Sally learned her lesson. She kept attending Queen Sharp's side when she took meetings, but now she kept her words for after the supplicant left. This let her really observe the changelings who came and, more, really delve into how her queen thought.

"So they want better food?" Sally asked, the flank of the changeling having just left their view.

Sharp's hoof rubbed Sally's neck, the attention reminding her that it was time to find Sweet again. "No, they want more of simply 'good' food. My ponies are growing strong and content, it is a good way to have slaves. But they want me to encourage them to breed faster."

The idea left a bad taste in Sally's mouth until she thought of something. "We could… ask them?"

The queen laughed. "Sally Gailor, my wonderful breeder and mate, you have the craziest ideas. It might work. Really though, asking food what it thinks?"

"I was food once, you forget." Sally kissed the bottom of the hoof that was rubbing her and heard a happy chitter from Sharp. "So let me. Worst that can happen is they think they have more control of their lives."

"That is a dangerous thought for food to have, but it would be nice to be able to tell that useless excuse for a leader to shut his hole."

The words got Sally to rise, kissing up the mare's leg to her shoulder and neck. "Just tell me, I will leap on him as he comes in, complaining of the latest imagined slight." Sally gave a nibble at Sharp's neck. "Just tell me, command me, my queen, and I will serve you his head."

Sharp almost trembled at the conviction in Sally's words. It would make her rule very different than how she wished it, however. Her mother might have ordered such, if she truly believed the leader useless. "I can't. You know I can't. He might be a pompous ass, but he is MY pompous ass."

"You are too kind, but then, that is your job." Sally pressed her smaller snout up against Sharp Mind's, kissing her queen. It made things swirl in her head as very stallion-like thoughts invaded. They weren't as bad as they had been, but even as she wanted to act on them the satyr just knew she shouldn't, not here at least. "If we get rid of them, send them away, we could have eggs? New drones?"

Sharp shuddered in place. Everything seemed to focus down to Sally in a way that almost frightened the changeling. All her intelligence, all her cleverness. Her thoughts she was named for. Sharp felt it all melt as Sally got closer. "Sally, please, back off a moment."

It was like a switch turned off, as Sally backed off, each of them suddenly able to think much more clearly. "Okay, that was… tonight?"

The queen nodded quickly. "Tonight. I will start things moving to get them out of here. You are right, I should definitely get rid of any who impede my hive. My… our children, our hive."

The words had Sally's whole being energized more firmly than feeding could ever make her. "I will begin plans." The pair locked eyes and smiled together.

"Don't forget the ponies. More foals, more ponies, more food." Sharp stepped from the throne and Sally marveled anew. In just the few weeks she had been in full control, Sharp had grown. She was now larger than every one of her leaders, her horn stretching out. Her eyes stole Sally's attention every time she saw them, they had formed pupils, slit and reacting to light.

"As my queen wishes." Sally flashed a fanged grin to her mate, even as she dropped her knee and rose again. Turning, she spotted another leader, but this one was not of the 'troubling' group. He was, in fact, known to Sally quite well now. "Long Draught." She smiled to the stallion in charge of the pods.

He bowed lower than any changeling should when greeting a breeder or drone. "Sally, you look restless. I hope my queen is not also?"

"She is restless, and focused. But you are not her target." Sally wanted to say more, to reassure the stallion. She liked him. Not only was he exacting at his job, but he actually cared for the food he tended.

Long looked relieved, but it was only a show. He knew his queen was not upset with him, he did his job, he made sure the hive fed well and, in this hive, that was neither a simple task nor a harsh one. "Then I will walk with pride and offer my queen my reports with confidence. Thank you." He lowered his head to Sally. Long was neither stupid nor blind, besides, he liked her.

Sally left the core of the hive, following the paths her new eyes found in the twisting passages. She blinked as the light of day started to grow. Eventually, the hybrid found herself out in a cleared section of forest, a swelling farm taking up most of the room.

Drones were about, they both helped the ponies who worked up here and fed from them. It was a plum of a job but was never given as a reward, every changeling topside was well trained for combat, should the need arise.

"Sally!" Apple Stew trotted over. The mare looked much healthier than she had when Sally had first arrived. She bulged not just from good healthy eating and work.

"You look well." Sally didn't hesitate leaning to give the mare a hug. She did manage to resist drinking, however. Pregnant mares were officially off-limits to feeding. "And your condition is partly the reason I am up here."

Apple lifted her forelegs up to return the hug. A part of the mare wanted to recoil, Sally was very much a changeling in her eyes now, but one who had done nothing but good for her. "My condition?"

Hearing the worried tone in Apple's voice, Sally was quick to reassure. "No, not a problem WITH your condition. More with the lack of more…"

The mare blushed. "What, you want more… oh." The color deepened.

"That's about it. But firstly, you know who I am, and what I am." Sally inhaled deeply, she could almost taste the sweet love the mare carried for her foal and the foal's father. "So you know who would send me to ASK." She leaned on the last word.

Apple nodded. "I think you need to come and talk… well, with all of us." Apple turned to what amounted to a small village now, five buildings including three houses, a barn and a commons. "Let me gather all the girls, you need to address us all in this."

Sally moved to walk with Apple but got distracted. There was a gentle singing, a happy tune that her changeling senses seemed drawn to. A drone and a winged stallion were plowing the field together, both their voices raised in a happy tune. The satyr felt an urge to go join them, if only to sample the stallion but something else, something that possibly still was human, told her to leave them be.

"He loves her, you know, and she him." Apple had caught her staring. "I am not sure if it could work, but if anypony can catch the heart of a changeling and not be consumed by them, Clear Skies could."

It clicked for Sally, her mind finally working out why the pony looked familiar. "I will have words. The leader in charge of the farms is a good mare and I-"

"She knows about them." Apple cut Sally off with a chuckle. "Nopony who spends more than a moment up here could miss their love. And surely no changeling."

"I will still talk with her, their love hurts none and, I think, Clear deserves it." Sally found herself shedding a tear for the pegasi. She had almost loved him in that way, but if he had found his heart all the better.

Word spread and, as the stallions took up more work about the farm the mares all congregated in the commons. Sally smiled to see that a few were showing as much as Apple was.

"Relax everypony, this is Sally." Apple gestured to the hybrid with a hoof. "She-"

"You mean he?" Some wit interrupted. Sally blushed a little, she was coming to terms with her situation, but she still figured herself for a mare… woman… female!

Apple tilted her head to Sally.

"I prefer 'she', I was born a mare, until I think more with that," Sally gestured to her groin, "and less with this," she pointed to her head next, "I will stick to 'she'."

There were laughs at this, the ponies relaxed enough now to find humor, even from what was certainly at least part changeling, welcome.

"So, Sally came here to ask us something." Apple stepped to the side and made room for Sally.

Stepping up to the middle of the little stage at one end of the room, Sally looked out over the nearly three dozen ponies. "There is no polite way to ask, not from where I came from or in the hive. So I will speak plain. It would be nice if there were more ponies."

"Why don't you just catch more?" A yellow-colored mare was first to respond.

"Fallin, that isn't what she is saying." Another pony leaned in and whispered the next words to the first mare, who colored brightly.

"Pregnant?" She wasn't as calm now.

Sally lifted a midnight-black hand to her face and leaned into it a moment. "Maybe asking was wrong."

A hoof pressed in, pulling Sally into a hug. Apple looked up. "Asking is the best way, telling would be wrong."

The mares were all starting to shout, some, mostly the ones already carrying, shouting in support while the others, sounding more scared than angry, were opposed.

"Please!" Sally clopped her hoof sharply on the wooden stage, the sound loud enough to get their attention. "It is only asking. We are not going to order you, honestly I think most of the hive take for granted there are ponies up here growing food for the bunnies. They forget that you are food yourselves." Sally froze, the looks she was getting now were united. "Oh I am bollocksing this all up." She slumped down to sit on the stage.

"Then what is the reason for it?" One of the heavy mares stepped clear of the mob. "Why are you coming up here to ask?"

"No changeling… no other changeling, will ever tell you this." Sally took a deep breath. She really did have to come to terms with things. It was hard to look at somepony who you could and probably would feed off, and still think of them as a pony. Person. "You are the core of the hive. This hive is so big and strong because of what you do. If there are more ponies, not only do we have nicer… food, but we have more. The hive will grow."

"Not that any of us like being thought of as food." A mare not showing any signs of pregnancy stepped forward. "But it is nice to know we are not JUST food. We forget up here, working in the sun, doing what we enjoy, that there is a hive down there. The nice drones who help us, fend off the occasional beast, they feed on us, sure, but they are our friends too."

Sally was surprised by this, she hadn't realized there had been quite this much integration happening up here.

"You couldn't have missed Clear Skies and Little Wings." The pony continued in her speech. Sally nodded. "I want more ponies, but I also think there is more to our being here than just being your food, or even supplying your food with… food."

The mares were all quiet. They were watching the strange changeling in their midst, waiting for Sally to react. "I don't think anything will happen, not fully, in our lifetimes." She smiled to the mare who had shed the most light on the problem. "So I will just leave this at me asking nicely. I would be happy to know, if a few generations down the road, ponies and changelings could be equals." It was heavy to think on. The hive would shrink if these ponies left, and Sally was pretty sure they knew it.

"Can't say as Bristle and I were planning it any time soon, but I think a foal wouldn't do me any harm. Hay, how about clearing some more forest though, so we can increase this farm to support our little ones?" The sentiment was what Sally had hoped, even her bullish handling of the situation hadn't suppressed the spirit of these ponies.

"See, not so bad?" Apple waited for the mares to start to wander away, leaving them alone up on the edge of the stage. "You are just lucky you came here asking." The implication was not lost. Sally had a flash of memory, about an old saying to do with horses and water. Her giggle had Apple smile more. "There, now I have heard a changeling laugh, best day ever."

Author's Notes:

Sally takes on the hard jobs, yup. Facing down a herd of mares and asking them as nice as a changeling-twisted human can, to please get pregnant. What could go wrong?