Sally was on one knee, kneeling. If Queen Fangs was to be her queen, damn it but she was going to make sure it was done right.

"You certainly chose an interesting group of drones." The queen walked up, pausing before the human before circling around them. Sally kept her eyes forward, it wasn't like the queen couldn't do what she wanted in front of her and it showed a measure of trust on her part.

"They are competent and, I believe, worth more than any two dozen other of your guards." Sally had pride behind her words. She really meant it.

The queen strode down and Sally could see her raise an eyebrow at Sharp Mind. "I have a task for you, a small one really." Sally would swivel her ears if they worked like a pony's. "There is a group of gryphons who have freed much food from one of the weaker, nearby hives. The amount of the food they relieved is keeping them from just flying off. While having more food would mean more work for your precious ponies at their farm, I would like to take them, if only to make food a less scarce resource for every drone."

Sally's mind spun. Gryphons? Half bird half cat, if she remembered legends. Would the ones here be different?

"Any questions before you prove yourselves?"

The human had expected this and, though it cut her to the quick to admit it, any chance they may encounter another group of changelings meant her next words would save them. "My queen, I have one boon to ask."

The queen practically pranced down, arching her neck and looking down at Sally. "My littlest drone, what could I grant you?"

"Your magic, bore into my head with it, into all of us, and demand that we complete this mission and get back." Sally had pondered the wording she wanted, this would be the best she could come up with.

"Clever. You fear another changeling attack?"

"When there is the chance of it, I would be a poor… drone, to not prepare for it."

"Look at me." The queen's words implied what was already happening. Sally looked up and her world turned green. "My wonderful drone, you will do this mission to the best of your abilities and you will return to me, I will allow nothing less."

The words sank home and Sally fell sideways and landed, panting, on her side. The imperative to do what she had been charged with was so much she felt her feet shuffling against the floor, needing to propel her into action. Her arms were not so useful yet, though, and while she dealt with the mental shackle the queen had clamped tight on her, the rest of her squad had the same treatment.

"I trust you are worth this expense of magic. I will need to drink deep of our food now." Queen Fangs slumped onto her throne.

Sally's body was slowly adjusting and coming back under her control. The rest of her squad were still on their hooves, some a little less than completely stable. "My queen, if I fail in this, I will return and feed you myself."

The boast was a stupid one, Sally knew, if she failed the queen would probably just take everything from her. But it had the result of putting a wide smile on Fang's snout. "My drone, you are learning."

They were stalking the woods. Downwind of course. Sharp Mind had explained the attributes of griffons to Sally. Claws, wings a sharp beak and clever nose. The fact they were intelligent wasn't a problem for Sally, they were fighters, fighters she could respectfully fight and beat.

Lifting a hand, the human gestured to one side. It was evening, the sun would be at the back of the group of seven. As one the party moved slowly in the indicated direction.

When she first spotted the enemy she froze and lowered down to a crouch slowly. Behind her the changelings did similarly, but dropping into an awkward almost-laying-down position. "Five of them, they have a ton of the rabbits with 'em." Sally was speaking so softly, if the changeling's ears weren't trained on her they would have heard nothing. "Two big ones, Strong engage em, keep your back to Sweet." Sweet nodded to her words, knowing what Sally wanted.

"Direct, Straight, I want you to help Hard subduing the other three, then move on to getting those rabbits under control. Got it?" Sally looked around to all of them. Sweet's eyes were already starting to glow and Sally almost felt sorry for the gryphons. She might actually feel sorry for them when everything was done.

Sally pulled out the crystal goop she had worked with. Sharp had formed the hardened stuff into just the right shape for her. Fitting it onto her fingers it would work just like brass knuckles. At the very least she would be able to help run interference on any stray birds that tried to get past the other brawlers.

"Changelings!"

The call from the gryphons was their own signal and Sally was running, she was passed by Strong and Hard, the two wrapped in a green bubble of force. Direct moved in after them, his horn glowing as he kept pace with Sally. One of the three smaller gryphons dropped, clawing at their head and the green hood over it.

Another black blur on Sally's other side was Sweet Bite. The mare moved in quickly behind Strong, moving with the stallion's rolls and ducks as he kept the two biggest enemies busy.

"Damn you monsters, you can't have-" The biggest griffon's defiance cut off into a squawk as their eyes began to glow a soft green. Sweet was smiling up to them, her mouth already opening.

Sally saw, before the others, a sixth bird she had missed that was rushing to attack the mare forcing love onto their companion. "Not today." Sally pounded her legs into the soft loam, her knee screaming but not folding.

Her fist slammed into the side of the focused griffon. "Leave her, your fight is with me." Sally taunted them, driving her shoulder into the bird-cat's ribs and hearing a few crack.

The fight focused down for Sally. It wasn't like using a rifle, you couldn't sit back and tell your squad what to do. She took a bite on one arm only to bring the other down, in an open-palmed slap, on the side of the griffon's head. Sally had judged right, she got their ear. Staggering away, looking dazed, the bird never saw the leg swinging around with force. But it felt it.

Looking up from her foe, Sally saw the rest were doing as well as she hoped. Sweet had four of the griffons in front of her, all rolled onto their backs. The last was fighting a losing struggle against the remaining four of her squad. Then it hit her. "Where's Sharp?"

A flash of green in the distance revealed where the leader changeling was. With the rest stuck in heated battle, she had moved to corral the prize. Sally spotted her in the distance and grinned.

The slug was slowly oozing around, even through the wound. Sally didn't notice it so much now. The adrenalin was gone and she was really working to ignore the thing smearing slime into the bite on her arm. "You took down one on your own…" Sharp was shaking her head as she repositioned the slug again, dropping some more mold for it to gobble.

"You thought I was going to sit back and watch Sweet get blindsided?" Sally felt the slime in the wound and had to look at it. It didn't hurt at all, just felt… odd. "It numbs the pain?"

Sharp Mind nodded. There was the soft clop of hooves from behind and then a changeling was pressed against Sally's hip. "My savior." Sally knew who it was by voice, she didn't even mind it when Sweet nibbled her ear.

"She was that. How are the birds settling into their pods?" Sharp poked the slug, causing it to let go of the arm. Lifting it away she dunked it into a bucket of fungus-covered crystals. Sally suddenly realized, it was her pet.

"They are so lost in love that all the drones are gathering to taste them. The other food is doing well too." Sally leaned against Sweet, finding the closeness a bit of a comfort. Not to mention the combat and victory had left her more than a little excited.

Sharp looked down, at her pet. "I still can't stop…"

Sally and Sweet both looked to the mare.

"I can't get you out of my head." Sharp Mind looked at Sweet, her gaze ignoring Sally for the most part.

But it was the human that replied. "Damn you two, why don't you just screw already?"

The two mares blushed. Sally got the idea it wasn't just 'two females', since Sweet had certainly shown her enjoyment of the female form. "What? Why? That's an order."

"She is a drone." "She is a leader." The words came from each of the two mares and they both slumped.

"So? Is it forbidden?" They blushed more at Sally's words. "Well, if it is, then come on."

Sweet leaned back from Sally and started to follow, Sharp looked a little bewildered too and did likewise.

They both stopped when they worked out, at the same time, that Sally was going to the queen's throne room. "If you don't come in with me I will go in and ask it regardless."

Sally didn't look back to hear if they were going to follow, she missed the look the two mares gave each other. But she heard their clops as they followed.

"Ah, my triumphant drone and her two victorious hive-mates." Queen Fangs was in a good mood. She had tasted the gryphons already and she practically glowed with renewed fervor. "What are your demands of me?" Even the taunt lacked bite. Irony given her name.

"There is a law I want rescinded." Sally dropped to her knee long enough to feel the queen's touch on her shoulder, lifting her. She was looking right at her queen. "It is forbidden for drones and leaders to have sex?"

Fangs tilted her head. "It is generally avoided. It might be a law from before I was even queen. A small matter, consider it done." She waved a hoof at the three. Sally walked closer and, daring, leaned against the queen, focusing on how good the battle had been and how much she loved the chance to lead again. The touch was far gentler than Fangs' usual, Sally gave a soft sigh as the queen finally drank some from her. "Drone, your offer is welcome, your flavor is sweet." The queen didn't drink long, however, Sally felt a kiss on her forehead. "Go now, those two look like they are ready to do something in my throne room I will regret punishing."

It was the best encounter Sally had ever had with the queen, she dropped to her knee again and rose, walking up to the two mares now focused more on each other than ever. "Now you two are going to work off some steam, but I have first dibs." Sally wrapped her arms around the neck of each mare and tugged them out.

Sally had been with more than one partner at once before. Mostly it had been awkward as all heck, with two guys not sure if they were going to touch or not. This was very different. Sweet Bite and Sharp Mind were quite taken with each other and with the law removed by their queen there was nothing to stop them from realizing their crush on the other. Sally intended to find out what Sharp liked, she had already done some exploration with Sweet. She knew where that mare would blush and sing.

Slinging off the poncho-like garment she wore most of the day, she began unwrapping the cloth she had bound her chest with. "Slower." Sharp's word caused Sally to stop and turn, looking over her shoulder at the mare.

Sally smiled and did as bid, unwinding the cloth, letting it fall around her as she turned so that Sharp had a side-view of her. Both mares were watching now and Sally grinned in a way that felt quite predatory to her. A small part screamed that she shouldn't get turned on by two changelings watching her like that, it was drowned out by the part of her that appreciated a good leer, when the subject was somepony she cared about. That dissenting voice balked a moment at the idea that she had thought 'somepony' like she had heard the others say.

That voice was ignored in all things, it seemed.

Author's Notes:

Damn it, that would be sweet if she weren't so damn into it. Sally, you are going native, careful.