Sally sprawled. The capture of the other hive's food had swelled their own hive. Her hands reached to the two mares with her and she couldn't hold back the happy grin that came at the thought of them. "You taste delicious today." Sweet's eyes had opened and the mare was looking right up at the human. Those eyes started glowing.

The dimly lit room started to turn green and brighten with the magic. "I don't think I will ever get used to having my own eyes light a room." Fingers probed further down the mare, soon discovering her to still be completely mare.

Sweet Bite clamped her fangs around Sally's arm, not breaking the skin a bit, at least not there. Sally's wound had healed fast with the work of the slug-slime, but it had left black swirls in her flesh, her limb feeling stronger there. "What was that?" Sally brought her hand up and rubbed the mare around her nose. The glow from Sweet's eyes intensified, as did the answering glow in Sally's own.

"You torment her with that scent." Sharp's eyes soon added to the glow in the room. "And if you let her chew that arm much more you are going to need more slime."

"It made my skin thicker, tougher." The human was just stating what she had noticed, but the words were significant to both her and Sharp.

"You want more of it?" Sharp poked the old scars with a hoof, getting a little growl from Sweet who had, apparently, claimed that limb as hers.

"Would it work?" Sally poked two digits into the tip of Sweet's nose and the changeling coughed and let go of her arm.

"No fair! Sharp, tell her that isn't fair!" Sweet's petulant tone was put on, the mare had moved so that she was laying atop Sally's recumbent form.

"Unless you scored your flesh, to let it work in, it wouldn't work." Sharp spotted a brighter green for a second and grinned. "But you will need to think about this later."

Sally booped Sweet on the nose but looked up to Sharp. "Later? Why late-" Her voice cut out as the result of Sweet's sneakiness sank in. Literally.

"You're mad." Sharp looked at the big pile of moss, fungus and goop that her pet was trying to get to.

"Not all at once. Lets just continue that arm down and to my wrist. That's all. It would be a good test of movement too." Sally held her sword up, in her left hand. It was suddenly plucked from her grip in a green glow.

"If anypony is doing this it is me." Sweet stood beside the woman, bringing the blade in. "Bite on this." A little hunk of wood was offered to Sally's mouth.

Sally got one kiss in to Sweet's shoulder before she quickly got the bit in her mouth. The blade started it's cut. It wasn't deep, but it was very sharp and Sweet took care to not score too far. A spiral soon formed, starting at Sally's wrist and working up and around her arm. She felt a little faint from blood-loss before the slug was placed on. Quickly encouraged with the food, the thing started smearing the goop all up and down her limb, from just above her elbow to just before the wrist.

"This is stupid, I don't get why she needs this?" Sweet wasn't happy with things, but she would not let her mate go through this alone. It wasn't until the slug had gotten the first coat on her limb that Sally managed to dig her teeth from the wood and spit the stick out.

"I need this because, damn it, I have too much to defend. I don't want to ever fail."

Sweet almost swooned at the fire in the woman's tone, in her conviction.

"We have a lot to defend too." Sharp was feeding the slug, making sure it was laying a good layer of it's goop. "You. You need to promise us both, promise us you won't go doing this all over unless we are there with you."

Sally focused on the pain as it was leaving her arm. The spiral of green and black up her arm looked silly, but it was Sweet who made it, so maybe silly was good. "I can make that promise, so long as you both promise that, if I ask for more of this, you will be here for me."

Sweet Bite lay down, setting her head in Sally's lap. "I promise I will never leave you."

Sharp Mind looked at the two and felt a giddy sensation. The changeling cursed her heart for finding two such odd ponies to devote herself to. She cursed it and cherished it. "I promise I will be here for you, always, but I will stop you from doing stupid things if I think I should."

Sally laughed at this. She was bound to the two, one her equal and one her 'mare'. "I wouldn't have either of you any other way."

Both Sally's arms were colored with black markings now, she had sat patiently through two more sessions. Her legs would be next. But first she had a meeting with her queen.

Marching into Fangs' throne room, she dropped to a knee before the queen.

"Ah, my mightiest drone, coming as she is bid." Sally felt the queen always loved to rub her nose in her status as 'drone', even though it really was just a status. Even the leaders in the hive thought more of Sally than merely 'drone'.

"Ever your servant." Sally lifted her eyes, spotting the wide smile and show of pearly-whites. "What does my queen wish me to do?"

"Your queen has a question for you, little drone." Fangs got up from the throne, pacing to the entry to the cave and using her magic to form a barrier. "My daughter, your mate, has done well for herself. She has not only integrated the new drones into this hive, but she has even brought the more agreeable of the leaders to my way of thinking."

Sally looked up at Fangs. "I doubt anypony would be capable of your way of thinking, my queen."

There was a laugh as the changeling paced up and rubbed Sally's ear with a hoof. "The question I need answered is thus. If I were to grant a leader a measure of my hive, drones, breeders, leaders, even food, do you think her lovers would be welcome in her new demesne?"

The question shocked Sally. She could only mean one leader and only two 'lovers'. "A queen's duty is… she would need to…"

"My thoughts exactly. Ponder this. You may tell who you wish, I trust your judgment in this." The queen played with Sally's short hair. "You harm yourself?" She had gestured to Sally's arms.

Sally was leaning into the attention. It was silly to think it, but she couldn't help being what her queen wished of her, even if that meant acting like her pet. "My flesh grows back stronger with the slime. Tougher."

"You really would do anything to strengthen my hive? Would you work as well for my daughter? No, no answers now, go." The queen stormed back up to her throne and after a quick bow, Sally bolted for the exit. The green shield faded just before she reached it. Her trust in her queen hadn't been misplaced so far. Fangs had even warned her before just acting.

Sally made for the practice area. Knowing that if Sharp weren't there, somepony would know where she was. "Somepony… I really am adjusting…" Her legs moved at a trot, even her knee was agreeable of late. She was almost there when the world turned black, not even her glowing collar, knee-brace or arms providing illumination.

You are well?

Sally jerked as the crisp white text floated in the air before her. "The hell is this? Direct? Is this your game?"

No. I am, The Text. At least that is what many of your kind call me.

Ideas connected, not the least of which being the odd nowhere she was in right now. "You brought me here? Dumped me in that cave." Her voice had risen, she was angry.

Correct. You seem agitated, would you rather be back on Earth?

Sally drew up her anger. She knew this being could probably do just that. But it hit her. If she was gone, home, Sharp would have one less obstacle toward being the queen she should be.

You think hard on this? Surely where I put you was about the most terrible place in Equestria. You did bring a most terrible item.

"An item that was useless without bullets!" Her doubts submerged under anger, Sally almost growled.

Very well. Back you go.

There was a lurch and Sally was suddenly back in that jungle, where she had been months ago. Only her company was not there any longer.

Laying naked and feeling terrified, the human quickly looked around, every tree, every bush reminding her that this was not her hive. "My hive…"

She fell in a heap, her knees folding under her as tears came. The black flesh on her arms was not only tougher, it was softer to the touch too. Sally realized it felt like Sweet or Sharp. The tears flowed freely and she rocked a little back and forth. Had she given her love up, her hive, for anger?

Sleep captured the woman, eventually, she couldn't even be sure when she had passed out but when she did it was like she was in that inky blackness again.

Everything you hoped it would be?

Sally looked at the words. "No, I don't want to be there. I want to be with Sharp and Sweet."

There was a pause before the text flickered and faded.

A new path could be opened. You go through great pain to be even a little of their shape.

She looked at her arms, was that right? Did she do this to be more… like a changeling? Sally closed her eyes, not wanting to see her arms. But the question was in her head now. Did she want to be a changeling of Fangs' hive? For real?

There is such a path, it is closed now, but opening such is my purpose.

The text appeared inside Sally's eyelids. She opened her eyes and it was outside them too. "I don't care if it hurts."

Would you care if it hurts another?

Guilt flooded Sally. "No, don't open it if it hurts anypony else." She didn't even berate herself for the 'anypony', Sally wanted so bad to fit in with the hive better, but she didn't want it to cost anypony anything.

There are other such paths. Each demanding and each giving. You could walk one and not the other, but only one will bring you to being a full changeling. It won't hurt you, but those around you.

"Damn you. Who will it hurt?"

That would be telling.

"Do it. Open the damn path." Sally sounded angry again, she couldn't help it, this being was maddening beyond belief.

"She is waking." Sally heard a voice, one she had feared she never would again. "Sally, are you with us?" Sharp Mind. She couldn't see the mare yet though. She didn't care. Sharp was here.

A nose at her side, painful where it probed, told Sally her other mare was here. She didn't blame Sweet for the pain, it was a welcome sensation.

"It is our fault." Sharp sounded down. "That slime reacts a little different to humans, it seems."

"What… what happened?" Sally managed to get her throat working, her voice rough. "Why is it so dark in here? Why does it hurt everywhere?"

"The slime has poisoned you." Sweet's voice was trembling. "I wish I never agreed to help you. It is burning your veins."

Sally knew now why she hurt all over.

"Which is why it is so fortunate my hive is so very swollen with food." Sally's heart soared.

"My queen…"

"Shh little drone. I have much to gain, so much food. I take it you would want to keep your fingers?" The words were so soft and full of things Sally never thought to hear in the queen's voice. It hurt to nod. "Very well, I will make an effort to keep them. It will cost you in other places. There is one question I need to ask you, with your mares not present."

"But…" Only Sharp could question her queen and even that was minimal. Sally heard slow clops of eight hooves leaving the room.

"I can solve both our problems here. I have much magic, but it will take a lot to do what is needed." Fangs seemed to dismiss that worry immediately. "I will remake a lot of you. The poison is spreading, there is little enough left uncorrupted so make this choice quickly. My daughter will be leaving, with her own hive. She might be able to retain a mare as her consort, I am sure little Sweet Bite would be willing to stud her, but she will need to breed new drones in great number. She will need at least two breeders."

Sally put the thoughts together. She was practically Sweet's stallion already, in name if not deed. Even when the mare stuffed her, Sally was still the 'male'. "You will make me…"

"A stallion. If you agree. If not, I will keep you here, at my hive." Fangs' words bit deep. An ultimatum where Sally would need to give up the mares she came back to the hive for.

"You bitch." Sally hated the queen, she railed against the demands. "Do it."

"I cannot promise your hands, but I will try. Despite what you think of me, drone, I do care what happens to you."

The pain was nothing before. Green fire ripped into Sally, it burnt corrupted flesh and blood, it drank her body down to her bones and ate those in places too. Every fiber of her being screamed for it to stop. Fangs would not, she knew, until she was either done or Sally dead.

Every second that passed felt like the latter was more and more likely.

Author's Notes:

Oh dear. The world really isn't fair to Sally. Just when she was settling into her life something stirred the plot into a whole new place.