job these days involves passing what I know on to the youngsters, so I'm not about to treat you any differently then one of my pupils."

"You're a teacher?" Alex asked still bewildered about the way this changeling was acting.

"Yes. I'll have you know that I am quite knowledgeable. Not all old timers are reduced to vegetables you know." Alex barely registered the joke.

"So you're not, like, angry?"

He chuckled. "I guess you're saying that 'cause of how I look? Would you feel more comfortable if I backed up a little?" He suddenly realized that Alex had to crane his neck to make eye contact due to the size difference.

"Yes please." Alex said only after he'd started moving. "But what about my... relationship with Chrysalis? Doesn't that make you... hate me?" Apple was still fresh in his mind.

"Hey, we all have our duties in the Hive. Some of us just got better jobs than others." He suddenly became more serious. "But I'd appreciate it if you still called her by her title, Queen Chrysalis."

"Got it." Alex could understand, this guy had been a soldier and had an even deeper respect for Chrysalis then the others.

"Good. So what would you like to talk about. Or do? I really don't have a preference in the matter," he admitted as he looked around the room passively.

There was an awkward silence as Alex tried to think of something they could discuss or do and he was starting to relax at this changeling's laid-back attitude. "Well, you already know my name, so..." he didn't need to finish the question.

"Of course! Where are my manners? I am Oleander, Toxin Dropper of--you don't know what that is do you?" he stopped to ask.

Alex shook his head. "What's a Toxin Dropper?" His fear of this changeling had finally faded to curiosity. He wanted to know who this guy was and how he had gotten in such horrible shape.

"A Toxin Dropper is a soldier responsible for dropping chemical weapons on the enemy in a battle. As such, we need fast wings and a deep understanding of poisonous materials. You could say it's a dead art though." So he was like a bomber who only dropped poisons.

"Why?"

"Right after the idea was developed, countries all over the world started banning there use because it hurt the environment. I just had to be the one and only generation of soldiers that picked up the skill. I mean, they developed the weapon, then I signed up for the position, and five years later everyone starts telling me I can't use it! Totally messed up!" It seemed the topic really got him upset because he just kept going. "I became a Toxin Dropper because I wanted to deliver fear wherever I went, especially on the battlefield. But I never even got through boot camp before they told us we'd never be allowed to use our skill for the queen. I was only a foal when those weapons were made, I grew up dreaming of that power. How could they dangle it in front of my nose and then rip it away? What am I, a damn rabbit!? I was going to serve this Hive with pride and strength. No changeling was going to be higher or more feared than I! I was going to be great!" he declared.

Alex sat there for a while and let him vent. He was just glad Oleander was yelling more towards the ceiling than him. "Okay, I think you made your point."

"Huh?" he snapped out of his tirade like he'd been in a trance.

"If you trained for it, but could never use it, what job did you have then? What happened?" Alex figured that Oleander had never lived that dream of his.

"Oh, well... uh." Oleander shook his head to get the memories flowing. "All soldiers were required to learn the basics, so I was still considered a soldier... even if my specialty was illegal now," he grumbled. "I just couldn't really rise in the ranks very much because of it."

"Have you fought in any wars?" Alex asked as Oleander seated himself. His posture was odd with his fake leg not having a flexible ankle.

"No, not a single war. When a changeling says they're in the army, they almost always mean they are like peacekeepers. Or guards. We make sure there is no fighting within the Hive. Sometimes were sent out to capture rogue changelings or rescue changelings that get themselves caught. Unlike most other jobs in the Hive, we spend the majority of our lives here at home." Alex pictured Oleander as a police officer.

"If you're usually just a peacekeeper, why did you join for the war aspect? Wasn't that kind of--" Alex stopped himself from saying anything else. Oleander may have relaxed around him, but he knew it was best not to call him stupid and make him mad.

He nodded with a dark chuckle. "Yeah, I was kind of delusional and thought that as soon as I joined, we'd get involved in some kind of action with someone. Or somepony."

That reminded Alex of the current conflict Chrysalis was walking into by choice. "Chry--Queen Chrysalis--is going to war, are you going to fight?"

"No," he looked at his back and scowled at the stumps where two wings used to be. "I am useless now." He turned his head back to Alex with sadness in his eyes. "You know, it was the loss of these wings that made me retire. Better than having my commanders tell me to leave. The pony that did this..." Oleander drifted off into space staring at the floor.

Alex got the impression that Oleander liked to reminisce about the past, even if it made him emotional. So Alex interrupted him, "what about your eye and leg?"

He shook his head and sighed. "Some of our kind aren't as friendly as me. This eye," he pointed at the orange one with a hoof, "was caused by a little bitch named Apple."

Alex's jaw nearly fell off. "Where is she now?" he asked with concern rising in his voice.

"She's somewhere around here. She managed to convince everyone that being drunk is a viable excuse for stealing from a noble and gashing a soldier's eye out. I'm left blind in one eye and she gets to walk around bragging about how she hurt me using only a rock even while intoxicated!"

"How'd she even get ahold of alcohol?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It could have all been an act just to get attention, but that bottle she was holding sure didn't help her case in my book."

"Is she known for... being crazy?" Alex felt that they suddenly had something in common.

"Yeah, in a way. Do you know her?"

"Well," Alex paused. Was he going to tell Oleander what she had done to him? "She was my former guardian."

His eyes nearly popped. "WHAT!! Let me guess, you asked the queen to replace her after she threatened you a few times."

"Yeah," Alex thought he could leave it at that, no need to fill him in on all the details.

Oleander looked off to the side and smiled as he mumbled to himself. "So I pretty much took her prized job away from her. Now who's got something to brag about?"

Alex couldn't help but smile at his words. A trained soldier was competing with a lunatic for bragging rights. "So if you're not a soldier anymore, what do you do again?"

"I'm a teacher now." He seemed fine changing the conversation too. "I could have sworn I told you already."

Alex smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention. What do you teach?"

"Transformation, close combat, magic, flight, proper physical fitness, and good nutrition."

Alex's eyes lit up. "Did you say transformation and magic?!"

He nodded, looking a little confused at Alex's sudden excitement.

"CAN YOU TEACH ME!?" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Sure, I guess. Might be a good way to pass the time," he grinned.

Oleander had a thing for complaining and going on rants, but he was a god send. Not only did he also have a problem with Apple, but he was willing to teach Alex magic and transformation. Things were starting to look up.

Author's Note

Oleander is a poisonous flower

Chapter 12 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, magic, suggestive, belly rubs

"Visualize the form you wish to take. Make sure that no detail is overlooked or ignored." Oleander was clear and precise in his teaching. He also took things slow. It was the third time he'd given the instruction, but Alex hadn't gotten it right yet. According to Oleander, until he could transform at will, he couldn't learn basic levitation. Luckily for Alex, this was the last time Oleander would have to explain the process to him. After the green flames that had engulfed him several times before died down, he was left standing there with a fully functioning horn on his head. He didn't understand why he had to do a complete transformation if his horn was the only thing they actually wanted to change, Oleander just told him that's how it worked. But Alex had a feeling there was a more advanced branch of transformation to do small changes like that.

"Now, an important thing to note about transforming is its completeness. You change not only externally, but internally as well. In other words, it is almost impossible for you to change into a creature much bigger or smaller than your original form if you maintain the same density."

"If I'm so small, does that mean I can't change into, say, an owl?"

Oleander shook his head. "It's unlikely that'd you be able to turn into a very large owl at least. Now," Oleander suddenly perked up, "time to learn the magic of levitation!" He gestured to a feather on the table. "I want you to focus on that feather with your mind. Imagine an arm extending from your forehead--your horn--to reach out and grab it."

Alex thought that was a weird instruction, but did it anyway. He filled his mind with the feather, then he tried to imagine an arm coming out of his head to grab it. Sure enough, just like a professional, his horn started to glow along with the feather! Oleander smiled and waited for Alex to actually lift it now, and just like clockwork, he did. The feather rose several inches into the air and Oleander beamed with pride for his newest student. Levitation usually took only one or two tries to learn, but mastering control could hold students back for years.

Alex opened his eyes so he could see his work and smiled when he saw the feather floating above his head coated in a green aura. He had to strain himself to keep it up, but decided it wasn't worth doing for an hour straight. So he let the feather fall back to the table and took a breather. It was like he'd been holding his breath for two whole minutes.

"Good work," Oleander praised. "Practice that exercise for a few years and you may be able to lift a book."

"Oh ha ha," Alex laughed sarcastically.

"There is something you should know about that spell as well. The heavier an object, the more magic it'll take to lift." Before Alex could yell 'duh', Oleander had more to say. "But objects with a large surface area will also take more magic."

"Huh?"

"Imagine a building that only weighs a gram. Normal logic says that it would be easy to lift due to its impossibly low weight, but its massive size compounds the difficulty of actually lifting it. In reality such an object would take quite a bit of magic, much more than a paper clip of the same weight."

"So let me get this straight. If I had a paper clip and a building that somehow weighed the same amount, the building would still be many times harder to lift?"

"Exactly," Oleander confirmed. "It's a multiplication problem you see. Mass x Volume = the amount of magic needed to obtain lift." Oleander finished with his trademark grin.

"Oh, why didn't you explain it that way from the start?" Alex scoffed. He always found questions explained with a math formula simpler to understand.

"Most students find the math aspect confusing," Oleander stated matter-of-factly.

"What other spells can I do?" Alex jumped forward, ready to learn more.

"Well," Oleander tilted his head and hummed as he rubbed his chin. "Shields, fire, invisibility, and teleportation to name only a few you could learn."

Alex wasn't sure what he wanted to learn next, but before he could pick there was a knock at the door. Both Oleander and Alex looked down the stone hall with confusion. Who'd be knocking on Chrysalis's door when every changeling knew she was running around the Hive performing important work? Regardless, Oleander left to answer it. Alex couldn't explain why, but he felt like something really bad was about to happen.

A second after hearing the metal door open, Alex heard a familiar voice. "Oleander! What are you doing here?"

"Apple? Why are you here?" he heard Oleander confirm his suspicions about the other changeling's identity.

"I'm here to see Alex, the queen wants me to look after him," she said quickly.

"Actually, that's my job today." Alex could just imagine the smug grin on Oleander's face as he said that.

Apple was quiet for a moment. "But Chrysalis asked me to keep watch of him yesterday."

"And she personally invited me in to do it today," Oleander countered.

"You lie!" she shouted suddenly. "How dare you break into the Queen's home when she's away just to satisfy your own selfish desires!" Alex thought that was ironic coming from her. Wasn't she here just to satisfy one of her desires?

"If you want to complain, you can go right ahead, I won't stop you."

"Oh Chrysalis is going to hear about this," she hissed at him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Alex heard the door close and Oleander returned to the study with a smirk on his face. "Who was it?" Alex asked playfully.

"Just a nobody," he held back a laugh at his own joke.

Oleander spent the rest of the day teaching Alex how to manipulate an object once he got it airborne. Shockingly, Alex tired soon after the lesson began. Oleander believed that his magic supply was proportional to his small size. Inevitably though, the day came to an end and Alex had to say goodbye to his new friend. Alex would likely spend the next three days with him if Chrysalis was going to continually leave him alone. Which was fine in his book.

Chrysalis came home minutes after Oleander left, her towering figure dripping with sweat. She definitely had an exhausting day. Alex knew that whatever she had been doing must have taken a lot out of her. He wasn't doing much better of course, what with all the magic practice. It seemed both of them had done a lot of work, something Chrysalis felt like talking about.

"I take it you had a good time studying with Oleander?" Chrysalis's voice boomed down to him on the desk.

Alex nodded. "Yes. He taught me how to use my magic."

"Then he had you practice, no?" Alex nodded. "Then Apple showed up."

Alex took on a look of terror at the remark. Chrysalis had a neutral expression, so he couldn't tell if she was mad or amused. "Um... yes, she did. Apple was confused and thought she was going to be watching me today." Alex gulped when Chrysalis didn't say anything for a moment.

"Okay then," she replied simply and moved on. "I had a hard day myself. I had to inspect all the troops and observe the senior forces while they trained to look for obvious weaknesses. Then I had to personally check the energy reserves and interview some of our scouts to make sure our maps and information were up-to-date." She grumbled. "My coat is filthy and my hooves are aching." She quickly donned a wicked smile. Alex knew where this was heading: the bath.

As per usual, Chrysalis filled the tub with water and then a squirt of soap. Alex watched in amazement once again as the water was stirred. It was humbling to see such a huge body of water spin in a grand whirlpool and then just stop on a dime. Chrysalis wasn't as impressed as Alex though and dove into the water as soon as it was ready, sending title waves crashing against the smooth walls of the tub. Alex landed on her back seconds after her call and began scrubbing like he had in previous adventures here. It was still strange washing Chrysalis's huge body, but not as awkward as the first time. Shaking his head at the thought that he was getting used to this, he continued washing. For an unknown reason, she kept groaning and sighing in pleasure. If Alex wasn't mistaken, she was getting awfully turned on by this simple bath. When he reached her flank, he stopped. He had never washed more of her then this.

"Why have you put down your tools?" she asked with a hiss.

"I am finished with your back," he replied nervously. Something was coming.

She smiled evilly. "What about my... belly?"

"Uh," Alex was about to protest, but he immediately realized that was a bad idea. "Would you roll over please?" he eventually asked, although reluctantly.

"I am not a dog, Alex," she glared at him. She straightened her legs to stand fully in the tub, which created a small space between her stomach and the water's surface. A sponge appeared below soon after. "There's your raft. Don't disappoint me."

Alex groaned, Chrysalis had warned him she was going to get progressively harder on him. Dutifully, he jumped down and landed on the hole-riddled yellow platform. Then he laid on his back and let his rear hooves dangle in the water to work as paddles while his front hooves held a chunk of soap. He precisely waded to the bottom of Chrysalis's neck where it bent into her chest. There, he began scrubbing at her fur firmly and slowly worked his way across her body's underside.

Alex could feel her quiver and the fear that she would suddenly drop on him was always present. When he reached her lower belly, he understood instantly what Chrysalis was doing. Above his head, a little further down, was her nipples. He blushed at the idea of scrubbing a woman's breast for her despite the fact that he had gone so far as to make love to said woman only the day before. When it came time to actually scrub them down and clean them of the unseen grime, Alex tried to cheat and scrub around them. The green flesh was easy to spot due to its bald nature and being about as big around as dinner plates.

"You're missing a spot," she cooed sensually above.

Alex grit his teeth and pressed his hooves against the first nipple and began massaging it. Chrysalis sighed with pleasure and let out continuous moans. He wasn't surprised when the formerly flat surface began to poke outward. Her nipple soon became hard and reached for his head. Alex could feel his face getting hot with ideas and his own nethers calling out for attention. Chrysalis was cunning, he'd give her that.

The second nipple went much the same way, but as soon as it was fully erect, Chrysalis began to move! She suddenly hopped out of the tub and, for a moment, Alex thought she was going to leave him behind. But just as she opened the door, his body was encased in green energy and he flew into the air. Chrysalis was still dripping wet as she charged down the hall with Alex floating behind her, also soaking wet.

"Wh-where are we going!?" Alex protested.

"You agreed to satisfy me whenever I asked, did you not?" she quizzed without looking back at him.

Alex suddenly realized they were headed for the bedroom and went wide-eyed. They were about to have sex again! He couldn't determine if it was the fear of dying or excitement that sent his heart pounding...

Chapter 13 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, blow job, oral, cum

Chrysalis dropped Alex on the bed after jumping onto the plush surface herself. She was still soaking wet and some lingering suds clung to her fur, but she didn't care. She was hot and horny and needed attention. Alex stepped back as she curled her body around him and smiled. Her spontaneous actions had made her extra terrifying today, whether she intended to be or not.

"Are you afraid?" she asked suddenly.

"Y-yes," he told her truthfully.

Her grin only grew as she picked him up in her magic. He had no idea what to think when she brought him to her muzzle and licked him.

Her snake like tongue flicked its way across his body and left behind a trail of sticky drool. Alex shivered, not knowing if he enjoyed the feeling or if he was repulsed by it. Chrysalis took a moment to mull over his taste before deciding she wanted a second. Her tongue snuck out of her mouth and ran over him again, but slower this time. She sighed, her hot moist breath engulfing Alex.

"Perfect," she mumbled. Before Alex could ask, her tongue came out once again, but this time it only licked his crotch.

Alex's body trembled from the sudden erotic contact as the massive, fleshy organ smeared saliva across his most intimate area. And it's assault didn't end there. It retreated after each wave only to return and run over him again, and again, and again. Chrysalis lapped at his privates with determination, sending a swarm of pleasure signals screaming through him repeatedly. Alex couldn't resist the urges of his body as he gave into more primal urges. His shaft emerged from his sheath and Chrysalis only redoubled her efforts to lap at his tiny rod as much as she could while it grew.

When his member was finally erect and ready for action, Chrysalis's delicate lips latched onto it and began to suckle. Alex's orb eyes tried to roll back in his skull as he stared up at the ceiling, his tongue laying limp on his cheek. His breath escaped him and his front hooves came to rest on top of Chrysalis's muzzle while his mind completely burned out. He didn't understand what was going on, was Chrysalis trying to please him this time? Did he do something good and this was his reward? Maybe Chrysalis's whole intent was to send his mind into confusion again.

One of his queen's hooves came to rest behind him as the magic holding him dissipated. Chrysalis relaxed her head back on a pillow and lay Alex on the end her muzzle, his genitals still firmly held between her lips as she gave him a blow job like he'd never had before. His body was like play-doh and he seemed incapable of moving as she continued to suckle on him like a little pacifier. She wanted to taste his seed, his cum. The hoof that wasn't pressing Alex against her mouth went to work rubbing her aching nethers in an attempt to enjoy this deed herself. Her needs were so great, she wondered if this would be enough before the war. She wanted him to make love to her mouth and make her feel filthy inside. That desire to feel used was new to her, but when you are always the one in power, sometimes you need to try new things.

Alex felt it. A pressure moving through his body that was desperate for an escape. He couldn't hope to hold it in and cried out as his waist seemed to exploded into Chrysalis's mouth. His hot semen spewing into her great maw where she effortlessly gulped it down. Her forked tongue lapped the end of his member, trying to keep it stimulated so she could get every last drop before Alex's orgasm ended and her supply of milky deliciousness was cut-off. When Alex did inevitably reach his limit, Chrysalis hummed with delight and lifted her spent assistant off her face and laid him on her stomach. She knew he needed a minute or two to recover, but she wanted pleasure now. She was so hungry for more sex and getting herself off wasn't working.

Alex could feel his Queen's chest rise and fall more rapidly as her hooves moved about, doing something he couldn't see. Alex wasn't sure he wanted to know what she was doing and thought maybe he could get out of further torment by pretending to be more exhausted than he was. Chrysalis didn't buy into it though.

"Are you ready yet?" she huffed in annoyance.

Alex tried faking, "I feel so weak."

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure about that? I had a surprise for you, but if I don't get some enjoyment tonight, it might become a punishment."

Alex groaned, why did she always get her way? "What must I do?" he asked reluctantly as he pushed himself up.

Chrysalis smiled. "Lick my... lips," she said with a slight blush.

She wanted him to lick her face? "Okay," he offered weakly, confused.

Chrysalis giggled in delight and pulled herself into a reclined position. Alex would have gone rolling if she hadn't grabbed him in her magic again and levitated him away for a moment. The next thing Alex knew, he was hovering before Chrysalis's vagina.

Alex wanted to slap himself. How had he not realized that these were the lips she had been referring too?

There was nothing to do but get to work after she dropped him on the bed though, he had already agreed to do whatever she asked. He waddled up to her slit and propped himself up on his back hooves, his front resting on either side of her opening. It was only now that he was in position and ready to go that he paused. Was he really going to go through with this? Was he really going to lick Chrysalis here? This had to be the grossest thing he'd ever been asked to do. It was her bodily fluids, like sweat, you weren't supposed to drink it. It was just wrong.

In the end, he surrendered to Chrysalis's orders regardless of how repulsed he was.

Chrysalis inhaled sharply and sighed at the feeling of a little tongue lapping over her delicates. It moved so slowly, so cautiously over her love. It was so inexperienced and had such poor aim she just couldn't help but giggle. It felt wonderful, but she needed more. After Alex had dragged his tongue over the entirety of Chrysalis folds, he pulled his head back and shook it. The taste was strong and sour, like lemonade that didn't have enough sugar. Patting his lips together, he tried to digest the flavor: did he like it or not?

"Lick me," Chrysalis commanded again.

Alex reluctantly opened his mouth and positioned his head at the very bottom of her vagina. He pressed his muzzle forward, making contact with her pink insides and dragged his tongue upward over her entire, still closed, entrance. Chrysalis shivered in ecstasy. Oh how she hated herself for not indulging in such treatment long ago. Her blissful state was halted again however, by Alex sitting there and trying to comprehend whether he enjoyed how she tasted a second time. Blowing a stray hair out of her right eye, Chrysalis had to repeat her previous command once more.

"Lick me."

Alex finally seemed to get the memo and began to repeatedly lap at her leaking folds without being told to do so each time. He still wasn't sure if he liked it, but he could tolerate this if it made his queen happy. Chrysalis cooed and moaned as her servant worked. He was moving faster than she liked, but it felt too good for her to say anything. She was so wrapped up in shivering and making sexual noises that she couldn't bring herself to give further instructions. Chrysalis wished now that she had made him a little bigger... so that his tongue could've covered more.

"My... clit... Alex. Rub it," she barely managed to huff.

Alex dutifully looked to the bulbous nub that topped her canal and stretched his hooves for it. For whatever reason, he also felt compelled to lap at it. Instincts or not, Alex tried to resist. He didn't want anymore of Chrysalis's fluids in his mouth. His previous life, his pride as a human being, was screaming at him to stop, but it was no use. He couldn't prevent it as his head went about the deed on its own. He dragged his saliva coated tongue over Chrysalis's swollen bulb as deliberately and slowly as his neck would allow him to bend. The smooth texture and exotic flavor weren't actually all that bad. Chrysalis let out an extra sharp coo. She wasn't going to last much longer at this rate. Again and again Alex's tongue tended to her nub and gently pushed her closer and closer to climax. Finally, his massage and lapping had given her enough.

Alex was nearly washed away in the rush of fluids that burst from Chrysalis and soaked the bed. Her cry of ecstasy had been his only warning before she jumped upward and her lips pulled aside for the flood. He shook his hooves lightly to loosen some of the cream from his body as he continued to watch it ooze from her snatch. She was completely absorbed in her pleasure and Alex saw no reason to break that. He just hoped that in the remaining two days she had with him, she'd find something else she enjoyed spending time doing.

"That was nice," she wheezed after a while. Pulling herself up, she smiled dreamily down at Alex.

"It was my pleasure to serve," he replied, still looking at his dripping arms with vile.

"You have earned your reward," she hummed and licked her lips.

"What reward?" Alex blinked and cocked his head.

"Tomorrow I'm going to have Oleander take you on a tour of the Hive!"

Alex froze. He was going outside? Not only did he have a chance to finally escape the confines of this cage, but he would get more time with like-minded Oleander! This is perfect, he thought. Tomorrow promised to be a good day in contrast to the very... different events that had just taken place. He just hoped there were no more problems caused by a certain jealous changeling.

Chapter 14 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, story

What a night.

Chrysalis's craving had been nearly insatiable and Alex was amazed he was still breathing after their marathon. The two of them had spent practically the whole night getting down and dirty and, amazingly, when he woke up the next morning he wasn't completely sore. If you measured pleasure by the amount of whimpers and moans, Chrysalis definitely had a good time.

This morning however, she seemed to be in a hurry, as though she didn't want to be in the same room for too long. She had rushed to the bathroom as soon as she was awake and was even now running water to make herself presentable. Whatever had caused yesterday's barbarian lust appeared to be over, even to the point Chrysalis was trying to cover up that it ever happened.

Alex took the opportunity to relax and unwind on the bedsheets. His thoughts were mostly focused on the future, with only two days remaining before Chrysalis left to make the final move in the attack against Equestria. However long she was going to be away Alex would have to stay with someone else, most likely Oleander. His thoughts then turned to how frustrated the big guy must have been. Here he was dreaming of fighting in the name of the Hive and yet he would have to stay behind during the largest battle probably in all changeling history! That must have been far more painful than any stab in the eye.

It suddenly dawned on Alex that he couldn't hear the water running anymore and that Chrysalis must have left the bathroom already. Strangely, Chrysalis didn't immediately return to the bedroom. Shrugging, Alex dozed off for a few minutes before he was woken up again when Chrysalis carried herself back into the room with a pleasant smile on her face. There was an exaggerated sway to her hips and a bounce in her step too. Her mane was well combed, her coat was sparkling clean, and her strange crown topped her head once more. And to top it off, she wore an emerald green necklace with a delicate black chain that jingled as she approached.

"I've sent Oleander a request to give you a tour of the Hive today," she explained with a toothy grin.

"Thank you... Chrysalis," Alex replied cautiously, never having before addressed her without the title.

She tilted her head at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"

Alex went stiff at the question, should he tell her she was being too happy? "Y-yes--wait--No! I'm okay," he stumbled out clumsily, utterly butchering his own words.

There was a short silence as Chrysalis's smile and pleasant attitude slowly ebbed away. Finally, she rolled her eyes and left the room with a very quiet huff. Alex couldn't help but run the exchange through his head and berate himself for it. But what was going on with Chrysalis? Last night she was a lust machine and now she was riding cloud nine.

Chrysalis ran off to do whatever it was she did during the day as soon as Oleander had arrived. Alex was happy to see him, and from the look on his face, he was too.

"So how's my young student this morning?" Oleander asked.

"Well rested and... a little confused," he admitted.

"Why is that?" the older changeling quizzed, leaning toward the table top where Alex sat.

"I don't mean to be rude, but Chrysalis was way too happy this morning. I think something might be wrong with her."

Oleander snorted a chuckle. "Well of course she was in a good mood, she just had her breakfast delivered," Oleander told him, believing that to be an adequate explanation.

"She's happy 'cause she just ate?"

"No. It's a moderate love high. Whenever a changeling feeds on positive emotions, they experience a period of unusual high spirits. If they consume too much, they become nauseous or dizzy."

"Oh. Well that explains a lot." Alex wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going after that. "So are we leaving now?"

Oleander grinned and nodded. "Yup, but just one warning." He was suddenly deadly serious. "The Queen cautioned me not to let you out of my sight. So if you try to fly off, I'll have no choice but to hurt you. You go only where I tell you to, understand?"

Alex grimaced at his words, but felt they were fair. "Yes sir."

"Good," he brightened again. "Take a seat on my head and we can leave immediately."

Alex did as told and flew up to land just behind Oleander's horn. Oleander took a few minutes to quiz him on what movements he could make without making him uncomfortable or sending him off his head. After memorizing what he could and couldn't do in the interest of his passenger, Oleander made his way to the door. Alex bounced slightly with each step, his hooves locked around the column of a horn beside him. Oleander's fur was kind of dry and it scratched a little, but he was determined not to let it bother him.

The black iron doors were pushed aside and the great expanse of the Hive was revealed. Oleander took several steps forward and paused as Alex gaped at the sight. Outside Chrysalis's door was a massive cavern, a huge drum shaped expanse burrowed downwards with a network of passages and walkways carved into its walls. There was an enormous cluster of green crystals hanging precariously from the ceiling which bathed the entire area in an eerie bright green light. There was a path off to the right that sloped down and snaked around the entire tube, leading to additional passages and rooms.

"Impressed?" Oleander asked in an uncharacteristic deep voice.

"Y-yeah," Alex breathed. In reality, the open pit was only 60 or so feet across. To Alex, it was a massive round canyon miles around that just fell down into the depths of the earth. He couldn't even see the bottom... or any other changelings for that matter.

Oleander turned and began walking down the path while he explained where they were. "This is the Noble Tower. Here, the wealthiest changelings, or those who have accomplished great things for the Hive, live in luxury. As far as changelings go. Their wealth is displayed by the solid iron doors and their proximity to Chrysalis. Each of these living areas is, otherwise, identical."

"How good can they possibly have it? Even Chrysalis's home isn't all that big. No offense," Alex added quickly.

"Actually, most of these homes are bigger than hers."

"What? But Chrysalis is the queen?" Alex protested.

"How can a ruler lead if they are not in-tune with their people's way of life? Chrysalis actively chooses to have a home no bigger or more decorated than the average low-middle class family. She also advocates the privilege of large meals and banquets. When most nobility are at extravagant parties, she is with her family in a small get-together."

"She is a strange ruler," Alex commented mostly to himself.

"She doesn't care about material things, and for that, she is a good ruler," Oleander stated with finality, his respect for her clearly evident.

At the bottom of the spiraling road, Oleander carried Alex into another large expanse at least as wide as a football stadium but only half as tall. There were shelf-like constructs on the walls and pillars that seemed large enough to store things as large as a changeling. But what really stood out about this room, was the slime. Thick green ooze coated everything, like a giant had just sneezed into the room and left it there. Some of the slime was hard and resembled burnt plastic, but the rest was wet and gooey, actively dripping from the ceiling.

"What is this place?" Alex asked.

"This place doesn't have a name, but here changelings are put into a semi-permanent sleep until they are needed."

"What does that mean?"

Oleander stopped in front of one of the empty shelves coated in goo. "A changeling is encased in this slime and then it is heated. The slime hardens and puts them into a kind of hibernation. They use no love energy and time passes in an instant from their perspective. It's a way for the Hive to preserve its numbers AND its energy stores."

"But why are there no changelings in them now?" Alex asked, looking at the numerous empty pods.

"I said they sleep until they are needed. Chrysalis has been waking everyone up and reintroducing them to military service in preparation for the upcoming battle. In the past month, our numbers have skyrocketed, yet technically remained the same," Oleander mused.

"Who would choose to go to sleep?" Alex asked as Oleander started moving again.

"It's a self-sacrifice for the good of the Hive and any changeling can request to sleep if the Hive can afford to go without them. In fact, large scale requests for more sleepers have been sent out in the past when our numbers were too high or the love supply too low. Or both."

Alex had a sudden scary thought. "What if they never get woken up?"

Oleander let out a deep chuckle. "Once a changeling is put to sleep, they're cataloged. So the next time a changeling is needed, they go down the list starting with the changelings that have been asleep the longest. However, if a--" Oleander had to suddenly slam the brakes when another changeling crossed their path.

Alex had only managed to stay on Oleander's head by wrapping his hooves around his horn while his legs flew forward from the sudden deceleration. The other changeling had short stubby legs, but he was otherwise uninteresting. Oleander stood tall with his head high while the other changeling merely stared at him. Oleander snorted down at him once, the other changeling taking a step back and then to the side before sluggishly continuing down the corridor. Oleander eyed him for a time before snapping back and continuing on his way as though nothing had happened.

"Who was that?" Alex inquired.

"A Storage Boy," Oleander said simply, but immediately realized Alex didn't know what that meant. He sighed. "The majority of changelings can't store more than a month's worth of love, at best. Heck, most can't store more than a week--that is--without getting a 'Love High'."

"That's when a changeling has too much love and they act all loopy, right?"

"Correct. But there are some changelings who are more resistant to the condition than others and these changelings will always be used as Storage Boys. You see, scouts and scavengers bring the love back to the Hive and deliver it to one of them, who keeps it safe and distributes it to others as needed. Storage Boys also watch over those put to sleep here."

"Why does it matter that they can store love without going crazy? Can't you just stuff any changeling and just not worry about it?"

"Oh yes, trust mountains of valuable food energy in a changeling who can't help but wander around aimlessly and act like a big idiot," Oleander snickered. "Really Alex, a changeling in that condition could walk right out of the Hive and get himself caught or outright killed. And he'd be taking all that energy with him."

Alex thought about that for a second. Then nodded. You never trusted a lunatic with valuable resources after all, so changelings who could store lots of love without losing their minds would be invaluable. "So if you ever get hungry, you have to hunt one of them down?"

"Yup," Oleander confirmed again as they came to the end of the hall. "So what would you like to see next?"

To the right, there was steep path downwards that led to into darkness while the path to the left led upwards into a brightly lit chamber.

"Which way do you suggest?" Alex asked Oleander.

"Well, to the right we have the mines, but that isn't a very nice place. To the left we have the Meeting Hall. There, Chrysalis gives all her big speeches and announcements."

"Meeting Hall," Alex said quickly, not being a big fan of the dark.

The tour lasted hours. Tunnel after tunnel, path after path, doorway after doorway. Alex was amazed at how easily Oleander navigated the complicated network of roads. The different chambers sometimes seemed random or useless and Oleander often confirmed that, indeed, some of them were. Some corridors they came across were dead ends that lead nowhere, but that was usually due to a geological obstacle which made digging there dangerous. Changelings were excellent miners and builders and could always tell when the rock wouldn't hold. According to Oleander.

Inevitably, the tour had to take them to the residential wing. As it turned out, half of the Hive was built to be a living area and playground for the changeling masses. The path there got progressively wider and brighter as they walked. The ground was coated in a thin powdery dust that puffed with each of Oleander's steps and a low buzzing noise began to fill the air like the static from a tv. Suddenly, the tunnel opened like a funnel, greeting them with a room that must have been large enough to hold an entire city... and it did.

The room was more like a canyon made of a greenish-black rock with hundreds upon hundreds of openings carved into the walls. There was an enormous crack in the ceiling high above that let shafts of light flood down from the surface world, casting the space in a dull orange glow. The ground between the walls was covered in the same thin gray powder as the hall. Towering statues and jutting stalagmites reached for the heavens amongst the sandy courtyard and made the space look filled. And all that was just the architecture, the changelings must have numbered in the thousands!

Everywhere, the walls, floor, even in the air above, changelings were swarming about and none of them paid Oleander any mind as he stood there all alone on the entrance ramp. They all seemed to be headed somewhere, all of them busy with some kind of work. What that business could possibly be was lost on Alex of course. Sure, they were going to war, but what kind of preparation work did that entail? These changelings clearly weren't gathering food and he doubted all of them were in the military. So what else was there to be doing?

Oleander didn't say a thing as he let Alex gawk at the enormity of it all, and opted instead for strolling down into the park where several younger changelings were playing tag around the dusty spires. The twin walls must have stretched hundreds of feet into the sky and ran more than a mile into the distance. The rest of the Hive had seemed so tight and dark in comparison. Alex might as well been outside here.

"That crack in the ceiling lets everyone know when it's nighttime without having to go outside, as well as light the place without using our limited supply of magic crystals."

"Wow," was all Alex could say.

Oleander smirked. "Impressive isn't it? This took centuries to dig out and is constantly being expanded. All of what you see was carved from solid rock by the sweat and blood of changelings like us over hundreds of years. It is the true marvel of changeling strength and determination. All changelings call this home."

"It's incredible Oleander," Alex breathed. "How many are there?"

"Changelings? A million, maybe more," he stated casually, not giving the answer any thought.

"And every one of them is leaving for the invasion?"

"No," Oleander said, becoming sullen. "Many are staying behind to make sure no lesser creatures try to move in. We don't expect an attack from a foreign power, but caution is most advised during war."

Alex paused and looked down. Oleander looked sad. "You really want to fight huh?"

He snorted once, "more than you know. I've never been part of a real battle. I'd give anything to be in a good fight!" he stomped his hoof in frustration.

His wish was granted immediately when a shout rang out, followed by the stomping of angry hooves...

Chapter 15 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, fight

Oleander turned around and found himself staring across the dust park at another changeling. At first, Alex didn't recognize them and had no clue what they could have possibly wanted.

"How dare you parade Alex around like he's some kind of trophy!" Apple screamed. "You're supposed to be looking after him, not rubbing him in everyone's noses. You call yourself a soldier?" she growled.

Oleander exhaled in annoyance before explaining. "I'm not parading him around, I'm giving him a tour of the Hive."

Apple balked in disgust. "Really?! You think I'd fall for an excuse that pathetic? I know what you're up to. You want to prove you're some kind of big shot in the Hive and rise up as a noble!" she accused with an outstretched hoof. Alex noticed a few bystanders stopping to watch the exchange.

Oleander did his best to remain cool. "I was ordered to show him the Hive by Chrysalis herself. You don't believe me, then go and ask her."

"LIAR!" Apple screamed in her hysteric rage. "You're planning a coup! You're trying to overthrow Chrysalis you trai--" she didn't have a chance to finish her wild accusation before an explosion of green energy ripped just past her head, burning what little mane she had to ribbons.

Alex was shocked. The metal tip of Oleander's horn was glowing red hot and the rest was pulsating dark green. His eyes were set in the deepest scowl Alex had ever seen and his breath was deep and forced. "Don't. Ever. Call. Me. A traitor."

A crowd was gathering as Apple stared in silence at his display of force. It took a moment before a smirk crossed her muzzle despite her ruined mane. "Are you really going to fight me again? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Oleander showed his fangs at that. "You surprised me is all, it wasn't a fair fight."

She laughed. "Make whatever excuses you want. You can't beat me no matter how hard you try!"

All the young ones that had been playing earlier were nowhere to be seen and the crowd of changelings was at least a hundred strong now. Alex tried to find distinctions between them, but there were too many and they blended together into a black blob. He would have spent more time looking around, but Oleander addressed him suddenly.

"Alex, you see that tall changeling on the right with a crate on his back?" Alex quickly located him. "He's an old buddy of mine, stay with him until I'm done with the garbage."

"Hold up," the mentioned changeling complained, "I'm not getting involved in this."

"Bell," Oleander said simply, "don't tell me you're going to leave me hanging after all I've done for you?"

Bell snorted. "Fine..."

Alex took that as his cue to get out of the firing line. Landing on Bell's head, he quickly turned around and focused on the oncoming action. He was excited to see a pair of changelings fight, but Alex was certain this was going to come back to haunt them later.

Oleander gave his neck a quick flick to pop the bones while Apple just gave him a smug grin. Her confidence that she was going to win without breaking a sweat made Alex uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what had happened before and how exactly Apple had given Oleander the scar over his eye, but it sure made her believe this would be easy.

"Oh, before we get started..." Oleander smiled as his horn began to glow purple.

Alex did a double take on that. He was certain Oleander's magic, and every other changeling's for that matter, was green. Oleander's good eye also turned purple and he opened his mouth to exhale a cloud of violet smog. Alex didn't understand what was happening, and from the way Apple's smile had faded, she didn't either. Oleander looked around the gathering before raising a hoof and taunting his opponent with a very clear "bring it on" gesture. Apple immediately fell for the obvious trap and charged with her horn aimed straight for his heart.

Oleander reared his head and took in a deep breath, puffing out his chest to comedic proportions. Several changelings in the crowd dashed forward and rapidly began to form a barrier around the battle zone just as Apple was about to strike. Alex didn't understand why they had to seal the two of them inside a bubble, it wasn't like they were going to blow up or something. The actual reason for the shield however, became obvious when Oleander bellowed an enormous cloud of the purple fog.

Now Alex understood. They didn't want that gas leaking away from the battle zone, but what was that stuff?

Apple ground her hooves into the dirt and slid to an agonizing stop inches from the smoke. Her face was full of panic and her wings furiously flapped to blow the substance away from her. Step after step she moved backwards while the thick noxious gas continued to advance on her. Oleander eventually stopped emitting the stuff and began chuckling evilly. "Nothing like a little chemical warfare, huh?"

"What's going on?" Alex asked no one in particular.

"Oleander is a Toxin Dropper," Bell answered him quietly.

"What does that have to do with it?"

Bell looked up at him. "Do you know what a Toxin Dropper does?"

"Yeah, Oleander explained it to me. Toxin Droppers carry chemicals and poisons into the battlefield and drop them on the enemy."

"Did you think they carried the stuff in barrels or crates?" he asked rhetorically. Alex's eyes lit up in understanding. Toxin Droppers carried their payloads in their own bodies!

Taking a new look at the scuffle, Apple was almost backed into the shield with her wings beating furiously to keep the poison away. She was in deep trouble now that the entire sphere was filled with dark violet. Oleander merely stood his ground and watched as the deadly gas relentlessly tried to engulf her without him having to lift a hoof. He wore a face of neutrality that made determining whether he enjoyed killing Apple difficult to determine. The other changelings were egging him on with cheers and cries for blood.

But then it all came to a screaming halt with one commanding voice.

"ENOUGH!!"

The crowd turned towards the source and all the hype for the match vanished in an instant.

Chrysalis, in all her outraged glory, stood at the entrance to the residential district. In a quick flash of light Oleander, Apple, and Alex were in front of her. Apple promptly fell backwards when she no longer had a shield sitting behind her and Oleander stared in horror up at his queen, his eyes still purple from whatever magic he'd called upon for the fight. And Alex found himself sitting on the ground between the other two with his vision spinning. He'd never teleported before and he felt like he was about to puke.

"You three. Up to my room. Now. There will be no arguing, no fighting, and no diversions. No exceptions or discussion either. Disobey this order and you will be put down," Chrysalis growled like a vicious animal. She then eyed the shield full of poisonous gas that Oleander had made. "I have a mess to clean up."

Alex found himself fearing and respecting Chrysalis all the more after just that one moment.

Oleander and Apple sat on opposite sides of the kitchen table, passing each other death glares. Alex sat on the table itself, but off to the side to avoid the menacing looks being unleashed. Alex nervously analyzed his hooves as he waited for Chrysalis to show up and dish out punishment. Apple certainly deserved a good kick in the teeth after her outburst, but Oleander had used illegal combat techniques and almost killed her. Who was in more trouble was a complete tossup to Alex at this point.

The door opened and a frazzled Chrysalis strolled in. She eyed the three of them questioningly before sitting in the final spot across from Alex. She took in a calming breath before she asked the question. "What happened today?"

Oleander and Apple both started speaking at once, each accusing the other of causing the whole thing. Chrysalis lifted a silencing hoof and bared her fangs with a quiet snarl. She clearly needed a new approach, so she looked at Apple and voiced the same question.

This time only Apple answered her. "Oleander was parading Alex around the Hive and telling everyone he was your new favorite!"

Chrysalis watched Oleander from the corner of her vision, noting how he hissed and glared at her. "And?"

"When I told him you wouldn't be happy with his behavior, he screamed that I was a traitor. He's the one that started it!" she shouted, pointing a menacing hoof at the veteran changeling.

Before Oleander began attacking her side of the story, Chrysalis snapped in his direction, keeping him quiet. "Is this true?"

"No, my queen. It is a complete lie."

"Explain then, what DID happen?"

"I was finishing up Alex's tour of the Hive, like you instructed me to, in the residential district. As we were about to leave Apple showed up and accused me of being," he paused to give an irritated sigh, "a traitor."

"Did you start the fight? Did you throw the first kick?"

"I... did," he admitted, lowering his head in shame.

"We are a family and we are about to experience the greatest challenge in our race's whole existence. We cannot afford to turn on ourselves at this juncture. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my queen, I understand."

Apple's smile of victory was quickly squashed when Chrysalis turned back to her and said the last thing any changeling dying to serve her wanted to hear. "And for instigating this event, you shall not participate in the invasion."

The air froze as Apple's jaw dropped. Stunned silence overtook her and all she could do was stare at her queen. Oleander raised his head at that and let the tiniest sad smirk grace his muzzle. Unfortunately, Chrysalis caught it and thought it appropriate to snuff it out too.

"And you have Scrub-Scrub duty for the rest of your natural life," she barked.

Oleander choked and let his mouth droop open at that. Alex didn't have a clue what Scrub-Scrub duty was, but by using his incredible powers of deduction, he was able to determine that it sucked.

"Any questions?" Chrysalis asked darkly, clearly not expecting a response from the stunned pair.

Alex felt bad. He couldn't help but feel like this whole mess was his fault for being unwilling to put up with Apple. Although he still didn't like or trust her, it wasn't fair to deny her the dream. He couldn't imagine the pain he'd be going through if the thing he'd been working his whole life towards was ripped away at the last minute. Then there was Oleander. He didn't know just how bad the big guy had gotten it, but it was still because of him. Alex sighed, he had to fix this.

"Queen Chrysalis?"

She looked at him for the first time since entering the room. "What? Do you have something to add?" she asked surprisingly gently.

"I have a suggestion, if you'd just hear me out," he said with a bowed head.

"I'm listening." Chrysalis perked a brow and gave him her full attention...

Chapter 16 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, story

Alex gasped from exertion and a moment later the thin book landed on the desk with a light thump. He was sweating profusely and his head ached. Magic practice today consisted of him trying to levitate heavier and heavier objects for three seconds at a time. Needless to say, the power he'd displayed so far was pathetic. Oleander continued to assure him he was doing great though.

"I think that's enough for now. Why don't we take a break and get some grub, huh?"

"That huff feels like huff a great huff idea," Alex strained to say through his lungs' demands for air.

Oleander chuckled, "would you like a lift?"

Alex snorted. "Yes please."

Oleander snickered again as he levitated Alex onto his head and ferried him to Chrysalis's kitchen where he gave pause, his expression darkening. Apple sat at the table, toying with a single blueberry. She rolled it back and forth across the smooth surface with a depressed look on her muzzle and didn't even acknowledge Oleander as he entered the room. The veteran changeling sighed and put Alex down on the table far away from Apple. He had almost forgotten she was here after he and Alex started training. He wished it could've stayed that way.

"So what are you in the mood for?" Oleander questioned Alex.

"Uh... blueberries?" he suggested. It was the only food that came to mind as he watched the poor helpless fruit on the other side of the room endure a never ending torture.

One of Apple's ears flick at this, but she did not react otherwise. Oleander nodded once and went to the fridge to grab his buddy a few of the blue edible spheres. Now that he and Apple were in the same room, Oleander couldn't stop thinking about what Alex had done for them. It was noble of him to step in like that, and maybe a little crazy, but he'd save Oleander's hide from Scrub-Scrub duty. He was eternally in Alex's debt for that. But it was the other half of the arrangement Alex had suggested that threw Oleander off. Apple could still participate in the invasion if she was able to work with him and watch Alex as a team. Oleander wasn't sure what Alex had been thinking, yet the deal seemed fair. If they didn't fight she could take part in the invasion and he wouldn't die doing the worst job the Hive had to offer.

"There you go, all the berries you could ever eat!" Oleander cheered as he put the small plate down. "Now we feast."

Alex was able to catch the tiniest of peeks from Apple as he climbed onto the plate and grabbed one of the basketball sized berries. Gently, he poked a hole in its cold skin with his fangs and began to suck its insides out like a vampire. Oleander levitated a few into his maw and chomped down, mashing them effortlessly into paste.

Apple finally sighed and looked up, her eyes dull and lifeless. "I don't like this anymore then you do Oleander," she began.

"Who said I don't like it?" he challenged, a hint of venom in his words.

"It's obvious, Oleander. Neither of us wants to be around the other," she asserted with more volume.

"It's the Queen's orders."

Apple winced at that, retracting her head slightly. "Can we... not be around each other then?"

"Fine by me," he stated dryly.

"But we both have to watch Alex," she mentioned suddenly.

"Not at the same time," he countered calmly.

Apple grunted. "Buck you!" She threw the blueberry she'd been playing with in her mouth and crushed it loudly. "Just leave me alone then," she ordered as she stormed away from the table, hooves practically cracking the stone floor.

"She's mad," Oleander said after a few seconds.

"I never would have guessed," Alex mused.

Oleander popped a few more blueberries in his mouth and chewed them thoroughly in the awkward silence that followed. Neither he nor Alex knew what to talk about now.

...

"What is Scrub-Scrub duty?" Alex queried.

"That's complicated," Oleander admitted with a disgusted scrunch of his nose.

"Is it worse than dying?" Alex joked.

"Maybe," Oleander retorted, absolutely serious.

"Wow, that's pretty bad. What do you do?"

Oleander rubbed his head with a hoof while he thought how best to explain it. "There are three meanings to Scrub, Alex. The first kind is used for cleaning the Hive."

"Actually scrubbing something."

"The second kind are Scrubs. Newly hatched changelings until they're about 10 months old. Until that point they also need constant care."

Alex's simple mind tried to put the two meanings together and quickly came to a ridiculous conclusion. "You scrub the walls of the Hive with Scrubs?"

Oleander stared down at Alex for several seconds before he burst into laughter. "NO! That's just stupid!"

Alex's ears pinned back in embarrassment. "Then what is Scrub-Scrub duty?"

Oleander wheezed out his final chuckle and cleared his throat. His serious face returned and he answered the question as straight forward as he could. "Scrubbing the Scrubs."

"You bathe the younger changelings?" Alex asked with confusion. "That doesn't sound so bad."

He groaned in response. "You have no idea how much... like Tartarus that job is. Can you imagine having a hundred newborns endlessly crying and fighting you to get out of the tub? Or can you imagine trying to make sure that not one of the clueless infants drowns or freezes to death in the cold water that funnels down through the Hive? You have to be on alert for their 'accidents' and their goo spitting. You're locked in a room with the little monsters for hours and hours on end and if you leave, it's treason."

"I thought you loved kids."

"I do. I love teaching kids, not caring for them."

"What about me," Alex put a hoof to his chest.

"You're small, but you're hardly a child. You also saved me from Scrub-Scrub duty, so I owe you big."

"As long as you can keep Apple in check, I think we're even."

"Speaking of which, why did you do it?"

Alex was caught off guard by the question. "Do what?"

"Agree to spend time with Apple, I thought you were afr--hated her," he corrected himself, not wishing to offend Alex.

"Well... uh," Alex thought for a moment. "I didn't feel like it was fair."

Oleander tilted his head and narrowed his good eye. "What do you mean? She started the fight."

"It was fair in that sense, but you have to look at the big picture. She just wants to serve Chrysalis as much as she can and you're--" he had to think for a moment "--getting in her way."

Oleander frowned as he pondered that for himself.

"She is trying to be the best servant she can be, but you're making it harder for her. So I don't think it'd be fair if she lost her chance to be in the invasion if all she's trying to do is be good."

Oleander's eyes lit up with understanding. "Apple just wants to 'be good', huh?" He sighed. "I see, but you still don't trust her?"

"Err, not really. No. But I don't want to ruin her life. I'm only going to be here a few more days."

Oleander nodded. "Personally, I'd have just let her rot."

The two fell into silence again until Alex finished his snack. Once he was done, the two went back to the study and Alex got back to work practicing his magic. Oleander was genuinely impressed with his progress.

Apple stared at herself in the mirror. Here she was, in Chrysalis's bathroom, the day after she had fought Oleander and risked losing her chance at being involved in the war at Canterlot. If Alex hadn't stepped in and convinced Chrysalis to give her another chance she probably would have taken her own life. She just couldn't see the value in existing if she couldn't make her queen happy. If Apple couldn't do good for the Hive, she didn't deserve to live. It was that simple.

She ran a hoof through her ruined mane and chewed on her lip. She owed Alex, but at the same time, he made her sick. Everything that was happening was his fault. He held her fate in his hooves. It was made even more obvious because Oleander was here too. Alex was a clever little changeling, she'd give him that. The question then became how to get payback.

A memory popped into her head as she replayed her previous adventure with Alex. She let a crooked smile grace her face. She knew what to do and she knew how to do it. Alex would pay and she would profit. Best of all, Alex wouldn't tell a soul once the deed was done.

Apple left a few minutes ago, leaving Oleander and Alex to wait for Chrysalis's return in the living room. Oleander was reading a book about some adventurer named Daring Do and Alex was getting close to falling asleep on the coffee table. He hadn't felt this tired since he tried out for track and thought he could run the mile in the same amount of time as those who'd been doing it for four years. Alex did feel a little nervous despite his exhaustion though. He had no idea how Chrysalis would react coming home after the first day of their experiment. She might not like the idea that one of his two caretakers took off. Alex couldn't believe he was actually wishing Apple had stayed.

The black iron doors swung open, the illusion spell that hid them long gone. As Chrysalis marched into the room she eyed Oleander with an unreadable expression. Then she spied Alex on the coffee table. Then she tried to find Apple, but gave a narrow-eyed frown when she was nowhere to be seen.

"She left moments ago, your majesty," Oleander explained quickly.

Chrysalis snorted. "Did she say anything?"

"No ma'am, she did not say where she was going."

"I meant throughout the day, did she say or do anything?" she reiterated more aggressively.

"No," Oleander replied stiffly.

Chrysalis relaxed and took another last look around. "You may leave now."

Oleander bowed and made for the exit, but Chrysalis stopped him before he could open the door.

"For what it's worth, Oleander, your fighting skills have not deteriorated."

He smiled proudly at that and puffed out his chest just a little bit. "Of course not, my Queen. A good soldier never stops training." Then he left.

Chrysalis turned back to Alex who was ready to collapse. "You did a lot of work today?"

"Magic practice," he answered.

She seemed unsure of what to do after that and Alex was starting to notice a running theme. No one seemed to know what to do next after recent events had made everyone uncomfortable. It was kind of amusing in a sad way.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off," Chrysalis suggested. "Tomorrow will be our last day together until after I return with an empire under my power."

Chapter 17 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, tease, foreplay, blow job, hoof licking, panty entrapment, insertion, cum

That morning, a changeling arrived to deliver a package of simple cardboard that wasn't even sealed shut. Chrysalis received the parcel with a pleased smile before sending Alex to the bedroom while she excused herself to the bathroom with the box. She had been in there for several minutes now and Alex waited patiently for her on the comforter of the bed. He tried to spend the time whistling, but his equine jaw structure changed the rules and made it difficult. He was getting frustrated and about to give up when the door opened. Alex knew his jaw had dropped, but he was unable to close it.

Chrysalis stood there in neon green socks that went up to her elbows and with a see-through nightgown draped over her body, poorly concealing the darker green corset tightly fitted around her barrel. She took a single step into the room before pausing to press her shoulder against the door frame, leaning so that more of her body could be taken in with a single glance. A leg crossed over the other, her long serpentine tongue dangled from her open maw, and her head titled cutely. Alex felt his entire form shoot to attention at the sight. Chrysalis's sexual dress was doing wonders at making him uncomfortable, but in a good way. Is that really Chrysalis? he thought. She looks so... different. Attractive. He shook his head and tried to force himself to look again, to see past her exotic clothing.

Chrysalis swayed her hips in a highly exaggerated manner as she made her way to the foot of the bed. It's just clothing. Just some silk hugging her--is that eyeliner? Indeed, Chrysalis had applied some green apple makeup to her otherwise black eyelids. Doing another take, Alex also spotted a light application of identically colored lipstick across her muzzle. NO! See it for what it really is, just some colored slime smeared over her face. That's it! Alex's internal struggle was soon halted by the large female when she stopped in front of him and turned around, presenting her royal hindquarters.

Chrysalis was wearing a pair of panties.

Her thong wrapped around her privates so tight that nothing was left to the imagination. She looked over her shoulder with lidded eyes and spoke the first words she had since entering the room.

"Do you like it?"

It was an honest question with no double meanings or malevolence. Alex felt like she was genuinely trying to earn his affection right now. But if she was accomplishing anything, it was frying his brain. Alex couldn't help but let a drop of drool creep over his lips as his eyes remained glued to the folds tucked underneath her raised tail. Alex could feel primal urges snaking through him making him aroused.

"You're going to be doing a lot of work today," she spoke huskily. "You're going to clean me, unwrap me, and then dirty me again. And I'm going to do the same to you," she added with a wink.

A few drops of sweat ran down Alex's face. He chuckled nervously as he answered. "Y-yeah. I-it will b-be my p-pleasure, Queen Chrysalis."

"Please, no titles?" she asked gently as she turned around to face him properly once more. "This is our second time Alex and we should be comfortable around one another by now." The way she spoke... it was so loving.

"Uh... yeah," he said while taking an involuntary step back, unsettled by the truth behind her words.

Chrysalis hummed sexually and raised her forehooves onto the bed. As soon as she pulled herself up, she lay on her knees, holding her belly just above the mattress with her head hovering over Alex. For his part, Alex rapidly began backpedaling, eager to put as much distance between them as possible as he continued to wrestle with his own instincts. Chrysalis didn't mind. Seeing her prey move away from her just added to the thrill of the hunt. She slowly crawled after him, making sure she never got any closer or farther away.

Inch by inch they moved up the bed until Alex felt something against his back. Peeking over his shoulder, he felt his heart drop when he found a massive pillow blocking his escape root. Looking forward again Chrysalis had dropped her body to the mattress and was giving him her best bedroom eyes. He stared right back at her as a slick tongue danced across her decorated lips. The white of a fang poked through her smile. Alex stood on his back legs, bracing himself against the pillow as Chrysalis's maw descended until it was pressed against his own.

She kissed him.

As her head moved away and Alex felt himself relax slightly. What was that? he wondered.

"Please Alex, join me in this time of passion." She struck again and this time her kiss lasted a moment longer. "I'll pleasure you first if it will stop your cowering."

Alex didn't get to respond before her mouth moved lower and pressed against his stomach, leaving Alex to gaze straight into Chrysalis's slitted pupils, half hidden by her lowered eyelids. The caress of her smooch was careful and soft. She retracted an inch before thrusting forward again to place another on his belly, followed by another. Then she dropped her head lower.

Alex's body, propped upright against the pillow, left his growing shaft exposed to Chrysalis's next round of kisses. Her lips caught his entire package and left him red in the face with embarrassment. It was now that he realized just how turned on he'd become by Chrysalis's skimpy clothing. Her ministrations turned more forward however, when her muzzle opened and her tongue, over two feet wide and several meaty inches thick to Alex, poked out and glided over his rod and balls. She pulled away for a moment and clicked her tongue before giving an exaggerated sigh that blew her heavy moist breath over him. He shivered in response.

"You taste good. Have I ever told you that?" Chrysalis giggled.

"I think you have," he said quietly.

"Then you won't mind if I have another," she chirped.

Her tongue slipped between those perk lips once more and slathered Alex in saliva from his hooves to his head. Chrysalis took a second to hum before licking him again, then again. She mostly lapped at his groin, but she occasionally dragged her slick tongue up his entire body. Finally, Chrysalis was sure Alex was completely saturated in her drool and his erection was fully hard.

"Yes, cum in my mouth," Chrysalis whispered before clamping onto his pride and sucking on it like a pacifier.

Alex gasped and gripped the top of the large changeling's muzzle as he fell forward. He could swear he saw stars as Chrysalis slurped loudly, her cheeks pulling back in a smile at his reaction. Her expert tongue traced his rod and stroked it up and down. Her warm mouth felt like a sauna and her hums of bliss vibrated his dick. In moments, Chrysalis could sense Alex's climax and advanced another inch, putting more pressure on him and forcing his body back into the pillow.

Alex felt like his waist was going to explode. Chrysalis's enormous tongue was massaging his penis and the vibrations made him dizzy. The meaty organ would coil around him and caress back and forth until he couldn't even tell where he was anymore. Suddenly, jet after jet of his seed was rocketing into Chrysalis's hungry mouth and he was left breathless. Chrysalis was even kind enough to pause her suckling so Alex could give her all his cream in peace. Once she was sure he could expel no more, she retracted her muzzle and swished his cum around her mouth before swallowing it in one gulp. There wasn't much, but he was only two inches tall, what did she expect?

"Need a moment?" Chrysalis giggled.

"Uhg... that was... something," Alex managed to huff.

"Good I'm sure."

In his exhaustion, it took Alex a moment to answer. "Yeah."

"Now then, we should move on before we get cold," Chrysalis tittered, blowing a stray hair from her eye.

The mare brought her right forehoof to her face and bit down on the end of her sock, pulling back on it, easing it off with a suggestive wiggle of her brow. Alex stared in wonder as she yanked and casually cast the article over the side of the mattress. She sniffed the bottom of her naked hoof with a wicked grin that showed off her fangs before sighing and moving the appendage toward him.

"Smell how delicious my hooves are," she ordered warmheartedly.

Alex blinked in confusion, but moved his nose forward in measured increments. Taking two quick sniffs himself. He was surprised to find the powerful aroma of honey. He also couldn't help but take notice of tiny sparkling dots across the underside of her hoof, like glitter.

"They smell like honey," Alex dared to comment, unsure how she'd react.

"Mm," she hummed in approval. "Yes they do. They probably taste like it too. Would you be a dear and find out for me?" she asked with uncharacteristic puppy-dog eyes.

Alex bit his lip, his gaze returning to the bottom of her sparkling hoof. He still felt a little weak from his orgasm, but licking was easy. Only hesitating another second, he extended his neck and opened his mouth. Licking a horse's shoe? I really hope this tastes as good as it smells, Alex mentally prayed. His tongue protruded from his mouth and tapped the hoof. Then Alex applied pressure and licked the bottom of Chrysalis's foot. She smiled all the wider at the feeling and Alex took a moment to process the flavor.

"It... tastes like honey," he said mostly to himself.

"Then have more," Chrysalis suggested with a sexual whisper.

Looking at the wall of black and it's occasional dot of sparkling glitter, Alex sighed in defeat. It smelled good, it tasted good, and he was being subtly ordered to. So he opened his mouth again and lapped at the surface. It could be worse, he thought sarcastically. She could be sweating. Chrysalis giggled, struggling to hold her hoof in place for her servant to clean. His little strokes were tickling her and making her horny. Well, hornier.

Lick, lick, lick. His tongue danced across the sweet surface over and over. Unfortunately, whatever Chrysalis had coated her hoof in was wearing off and he had to switch spots repeatedly to find more of the sweat coating as it ran out. The sparkling dots were also disappearing as he cleaned the syrup from the bottom of Chrysalis's foot, but Alex was running out of hoof and his jaw was getting sore. When there was no more to taste, he pulled back and rested his body against the pillow. Chrysalis pouted. She retrieved her leg to inspect his work and was quite pleased with his thoroughness.

"All clean," she informed him.

Next, Chrysalis levitated Alex into the air as she stood up. Then she unceremoniously removed her nightgown, letting it drift to the cold stone floor below. Then she flopped back onto the bed on her back, belly facing skyward. Finally, she ripped the socks from her remaining hole filled legs and shot the pieces at the far wall. She wouldn't need them. Then Chrysalis put Alex down high on her chest and proceeded to snicker.

"You've finished cleaning me, so now you need to unwrap me," she sighed while squeezing her breasts together.

With Chrysalis cooing at her own actions, Alex inhaled deeply, mentally preparing for the coming adventure. He couldn't deny he was somewhat attracted to the idea now, despite knowing from experience it was dangerous. It was erotic. So he dutifully waddled across the landscape that was his queen's barrel, stumbling now and then from the rise and fall created while she breathed or whenever she trembled in anticipation. Alex eventually came to her rather flat tits, which she was mindlessly playing with. Chrysalis seemed to take notice and paused long enough that Alex attempted to pass.

Unexpectedly, walls of soft flesh suddenly collapsed in on him!

Chrysalis giggled as she shook her boobs. Alex felt like he was in an earthquake while trapped in a mound of Jello. He gasped for air as soon as she released him, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead once he realized it was over. Quick jokes aside, he still had a destination to reach and moved swiftly to avoid further nonsense.

Alex was finally at Chrysalis's covered pussy which a neon green thong continued to outline nicely. He scratched his head for a moment. "What do I do?"

"Stop teasing and get in there!" she almost pleaded.

Shrugging, Alex tentatively approached the rim of her underwear and pulled on the stretchy material. Creating a tent for himself, Alex pushed his head through the opening and let the fabric press against his back. Step-by-step he crawled into Chrysalis's panties until he came to her love button. It was pronounced and positively begging for attention. Alex did his best to fight the squeeze of the cloth around him so that he could get into position to knead and rub Chrysalis's clit.

The large mare gasped in pleasure and her legs kicked helplessly at the air as soon as Alex's hooves found perches. In no time at all a dark spot was growing on Chrysalis's once pristine undergarments. The musk that flooded her lingerie made Alex's head foggy and the arousing effect it had on him made his cock twitch with need as he endlessly massaged the ball of nerves in front of him. Chrysalis then proved that she could make all sorts of noises as a symphony of moans and groans flooded the air. Alex was occasionally thrown about when her enormous legs shifted, sometimes violently, amidst her blissful spasms.

Chrysalis huffed repeatedly as her climax neared. She was actually impressed Alex could bring her this close without even having to enter her. Of course, what queen would let herself cum before getting some real penetration? Chrysalis grinned as her hoof moved towards her panties and tugged at the rim. Light illuminated Alex and distracted him for a moment as he tried to find the source in the formerly dark underwear. Suddenly, he was exposed to open air and could see Chrysalis biting her lip in the distance. Without giving him time to react, the same hoof that had yanked the panties off grabbed him and forced him against her vagina.

As he was smeared over her massive pussy lips, Alex held his breath and allowed his body to go limp. He knew from last time that his part was over and that Chrysalis was taking control. Fighting it was useless, so he merely prepared for it. Cream was already dripping down onto Chrysalis's tail and the thick liquid immediately coated Alex's body as he was dragged over her folds. Next thing he knew, Alex was going inside head first. Feminine juices had filled the cavern and he could feel the hoof on his back legs quiver as it slid him inside. When Alex was almost completely safe inside her sex Chrysalis sucked in a breathe. When there was nothing left of him outside to grip, her hoof fell back to the mattress to brace her body as she let her vaginal muscles tug him deeper.

Chrysalis's walls encased him from all sides and flexed like a monster's gullet. Soon a magic field took hold of him and began to roughly hurl him back and forth. Alex closed his eyes--like there was anything to see in the dark anyway--and let the motions happen. The thrusts got progressively faster and more abrupt and his stomach turned over more than a few times as a result. Regardless, his cock was massage by the soft flesh surrounding him and he did what he could to enjoy the feeling. Alex could feel his own end building as his rock hard dick was ground by Chrysalis's body. It wasn't so bad in here.

Chrysalis cried out as she came, Alex spilling back out of her in a river of cum. Moments later she collapsed onto the pillow and focused solely on her breathing while Alex did the same, but also tangled in her soggy tail. The bedsheets were ruined again and the room was saturated with the smell of fresh sex. The happy grin and sighs from above assured Alex that his master was satisfied. Until she spoke at least.

"That was a good first round!" she declared before pulling her head up in order to see him. "What do you say we rest for an hour and then go for the second?"

Alex's ears flicked at that and a mad blush came over his face, "s-sure." But in his head, he groaned. You've got to be kidding...

Author's Note

Clop Clop Clop

Chapter 18 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, serious talk

Alex sat on the table's surface with Apple close by. Oleander was standing tall by the door in perfect salute form as Chrysalis bid him a personal farewell. She wasn't wearing any armor, but rather an air of authority. Meanwhile, Apple held a neutral expression and Alex could only guess as to what she was thinking.

"Good luck my queen," Oleander stated deeply. "My only wish is that you had begun this campaign when I was in my youth so that I might take part."

Chrysalis nodded sympathetically. "I too wish you were still fit to take part in this war." Her gaze flicked to where his wings should have been for a moment and she sighed. "It is unfortunate that previous conflicts have left you handicap."

Oleander lowered his saluting hoof to the floor. "I understand. My presence would only be a liability."

"I do expect you to keep watch over my home while I am away, however. Although I don't expect to be living here after our victory, I may wish to make this place into a museum or a vacation home," she said with a sinister grin.

"Of course, my queen. Your will shall be done," Oleander stated while bowing low to the floor.

As Chrysalis turned to leave, she was stopped by Apple's query. "My queen?"

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I trust Oleander to keep an eye on you as well. He shall decide if you deserve to participate in the invasion, and should you leave despite his objection, I WILL hear about it and you WILL be punished. Good day to you, Apple."

Apple inhaled deeply, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

"And Alex?" His ears perked at the sound of his name. "We shall discuss certain things upon my return." And with that, Chrysalis marched out of the room and closed the cast iron door behind her.

Apple turned her eyes to the floor, her thoughts running a mile a minute. Oleander, on the other hoof, began to chuckle while a smile spread across his face. Apple tilted her head at him and scowled.

"What are you laughing at?" she demanded.

"My word is law," he said simply, making his way to the fridge.

Apple raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" Alex was equally confused.

"My word is law. You do anything that I don't like and you don't take part in the invasion." Oleander pulled an apple from the fridge and showed it to the other occupants in the room. Then he viciously bit into it, juice splattering his maw.

"I understand. Perfectly," Apple growled, her glare hardening.

"Good. You can finish this for me then," he said before suddenly throwing the apple to her. "Alex and I will be off then, should be back before nightfall. See ya later!" he cheered as he moved towards the door, Alex levitating onto his head.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked.

"Where are you going?!" Apple barked as she tossed the fruit to the floor.

Oleander stopped and spoke without looking back. "Me and Alex are going to visit an old friend of mine." There was a short pause before he spoke again. "And you better clean that up, it will rot and make the place smell if you don't. The queen won't like that."

Apple was going to protest more, but wisely bit her tongue instead. Oleander proceed out the door, a smug grin dominating his face.

"What was that all about?" Alex asked as soon as they were clear.

Oleander began walking down the curved path into the Hive as he explained. "Sorry, I guess I got a little mad with power is all. But think about it, I tell her to do anything I want and she has to do it!" he laughed. "Revenge, my name is Oleander!"

Alex rolled his eyes and collapsed on the larger changeling's head. "So who is this old friend of yours?"

"His name is Bell. You met him a few days ago during the fight."

Alex blinked at that. "You mean that tall changeling who didn't want to get involved?"

"That's him!"

"Why are we going to see him?"

"I have a theory and only he can help me with it. You see, he makes amulets and magic boosting potions for the Hive. He's also been studying ways to make love storage more efficient."

"Efficient?"

"Yes," Oleander nodded slightly, jostling Alex a bit. "Try to understand something Alex, love leaks no matter its container. Whether it be in a changeling, food, or a shiny stone. Magic just kind of... evaporates. It's been a problem since the dawn of time and changelings like Bell have been trying to solve it for just as long."

"So what's this theory you think he can help you with?"

"It's probably best if you wait until we get there," was Oleander's cryptic reply.

Bell was sitting at a spinning stone wheel normally used to sharpen blades, only he was currently using it to shape a small blue gem. Unfortunately, his concentration was abruptly broken when a series of knocks came from his door. Blowing on the rare stone to clear off the shavings, he gave it a once over before setting it down on a decrepit nearby table and standing with a quiet grumble. Lazily, he made his way to the door, not intent on giving his uninvited guest a happy welcome.

Bell was lanky, that was the best way to describe him. Long slim legs supported a trim figure where wings too big for his own body hung over his sides awkwardly. Bell's neck was slick and his mane cut short, almost to the point of being non-existent. He was also wearing a thick brown leather vest plastered with various colors of shiny dust. Right now he resembled a disco ball more than he did a changeling. Bell had a generous build-up of sweat on his forehead and an ugly pair of goggles stretched over his solid blue eyes to finish his strange appearance.

Repositioning the goggles so they hung from his slender neck, he threw the shabby wooden door of his meager home aside. Bell was greeted with the visage of a changeling who had a single orange eye, a fake leg, and a horn half made of metal. He snorted at the sight.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, monotone.

"Don't be like that Bell," Oleander chided playfully.

"I'm actually surprised you're still alive."

"What, after the fight? Of course I'm still alive!" he grinned.

Bell's face remained unimpressed. "If you came to say hi, you've succeeded. Congratulations. Now bye." With that, Bell attempted to close the door. Oleander was quick though, and jammed a hoof into the frame before it shut.

Pushing the door back open and, now with a scowl on his face, Oleander stared daggers at Bell. "What in Tartarus is wrong with you? I come to say hi and you slam the door in my face!"

"There's a big battle coming up, maybe you've heard about it," he deadpanned. Well, Alex thought he was deadpanning. His face hadn't really changed since they started talking.

Oleander took a moment before his expression lit up with understanding. Then he smiled sheepishly. "Oh I'm sorry, I guess that means you're pretty busy?"

Bell stood there for a moment, unmoving. "Three days from now every changeling and his mother is going to be swarming out of this Hive to go fight. Who do you think is going to arm them, hm?"

"Arm them?" Alex cut in unintentionally.

Noticing Alex's presence for the first time, Bell took a step back as his eyes widened. "And what is he doing here?" Alex found it strange how Bell looked surprised, yet his voice remained dull.

"We're guests, could you at least invite us in?" Oleander pleaded.

Bell eyed Alex for another second before sighing. "Fine. Come in, sit down, and start explaining." Bell turned away from the door and waddled into his home. Oleander, feeling quite proud of his negotiating skills, pranced into the living room and kicked the door shut behind him.

The furniture was humble ratty looking junk. Bell's couch literally looked like it had been pulled from the bottom of a dump. Half of the material was stained an ugly brown mess and the rest was rotted away and stuffing spilled out onto the floor. The coffee table was covered in ancient rot and the legs were uneven. The floor was bare stone, traces of gem dust piled into cracks along the edges where a broom couldn't easily reach.

Oleander plopped down on the couch as Alex used his wings to glide onto the table. Bell sat on the floor off to the side, between his visitors and the back room.

"So what do you want?" Bell went right to the point.

Oleander shook his head sadly at Bell's attitude, but gave him an answer anyway. "Alex here has very little magic and I think he'd benefit from some enhancement."

"Enhancement?" Alex repeated, but the two ignored him.

Bell rubbed his forehead and spoke in an annoyed tone. "Really? I'm swamped with orders coming in at the last second and you come to me with this?"

"Please Bell, just a weak one? He doesn't need a refined amulet, just some rock on a string."

"Hold up," Alex interjected with a raised hoof. "What are you guys talking about?"

Bell saw fit to spill the details. "I make amulets. Changelings can store love energy or magic in amulets for later use. Oleander thinks you need one. I disagree." His short sentences were loaded with mockery.

"So if I have an amulet, I'll have more magic?" Alex ventured.

"I can't see why you'd need any to begin with," Bell threw in. "You're just the queen's pet."

"Hey!" Oleander barked. "Watch your mouth."

Bell seemed to size Oleander up for a moment, eventually deciding to back down. "Fine. But you better pay the usual fee."

Oleander bit his lip. He hadn't brought his bits.

Bell took notice of his friend's reaction and snorted once. "No money, no service. Thanks for wasting my time. Now get out of my house." He then stood up and moved towards the door.

"I'll bring DOUBLE the bits tomorrow if you give Alex a stone today!" Oleander blurted suddenly.

Bell froze, hoof hovering over the door handle. "Double?"

"Sure. Alex's studies are being slowed down by his limited magic supply. He could really benefit from some extra power. Even if just a little."

The idea finally made sense to Alex now. Oleander had noticed how quickly he became exhausted during his magic lessons. So naturally, the best solution was to give him more magic so his lessons could go on longer.

Bell took only a second to think about it before nodding. "I'll get to work on your jewelry then." The skinny changeling then walked back across the small living space and into his work room. Before they knew it, the sound of grinding stone filled the house.

Oleander sighed tiredly and fell over on the couch. "That went about as well as I expected."

"Oleander, you do realize that I'm not going to be in this world for much longer, right?" Oleander didn't say anything. "As soon as Chry--Queen Chrysalis gets back, she's sending me home. So... I appreciate you trying to help me learn magic and all, but it's really not necessary anymore."

Oleander chuckled once. "Really kid, you think you're going home?"

Alex felt his heart drop. "What do you mean?"

Oleander sat up once more and stretched. "You think you can go back to your old life and forget about all this? Do you really think that anything can go back to the way it was?" Oleander's words were spoken in honesty, not as an insult. Even so, Alex didn't like them.

"Chrysalis will send me home, we made a deal!"

Ignoring his lack of respect, Oleander rephrased himself. "I have no doubt our queen will honor the agreement, changelings take deals very seriously, but do you really want her to?"

"Huh?" Alex tilted his head.

"I'm not entirely sure you'll be able to forget all that's happened, Alex. Take it from one who's been through some disturbing times," Oleander said while gesturing to his eye. "I've had to deal with some real horrors in my life, and let me tell you, you can't just move on. They stay with you like a disease that can't be cured. You're stuck reliving a memory over and over again for the rest of your life. If you try and just forget this world you'll go mad."

Alex didn't want to admit it, but Oleander had a point. When, or even if, he got home what would he tell everyone? When they asked him where he'd been, would he even have a story to tell? He'd be called crazy and locked-up! Then again, Oleander was talking about horror stories and this world wasn't exactly horror to Alex, but it wasn't always pleasant. Did the same logic still apply?

Shaking his head, Alex tried again. "This place isn't my home."

Oleander hummed as he analyzed Alex's stance. "It could become your home."

Alex's form wilted at that. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life as Chrysalis's toy," he whined.

"You won't have to. You were just a pre-war reward. The queen was using you to prepare herself, to relieve stress."

"So what, if I stay I'll be welcomed as one of her normal subjects?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"Most likely," Oleander countered seriously. "And you should be preparing yourself for at least the possibility that you might choose to stay. You still have a few days to decide. So do you want to learn as much magic as possible between now and then or not?"

Prepare for the possibility that he might choose to stay? Alex was sure Oleander had lost it. Yes, magic was cool and he did want to learn more, but he wouldn't be able to use it once he got home and he didn't want to waste Oleander's money.

Sighing, Alex relented. "I do want to learn more magic, but I also want to go home."

"Why though? What's so important about home that you need to get back to it?" Oleander challenged.

Alex thought for a moment and was surprised that he couldn't actually think of any positive things to look forward to. "I just... I don't know Oleander. Being here, being this small, I... don't like it. In my world, at least I wasn't the smallest living thing."

Oleander nodded. "I understand. It's not easy being helpless." Oleander unconsciously glanced back at his wings. "But maybe you can have Queen Chrysalis grow you to a normal size rather than send you home."

Alex sighed. "I'm not sure that'd be enough to make me want to stay."

"Then what are you looking for? What do you want in a home?"

Alex shook his head hopelessly. He didn't know where these questions were coming from all of the sudden, but they sure weren't putting his mind at ease.

Oleander was about to say something more, but he was interrupted.

"Your magic rock is done. You want it gift wrapped?" Bell asked with the smallest hint of a snicker on his muzzle.

"That was fast," Oleander blinked.

"It's just a marble on a piece of string. How slow do you think I am?"

"And you're going to charge me double the normal price for it?" Oleander glanced at the unimpressive piece.

Bell gave a full fanged smiled, a huge change of expression for the normally emotionless changeling. "You agreed."

Oleander rolled his eyes and grunted, "right." He then turned back to Alex. "We can pick this conversation up again later if you want, but you should be thinking about your future. Always remember that there is more than one possible outcome."

"Yeah," Alex mumbled.

Oleander chuckled. Sometimes being a teacher meant letting the students find the answers for themselves.

"Are you going to leave now or do you intend to turn my home into a mental hospital?" Bell cut in.

Chapter 19 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, fart, unwilling, anal insertion, torture

Please notice that this chapter involves hardcore fetish material which may not be everyone's cup of tea. You don't need this chapter to understand anything other than how Apple gets her revenge, so feel free to skip it if you are grossed out.

This is the last clop chapter.

Alex batted at the marble dangling from his neck in a bored fashion and his counterpart in the mirror copied the motion like an unoriginal prick. It was the early morning and only the second time he'd equipped the amulet and, oh boy, did it feel weird. The only way he could describe wearing it was like having a second heart. It was like the stone had a beat of its own that was constantly trying to match his own but always got it wrong. He didn't like the feeling.

Oleander and Alex had been pretty much thrown out of Bell's home immediately after getting the thing yesterday. While Oleander had seemed proud and held his head high, Alex had been totally confused by the whole encounter. The larger changeling was happy to explain that many who were taking part in the invasion had gone to Bell and others like him looking for amulets of their own. Very few changelings had thought about going into the battle with a little extra power until just recently, so the amulet makers were VERY busy these days. The invasion was literally around the corner and they had more orders to fill in a week then they had had all year! After hearing that, Alex could actually understand why Bell wasn't excited to see his old friend. He was a business man... err, changeling, and business had piled up on him.

"Poor Bell," Alex mumbled to himself with a sad chuckle, casually pulling the string over his head and dropping the necklace on the counter of the bathroom sink.

Oleander didn't usually arrive for another hour, so it was a happy surprise to hear the front door open and close across the house. Alex grinned, figuring he was just early because he had to go pay Bell this morning. Alex took to the air with excited wing beats and flew around the corner to greet his best friend, but was suddenly encased in a green glow that violently ripped him from the sky. A massive face with a malicious fanged smile appeared.

"What are you doing Apple?" Alex grunted as he struggled in the magic bonds.

"Oleander's not here?" she smirked.

"He will be soon," Alex squirmed again.

"I doubt it," she chirped.

"Why are you doing this Apple?!" Alex cried. "I saved you, you get to be in the invasion. If you hurt me you--"

Apple shook him in the air like a baby rattle to make him shut up. "Don't taunt me!" she barked once, blasting her hot breath through his hair. He swallowed once as his mind rolled from the shaking. "You are a crafty little bastard, I'll give you that, but no one makes fun of me. No pony, no changeling, and no... bug," she hissed.

"I never made fun of you," Alex tried to reason while holding the sides of his throbbing head.

"Yes you did!"

He licked his lips nervously. "What are you going to do to me?"

Her wicked grin grew. "Sex."

Alex had made love to Chrysalis and Apple in the past, so as far as he was concerned, there were no surprises left. He'd cleaned hooves, been squeezed between breasts, and shoved up vaginas. So he was left racking his brain for what else Apple could do to him that he hadn't experienced before. That didn't mean he wanted to take part of course, but rather he knew what was coming.

Alex, lost in his thoughts, didn't notice as Apple carried him along to the room with the tub. There, she dropped him on the floor and knocked him out of his mental world. He watched Apple descend into the empty bath, remembering the last time they'd done this. He considered trying to run, but maybe there was still a chance to stop this diplomatically.

"Please Apple, I tried to help you," he pleaded.

"Help? HELP?! You humiliated me! I don't need a bug to do things for me because I can't take care of myself."

"But I'm the one who caused the problem and I just wanted to--"

"You're damn right you caused the problem. And now you're going to pay for it," she giggled evilly.

Alex gulped and his eyes widened as he watched her horn light up with emerald energy. Before he could think, the magic hit him in the chest and his body went limp. Then he was lying on the floor, his face the only thing he could control.

"What's happening!? I can't move!" he panicked. Last time she had constantly restrained him with her telekineses, not whatever it was she had done now.

"So much for Oleander teaching you magic," Apple snickered. "It's a simple paralysis spell. It should keep you nice and compliant."

"Oleander will hear about this!" Alex threatened.

She mock gasped. "Oh no. Then I'll have to stay here with you guys even longer!"

Alex clamped his mouth shut. That didn't sound like a good thing.

Apple's grin nearly split her face in two. "Exactly. So don't go blabbing about this and I'll be out of your mane in two days," she laughed.

Alex desperately tried to will his limbs to move. He had to prove he was stronger than her magic. As he went about his hopeless mission, Apple spun around in the tub and raised her tail. Alex's struggles ceased as he gazed up at her butt, which was even more bubbly then Chrysalis's, and her dry sex. "This is MY revenge," Apple taunted. Alex was suddenly flipped over so that his belly was facing skyward and his limbs were spread wide like an eagle. The ass loomed above him ominously and her tail flicked back and forth merrily.

"Say you're sorry," Apple ordered.

"N-no," Alex stuttered.

Apple lowered her posterior several inches. "Say it," she sing-songed, obviously enjoying this.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry okay, I didn't mean it!"

"Good," and with that, Apple turned around and grabbed Alex with her hoof. "I will expect more apologies from you in the future," she explained. Then she held him close to her nose and gave him a quick whiff. "Tsk tsk. But before that, we will have to do something about that smell."

"W-what smell?" Alex asked nervously.

"I KNOW" she suddenly proclaimed, completely ignoring his question. The next thing Alex knew, he was staring at Apple's backside again. "This should do it," Apple tittered.

The hoof Alex was stuck to moved towards Apple's right cheek and pressed him into the soft fur and squishy butt flesh. The marshmallow fat happily morphed to the contours of his body and welcomed him with the smell of sweat. The offending appendage against his back then moved up and down, grinding him into Apple's ass.

The larger changeling sighed while Alex grit his teeth against the pressure. He was dragged up, pressed into her flab, then moved down again. Eventually, Apple lifted him away from her cheek only to introduce him to its twin and the treatment began all over again. His paralyzed form was used to dry scrub Apple's entire backside. When she got bored with the up and down motions, she started rubbing her ass in little circles. Around Alex went, meeting every last square inch of those juicy flanks. He felt like he was melting from the warmth created by friction and the natural body heat that radiated from her rear.

When she was finally satisfied, Apple brought Alex back to her face for another sniff. "Hmm," she frowned. "You still don't smell right."

Alex coughed once. "I don't know what you're talking about Apple. Let me go!"

Her wicked smile returned however when she felt something bubble in her stomach. "Oh, now I know what will clean you up." Alex found his view switching back to Apple's fatty mounds once more. He groaned, thinking she was going to massage herself with his body again, but he was dead wrong.

Apple spread her legs and inhaled deeply, her glutes almost seeming to inflate. Alex now had a clear view of her anus as the puckered ring flexed. He was held just beyond her tunnel when he heard the bubbling in Apple's stomach moving down her body. He would have tensed up if he wasn't trapped in a limp state. Then, as he dreaded, Apple farted.

A rancid wind tore through his mane and Alex swore he could see the gas cling to his fur. He coughed from the smell and his eyes began to water. He wasn't truly crying, but he was on the verge. Alex only wished he could lift his hooves to cover his nose.

"Ah," Apple sighed. "That was even better than I expected. Let's try another."

Alex dared to open his eyes only to see her massive hole open and release more of the putrid stench and the baritone sound that came with it. He wanted to vomit, to let his stomach spew whatever it was that rested in a changeling, but he couldn't. His insides refused to finish the journey up his throat so Alex was left to wheeze and hack on the miasma. His eyes burned, tears slowly drifted down his cheeks, and he struggled to catch his breath.

"Wait wait, I've got one more!" Apple announced happily.

Alex didn't get a chance to say anything before his face was shoved into her ass and the muscles pulled open to let one last gassy expulsion through. It was loud and wet too.

"Oh yeah," Apple moaned.

Alex saw black spots in his vision as the noxious fumes filled his lungs and robbed him of precious oxygen. Luckily, the second before he let himself pass out, the restricting hoof around his torso pulled him back. He was moved away from the source of the deadly vapor and responded by greedily sucking down clean air. Apple's eye appeared in his still impaired vision, questioning the validity of his desperate breathing.

"Don't be such a baby. You act like my farts stink." She snorted at her own joke, smacking her rump with her free hoof.

Alex coughed out a retort. "You could've killed me."

She rolled her eyes. "We haven't even started yet, Alex."

"What?" he choked.

"I said we're not done. Now get ready, because you're going in!"

Without further delay, Alex's vision shifted to Apple's backside yet again, but that didn't last long. With his next blink, Alex was shoved deep into her hole. The larger changeling squealed in delight and experimentally clenched her ring. Alex, only the tips of his back hooves left outside, felt a huge pressure on his torso that pulled him further into the foul smelling cave. He couldn't breath and the repulsive walls crushed his torso.

Apple pumped the paralyzed and helpless creature in and out of her rump, marveling at the new sensation. Her tongue lazed out of her mouth and drool dripped down her muzzle. Apple, her legs spread wide, magic manipulating the tiny life between her rear cheeks, was in heaven. She couldn't help but snicker as she felt her climax coming at the torturous expense of the little bastard. As for Alex there were spots in his vision again. He almost wished he could die right now, but he knew Apple wouldn't allow that.

When Oleander arrived at the house, he was surprised to find Alex and Apple in the bath together, relaxing quietly on opposite ends of the tub. He was suspicious, but Alex dispelled his concerns with his many rapid assurances that everything was fine and normal. Oleander scratched his head at that, but quickly shrugged and left the bathroom. He dropped the issue quickly, figuring that if something was truly wrong, Alex would tell him.

And speaking of baths, Oleander felt he could use one too. Changelings usually only bathed once per three days, unless they were nobility or in the field. So it went without saying that the aged changeling thought one might be in order for himself now. And after he got clean himself, he could start teaching Alex how to use that amulet.

Chapter 21 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, lore

It had been a week since the invasion and things in the Hive had changed drastically. For one, the residential chasm that made up most of the Hive was now a massive hospital bed. Thousands of mats, not all of them clean, lined the walls and all but a few changelings were now either doctors or patients. Almost all other activities except tending to the wounded were postponed. Making things worse, there were virtually no soldiers left to maintain order. So when fights broke out no one did anything to stop them. As to why there would be fighting during such a crisis, the answer was the same as before the war: starvation.

The older changelings were being sent out to gather as much love as they could, but now the demand was higher than ever and things were getting ugly. Disease was spreading, the scrubs were constantly crying for sustenance, and there were constant scuffles. Someone was always awake trying to help those that were hurt... or steal what love they had left.

Alex hadn't seen Oleander since it all went wrong. An aged soldier, he was asked to return to duty and make the moody bugs think twice about attacking each other over petty issues. Apple, on the other hoof, never came back from the invasion. Alex was ashamed of himself for it, but he really couldn't care less.

Then there was Chrysalis. Alex had only gotten a brief glimpse, but it looked bad. She must have been riddled with broken bones and covered head to hoof in burns. Whatever had happened she was lucky to be alive. Chrysalis was said to be healing in a secret chamber, but Alex was not allowed to know where that was nor was he allowed to see her.

Bell sat on a stool while carefully grinding a ruby into shape with his cutting wheel. Alex sat on the table nearby, watching with bored interest. Bell was notorious for his ability to give one word answers to questions or simply refusing to speak at all. He avoided eye contact whenever he could and he made sure Alex knew he didn't plan on explaining what he was doing. So away Bell toiled, for the past seven days, working on various precious stones. Alex wasn't sure why Bell wasn't helping all the injured changelings outside his door, but there was no way to get an explanation out of him. So many things about this changeling remained a mystery.

"If there is so little love to go around, who's going to need that amulet?" Alex tried one last time.

Bell made no indication he had even heard the question, which was possible with all the noise that grinding wheel was making.

Alex sighed. There was nothing to do but watch him work. From his vantage point, Alex could determine that the process for making high quality amulets involved a bit of trial and error. Apparently, Bell couldn't tell what stones would store energy the best until he had already started grinding away at them. At some point in the process, he'd stop and take out a magnifying glass to study the gem more closely. Then he would either go back to grinding or toss the rock in a rubbish pile. It seemed kind of random.

A knock at the door pulled Bell's goggle covered eyes away from the ruby with a massive ugly bump that he was trying to smooth. Alex flew along behind him to see who the visitor was. Bell was not impressed. A young female changeling he didn't recognize was standing in the doorway after having let herself in. Bell growled at the intrusion, but greeted her anyway.

"What can I do for you?"

"I-I'm just delivering the mail. The Behemoths are here," she said while shrinking back.

Although she had spoken shyly, and basically ran from Bell as soon as she had dropped the message, the skinny changeling was stunned. "Behemoths? Here?" he asked himself.

Alex was equally confused when Bell galloped to the walkway outside. In both directions other doors were open and numerous changelings that had been exempted from helping the wounded were gawking at the sight bellow. Alex landed on the narrow railing that separated the path from a 20 foot fall to the ground below. He too stared in amazement.

If normal changelings were like mountains, behemoths were like moving planetoids to him.

Four times as tall as the changelings around them, bulking muscular bodies, horns like lightning rods, legs as wide as ancient oak trees, and beach ball sized blue eyes. What really grabbed Alex's attention though, was the lack of wings. Instead, the two behemoths he could see sported three bony disks that jutted from their backs by a few inches. Evenly spaced, they resembled ribs that had grown up out of the skin and turned as blue as the sky. On their massive bodies the feature did not appear gross or awkward, just different. In a strange way, the rings even made them look tough... well, tougher.

Bell stared at the pair of dominating figures standing among the soup of injured. Their horns were glowing and they each let a rain of gentle sparkles fall upon those around them as they marched down the isle of occupied mats. As the wounded changelings absorbed the falling energy, they would relax and lie down, as though hypnotized.

"What are they doing?" Alex asked.

"Giving away love," Bell whispered back.

"But what are they doing here? I thought hives hated each other?" Looking further down the road, Alex spotted another two behemoths doing the same thing.

"It's because King Milkweed is here!" called a familiar old voice.

"Oleander!" Alex cheered as he turned to see his friend. Oleander didn't look happy though.

"Where have you been?" Bell asked quickly.

"Taking care of things. I can see the hunger issue is being dealt with," Oleander said before taking a seat next to Bell and Alex.

"I don't understand, I thought the behemoths didn't have any love to spare," Bell commented.

"They didn't," Oleander stated with a frown.

"King Milkweed?" Alex cut in, inquiring about the name Oleander had spoken while he was approaching.

"He's king of the Behemoths," Oleander explained rapidly before turning back to Bell. "And it's not his supply of love that's going around. It's Lord Nightshade's."

Alex could even see Bell's blood run cold. "Lord Nightshade?" he quivered. "B-but why--?"

"General Firethorn is also here," Oleander cut him off.

Like flipping a switch, Bell was suddenly enraged. "Firethorn," he snarled. "What is he doing in our hive?!"

"Chrysalis is too injured to leave, so Nightshade brought The Council to her," Oleander answered with a neutral expression.

"Hold on, I'm lost here," Alex said with a raised a hoof. "What's going on?"

Bell snorted and looked away. Oleander took a deep breath to maintain control of his emotions. "God-King Nightshade called a council meeting between the hives of Equestria. Those include Queen Chrysalis, King Milkweed, and General Firethorn. Because our queen cannot be moved at the moment however, Nightshade brought the others here instead. He also brought a very large delivery of love energy which he has tasked the Behemoths with distributing to the hive. There are another two making their way through the tunnels to the other chambers."

"But why is Bell mad about Firethorn and not Milkweed?"

"That... is harder to explain," Oleander relented. "You see Alex, no two hives are what you call 'allies', but that doesn't mean they automatically hate each other. Chrysalis and Milkweed are not friends, but they are more than willing to sit down at the same table and talk. I guess you could say we can tolerate each other. Firethorn is a different story."

"He's a backstabbing bastard," Bell huffed.

Ignoring Bell, Oleander continued. "Firethorn, and his children, are a hive that thrives on combat. It can't be denied, his changelings are naturally better fighters than others. They are sometimes called the Hive of Warriors."

"And we don't get along with them?" Alex tried.

Oleander nodded slowly. "Thorn Changelings are well known for being violent and attacking other changelings while in the field. They, above all other hives, push the limits of Lord Nightshade's no war policy."

"No war policy?" Alex echoed in sudden realization. "Wait, I thought you said it was just forbidden for hives to attack each other."

"It is," Oleander replied. "Officially, that's the extent of the law, but you could say Nightshade has grown fond of the way changelings operate these days. He doesn't like the idea that the world will learn we still exist."

"The council meeting is just a cover," Bell spoke up suddenly. "He doesn't care what the other royals have to say, he's going to have this hive destroyed."

Oleander said nothing to discredit the theory, much to Alex's horror.

"He wouldn't do that! Would he? Look at all those hurt changelings, isn't that punishment enough? And why would he bring them food if he was just going to have the hive burned?"

Bell and Oleander looked at each other for a moment, having a silent argument over the points Alex had just brought up. A few moments later their eyes separated, but their expressions remained dark.

"By the way Alex," Oleander began unexpectedly, "after the meeting, Lord Nightshade wants to speak with you."

Alex felt like the entire world had just collapsed from under his hooves. The oldest and most powerful changeling in the world, a self-proclaimed god and the one who held the fate of every life in this hive in his hooves, wanted to talk to him!?

"Is that optional?" he whispered.

"No," Oleander replied dryly. "A Shadow Changeling will be here to collect you when the time comes."

For almost three hours the trio stood by the railing (on it in Alex's case) and watched the Behemoths do their best to distribute the love evenly. The pair had run out several minutes ago and were now on their way out, but the trio still felt content to stare at all the changelings who were now, more or less, full. For the first time in years. Many who had been treated were now sleeping or were excitedly talking with their neighbors. That wasn't to say they were happy, but rather spreading rumors.

Alex's ears perked when a strange sound, not unlike glass crackling, came from behind him. But when he turned to look he nearly melted out of his skin. The wall... it was a black hole. There was just no other way to describe it. It was as though the space had just fallen out of existence and left behind a void into nothingness. He could feel his fur rising when a leg materialized from the cavity. A moment later and he was gazing upon something that could only be a Shadow Changeling.

Bright violet glyphs carved in neat columns ran up pure black legs to a form that seemed to ripple with darkness. It was like he lacked a solid body, instead crafted from gently fluctuating shadows. His wings were silver plates, partly transparent and spread as though he were purposefully showing them off. His horn was long and thin and rings of glowing violet ran along it at regular horizontal intervals. His eyes shown with an otherworldly purple glow and there was no sign of a mane or tail.

Alex recalled what Oleander had said about them, that they were infused with black magic at birth. It was only now that he fully understood what Oleander meant.

And his voice--oh his voice--it was like a snake's echoing off the walls of a massive cavern.

"Lord Nightshade will see you now, Alex."

Chapter 22 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, lore

The Shadow Changeling had faded out of existence like a ghost and the hole in the wall now led to a mysterious office Alex knew hadn't been there before. He looked back to Oleander and Bell, but neither had anything to say. The pair merely gestured with their heads for him to go. Alex gulped audibly, beat his wings, and flew through the gateway that had been provided. As soon as he emerged on the other side however, it collapsed behind him, trapping him. Alex glanced back for a moment, but quickly turned his attention to the strange room.

The floor was covered by a large fuzzy red rug emblazoned with gold in the shape of exotic plants he didn't recognize. There were a few bookshelves in the room as well as a large desk one would expect in the office of a wealthy business executive. Several paintings of green pastures and mountains filled the blank areas of the cherry red walls and hanging from a white plaster ceiling was a single curly armed chandelier which remained unlit. There were no doors into or out of the room. To Alex's left, one narrow floor to ceiling window allowed a beam of fiery orange sunlight into the space. Seated on his haunches directly within that ray of light was Nightshade himself.

He was nothing like what Alex had been expecting. No, he was much less intimidating.

He was about a head taller than Chrysalis with a very similar build. His fur was thin and not quite as black, definitely showing signs of age. While Chrysalis's wings had seemed ragged and poorly cared for, Nightshade's gigantic plum colored wings were in pristine condition, round like a butterfly's and folded neatly to his sides. A lengthy horn sprouted from his head just before a flowing mane of pure silver that rested along his shoulders. Then there were his legs, covered in polished iron leggings. Engraved in the metal were the same types of symbols Alex had seen on the Shadow Changeling earlier, but these lacked any organization and were scribbled randomly over the surface. They glowed the same eerie violet and appeared to be emitting a faint mist that quickly dissipated an inch into the open air.

To the left of the window, sitting on a small decorative table, was a lone glass goblet filled with red wine. On the right side, a slightly larger table carried a black book with yellowing, weathered pages poking out of its bindings.

Alex hovered where he was for a moment, keeping his eyes fixed on Nightshade. The God-King of the changelings was currently staring at the sunset outside. Alex decided that it would be best to land somewhere and chose the heavy desk. After touching down, he folded his wings and seated himself facing the larger changeling, who had still yet to even acknowledge his presence. Somewhere in the room, Alex could hear a clock ticking away the seconds that the two remained like that. The wait was nerve racking.

Suddenly, Nightshade's horn glowed lavender and the glass of wine at his side rose on its own. Stirring the contents for a minute, he casually brought it to his lips and took a generous sip before levitating it back to its perch. Then he cleared his throat.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked without looking back and in a voice expected from an older gentleman.

"Yes," Alex said quietly. The only real royalty he'd ever spoken to was Chrysalis, and that was made far less formal by their relationship. He was uncertain how to show respect to such a powerful individual.

"How much do you know?"

Alex worked his jaw before speaking. "You took control of The Council thousands of years ago after winning the Battle of Podzamite. You are the oldest changeling alive and you hold the future of this hive in your hooves."

One of Nightshade's ears flicked. "And I know all about you. That makes introductions unnecessary so we can get right down to business." His horn lit up again, but this time it was the book that floated into the air and hovered by his head. "Do you know what this is?"

There was some text on the cover, but it wasn't in English. There was a depiction of a crescent moon with a unicorn's head in the middle, grafted directly into the leather with glistening silver. This was clearly an expensive novel and very old, but Alex had never seen it before nor did he know what it was. He shook his head to communicate this, but quickly realized Nightshade still wasn't looking in his direction. Before he could voice in the negative however, the larger changeling proved he had eyes in the back of his head.

"This book has no true name, but is often referred to by its creator. This is the Spell Book of Nightmare Moon."

Alex was unable to completely contain his gasp. He knew of that book after all! It was how Chrysalis had brought him to this world and given him the body of a shrunken changeling.

"This is the single largest collection of black magic in existence," Nightshade continued. "Nightmare Moon herself filled these pages with power, so it is not just a list of spells. Using this stored energy, any changeling or pony would be capable of some rather impressive feats. Eventually that magic will be used up and this tome will become like any other book, unfortunately."

Alex remained silent.

Nightshade lowered the tome back to its resting place before his voice returned with a hint of frustration to it. "I have heard so many stories regarding this manuscript and I had dreamed of the day I might possess it, that I might read it for myself. So imagine my pleasure when I found Chrysalis had somehow gotten ahold of it. But now that I have it, I am left with a question that I cannot find the answer to no matter how much I look. That question being: how can you exist?"

Alex tilted his head slightly at that. "I'm sorry sir, I don't understand. Chrysalis only told me that she used Nightmare Moon's book to take me from my world and give me this body. That's as much as I know."

"I heard the same story from her mouth too," he huffed. "But I have looked through these aged pages numerous times and... that explanation doesn't make any sense."

Alex only knew the basics of magic. Even with that amulet Oleander had gotten him, he still hadn't learned much beyond transforming, levitation, love absorption, and a dab of invisibility. He had no idea what dark magic entailed and he had no idea what the limits were. So he opted to remain silent so as not to embarrass himself or anger Nightshade.

"I can't figure out how you can be standing here in my presence with that body and with that mind and all it took was that fool of a queen and this book. I read and I scan, but I can't find the answer. Do you even comprehend my plight?" he asked unexpectedly.

"No sir, I don't. I know very little about magic."

He grumbled, but still refused to look in Alex's direction. "Other worlds are not beyond reach, especially for a determined spell caster with knowledge of the dark arts. This book would make ripping a hole into another realm child's play in fact." He took a deep breath. "What I don't understand is that body. You can't have that form."

"Is a shrink spell not possible?"

Nightshade's head half turned in his direction and Alex finally got a glimpse of his face. His muzzle was long and narrow, two short straight fangs hanging over his bottom lip. His wide violet eyes were sunk deep in their sockets as they stared back at him. "A shrink spell is easy, but you and Chrysalis have both been fooled. You are not simply a shrunken Whistle Changeling."

Whistle Changeling? Alex wondered. He assumed that must be the changelings of Chrysalis's hive. "But if I'm not just shrunk, what am I?"

Nightshade's brow lowered, he sighed and turned back to the window. "Chrysalis tried to simply construct your body on a minuscule scale. Your natural form would literally have been that of a Whistle Changeling only smaller, which would have eliminated the need to shrink you after bringing you to this world. That was her intention. However, Chrysalis was not--and still isn't--familiar with the realm of shadows. She lost control of the spell without even realizing it."

"But if I'm not a...Whistle Changeling, then what am I?" Alex asked again, eagerly.

"You are a Firefly Changeling," he said slowly.

Alex sat back and blinked several times. "What's that?"

"A species that has been extinct since I was a scrub," Nightshade replied, barely above a whisper.

"Oh," was all Alex could manage to say. If Nightshade was thousands of years old, that would mean the Firefly Changelings had been gone for a long time. "What's the difference between a Firefly and a Whistle Changeling?"

"Size, primarily. But Fireflies also have a deep inner magic reserve. Did you notice how that amulet you had felt weird? Like it had a heartbeat of its own?"

Alex did recall that. "Yes, it felt... wrong."

Nightshade nodded. "Amulets are supposed to sync to the wielders own magic reserves, but Fireflies are born with a biological amulet. They can store HUGE quantities of love... if they know how to direct it to their inner stores. An experienced Firefly is also a living magic amplifier. Part of the reason they are now extinct."

Alex could feel his jaw dropping. "So I'm really not a Whistle Changeling."

"In other words, I can't allow Chrysalis to send you home."

"What!?" Alex shouted, shock instantly destroying his sense of amazement.

Nightshade did not respond immediately. Instead, he sat quietly, gazing out at the setting sun while that annoying clock ticked on. He levitated the glass of wine to his lips and took a sip before he resumed. "Do you know why I did what I did all those millennia ago?"

"No, I don't," Alex said, irritated that Nightshade was changing the subject without answering his question.

The goblet landed gracefully back on its stand and Nightshade licked his lips before continuing. "Because the Feudal Era cost us changelings so much. While I was growing up, hives were being annihilated one after the other. So many were dead and there wasn't a real reason for it. I didn't feel like anyone wanted those dark days to end but me. So I made an oath to bring peace no matter what the cost was. As soon as I saw an opportunity to end the fighting I was going to take it."

Nightshade stopped speaking for a few seconds, prompting Alex to throw his two cents in. "I'm sorry, but I don't see what any of that has to do with me."

"I am not a god," Nightshade said suddenly, making Alex blink in confusion. "I have done many things others could only ever dream of. I have witnessed wars, disasters, and plagues. I caused some, I ended others... but there is one thing not even the most skilled dark magician can do: bring back the dead. Only a god can do that, and because I cannot, I am no god."

Alex scratched his head while he tried to figure out what Nightshade was saying. It seemed like some kind of philosophical gibberish to him.

"To end the wars I had to wage one myself, and in doing so, destroyed two hives with these very hooves." As he spoke, he raised his armor clad legs to his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Alex dared to say. Nightshade seemed to ignore him.

"Somehow, Chrysalis recreated the Firefly Changelings in you and now I have an opportunity to restore a piece of what my kind have lost."

"Wait," Alex felt his eyes widen. "Are you saying you want to use me to bring back a dead hive?"

Nightshade took a deep breath. "Chrysalis did something by accident that I was never able to do in my wildest fantasies. I will not let this opportunity slip by. You cannot be allowed to return home."

Alex felt his throat tighten. It couldn't be. Sure he had had his doubts about whether he should really go home or not, but it had always been his choice. Now, this want-to-be god was taking the choice away from him and holding him prisoner! "Y-you can't do that! Chrysalis promised to send me home."

"Hm?" Nightshade's ears perked and he turned his head towards Alex.

"You can't hold me here like a criminal, I've done nothing wrong."

"A promise?" Nightshade murmured quietly.

"I get that making up for actions in the past is important to you and all, but it's not fair to me right now."

"Chrysalis made you a promise?" Nightshade asked again, this time with more force, before he stood up.

Alex suddenly felt like he had crossed the line. Until now, Nightshade had been seated and busying himself looking out that window, but now he was on his hooves and looking right at him. "Yes," Alex squeaked, fear halting his whining.

Nightshade appeared to be in deep thought. "A promise," he echoed. "A promise..." He turned back and sat at the window, his eyes boring into the sun on the horizon.

Alex was confused. What did he say?

The clock kept ticking in the background as Nightshade stared at nothing. Alex was afraid to speak now, so the room remained silent. A minute passed.

"Would you like to speak with her?" Nightshade asked abruptly.

"Who?"

"Chrysalis."

Alex hadn't seen her in a while and he wasn't sure what good talking to her now would do. Regardless, he nodded.

There was a flash of violet and Alex vanished from the room, leaving the king of changelings alone. The wine glass floated in front of him, but he did not drink from it. Instead, he moved it away so that it blocked his view of the sun. Or rather so the sun's rays had to pass through the red liquid first.

"Do I serve the future or do I serve the past?" he asked himself. "Do I help my people or do I honor a promise?" He sighed. "What a mess."

Alex waited for the spots to clear from his vision and for his head to stop spinning before he tried to figure out where he was. He knew Nightshade had just teleported him.

This new place had the curved cave walls he was familiar with as well as a smooth dusty floor. There were some glowing green crystals hanging from the ceiling that cast everything in an emerald shade and the wooden surface Alex was now sitting on had clearly seen many years of use. To his left was an empty hospital bed with slick sheets and an over-sized pillow. To his right was another bed, but Chrysalis was currently occupying this one.

Alex gasped at the sight. She looked terrible.

A thin cotton blanket covered only up to her midsection, leaving the multitude of bandages around her barrel visible. A hard plaster cast encased her right arm to the elbow and there was a patch over her right eye. Across her form were numerous bald spots where her fur had been burned away.

Chrysalis's uncovered eye drifted open and her head lazily creaked to regard Alex. Her emerald eye was so tired, so defeated. Her chest inflated several times before she bothered to speak.

"What are you doing here?" she asked weakly.

Alex only now realized his mouth had been hanging open. He quickly closed it and cleared his throat. After thinking for another few seconds, he began to speak, nervously.

"Nightshade sent me. I... I wanted to talk to you."

Chrysalis's lid slipped down over her good eye. "About... sending you home?"

Alex licked his lips. "Kind of."

"Alex," she began monotone, "I can't." Chrysalis grunted as she pulled herself upwards on the bed so that her back was supported by the pillow. "Lord Nightshade is taking everything from me."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, already knowing part of it.

Chrysalis glared at the far wall. "The Council is going to vote in a few hours, but Lord Nightshade's proposal WILL pass and this hive will be torn apart."

"Torn apart?!" Alex's ears flew up. That sounded serious.

"I will be imprisoned," she continued, "and my hive will be moved to the mountains and put under the direction of Milkweed. Meanwhile, Firethorn will get our territory and our home." She sighed with exhaustion. "It's over Alex, there is nothing this... former queen can offer you."

"It's not over yet, there's still a chance The Council will turn it down," he tried to assure her.

Chrysalis looked down at Alex with a dead expression. "Firethorn has longed to see this hive destroyed since he came to power and Milkweed is too much of a coward to ever dare oppose Lord Nightshade. I obviously don't have a vote and Nightshade isn't going to reject his own proposal. So you tell me how there is hope?"

Alex couldn't find words for his mouth to utter.

"And on top of all that, Lord Nightshade doesn't believe I should be allowed to wield one of the most powerful magic artifacts in the world, the Spell Book of Nightmare Moon. Without it, I can't send you home."

"Nightshade was talking to me about that earlier, actually. There's more to it than that."

Chrysalis looked curious.

"He told me that the dark magic you used to created my body was not fully under your control. He said that something went wrong and you weren't experienced enough with dark magic to notice."

Chrysalis growled, her spellcrafting abilities insulted. "What is that supposed to mean? You're here, aren't you?"

"Yes," Alex said while stepping back. He hadn't meant to offend Chrysalis. "But, apparently, I'm not a Whistle Changeling."

Chrysalis blinked. "Yes you are, that's how I made you."

"I'm a Firefly Changeling. A species that is naturally this size."

Chrysalis's breath escaped her. "That's not possible," she gaped. "The Fireflies have been extinct for... ever."

Alex nodded. "Nightshade thinks I'm the key to bringing them back. The real reason he doesn't want me to go home is so he can study me and maybe restore the species."

Chrysalis looked away with grit teeth. "He didn't tell me this."

Alex didn't feel the need to say anything else. So the two sat in silence for several minutes.

...

"I'm sorry..."

Alex's ears perked. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Alex. None of this was supposed to happen."

Alex bit his lip again. "I'm sorry too."

Chrysalis shook her head. "I took you from your home, stole everything from you, now everything is being taken from me." She paused. "I don't like the feeling."

Alex swallowed a sad giggle. This wasn't the time for laughing. "It's okay. You promised to send me home. It's not your fault Nightshade is in the way."

"I was supposed to be victorious!" she snapped. "I was supposed to be unstoppable. I was going to end this age of changeling cowardice and become a God-Queen, like Nightshade. But now he is standing over me, looking down on me like I'm a child who's utterly failed his expectations. I can't even fulfill a simple promise."

There was something about the way she said 'promise' that made Alex curious. "Was our deal really that important to you?"

Chrysalis sighed, remembering that Alex wasn't born into changeling society. "To changelings, Alex, a promise is a sacred thing. Especially to us royals, failing to honor a promise is almost like... I'm not sure there is a way to put it into words. It's just... a promise is special to our kind. Promises have been made by us and to us in the past and they have altered the course of our existence. The simplest of agreements, when honored, have made hives and burned them down."

Alex recalled the way Nightshade had seemed shocked when he mentioned Chrysalis's promise. Was this why? Did it matter? Chrysalis took another moment to ponder before coming up with a better explanation.

"Changelings have always been creatures of deception. Even before we removed ourselves from history, we could assume the forms of others and travel completely unseen. We needed a way to trust each other, so we wouldn't step on each other's hooves. When the Feudal Age began, changelings abused their powers beyond measure. So when the fighting ended, our kind had an intimate experience with the insanity that occurs if we can't at least trust our fellow changelings. We are taught from birth that we hurt each other a lot more by lying than we ever could by fighting.

"An agreement to or from a Royal Changeling is even more sacred. We are beings that can live for thousands of years. A promise with one of us could potentially be in effect for a multitude of generations. Who knows how much damage or profit something like that could bring."

"Which is why I've come to a decision," a deep voice came from the doorway. Both Alex and Chrysalis jumped and turned to the owner.

It was Lord Nightshade.

"Chrysalis, I am willing to give you the Spell Book of Nightmare Moon only until Alex is returned home."

"B-but I thought you said you needed me to bring back the Firefly Changelings?" Alex blurted.

"I do," Nightshade replied, his features sagging. "But your agreement is more important," he swallowed.

"I am still too injured to safely complete the ritual," Chrysalis asserted. "You must give me a few weeks to heal first."

Nightshade rapidly became suspicious. "Trying to buy your hive more time? I will not risk a war with you when there is the coming struggle with the ponies to prepare for."

"How do you expect me to complete such a complex spell in this state?" she hissed back.

"You'll find a way," he stated calmly.

"Permission to speak?" Alex spoke up from the blue.

Nightshade eyed him. "What is it?"

"I would like to make a proposal of my own."

Nightshade and Chrysalis looked at each other one last time before turning to regard him. "What are you talking about?"

"I would like... to make... a deal, Nightshade," Alex said, mustering the last of his courage for what he was about to say.

Chrysalis didn't know if she should tell him to be quiet or dare to hope he knew what he was doing. Nightshade's face went through various emotions before settling on curiosity. "I'm listening."

"Chrysalis is removed from power and Milkweed looks over the hive until a new queen is... available. Your hive supplies this one with love until it gets back on its hooves and... I stay so you can bring back the Firefly Changelings."

A feather falling to floor would have sounded like thunder with how quiet it was in that small cave room.

"What about the ponies?" Nightshade said pointedly. "Alex, there is a war on the horizon."

"Ponies and changelings fought before and you were able to convince them changelings didn't exist. You did. Just do it again," Alex challenged.

"Chrysalis has committed a serious crime, am I supposed to just forget about that?" he said, anger just starting to simmer. This young non-changeling was pushing him.

"I agree that Chrysalis should no longer be queen, but I'm giving up my passage home so you can bring back the Firefly Changelings." Alex shook his head at that, a jumble of thoughts coursing through his head. "Please, you can't blame her for what she did. I'll take the punishment!"

"She should have come to me for help, not--"

"The other hives are afraid of you!" Alex shouted, making both royal changelings in the room flinch in surprise at his volume. "They see you as some kind of monster. A distant phantom tyrant just waiting for an excuse to drop in and ruin their lives."

Nightshade was taken off guard by that. "That is nonsense. I saved my people from--"

"Every changeling I've met describes you as a heartless king without a conscious," Alex cut him off. "You blame this hive for its act of desperation, but they had no choice. They would have gone to you for help... if they actually saw you as an ally. How can you stand there and call them fools when you don't even know how your subjects see you?"

Everything Alex had seen, heard, and learned had just come pouring out. How Chrysalis chose to live like her people, how Oleander had described Nightshade, and how he was supposed to be ruler over all changelings yet didn't even know they were scared of him. Alex just couldn't stop himself from turning it all around on Nightshade. Alex could tell he had snapped... and he liked it. He felt powerful. He had Nightshade in a state of shock that would have made a lot of changelings... well, shocked.

Chrysalis could scarcely find the strength to breath, let alone speak. So she lay there, just waiting to see what happened.

...

"The Whistling Hive feared me?" Nightshade asked quietly.

"They still do."

"And you are willing to stay so that the Firefly Hive can be rebuilt, if I spare them?"

Alex blinked once before answering as seriously and confidently as he could. "Yes."

Nightshade stood there for a long time, only his breathing and his wandering eyes to keep Alex and Chrysalis busy. Finally, the ancient changeling reached a decision. "Then so be it." He inhaled deeply, puffed out his chest, and began his declaration.

"I, God-King Nightshade, ruler over the changeling race and The Council, hereby strip Chrysalis of her royal title and privileges. Her hive will be under the direct authority of King Milkweed until a new ruler has been hatched and raised to such point that they can effectively assume control of the Hive and its daily functions. In which time, there will be a restructuring of the nobility and a complete review of the events leading up to the--commonly known as--Canterlot Invasion.

"In addition, my own hive--the Shadow Hive--will provide regular monthly shipments of love energy to reduce the effects of the famine currently plaguing the Whistling Changelings. You, Alex, shall remain here in the Whistling Hive and subject yourself to a routine of physical examination with the goal of restoring the Firefly Changelings. I also see fit to decree that the entire Council shall now meet on a monthly schedule with reports on the status of each hive being read to the collective, to prevent future incidents.

"Lastly, Operation Silent Songbird is now in effect for the first time in over 4,000 years and will remain so until such time as I decide we have been sufficiently removed from common pony knowledge.

"So decrees I, God-King Nightshade Zephyrus Balli Gratian, 3rd king of the Shadow Hive and 1st lord of The Council."

"Doesn't The Council need to approve of something like that?" Alex asked, currently awed by what he had just achieved.

"Normally, yes, but I may make radical decisions if I... feel like it. Now if you'll excuse me, I am very tired." The next thing Alex and Chrysalis knew, Nightshade was pacing out into the hall.

Chrysalis's eyes fell to the sheets. She could already feel something welling up inside her. "Did you... did you really do that for me?"

Alex looked up at her and grinned shyly. "Not just for you, but for the Hive."

"Why?"

"Are you kidding?" Alex blanched. "They don't deserve to be punished for... for... for wanting to live. This hive was going under and you took your kind and did what was only natural: you fought."

"No," Chrysalis shook her head. "Lord Nightshade was going to let you go home, but you gave it up. Why?" She seemed utterly baffled. "Our problems weren't yours. You'd never see us again."

"Oleander told me I can never go home, and in a way, I think he was right. On earth, a man can only amount to so much, there's only so much he can achieve in his short lifetime. But here," Alex's gaze turned to the doorway where Nightshade had retreated with his tail practically tucked between his legs, "I have a chance to do what no one else has ever done. I am the key to bringing back an entire civilization and I had the leverage to tell a... to tell a GOD what he was going to do!" He looked back at Chrysalis with a proud grin. "This is where I belong and there's no way I'm going to turn my back on all the changelings who would be suffering if I had just run off."

Chrysalis now knew what was welling up inside her. Tears. She would no longer be queen, but her people would go on and she would be around to see it. Who knows, maybe Nightshade would even allow her to become a noble in the years to come.

"Thank you, Alex."

"You're welcome, Queen Chrysalis." She smiled sadly at the use of her title. "Did you catch it though?"

"What?" A single tear had escaped her defenses and was now rolling down her cheek.

"Nightshade said I'd stay here... with you," he explained, his grin growing.

Chrysalis choked on a laugh.

Now alone in the hall, the God-King Nightshade marched with sagging shoulders. "That little brat," he chuckled softly. "A common Firefly using a promise with a royal to bend me to his will? Well played Alex, well played."

He stopped walking and sighed. "I think it's about time I retire myself. 5,000 years is too old for politics. But you, Alex, you will certainly make a fine king once your hive is reborn."

The End

Chapter Bonus (version: 1.10)

Contains: facts

I often shorten Erotic Life of the Smallest Changeling to ELotSC

I originally planned to write a pure clop story. But then I got caught up trying to give Chrysalis a motivation and keeping things believable. You know, if a war is coming up no intelligent nation is just going to wing it. But if Chrysalis had to be at a bunch of meetings, what was going to stop Alex from running away? And so on the story came together from me trying to plug all the plot holes only after I had started writing.

Apple is in fact dead, but she was a rapist. Although Chrysalis could be considered a rapist too.

You never see King Milkweed or General Firethorn even though they are in the hive "somewhere"

Oleander is the only changeling with fake limbs

From Chapter 1 to 21 is a 10 day period + the one week skip in chapter 22, the entire story takes just 17 days.

Oleander is the name of a poisonous flower

Alex does not have a last name

The office where Alex first meets Nightshade is supposed to be in the Shadow Hive. The portal Alex went through took him across the ocean! The hospital room is back in the Whistling Hive.

ELotSC was the first fic I ever started writing and publishing

No one on the internet knows my true name. (It's not Alex)

Podzamite is a play on a species of fern that went extinct with the dinosaurs. It is unknown if it could have had any medicinal purposes (for obvious reasons).

Erotic Life of the Smallest Changeling took over 2 years to write... I am a douche bag... :(

The idea for a shrunken changeling came from another writer on fimfiction named Nightshade745 (who is now retired) and his story Worth Less than a Fly, which was never completed.

When I originally started this fic, Alex was 17 years old because I liked the idea of a kid who had no experience in sex becoming a slave to a sex craving queen with high standards. However, there was a legal issue and his age had to be bumped up to 18. It's not beyond reasonable that he'd still be a virgin at that age, but I don't know. I had chosen 17 originally knowing it was below the line but I didn't expect anyone to be that picky.

It was hinted that every time Alex had sex with Chrysalis he enjoyed it

There was going to be a chapter where Oleander and Bell argue over the price of Alex's amulet. But I decided to cut it because I couldn't decide what the final price was going to be myself and the chapter was never long enough to qualify as anything more than a single scene. Also, it pulled the story away from the hero, Alex.

The word "bell" is found in the name of many types of flowers

During the final edit, more than a 500 words were cut throughout the entire story

Alex only ever levitates a feather and a "small" book in the story

Before the final edit, chapters prior to 12 all mention Alex being 2 inches tall. But from chapter 13 and on, whenever his height was mentioned, it was 3. This has been corrected. (He is supposed to be 2 inches tall)

Nightshade is a poisonous, pink flower. And the name of the first author I ever followed on fimfiction.net

At one time, people thought tomatoes were poisonous

Originally, the dual between Oleander and Apple was going to be much longer, but I shortened it to save time... and to keep the story focused around Alex. You can't afford to pull a story away from the hero for too long you know.

I was going to have other changeling hives in the story, but I couldn't think of any new names or defining characteristics. Why have other hives if: one, they don't do anything, and two, they aren't any different from those already mentioned?

Alex speaks up against Nightshade not once, but twice, despite Nightshade being of an even higher rank than Chrysalis!

The elements of harmony are never mentioned in this story nor their wielders. But Nightmare Moon and Discord are.

When I was writing about the size and power of the Shadow Hive, I had a picture of Russia in my head, but it is supposed to exist in Zebrica.

Behemoths are massive changelings, four times the size of normal changelings or twice as tall as Celestia and Luna!

There was going to be a final scene where Nightshade runs into Milkweed in the hallway, but I cut it because it was awkward, made the chapter even longer, and was just another character you had to get to know when the story was ending.

It is never mentioned if the changelings have pets

You can't spell Alex without at least one X

It is never specified if Nightshade destroyed the Firefly Changelings in The Battle of Podzamite. (I didn't intend that if you inferred it)

There are only two points in the story where Alex eats anything

Alex never entered Chrysalis's primary bathroom, only the washroom with the tub.

It was entirely intentional for Nightshade to be far less intimidating than the Shadow Changeling that came to get Alex. His hive is supposed to be the strongest, so his children try to maintain the image, but their own ruler, Nightshade, thinks his hive is this adored benevolent force that will protect everyone. Not a feared empire. His intentions don't quite match the image his children have crafted. (I'm not sure if that was easy to infer or not)

I have never met anyone named Alex. Ever.

I met an Apple once though

I have no idea what Operation Silent Songbird would be. I just felt like I should throw in something to explain what Nightshade is going to do about the ponies. Nightshade's decree at the end is meant to wrap up every loose end in the story.

It is never specified what color Chrysalis's tongue is, but her vagina is pink and her nipples are described as green. This was never corrected because I wasn't sure which color was more appropriate.

Apple had sex with Alex before Chrysalis did.

It is never explained how Chrysalis got the Spell Book of Nightmare Moon

It is never explained how Oleander stores poison in his body. I was going to, but I somehow skipped over it... sorry

After a few chapters with Apple, and all the fans who made fun of the uncreative name, I considered going back and changing it just to make them shut up. Then I thought, "screw them. It's my story, the characters can have whatever name I damn well want them to."

Chrysalis and Alex are the only changelings to transform in the story and only to alter their physical qualities in some small way. (Chrysalis making her legs solid, Alex making his horn appear and disappear)

The Firefly Changelings are living amulets and they became extinct during the Feudal Era, when the numerous hives were at each other's throats. I wonder why they died out...

I had always planned for Alex to stay, but I began to feel like I had hinted at it too strongly earlier and that I needed to mix things up a little in the last chapter.

There are NO PLANS FOR A SEQUEL. I wouldn't have a clue where to take the story from here so it's best I not try.

Chapter 1 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, hoof, suggestive

Alex was a coward and a wimp. Friends were unheard of for the boy who might have suffered from a social anxiety disorder, but a lack of good parenting left that undiagnosed. He was taught to be respectful and adults always found him to be nice company, but when the day came that he disappeared, little effort was actually put into finding him. His grades had been slipping, he was constantly drifting off in thought, and few people even knew who he was. The search ended less than a week after it began. Open and shut before most could bat an eye...

Alex awoke on his stomach with an agonizing headache that threatened to rip his skull in half. As he pushed himself up, he rubbed his temple and groaned. He tried to stand, but immediately fell over as a reward. Finding it strange, Alex naturally found himself on all fours ready to crawl, but something was off. It wasn't like he was on his hands and knees, it was more comfortable than that. He looked down slowly only to find his hands missing along with a good portion of either leg. Calmly, Alex spent a good while discovering he was no longer a human being.

He was able to determine that he was some kind of equine creature. Although Alex didn't have a mirror, he was able to feel certain details about his face and body using his unusually squishy hooves. He had short fuzzy black fur, sensitive cone shaped ears, unusually large eyes, and two insect wings not unlike a fly's. Alex wasn't quite sure what the heck he was supposed to be, but he could get used to it. It didn't matter how he'd become this thing, his old life was unfair anyway and it looked like the universe was giving him a chance to start over. All he had to do was figure out how to walk and everything would be fine.

After wasting almost an hour trying to walk straight, Alex finally turned his attention to the room. From his vantage point he could tell he was in some sort of massive cavern with a ceiling that appeared miles above his head. Alex's hooves were resting on an expansive wooden plateau and there were two couches in the room that formed an "L" shape around him. He had to do a double take on that last one though. The couches were WAY too big for his liking. A strange foreboding thought began to sink into his mind, but for the sake of being positive about things, Alex shoved it down and continued exploring. Slowly creeping to the edge of the table, he learned that it was a long way down to a hard stone floor below, which was a shame for someone afraid of heights.

Suddenly, there was a tremor that almost sent him over the edge! Quickly, Alex jumped away from the ledge and focused on trying to remain standing while also looking for the source of the disturbance. Mysteriously, the earthquake wasn't constant, but coming and going in a rhythm not unlike walking. The terrible thought from a moment ago returned and Alex gulped. He really hoped it wasn't true and that he wasn't only two inches tall. His fears were proven correct merely a second later as a god entered the room.

She -- there was something about its face that screamed it was a she -- was an utterly massive creature. She definitely had an equine build, but she also had insect wings and holes running through her legs, which threw off all Alex's attempts to classify it. Her fur was like black grass and her hair was like a waterfall of dark seaweed running over her back. He could only stare up at the titan moving about the room who was so fast despite her size. Alex was in awe. When she walked disturbingly close to the table, he instinctively cringed and stepped back. Luckily for him, she climbed onto the couch and laid down, dangling her hooves over the edge as her body stretched across the gigantic love seat. For Alex, it was a lot like watching a mountain sink in on itself.

Fangs protruded from her jaw slightly and her enormous emerald cat-like eyes focused on him intimidatingly. Her mouth opened just enough for her snake-like tongue to escape and glide over her canines. It was easily twice as big as he was alone, coupled with the fact that she was clearly smiling at him, and Alex wasn't feeling very comfortable. Her voice didn't make life any easier either. It was like she had two voices speaking a second out of sync.

"It's good to see you're awake." Alex took several steps back. "Aww, are you scared?" He nodded slowly. "Good! You belong to me now after all. I am your new queen, Queen Chrysalis," she pointed to her chest as she raised her head and grinned. "In a week, I will launch an attack against our enemies and utterly crush them. In accordance with that plan, I need a little... reward. That's where you come in. The stress I've been feeling these past few days before the attack is just awful and I need you to help me with that. You are my Personal Attendant!"

Alex didn't think that'd be so bad. He just had to serve a building sized bug/horse until she won some kind of battle and he'd be fine. It was better than being eaten alive. Her voice was kind of scary though and he wished she'd use a different one.

"Don't get too comfortable, you have work to do for your new queen. Not to mention you have a lot to learn before I can do too much with you." Alex almost fell over as she shoved her right forehoof into his face. It was just taller than him and produced the slightest odor of sweat. "Now rub my sore hooves! I've been walking around all day and they ache."

Alex hesitated as he looked down at his own hooves. He'd never given a massage before. Sure, he'd had his share of aching muscles and he knew how to rub them to lessen the pain, but that was on a human body, not a... whatever she was. His continued hesitation aggravated Chrysalis.

"If you don't get to work soon, I'll use your body as an insole for my new shoes," she hissed.

With a small "eep", Alex threw his hooves against hers and began rubbing. She let out a small satisfied mumble in response and laid her head down on the couch. How she was sprawled out with her right arm extending across the gap to rest on the coffee table looked uncomfortable to Alex, but he wasn't about to question whatever made her happy.

Alex thought her hoof would be like a real horse's, hard and made of bone... but it wasn't. It was made of a slightly thicker hide, like the skin on the bottom of your feet. Which was a good thing, because trying to massage a bone probably would not have been very pleasant. The skin squished slightly under the pressure he was applying and the smelly appendage made him want to gag. Alex did not like the idea of touching someone else's dirty feet/hooves. Chrysalis was not entirely at peace either it seemed.

"Your skills need some refining, but we'll work on that with time. Now for my next hoof," she said quickly while pulling her hoof away. The rush of air sucked him forward, but he was able to stay in place against it. Chrysalis rose up on the couch and switched sides. Then she forced her other front hoof, her left, onto the table for Alex to serve. "Now get to work, and pay attention, as a courtesy your new queen is going to educate you herself."

Alex began rubbing her left hoof, figuring she'd let him rest after this. He had been putting a lot of strength into it so he was sure she felt it and his forelegs were starting to hurt, but he remembered her warning from earlier. When she started to speak he made sure to listen.

"I am queen of the Changelings, which is what I have made you. Our kind are often called pony/insect hybrids. I don't care myself." She brushed some hair out of her eyes as she huffed. "We are currently deep underground in the caves beneath Equestria, which is both our enemy and our feeding ground. Changelings, like myself, feed on love and positive emotions." Alex paused for a second to digest that, but he made sure to jump back into his work before she noticed. "We can eat normal foods as well, but our bodies aren't able to derive much energy from it.

"We can feed on any positive emotions that those around us are experiencing, but like with normal food, the benefit is minimal. We get our strongest and most filling meal from love and love alone. My children can take the forms of ponies and replace their friends and family. The love others feel for them is easily sucked up after that." She giggled. "Despite the numerous times we've been caught or made a mistake, those dimwitted ponies continue to be ignorant of our existence."

She finished and laid back again, leaving Alex to ponder her story as he continued to work on her hoof. Alex was a Changeling now and a slave, or "Personal Attendant", to Queen Chrysalis. He still had questions, but he didn't know if he should dare ask. Alex had never been in the presence of royalty before and he wasn't sure of the proper etiquette.

"Uhm, Chrys-- my Queen?"

Chrysalis opened an eye, "what?" she asked a little harshly, but confirmed he was supposed to address her by title.

"Are all Changelings as small as me?" Alex asked, lowering his head a little but continuing to rub her hoof.

"Of course not, you are a unique variant. I summoned you here and turned you into little more than a mouse on purpose so that you could serve my specific needs. Any other questions?"

"H-how long will I be r-required to serve?"

She smiled. "Until I don't need you anymore."

"W-what kind of services will I be doing?"

"Massages mostly. I'll also require your help in grooming myself," she blew some hair out of her face again. "And you will be required to wash me," she giggled evilly.

Alex blushed a little at the mental image of scrubbing a woman. He wasn't very old and he was still a virgin. Serving this... woman, was going to get awkward. "Do you have any other questions?" she smiled, revealing her fangs.

"Uh, NO!" he blurted out, not wanting to bumble into another awkward moment.

"That's enough," Chrysalis said and pulled her hoof away. Then she put her left back hoof onto the table. "Don't forget this one," she smiled.

Alex groaned as he went to work. His arms were sore and he didn't want to keep touching the sweaty, smelly surface anymore. To Alex's further horror, her back hooves were grosser than her front. On her back hooves, the sweat was thick and warm, not to mention they had picked up more dirt and other debris while she was walking around. Alex inhaled deeply as he approached the next work area, and when he started rubbing, he discovered the skin on her back hooves was stiff, adding to the strain of rubbing it.

After a time of servicing her left back hoof, she flipped over again and made Alex massage her right back hoof, which made all four. When Chrysalis finally pulled her last hoof away from him and told him he was done, he collapsed on the table. Chrysalis watched with slight amusement as he sucked in fresh air and lay there on her table. Alex's arms felt like jelly and pulsed with pain. He had worked too hard.

Chrysalis looked over at a clock that had been built into the wall of the room and let out a happy snort. "Looks like your next job is coming up soon. There's only an hour until bath time. I hope you know how to swim."

Chapter 3 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, games, foreplay, tease

Alex was left to rest on the sidelines as Chrysalis finished washing herself. For whatever reason she hadn't wanted him to touch her wings, like they were sacred or something. She, on the other hoof, went to town scrubbing them. It didn't appear they were delicate, but maybe she was just so use to taking care of them that she knew how much abuse they could take and where they could take it.

Alex turned away for most of it, feeling awkward watching a woman, even if she was another species, clean herself. Then again, he was the same species as her now, just a little smaller. Chrysalis began to wash her hair as boredom set in and he went back over his memories, wondering what Chrysalis meant earlier when she asked where he would sleep. Did she mean she'd lock him in a cage or just leave him on the floor or a table somewhere? He didn't want to think of the possible consequences if he slept on the floor and she failed to notice him in the morning. And what about sleep, didn't he just wake up?

Chrysalis finished her business in the tub and let it drain as she quickly dried herself off. Dragging Alex through the air to her bedroom, she left her ugly crown behind in the bathroom figuring it was as good a place as any for it. Chrysalis's chamber was enormous. Complete with an extra-large bed, massive closet, vanity dresser, fine carpets, and a chandelier that used glowing crystals to illuminate the room. Alex was still in awe at the space as Chrysalis deposited him on the tabletop of her dresser and went over to the closet. She rummaged around in it for a bit before picking out a drooping green gown made of a thin material that could easily be seen through and that was decorated around the neck and tail with fluffy black feathers. Chrysalis put it on with ease before she approached Alex, smiling cheerfully. She lifted him over to her bed and curled up on top of the sheets, forming a half circle with him at the center.

"So." She looked down at him expectantly, but Alex failed to respond, so she continued. "What do you wish to do now?"

Alex did feel kind of tired. "Sleep?"

Chrysalis burst out laughing. "No you silly little thing." She coughed to clear her throat and pushed back some stray hair with a hoof. "Do you wish to pleasure your queen before she retires for the night?"

Alex's face lit up red-hot at the question. Was she really suggesting...?

"Uhm, I don't -- you -- I'm -- how?" he stuttered.

"You are going to be so much fun," she smiled toothily. "I could go to bed as I am, but I may not wake up in a very good mood," she warned him with a dangerous grin.

"H-how do I p-p-please you?!" Alex was scared she'd make good on her threat.

"There are hundreds of ways to please a queen before bed. I'm gracious enough to let you choose which one for your first night."

Alex continued to sit there and desperately come up with a way that might make her happy without putting his life in jeopardy. Chrysalis waited quietly as he began to sweat. She licked her lips, taking extra care to go over her fangs, while a few ideas came to mind. It was Alex's first day and she actually wanted to take it easy on him, but Chrysalis was nearing the limit of her patients. He was clearly terrified and not going anywhere quickly. She'd have to decide everything for him, if she wanted anything to actually happen at least.

"You aren't very good at thinking like you aren't very good at massaging my hooves." At her comment Alex hung his head in shame. "Tell me, have you ever been in bed with," she paused to smirk, "a woman?" Alex weakly shook his head. "Then you don't know much about pleasing one?" He shook his head again in agreement with her. Chrysalis sighed, he'd need a lot of instructing.

"Let's keep this simple for you then. Rub my hooves like you did before our bath." She rolled onto her side so the bottoms of all her hooves were accessible to him.

Alex obeyed and began massaging one of Chrysalis's front hooves which made her moan in pleasure. He was doing a little better than this morning, but she'd had more relaxing massages before. In his defense, Alex was slightly more comfortable with touching her hooves now that they were clean and smelled of exotic flowers. But his arms were giving out they hurt so much.

"You've never taken a girl to bed? How old are you?" Chrysalis asked, trying to set a tone that she really cared about him. The more personal she made their relationship seem, the less likely he was to try and run away (meaning she wouldn't have to threaten him as much) and the more likely he was to choose his own course of action with her.

"I-I am 18," Alex said a little cautiously.

He was pretty young, but had he had sex before? Chrysalis was suddenly curious. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Kind of," he admitted with a guilty whisper.

"You've had a first date and kiss... right?"

"No, we just... hung out." Chrysalis was actually surprised. He wasn't that young, but there was no first date and no first kiss. He was pretty pathetic. Alex was in for a lot of new experiences then.

His arms finally gave out from pain and he stopped rubbing. "Why have you stopped?" Chrysalis asked calmly, but with a hint of anger.

"M-m-my arms hurt, my q-queen." Alex was afraid she'd punish him for his weakness.

Chrysalis was trying to give him an easy first day, but it was becoming apparent that meant she wouldn't be receiving much enjoyment tonight. She pouted a bit at the thought. However, she had an idea that wouldn't scare him too much and that wouldn't require any energy on his part.

Alex didn't know what was going on as Chrysalis brought her head down towards him and bent her neck until it looked downright wrong. The extreme angle allowed her jagged horn to touch Alex's. There was a flash of green, but Alex didn't feel any different as Chrysalis straightened up. Although he couldn't see it, she had forcibly transformed him so that his horn was no longer there. It may have seemed like a pointless change, but Chrysalis couldn't let Alex stab her with the thing while they were having fun.

"Go to my back hooves and wait," she commanded him simply. Alex turned to head down the bed when Chrysalis's legs suddenly exploded into green flames! The fire died only a second later and her legs appeared unharmed, but they still seemed different. Then Alex realized her legs didn't have holes in them anymore. He looked back up at her and she merely shrugged. She had told him they were shapeshifters after all, but why did she make her legs solid if it was her hooves she wanted him to rub? Regardless of his worries or thoughts, Alex continued on his way and stood by her rear hooves. That's when Chrysalis lurched out and pinned him with her ankles!

Alex panicked as Chrysalis sandwiched him, images of being smashed to pulp flashing through his mind. She slid her rear legs back and forth causing him to spin and slide around between her legs. His arms hurt too much to fight back so his body remained a limp toy for the queen. Alex wasn't being squeezed too hard because Chrysalis wanted to play with him in the future, but the only way to do that was to play gentle now.

Alex slowly made his way up Chrysalis's calves as she toyed with his paralyzed form. She so enjoyed the feeling. "You're so squishy," she giggled. He wasn't able to respond as he was turned over and over while her truck sized legs slid back and forth over him. "It seems you don't have to do anything to please me," Chrysalis sighed with pleasure at this new game. Alex was now in-between her knees and she had no intention of stopping.

He could only see himself as her little toy. Even if he had the strength to fight back, it wouldn't have amounted to anything. It would have been a waste of time and energy against the goliath that was Chrysalis. So Alex continued to sit there and be used. He slid above her knees and along her thighs as she ground him back and forth. Chrysalis was really getting into it, his soft minuscule body felt so nice against her coat. The fact that he was almost to her waist made her hot. She enjoyed the tease, that wait.

Alex was finally at the top of Chrysalis's legs and had just collided with her underbelly when she suddenly squeezed. Pressing her legs together against his back. She had him trapped, sealed in a cage of fleshy thighs. Chrysalis had to stop the game for a second to calm herself. She desperately wanted to push him down a little bit more and introduce him to her privates, but she also wanted to set a pace. She couldn't be too rough on him, especially on his first day, or he'd turn into a panicking worthless doll. She wanted a willing attendant who would decide his course and play along, not a mindless slave who only ever did what he was told.

She grumbled to herself. Chrysalis would have to stomach her lust for tonight or risk losing fun later on. But she could get away holding Alex there for a little longer. She loved the sense of absolute power, of a little helpless being pressed against her waist just above her crotch. He was so warm, but he wasn't moving much. Chrysalis wished he'd wiggle a little bit. Alex could feel his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins. He was terrified, but he didn't dare struggle. Mercy shown light on him as the queen spread her legs and let him roll out. Her flowery scent had been kind of nice, but the pressure and stomach turning movement was not.

Chrysalis looked a tad upset when he caught a glimpse of her face. Her double voices didn't sound too pleased either. "Let's get some sleep." She grabbed him in her telekinesis and levitated him up her body while also levitating the blanket over her form. She lifted her right arm and set Alex in her armpit before she lowered it. The blanket fell around Chrysalis and she put her head down for the night.

Alex's head stuck out from under her arm, but he wasn't going anywhere. There was enough pressure on his back that he couldn't get out, but wasn't in pain. Chrysalis peeked down at him to see if he was uncomfortable. She determined he was fine and turned off the light with a quick spell. She still had a burning desire in her lower extremities though. She'd just have to deal with that for the night, unfortunately. Maybe she'd find release in her dreams.

Alex found himself in a strange position. The lights were out, his body ached, and he needed to sleep, but he was afraid to. He couldn't deny that Chrysalis's fur was warm, her heart beat had a soothing rhythm to it, and the light weight on his back actually gave him a feeling of comfort. He couldn't understand why he felt safe. She was holding him against his will and using him as a sexual plaything not a minute earlier. There was always that chance that it all a dream still.

....right?

Chapter 20 (version: 1.10)

Contains: micro, lore

Apple was gone along with much of the Hive. Oleander couldn't focus on his teaching and ended Alex's magic lessons early, his mind trapped revolving around what was happening at Canterlot without him. So the two found themselves in Chrysalis's bedroom. Oleander was, oddly enough, lying on the floor drawing circles with his hoof. Alex watched, bored and wanting something to do. They must have spent over an hour like that.

"This sucks," Oleander finally decided to say.

Alex chuckled. Seeing how he couldn't think of anything but the invasion, Alex figured they could talk about that. "You know, back home, war is almost universally considered wrong."

"Regardless of good reasons?" Oleander challenged.

Alex opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it. He didn't have a good response to that. Maybe he hadn't approached the subject the right way.

Oleander's good eye spied Alex struggling to put an idea together before he too chuckled. "Sometimes being aggressive is the only way to do what's right."

"What do you mean?"

Oleander stood with a grunt. "It's called moral gray. You could argue that us attacking the ponies is evil, but a lot of young scrubs will starve to death if we don't. Can you imagine what would happen if we walked up to the ponies and just asked them for their emotional energy?" He snorted at his own suggestion. "They'd freak out! We'd get nothing and we'd all wither away. Ponies and changelings have never had a very good relationship, even when we didn't wear disguises. Not to mention Lord Nightshade would have our heads for showing such weakness to our mortal enemies."

Alex perked his ears. "Nightshade?"

Oleander froze, his body going tense. He slowly turned his eyes towards Alex before gritting his teeth and letting out a long breath. Reluctantly, he began to explain. "God-King Nightshade is the oldest changeling alive today. He rules the Shadow Hive specifically, but he also has supreme authority over The Council."

"Council?"

Oleander licked his lips nervously. "The Council is like--every hive is run by a changeling of royal blood, but they must also represent it in a united government body called The Council. Meetings are rarely called, but they are not to be taken lightly. If one is called, it's going to be about a major issue. Something that affects every changeling across the globe."

"Wow."

"Lord Nightshade basically runs The Council and has final say in all decisions. His hive is not to be underestimated either. They are very... unique, even for changelings."

"The Shadow Hive," Alex echoed in awe. "Why are they called that?"

Oleander's reluctance to talk about them was never more apparent. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead before he continued. "The Shadow Hive... they are changelings imbued with Black Magic from birth. They have incredible physical abilities that go beyond that of normal changelings and they control more territory than any other hive. Here in Equestria, there are two other hives competing with us for the love of ponies. The Shadow Hive has an ENTIRE continent to themselves."

"How did they get so powerful?"

"Timing. It was all in the timing," Oleander said cryptically.

"Can you be a little more specific please?" Alex could tell Oleander didn't want to talk about the Shadow Hive or its leader, Nightshade, but he didn't get why.

"Lord Nightshade was clever. He got where he is today by not only ending the Feudal Era, but by making himself out to be a god just before he did so. What I'm about to tell you dates back a long way kid. To when changelings didn't disguise themselves and when we were much more forward in our methods of collecting love. To the battle of Podzamite, which changed everything."

Alex scooted forward as Oleander took a seat on the stone floor. After gathering his thoughts for a moment, Oleander proceeded to tell the oldest story in changeling history.

"Once, there was a valley nestled between two large territories. To the north were tall frozen mountains riddled with caves and tunnels. To the south was a flat desert, sweltering and baked by the sun during the day. Among the foliage of the valley between these two extremes was a rare herb called Podzamite. When ground and mixed with water, the herb can relieve pain and relax muscles. It's also highly addictive, but can be combined with other ingredients to become a powerful medicine. Throw in some magic or love energy and you have life itself in a bottle. Even the most horrific of wounds can be closed and healed in hours, if not minutes.

"Two hives controlled the regions to the north and south of the valley and for a time they had shared the supply of podzamite. But like all good things, it wouldn't last forever. The hives got bigger and the addictive nature of the herb started to take over each population. With the greater demand straining the supply, both sides began cultivating the land to try and grow the herb artificially. Where as before they had merely scavenged for the plant, now the two were actively claiming land as their own. For a few years there was plenty of space and things remained peaceful. That is, until the farms failed.

"Podzamite is not easy to grow, being such a delicate plant. When the weather gets a little ugly, the leaves fall off the stem in droves. Of course the two hives blamed each other for the bad weather and the collapse of the farms. Two hives, thousands of addicts, no drugs to give them, and two rulers just looking for excuses to take more territory. There has never been a better formula for a war, Alex. Those hives went at each other with everything they had and the valley of podzamite was flooded with blood.

"It wasn't actually a single battle, or a conventional war as you know it. At first, each side would mass together armies and march on the other's keep, but both had defenses that were just too good. They quickly learned not to attack the other's front door because it ended in massive casualties with no obvious benefit. After several failed attempts, they decided a normal war wouldn't work. In essence, they were afraid to attack each other, but at the same time not ready to let go of the valley. So they came up with a new form of fighting they called Wandering Engagement.

"This strategy called for both sides to let groups of soldiers wander around the valley for days at a time, hoping they'd run into an enemy group. If they did, they'd fight, and the winner was whoever didn't run home. It was slow with numerous casualties and made it difficult to tell who was winning. Neither side was really gaining any territory and the whole valley was just a killing floor where troops bumbled around aimlessly. Pretty soon, no one knew why they were still fighting, but pride kept them from calling it off or negotiating. All they knew is they both wanted the valley. For 50 years this went on. 50 years!

"Finally, Lord Nightshade entered the picture. He called a council meeting and had the two kings speak face-to-face for the first time in decades. Lord Nightshade, the genius that he was, convinced the two to take every last changeling they had and have an all-or-nothing showdown in the valley. No retreat, just fight to the last one standing. Both sides, desperate for victory and tired of accomplishing nothing after so long, agreed."

"So wait, after all that time being afraid to attack each other head-on, they suddenly agreed to? Just like that?" Alex interrupted.

"In the beginning, both sides had recklessly marched on the other's capital. Anyone that has ever tried to capture a hive can tell you that is a suicide mission. Hives are vast, complicated, and filled with drones. While not combat savvy, when you're outnumbered 1,000 to one, it doesn't matter. The best army in the world wouldn't get through that. And that's what happened. Any attempt to take the others stronghold was a bloodbath. They got nowhere. But when Lord Nightshade proposed and all-or-nothing approach, that included the drones. Alex, we're talking every last changeling, right down to the scrubs, going out onto a battlefield to fight for the hive.

"What Lord Nightshade proposed was the single largest battle in history!"

"They actually went through with that?"

Oleander nodded and Alex's jaw dropped. "For a week straight, nothing but carnage. The victor would walk away with the valley AND his enemy's entire hive. Not to mention the podzamite. The loser would be exterminated. Big stakes, but big rewards. Of course... that's not how it ended."

"What does that mean?"

"Really? Every last changeling fighting to the death? No nation, no species, no religion could breed such deep mindless loyalty. It was nonsense! A retreat was eventually called and the changelings of the south ran back home, no king and no soldiers left to speak of. They had nothing but drones and scrubs left, but the changelings of the north were too beaten to give chase. So they too returned home, intent on invading the other hive the next morning. After the army had a good night's sleep. They never got that chance though, because that's when Lord Nightshade made his move.

"In the dead of night, the Shadow Changelings invaded the southern hive and slit the throats of the entire population. Then, as the sun was rising, they waited outside until the other hive was within the tunnels. Then they collapsed the entire thing and buried them. In a week, Lord Nightshade had annihilated both his competitors and now had dominion over the entire continent!"

"No way..." Alex said in a daze of respect and fear. Nightshade was a brilliant strategist.

Oleander continued, in a tone that was darker than factual. "After that, Lord Nightshade seized control of The Council and called a meeting between all the remaining hives. Now that he had control of the largest territory of any hive, he declared himself the God-King of the changeling race and established new rules the others had to obey."

"What kind of rules?"

"There were quite a few," Oleander said, scratching his neck and breaking character. "Most were about recognizing him as their new leader. One of the biggest ones was about not fighting each other anymore. Those times were called the Feudal Era because there were so many wars being fought. The Battle of Podzamite was only one of dozens of skirmishes that happened back then. Lord Nightshade, by imposing control, declared that all fighting had to stop, regardless of who was right or who was stronger. In one move the Feudal Era of the changelings ended."

"He told them to stop and they just did?" Alex asked sceptically.

Oleander chuckled. "It took another year, but yes. Lord Nightshade had reasons he wanted the violence to stop, only one of them being the desire not to be challenged. After all, if another super-hive came together, he wouldn't be in charge anymore."

"Ooooooohhhhh, I see. But he was the biggest only in land-area, what about population? I bet he was stretched pretty thin."

"Ever the smart one," Oleander grinned. "Yes. In reality Lord Nightshade was not actually strong enough to hold all the land he had claimed. In reality if one of the others had attacked him it would likely have been an easy fight. But like I said, he was clever. He solved this problem by starting a reproduction program."

"Reproduction program?" Alex couldn't help but imagine people growing in test tubes.

"Yes. Every family was encouraged to have no less than six scrubs. In other words, with each generation, the population would triple! Of course, that was encouragement, most families in his hive went beyond that for the good of their new kingdom. So yes, he was short on soldiers at the time, but all he'd have to do should his power be challenged was hold out for a few years. When the mass of young came of age, he could flood the battlefield with new recruits. Not a pretty picture for anyone trying to conquer him."

"But what about today. What is the Shadow Hive like today?"

"Big," was all Oleander said.

Alex blinked. "Big?"

"Really big and in every way. The largest land area, the largest population, the most magic, and the largest love supply. You just don't challenge the Shadow Hive, they're too powerful to beat."

"If they have so much love stored up, why not ask them for some?"

Oleander licked his lips. "Lord Nightshade is not big on sharing. He doesn't like other hives or their rulers very much. Selfish, that's the word."

"Hold on," Alex held up a hoof. "You said Nightshade took control of The Council just after the Battle of Podzamite?" Oleander nodded. "But you also said that happened a long time ago."

"He's a royal changeling. Much like an alicorn, they have extremely long lives."

"How old does that make him?"

Oleander hummed as he scratched his head. He hadn't really thought about that. "Not... sure. Since changelings weren't allowed to fight each other, we all started using our natural transforming abilities to hide so we could more easily gather love. There was no reason to be seen anymore, but that's been going on for so long that... I don't know. Lord Nightshade could be as young as a few millennia or as old as the planet itself. I'm not sure anyone knows."

Alex wasn't entirely satisfied with that. "Isn't there a way to find out?"

Oleander deadpanned. "You want to call the most powerful changeling alive just to ask him how old he is?"

Alex smiled sheepishly. "Of course not..." he droned off. Silly question aside, it bugged him to think there were creatures that could live for thousands of years.

Oleander sighed. "What I wouldn't have given to be in those old days though." His gaze turned toward the ceiling. "Can you imagine it? Fighting a never-ending war for the glory of your queen?"

Alex shook his head as Oleander returned to his daydreams of conquest. That old soldier would never find rest. "But you said it yourself, those wars got them nowhere."

"That's not the point!" Oleander argued.

"Then what is?"

Oleander sighed again. "It can't be explained in words, Alex. You just have to... fight. You have to experience it. It's like... it's like a love high. Only way better."

Alex puzzled that over for a moment, turning his mind back to what he'd learned. "Oleander, Nightshade formed The Council and established all kinds of rules, but who follows them? Who runs the other hives?"

Oleander laughed. "I have no idea! I've never met a changeling from another hive except Milkweed's."

"Who's that?"

"He is the king of the Behemoth Changelings. As the name implies they are something to see." Before Alex could ask what they looked like, Oleander explained. "They're just really big versions of us, Alex. The one I met was at least eight feet of pure muscle. Even I have to admit I was intimidated."

"I'd kind of like to see one someday." Alex wished.

"Heh, that's unlikely. From what I've heard the behemoths are shy and pretty isolated."

Before Alex could ask any more, the pair were interrupted.

BANG BANG BANG

The pair jumped at the sudden assault on Chrysalis's iron door. A shout resonated through the metal immediately after.

"THE INVASION FAILED! CHRYSALIS IS HURT! YOU'RE NEEDED OUT HERE OLEANDER, NOW!!"