Sally panted hard, she was doing a lot more running of late, it didn't help with her distraction with Sharp Mind, only one thing really cured that. The memory of the big mare swelling had her stretching her legs to run faster. It always felt good to run.

A changeling trotted up beside her, their hooves flashing, leaving the ground entirely from moment to moment.

"Easy Slip, looking good." Sally looked to the mare who was now a more common sight in their bed. The drone didn't seek anything beyond a snuggle with Sweet, but had learned to accept the attention from Sally and Sharp as well.

"I would be worried if you ever got four legs, you would run so fast you would be clear into the wall before you knew it." Easy had pushed herself into the fast pace Sally had set and the pair ran without words for a while.

Sally was coming up on her tenth lap of the 'track' and looked to Easy. The mare was in the peak of fitness, she caught so many other changelings' eyes as she ran around the track at Sally's side that the satyr was almost jealous. But one form suddenly caught the drones eyes and Sally had to slow right down as Easy adjusted her pace to a trot and was soon beside Sweet Bite.

Following along, Sally couldn't help but grin at the happy pair. Easy was focused completely on Sweet but the mare shared her attention from Easy to Sally.

"Guess my run was about to be over anyway. What's doing?" Sally reached out a hand and rubbed Sweet's mane and ears, the breeder leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Easy had learned to share easily. She didn't like all the things Sweet wanted to do and so figured it was easier to let Sally and Sharp take up those aspects of the mare's life.

"Patrol reported something funny to the north, was looking for you two to come and check it out with me." Sweet returned Sally's kiss and added another to Easy's nose, getting a blush and a smile from the other drone.

"Oh, a patrol!" Easy seemed to snap out of her infatuation a moment. "I had heard there was more activity with the hive out that way, lets go take a look."

Sally nodded, dancing on her hooves a little, working her muscles down slowly from the peak she had pushed them to.

The only gear they needed was Sally's sword and they were off. As soon as they pushed into the warm jungle, Easy shifted, her form becoming a large feline, consistent with her own body-size. Having always been fond of cats, Sally couldn't stop herself reaching over and rubbing the pointed ears. A purr was the only reply she got to the touch.

After an hour of silent stalking, the three heard a call and saw two other drones signal to them. It was the hive's scouts. "What's going on?" Sally moved to crouch while the others simply blended their lower bodies into the underbrush.

One of the drones, a changeling Sally knew as Quick Change, gestured to the north with a hoof. "Even the dumb animals are retreating, it is getting really quiet out there." He spoke low, words barely able to be caught by trained ears.

Long Stride, their partner, nodded. "Something big is happening. Last time I felt anything like this was when we hit that huge slug's hive." She was referring to the hive of the queen who ate her changelings out of food.

Easy looked alarmed, even in the feline shape she wore. "This could be bad, we haven't lost a border skirmish for a while, it-" She cut her word off and dropped to the floor of the forest.

All the others, including Sally, did likewise. Just a little ways from their spot, three unknown changelings were skulking through the underbrush. "You heard something, or you think you heard something?" One of them seemed to be derisive of the other.

"I said, I think I heard something, why do you have to be such a pony about this?"

"Look, there is nothing? Come on, lets get back to the hive, tell them these stupid bugs aren't even patrolling their borders."

Sally and her four companions were silent, waiting for enough distance to be gained by the pair that they wouldn't be overheard.

At last, Easy spoke first. "Should we follow them and-"

Sally shook her head. "If they are planning something, it would give us warning… if they talked. But it would tip the hive off that we knew something was up."

"So?" The strategy and intelligence talk was beyond Sweet's normal expertise.

"So, we head back, we double our patrols, particularly this side. We prepare for the worst." Sally started to slowly move in the opposite direction the two foreign drones had gone, only to walk into two more that none of them had heard. "Ambush…" Sally's voice was sure, even as she had to rush a hand up to block one collar from forming. She reached up with her own and secured the drone who had tried to catch her.

The sound of growling was the first any of them knew Easy had attacked the other, the shapeshifted changeling landing on the less experienced drone. It gave Sweet plenty of time to reach out, gently working the noose around the second of their enemy's necks. "Got you." She smiled sweetly, already moving back toward their own hive.

Sally nodded. "Come on, lets be out of here. They are going to know if we take these two or not, now."

Quick and Long shook their heads, gesturing. "We will finish our patrol, we will keep out of sight." And with that the pair slipped into the underbrush and were gone.

"Easy, scout for us, lets get these two back and secured. Welcome to your new hive, by the way." Sally turned the last of her words toward the drone her leash held.

One of the pair laughed. "It won't be your hive much longer, not once my queen and Queen Haze take it!"

Sally stopped and smiled. Knowing that there was an invasion coming was good, knowing there were two hives involved in the attack even better. It would be a tough fight of course. "Thank you so much, I had thought on how to get information from you." Sally leaned in and kissed the righteous drone on the nose, shocking them.

The other lifted a hoof to their head and clopped it firmly against their temple.

Sharp Mind, queen of her hive, looked down on the two drones. "You really think your queen and this other can take my hive?"

One shook their head, the other looked like he was fighting to keep his mouth shut.

"Obviously they do. I alerted Gentle, all the ponies are in and safe. Stockpiles will keep them and our food for a long while yet." Sally had a little piece of slate in her hand, some rough chalk markings on it. "Now, as for defense, you know I had all the entrances sealed except the main one?" She got a nod and smile from Sharp. "That is going to pay off. Even if they both come, the only way they can come at us is through that entry way."

Sharp was quite happy. She really had been feeling a little bored and this, this was a wake up. "My wonderful breeder, always planning for the fall of our enemies. We are safe in here and when they come, oh my when they come…"

Sally felt her blood almost boiling. Her queen was alive with a dangerous edge of readiness partly stirred by her own desire for a good battle. "Shame we cannot be mobile through this, but I believe we have the best ground to fight on. Scouts are out laying traps already, by tomorrow we will have a ring of surprises around your hive."

"Oh?" Sweet cut into the pair, Sally had been advancing on her queen as she talked and they were almost right in front of each other. "My queen, my mate, I think this drone has something he wants to say."

The talkative drone's eyes were glowing softly green. Sweet's desires rode his senses. "She… you really want me to tell them?" Sweet nodded, grinning happily. "The first wave should hit in two days, she… my q… Hunger and Daze will bring their hives in from the north and southwest, the hope was to catch you with your pony farms exposed. Just grabbing those was the initial plan."

Sally had moved to the side of the throne, standing with one arm reached out and rubbing Sharp's flank. Her queen accepted this easily, her mind already half taken with the idea of pinning Sally down in the throne room. "Sweet, my darling consort." Sharp's eyes were burning with suppressed power, making Sweet Bite open her mouth a touch in surprise. "Your powers are constantly a source of delight. This one goes in a pod, their friend…"

The second of the two foreign drones looked shocked, it was not common for changelings to be fed from in pods.

"Their friend gets an offer, accept me as your queen or you join your friend in the pod. With your will undone and energy lost, you will not have a choice to serve." Sharp felt Sally's strokes up her side grow more forceful and it was all she could do to fight her need.

"I… well…" The drone looked down at her hooves. "You are more a queen than them… I just… can you really win against two hives?"

The answer the lost-looking mare got was in the eyes of her new queen. The drone gazed at Sharp Mind, a little smile coming at last as she looked down, closing her eyes. "My queen." She didn't sound conflicted anymore. She sounded relieved.

"Why do I need to go into the pod?" The remaining drone sounded a little worried.

"You betrayed your old queen, to a breeder's simple question. Sally didn't even have to work for you to answer her questions. You will learn your lesson, but be welcomed to the hive after." Sweet realized her two mates had lost all focus on the events in the room, they were gazing at each other, lost in the power that the coming battle inspired. "So come along now, it won't be too long, I promise."

Sweet Bite's words reassured the drone and he smiled. "Not too long? As long as you say so…"

Sally was spread out on Sharp Mind's back. She had collapsed there after the worst of their need had boiled off.

Sharp turned her head, feeling Sally moving a little. "Ready to go again?" It wasn't a question, it was a challenge. One Sally stepped up to.

"Why are they doing this, you think?" Sally's mind was working clearer than it had for a while, engaged in their activities, her body rewarded her actions by relieving her of the constant need to be with Sharp.

"The other queens? They want our genetic stock, most likely. Daze hasn't captured a single one of our drones since before you even arrived here. Hunger…" Sharp lost track of things a moment, closing her eyes and trembling under her breeder. Sally kept up her ministrations, waiting patiently for the rest of the reply. "Sally you… do you really want to discuss this now?" Her reply was even more invigorated efforts on the satyr's part. "Oh… oh… right, yes… Hunger was a young queen when she took over. She is named not for the need to feed, but for her desire for power. She would topple me and absorb my hive if she… if she…"

Sally gave a deep groan as nature took its course and the pair trembled in shared passion. It took some time before they were capable of talking again.

"If she can." Sharp had spent not a small part of the post coital recovery trying to remember where she was up to. "On her own, we would have devoured her and I would have planted one of my own leaders in her hive. With Daze supporting her it is different. I have not heard of two hives working together like this."

Sally adjusted her stance, hips rolling in a way that had Sharp give a groan. The mare's mouth opened, ready to ask a question, only to have her voice stolen by another rolling shove. "Shh, I get it, now be a good queen and let your breeder breed you."

The hybrid got only pants and gasps from her queen in reply.

Author's Notes:

No, get your minds out of the gutter, they were clearly just... uh, doing exercises.